Tragedy in Genesis

After reading through three books in the New Testament I decided to kick it Old Testament and jumped all the way back to Genesis. Genesis is my favorite book in the Bible. I love stories!

I just read Genesis three, The Fall. It is hard to overemphasize just how tragic this portion of Scripture is. I learned somewhere that the difference between a tragedy and a comedy is not necessarily the content, but the ending. A tragedy always ends in death. However, no matter how twisted the plot of a story is, if it ends in a wedding it is consider a comedy. It is the difference between the inevitability of death and the continuity of life.

If you start at the begging of Scripture, once you get to Genesis three you assume the story is going to be a tragedy. Before Genesis three, Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but they were allowed to eat of the tree of life. By the end of Genesis three however, man had eaten of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and were now forbidden to eat of the tree of life.

Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—" therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

Genesis 3:22-24

When God created man, man inherited some of glory of God. Man was made in His image. Yet, instead of humbling himself, man tried to promote himself above God. God therefore humbled man.

"By the sweat of your face
   you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
   for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
   and to dust you shall return."

Genesis 3:19

Ash Wednesday is this next week. At the churches that have Ash Wednesday services this is one of the verses that is emphasized. This is a good verse to meditate on. You are not God. You are dust, and to dust you will return. Some of you may have seen paintings of saints that had skulls in the painting. Saints and holy men used skulls as objects in meditating on their own mortality. Sounds crazy I know, but it sure puts things in perspective. This season of the church leading up to Easter is supposed to be a time of fasting and repentance. A time to recenter our lives on Christ. Our priorities can get out of whack sometimes. So as we enter into the season of Lent, remember...YOU ARE DUST! (http://www.crivoice.org/cyashwed.html)

P.S. There is a wedding coming.

The Church

I finished reading through the epistle to the Romans this morning. Romans is never a good book for me to read for my own sanctification, because after every section I read I just want to preach instead of self-examining. I start meditating on the status of many of our churches in America and I get infuriated and then I want to weep. (I'm not bipolar, I swear!). I get so enraged at what we have turned the bride of Christ into. Instead of a young glowing bride we are more like a 40 year old virgin who lusts after heaven instead of the glory of God.

I see churches in which the Word of God is not rightly divided, emotive highs are mistaken for the Spirit, and dissension reigns.

Let me be clear...SECRECY HAS NO PLACE IN THE CHURCH!! We are not elitists. One group does not get to decide for the whole. Is the budget the only thing we get to vote on? Does the Spirit only move in those people? Is the pastor the only one to whom God has given a vision?

Churches are not to be treated as small countries. Pastors are not presidents or dictators they are servants. Associate pastors are not vice presidents. Boards and commitees are not senates and houses of representatives. A church should not look like a democracy!! The church has one head and that is CHRIST! He is who we get our vision from, and the Holy Spirit is what is to compel us. A body of believers is not something to be ruled over. We are brothers and sisters. Christ himself is called our brother, and if even he who is so much greater humbled himself, how much more are our leaders to humble themselves. Has God set up structure for the church? Absolutely! And He has told those who are in authority that they are to be servants, advocates, and His mouthpieces.

*Here ends angry rant*

And now I weep. I know that in these churches that people love one another and that they love Jesus, but I fear that they don't know God. I fear that a God who is comfortable to worship has been invented, and therefore a false gospel is preached. What I fear most in these churches is mediocrity. I fear that these churches comfort themselves with "eternal security" not knowing that a prayer does not equal salvation.

Do I judge too harshly and am I overly dramatic? Possibly, but I don't think that the problems that exist in the church of America can be overstated.

Prayer:
O Lord God save us from ourselves!
Do not allow us to worship a god we have created for ourselves.
Spirit come!
Dwell among us!
Teach us!
Give us eyes to see,
Ears to hear,
And a heart to know!
Humble us Lord Jesus!

Life is Wierd Sometimes...

I've been home a couple of months now and I just read back over my blog from Switzerland, and decided I needed a new blog.

My life feels like its in a lull right now. I don't like lulls. I'm afraid of being too comfortable. I think most people call these ruts. It ironic though that I'm afraid of getting too comfortable, but at the same time afraid of the things that will make me uncomfortable.

I have recently started a training course that would certify me to be a teacher. I never really wanted to be a teacher, though I have been "teaching" and working with kid's since I was very young myself. As a matter of fact, when I was a wee little child, I used to play in this closet underneath the stairs (I'm a bit like Harry Potter in that way). I would play with those tiny things of Play-Dough, but instead of playing with the Play-Dough I would write names on the lids and pretend like they were children and I was the teacher. When I was around that same age I also told my mom that I was going to be a missionary in Africa. Maybe I was a little prophetess even back then.

About five years ago I was in the exact same position I am in now. Then, I was graduating from high school and not really wanting to go to Criswell. I wanted to do something cool, like go to NYU and study Literature. It turned out, by the Providence of God, that those five years were the most amazing years of growth in spirtuality and in knowledge.

Here I am again, standing at another crossroads, not overlly excited about the path I am walking on. Again, I want to do something cool like work in an orphanage or save the world, but God is so much smarter than me (total understatement) and his forsight is way beyond mine (because he already dwells in the place that I am going). This is how I know that five years from now I will be blogging about how good and gracious God has been in the next five years.

I am a planner to some extent, but I have never planned my life past the next step I am going to take. I have never had life goals or attainable ambitions. God knows that I am like this (duh! He made me this way). He knew when He knit me together that He was going to have to hold my hand the whole way. I am not a go getter. I am a stay here and waiter. I don't move unless God moves me, but I'm not gonna lie sometimes I grow impatient when I can't see what's coming. That is the season I am in. I can't see what's coming, and it is frustrating the crap out of me!!! But its nice to know that while I'm waiting I can hold God's hand. I'd rather sit here and hold God's hand than run out infront of Him. So that's what I'll do, because it's a pretty awesome hand that I'm holding onto.

Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord;
    I have no good apart from you."

 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
   in whom is all my delight.

 The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;
   their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
   or take their names on my lips.

 The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;
   you hold my lot.
 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
   indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

 I bless the LORD who gives me counsel;
   in the night also my heart instructs me.
I have set the LORD always before me;
   because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
   my flesh also dwells secure.
For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
    or let your holy one see corruption.

 You make known to me the path of life;
   in your presence there is fullness of joy;
   at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16