Dear God..
Dear World...
Dear whoever will listen...
I just can't go along with it,
I just can't support this vision.
For tonight my heart is heavy,
and tonight my thoughts are sad,
for today they wanted happiness
but not a joy that lasts.
Today they claim love won,
they claim we're equal now.
But we all know the tables have begun to turn
and there is no going back now.
As God gets pushed aside,
the country falls apart.
But they just ask what God has to do with it,
And an argument starts.
But the one who defined marriage
at the beginning of all things,
will have the final say in this
no matter what the Courts will bring.
What shall I fear
If the Lord is with me?
I fear for our future
of my world and my country.
I fear for our leaders,
I fear for our kids
the ones who aren't here just yet
but will bear the scars of all of this.
I fear for the remnant,
but know that God protects
but fear the ones still searching
will not find truth in all this mess.
I fear families ripped apart,
as the framework is attacked,
I fear for christians,
Who will watch and just sit back.
But what I think I fear the most
in the midst of all of this
is the ones who are oblivious
who the consequences missed.
First goes marriage,
"love Wins" their battle cry
then apart goes the home life
as family slow dies.
Then apart fall our youth
eaten alive
by the problems all around them
by the pain that lives inside.
I know dark times will come,
and that it's darkest just before dawn
But "Yea, Lord, come quickly"
is the cry that I've begun.
Yea, Lord come quickly,
and take me out of here
because I see where this is headed,
and for that and them I fear.
~ES
Friday, June 26, 2015
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Ouch....
So, this came across my Facebook news feed today: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/10/god-is-not-a-magician-pope-says-christians-should-believe-in-evolution-and-big-bang/#.VE_QSbxV71c.facebook
It's an article about the pope telling people not only that they should believe in evolution, but that it is in line with Biblical teaching. He's saying that God is not a magician, and that he obviously couldn't do anything that he wants. “When we read about Creation in Genesis, we run the risk of imagining God was a magician, with a magic wand able to do everything — but that is not so,” a quote from the Pope to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, sends a very clear message that his god is not strong enough.
From the article: “God is not a divine being or a magician, but the Creator who brought everything to life,” the pope said. “Evolution in nature is not inconsistent with the notion of creation, because evolution requires the creation of beings that evolve.”
First off, let's deal with the second part first. This statement has some truth. Micro evolution, the slight adapting of species to their specific environment, does indeed happen. I won't argue that, and very few people will. However, because of the context and the connotation of the word Evolution in our world today, I think it's safe to say that the Pope wasn't talking about that. I also agree that evolution implies something that has already created evolving. This is one reason I can't believe in Evolution. However, if he is willing to accept the fact that God is the creator, why does he not accept that he created things the way he wanted them and not in a way that required evolving? I also don't see how he can claim to believe that God is the intelligent designer of life, but that he's not a divine being or magician... What does that leave? I don't know about you, but all of the beings I know that can create life out of nothing pretty much fit in that first category... O.o
Now, being the pope, you would think Francis there would have read the Bible. Now, while I realize the Catholics have some extra scripture compared to what I as a baptist use, but I'm pretty sure both book use the book of Romans (they do, I just looked it up). Romans 1:20 says that "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse."
Well crap. I guess the whole not-a-divine-being thing goes right out the window. In fact, the very subject that the Pope was addressing throws his idea right out the window. It's creation itself that displays the fact that God is a divine being. And now we bring in the next verse in Romans:
"For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened." Romans 1:21 (NIV)
This is a dark world we live in and the darkness has now enveloped the Vatican ( I realize some people will argue that that happened a while ago, but whatever). This is not the first time I've had complaints about the things the pope stands for, and I think that it won't be the last.
Francis, you're going to get saddle sores from riding this fence. Pick a side, bub. I serve the all powerful God that not only created the Universe in 6 literal days, but is still alive and active in lives today, and CAN, in fact, do everything and anything. Feel free to join me whenever.
