GOD IS FAITHFUL TO US

"But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left." Exodus 14:29

In the above passage, God delivers the children of Israel from the Egyptians following several lifetimes of slavery.  Moses parts the Red Sea with the power of God and the Israelites were able to escape. It is a common Biblical story, I'm sure you already know it! But there was something interesting in the passage that our pastor drew our attention to: the words "dry land."

We all know how water works. Water that soaks an area of the ground will often turn muddy, making it harder to walk through. It can cause someone to slip or get stuck. But the Bible indicates that the children of Israel were able to walk across the area on "dry land." This passage really struck me because God helped the children of Israel escape captivity in a unique and somewhat unconventional way.

Personally, I can attest to having my prayers answered in a unique and unconventional way. I remember praying for finances for my family and getting a call a few days later from my grandmother asking if I had put some money in their account. I've had other things happen, such as my journalism job being replaced by a better opportunity at the job I currently work. Both of these were super unconventional in the way they came to me.

THE MESSAGE

What I feel led to say is this: Everyone experiences times when they feel as though their prayers are going unanswered. With our human hearts and minds, we yearn for an immediate answer to what is bothering us. In actuality, we should wait upon God because he often puts things into our lives when it will make the best impact for us. And, just like he did for those Old and New Testament people of God, he will make the way clear for us.

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I absolutely adore the church we're going to. It seems like something is always said that hits home for me in one way or another. Some may say that that can be found in any church. But, if you're a churchgoer who has had a negative experience in a church, you know how different the atmosphere can be. A few Sundays ago, I got the metaphor I needed to relate my faith to others.

DOCKING THE BOAT

Our lives are a lot like a journey across the sea. Our ultimate end will be to dock on solid ground. If you're crossing the ocean in an old ship, it could take you months to get to your final destination. But, at times, the captain may want to drop the anchor. The anchor is a constant reminder that you can ground yourself at any point.

WHEN THE ANCHOR DOESN'T HOLD

We've all seen it happen in an old show, a commercial, or maybe in person. Someone is on a boat and they tell their companion to drop the anchor. But, the anchor wasn't tethered to the boat. So, what happens? ​The anchor sinks and isn't attached to the boat anymore.

We all have those moments of doubt. Maybe a prayer isn't being answered however quickly we want it to be. Maybe a loved one died out of the blue or in some terrible way.  "Why God? Why me?" That's when we reach for our tether. We tie it tight around the anchor of our faith, and we release it.

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QUARANTINE AND PROTECTIVE MEASURES

"And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be." - Leviticus 13:45-46

According to the Encyclopedia of Medical History, "The idea of contagion was foreign to the classic medical tradition and found no place in the voluminous Hippocratic writings." In the olden days, people believed that making someone bleed or driving a giant nail into their head would relieve pain and cure ailments. However, this Bible verse, from a book said to be written in 500 B.C., not only talks about quarantining someone who is infected with a disease, but also tearing their clothing, shaving their head, and making them to alert others to stay away from them, because they are sick!

THE WATER CYCLE

"Behold, God is great, and we know him not, neither can the number of his years be searched out. For he maketh small the drops of water: they pour down rain according to the vapour thereof: Which the clouds do drop and distil upon man abundantly." - Job 36:26-28

The water cycle is detailed in the Book of Job! Job talks about how God "draws up the water" (evaporation), turns them into "small drops of water" (condensation), then he "pour down rain" (perception).  Hebrews and Romans are credited with the idea of the water cycle, but it obviously wasn't scientifically discovered until much later (the 20th century, according to "Historical Development of the Global Water Cycle as a Science Framework").

SANITATION MEASURES

"Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad: And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon; and it shall be, when thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee:" Dueteronomy 23:12-13

Cleanliness is next to Godliness, as the old saying goes. This might be a little gross, but the Bible actually talks about human waste and how to bury it away from a living site. Deuteronomy was believed to be written around the 7th century B.C. Being around human waste was found to not only be stinky, but also bad for your health. Throughout the following years, people would die from prolonged exposure to human waste, which can make you sick!

