I have two unconnected friends, who happen to live in the same urban area, that are both facing difficult situations in regards to foster children/child custody. Both families are caring for children who are not safe in their homes of origin. In both cases, "the system" is forcing the children to be in the care of their potential and actual abusers unsupervised. This is beyond my ability to comprehend and is an utter outrage! Please lift these families in prayer - this is a desperate situation.
Heidi
Monday, August 3, 2009
Sunday, August 2, 2009
A Collision of Thoughts
I am experiencing a collision of thoughts today. Whenever this occurs, I sit up and take note because I experience God through His use of themes in my life. In the two previous posts, I have referred to the recently published books of A.J. Jacobs and Kevin Roose. I can not stop thinking about the experiences of these men as written in their books. If you have read a few of my posts, then you know of my personal pursuit of Truth this year. You also know of my memorization goal (i.e., two pieces of Scripture a month in 2009). And, you know that I am a church-going conservative Christian raised by multiple generations of believers. That said, my collision of thoughts today comes down to the question of whether or not God is real, and whether or not humans can experience God.
Jacobs and Roose apparently set out to test whether or not God is real, and whether or not believers in Christ are having an authentic experience with God. Both authors admit their lack of belief at the beginning of their experiences. Both authors admit the lack of support they received from their families and closest friends. Some of their family members and friends actively worried about the possibility of their conversions. Their experiences are enlightening (and to be fair, I am still in the midst of Jacobs' book). Something, however, is missing....
Today I worshiped at a church in Medford, Oregon, and listened to a sermon preached by Dr. David Grinder. During his sermon, Grinder quoted Brad Bright, son of the late Bill Bright, "Truth is always the first casualty whenever we start with what we want rather than with who God is." Most people likely struggle with this way of thinking. So much so that a psychological/sociological term defines such thinking: confirmation bias. Confirmation bias leads people to seek information and/or answers in ways that only confirm their initial thoughts. Contradictory thoughts are unknowingly overlooked. Confirmation bias is common; it is antithetical to critical thinking.
Last fall I deeply desired to vote in the presidential election as an informed citizen with a pure and righteous heart. I had a natural inclination for who would receive my vote, yet I put my mind out there in attempt to truly move beyond myself and hear a larger message. I prayed, and I studied Scriptures as I searched for answers. In the sermon this morning, Grinder featured many pieces of Scripture that identified my experience with this kind of search:
Lest I sound incredibly self-righteous, I have some work to accomplish, as well. Believing God, and living a Christlike existence is not mindless. Actually, it is the people who attempt to believe God and be Christlike without using their minds who give all Christians a bad name. Not everything done or said by a person claiming Christ is actually of God.... God created our minds to continually use in thinking, processing, and acting!
In light of these thoughtful collisions today, my 15th verse of 2009 is meaningful:
Jacobs and Roose apparently set out to test whether or not God is real, and whether or not believers in Christ are having an authentic experience with God. Both authors admit their lack of belief at the beginning of their experiences. Both authors admit the lack of support they received from their families and closest friends. Some of their family members and friends actively worried about the possibility of their conversions. Their experiences are enlightening (and to be fair, I am still in the midst of Jacobs' book). Something, however, is missing....
Today I worshiped at a church in Medford, Oregon, and listened to a sermon preached by Dr. David Grinder. During his sermon, Grinder quoted Brad Bright, son of the late Bill Bright, "Truth is always the first casualty whenever we start with what we want rather than with who God is." Most people likely struggle with this way of thinking. So much so that a psychological/sociological term defines such thinking: confirmation bias. Confirmation bias leads people to seek information and/or answers in ways that only confirm their initial thoughts. Contradictory thoughts are unknowingly overlooked. Confirmation bias is common; it is antithetical to critical thinking.
Last fall I deeply desired to vote in the presidential election as an informed citizen with a pure and righteous heart. I had a natural inclination for who would receive my vote, yet I put my mind out there in attempt to truly move beyond myself and hear a larger message. I prayed, and I studied Scriptures as I searched for answers. In the sermon this morning, Grinder featured many pieces of Scripture that identified my experience with this kind of search:
"And if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding. And if you look for it as if for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God" (Proverbs 2:3-5).