~ES
It's an article about the pope telling people not only that they should believe in evolution, but that it is in line with Biblical teaching. He's saying that God is not a magician, and that he obviously couldn't do anything that he wants. “When we read about Creation in Genesis, we run the risk of imagining God was a magician, with a magic wand able to do everything — but that is not so,” a quote from the Pope to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, sends a very clear message that his god is not strong enough.
From the article: “God is not a divine being or a magician, but the Creator who brought everything to life,” the pope said. “Evolution in nature is not inconsistent with the notion of creation, because evolution requires the creation of beings that evolve.”
First off, let's deal with the second part first. This statement has some truth. Micro evolution, the slight adapting of species to their specific environment, does indeed happen. I won't argue that, and very few people will. However, because of the context and the connotation of the word Evolution in our world today, I think it's safe to say that the Pope wasn't talking about that. I also agree that evolution implies something that has already created evolving. This is one reason I can't believe in Evolution. However, if he is willing to accept the fact that God is the creator, why does he not accept that he created things the way he wanted them and not in a way that required evolving? I also don't see how he can claim to believe that God is the intelligent designer of life, but that he's not a divine being or magician... What does that leave? I don't know about you, but all of the beings I know that can create life out of nothing pretty much fit in that first category... O.o
Now, being the pope, you would think Francis there would have read the Bible. Now, while I realize the Catholics have some extra scripture compared to what I as a baptist use, but I'm pretty sure both book use the book of Romans (they do, I just looked it up). Romans 1:20 says that "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse."
Well crap. I guess the whole not-a-divine-being thing goes right out the window. In fact, the very subject that the Pope was addressing throws his idea right out the window. It's creation itself that displays the fact that God is a divine being. And now we bring in the next verse in Romans:
"For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened." Romans 1:21 (NIV)
This is a dark world we live in and the darkness has now enveloped the Vatican ( I realize some people will argue that that happened a while ago, but whatever). This is not the first time I've had complaints about the things the pope stands for, and I think that it won't be the last.
Francis, you're going to get saddle sores from riding this fence. Pick a side, bub. I serve the all powerful God that not only created the Universe in 6 literal days, but is still alive and active in lives today, and CAN, in fact, do everything and anything. Feel free to join me whenever.
~ES
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
"If You're Not Prepared to Be Wrong..."
"If you're not prepared to be wrong, you will never come up with anything original" ~Sir Ken Robinson
Hi there, folks. I'm gonna take a break from the series I've been posting, and will probably interrupt it again before it's all said and done. But here, watch this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY
Please, watch that video (It's not a Rick-Roll, I promise!). It's about 20 minutes long, but it's definitely worth it. It's a TED talk by a man named Sir Ken Robinson, entitled "Do Schools Kill Creativity?" In this talk, he discusses the detrimental effect that our school system has on kids, in the fact that it shapes their minds into the boring, cookie cutter monotony that society says is acceptable.
"... She eventually graduated from the Royal Ballet School, founded her own company, The Gillian Lynne Dance Company, met Andrew Lloyd Webber, she's been responsible for some of the most successful musicals theater productions in history, she's given pleasure to millions, and she's a multimillionare. Somebody else might have put her on medication and told her to calm down." ~K. Robinson
I really don't have much to add to what he said. I was shown this as an introduction to my Intro to Audio Production class and Michigan Technological University. I think I can say that for the first time I am excited for a class besides band/guitar. My professor's approach was simple, and was worded something like "I'm going to give you enough information to be dangerous, and then turn you loose and let you learn by problem solving."
This, my friends, should be a fun semester.
~ES
Hi there, folks. I'm gonna take a break from the series I've been posting, and will probably interrupt it again before it's all said and done. But here, watch this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY
Please, watch that video (It's not a Rick-Roll, I promise!). It's about 20 minutes long, but it's definitely worth it. It's a TED talk by a man named Sir Ken Robinson, entitled "Do Schools Kill Creativity?" In this talk, he discusses the detrimental effect that our school system has on kids, in the fact that it shapes their minds into the boring, cookie cutter monotony that society says is acceptable.
