Bag it Movie

I hardly ever blog any more….time is not available right now, but I plan to get back into it for lots of reasons. The primary purpose of my blog is to encourage the women who attend A&E at FBC Norco but sometimes I just share things that I am thinking about. Like this time.

Last night I had a terrible headache and ended up in my bed early. I took at nap at 7:00, woke up at 7:45 and decided to try to stay awake for a while in order to be able to sleep through the night. I flipped on the TV and it was on public television because my almost 4 year old had watched a program earlier in the day. Normally I would have changed it to a movie channel or network to be entertained but the topic on PBS was one that intrigued me…..and yes this will seem weird…. the disposal of plastic bags.

I usually don’t pay huge amounts of attention to environmentalists because they often come across as so in love in with earth that they forget the value of people. The earth is temporary, people are eternal, that’s the way I see it. However, I am ALL for good stewardship of the earth. I recycle, reuse, etc and I look for ways not to be wasteful. I never litter, etc. The guy speaking on this show seemed to have the same idea as me….do what you can intentionally. So I watched the entire hour of him talking about his journey into understanding what plastic bags (and other forms of plastic) are doing to the environment and I was inspired.

So inspired I decided to do my part! So here I am asking you to watch the trailer of the documentary and if you are so inclined to find the entire movie on an upcoming PBS station and watch. (The website http://www.bagitmovie.com has a link for available times.) The end of the movie has some practical things that ordinary people like me can do to help keep our God-given earth beautiful. After all man was given dominion over it (Gen 1:28) and my understanding of that is that we are care-takers. According to Romans 1, the earth displays the creator because it is too magnificent to have been a mistake. So I am inclined to want to preserve its beauty as a steward and for the glory of the Creator!

Finished with Chapter One

Due to the Norco ladies retreat, I did not blog about the end of chapter one on Friday so I am today!

Page 26 instructs us how to proceed with studying systematic theology after we are done with this book. Grudem tells us that it basically involves gathering all the Scripture about an idea/doctrine and analyzing/summarizing them together. The use of a concordance to find all the passages will be necessary. The final step in that is to make some summary statements about the doctrine that are firmly supported by all the verses.

Point six on page 27 is one of my favorites. We will study systematic theology with rejoicing and praise. Here is my favorite quote, “It is a study of the living God and of the wonders of all his works in creation and redemption. We cannot study this subject as if our hearts and lives are uninvolved! We must love ALL that God is, ALL that he says, and ALL that he does.” Amen!

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory for ever. Amen. Rom. 11: 33-36

Next Assignment: Chapter two pages 33 – 37 (point 4)

Today is the Beginning!!

Today is the beginning of a read together group of women who want to spend some time studying doctrine. Last night at our accountablility group I talked about why this is important. Often times when you speak of studying doctrine, you get a rather dull look from people. After all, doesn’t doctrine just divide Christians and make them “argue” about things when they should be loving and caring and just sharing the gospel? Well, maybe. The truth is that doctrine does cause Christians to “agree to disagree” and sometimes that is painful. However, they still should be loving and caring and sharing the gospel…absolutely. Another arguement is, “isn’t doctrine dry?” My answer to that is, “Well it could be at times, I suppose, but so are some of the foods I choose to eat because they are nutritious and not sweet and gooey like I really like!!”

So why study doctrine? Doctrine is the meat of what we as Christians believe. The fruit of studying doctrine will bring about strength in the Christian’s life. The timeless truths that are instilled in our hearts as we study doctrine will carry us when the difficult storms of life come. Storms that could rock our worlds if we did not know God according to His Word. We can cling to Truth when the earth beneath us is trembling and we can not focus.

My friends, this week’s assignment is pages 17-21. Stop on page 21 when you get to the subheading B. (Of course, you can read further if you want, but the idea is to keep the goal small and “doable” so that we continue in a steady pace and finish eventually!)

When you read you can comment here that you finished and if you want to write something about what you read, please feel free!

Excited to read with you!

If you do not have the book yet, you can read at google reader here.

Book Club Update

A few weeks ago I announced that I would be starting a book club. I love reading and I love to discuss what I am reading with other people. I have wanted to be a part of a reading club for years; however, there were several red flags to starting one right now. (I was in denial of that for a while but as the date approached, I realized that I was not going to be able to add it to my plate.) It was not going to be wise for me to facilitate another monthly meeting. In addition to that I found out that my husband’s leadership team is beginning some type of reading event as well so that will be an opportunity for reading too.