THE STARS ARE INNUMERABLE 

"As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me." - Jeremiah 33:22

Jeremiah is believed to have been written around 626 B.C. Astronomers didn't start taking photos of the sky until the 20th century.  For some reasons, people thought long ago that there were only about 1,000 stars. This wasn't something that could be refuted until imaging was available.

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"But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on they right cheek, turn to him the other also." - Matthew 5:39

LOOKING AT CONTEXT

​During this verse, Jesus is teaching a number of moral lessons to a multitude of people. What is vastly important is to recognize the verse that comes just prior to the one I quoted at the beginning. Remember that it is important to read the verses around the verse you've picked out. People tend to cherry-pick the Bible, use verses out of context, and use those verses to control others and their opinions on certain views.

"Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:" Matthew 5:38

It seems clear that the culture to which Jesus was teaching had strict laws on the treatment of others. ​ ​If someone wronged you in some way, you were generally entitled to getting that thing back from them. You might even get to walk away with more. You've likely seen the scene in Aladdin where Princess Jasmine grabs and apple and gives it to a child. The shop keeper sees this and wants to cut off her hand because she used it to steal something from him. Same concept back then!  Here is a verse from Deuteronomy (Old Testament):

"Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you. And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you. And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot." Deuteronomy 19:19-21

​WHAT JESUS MEANS IN THE TEXT

Now that the context is cleared up, let's talk about the message here. Jesus is not saying that you should let someone abuse you. Rather, he is trying to make a point about grace under fire.  ​Basically, Jesus believes you shouldn't hit back, but rather "kill them with kindness."

Strength is mentioned numerous times in the Bible. Most of the time, it is in reference to the strength of the Lord. The Bible emphasizes that we're all human. When someone hits at us, our natural reaction is to hit back. It takes the strength of something supernatural to help up to control ourselves with grace and dignity when under fire.

I notice that, when I'm dealing with something and decide that I'm going to respond, I usually have to write out my natural feelings, backspace, and write something with a little more grace and dignity. It is by no means 100 percent graceful or kind. I'm sure I leave a few jabs in my response. However, I try my hardest and I'm learning more and more every day.

​TIPS FOR RESPONDING WITH THE LORD'S STRENGTH

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MY LIFE VERSE:

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." - II Timothy 1:7

WHY THIS VERSE MEANS SO MUCH TO ME

This verse is actually the verse that I have in my email signature and a card with a version of the verse is taped to my computer. I've gotten a ton of responses about the verse, with many people loving it. One of my coworkers actually asked me what it meant to me and why I love it so much.  The truth is that the verse has spoken to me for a long time because of things that I've dealt with in my past. Let me go through it:

A SPIRIT OF FEAR

When I was young, I was always pretty scared about the what-ifs of life. My mom will be the first to tell you that I didn't want to ride a bike because I was afraid to fall or I didn't want to leave the window rolled down because a bee might sting me. I'm still largely like that, in a way. I feel that I am getting better with age and experience. However, I still often find myself being worried about how I am perceived, scared to speak up sometimes about the things that I care about, and scared that something might be medically wrong with me when I'm doing just fine.

A doctor recently prescribed me something for my anxiety because part of it leads to me "picking my skin." ​But people with anxiety disorder are not the only people who have fear.  You can be anxious and scared about something without having a disorder. Most people get anxious or scared about a lot of things, and it's normal.

"FEAR OF THE LORD"

Many people will wonder how "God didn't give us a spirit of fear" when there are verses that say "fear the Lord" elsewhere in the Bible. According to a dictionary search, an archaic use of the word "fear" means "reverence."  If you do some more searching, you will find that "fear the Lord" is used much more in the Old Testament than in the new.

WHAT GOD GIVES US: POWER

The word "power" can sometimes have negative connotations because of the abuse of power that many of us have witnessed through local and government officials. However, God's definition of power can be equated more with the word strength. In Ephesians 6:10, it says, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might."