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house; yet it did not fall because it had its foundation on the rock" (Matthew 7:24-25).As I have read authors like Jacobs and Roose, and as I have read the posts of many people, Christ-followers and otherwise, I have continually been perplexed by the enormous chasm in belief systems. Some folks have clearly made their decision. I recently listened to a podcast featuring an atheist and a Christian debating Darwinism (Note: the two debaters are friends; it was a respectful debate). The atheist absolutely stated the falsity of an afterlife. How can a living person absolutely know there is no afterlife? Jacobs absolutely stated his unbelief in creationism. There are no absolutes in the scientific method (oops - that is an absolute statement). Roose said from the very beginning of his journalistic immersion experience that he would not convert, or at least that it was extremely unlikely. With such belief systems, these three men are extremely unlikely to experience Truth from a Godly perspective, or come to know God. One must have an authentic open mind towards the possibility of God in order to know Him and experience Him.
Lest I sound incredibly self-righteous, I have some work to accomplish, as well. Believing God, and living a Christlike existence is not mindless. Actually, it is the people who attempt to believe God and be Christlike without using their minds who give all Christians a bad name. Not everything done or said by a person claiming Christ is actually of God.... God created our minds to continually use in thinking, processing, and acting!
In light of these thoughtful collisions today, my 15th verse of 2009 is meaningful:
"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who has called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires" (2 Peter 1:3-4, NIV).Critical thinkers in Christ focus more on their knowledge of God than their bias towards cultural issues. Godly knowledge begets Godly wisdom which can then be applied towards cultural issues in ways that enrich humankind and please God.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Can there be a Same Difference?
For quite some time I have been thinking about the impact of childhood and family upon one's belief system. I'll be the first one to admit that my beliefs resemble my parents and grandparents. I admire my parents and grandparents; I've closely watched their lives; and I seek to model many of their beliefs and behaviors. Some of those beliefs and behaviors are quite natural to model.... A phrase I grew up hearing in the midst of an argument is: "It's the same difference!" or simply, "Same difference!". Hundreds of phrases and words are included in my vocabulary based on my home of origin. It's no wonder home is so influential in thought processing!
The idea of being most familiar with the beliefs of our heritage appears to be one of the motives behind the current book I am reading and the previous book I read - The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A.J. Jacobs and The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University by Kevin Roose. Both of these authors are journalists desiring deeper understanding of people who call themselves religious. They recognize the "religious right" as one of America's stereotyped people-groups. To be enhance their careers, these two authors immersed themselves(sort of) in a religious sub-culture to gain personal understanding. I respect Jacobs and Roose (and I enjoy their writing).
From my perspective, Roose more than Jacobs held an open-mind throughout their individual immersion experiences. Both men had relationships to lose if they had turned to God - mainly important familial connections. Both men expressed the tremendous influence of their family and friends in developing their personal belief system. On a number of occasions, Jacobs expressed his inability to embrace even the possibility of Godly Truth and purpose in his experiences. Roose, on the other hand, at least led me to believe he was close to entertaining the impact of Godly Truth. This begs the questions: How much does our upbringing and family impact our personal belief system? And, is this right and good? Another author clearly expresses this phenomenon through her beliefs on abortion:
I respect McArdle - for recognizing the impact of her heritage and friendships upon her belief system - even though I disagree with McArdle, just as I disagree with Jacobs and Roose.
I am currently spending 25 days with my parents in Oregon. One of my dearly held values is close connections with family. As a result, for the 9th consecutive year, I led my sons on a pilgrimage "home" (i.e., Grandma and Grandpa's house). It is a privilege, as well as a priority, because I want my sons to really know their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins who live thousands of miles from Ohio and our daily existence. Naturally, this is a time for me to reflect upon my belief system and my pursuit of Truth, in relation to my heritage.
I'll be honest - I am socially and politically conservative. I am one of the folks that Jacobs and Roose attempt to understand. And yes, much of my belief system resembles my heritage. This heritage is not perfect, by any means, but it is good and pure and real. The belief systems of my parents, grandparents, and friends gifts me with stability, comfort, and security from the first day of my life to now. The church of my youth is not perfect (by a long shot), but it also does not offend me with threatening and legalistic messages (or, if so, then my God protects me and provides healing). As a result, I maintain a similar belief system as that of my family, and I rely on it heavily in marriage and parenting. Given my life experiences, why would I seek to overhaul my belief system?