"... She eventually graduated from the Royal Ballet School, founded her own company, The Gillian Lynne Dance Company, met Andrew Lloyd Webber, she's been responsible for some of the most successful musicals theater productions in history, she's given pleasure to millions, and she's a multimillionare. Somebody else might have put her on medication and told her to calm down." ~K. Robinson
I really don't have much to add to what he said. I was shown this as an introduction to my Intro to Audio Production class and Michigan Technological University. I think I can say that for the first time I am excited for a class besides band/guitar. My professor's approach was simple, and was worded something like "I'm going to give you enough information to be dangerous, and then turn you loose and let you learn by problem solving."
This, my friends, should be a fun semester.
~ES
Saturday, August 30, 2014
What Do We Have Here? (Pt. 1)
The first thing we have:
We have a Solid Foundation
Isaiah 33:6 says “He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.”
As Christians, we have something to stand on. The "He" in this passage is referring to the one mentioned in verse 5, which reads "The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high, he will fill Zion with his justice and righteousness." So before diving in any deeper than verse 5 and the first 5 words of verse 6, we know that the one to be our foundation is both just and righteous. I have met lots of people who go through life without ever having a solid base for their thinking, their actions, or their lives. As believers, though, we have the best foundation because it comes with more than just a bare area to stand on. it says that God is also a "rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge." We have access to the wisdom and knowledge of the all-knowing God! Granted, he chooses to reveal it in his time, and in bits and pieces, but all we have to do is ask! Not only that, but He is a "Rich store of salvation" too! So, really, all we have to do is cry out to him and he will pick us up and set us on a foundation that is solid and trustworthy.
You might be thinking to yourself, "that's great, but I built my life around [insert something besides God]. Well, you can try to make that work, but it won't end well for you. 1 Corinthians 3:11 says “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” As one with a construction background, I know the importance of a good foundation. If your foundation is not put in right or is weak, there will be problems. Some of the problems show up right away, others take years before they present themselves. Either way, building on an unstable foundation is pointless. If there is only one stable foundation, then only the things on top of that foundation will remain standing. Life is no different. The point of your foundation is to build something. In this case, a life that matters, with purpose and reason. Without starting with Christ, making a life with purpose is a futile endeavor. However, with Christ in the picture, we have a chance to grow and become someone who has a positive, Godly impact on the world around us. We can try to build on other things, but just like a build there will be problems. Sometimes they are immediate, sometimes they take years to develop. This why, I believe, so many marriages split after many years of marriage. Relationships built on money, sex, possessions, or stature will eventually loose their luster and crumble. When any relationship, not just marriage, or life is built on something that is worldly, it is doomed to fail. A life built and focused on God, however, is headed towards splendor and great things.
We have a Solid Foundation
Isaiah 33:6 says “He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.”
As Christians, we have something to stand on. The "He" in this passage is referring to the one mentioned in verse 5, which reads "The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high, he will fill Zion with his justice and righteousness." So before diving in any deeper than verse 5 and the first 5 words of verse 6, we know that the one to be our foundation is both just and righteous. I have met lots of people who go through life without ever having a solid base for their thinking, their actions, or their lives. As believers, though, we have the best foundation because it comes with more than just a bare area to stand on. it says that God is also a "rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge." We have access to the wisdom and knowledge of the all-knowing God! Granted, he chooses to reveal it in his time, and in bits and pieces, but all we have to do is ask! Not only that, but He is a "Rich store of salvation" too! So, really, all we have to do is cry out to him and he will pick us up and set us on a foundation that is solid and trustworthy.