WHAT GOD GIVES US: LOVE

In the KJV Bible, which is the one I use and was raised on, many verses that use "Love" in other translations actually use "Charity" in the KJV. This is because charity is the idea of giving something of yourself out of love and without expecting anything in return. Everyone's favorite verses about love can be found in I Corinthians 13.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." - I Corinthians 13:4-7

Some definitions are in order here. First, the definition of "sound." This use of the word is meant to mean sturdy or unshakeable. While it doesn't seem that there are many verses on "sound minds," there are plenty of examples of crazy people in the Bible. The one I think about is the man who identifies himself as "Legion" in the New Testament gospels.

"And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones." - Mark 5:2-5

WRAP UP

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IF ALL CHRISTIANS ARE GOING TO BE THIS WAY, WHY SHOULD I BOTHER COMING? CHRISTIANS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE BETTER AND KINDER. 

I would be lying if I said I never asked myself that question. Today, I want to talk about a bad experience I had at a church that Jonathan and I were attending when we were married. I'm not going to reveal anything about the church or any names of the pastors. My intent is not to blast this church, but to explain what happened and why I'm still a practicing Christian.

SOME BACKGROUND

Jonathan and I were not married yet and we both had kind of fallen off of the wagon when it came to prayer and church. We decided to check out a church that was literally right behind out house. We went there are the messages felt familiar. I grew up in a conservative Baptist church, and this church was very similar.

LISTING THE ISSUES

Things started getting pretty hectic at my job. My boss left the job, which added a hefty work load onto the rest of us. This was a big change for me. If you've been reading my stuff for a while, you know I have anxiety disorder. If you also have this disorder, or know someone who does, you know that mental issues can start messing with you physically.

Out of kindness, we did try to come in on more Wednesdays for a while, but this SAME PASTOR would comment on the fact that Jonathan was smelly from working outside in 90+ degree weather. ​He had long hours and wouldn't have time to shower or change before we had to go to church. This also rubbed us the wrong way.

She never asked us when we were were available. She would just make a schedule and post it. If we had issues, we went to her afterwards. After telling her I would be gone for Christmas, she huffed and fussed at me in front of children and adults and told me, "I'm going to take you off the schedule entirely because you always need something changed."

SO I WAS BARRED FROM SERVING IN THE NURSERY BECAUSE I ASKED HER IF I COULD SWITCH DAYS WITH SOMEONE BECAUSE OF HER NEGLECT WHEN MAKING THE SCHEDULE. THIS REALLY HURT BECAUSE I LOVE CHILDREN AND NEVER COMPLAINED ABOUT SERVING IN THIS CAPACITY.

WHAT FINALLY HAPPENED

I realized after all of this that I was just angry every time I came in to church. I felt like I had just been gossiped about. I found out that another awesome couple had left the church because this same assistant pastor was guilting the husband into doing a ton of work for the church for free and it was putting a strain on their marriage.

YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT, AT THIS OLD CHURCH, THE PASTORS WOULD TALK ABOUT SPECIFIC PEOPLE BEHIND THE PULPIT. THEY WOULD TRY TO DISGUISE WHO THEY WERE PREACHING ABOUT, BUT THE CHURCH WAS SO SMALL THAT EVERYONE KNEW. 

WHY I'M STILL A CHRISTIAN

After all of this, I've had people ask me why I still go to church. They think that any experience like this is bound to repeat itself again. However, I disagree. Just because someone says they are a Christian, that doesn't mean that they'll act like one and doesn't guarantee that they are one.

I'M STILL A CHRISTIAN BECAUSE IT ISN'T GOD'S FAULT THAT SOME HUMANS ARE AWFUL. I HAVE SEEN AND CONTINUE TO SEE PEOPLE WHO CLAIM TO BE CHRISTIANS GOING THROUGH STRUGGLES OF THEIR OWN. CALL IT KARMA OR CALL IT GOD, BUT I THINK THAT IS TEACHING THEM A LESSON.