In the meantime I have morphed my own reading club into a blogging exercise. This blog was originally created to encourage the women that I meet with on a monthly basis for accountability. We are going to start a reading project inspired by the sermon series at FBC, Norco. The sermon series is based on Titus. Consistently we have been exhorted to think about the necessity of sound doctrine in our lives. Sound doctrine keeps us from making decisions based on our culture, our emotions, pressure from others, our own selfish flesh etc., but instead gives us the ability to live life and make decisions based on the safety and strength afforded by God’s Word.

With that in mind we are going to be reading Bible Doctrine by Wayne Grudem and responding to it on my blog. Our goal will be attainable which might make it look like a small goal but it will be definitely better than nothing! We will read 5 pages a week.

This reading exercise will start on February 19. On that day the pages for the next week will be assigned as a post for which anyone who is reading can comment on during that week. I will write at the end of the week and then will assign the pages for the next week! Thanks to all who commented at our last meeting that they were excited about doing this. I think it will be fun and challenging at points.

Standing Strong

A few nights ago I sat in a home and talked of theology with a group of people from my church. We were discussing the sermon that we had heard the previous week on Titus 2. The verses are about the need for elders to teach sound doctrine. In the group we were discussing how the teaching of sound doctrine effects a congregation.

One of the members said that it strengthens the people of God to think clearly about who God is and then to trust Him even when the world or their own emotions do not agree. As I sat and thought about that I remembered a line from the book Jane Eyre. The context of the quote is as follows: Jane has discovered at the marriage altar that the man she is getting ready to marry is already married. However, the woman he is married to is insane and unable to function like a wife normally does but in fact, has to be under constant supervision and care to be prevented from injuring either herself or other people. Jane desperately wants to marry this man. For the first time in her life she has felt love and acceptance and she desires to be with him badly; however, she does not marry him. She flees the situation because she knows she cannot really be his wife but only a mistress and thus, would be living in contradiction to the law of God. Here is what she says:

“I will keep the law given by God;….I will hold to the principles received by me when I was sane, and not mad — as I am now. Laws and principles are not for the times when there is not temptation; they are for such moments as this, when body and soul rise in mutiny against their rigor; stringent are they; inviolate they shall be. If at my individual convenience I might break them, what would be their worth? They have a worth—so I have always believed; and if I cannot believe it now, it is because I am insane —quite insane; with my veins running fire, and my heart beating faster than I can count its throbs. Preconceived opinions, foregone determinations, {speaking of her convictions before this moment} are all I have at this hour to stand by: there I PLANT MY FOOT.”

By far this is my favorite scene in the book. My favorite because by this point in the book I too am happy for Jane, excited at what she has gained in this man (even with his faults clearly defined unlike silly, shallow romantic stories of our day) and I can feel the conflict that she is experiencing. I can also feel my own heart want to make justification for her so it was an amazing and encouraging scene to see her in utter despair fall down safely on the Word of God.

That’s one of the benefits of sound doctrine….it shows us the way when our hearts mislead us (or I could say when our culture misleads us). I am grateful to be among people who want to study it!

Meeting with Sisters

Last night I spent about 2 hours with sisters in Christ sharing life, sharing goals, being encouraged, and just enjoying them. I count myself as blessed, very blessed to have these women in my life. I need them. Their love and presence in my life reminds me that I need them every time we meet.

I need them to gently press me and encourage me to do the things that I know will put me in the path of God’s grace. They help me to think about my life in light of eternity rather than just for the moment. (Sometimes “the moment” can wrongly inform my view of what’s important.) They help me to plan do the things that I know are pleasing to God and good for my soul. They make me laugh, cry, and enjoy God’s goodness.

Thank-you Norco ladies.

And for those of you who have not yet joined our accountability meetings, plan to join us next time, which is February 4. I don’t think you will regret it!

Collision

Last night I was watched the documentary Collision with my husband and a whole host of college students. (Lots of fun!)