You might be thinking to yourself, "that's great, but I built my life around [insert something besides God]. Well, you can try to make that work, but it won't end well for you. 1 Corinthians 3:11 says “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” As one with a construction background, I know the importance of a good foundation. If your foundation is not put in right or is weak, there will be problems. Some of the problems show up right away, others take years before they present themselves. Either way, building on an unstable foundation is pointless. If there is only one stable foundation, then only the things on top of that foundation will remain standing. Life is no different. The point of your foundation is to build something. In this case, a life that matters, with purpose and reason. Without starting with Christ, making a life with purpose is a futile endeavor. However, with Christ in the picture, we have a chance to grow and become someone who has a positive, Godly impact on the world around us. We can try to build on other things, but just like a build there will be problems. Sometimes they are immediate, sometimes they take years to develop. This why, I believe, so many marriages split after many years of marriage. Relationships built on money, sex, possessions, or stature will eventually loose their luster and crumble. When any relationship, not just marriage, or life is built on something that is worldly, it is doomed to fail. A life built and focused on God, however, is headed towards splendor and great things.
What Do We Have Here? Intro
So, so many times Christianity gets stereotyped as nothing but a bunch of rules and "Thou Shalt Not"'s. Other times it just gets labeled as boring. Any way you look at it, these quick descriptions do not even come close to doing justice to what Christianity actually is, or what it contains. I do not claim to be able to fully describe it, but hopefully I can shed a little bit of perspective on the subject. So here you have the (newly renamed) What Do We Have Here Series. It is an attempt to show some highlights of what we actually have as born-again Christians. If you have any questions along the way, or about the phrase born-again Christian that I just used, please ask away!
The first three parts will be from the devotional that I mentioned in a previous post. If I come up with more, I may very well post those too.
So, without further ado, please silence all cell phones, pagers, and electronic devices and turn off all Instagram filters. Please no flash photography, as it will get you weird looks. Thank you and please enjoy tonight's presentation of What Do We Have Here?
The first three parts will be from the devotional that I mentioned in a previous post. If I come up with more, I may very well post those too.
So, without further ado, please silence all cell phones, pagers, and electronic devices and turn off all Instagram filters. Please no flash photography, as it will get you weird looks. Thank you and please enjoy tonight's presentation of What Do We Have Here?
Sunday, August 17, 2014
The Start of Something
So, not this summer, but the summer before, I went to summer camp at Lake Ann Bible Camp. It was a program designed to be a week of in depth discipleship and evangelistic training. As part of the week, we spent three hours on Wednesday spread out on a beach to spend some quiet time with God and come up with a devotional to share with the group later. Well, the time came to share, and because of time constraints only a handful of the 20 of us got to share, and I never got picked. So I'm going to be going through it on here over the next couple days. Enjoy!
~ES
1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)
But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
~ES
1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)
But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
Friday, August 15, 2014
Brace Yourselves... A Rant is Coming.
The world recently lost one of it's greatest comedians with the death of Robin Williams. This funnyman has been entertaining people and making folks laugh for years, with different characters and sketches, as well as his interviews and general demeanor. However, he was holding something in, as we now know. Behind the smiles, laughter, jokes and good times sat a man who was without hope. He is quoted saying "I used to think the worst thing in life was to end up all alone, it's not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel all alone." There is a lot of truth in that statement. While the nation, and maybe even the world, stops to look back on this man's life, we are quick to jump to the happy memories and very slow to think about the problem that led up to him taking his own life. Now, I didn't know the man personally, so I'm not gonna talk like I did. However, from what I've gathered, I can say that the things he kept inside did not leave him as a special case.
