Free Will, as Taught by Robbie Parker, in Connecticut

December 15, 2012 by Leave a Comment

I took some time to ponder whether I would write this weekend. I’ve spent enough time watching the news updates to be both angry and devastated; not only about the tragedy in Connecticut, but also in how some news sources have been reporting. Rachel wrote perfect advice about grieving together and so I’ve held back my thoughts until I could feel confident in what I want to say.

candles for prayer by sisterlisa, on Pix-O-Sphere

Pursuing my own social media success seems so trite in lieu of this horrific event. So blogging and Tweeting have taken a back seat, until now.

Kimberly offers up a prayer for Connecticut and I’ve lit a white candle for peace and a blue candle for healing. Joy even recommends silence at a time like this. Pastor Bob has arranged for additional financial assistance to be given to the grieving families through their organization and while we may not think presents are important right now, he offers this perspective;

“There is no agenda behind this other than to help families have a good Christmas that now have to re-direct funds to have a funeral. I know presents are not the main thrust behind Christmas, but tell that to a 6 year old boy or girl. So if “lalaloopsy” helps a little girl cope…so be it. If a Nintendo WiiU helps a boy cope…awesome!” ~Pastor Bob

I’ve watched Emilie’s dad, Robbie Parker, speak live on CNN and I watched with tear filled eyes and a lump in my throat. He spoke compassionately and with incredible courage as he gave peace and prayers to the shooter’s family. Everyone deals with grief differently.

I can’t imagine the grief of losing a child, especially under violent circumstances, but add to that the moment a grieving parent thinks of unwrapped gifts not being opened on Christmas morning. Sigh** No, I just can’t imagine. Trying to explain to siblings that they have permission to have gifts, to feel joy, and to embrace the magic of Christmas. To remember the birth of Jesus and the joy of this fallible world having a Savior who redeems mankind to our Father seems difficult to convey. Emotions can turn from joyful giggles over a long-wished-for toy then to sudden grief over the thought that beloved siblings aren’t present. Can we comprehend  the emotional and spiritual upheaval of difficult questions about God’s will, His sovereignty, and his love for broken people….even broken people who misuse guns?

Our world has already been wrestling with theological questions this year from biblical womanhood, female equality in the pulpit, and the notion that there could be no literal hell. While some of these issues seem unimportant at a time like this, people look to the Bible and other spiritual texts to find a way to process this mortifying event. When real life hits us we realize how vulnerable we really are and how out of control humanity can become. I’ve even wondered, how we can be thankful for today, when tomorrow could take so much away from us? Are the babes in God’s loving arms? Are murderers being tortured forever?

Life has it’s way of sending us curve balls and we either shake our fists at God denying his love exists or we kneel in prayer and give thanks for the gifts we’ve had thus far. Emilie’s dad has shared his thoughts on ‘free will’ when he spoke to the nation via television just a short time ago.

“Parker said he knows that God can’t take away free will and would have been unable to stop the Sandy Hook shooting. While gunman Adam Lanza used his free agency to take innocent lives, Parker said he plans to use his in a positive way.” ~ABC’s Alyssa Newcomb

“I’m not mad because I have my  [free] agency to use this event to do whatever I can to make sure my family and my wife and my daughters are taken care [of],” he said “And if there’s anything I can do to help to anyone at any time at anywhere, I’m free to do that.” ~ Mr. Parker (Emilie’s Dad) [source]

The concept of heaven helps people dealing with grief and sadly, the concept of hell temporarily satisfies the anger expressed in some people.  We live in a world with brokenness all around us and while some are using this as an opportunity to re-open the discussion about gun laws others are talking about mental health coverage. Many remain faithful to proclaim God’s love and some question where He was Friday morning.

We have heard it said that hurting people hurt others. We’ve heard it said that bad things happen to good people.

It’s a difficult notion to consider the brokenness of shooters, but we’re all just as fallible as the next person. Some don’t get the help and relief they seek in this life. People reject the plea of insanity so they can punish to the fullest extent of the law, but there’s no one to punish when suicide occurred. We wrestle with unimaginable things and against forces we cannot see.

A brother no longer has his brother or his mother. Parents no longer have their children to tuck in at night. Siblings no longer have siblings to hug and share cookies with. Grandparents no longer have grandchildren to share the magic of Christmas with. It’s a tragedy from every angle.

So we press on and take one day at a time. We try to put one foot in front of the other as we step out of bed each morning. Parents bite back the tears when they place one less bowl on the table for cereal and one less lunch box to pack for the day. We’ll be angry and sad, joyful and frustrated. We’ll approach each day and each event one at a time, but we must keep waking up. We must keep packing lunches for those who are still here and we must keep counseling hurting people.

Hug your loved ones a bit tighter and longer and send up prayer for those affected.

Life goes on and we must pull together as communities to make today and each tomorrow the best we can. We must plant seeds of hope so people will know they are loved and included in community. May we follow Robbie’s thoughts on using our free will for good and help others.

“When I was a boy and saw scary things on the news, my mother would say to me,

“Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” ~ Mr. Fred Rodgers

SisterLisa

 

 

Grieving Together

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A Faith Dare

September 9, 2012 by 2 Comments

My daughter and I went to Barnes and Noble last week just for fun and I was mesmerized with the journals they had. I took pictures of the ones I liked most and knew that I would someday be back to get one.  As I was casually walking through the store, I turned and saw this one book beckoning me. From across the store..it stood out..the cover so magical…I couldn’t resist. I sat down to begin reading through it and within a few pages I was convinced of it being the next book for me to read. I wasn’t sure why it wasn’t on the shelves in the Christian section (it sure could have been), but nonetheless the book found it’s way into my view. I brought it home not realizing it was a book with writing practices for the soul. In order for me to go through this book, I would need a journal. Could it be fate that caused me to see the journals before the book? So today I went back and finally decided on which journal would be my first.