My hope for you is that you'll never let a bad experience at a church keep you from a relationship with God.  Every church will have some sort of flaw in your eyes. The church I go to now if larger and not everyone knows me, which is very different for me. However, I am willing to sacrifice that for a message that touches my soul and leaves a smile on my face.

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​I usually try to alternate between Wellness and Worship Wednesdays, but I think that today will be a sort of hybrid. Today’s post will be about applying the lesson that I learned to a life with anxiety. Specifically, I think today’s post will help you combat imposter syndrome. I saw a post from a fellow local blogger. She said that she had woken up with imposter syndrome, meaning that she didn’t feel good enough.

“And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains…” – Mark 5:1-3

​In these passages, Jesus and the disciples have just left a host of people to come across the sea to a place where one man lived. He was living among the dead. Because of his situation, he was exiled to this far-off place so he couldn’t hurt anyone.

​This really hit me, because Christians often fail to truly and deeply understand how personal our relationship is with Christ. Because his sacrifice was universal, we don’t understand how it applies to the personal.   Have you ever noticed how exclusive things make you feel special? I can’t tell you how many emails I get that say “you’ve been specially selected to receive this exclusive discount.”

​It sounds to me like this man was most notably depressed. He cut himself and cried. He was alone. He felt abandoned by everyone and everything. The people he likely grew up around threw him out and made him live among the dead.    He felt worthless. Like nothing he did would ever matter. Then along came Jesus.   In the Biblical narrative, Jesus tells the demons to come out from the man. ​They go into a herd of pigs and the man is free from them. His whole life changes.

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JESUS SWEATS BLOOD

​In Luke 22, we find Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. During this chapter, Jesus has the Passover meal and heads to the Garden along with some disciples to go pray. ​“And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” – Luke 22:44

JESUS SCOURGED

​After he is betrayed by Judas, Jesus is taken to Pilate by the Pharisees. According to the American School of Oriental Research, there were many devices used by the Romans to scourge those who were to be punished.   One of these include braided whips with bits of metal at the end. Although there isn’t a ton of information about it, we know that it was bad by the repeated language in the gospels. In Mark 14, we are told that Jesus was struck in the face again and again. We also know that he was stripped of his clothes before he was scourged.

CROWN OF THORNS

Mocking was a big part of Jesus’ crucifixion and is mentioned a numerous amount of times. In Mark 15:17, it says “And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head…”   Imagine having a bunch of thorns sticking into your head at all sides. The thorns are commonly believed to be from the Euphorbia milii.

CARRYING THE CROSS

​According to medical Dr. Bill Gaultiere, the weight of the cross was insane. The French architect Charles Rohault de Fleury did some research on the fragments of a cross in 1870 and determined that Jesus’ cross weight about 165 pounds. It was three to four meters high (9 to 13 feet tall) and a cross beam that was two meters wide (6.5 feet wide).

“And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.” – Matthew 27:32

JESUS' TIME ON THE CROSS

It is a popular belief that Jesus was nailed to the cross during his crucifixion. These nails were large and made of metal. It is said he had a nail in each hand as well as one through both of his feet. Because his feet and hands were nailed, and his back was torn up from the scourging, he would have to suffer a great amount of pain

"Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water." - John 19:32-34

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DR. OORD’S SOLUTIONS FOR EVIL

God can’t stop evil by himself God empathizes with us God squeezes good from bad God needs our help for love to win Dr. Oord did another presentation that I couldn’t make where he went more in to detail about some of these points.

GOD CANNOT STOP EVIL BY HIMSELF

​There is some evidence of this in the Old and New Testament. We. Have Jesus, who was sent to live as a man in the New Testament. Several times in the Old Testament, God uses his people (and adversely other people against the Jewish people) to judge the nations. So, yes, this does present some evidence that God “can’t do it alone.”

