Well, ok, so last time, I was 35 feet down with no sense of direction and a slightly panicked dive buddy. Honestly, I wasn't feeling so hot either. Well, no sense of direction, the problem is that we were really screwed up.
I also said it was about our Christian walk when you really can't see how to look up, when your light is bright, but it doesn't help either.
Well when we were there, with almost no options, we resorted to one of the fundamentals. We let some air out. The air bubbles floated up. It was one of those things where you are so happy to see a simple thing.
Well we just followed the bubbles. :D the solution to a hard problem was a simple answer.
That's the way it is with our Christian walk. We are surrounded with complicated problems. Christians doing evil things, compromising their faith for the pleasures of a minute. I've even done it. And that's when we have and need a simple answer. We need to love Jesus once again.
We need to let Him lead our walk. We can't seek His will through extra doctrines and extra rules and judgement on those who fail.
We have to walk the simple path of love, and the Bible. If we are faithful, He will be faithful too.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
Blackwater diving.Part One.
Blackwater diving is perhaps the second most dangerous diving, the first being cave diving, but then again, as my instructor said, only crazy people dive caves.
Blackwater diving is diving in perfectly black water. It is so dark that when you put your hand in front of your face you can't see your hand. Even if your hand is on your face, you still cannot see the difference. Yet when you turn on your flashlight, it extends into the distance like a laser beam. This phenomenon naturally occurs when there is an excess of debris is the first strata of water. the debris catches the light and completely blocks it. the lower strata are completely light and debris free.
When I went on my Blackwater dive with my dive buddy Jon, our Dive master who gave us our dive buoy so no matter where we went, we would always have that line showing us which way was up. As we descended below 35 feet it got so black, it was disorientating.
We started our search for stolen cars, but, as we proceeded, Jon, hit me on the arm, and pointed to our back.
I shined my dive light and I see our buoy floating right behind us, shrunken with pressure. We had no way up... We had lost our sense of direction.
That's the feeling I have now. That there is so much blackness that the little light I shine just seems to disappear. The things that I would look to direction, the exterior things, they aren't not working. People I know and respect are doing things they once clearly knew to be wrong once.
It's not just anybody, it's people who I respect, who I like. I've been through two deaths this summer, and it's shaken my world. One because it was my first granddad, and the other one, was it was a boy who I could have saved after he drowned.. but I wasn't able to.
Life will always have those moments, when you get bewildered, lost, disorientated with where you are. You can't even guess which way is up.
Part 2 coming soon, you will see the conclusion to both my diving story, and what I feel God is leading me to when disorientated. :D
Blackwater diving is diving in perfectly black water. It is so dark that when you put your hand in front of your face you can't see your hand. Even if your hand is on your face, you still cannot see the difference. Yet when you turn on your flashlight, it extends into the distance like a laser beam. This phenomenon naturally occurs when there is an excess of debris is the first strata of water. the debris catches the light and completely blocks it. the lower strata are completely light and debris free.
When I went on my Blackwater dive with my dive buddy Jon, our Dive master who gave us our dive buoy so no matter where we went, we would always have that line showing us which way was up. As we descended below 35 feet it got so black, it was disorientating.
We started our search for stolen cars, but, as we proceeded, Jon, hit me on the arm, and pointed to our back.
I shined my dive light and I see our buoy floating right behind us, shrunken with pressure. We had no way up... We had lost our sense of direction.
That's the feeling I have now. That there is so much blackness that the little light I shine just seems to disappear. The things that I would look to direction, the exterior things, they aren't not working. People I know and respect are doing things they once clearly knew to be wrong once.
It's not just anybody, it's people who I respect, who I like. I've been through two deaths this summer, and it's shaken my world. One because it was my first granddad, and the other one, was it was a boy who I could have saved after he drowned.. but I wasn't able to.
Life will always have those moments, when you get bewildered, lost, disorientated with where you are. You can't even guess which way is up.
Part 2 coming soon, you will see the conclusion to both my diving story, and what I feel God is leading me to when disorientated. :D
Friday, July 2, 2010
Christian Mediocrity
"So today I did _______,” said my friend.
"Wow... so can I ask a really hard question? How did you, as a Christian, get past the 'Thou shalt not _______' part? I'm not judging you, just asking."
"Well, I thought about it for a really long time, and we don't really know what the original Hebrew words meant."
I didn't really know what to say at this point. This wasn't just a random question. Over the past year as I went to college and was more exposed to other people's lives I saw many things happen in others lives that were direct contradictions to the teachings of God's word. I have done some of those things.
No, I'm not talking about murder or highway robbery, but things we all think are ok.
I've been with a group of Christians who were having fun but always joking about sex. Some of them wouldn't joke about it, but just make sexual comments. I had a discussion with one girl that was adamant that cheating in college was ok because she needed to get through just a couple of hard courses. Incidentally, they were hard because instead of learning them in high school she cheated her way through them. I've seen guys and girls jump in and out of relationships. They justify sex before marriage, defrauding each other, and doing many actions that seem contrary to God's purpose.
Their reasons are interesting. I hear, and I have said, “My actions don't hurt anyone. It's not clear in the Bible. It never says don't do this specific action. It was only a joke.”
What does the Bible say about this?
1) As my friend said, the Hebrew words might mean something else.
In Mathew 5:18 Jesus says, "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."
Furthermore John writes in 1 John, 1:1-3, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ."
2 Peter 1:16 says, “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty."
Jesus himself says in John 10:34-35 "Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken?”
There are so many more verses where God says the Bible is his word and it is accurate. God did not make these rules to be broken or to have an excuse to break us, but to show us our need for him. We claim grace for our sins, and we disbelieve anything that says we are wrong. I've made the excuse, "They just don't understand."