Image9 by sisterlisa, on Pix-O-Sphere

As I walked through the aisle again, I wanted to see if one specific journal would speak to my soul. I held each one in my bare hands, sliding my finger tips over the covers and smelling each one. Most of them were leather, but all of them had fresh pages within their binds. I began on one side of the aisle, carefully listening to my soul as I considered each one.  Then I knew..it was the first one I picked up today. I chose the red one on the left.

red journals by sisterlisa, on Pix-O-Sphere

Now that I have my journal and the book I can begin my practices. Oh, you might be wondering which book I’m reading. Well, here’s the thing… it’s not the most traditional spiritual book for a Christian to read. In fact, I would be called some pretty harsh names if some of my siblings-in-Christ knew. So for the time being, I’m not going to say. Perhaps through the process of this journaling practice I might reveal the name or perhaps mention it on Facebook. What’s important is not the book, but rather…what this practice will do in my heart.

With each day of the practice, I will write in the pages of my journal and once I’m done (28 days) I will reveal the name of the book on this blog and begin publishing the experiences I will have gone through as a result. I guess you could say it’s somewhat of an experiment.. a dare, if you will. A faith dare. I know this sounds a bit secretive, but I will reveal it all in due time.

What I think will be interesting, is how this practice will affect my articles over the next month.

Have you ever committed yourself to a daily practice of some kind?

How did it benefit you?

Sisterlisa


God and our Political Platforms

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Does God favor Republicans over Democrats?

August 22, 2012 by 2 Comments

American Flag by rebeccaannec, on Pix-O-Sphere

It’s never easy for me to see vociferous protests fueled by anger. Oh they get the media’s attention alright, but is it always the best way? If I want people to accept me as a non traditionalist, should I picket in front of their churches with signs that condemn them for their views and stir up chaos for the media to set their circus up on their front lawns?

Would it be appropriate or diplomatic to insist they agree with my views and stop having their own views? Why do we protest? What message are we really trying to get across?

People often reject the notion of a one world government and a one world religion and even worse a one world religious government. It seems to me if we follow that philosophy we will be headed in that direction.

Are we just rebuilding another tower of Babel that is destined to fall apart and divide us further?

Why such a push to make everyone the same? I would think Christians would be against any idea that would lead us to a one world power.

Stop the presses!

Dear Christians, what in the world are we doing?

Why are we working so hard to create this nation into one massive Christian Republican nation where everyone believes the same things? Isn’t this what the ‘anti-christ’ does? I thought mixing religion with politics was a bad idea that led to destruction. Isn’t this what our founding fathers fled from to begin with?

Can’t we express our beliefs without bullying others to join us or be persecuted and condemned by our own words? Should we really be holding rallies condemning people for not eating chicken sandwiches? Do we really think we’re better than everyone else if we do?

“Look at us supporting the chicken sandwich company. God would be so proud of us.”

Really?

Have we gotten so sidetracked with supporting religious institutions that we now move onto business institutions as if they’re some idol that earns us brownie points with God?

He doesn’t care where you eat and he most certainly doesn’t care if we eat beef or poultry. He doesn’t care about the IRS or your fancy 501c3 with tapestries adorning the windows and sparkly chandeliers in the foyer.

He wants to know if we love one another and if we love our enemies.

Are we looking out for the interests of others?

There’s gotta be a more mature way of expressing our beliefs without condemning everyone else’s.

I used to condemn the buildings and what they stand for, but after taking some time to step back and think about the benefits a building can offer the people I had to approach it differently. It didn’t mean I had to agree with how some people run their organizations. It just means I can have a different perspective on it. They have the freedom to have a building and I have the freedom to not belong to one. I respect their freedom so I can also have my freedom. Buildings are good in the winter when it’s cold and can be good in the summer when the weather is too hot. Now, can we take this free perspective into the world today?

  • Can a religious group have the freedom to believe a traditional family is good?
  • Can another group have the same freedom to believe any type of family is good?
  • Is it possible to be supportive of both without condemning each other?

I think we can.

I am a traditional family. My husband and I have been married for 20 years and we have four children that are all ours. His sperm and my egg for each child. We have no step-children, no adopted children, and the grandparents aren’t raising the kids, we are. This doesn’t mean I am against other types of families. I am a step-daughter and a half-sister. My husband is a step-son and has a cousin who is adopted. We have relatives who are raising their grandchildren and relatives who are divorced single parents. We are still one family. So while my family unit appears to be traditional on the surface, deep down we are diverse and we still love each other.

The bible is full of examples of non-traditional families. Moses was adopted by a pagan mother, Jesus had a step-dad and half-siblings. Ruth was taken in by her mother-in-law. Esther was orphaned and raised by her cousin and Abraham had two sons from different women. Even Adam and Eve had dysfunction in their family, Cain killed his own brother. None of these examples are a perfect picture of Adam and Eve, but God still loves them and had purpose for them. He gave promises to both of Abraham’s sons. He allowed Pharaoh’s daughter to raise Moses. He had purpose for Ruth to meet Boaz. God used Esther through her forced marriage to the king to save an entire race of people. And even though Adam and Eve’s family fell apart, we’re all still here.

