Deeply Touched

This week I have been deeply touched by an experience that I am vicariously living through another sister in Christ. I write over and over again about how perverted our American culture has made us, but, through the power of Christ, we can fight the perversion. Take a few minutes to read the following blog entries:

Speechless for the First Time Ever in my Life, but Compelled to Type

God's Shameless Love for the Poor

Agony & Ecstasy

How do you like my house?

In my quiet time this morning, I read some commentary about lessons from Silas' life: "Obedience to God will often mean giving up what makes us feel secure" (Life Application Study Bible, NLT, Acts 16).

What makes me feel secure, in no particular order:

• the safety of my home and community
• dressing clean and nicely
• living in a pretty home
• Steve, Tanner, & Tyler
• our jobs, education, financial independence
• acceptance and affirmation from those in authority
• success
• health
• my parents and extended family
• my heritage
• the hope and purpose of a relationship with Jesus Christ

The children of Calcutta have access to very little of what makes me feel secure. I have access to so much, and I "need" so much more to keep me feeling secure. Lord, help me!

Christ, Culture, & Critical Thinking

Well, I am finally back to write a post. As you may or may not know, I am completing a master's degree in educational psychology. This represents a two-year journey coming to a close - Praise the Lord! While I love learning and studying and researching and writing, it is very difficult to balance the other part of life that I love (i.e., family, friends, and fun) with school. I am a bit of a perfectionist (surprise, surprise) when it comes to coursework, so this journey has been quite challenging. More than anyone, Steve and the boys are ready for me to be back in body, mind, and spirit (cooking and playing will be nice, too). They have been very supportive (well, Steve has, anyway) during these two years, but we are all counting the days until I am done on June 12! A summer off of work and school sounds dreamy at this point!

My master's project is a literature review culminating in an educational model providing faculty development for online instructors to support critical thinking skills in higher education. So what? - You ask.... Well, actually this topic falls in line with the processing I am have been blogging about for the last 3 months. I believe it is a lack of critical thinking that contributes greatly to problems faced in our culture. So often we leave the deep thinking to those with letters behind their names, those in powerful positions, those with articulate views, or simply those with the loudest voices. Even worse, many people rely on the opinions of Hollywood stars and the media more than their own common sense (if they have any, that is). It is quite disturbing, to say the least.

Each of us can not be experts on every controversial topic; but, I believe, God does place passions within the Christians' hearts that draw us to particular areas of engagement. We need to seriously obey His guidance when it comes to these passions. We must contribute to the body of Christ as He leads. Such obedience involves critical thinking.

Critical thinking is directed, disciplined, monitored thinking. It involves intentional effort focused upon continually improving the quality of one's thought by taking control of processing a subject or problem (Paul & Ellis, 2006). Taking control means reading and researching multiple sides of an issue, being open-minded, and skillfully synthesizing facts and opinions, while recognizing that there will always be additional facts and opinions in the future. More importantly, as a Christian, it also means giving God one's agenda and one's bias; and it means seeking His Truth within this pursuit more than man's cultural persuasion. Critical thinking is challenging, but under God's leadership and revelation, it is incredibly fulfilling.

Read Acts 4:13 (NIV) - "When they saw the courage of Peter and John, and realized that these were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and took note that these men had been with Jesus."

This scripture gives me confidence in pursuing critical thinking for the glory of God. While I truly enjoy learning, I do not need to wait for the letters behind my name to have a voice. This is particularly poignant for me because I work in an institution of higher education. In such an environment, it is commonplace to be "looked down upon" because of the education one lacks. I believe we all have examples of this experience in our lives. And, SO DID PETER & JOHN!!! They were fishermen standing before the religious council proclaiming Christ's teachings. Backing up a bit, Christ did not choose the religious leaders and the politicians of the day to be his disciples - He chose ordinary, unschooled men!!!

Let this scriptural example give you confidence to pursue the passions Christ gives you. Pursue critical thinking and prepare yourself to share with those around you. Critical thinkers care about the message, they care about all sides of the issue, and they seek to effectively communicate in ways that Christ followers, and those who do not choose Christ, may take note and listen (i.e., move beyond personal bias; uncover the foundational issues; address the issues based on substantiated facts and revelation; and do so in an intelligent, respectful, and loving manner). Oh - love does not equal peace, folks. The enemy is not going to idly sit back and respect the message.... no matter how it is presented.

I Corinthians 16:13-14 (NLT) - "Be on guard. Stand true to what you believe. Be courageous. Be strong. And everything you do must be done in love."

This world does not belong to the enemy - it belongs to its Creator. As children of the Creator, it is our responsibility and privilege to know Him better than our culture. He will show us how to engage the culture in Christlikeness. Do not rely only on the powerful, the loud, the educated, the charismatic, the entertaining, the passionate.... Do not be deceived by these characteristics and achievements - God works through all who depend on Him.