At the same time, like Jacobs and Roose, I seek to understand those people around me who espouse radically different belief systems. If I resist this need, then I lack the understanding necessary to engage with a variety of people, and potentially impact (and be impacted by) the lives of people. I seek to be an active citizen of this world - relevant, thought-filled, fully engaged. For these reasons, and more, I consider myself fairly open-minded based on my nearly 40-year-old personal foundation. While I do not have much life experience outside of the USA (which is certainly a limitation), my childhood on the West Coast and my adulthood within the Midwest greatly influence my belief system and critical thought processes.
My relationship with God guides me (which is a Truth that both Jacobs and Roose discover in their immersion experiences). As a person, I can not be perfect, or even always right, but I am created to engage with other people regardless of our similarities or differences. This need to engage and interact fuels my thoughts and my writing. It guides my choices in Bible study, scholarly study, and reading. Placing myself in the position to thoughtfully engage with people is a significant part of who I am created to be in this world.
Differences really are not the same, but understanding differences helps build a foundation of relationship that emphasizes similarities.
The idea of being most familiar with the beliefs of our heritage appears to be one of the motives behind the current book I am reading and the previous book I read - The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A.J. Jacobs and The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University by Kevin Roose. Both of these authors are journalists desiring deeper understanding of people who call themselves religious. They recognize the "religious right" as one of America's stereotyped people-groups. To be enhance their careers, these two authors immersed themselves(sort of) in a religious sub-culture to gain personal understanding. I respect Jacobs and Roose (and I enjoy their writing).
From my perspective, Roose more than Jacobs held an open-mind throughout their individual immersion experiences. Both men had relationships to lose if they had turned to God - mainly important familial connections. Both men expressed the tremendous influence of their family and friends in developing their personal belief system. On a number of occasions, Jacobs expressed his inability to embrace even the possibility of Godly Truth and purpose in his experiences. Roose, on the other hand, at least led me to believe he was close to entertaining the impact of Godly Truth. This begs the questions: How much does our upbringing and family impact our personal belief system? And, is this right and good? Another author clearly expresses this phenomenon through her beliefs on abortion:
"But I am also humble enough to recognize that my own morality on a topic like abortion is constructed in context of two important facts: virtually all my friends are pro-choice, as is the social milieu in which I was raised, and a lack of access to abortion would significantly restrict women's autonomy" (Megan McArdle, 2009, found at www.meganmcardle.theatlantic.com).
I respect McArdle - for recognizing the impact of her heritage and friendships upon her belief system - even though I disagree with McArdle, just as I disagree with Jacobs and Roose.
I am currently spending 25 days with my parents in Oregon. One of my dearly held values is close connections with family. As a result, for the 9th consecutive year, I led my sons on a pilgrimage "home" (i.e., Grandma and Grandpa's house). It is a privilege, as well as a priority, because I want my sons to really know their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins who live thousands of miles from Ohio and our daily existence. Naturally, this is a time for me to reflect upon my belief system and my pursuit of Truth, in relation to my heritage.
I'll be honest - I am socially and politically conservative. I am one of the folks that Jacobs and Roose attempt to understand. And yes, much of my belief system resembles my heritage. This heritage is not perfect, by any means, but it is good and pure and real. The belief systems of my parents, grandparents, and friends gifts me with stability, comfort, and security from the first day of my life to now. The church of my youth is not perfect (by a long shot), but it also does not offend me with threatening and legalistic messages (or, if so, then my God protects me and provides healing). As a result, I maintain a similar belief system as that of my family, and I rely on it heavily in marriage and parenting. Given my life experiences, why would I seek to overhaul my belief system?
At the same time, like Jacobs and Roose, I seek to understand those people around me who espouse radically different belief systems. If I resist this need, then I lack the understanding necessary to engage with a variety of people, and potentially impact (and be impacted by) the lives of people. I seek to be an active citizen of this world - relevant, thought-filled, fully engaged. For these reasons, and more, I consider myself fairly open-minded based on my nearly 40-year-old personal foundation. While I do not have much life experience outside of the USA (which is certainly a limitation), my childhood on the West Coast and my adulthood within the Midwest greatly influence my belief system and critical thought processes.
My relationship with God guides me (which is a Truth that both Jacobs and Roose discover in their immersion experiences). As a person, I can not be perfect, or even always right, but I am created to engage with other people regardless of our similarities or differences. This need to engage and interact fuels my thoughts and my writing. It guides my choices in Bible study, scholarly study, and reading. Placing myself in the position to thoughtfully engage with people is a significant part of who I am created to be in this world.