The argument is the fall of man. “In the beginning it was not so” Are Christians trying to re-create the perfect traditional family to bring forth a perfect people? Wait a second, if we could do that with just preaching and forcing laws into this land then why did Jesus die?

Christ is who brought perfection back to the world. He did so in spite of our imperfection and his perfection remains with us no matter how diverse we are.

Some think if we can get everyone on earth to accept Christ as their savior that he will come back and finally get them the heck out of this ol’ world.

  • Did they forget Jesus already is here within us?
  • Did they miss it when he said we are the Temple?
  • Have they not heard him say, “the Kingdom is within you”?
  • Is it a far off memory that the meek inherit the earth?

Other than all this wonderful reality of His Kingdom here on earth, why would they want to insist on their own way in religion and politics?

1 Corinthians 13:5  ”Love does not insist on it’s own way”

Does God really give commands on which political party to join? Are Republicans more in favor with God than Democrats? Are we really this petty?

Forcing people to be a traditional family is a law that doesn’t work. If you happen to be a traditional family, then great! But you can’t force people to be Adam and Eve. God never commands us to live up to that initial creation. Adam and Eve couldn’t even keep their ‘traditional family’ together as it is.

Keep your traditional views for your family and live peaceably with all men. I am thankful my marriage and family has lasted as long as it has, but it wasn’t without dysfunction. We live in a world where laws don’t preserve us in some perfected state. We live in a world where grace abounds. Attempting to force everyone to be traditional is motivated by failure to begin with. In Christ we live by faith that his grace covers every faulty frame. It’s pointless to try and make everyone be the frame of Adam and Eve. God knew we couldn’t do it, so Jesus came to mend us as we are. Trying to fit ourselves to a law doesn’t make us more mended. We already are mended.

Giving people the freedom to live the best they can means not forcing them to live by what you think is the best for them. Follow Christ as you believe he would have you to and let Him guide them the way they believe he would have them to.

Do we lack faith in him to be able to do so?

Sisterlisa

 


American Christians Can’t Claim Persecution

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Christian Persecution, Gay Marriage, and Abortion

August 21, 2012 by Leave a Comment

It has been a long heated battle between Christians and the interpretation of the United States Constitution. Is it any wonder, since we can’t come to an agreement about how to interpret the bible? Nevertheless, there are enough simple and straightforward teachings in the New Testament to give us wisdom in deciphering what is a good teaching. Pastors all over the country wrestle with how to approach political topics without violating the laws governing a 501c3. My blog is not governed by a 501c3 so I have the freedom to be honest.

desks by sisterlisa, on Pix-O-Sphere

I came across a passage written by the apostle Paul, which I think is important for us to consider.

Philippians 2: 3-4; ” 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” ESV

This is precisely what I meditate on when deciding how to cast a vote for social issues in America.

Something I think we tend to forget is the Constitution is not the bible. At first thought this might be a ‘no brainer’ however, we often fall into an unChrist-like mentality that expresses itself through our brainless behavior.

Since the bible lacks in specific teachings about Christians and the Constitution, we are left with figuring things out as we go along.  Let me share some thoughts about this matter.

No matter what law America passes, the Constitution is not our dictator, mediator, or otherwise when it comes to our spiritual lives. Issues such as abortion and marriage equality should not cause us to falter one bit. If the nation passes laws allowing these practices, then we will face the music of our personal convictions should we be taken into a court of law. I’m not saying Christians should break the law of the land, but some seem to think breaking such laws would be a ‘God ordained command’.

When Christians vote on matters like these, they are voting for their own benefit. They want to protect their rights to reject aborting a baby and reject being forced to lead a ceremony between GLBT couples. However, Christ himself said to look after others interests also. Here’s where the rubber meets the road.

  • Do we trust God or not?
  • Are we willing to face the music in defending our practices if there are laws against it?

When we vote on matters that involve religion, we need to take other religions into consideration. If we vote to limit their religious freedom, then our religious freedom will also be limited.

If you’re a doctor or nurse and are given orders by the hospital to perform an abortion, as convicted as you are against it, God’s grace is with you. You can defy orders and lose your job or your license, or you can perform the duties required and rest in God’s grace. Then we have our faith to lean on. Remember, the midwives refused to kill all the male babes and God rewarded them for their faithfulness to him.

I don’t think we need to worry about the marriage issue, since clergy reserve the right to deny performing services outside the scope of their statement of faith. There are plenty of clergy who are GLBT affirming that can perform a wedding and offer the use of their buildings. So why should we vote against making marriage equal for all adult citizens? The bible isn’t the only holy book in the nation that permits marriage. Marriage was around long before the bible was and Adam and Eve didn’t even have a wedding. In some religions, gay marriage is not only permitted, but celebrated. Who are we to limit their religious freedom?

Then we come to the real crux of the matter, fear.

Christians are afraid of being forced to go against their convictions, they are afraid of going to jail, and they are afraid of public scrutiny. Do you notice the common problem here?

The problem is fear.

Christians struggle with putting their entire faith in Christ and resist believing in his grace. They still think God is angry with them, even though the scriptures declare them clean.

When Christians cast their votes, they need to consider the Constitution since the Constitution is to protect all our rights.

“look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Our votes don’t hinder what the bible says, they don’t alter the scriptures, and they don’t certify a Christian’s need to adopt beliefs they don’t agree with. Many Christians don’t agree with the IRS, but they still pay their taxes.

