An Opinionated Rant on Opinionated Rants

Having spent the last several years attempting to blog, reading blogs, ceasing to blog, and ceasing to read blogs, entertaining social media and fasting from social media, I have come to this obvious conclusion: the human race is born to opinion - and to express opinion. Even though we users of social media attempt to undergird opinion with facts and empirical "proof," arguments, and even Holy Scripture, we cannot help but insert our own viewpoints and slants on everything.  Even this post is an opinion not well-supported by excessive footnotes and subscripts of documentation and "proof."  It is opinion, but in my opinion, hopefully grounded in an understanding of God's Word... (Put that in your pipe and smoke it!)

Why do we use so much time reading and listening to opinions and expressing opinions?  I suppose it is an innate desire to know what is truly true. And here I am expressing, and here some may be reading and evaluating...

With the recent death of an actor by suicide, a barrage of opinions about causes, effects, motives, and moral implications of suicide has effectively overshadowed an important reality:  a man died utterly without hope - most likely without the only Hope in this universe.  (And there are those who would debate this statement of mine on many levels.)  What are we to do with this implication? What really matters?

I have spent months trying to seek God on years of what appears to be an unraveling of previously built ideas, ideals, beliefs, and pursuits.  All this seeking leads me to one personal conclusion (which I will not take the time to "prove" in this forum): if we are truly made by a Creator who is intimately interested in us and actively orchestrating our lives and the details of our lives, the only source of any resolution to any question, problem or struggle is God Himself.  And when Jesus left the earth and returned to heaven, He sent to us the Holy Spirit - God Himself.

What makes this glorious truth so challenging is so much human experience and opinion creating a cloud of confusion and suspicion that hides and hinders our pursuit of God.  There is an awful lot of pitting God against Himself, as though that were possible.  Imagine a boxing match between Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  Whose corner are you in? Somehow, in our intellectual fervor to discern and decide what is heresy and what is not, we have appointed ourselves as judge and jury on this issue. It is no wonder that there remain today so many un-solved theological debates about various points of theology.  What business do finite human beings have defining and redefining God's constitution?

I think one of the most dangerous things opinionated humans can do is to try to interpret for God what He is allowed to do within the confines of our finite understanding of Scripture, especially in regards to the work and activity of the Holy Spirit.  After all, it is the Holy Spirit who is to instruct us and lead us through the Word to fully comprehend the triune God in fullness. This relationship with God, breathed into existence by the will of the Father, through the atoning work of Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, brings life to our souls.  Our delight is to pursue this life in Christ and to enjoy Him in His fullness.  That includes seeking and walking in the Spirit. The trouble is, while we claim to interpret Scripture and its application - by the Holy Spirit,  we often find ourselves in the tenuous position of interpreting the Holy Spirit and His "application," -by Scripture. (Boxing match, 101)

I read this morning from a well-known reformed theologian (and blogger) that while he would not "die on the hill of cessationism," he would consider a current understanding of modern-day miracles and spectacular gifts within a reformed movement to be (paraphrased) scripturally unfounded. And I am sure if I cared enough to read on, that he would somehow insert Scriptural references and studies ad infinitum to bolster his case.
Would it have been so very beneficial for those enjoying the Great Awakening to interrupt an outpouring of the Holy Spirit (God Himself!) during a meeting to examine whether God was behaving Himself and only exhibiting in believers those phenomena specifically listed in the Bible?  How dare God perform a miracle in the 19th century!  This begs the question: Is the Bible intended to be an exhaustive catalog of all "allowable" expressions of the power of the Almighty?  We have to remember that at the time that the Book of Acts was being lived out, it was not written down for anyone to scrutinize as to its accuracy or application for the believer! God, the I AM, at work.

The scope of my brain and this blog is neither wide enough nor trained enough to undertake the whole idea that God forbids us to add to or take from written Scripture. There are certainly smarter people than I who can tackle that topic in the realm of the Holy Spirit as outlined in Scripture, but I believe we can fall prey to self-sufficiency in this area, and this is where my concern lies.
Of course we do not check our doctrine at the door, and of course we want to obey Scripture and be serving and believing in the God who is in Scripture.  Perhaps however, all our hair-splitting debates have crippled us in our pursuit of the Holy One as He is.  We pursue understanding, correct doctrine, correct expressions of doctrine, but God Himself? Perhaps not so much.  It is too easy for us in this regard to digress to trusting in our interpretations and our own understanding of God the Holy Spirit.  We begin to live as though doctrine itself were God Himself. We live, then, "having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power." (Ephesians 3:5)

Having walked through a significant amount of time with a loved one who has seen so much hypocrisy that at least in part, has led to a lack of belief in the Person of Jesus Christ and the reality of the power of the Gospel of Christ, I speak from experience that so much of our Christian living is devoid of the power of the source of our Christianity.  We say we are new creatures in Christ but live and act and look the same as those who would not make the same claim.  This is more tragic than we believe it is. All our never-ending arguments over semantics and words and meanings of lesser things act so much as red herrings, distracting us from the pre-eminence of Christ and the fact the God as Comforter and Teacher is here with us on earth to glorify this Pre-Eminence in us.  We cannot glorify Jesus Christ by solely relying on our doctrine and theology and opinions.  We can only glorify Jesus Christ, being connected to Him, the Head, by the work and power of the Holy Spirit - God Himself.