God does understand, and every action we do against his law is a slap in his face and of his son who died for us. Did God indeed give us grace so we could sin more?
I am tired of my mediocrity, and I am disgusted by yours. I am ashamed by my actions, and heartbroken at yours. I see brothers and sisters, who once were so bold for Christ, choose the pleasures of this world and carelessly spit on a sacrifice so hard won.
In addition, lest you or I claim that the Bible is not accurate, Jesus said that if we break one of the least of these commandments and proclaim it to be the truth, we are the least in the Kingdom of Heaven.
2.) We say our actions hurt no one. That our time is our own; how can it be so bad if it feels so right?
Paul says our lives are not our own, we have been bought at a price, we are slaves to righteousness, We are athletes in the games. We don't have time for the luxuries and pleasures of this world. We need to buffet our bodies so we may win this prize. The church's actions, my inaction... they make me want to throw up.
We don't have time to do things that don't benefit people. Have you not read the word that our every action will be called into account? Not only will we be judged for what we did do, but we will be judged for our inaction.
3.) It was only a joke... yeah, that's one of my biggest weaknesses. If you know me... I tell major jokes. I have pulled off some noteworthy pranks. I convinced two girls that I cut off my own foot to get out of an accident once. It sure was funny!
I have to carefully look at this.. it's clear that the man who says he was only in jest after hurting people is a terrible hindrance. This does fall under every action being accountable.
I know when somebody accidentally makes a sexual reference... it's funny as all get out, but when we do it intentionally... forget WWJD, how about what would your mother do? She'd slap me so fast that even my superior instincts wouldn't see it.
We live a life of mediocrity. Whatever happened to living a life dedicated to God? We are supposed to pursue God and we pursue the world. When was the last time we even took time to look at our lifestyle from a third person point of view? Or even from God's viewpoint?
My lifestyle has saddened me much over the last 6 months. I'm sure God feels even worse about it. To me... God isn't my sugar daddy... he's someone real, someone to be feared and respected.
We care only for ourselves.
"Wow... so can I ask a really hard question? How did you, as a Christian, get past the 'Thou shalt not _______' part? I'm not judging you, just asking."
"Well, I thought about it for a really long time, and we don't really know what the original Hebrew words meant."
I didn't really know what to say at this point. This wasn't just a random question. Over the past year as I went to college and was more exposed to other people's lives I saw many things happen in others lives that were direct contradictions to the teachings of God's word. I have done some of those things.
No, I'm not talking about murder or highway robbery, but things we all think are ok.
I've been with a group of Christians who were having fun but always joking about sex. Some of them wouldn't joke about it, but just make sexual comments. I had a discussion with one girl that was adamant that cheating in college was ok because she needed to get through just a couple of hard courses. Incidentally, they were hard because instead of learning them in high school she cheated her way through them. I've seen guys and girls jump in and out of relationships. They justify sex before marriage, defrauding each other, and doing many actions that seem contrary to God's purpose.
Their reasons are interesting. I hear, and I have said, “My actions don't hurt anyone. It's not clear in the Bible. It never says don't do this specific action. It was only a joke.”
What does the Bible say about this?
1) As my friend said, the Hebrew words might mean something else.
In Mathew 5:18 Jesus says, "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."
Furthermore John writes in 1 John, 1:1-3, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ."
2 Peter 1:16 says, “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty."
Jesus himself says in John 10:34-35 "Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken?”
There are so many more verses where God says the Bible is his word and it is accurate. God did not make these rules to be broken or to have an excuse to break us, but to show us our need for him. We claim grace for our sins, and we disbelieve anything that says we are wrong. I've made the excuse, "They just don't understand."
God does understand, and every action we do against his law is a slap in his face and of his son who died for us. Did God indeed give us grace so we could sin more?
I am tired of my mediocrity, and I am disgusted by yours. I am ashamed by my actions, and heartbroken at yours. I see brothers and sisters, who once were so bold for Christ, choose the pleasures of this world and carelessly spit on a sacrifice so hard won.
In addition, lest you or I claim that the Bible is not accurate, Jesus said that if we break one of the least of these commandments and proclaim it to be the truth, we are the least in the Kingdom of Heaven.
2.) We say our actions hurt no one. That our time is our own; how can it be so bad if it feels so right?
Paul says our lives are not our own, we have been bought at a price, we are slaves to righteousness, We are athletes in the games. We don't have time for the luxuries and pleasures of this world. We need to buffet our bodies so we may win this prize. The church's actions, my inaction... they make me want to throw up.
We don't have time to do things that don't benefit people. Have you not read the word that our every action will be called into account? Not only will we be judged for what we did do, but we will be judged for our inaction.
3.) It was only a joke... yeah, that's one of my biggest weaknesses. If you know me... I tell major jokes. I have pulled off some noteworthy pranks. I convinced two girls that I cut off my own foot to get out of an accident once. It sure was funny!
I have to carefully look at this.. it's clear that the man who says he was only in jest after hurting people is a terrible hindrance. This does fall under every action being accountable.
I know when somebody accidentally makes a sexual reference... it's funny as all get out, but when we do it intentionally... forget WWJD, how about what would your mother do? She'd slap me so fast that even my superior instincts wouldn't see it.
We live a life of mediocrity. Whatever happened to living a life dedicated to God? We are supposed to pursue God and we pursue the world. When was the last time we even took time to look at our lifestyle from a third person point of view? Or even from God's viewpoint?
My lifestyle has saddened me much over the last 6 months. I'm sure God feels even worse about it. To me... God isn't my sugar daddy... he's someone real, someone to be feared and respected.
We care only for ourselves.
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