Jesus told the people not to worry about the physical kingdom they lived in, because His kingdom is not of this world.

“The kingdom is within you.” ~Jesus Christ

The disciples and apostles lived through persecution that we have never faced. God never promises us we would live without persecution, in fact Jesus told us we WOULD face persecution. We still have not faced what true persecution is, how can we possibly say gay marriage is an issue of persecution? Maybe we need to begin really trust in God and ‘stop fearing what man can do to us’.

No matter how you vote, remember that we are God’s children, he loves us, and we are under grace.

Sisterlisa

 Related Articles:

Is God A Republican or Democrat?

This Topic is not Going Away

You be the Judge

Traditional Marriage, Boycotting, and a Movie Massacre

 


American Christians Can’t Claim Persecution

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Any Doctrine is Possible

May 23, 2012 by 2 Comments

Did your ‘red flag’ rise high into the sky when you read that title? There are over 35,000 denominations of Christianity today and all of them think they teach ‘sound doctrine’. Some of it sounds real nice while others sound absolutely horrifying. Doctrine can sound like a harmony or just a bunch of clanging symbols causing noise pollution. Have you ever heard of a church that claims they use only the bible? Yep, they all say that. So how can 35,000 denominations think they have sound doctrine while they all differ and bicker about those differences? Any doctrine is possible, but what I look for is the fruit.

Does the doctrine bring about control, legalism, fear, anxiety, pressure to conform, anger, jealousy, or competition over who is living more right than the other? I view this as bad fruit. It’s as rotten as it can get. So I look for doctrine that manifests love, joy, peace, longsuffering, temperance, patience, and gentleness. If a doctrine pressures me to give up family relationships, live in fear for my loved ones, carry anxiety over which church my neighbor goes to, or causes me to be angry over someone’s life choices, then I feel the need to ditch that doctrine altogether. There is such a diverse amount of doctrines so I don’t think that one doctrine sums up all the others. I think each one needs to be examined on it’s own and at the same time look at how each doctrine strings together with the others. Anytime I come up against a ‘brick wall’, I backtrack and go through a different string of doctrines. My aim is to find all the teachings that best exemplifies the heart of Christ and see if they fit together and manifest the fruit of His Spirit.

Bird and sky by tww, on Pix-O-Sphere
photo credit Tom

Even though I can do this, any doctrine really is possible. The reason why I say this is because we take all of it by faith. We have absolutely no hard fast evidence at all. Just because the Bible has remained on earth for as long as it has is not verifiable evidence. I know people say that God preserved it for this long, but did God also preserve the Egyptian hieroglyphics too? Perhaps he did, but we don’t know that for sure, we take it by faith. I know this, mankind has preserved ancient writings for ages. One denomination takes the evangelical-fundamental perspective as sound doctrine, while the Reformers take theirs as sound doctrine, as do the Jehovah’s Witnesses. They can’t all be 100% right with the many differences they have.

There are many very good writers and theologians who have done excellent research about various doctrines and perspectives of the Bible so I’m not going to attempt to go down that road on this blog, but what I will do is share the view that I have of an All-Inclusive Savior that has transformed my life and redeemed me from the chains of legalism. I believe this doctrine is possible, because I have faith that all things are possible with God.

Sisterlisa

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Christianity Outside of Christianity

October 25, 2011 by 3 Comments

Why does being a Christian have to be accompanied by such long lists of qualifications? Who says you can’t be a Christian unless you believe the whole bible is inerrant? Why do so many churches hide their deeper doctrines until you have proved yourself enough to be let in on their little secrets? Maybe you’ve believed in Jesus, but you just can’t stomach the hypocrisy of many of today’s churches, you’re not alone.

I’m about to tell you something that most clergy will despise and I’ll most likely be accused of heresy for telling you this…but you don’t “need” a church, a pastor, or even the bible to believe in Jesus.

Pausing…looking up…no lightning. I haven’t been struck down with leprosy like Miriam, I haven’t been “killed by the Holy Ghost” like Ananias and his wife, Saphira.

Why is it that people say to walk by faith, but we’re afraid that God will strike us down if we do?

There’s a Christ that frees us so we can walk by faith and a false christ that imprisons you in the bondage of fear.

There is a simpler way to live this life in Christ…a way to walk in faith, to be bold in grace, to approach the throne with gladness.

This fellowship of believers that walks in freedom is the Royal Priesthood of believers where the only middle man is Jesus. No pope, pastor, bishop or deacon to rule over you.

There’s no agenda, no hidden doctrines, all the cards are laid out on the table. You’re a Living Epistle.

It’s where we’re all equal and all are loved and accepted.

Are there boundaries? Of course there is. No abundant life is worth really living unless each person has their own personal boundaries. You have a right to have your own boundaries. It’s wise to have boundaries, your own personal space. If anyone violates your space, you have a right to speak up about it.

This kind of fellowship is an open door, just respect it for what it is. Respect each person’s soul liberty.

You can study your bible, any version you want.

This journey to understanding this life in Christ is never ending. You’ll never “arrive” but you’ll never be less than. It’s an adventure and any one of us could ‘be onto something’ or ‘be missing a few marbles’, but we’re to treat each other with dignity.

Here’s where we get to the nitty gritty…no bullying!

Any ‘teaching’ that breeds fear, arrogance, elitism, control, shaming, shunning, violating of another person, is strictly forbidden. Any ‘teaching’ that puts a person under threat, frightens them for their future, eternity, or a loved one’s future or eternity, is off limits!