Differences really are not the same, but understanding differences helps build a foundation of relationship that emphasizes similarities.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Summertime Randomness
Both of my boys have taken to the word "random." They'll say, "Mom, that's so random!" It makes me smile when they say the word because I think most of what they come up with is so, ahh... random - especially during the summer. Apparently they come by this behavior honestly as I am feeling very random this summer, also. Don't get me wrong - a little randomness is nice given the level of focus I have had to maintain in the last few years. The by-product of this lifestyle is that I am not writing much. Again, it is a bit of a relief, but I also miss the flood of provoking thoughts rushing through my brain.
In the form of a few updates, I thought I'd let you know what I am doing with my brain this summer. I am reading book after book - books that are purely my choice in reading, and mostly rather light (I keep telling myself that I will pursue more academic reading when the school year begins and I am immersed in educational psychology). The lightest of my reading is by Robin Jones Gunn. She writes fiction for women my age, and I have enjoyed those books, but she also writes for adolescent girls. Strangely, I love The Christy Miller Series and her newest, The Katie Weldon Series. I highly recommend these two series of books for any young girls desiring a combination of purity and fun in their lives.
In my pursuit of Truth and cultural relevance, I read The Unlikely Disciple: The Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University. I have some things to blog about from this read, but Steve grabbed the book from me immediately upon my finishing it, and it is from the library, sooo I may or may not get to write on this book. I will say, however, that it is a very good read. I desire to experience the thought processes of those who are very different from me - it is enlightening. I believe God uses this understanding to mature my own thinking and to make me more friendly towards differing viewpoints. A major theme developing within me is in regards to engaging all sorts of people in thoughtful conversation. In my life experience, mutual understanding and growth does not happen in the midst of emtional confrontation, anger, rigidity, etc. I seek to stand for God's Truth, but under the umbrella of love and care for people. Actually, this idea is one of the themes in The Unlikely Disciple. Kevin Roose, the author and unlikely disciple, experienced the love of God's children at Liberty University despite the vast differences between him and others. Such love surprised him, and in all honesty, it surprised me, too.
My next read is The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible. A.J. Jacobs and Kevin Roose have a connection - thus my choice of these two books. I've barely begun this book, so I'll save my comments for later.
I've been engaged in a small group Bible study of the book of Esther. It is a Beth Moore study. Once again, her leadership is amazing and I am inspired to delve deeper in my Bible study and faith walk as she teaches. I have not been summarizing the process as I study - which is part of the reason I generally do not enjoy group studies - to keep up with a group means I feel rushed through the material. But, I love the relationships encountered in group studies.... One piece of Truth I am considering right now is the difference between how Satan views me and how God views me. To Satan, I am merely a number; a number he can add to his minion of evil doers in this world. To God, I am Heidi Leigh Winter Tracht - an individual with a history, and a future, and a specific purpose within His plan for the world and His Kingdom. What can one woman do? Well, read the book of Esther and discover. From this Truth, I embraced my next memory verse:
"for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable." Romans 11:29 (NIV)
You may be noticing that my verses are becoming shorter.... I am struggling a bit more with memorization, and I was quite ambitious in the beginning. In order to keep up and still remember the first few months of memory work, I am intentionally seeking shorter verses now. And, you know what? God still blesses short pieces of memory work in His Word. Amazing, isn't He? It is a daily struggle to keep my mind from placing God in a Heidi-sized box.
Perhaps the last significant item I will place on my summertime list of randomness is an interest developing within me to learn more about issues related to Israel and Biblical prophesy. Over and over again in Scripture, God places special emphasis on Israel. In order to recognize God's hand; to recognize Biblical prophesy, I believe I must know and understand more about Israel. There are also strong connections between Israel and the U.S. that I believe will enlighten my understanding of culture and politics. My first stop will be taking a look at the work of Joel Rosenberg. Additionally, with my new i-pod, I am downloading podcasts from a variety of news sources (i.e., both conservative and liberal). All the while, I am praying and seeking Godly revelation for the ability to engage with all kinds of people. For a taste of Rosenberg, listen to the following broadcasts: Understanding the Islamic Revolution Parts One and Two. Another great listen is The Dangerous Deception of the New Spirituality Parts One and Two.
My thoughts are coming to a close. It is time to act on the to do list for today. After writing all this, and quickly considering my journey this summer, maybe it is not as random as I thought.... "Talk" to you soon!
