DOMA & Abortion: Rulings in the Supreme Court and Texas

     WOWWWAH!! It is amazing to me the things I am reading regarding the recent rulings that  have taken place over the last 24 hours. Homosexuality and abortion are passionate discussions that are fueled by moral and value systems; some of those systems are directly linked to religious and faith-based beliefs. Tears of joy and disappointment have been shed today because of the extreme difference of opinion.

     However, it is the disagreement that we display all over the media that gives hope to other countries who can't speak or raise their voices at all. Here in the United States of America we have the right to argue. We have the right to make changes with our voices. I thank God that I live in a country where both sides have a right to speak their mind, share their belief and lay out their perspective on issues that fuel debate. 

     Due to the First Amendment I listen to and will not ask those I disagree with to be silent. I will not call them haters. I will not call them intolerant. And, I believe those who are truly passionate about the First Amendment will listen to my words they may disagree with and refrain from name calling.

    I know many women who have been faced with the decision of abortion. Some of the women who did not choose to have an abortion were not believers. Some of the women who chose to have abortions were. Not one of these women I have met felt it was an easy decision. Race, color, belief, political party, economic status do not dictate who gets to face this decision and who doesn't. It touches women and men of all backgrounds, beliefs, races etc. Now being a born-again believer, it is not a choice I would make. In addition, being an Infant Toddler Specialist who has studied for years the development of children from conception to 36 months old out of the womb, I would not make the choice because I know the science. In  my professional opinion, based on the science, from conception it is life; a life-form separate from the carrier, but dependent on the carrier to survive. I believe that that life has a right even though it is not yet able to speak.

     I know many people who live in the homosexual lifestyle. Some of them don't believe in any deity. Some do; even in the God I serve. One is a man I respect, pray for and trust with my hair. We have both shared our beliefs; he knows what I believe. You know what? He is still the only hair dresser I will allow to put scissors, color or flat iron to my hair. Interestingly, we do argue. We fight and go back and forth at each other all the time but, not about the obvious. It's not what you would think. He is in denial about the Spurs and I am trying to minister the truth to him about the Lakers. Johnny - I love you baby, but Lakers rule!

    Choices have existed from the beginning. God Himself, put the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the garden and told Adam and Eve not to choose to eat from it. They chose to eat it. I believe that all things in the earth the Bible teaches we should refrain from are new trees that the Lord would not have us eat from. When people choose to eat from those trees it is between them and the Creator of the Universe; their maker.

     If you are a believer our response is to kneel. We are to pray for all that God would reveal Himself and His plan for each one. We need to pull the log out of our eye and find out where we need to repent. We need to wait on the Holy Spirit to direct in correction and share our faith dripping in love, with love in action and transparency.

     Many of you reading this know that I am an Evangelical Christian. My belief system and moral code is greatly founded on the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Scriptures of the Canonized Bible. So, I would hope that all, including myself, would have due diligence in adhering to those teachings. This hope is based on the belief that these teachings are God's choice for us. He wants us to have His best.

     Yes. I believe that the homosexual lifestyle and abortion are wrong. But I also believe that smoking, drunkenness, manipulation, lying, gossip, meanness, cruelty, slander, back-stabbing and back-biting are wrong. However, I will not judge or condemn those who practice these things; nor will I withdraw my friendship or love from them. Wielding the gavel is the Lord's job. Mine is to work to live a holy, righteous, sanctified life and share my testimony of Christ crucified. And, thank God, thank God! I live in a place that allows me to make that choice, freely. 

   

Whose Your Pawtnuh (Partner)

    This is the funny, long story I promised yesterday. As most of you know, my dad and uncle are doing road trip in Route 66. However, it was not smooth cruisin' for many members in my family when it became extremely possible my dad would be doing the drive on his own. The road trip is almost 2500 miles one-way. Route 66 in its current condition is lacking serious maintenance. Many portions of the road are closed or due to time, covered with dirt and cacti. Navigating the road takes planning, plenty of rests stops and... a partner. Unfortunately, my dad was dead set on doing the trip with or without a partner.
     As my uncle says, the family went to DEFCON 1 and started negotiations on preventing a war against my dad's trip. I had all kinds of ideas: have my mom mail his Corvette keys to me... in Texas, have a family member hide the car or take his wallet. Other family members tried reason; giving details about the road and how unwise it would be to do the drive alone. BUT, glory to God, my uncle, Melvin, came to the rescue. He booked a ticket to LA from Boise to embark on the journey with my dad. The message from him allowed all of us to go to DEFCON 4.