Women are equal and will not be silenced, abused, or oppressed.

Children are treasured and are not to be violated, forced into slavery, or abused in any way.

Is there such a place?

Well, yes and no. There are others on this journey, but no official building, entity, 501c3 or otherwise.

This is because we are free. We gather in homes, at the park, online, at the beach or wherever we choose to.

How do you find people like this to gather with? Simply speak up.

I realize this many not be a popular article or concept among Christianity. In fact, many of us have already been accused of heresy, rebellion, or told we’re on a ‘slippery slope’. I’m pretty sure if Jesus were born in the 70′s he’d be accused of the same things today. But now we live in America where we won’t be crucified, put to death, or whipped with a cat of nine tails for speaking up about our freedom.

We have soul liberty, we ARE the church, the people are the Temple, and the Living Word is written on our hearts.

There’s a spiritual life to enjoy and it’s about time we start enjoying it.

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Permission to Speak Freely

October 7, 2011 by 8 Comments

I know my friends that walk on the more conservative Orthodox line of Christianity have wondered how long I’ll stay in the wilderness. Honestly, I have felt more “at home” in this wilderness than I ever did in organized Christianity. I have been doing some soul searching lately. Some days I wonder where my soul is. Some days I don’t recognize myself at all.

old bench by sisterlisa, on Pix-O-Sphere

Can a minister of the Gospel actually feel this way? Can an evangelist’s wife openly wrestle with these feelings of doubt, faith, and the many interpretations in the world? If I can’t be transparent with friends (whether in town or online) then I wouldn’t be true to myself or to them. I don’t want to put on a facade just to fit in. I don’t want to play a role to avoid losing friends or business. I certainly don’t like to lose relationships.

But what about me? Some days I feel like I’m losing myself. But maybe what I’m journeying through is a loss of who I’m not. For over a decade I put on a ‘person’ who I wasn’t. I wanted to have friends. I wanted to be loved and accepted. I wanted to be affirmed in my gifts. No matter how many hoops I jumped through, there were always more waiting for me. I was chasing a carrot to gain that acceptance, love, and affirmation and I had to realize I wasn’t going to get it. I wasn’t good enough and coming to that place of realization was incredibly difficult for me.

I was surrounding myself with people who would never accept the raw part of who I am. Why do we seek to be loved by people who we know aren’t going to reciprocate? We view people as ‘worthy’ or ‘attractive’ in some way and we long to be accepted by these people. Why do some people have such a big ‘following’ and others don’t? These are some of the things I wrestle with and then I get upset with myself for even being concerned about it. These thoughts always leave me a bit emptier and sad, but I can’t help but to be curious about these things.

Some folks might view me as liberal, although I don’t view myself as liberal. I don’t think drinking and drugs are good for a person’s health or soul. I don’t enjoy movies with a lot of profanity and illicit scenes. I don’t even like it if my kids use the words crap, dang, or shoot. But I do believe in extending grace to those who do. So does that make me liberal?

I believe in Jesus…with all my heart. No matter how many twisted teachings I question, I still believe in Jesus. Can a person have faith in Jesus and not put much faith in the book that speaks more about him than any other? Do I have to adopt and adhere to every single thing in the bible in order to have faith in Jesus? Do I have the “right” Jesus? There are over 30,000 denominations of Christianity and which one is right? What a mess! The Jesus I know isn’t concerned about which denomination you support.

Jesus gets accused of doing awful things. I think he is misunderstood by many. This makes me sad, because the Jesus I know isn’t like how some people portray him to be. If you take enough verses of the bible out of context and weave them all together to form a paragraph, of course you’ll get an ugly view of him. Some argue that we have to take the bible literally while others say it’s metaphorical. So which things are metaphorical and which things aren’t? How are we to know? Why does he only give his knowledge to those with ears to hear? Why isn’t it more simple than this?

Why would I want to believe in this Jesus who seems to be so confusing?

Somewhere deep within my heart and mind, I have longed for a brother. The idea of having a brother, or best friend, a guy that would never want anything physical from me, was a dream of mine. Someone I could lean on, cry to, ask for help from was what I needed. Then he presented himself to me in a very real way that I could not ignore. Now what would my journey have been like had I not got caught up in the denomination circus? Why did I go to church after that? I wanted to know more about this Jesus….as if one church could accurately describe him for me..and he couldn’t do that on his own? Sometimes I wonder if the bible was worth getting caught up in to begin with.

Some days I want to throw the bible in the garbage. Other days I am enthralled with the beauty I see in the stories. Why do I have this love/hate affair with the bible?

I had to gain a better perspective on this mysterious and magical book. It seems to reveal what we want it to. Maybe the bible is more of a book of magic?

Something I think I am seeing in a lot of Christians is their fear of being open about questions and experiences like mine. For the most part, people are afraid to be rejected when they say they wrestle with these things. Maybe the fear of being rejected by loved ones is more of a burden that just admitting to ourselves that we struggle with our beliefs.

God doesn’t want robots? But many Christians would prefer that we were. They may not say that, but by their unspoken words, they do…when they begin to avoid you when they discover you have different beliefs and opinions than they do about Jesus, the bible, and religion.

So why in the world would I even WANT to be called a Christian with all this garbage going on in the Christian Community? I can accept Jesus, but this thing called ‘Christianity’ is a dysfunctional sort. But I guess every ‘family’ has it’s dysfunctions and we love them nonetheless.