In the form of a few updates, I thought I'd let you know what I am doing with my brain this summer. I am reading book after book - books that are purely my choice in reading, and mostly rather light (I keep telling myself that I will pursue more academic reading when the school year begins and I am immersed in educational psychology). The lightest of my reading is by Robin Jones Gunn. She writes fiction for women my age, and I have enjoyed those books, but she also writes for adolescent girls. Strangely, I love The Christy Miller Series and her newest, The Katie Weldon Series. I highly recommend these two series of books for any young girls desiring a combination of purity and fun in their lives.
In my pursuit of Truth and cultural relevance, I read The Unlikely Disciple: The Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University. I have some things to blog about from this read, but Steve grabbed the book from me immediately upon my finishing it, and it is from the library, sooo I may or may not get to write on this book. I will say, however, that it is a very good read. I desire to experience the thought processes of those who are very different from me - it is enlightening. I believe God uses this understanding to mature my own thinking and to make me more friendly towards differing viewpoints. A major theme developing within me is in regards to engaging all sorts of people in thoughtful conversation. In my life experience, mutual understanding and growth does not happen in the midst of emtional confrontation, anger, rigidity, etc. I seek to stand for God's Truth, but under the umbrella of love and care for people. Actually, this idea is one of the themes in The Unlikely Disciple. Kevin Roose, the author and unlikely disciple, experienced the love of God's children at Liberty University despite the vast differences between him and others. Such love surprised him, and in all honesty, it surprised me, too.
My next read is The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible. A.J. Jacobs and Kevin Roose have a connection - thus my choice of these two books. I've barely begun this book, so I'll save my comments for later.
I've been engaged in a small group Bible study of the book of Esther. It is a Beth Moore study. Once again, her leadership is amazing and I am inspired to delve deeper in my Bible study and faith walk as she teaches. I have not been summarizing the process as I study - which is part of the reason I generally do not enjoy group studies - to keep up with a group means I feel rushed through the material. But, I love the relationships encountered in group studies.... One piece of Truth I am considering right now is the difference between how Satan views me and how God views me. To Satan, I am merely a number; a number he can add to his minion of evil doers in this world. To God, I am Heidi Leigh Winter Tracht - an individual with a history, and a future, and a specific purpose within His plan for the world and His Kingdom. What can one woman do? Well, read the book of Esther and discover. From this Truth, I embraced my next memory verse:
"for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable." Romans 11:29 (NIV)
You may be noticing that my verses are becoming shorter.... I am struggling a bit more with memorization, and I was quite ambitious in the beginning. In order to keep up and still remember the first few months of memory work, I am intentionally seeking shorter verses now. And, you know what? God still blesses short pieces of memory work in His Word. Amazing, isn't He? It is a daily struggle to keep my mind from placing God in a Heidi-sized box.
Perhaps the last significant item I will place on my summertime list of randomness is an interest developing within me to learn more about issues related to Israel and Biblical prophesy. Over and over again in Scripture, God places special emphasis on Israel. In order to recognize God's hand; to recognize Biblical prophesy, I believe I must know and understand more about Israel. There are also strong connections between Israel and the U.S. that I believe will enlighten my understanding of culture and politics. My first stop will be taking a look at the work of Joel Rosenberg. Additionally, with my new i-pod, I am downloading podcasts from a variety of news sources (i.e., both conservative and liberal). All the while, I am praying and seeking Godly revelation for the ability to engage with all kinds of people. For a taste of Rosenberg, listen to the following broadcasts: Understanding the Islamic Revolution Parts One and Two. Another great listen is The Dangerous Deception of the New Spirituality Parts One and Two.
My thoughts are coming to a close. It is time to act on the to do list for today. After writing all this, and quickly considering my journey this summer, maybe it is not as random as I thought.... "Talk" to you soon!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
I have fallen off the wagon....
Oh, for those of you who continue to check in with me, I have just been brainless this week. I have nothing to say.... Part of this is certainly due to the fact that I have not cracked my Bible study book for over a week. Oops! I have some catching up to do... tomorrow! I have fallen off the proverbial wagon and hope to hop back on soon.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Godly Revelation vs. Ideological Drunkenness
Hearing new ideas from the Lord while studying Scripture never fails to amaze me. I pray that this type of amazement never dwindles within me. Yesterday I spoke of my new study - Beth Moore's Esther Bible study. I did not plan to finish Acts and start Esther within a few days of one another; it is just the way things happened. I began Esther expecting to be challenged, yet I did not expect to hear new words from the Lord so quickly. I especially did not expect to hear words that connect so closely with my study of Acts and my interest in culture and critical thinking.