God continues to teach me so much, but I just do not have time to process it all on this blog. I pray you will continue to hang in here with me so we can continue to journey together. I will be back....

"Let the words of Christ, in all of their richness, live in your hearts." Colossians 3:16-17

Reference

Ellis, R.P., & Elder, L. (2006). The miniature guide to critical thinking: Concepts and tools. Dillon Beach, CA: The Foundation for Critical Thinking.

See also www.criticalthinking.org

A Goal for 2009 - April 15 to 30

Without any introduction or explanation, I must just present my next memory verse:

"Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use his words to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms and hymns, and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father."

Colossians 3:16-17 (NLT)

My time is quickly getting away from me these days and my focus is waning in regards to my "master's final integrative project." I have thoughts rolling around in my head, but they are not spilling forth, so I have been a little "quieter" on the blog front. I am still memorizing, but it is becoming a bit more difficult, though I still really enjoy the strength memorizing scripture is providing me.

I'm sure I will be back soon with a substantive post.

Love to you, my friends and comrades in Christ!
Heidi

Do the Math: Belief + Action = Your Version of Truth

We attended Easter services at the Free Methodist Church in Galion, Ohio where Steve's family regularly attends. It is a GREAT church, in my opinion - I love visiting their services. This year they hosted an Easter Service for the community at the local high school. The church's care for the community was clear throughout the Easter Sunday experience. They set a wonderful example for how to put others ahead of yourself in being an active community church.

An issue I have been processing for six months or more involves the vast differences between the beliefs among Christians in America (since I do not have much experience with Christians outside of America, I know my perspective is limited). Interestingly enough, it is the Internet social networking phenomena that has created this dilemma inside of me. People share their thoughts and beliefs much more freely on the Internet - which I think is good, for the most part. I enjoy reading the thoughts and beliefs of those I trust and admire, yet it is also internally troubling when these beliefs are so different from my own. You see, I don't really like conflict, and great differences of opinion represent conflict to me. At the same time, I am not naive enough to believe that everyone will espouse the same belief system. It is just interesting to me, and oftentimes troubling to me, when seemingly similar people have such different beliefs about extremely important topics. I have been deeply pondering these differences and seeking God for guidance - hence my pursuit of Truth.

At the Easter Service a phrase from the pastor's sermon added some enlightenment to this pursuit. Pastor Paul Walters said, "What you believe to be true changes the way you think and ultimately changes the way you live" (personal communication, April 12, 2009). As I type this statement right now, it comes across very simple, yet as I have been pondering and praying about Truth, I find this statement quite complex.

I believe one's values, morals, and ethics are foundational for all things important in life. I also believe we are constantly bombarded with cultural messages that influence our values, morals, and ethics more profoundly than the Word of God, and our personal relationships with God. We look to these cultural messages to make sense of the evil we personal encounter rather than looking to God for guidance and healing. Our personal experiences, through the lens of our culture, lead us to all sorts of different truths that we espouse with great passion. I am of the belief that there is One Truth, though Jesus Christ.

Just as I am passionate about the One Truth of Jesus Christ, I am also just as passionate about expressing it in and through love at all times. First, we have to accept Christ's love for us; and then, we have to seek His Truth more passionately than any other drive in our lives. His Truth sets people free! Cultural truth enslaves its victims and strangles them to death; it causes confusion, chaos, and destruction.

Though my processing goes much deeper than the example I will share, I am not personally ready to share more controversial examples of my personal beliefs in the pursuit of Truth.

When Shaunti Feldhahn spoke at the recent MVNU Women's Auxiliary Retreat, she spoke of how differently the male and female brain is wired. Shaunti did not speak from only an antedoctal point of view, but she spoke from a scientific point of view - specifically, a point of view based on up-to-date brain science and credible, nationally represented scientific research. Based on these foundations, we know that men typically respond differently to revealing clothing on women than women respond to revealing clothing on men. In a sentence, Shaunti found that men watching a professional presentation led by a woman wearing a revealing, professional suit actually heard and retained less information than the men watching the same presentation led my a woman wearing a modest suit.

How do you respond to this? Many women respond with, "He needs to get over it and control his mind, for Pete's sake!" I must admit that, at one time, I would have responded like this, too. But, if I am going to claim to be a critical thinker, basing my thoughts, beliefs, and actions on God and science (which I believe, when it is credible, will eventually lead mankind to Godly beliefs), then I must take another look at my personal beliefs about dress and how it affects men. To ignore the scientific facts, or to rely on unsubstantiated "facts," is to be led by a lie, or our cultural chains of bondage. As a women, when I have something to share, I want to be heard, so this research impacts me. It only takes a few minutes of viewing how girls and women dress, however, to realize that our culture is valued much more than God or science.

Will you take some time today to pray with me in response to Pastor Paul's statement and its relevance in your life?

"What you believe to be true changes the way you think and ultimately changes the way you live"

(personal communication, Pastor Paul Walter, April 12, 2009).