Filed Under: Faith Tagged With: , , , , ,

There Are No Denominations in the Kingdom

July 11, 2011 by 2 Comments

I have read many articles written by various people in assorted denominations about how they define legalism and I have often commented to let them know it goes much deeper than what they have described. Many have said that legalism is ‘commandments of men‘ that are commonly called “extra-biblical”. They intend to say that the only form of legalism among the churches is about whether or not to wear nylons to church or men not being allowed to wear pink ties. Legalism goes beyond that as they tie in the twisted scriptures of the Christian Religion and attempt to enforce that legalism, as if the Lord would have you adhere to it. In my intro article to Leaving Legalism, I explained that it’s the difference between the Christian Religion and the Christian Faith. It’s important to understand the difference between the kingdom of religion and the Kingdom that is within you.

In the kingdom of religion there are multitudes of denominations, while there are no denominations in God’s Kingdom. The kingdoms of the Christian Religion are always at war with one another, competing for the attention of the people, and accusing each other of being heretics. In previous years they have been known to threaten people who don’t convert, imprison them, or even burn them at the stake. It’s of no surprise to me that over the course of the latter years of the first apostles, we begin to see factions among the people and denominations beginning to form. God is so multi-faceted that people in various regions were growing, learning, and increasing in numbers. People learn and grow at different times and while one gathering in a city may be growing in leaps and bounds in their faith, those younger in the faith may not understand that growth. In the process the people began questioning the validity of the teachings the people were following.

Even the apostles warned the people about those who sneak in to steal their liberty, those who would cause divisions, and people who teach false doctrines. We’re obviously going to see varying doctrines and teachings among the churches and of course the denominations formed alliances and some become somewhat of the ‘heresy hunters’ in their attempt to prove who was ‘right’ and who was ‘wrong’. The problem with this, is that it puts mankind in the position to be the authority and only Jesus is our authority. I’ll write more on the topic of authority, but for now I want to challenge this idea of denominations.

The Christian Religion has over 30,000 denominations world wide. So the people are left with trying to decide for themselves which one is right and in turn they’ll believe all the others are wrong. Some have become wiser and come to understand that no one has the corner market on truth and each denomination could possibly have some things not quite accurate. At least these folks are humble enough to admit that, but eventually the people will become dogmatic in their beliefs and the unity of all the brethren diminishes over time. The Christian Religion is always seeking to be more right than the next and the competition between the churches has become ludicrous. Pastors hack away at pastors, deacons bash book authors, ministry leaders excommunicate each other through Twitter and Facebook. It’s an absolute mess!

In the Kingdom of the Christian Faith, the people strive to remain humble, allowing each other to question and sort through the so called heresies and come together with mutual love and respect. These people are growing! I believe we’re in an age of revealing, revival, and renewing as folks are coming together through online forums to discuss these matters. So while the 30,000+ denominations are at war with one another, the people of the Christian Faith are studying together and coming to a healthy balance of understanding the scriptures. The most exciting thing is that they don’t profess to have “the” ultimate denominational answer, although they do recognize WHO the answer is. As far as all these ‘heretical doctrines’ out there, they are cutting to the quick and re-examining old traditions taught through centuries of man made interpretations.

The difference between this ‘doctrinal war’ we have been seeing for thousands of years is that the Christian Religion continues to be at war with one another and those who have become tired of the bickering are finding one another outside of the Christian Religion, they are walking by faith, and getting along in love. It’s certainly a wonderful thing to become free from the religion, but ancient teachings have bore such a deep groove into many generations that it can be quite a wrestling match to have your mind renewed. Having a renewing of the mind is an ongoing process and it’s part of our journey to having Christ disciple us through His Spirit. It means he is not only challenging us to think differently, but he is changing us in the process. He said to repent, which means to change your mind.

Luke 10:27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

The Lord wants us to understand how important it is to use our minds. Sort through the traditions and commandments of men. Find out what is truth and what is not. But in all our getting we are to get understanding. It’s not about who has the ‘smarter’ doctrines, it’s about coming to an understanding of the Divine who resides within and how to walk wisely in this Kingdom.

Proverbs 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all your getting get understanding

You see, people can chomp away at doctrines and they think they find their salvation in their theologies, but God shows us that the theologies are not what saves us.

John 5: 39You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

That word ‘eternal’ is not a definition that is to be taken lightly. In the Greek the word is ‘aiónios‘ and has a much broader concept that just a single English word can accurately define. Through the lens of the whole counsel of the scriptures, we find a much deeper definition that is spiritually applicable and has been at the root of the entirety of the teachings of God as, ‘partaking of the character of that which lasts for an age, as contrasted with that which is brief and fleeting.’ It’s about having  a particular character and quality of life. Even verse 40 reveals this truth as he says they refuse to come to the One the scripture points to, so that they may have life. This ‘quality and character of life’  is much better described as an ‘enduring, rich, and abundant life‘.

But what is the problem with these religious people Christ was speaking to? They were standing before their very Messiah, yet they refused to believe that the Truth was standing right there in their presence. Jesus explains exactly what the problem was.

John 5: 41I do not receive glory from people. 42But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. 43I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him.

There are many religious teachers in the world who come and go in their own names. They have built their own religious kingdoms and they receive one another in their own names. Religious leaders who have built up large church kingdoms become popular among one another and they seek after them to come and teach in their churches. They seek after notoriety! History is repeating itself. He goes on to let them off the hook. He is not condemning them.