The movie is a documentary of a discussion concerning whether Christianity is good for the world. The debate is between anti-theist Christopher Hitchens and well-respected Christian Douglas Wilson. It was well-done for the most part. (My main criticism is in the actual filming….sound quality is poor in some scenes and camera movement is too busy at times.) Both men are well-educated and able to speak at a philosophical level that was intellectually invigorating. Neither was afraid to poke a little fun at the other’s beliefs which added some great comic relief. They spoke in different venues which provided an opportunity to see more of their personalities.

Things I liked about the debate:
1. I enjoyed the hard questions that were put to Douglas Wilson. I loved to hear him answer, not with an “all the answers” attitude but with factual discrepancies in the presupposition of the actual question and in the axioms from which the question was asked. In other words, the anti-theist has some holes in his logic!
2. I really like the demeanor of both men….very professional, very knowledgeable, very kind even when difficult things were said.
3. I loved that the Bible can stand the “heat” of criticism. The Bible is a complex set of literature. It cannot be easily tossed aside as an ancient “fairy tale” book. It can stand up under literary criticism. Douglas Wilson on more than one account was able to point out how quickly Hitchens dismissed a particular passage but in so doing missed the point altogether.
4. I loved that I was challenged to think better, to read more, to study harder, and to engage more. I really do enjoy learning and I love it when I am highly motivated to learn. I totally plan to read Hitchens’ books, some more C.S. Lewis, and some more of Wilson but most of all, I plan to study my Bible more!
5. I liked the last remarks!

http://www.bondedtogether.wordpress.com

Just found a lot of pictures to share

More pictures of the devastation.

Conversation to Consider

As usual I met with a great group of ladies last Thursday night for some great conversation about the book, Don’t Waste Your Life.

We are almost finished reading it and will only have one more discussion time…it has been so much better to discuss this book with others than to read it alone. (Though the first time that I read it alone I got alot out of it too!)

The chapter that we read was titled “Glorifying God 8 to 5” and he could have added “Monday – Friday” because he is actually talking about glorifying God at the work place.  I think a subtitle could be “Don’t Waste an Opportunity” because really our inability to live for Christ as opposed to ourselves is what gets in the way of being a wittness at work.

The following is a summary of what we talked about:

The majority of Christians will not be vocational ministers and/or missionaries.  They will work in the secular workplace.  So much of our witnessing will actually be people witnessing who we are, what makes us tick, how we care, and how we think about life….we set Christ on display or we make light of the gospel in how we LIVE each day. Do we blend in to the culture or do we stick out?   And if we stick out, is it because we are compassionate people of godly character or because we are loud-mouths who don’t live what we believe?

We make much of Christ at the workplace by trusting His promises at work.  We trust that He will help us to discern how to do our work to the best of our ability.  We trust that He gave us this job and therefore do not complain that we have a job and that we have to work.  We trust that the money that it provides is from Him and spend it on things that are honoring to Him, helpful to our families, helpful to others in need etc.

We make much of Christ at the workplace by being a person of Godly character.  We do not gossip about our co-workers.  We care about those that are hurting.  We are willing to overlook offense for the betterment of a situation.  We clean up after ourselves.  We show compassion, gentleness, knowledge of what we believe without being angry at those who can’t see things the way we do.  In other words we earn the right to speak the name of Jesus by first being an obedient follower of Jesus.

We make much of Christ at the workplace by being a great employee.  We apply the God-given talents that we have in order to do the best that we can.  We complete work in a manner that shows we have integrity.  We accept criticism, learn from it and then improve.  We do not lie to, cheat or steal from our employer; not in the little things and not in the big things.  Ultimately, it is the Lord Jesus Christ that we desire is honored in our work.

Even in the most difficult of work situations the Bible says…” ….they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.” Titus 2

There are other points in the chapter but we ran out of time!  If you are interested, read chapter 8!

Thanks ladies for an invigorating, convicting conversation!

http://www.bondedtogether.wordpress.com

Don’t Waste Your Life inspired a rap song

I am not much of a rap fan. However, I am a fan of thinking about this life….all the ends and outs with the cross as a filter. Just about finished reading Don’t Waste Your Life with my accountability friends and ran across this video on youtube.  Decided to share because in some way it gives a good synopsis of all the ways that Christians can get side-tracked from the Christian life.  (Of course I am including me as the primary person here.) 

I am here to declare His excellencies in everything I do and say and in every attitude that I wear.  That should be the focus of my life……

“….a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness in to his marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9

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