    In yesterday's post I mentioned how important it is to drive the road of life with God. Likewise, do life with a friend. Loners are not able to experience the abundance of blessing God has for us through relationships in our journey to destiny. True friends need to be in your midst to help with the rough spots in your road. 

     Technology is great. I have a great time on Facebook, texting and calling friends; and now using Skype. It  is a lot of fun! However, face to face time is just as important. We need to spend time in each other's presence to uplift and encourage each other. Ask God to bring to you and seek out good friends you can do life with, who will tell you the truth, hold you in their prayers and are excited about the things the Lord has in store for you. Doing life with the giver of life and some partners in your corner will make for a drive sure to reach its destination.

You Are Being Tracked

     My Dad and Uncle Melvin are in the midst of checking off a bucket list item:

Route 66 - The Ole Mother Road; from Santa Monica to Chicago... in my dad's Corvette

     Talk about a man's dream. They are racing across America seeing some of its most iconic sights in a limited edition sports car. Tomorrow they will visit the Grand Canyon.They are having a lot of fun and enjoying the ride, literally. However, I have my eyes on them.

     Due to family panic (a funny, long story; that will be tomorrow's blog) my uncle has hooked us up with high tech gadgets to remotely accompany them on the trip. In a nutshell, I can go on my computer or cell phone and watch them via satellite drive across the country. At any moment, I can see where they are. Texting, calling, Skype and this satellite tracking app is keeping me in the know regarding their trip. If I see something that doesn't look right, then I call, text or do face-to-face via Skype to find out what is happening.

     This experience had me thinking about God. He has a supernatural system that tracks everybody at the same time, all of the time. You are on a road that is either narrow or broad traveling in the country called Life. If you are a believer, the map you are to use to get you to your destination is the Bible. It is your navigation system to help you stay on the narrow road and to keep you from getting lost. All the while, during your travel, God knows exactly where you, what you are doing, who you are with, what has just happened and what is about to happen. In addition, when your track is not right, He will send a message through the Word, a friend, a dream, a sign, etc. to assist in the navigation.

     Life is hard. Don't do it alone.  When we are born, we all will face road blocks, detours, dead ends and at times be misled by faulty signs before we reach Heaven. Do Life with the Giver and Creator of life. With Him, your journey will give and create joy, peace, love and fun for you and others. It will be exciting. And, it will be a great ride!

Word Up!

     Here is an interesting statistic that I learned tonight. 28% of the body of Christ today does not believe that the scriptures (that is the Cannonized Christian Bible) are literal. Granted there are parables and teachings that use metaphors to make a point that are not literal. However, the majority of the Word is. For example, Jonah was in the belly of a whale for three days and was regurgitated to bring a message to the people of Ninevah. Another example, Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a virgin -  physically. She did not have sex with any man prior to the conception and birth of Christ. Jesus physically died and literally rose from the dead three days later, another example. Another, is that God created the Heavens and the Earth as it is outlined in the book of Genesis.

     Saints, if the Bible is all allegory, myths, fables and mysterious half truths then we cannot count on any of it, including things we want and don't mind being literal. For example, God is love. Or, God is abounding in mercy. Or, God will hear you and answer. Or God is compassionate.

     We have got to take God at His word and learn to spend time in it, meditate on it and allow the Holy Spirit to renew our minds through the study of it. Taking God at His Word allows us to embrace all the promises He has outlined in it that are literal! If we don't we live defeated and snared in the enemies lies. We run the risk of falling into the trap of false doctrines and teachings that accompany the end time. 

     Therefore, it is time to Word Up! Let's seek Jesus who is THE word and ask Him to send the Holy Spirit to help us. Make time for Him with His word that has been preserved over thousands of years for us to be blessed by. Dig in it. Study it. Di sect it. Ask God to speak to you through it; that it may guide you into all He has for you while living on earth. He will not disappoint and the Word will not lead astray.

     There is only one book that can lead us into all blessing. There is only one book that can renew our mind by the power of the Holy Spirit. There is only one book that is alive and; even though scripted thousands of years ago, can speak into your present day circumstances. There is only one book that is the GPS for life leading you into all truth. And that's... the Word! 

Overwhelmed?

        I Found a funny quote on a coffee mug:

     "God put me on earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now, I am so far behind, I will never die."

     Anybody feel this way? I experience being overwhelmed often. However, it is my own doing because I added things to the "certain number of things" God never called me to do. If we just stick to what the Lord ordains for us to have on our plate there will be enough time to enjoy all of it. We won't need to scarf it down, get over full or feel overwhelmed.