Yesterday I wrote of ideological drunkenness - it sounds so academic, doesn't it? That is not my intention.... :) King Xerxes' excessive behavior reminds me of our culture's over-the-top, obsessive need for more, more, and more... as well as the demand for tolerance, tolerance, tolerance. We are bombarded with the need to blindly accept all ideas from all people - unless the ideas are traditional, then it is okay to openly lack tolerance. Oftentimes it appears like there are only two options: either kindly accept all differences and be the worldly definition of tolerant, or hatefully deny all differences and be the worldly definition of phobic. The middle ground is quickly fading from existence. Just as Xerxes' excessiveness and liberality created chaos, so does our current state of excess and ideological drunkenness.
When King Xerxes realized he was in a hole, after Queen Vashti denied his demand, he sought counsel. The folks Xerxes trusted for advice stand out to me as the same kind of advisers our contemporary culture trusts - experts in law and justice, wise men who understood the times, and those who were close to the king. My observation indicates that no Godly advisers were included in Xerxes inner circle. The hole Xerxes found himself in subsequently deepened.
We will experience a similar result today if we choose faulty advisers. Be extremely cautious of the counsel on which you depend. Counsel comes in the form of face-to-face interactions, writings, conversations, speaking, preaching, teaching - basically anything that enters one's mind, whether conscious or unconscious. We can not recognize and understand Godly counsel apart from our personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Godly revelation is more valuable than the views of experts in law and justice, wise men who understand the times, and those with whom we are closest.
Godly revelation reveals the ridiculousness of humanity's attempt to make sense of the world.
Godly revelation guides believers in engaging the culture while also glorifying God and edifying others.
Godly revelation reverses ideological drunkenness.
Yesterday I wrote of ideological drunkenness - it sounds so academic, doesn't it? That is not my intention.... :) King Xerxes' excessive behavior reminds me of our culture's over-the-top, obsessive need for more, more, and more... as well as the demand for tolerance, tolerance, tolerance. We are bombarded with the need to blindly accept all ideas from all people - unless the ideas are traditional, then it is okay to openly lack tolerance. Oftentimes it appears like there are only two options: either kindly accept all differences and be the worldly definition of tolerant, or hatefully deny all differences and be the worldly definition of phobic. The middle ground is quickly fading from existence. Just as Xerxes' excessiveness and liberality created chaos, so does our current state of excess and ideological drunkenness.
When King Xerxes realized he was in a hole, after Queen Vashti denied his demand, he sought counsel. The folks Xerxes trusted for advice stand out to me as the same kind of advisers our contemporary culture trusts - experts in law and justice, wise men who understood the times, and those who were close to the king. My observation indicates that no Godly advisers were included in Xerxes inner circle. The hole Xerxes found himself in subsequently deepened.
We will experience a similar result today if we choose faulty advisers. Be extremely cautious of the counsel on which you depend. Counsel comes in the form of face-to-face interactions, writings, conversations, speaking, preaching, teaching - basically anything that enters one's mind, whether conscious or unconscious. We can not recognize and understand Godly counsel apart from our personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Godly revelation is more valuable than the views of experts in law and justice, wise men who understand the times, and those with whom we are closest.
Godly revelation reveals the ridiculousness of humanity's attempt to make sense of the world.
Godly revelation guides believers in engaging the culture while also glorifying God and edifying others.
Godly revelation reverses ideological drunkenness.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Ideological Drunkenness
I cooked like a crazy woman on Saturday. Then, we spent Sunday with Steve's family in Galion. Sooo, I began my Monday with a disastrous kitchen at the forefront of my mind. The Bible study technique that worked so well during the school year involved studying in my car - away from all distractions like a messy kitchen crying out to be cleaned. This technique is difficult during the summer months. What is a woman to do??? Well, I set up a chair in front of my flower garden (that Steve so lovingly worked for me). Ahhh, it was perfect!
Several weeks ago, I felt clearly led to pursue Beth Moore's study of Esther. At first, I planned to do it by myself as that is how I like to roll. At some point, however, I felt like the Lord wanted me to study with other women. I asked one of my neighbors what she thought of the idea, and before I finished my sentence, she responded with a resounding, "Yes!" She had a few people to invite, and I had a few people to invite. Last Thursday we began! (If you are a Mount Vernon reader, then let me know if you want to join... it is not too late!). I am full of expectancy as this is totally not my idea! Not many people initiate a committed Bible study during the summer months, but I know this is what God was asking of me.
