Define...

So, this morning I was doing a little project for my devotional time. I'm going through 1Chronicles and those super LONG BORING genealogies (blah, the son of blahblah, the son of blahblahblah!) Well, I know that every part of the Bible is important so there I was trying NOT to sleep through my way through the first chapters of 1Chronicles when Dad gave me an idea: for each name write down the definitions and make a list...

Adam -- man
Seth -- appointed
Enosh -- human

and so on. I thought that'd be pretty cool (if you want to try, here's the site I used for definitions) and off I went!

I go down a couple verses and something jumped out at me (odd, considering it was a genealogy.) This may get a little technical, so I'll try to break it down...

(1Chronicles 1:8-10)
"The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raama and Sabteca; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. Cush became the father of Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one in the earth."

Something funny struck me about Cush. (Remember, Ham was one of Noah's three sons? And you might remember that Nimrod build the tower of Babel.) It starts out saying that Cush is Ham's son. Nothing funny there. Then it says who Cush's sons are and moves on to Raama(h)'s sons. Nothing odd their either. BUT, then we go back -- it's like God wanted to add a footnote -- to Cush. I know that doesn't sound like much right now, but just wait.

I thought that that was a little bit weird considering that hadn't happened in the previous names, so I decided to pay a little extra attention to it. Instead of just writing down names and definitions, I decided to keep everything in the sentence.

(Before translating 1Chronicles 1:10)
"Cush became the father of Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one in the earth."

(After)
Darkness became the father of Rebellion; he began to be a mighty one in the earth."

Whoa! Like... WOW! When I saw that, I nearly jumped out of my clothes! Nimrod rebelled against God and built the Tower of Babel, but not only that, MANY people followed him. Rebellion became a "mighty one in the earth" And rebellion is surely the child of darkness.

As it turns out, this turns up EVERYWHERE in the genealogies. The definitions turn the names into sentences (I'll probably post more later.) I strongly encourage you to toy with this -- if only to make reading the son-of's more interesting ;)

Chicken or the Egg?

I just saw one of those "un-answerable questions" and I felt the urge to tell the world that I know the answer to the age old question, "the chicken or the egg?"

Ready?

SINCE God created the world and everything in it, He created both the chicken and the egg.

(Genesis 1:20) "Then God said, 'Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.'"

Chickens are birds, so we will group them with the birds (no brainer.) Therefor God directly created the chicken -- not the egg first.

This is a rather trivial question. What's important is that we know God created everything! He's in control of the world -- whether we like it or not. And we can get blessings by working with Him or curses by working against Him.

I for one want to be blessed. So here's the REAL question: How can I know if I'm working with or against God?

#1. Are you praying in accordance to his will?

That question sounds a lot harder than it actually is. To pray in accordance with God's will simply means that when you pray, "Thy will be done," you really mean it! If you want to go to NYC and become a supermodle and you pray, "They will be done," you have to be okay with the fact God might want you to scrub floors in a hospital in South Africa. Not that everything is always that "extreme" but we have to understand that if we REALLY want God to do His will, we've got to be okay with wherever He puts us, whenever He puts us there.

#2. (Do I really have to say this?) Are you being the best example of Jesus Christ that you can be?

WWJD I'm sure everyone remembers that from our 3rd grade Sunday School classes. But that acronym has many more ramifications than it is given. When Jesus saw people selling in the temple, he took the time to braid His own whip to drive them out (and who says Christian shouldn't get involved in the military!) When Jesus was eating with sinners, none of them felt scared or judged, rather, they loved Him. Now our big question is, are we behaving in the same way Jesus did? Do we "love the sinner, hate the sin," or do we wrap everything together and hate the sinner too? Do we allow people to walk all over out beliefs, or do we stand up and fight for what we know is right?

Those two points pretty much round everything off. Pray so that you know what to do, then behave in the best manner as you do it. (Told you it was pretty simple.) The hards part of all, however, is... You have to do this every moment of every day. Live the life. Sure, we makes mistakes and fail all the time, but as my youth pastor once said:

"Imagine life as a race. All of us Christians are running to the finish line (heaven). Don't run just to finish, run like you're gong to win. If you run like you're going to win, you'll try a lot harder than if you're just running to finish."