I was fortunate enough to grow up in a good home. Both of my parents are Godly people, and have raised myself and my siblings very well and were protective. This being said, I wasn't exactly the problem child growing up and was what most people would describe as under a rock for the first part of my life. Well, when I got to high school, I decided to start taking my friendships seriously. By that, I mean actually taking the time to see how my friends are doing and what's going on rather than just living with the "I'm good. Everything's dandy" answer that we all spit out as soon as the words "how are you?" escape someone's lips. This change brought about quite the revelation. You see, as soon as I started investing the time into my friendships to see what was going on with the people around me, I quickly realized how much hurt and pain is really in the world of an average American teenager. Poor relationships with parents, fights, abuse, depression, and just built up frustration, along with all sorts of other struggles came up in different conversations with various people. And there seemed to be one overlying factor: the idea that pain can't show. Sure, if you're having a bad day it's one thing to go take it out on anybody and everybody you come in contact with, but our society seems to be one that wants everything to be perfect so badly that we sweep the bad stuff under the rug. I had someone tell me once that they had deleted a post on Facebook because it was too sad. That Facebook was only for the happy stuff. While daily complaining and sob stories get old really fast, it's not a bad thing to let others know that, "hey, this and this just happened. I'm kinda having a bad day." That lets those of us who care enough to read it know what's going on, and ask for details if we would like them. I have found that nine times out of ten what people really need is just somebody who will sit and listen to them. To go to someone and ask, "hey, I saw this happened, how are you doing?" means a lot more to most people than we think. The world we live in is so fast paced that to take the time to sit down and chat with somebody (face to face, not texting) is pretty much a lost art. Even over technology, conversation deeper than small talk seem to be getting more rare.
Now, about the Robin Williams bit I started with. But here's where it all comes around: people wind up feeling alone because no one takes the time to actually take a genuine interest in their lives. They feel alone because no one lets them know that they care about them. People get depressed because they try to carry all of this life's problems by themselves. People give up hope because they go too long with these feelings. And once their hope is gone, it's hard to get back.
So, if you are willing, invest in someone. It might make you uncomfortable, but that's ok. Take the time to make someone feel appreciated, and see where it takes you. You just might save someone's life.
~ES
I was fortunate enough to grow up in a good home. Both of my parents are Godly people, and have raised myself and my siblings very well and were protective. This being said, I wasn't exactly the problem child growing up and was what most people would describe as under a rock for the first part of my life. Well, when I got to high school, I decided to start taking my friendships seriously. By that, I mean actually taking the time to see how my friends are doing and what's going on rather than just living with the "I'm good. Everything's dandy" answer that we all spit out as soon as the words "how are you?" escape someone's lips. This change brought about quite the revelation. You see, as soon as I started investing the time into my friendships to see what was going on with the people around me, I quickly realized how much hurt and pain is really in the world of an average American teenager. Poor relationships with parents, fights, abuse, depression, and just built up frustration, along with all sorts of other struggles came up in different conversations with various people. And there seemed to be one overlying factor: the idea that pain can't show. Sure, if you're having a bad day it's one thing to go take it out on anybody and everybody you come in contact with, but our society seems to be one that wants everything to be perfect so badly that we sweep the bad stuff under the rug. I had someone tell me once that they had deleted a post on Facebook because it was too sad. That Facebook was only for the happy stuff. While daily complaining and sob stories get old really fast, it's not a bad thing to let others know that, "hey, this and this just happened. I'm kinda having a bad day." That lets those of us who care enough to read it know what's going on, and ask for details if we would like them. I have found that nine times out of ten what people really need is just somebody who will sit and listen to them. To go to someone and ask, "hey, I saw this happened, how are you doing?" means a lot more to most people than we think. The world we live in is so fast paced that to take the time to sit down and chat with somebody (face to face, not texting) is pretty much a lost art. Even over technology, conversation deeper than small talk seem to be getting more rare.
Now, about the Robin Williams bit I started with. But here's where it all comes around: people wind up feeling alone because no one takes the time to actually take a genuine interest in their lives. They feel alone because no one lets them know that they care about them. People get depressed because they try to carry all of this life's problems by themselves. People give up hope because they go too long with these feelings. And once their hope is gone, it's hard to get back.
So, if you are willing, invest in someone. It might make you uncomfortable, but that's ok. Take the time to make someone feel appreciated, and see where it takes you. You just might save someone's life.
~ES
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