GOD EMPATHIZES WITH US

Well, I think this is kind of easy to say. Of course, God empathizes with us. If he didn’t he would not have sent Jesus down to live among us. Jesus was God in the flesh. He came down to experience life and its hardships like losing family members, being mocked, being sold out by the people who follow you, and being killed.

GOD SQUEEZES GOOD FROM THE BAD

​Oord was very clear in that God doesn’t cause the evil, but makes sure that good can later come from that experience. You see this in many cases. You see people whose families were abusive becoming an amazing parent. You see people whose children have died after driving drunk who work to educate the world about these things. People have also been able to help pass laws because of some hardship they endured.

GOD NEEDS OUR HELP FOR LOVE TO WIN

I’m on the fence about this one. In one hand, we know that a characteristic of God is that he is omnipotent, or all powerful. However, we do know that there are some things God can’t do. He can’t lie, he can’t defy rules he has already made, etc.  So, while I don’t think that God is super limited and doesn’t actually need our help, I think he wants it.

MY OPINION

​In my opinion, God is all-powerful. He lives in a heavenly realm, which he rules. And he sees everything. There is a huge distinction between heaven and earth. We see that the devil is sometimes referred to as the god (little G) of this world:

“In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should sine unto them.” – 2 Corinthians 4:4.

I think the biggest piece of evidence to my opinion is that God is set to reclaim the earth in the Book of Revelation. It talks heavily about his return throughout the Bible. In the end, good will triumph over evil. We see heaven as good and the earth as evil. God doesn’t like evil, and he will punish it in the end and for eternity. Anything apart from God is evil. Evil will not win, but it can take down lives just like good can build them up.

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MY LORD, MY CREATOR

Lord (lôrd): Someone or something having power, authority, or influence; a master or ruler.​

Cre·a·tor (krēˈādər): A person or thing that brings something into existence.

You can really tell that Ann Marie Ruby is passionate about the Lord, as she seems to refer to him several times as "My Lord, My Creator." In a lot of biblical literature, you will often see someone referring to Jesus or God as "my Lord," but I find that the term has lost its power as humans were are can still be referred to as "my Lord," to their subjects at least. Ruby takes this title of sorts to a new level by adding in "creator," which gives a nod to the fact that we wouldn't even be alive without our Lord. It is a refreshing way to refer to God, for sure.

DEVOTEE

Dev·o·tee (devəˈtē,ˌdevəˈtā): A person who is very interested in and enthusiastic about someone or something.

Ann Marie Ruby refers to herself often as a "devotee" to God, which I found interesting. This isn't because I disagree, I actually agree with this self-definition myself. However, you don't usually hear people saying they are a devotee of Christ.  Much like the added use of "My Creator," using this word instead of "follower" or "child" was really refreshing.

OBSTACLES

Ob·sta·cle (ˈäbstək(ə)l): A thing that blocks one's way or prevents or hinders progress.

Ann Marie Ruby continually refers to obstacles in many of her spiritual songs in this book. It seems clear that she has faced a number of struggles in her life, but she constantly affirms that she knows Christ will help her overcome whatever obstacles life puts in her way. I particularly appreciated to imagery she added.

OMNIPOTENT/OMNIPRESENT

Om·nip·o·tent (ämˈnipəd(ə)nt): (of a deity) Having unlimited power; able to do anything.

Om·ni·pres·ent (ämnəˈpreznt): Widely or constantly encountered; common or widespread.

Another terms of endearment that Ruby uses to refer to God or Christ is the use of the words Omnipotent or Omnipresent. As you can see, this means all powerful and always present. I love the use of this word because it reminds me that there is something/someone greater looking after me.

MY REVIEW

They read like a modern-day psalm or proverb. Their repetitiveness drives home the overall idea that Ruby want's to communicate: God is good, all the time. If you'd like to purchase a copy of Ann Marie Ruby's book, "Spiritual Songs II: Blessings From a Sacred Soul," click the link attached to the title, or search for it on Amazon.com.  Thank you for reading this review!

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