John 5: 44How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? 45Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. 46For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me.47But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

Jesus hit the nail on the head and He’s been hitting it on the head ever since then. The people chose to remain under Moses as their leader instead of learning of the One in whom Moses put this trust. They became so ‘well versed’ about the Law, that they forgot to see that the Law points to Christ. Instead of receiving the One who paved the Way for us, they chose to worship their own paved ways.

There has never been anything wrong with studying the scriptures in an effort to understand God’s amazing love, grace, mercy, and justice. When interpretations point people to religion then we have again missed the mark. When an interpretation of the scriptures point to Christ then it encourages our faith. This is the Way of the Christian Faith.

The Christian Religion points to the religious system, while the Christian Faith points to Christ and He points us to God and how to walk in the Kingdom.

We certainly have the freedom to study with whoever we feel God is leading us to and we also have the freedom to walk away and go study with another gathering when we realize their ways are leading the people into legalism. I have no qualms with denominations as long as they allow the people to come and go in love and keep the door open to freedom. The heresies are when the Christian Religion binds the people into isolated controlling environments and limits their freedom of conscience. This is precisely what many of the early Protestants stood up about. Here it is again, history repeating itself. Many denominations have allowed themselves to become that which their ancestors fled from. There are no denominations in the Christian Faith. Just people who are seeking to walk by faith, study together in love, and continue to walk in the liberty that set us free.

Filed Under: Faith, Inquisition, Kingdom Living, Legalism Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Transparency is a Vulnerability

June 2, 2011 by 10 Comments

Who in the world wants to be vulnerable and let everyone see all your flaws, fears, and heart aches? Anyone? Anyone?

When you live your life inside a bubble for over a decade and wake up one day realizing that something just doesn’t add up. What am I doing here? Why have I stayed for so long? Why do I feel SO out of my skin in this place?

Deep down inside of me are all these questions and interests. Things I find great joy in and feel IN my skin with. Why did I ever leave those things behind?

I was stripped of them.

If I wanted to be accepted and loved I had to strip myself.. of myself. Then I was told to put on these other interests, I was told my old interests should be ‘burned’ and forgotten about. I was re-taught a new language in a way that this new language became a part of who I was supposed to be. I was being conditioned.

I dared to go against it, I took out a pin and popped the bubble. Just as quickly as I stepped out of the bubble, others were frantically sewing it up behind me.

Now I was entering into a vast universe with lots of questions and excited to get to know everything around me. My language was not only misunderstood, but I was rejected because of it. People were angry with me out here. I tried to re-think my words and learn new vocabulary so I can express what I was meaning so they wouldn’t take my words and understand them in the way they thought I was intending.

I have tried fitting in with other groups, only to discover they didn’t understand me and they rejected me too. People, in general, don’t like when we ask about their faith in ways outside their conditioned scripting. They don’t like when you ask why “this word” isn’t in the Bible, because they would have to answer you with, “It’s just not there.” Then when you ask why they believe in it if it’s not in the bible, they say the bible ‘implies’ that it’s there.

A special knowledge? I thought that was taboo.

But that’s not what I’m wanting to express in this post. So I learned that language, those metaphors, these cliches that I try my best to describe my journey with. Many Christians dislike it, those who don’t believe or follow Christ don’t understand me either. People from all over simply assume what I mean, instead of just asking me to explain it differently. I’ll explain my journey the best I can.

I got a response today on another post. She thought I meant ‘such and such’ which I didn’t mean that way at all. I did the best I could to respond back. I actually agreed with her more than she may have realized, and I told her so. It’s just very difficult for me to express my journey in other lingo. After I responded to her as plainly as I could, with grace and love, I went to a room alone and cried. I cried hard. I wasn’t upset about me, I was grieving that someone else was hurt through the misunderstanding my words had created.

So here I am and I want to be transparent, because I want to be me. I want to be in my own skin, to enjoy my spiritual walkabout with my Creator. My adventure with grace and love. This beautiful universal language that I see people of all kinds of faith talk about. I’m intrigued. Curious. I want to hear about how they came to this revelation of love on the outside of the box I came out of.

But here’s the honest truth about me, I fear I won’t be accepted anywhere with the kinds of questions I have. I don’t mean to sound intrusive, I’m just very curious. I want my full freedom to comment on “this blog” and “that blog” without my friends at “this blog” being upset that they see me commenting also on “that blog”. (Why are they reading over there anyway? Could it be they have the same questions as me? Or are they only reading to use the info as ammunition for their next attack?)

Aren’t we all just a bunch of insecure humans trying to understand ourselves and one another?

Why did I have to be given such a huge portion of curiosity into this thing called spirituality?

Because I woke up.

I don’t mean that to sound arrogant, it’s just how I feel. It’s like I took the Red Pill and I can’t go back to sleep.

So I try my best to express my faith, my spirituality, my walkabout with my Creator. Why? I can’t help it. It’s who I am.

You might find that I use some Christian lingo and some Pagan lingo. Maybe you think I use New Age lingo, or Fairy Tale lingo. I’m just doing the best I can to understand this spiritual life in some of the only ways I understand.

I’m tired of these questions,
“Are you…

Catholic?
Protestant?
Seventh Day Adventist?
Baptist?
Pentecostal?
Pagan?
Heretic?
Jewish?

Rebellious?

Out of your mind?”

Here’s my best answer,

I’m Sisterlisa and I’m on a journey. My own individual walkabout with Love.