A verse and a half of Esther stood out to me this morning:
My first thought upon reading these verses was, "Replace 'wine' with 'ideas." This is what the verses would say:
I have a basic understanding of the Book of Esther, so I know that the excessive drinking at this celebration had some serious ramifications. In considering the excessive ideology of our contemporary culture, my question is, "What are the ramifications of the abundant thoughts we consider so easily in our culture?" It reminds me of the verse from Ecclesiastes I have quoted several times recently:
It is NOT that we should avoid deep thinking, or asking questions.... I believe we should carefully consider the ideas presented by our culture. As humans, the ramifications of our thoughts in action seriously affect many people, including many future generations. Consider the idea of homosexual marriage. It is a controversial debate in our nation. Christians and non-Christians support and oppose this idea. What do you base your opinion (and your vote) on? What are the ramifications of supporting a different form of marriage? Since marriage between one man and one woman is a part of the foundation of western civilization, we have a solid understanding of its affects based on many years of research. If and when homosexual marriage is accepted and considered commonplace, it will be many more years before we know its actual ramifications upon our culture. As a result, this is an idea we must consider with great seriousness.
What are the ramifications of humankind's drunkenness on ideas? I believe we are experiencing some of the affects, but not the full force of the affects. For those people who believe in Biblical prophecy, we will someday know and understand the full force of humankind's ideological drunkenness. In the meantime, it is vital for those in relationship with Christ to prayerfully consider the origin of ideas; to carefully approach all ideas through a filter made of Godly revelation.
Several weeks ago, I felt clearly led to pursue Beth Moore's study of Esther. At first, I planned to do it by myself as that is how I like to roll. At some point, however, I felt like the Lord wanted me to study with other women. I asked one of my neighbors what she thought of the idea, and before I finished my sentence, she responded with a resounding, "Yes!" She had a few people to invite, and I had a few people to invite. Last Thursday we began! (If you are a Mount Vernon reader, then let me know if you want to join... it is not too late!). I am full of expectancy as this is totally not my idea! Not many people initiate a committed Bible study during the summer months, but I know this is what God was asking of me.
A verse and a half of Esther stood out to me this morning:
"...the royal wine was abundant, in keeping with king's liberality. By the king's command, each guest was allowed to drink in his own way for the king instructed all the wine stewards to serve each man what he wished" (Esther 1:7b-8, NIV).
My first thought upon reading these verses was, "Replace 'wine' with 'ideas." This is what the verses would say:
"...the royal ideas were abundant, in keeping with king's liberality. By the king's command, each guest was allowed to think in his own way for the king instructed all the teachers and leaders to serve each man what he wished" (Esther 1:7b-8, Heidi's version).
I have a basic understanding of the Book of Esther, so I know that the excessive drinking at this celebration had some serious ramifications. In considering the excessive ideology of our contemporary culture, my question is, "What are the ramifications of the abundant thoughts we consider so easily in our culture?" It reminds me of the verse from Ecclesiastes I have quoted several times recently:
"But, my child, be warned: There is no end of opinions ready to be expressed. Studying them can go on forever and become very exhausting" (Ecclesiastes 12:12, NLT).
It is NOT that we should avoid deep thinking, or asking questions.... I believe we should carefully consider the ideas presented by our culture. As humans, the ramifications of our thoughts in action seriously affect many people, including many future generations. Consider the idea of homosexual marriage. It is a controversial debate in our nation. Christians and non-Christians support and oppose this idea. What do you base your opinion (and your vote) on? What are the ramifications of supporting a different form of marriage? Since marriage between one man and one woman is a part of the foundation of western civilization, we have a solid understanding of its affects based on many years of research. If and when homosexual marriage is accepted and considered commonplace, it will be many more years before we know its actual ramifications upon our culture. As a result, this is an idea we must consider with great seriousness.
What are the ramifications of humankind's drunkenness on ideas? I believe we are experiencing some of the affects, but not the full force of the affects. For those people who believe in Biblical prophecy, we will someday know and understand the full force of humankind's ideological drunkenness. In the meantime, it is vital for those in relationship with Christ to prayerfully consider the origin of ideas; to carefully approach all ideas through a filter made of Godly revelation.
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