Motions

This might hurt, it's not safe
But I know that I've gotta make a change
I don't care if I break,
At least I'll be feeling something
'Cause just okay is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of life

I don't wanna go through the motions
I don't wanna go one more day
without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,
"What if I had given everything,
instead of going through the motions?"

No regrets, not this time
I'm gonna let my heart defeat my mind
Let Your love make me whole
I think I'm finally feeling something
'Cause just okay is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of this life

("Motions" by Matthew West.)

I really like this song (even though it is totally out of my music genre). When I hear those words it makes me want to stand up and fight! It inspires me because I know that I do not want to go through "Christian Motions" -- no, I want to live Christ with every fiber of my being! As I like to say, "It is not me, but Christ IN me."

I was praying last night and I was feeling weak and insignificant. I started just talking to God...

"Lord, I feel so small. I feel like I don't mean anything..." I prayed, as I did, thoughts started filling my head, kinda like God was talking back to me.

"Well, aren't you small?" the thought came.
"No! I'm not supposed to be am I?"
"Are you?"
"Well... yes, I am small."
"Yes you are. Now that that's out of the way, what should come next?"
"Next? What do you mean?"
"We have established that you are tiny and helpless. Right?"
"Yes, I am helpless, there's nothing in me that is mighty."
"Yes and no. You of yourself are weak and helpless, but I AM in you aren't I?"
"Yes you are. You're HUGE! You made the world and everything in it!"
"Yes I did. And I AM in you. The less YOU you put in my way the more I can shine through you."
"I see. So, You are strong in me, even more so when I'm weak. Right?"
"You got it."
"Well then, Lord, I need You to be strong in me right now, and carry me through because I am too weak of myself to do it."
"Christine."
"Yes?"
"I've been here the whole time."

Our problem so often is that we pray to God, but forget to let him take the reins. We say, "Oh Lord, help me!" then go off and do our own thing. The most difficult part of prayer is really TRULY allowing God to consume us, to the point where people can't see "us" anymore but "God in us." That is why my motto is "Be the best example of Jesus Christ that you can possibly be." After that point God takes care of everything else -- literally!

But, that step is so frightening. Like Matthew West put it, "This might hurt, it's not safe." A lot of times doing what God asks it terrifying -- think of all the things he asked the men of the Bible to do! -- but no matter what God says, we have to obey because it serves his greater glory. Too often we ask God, "Why? Why are You doing this to me?" but as humans, we don't deserve anything. We deserve to burn in hell; so a much better question would be, "Why not? Why does anything good ever happen to me?"

Knowing how shortsighted even the wisest of humans are, I'm so glad God has my fate in His hands. I'd mess everything up (and quite often I do, be getting in God's way to me.) By far, the best life to live is the one where you allow God to do whatever He wants with you. Trust me when I say that you'll be AMAZED at how He works everything for the good.

Taking the Census

So with it being 2010 the government decided to take a census of the population. Here is my experience with it. I would like like to quote a section of our "Constitution of the United States of America"...

Article 1; Section 2

(Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.) (The previous sentence in parentheses was modified by the 14th Amendment, section 2.) The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct. The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative; and until such enumeration shall be made, the State of New Hampshire shall be entitled to chuse three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations one, Connecticut five, New York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten, North Carolina five, South Carolina five and Georgia three.

Let's narrow that lot a bit so I get get to the meat of the issue...

"Enumeration"

That was easy wasn't it? So, the government is allowed to "enumerate" the population once every ten years. Let's look at what the word "enumerate" means...

e·nu·mer·ate
–verb (used with object), -at·ed, -at·ing.
1. to mention separately as if in counting; name one by one; specify, as in a list: Let me enumerate the many flaws in your hypothesis.
2. to ascertain the number of; count.

So, our government is allowed to count the population -- as in one, two three, the end!

With that in mind we -- under the Constitution -- are ONLY REQUIRED to state the unber of people within our households. (Now to the actual story.)