I would appeal the we finite humans let the infinite, all-powerful and all-wise God out of the opinionated box into which we have placed Him.  He is fearsome and not safe, but that is a good thing. Let us seek Him wholeheartedly without reservations, restrictions, and man-made safeguards and cages, lest we remain under the yoke of slavery to self-sufficiency. 

 I don't know about you believers out there, but I am not about to give Galatians Chapter 5 the ole' heave-ho. (Go ahead, look it up...) 

Rant over.

Pray It Will Be...

"We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness." President Barack H. Obama
2009 Presidential Inaugural Speech

My prayer is that God will cause President Obama to see that this applies to all human life; even the life of our preborn citizens! May God enlighten Obama's heart and cause him to be instrumental in choosing a better history than the one set forth thus far; may God use him to completely uphold the God-given right to life and liberty - a chance for everyone to pursue the fullest measure of happiness in the United States of America!

Happiest 15th Birthday to Abigail

Abigail,

You woke today with a smile on your face and a secret in your heart. :)

I love your sweet little smile, your way of dressing, decorating, and the way you play the piano with feeling and delight.

I love hearing your sweet voice singing songs with the Ipod.

I love your cuddly self and the stolen hugs you let me take.
I love your sweet face.
I love your blue eyes, your beautiful hair, and your freckles.

I love the fact that you are taller than I am.

I love how hard you work in school - even when school takes you down a path
you would rather not travel! You have worked hard, by God's grace, to refrain from complaining when working on math!

You love to learn and I love to watch you learn and grow!

I love your sense of humor and how you surprise me with laughter when I am most serious!

Thank you for serving moms with small children. I know God is preparing you for your future. I love that you are embracing His plan for you even now.

Thank you for following Jesus and for continuing to hide God's word in your heart.

Most of all, I love you and every little thing about you my Abby-One.
Happy Birthday!!!!!

Gabrielle Elle Jelly Belly Sweet Bella Belle Schmells

Gabrielle turned 13 on Thanksgiving Day. My BABY is 13! She started her first day as a teenager with a landmark event: a one-mile fun run in downtown Atlanta. Yes, she WANTED to do it! Brian was originally going to run a marathon the same morning, but numerous injuries changed his plans. He spent the morning with us cheering on the Child After His Own Running Heart.

Gabrielle trained a short while before the race but never broke 9 mins and 30 seconds. We went thinking she would try to break nine minutes. Seven minutes into the race, Abby announced that Elle was in sight. We could not believe it, but it was true. Thankfully, I was able to catch her on the final stretch with my camera. Abby stopped her ipod timer at 7:43 as Gabrielle crossed the finish line.

Gabrielle was thrilled and shocked about her time. She thought she still had a long way to go and was pacing herself for a long run ahead. We had to scream at her that the finish line was coming up and that she should pick up the pace. She had not even broken much of a sweat! After it was all over, Elle announced that the race was an absolute blast and that she just had to do another one! We may bring her along to Brian's hopeful attempt at a marathon in the spring somewhere in GA.

We spent the remainder of the day with our friends, the Walters, and Amy (single friend), Kim (another single friend), and Vikki Walter's hospitable parents. We ate too much delicious food, played bingo for M&M's and indulged in a bit of Karaoke. The kids went ice skating in the evening. Everyone was blessed and filled and refreshed.

I am grateful for all our friends - near and far - and for all our families. We missed being with "real" family but enjoyed spending the afternoon/evening with our GA family!

I'm especially grateful that Gabrielle's birthday finally fell on Thanksgiving. It gave me a meaningful opportunity to reflect on the gift she is to me and to my family. Gabrielle is full of gratitude, love, life, loyalty for family and friends, and has a big, compassionate heart. She is growing quickly now - something her siblings never managed to do! In a few months, the baby of the family will be taller than all the other girls in the family - a minor triumph for the one who comes in "last" in so many ways. Gabrielle is also a great friend and servant to her dad and me. Gabrielle helps Brian with home projects and loves it. She cooks regularly for me and is always thinking of something to bake on the side. She cleans, cares for the dogs with no complaining, and works hard in school. If I need something to be assembled or repaired, Gabrielle is often my source of help. God knew what I needed! (Alzheimer's is kicking in....) I am comforted to think that she may be the last of the children at home with me, but then again, I cannot take that for granted. I will enjoy having her at home while I still can.

Our little April Fool's joke ("Yes, the pregnancy test IS miraculously positive") is a daily blessing and reminder of God's faithfulness to strengthen us and hear us when we call. We are so glad that God "sneaked" Gabrielle into our family.

We love you, Sweet Bella!

Thanksgiving/Elle's 13th Birthday

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