Acts 17 + A Trip to Gameworks = A 21st Century Application

"As Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by the all the idols he saw everywhere in the city...."

Lord, I am deeply troubled by the idols I see everywhere around me and within me. These are some of the idols I see and experience:

1. Fear of standing out; embarrassment; offending another - even for the sake of Truth
2. Comfort; safety; entertainment; luxury in body, mind, and spirit
3. Freedom and tolerance in spite of Godly boundaries
4. Work, career, identity, approval
5. Power, control, status, success
6. Fitting in with worldly culture

My parents are visiting from Oregon for two weeks, so Thursday afternoon we packed up, drove to Columbus, and stayed the night in a hotel. Friday we took the kids to Gameworks at Easton. The purpose of Gameworks was 100% for the entertainment of the kids. Such establishments give me a headache - I really DO NOT like gaming. This was our first visit as a family and we were unfamiliar with how to purchase a game card. Upon learning the details, we knew this adventure was going to cost more than we had planned, so we ended up purchasing less game time. This option also required the boys to share a card (heaven forbid!). They pouted, complained, and generally frustrated me with their attitudes.

As they went on to play their games with grandma in tow, I set up a table for me to study. Since my quiet time has been lacking the last week, I decided to review my memory work first. The verses in Acts 17 took on a whole new meaning:

"While Paul was waiting for them in Athens,"
While I was waiting for Tanner and Tyler to play at Gameworks....

"he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city."
I was disturbed by the extreme draw my kids experience towards gaming, electronics, and technology; by the way they idolize the experience; by their complete lack of understanding towards those less fortunate (i.e., their extreme selfishness).

"It should be explained that all the Athenians as well as the foreigners in Athens seemed to spend all their time discussing the latest ideas."
I have read that some of the Athenians represented in this group of philosophers were Epicureans. The focus of their lives was pleasure and happiness, like that of modern day materialists and hedonists. As I "fully experienced" the atmosphere and purpose of Gameworks, I felt so sad thinking of the materialistic pleasures on which my children depend.

"Men of Athens, I notice you are very religious, for as I was walking along, I saw your many alters...."
Later today, Tanner asked why he was not paid money for doing a good deed. I responded by asking him why I am not paid for doing nice things.... He said, "I should be paid to go to school...." To which I responded with something along the lines of, "Someday you will be paid as a result of your commitment to learn." Tanner wasn't impressed!

Paul was able to speak with the philosophers and leaders of his day in Athens because he was well-schooled. He had a broad base of knowledge; he was well-spoken and persuasive; he spent his life thinking and reasoning about the Scriptures. As Christians, education is important because we must be able to reason and relate with many kinds of people. We must be able to think critically about complex topics. We must understand, evaluate, and synthesize a variety of viewpoints to create Christlike responses in ways that our intended audiences will hear and respond.

Today, the focus of my critical thinking is related to how I should respond to my children; how I might influence their self-centered thinking; how I might guide them away from their addiction to entertainment and technology. Applying Christlikeness to daily living is difficult and sooooo counter-cultural. Oh my Lord, how is this possible? I need your guidance, strength, and power!

Something to Prepare Your Heart for Easter!

Find a quiet place to be still and acknowledge God. Pray and seek the Holy Spirit. Close your eyes, listen, and absorb all that Christ has already accomplished on your behalf.

"In Christ Alone" sung by Travis Cottrell

Thank You, Jesus! May Your power be made perfect through Your beloved children.

A Goal for 2009 - April 1-15

I thought it might be good at this juncture to list each verse in the order that I have been memorizing them. It is interesting to search for themes in how God is working. I will start with my newest verses for April 1-15 and work backwards:

• "While Paul was waiting for them in Athen, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city...." Paul said, "Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious, for when I was walking along I saw your many alters. One of them had this inscription on it -- 'To an Unknown God.' You have been worshiping him without knowing who he is, and now I wish to tell you about him" (Acts 17:16, 22-23, NLT).
• The Lord said to Samuel, "Don't judge by his appearance of height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn't make decisions the way you do! People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at a person's thoughts and intentions" (1 Samuel 16:7, NLT).
• "This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands upon you. God did not give us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. So you must never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord.... With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the proclamation of the Good News" (2 Timothy 1:6-8, NLT).
• "So my advise is, leave these men alone. If they are teaching and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown. But if it is of God, you will not be able to stop them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God" (Acts 5:38-39, NLT).
• Be on guard. Stand true to what you believe. Be courageous. Be strong. And everything you do must be done in love" (I Corinthians 16:13-14, NLT).
• Trust in the Lord and do good. Dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to him; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn; the justice of your cause like the noon day sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes" (Psalm 37:3-7).
• "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13, NIV).

I have heard from at least one person who is also working on memorizing scripture. Shoot me an email, or respond on either this blog or Facebook to let me know what you are working on these days. I am certain the Lord loves it when His children meditate on His Word - Let's be a fragrant offering before Him!