So all those things I was stripped of before… I think I shall open that old treasure chest back up and pull some of those things back out and put them back on again. They’re a part of who I am and if I continue to live otherwise, I’ll just be walking around with a costume on. If you don’t like how I describe my journey, you don’t have to read it. If you have genuine curiosity and want to understand me better? Just ask me to clarify. I might mess up by using a lingo you don’t understand, or may have been taught had different meanings that the ones I intend to describe.

Filed Under: Faith, Grace Tagged With: , , , , ,

Knowing Jesus

May 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment

In the garden God created and placed Adam and Eve there to become man and wife. They were joined together to be one in their relationship, but they hadn’t known each other yet. Don’t get me wrong, Adam certainly knew who Eve was. Some people humorously say that Adam saw Eve and said “Whoa Man!”, because she was so beautiful, thus calling her woman.

But Adam had not yet ‘known’ Eve in the intimate sense.

A husband and wife marry at the altar, but it’s not until they arrive at their honeymoon suite that they really know each other. Between the time a couple meets and their relationship progresses do they really begin to know each other intimately.

We meet new people all the time and establish friendships as we continue to fellowship with them again and again. Eventually the friendship becomes intimate in a spiritual sense. This kind of intimacy is what I believe God wants for his family. To be close. To learn to trust one another. To grow together, To become one in love. To ‘know’ each other.

chaiselounge by sisterlisa, on Pix-O-Sphere

{photo credit by Sisterlisa}

Jesus often rebuked the Pharisees and the scenarios between them is not often discussed in some churches, but as a former legalist I have come to pay closer attention to the words he spoke to them and their cultural history as leaders in their religious communities.

Ezekiel 34 gives us a vivid picture of how upset God was with the pastors for the way they were treating the people and even neglecting them. These shepherds were known by God, He appointed them to their place of leadership among the people to take care of them. Several generations later Jesus describes the kingdom of heaven which he was bringing to earth.

Luke 17:20And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. (KJV)

Knowing that the kingdom of God is already within us, we can then begin to see many of his teachings clearer. He continues on in his 3 1/2 year journey to tell people who can “go there” and who “can’t enter therein”.

It’s within us.

Matthew 10 gives us the picture of the rich man who wants to enter the kingdom of God, but Jesus challenges him with giving up his riches first. We know that we do not enter eternity based on our works, for the bible reveals to us it is not by works, so no one can boast. Jesus is speaking to the rich man about the kingdom that is already within him. Because materialism gets in the way of us being able to ‘see’ this kingdom and live out the reality of it in our human lives.

His response after the rich man departed from him astonished even the disciples.

Matthew 10: 23And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” 24And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God!” (ESV)

There’s an intimacy that is present among people who enter one another’s homes, when we dine together, when we celebrate together. We know each other, but it is through spiritual intimacy that we really begin to know one another. When one of us goes through a storm in life, it is then that we see what each other is ‘made of’.

God is all knowing. He knows every hair on our head and knew us in our mother’s womb. In fact we were created in Christ before the foundation of the world. God definitely knows us all.

great room morning by sisterlisa, on Pix-O-Sphere

{photo credit by Sisterlisa}

But does He have intimacy with us yet? Have we entered into the kingdom life yet?

I can meet you at the cafe each week for fellowship, but until you come to my home and dine with me, you may not begin to really know me yet. Jesus entered many homes on his missionary journey to earth. He dined with people, lounged with them in their homes, rejoiced with them, and even grieved with them. Jesus even knew the thoughts of the people, even the thoughts of the Pharisees. He knew and does know all of us. But he speaks of another kind of ‘knowing’ in our relationship with him.

Matthew 7: 21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

I don’t believe Jesus was speaking about the after life in this passage. The entire chapter of Matthew 7 is about how to live in this life, read it thoroughly, I believe this chapter is about how to live in the kingdom life, now.

He said ‘I never knew you’, but he certainly does know us. Perhaps he is speaking about the intimacy and depth of knowing people.

Have you ever said to someone whose heart changed in a negative way and you said, “I don’t know you anymore. Who are you?” But you DO know them. It’s a figure of speech. The bible is filled with types, shadows, poetic language, and figures of speech.

In Matthew 7 he speaks of a beam of wood sticking out of your eye, the opening of a door, a gate, wolves who have fruit from their limbs, not knowing people, and a house built upon a rock.

These are not literal teachings, they are spiritual teachings with poetic figurative language.

The kingdom is within you.

God always knows who we are. How can the Creator not literally know His own creation?

He knows us, but He wants to really ‘know’ us.

We are the Bride and Jesus is our Groom, but has the journey brought us into the tent of being known by our Groom?

There’s an intimacy in ‘knowing’ Jesus and Him ‘knowing’ us. This happens in the kingdom and we’re all there seated with him in those ‘heavenly places’, we just might have a beam in our eye that inhibits our vision of the reality. It is possible we keep bumping into the post because the beam disrupts us being able to see the narrow opening of the gate. In addition to that there are wolves all around making it even more difficult to see the kingdom. It’s the house upon the rock, it shall not be moved. The house will not move from where it is, no need to go looking here or there to find it.

It’s within you.

Do not fear Jesus telling you that you can’t be with him and Father. The after life is something full of mystery, a surprise being prepared for us to some day see. But there is a Now Jesus that we can know. We can live the kingdom life while we are here on earth. It’s such a fabulous gift that I pray we don’t waste. He loves you and because of what he has done, his finished work on the cross, the gate is left open for all who would like to enter, We can enter freely.

Italy by nonpoppop, on Pix-O-Sphere

{photo credit by Mike Davis}

Revelation 22: 17The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

Filed Under: Faith Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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