My father, being the leader of the house, received his copy of the census and answered the only question Constitutionally required (the number of persons in his home). He wrote down then number 4 and mailed the census back, all other questions blank. Several weeks later (just a few days ago now) a person who was part of the census bureau came knocking on our door. Dad answered it and the lady proceeded to ask him questions. My father politely stated the facts to here, the only thing he was required to give was the number of people in his house -- four. Not even his name or the names of the persons are required.

The lady was quite flustered and stated that if he -- my dad -- did not give the information to her someone else would come. Dad staunchly stood on his rights and refused to give out any personal information.

What in the world is the government trying to do by taking ALL of our personal information??? What business do they have with my social security number? my salary? my bill information? my personal setup? my standards of living? or whatever other questions they could possibly come up with?

My family has desided to stand upon our Constitutional right to NOT give out our personal information to strangers! -- yes my friends, I consider any government employee a stranger! We do not have to stand for giving up our personal information! Stand on your rights and give them their only legal, Constitutional answer, the number of people within your home!

This video says it all...

My Testimony, My Saga, My Legacy... Pt. 9

Chapter 9: In which a Heart is Freed...

I went over 5 months without seeing or hearing from Sedric. As more time passed the more "whole" I felt. I didn't need Sedric to feel like having a good time nor did I waist endless hours doing nothing but thinking about him. I wasn't perfect, though, I still missed him a lot! But I was becoming more and more willing (and able) to do whatever I felt God calling me to do (or even just hanging around for fun with my friends.)

Now I was getting ready for college orientation. I planned on going to a Christian college, and I knew I was going to meet a lot of SUPER Godly, Christian guys. But still in the back of my mind I had difficulty accepting the fact that one of those other guys might be my husband. I prayed and prayed that God would do something to take away the bindingness of my promises to Sedric. As orientation drew nearer and nearer I felt that I might have to do the forbidden... I thought I might have to call up Sedric and ask him to release me from the promises. I knew if he did that, I'd be fine. But, we hadn't spoken in months, what if he said no?

One day I decided to do a blog post called "Memory Lane: Strawberry Jam." (I'm sure you know of it ;) ) I mentioned that a friend taught me how to make strawberry jam, and morphed it into a sermon on fellowship. Something I left out was that Sedric was "my friend's" son. I didn't feel it necessary nor fitting that I mention that little piece of trivia.

The next morning I found a comment... from Sedric, berating me for being a cold hearted person, erasing any piece of him from my life and memory (simply because I didn't mention him in the post.)

My brain nearly exploded. *Mental Rant* "Excuse me? Um, everything I've been doing is for BOTH our goods. The fact I shouldn't be obsessed over you applies just as much in that you shouldn't be obsessed over me. Not to mention that I've been going through living torture nearly EVERYDAY because of YOU. How many nights did I say up and cry because I was praying over you? How many times did I let God pass me by because of you? And you want to call me a cold hearted person?!?"

My rage quickly turned into pity. God was showing me something I needed to see. The answer to my prayers. Sedric was not selfless anymore. He was upset because I decided not to mention his name in a situation. I felt sorry for him because I realized that in the time of my absence he'd changed. I knew I'd changed from the little love-sick maid I used to be. Then it dawned on me. The people that made the promises to each other did not exist anymore. They'd changed. I'd grown into a girl that truly did want God as her all -- not as pretence or requirement. But, in my eyes, Sedric had changed from a strong Godly young man into a selfish, self-righteous person. My promises were now invalid (in my mind at least) and at last I could completely, 100% focus on being open to EVERYONE.

Sedric hardly ever crosses my mind anymore (even as I'm writing this). But whenever he does, I pray for him. Whatever he's doing, whatever he's going through, I pray that God be his light. I pray that Sedric allows God to 100% lead and control his life. I don't have any bitterness towards Sedric, and I hope he doesn't towards me, but I know that I'm chasing God, and that's all I care about.

This concludes my Saga for the moment, but God is always throwing surprises at me :).

Parts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9