     One of the most important words a person learns to say in infancy is, "no." It establishes boundaries with others. It empowers us to say 'yes' to our God given dreams and destiny. So, feel the freedom. Go ahead and scrape some of the other things on your plate into the trash. Get to work on the God ordained things for your life. Everything else will not be nourishment and pass through this world as waste.

     If you are not sure what God is calling you to do, exactly, ask Him. He wants you to be successful and will not keep His plans for you from you. We serve a kind and loving God who longs for us to live abundantly and with purpose while bringing glory to Him and growing His Kingdom. Hold his Hand. He will bring you to fulfillment, joy, reward and complete satisfaction in work that will count.

     "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." - 1 Corinthians 15:58

     
   

Before Star Trek, There Was Philip

     In Acts 8, Philip, one of the seven deacons of Jerusalem and an evangelist, was charged to head toward Gaza from Jerusalem by the Holy Spirit for a divine appointment. He met an Ethiopian  eunuch reading a prophecy about Jesus in Isaiah. This opened the door for Philip to preach Jesus to him in which the eunuch received Christ and was immediately baptized. After this encounter something extraordinary takes place. It is a part of scripture that has always intrigued me:

     "Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus." - Acts 8:39-40

     So, instantly Philip went from a road to Gaza to Azotus, which is now Ashdod, a city that sits near the Mediterranean Sea. Ashdod is about 34 miles west of Jerusalem and 23 miles north of Gaza. In an instant, from coming up out of the water, Philip was now miles away from the Ethiopian. 

     This is the power of God. No special affects needed. Philip was beamed from one place to another long before the popular phrase, "Beam me up Scotty," from Star Trek. I love this passage because it makes me completely aware of a few things: 1. I have absolutely no control but, God has it all; 2. God IS all powerful and; 3. Those who are faithful to hear and obey His voice get to see and experience His awesomeness. It also makes me wonder how many miracles I have missed out on.

     Obedience is better than sacrifice because in essence sacrifice is happening when in the act of obedience. You may have to sacrifice time, money, positive thoughts of others about you, a career, home etc. When God calls He has something so great in store for us. So, listen and dive into the divine. On the other side of your obedience is a blessing for another and a supernatural surprise for you.

Anybody Pregnant? With A Dream?

     Working as a Candy Striper in OBGYN was an eye opener regarding child birth. It is a messy business. In my personal opinion, based on what I have seen, my perception is that Hollywood has not been able to capture the raw emotions and drama that go with giving birth to a human being. It is a messy, loud, busy, focused, panicked, sometimes rushed, sometimes extremely slow, sometimes traumatic, sad, happy, scary and many other combinations of feelings and happenings business. 

     This is a side note but, volunteering in that section of the hospital the summer before my Junior year in high school, scared me straight out of sex. Fortunate to walk in purity up to that point, I was ready to stay a virgin FOR EVER! Every girl, especially now a days, should work in OBGYN where delivery takes place. Teen pregnancy would take a dive; I'm tryin' to tell ya.

     Anyway,,, back to my original point. Giving birth is crazy. However, it is a true miracle that brings joy and much blessing, especially when it happens according to God's order. This process is paralleled to giving birth to a dream. When the dream is conceived it is fresh, new, exciting! Then the morning sickness may come, and then waiting, weight gain and a transformation in the mother to be. Later, anticipation, continued planning, decorating a room and exhaustion. Finally, patience may be exasperated and everyone is ready for the baby to come but the baby is still not ready. Throughout there are many risks that can bring harm to the child so appointments are set up to make sure everything is going well. At delivery, there can be immense and prolonged pain until the infant arrives.

     If you are pregnant with a dream, treat the vision with care. Be ready to go through a transformation that God orchestrates to prepare your vessel to deliver and hold the destiny He has for you in your hands. Be patient as the due date approaches and rest in the fact that God will bring it to fruition is His perfect timing. At delivery, you may go through the pain of changed relationships. Friends you thought were truly for you, you may find were not. Things may get messy to cloud your vision, but know that the Lord is moving to make sure that you are in the relationships He has ordained for your moment. Tears that fall are like the cleansing of the canal removing all impurities and dangerous bacteria that can harm the vision as it comes.

     As you go through the journey of embracing your destiny and birthing the vision the Lord placed in you, rejoice, praise and sing. Thank the Lord for every stage of the gestation and have a true celebration with true friends when it is born. God is for you. We have a great God who will get us there. He always finishes what He starts.

     "being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;" Philippians 1:6