Work with your Hands

1 Thess 4:11 gives some very interesting, very practical instruction. It can be broken up into three commands. First, the command to live a quiet life. Second, the command to mind your own business. Third, the command to work with your hands. I realize that this isn't a "disregarding all others" passage. But isn't there a charming appeal that sinks very deep into us with this set of commands? Certainly this must be taken in context. This can not be saying that we are not to share the gospel. Nevertheless, the verse does tell us that it should be our ambition. The KJV says that we should "study" for this end. What a blessing!

Leading a quiet life seems to me like a call to ignore or disregard the temptations of fame and fortune. Everybody wants to be known for something, remembered for something. Our names are in the Book of Life. We are known by Jesus Christ, remembered by Him. That's enough. No other fame on earth amounts to anything at all. We can quietly seek to do everything in our lives "as to the Lord" knowing that even if it goes totally unnoticed by others it is noticed by the God of the Universe. Amazing.

Minding our own business. How wonderful it is to realize that we are not each other's judges. The journey that Christ is taking someone else on is not my concern in the sense that I often try to make it my concern. It is so easy to give out advice. It seems so clear to see the problem in someone else's life. I would be ashamed to hear how many times I have uttered statements like, "It's so easy, he should just do such and such!" or "Why doesn't she see that all she has to do is so and so." As if my life is really complicated and everyone else's can be solved by my infinite wisdom in only a sentence. Really? No. Not really. Minding my own business means not meddling in other peoples' affairs. Not trying to place myself as the unwanted directer of their lives. They have a Director, me pretending to fit my two cents in is just absurd.

Working with our hands. OK, this one is near and dear to my heart. I haven't been able to get out of labor since college. With a few exceptions it seems that most jobs I have had have had some aspect of physical labor. It took me a while to get it, but now I see the beauty in it. What a joy to be productive. I really have no fondness for exercise but I really enjoy putting things together and sweating it out that way. So figure. There is something spiritual about labor. It doesn't mean that everyone must be a laborer, but perhaps that our jobs should be honest. I couldn't deny that there is a special blessing in labor not found elsewhere. Yard work, housework, building, cleaning, fixing, serving, working. Good. God made work before the fall. There is something to it.

That frees me. I can't say exactly why. It's not a promise that things will go like I want them to. It is not a promise that we will get whatever we want. But it seems to me to reveal something that we were made for. To love the Lord, to be constructive, to be able to love others without the burden of judging them and interfering with the all of the time. It seems like the Lord has a wonderful freedom for us indeed. (Gal. 5:1)

Filled Up!

Filled! It's funny how that word may come up, "Can you pour some more water in my glass? Nope, it's filled." When something is filled we find that there is no room to put anything else in it. It's like when you go to the coffee shop and they ask you if you would like room for cream. You say, "No, I have no need of cream today." Yet they still give you a half-empty cup of coffee. You thought you wanted a full cup of coffee, however that is not what you got because there is room for plenty more. Ephesians 5:18 tells us not to be drunk with wine but rather to be filled with the Spirit.

Why do we get drunk? Escape? To have fun? To loosen up? When Paul was writing there were whole religious feasts dedicated to getting really loaded, having orgies and tearing live animals apart with bare hands. Some times we drink for comfort, sometimes we drink to remember, sometimes we drink to forget. Alchohol is simply a substance that we use to alter our state of mind. Yet we are exhorted (commanded) not to get drunk. Are we getting a raw deal out of this? Obviously this verse does not say that followers of Jesus should never have a drink, but it is saying that the use of this substance (and by indirect application: any substance) should be held to a moderation that leaves us in our natural state of mind. Does that mean that as followers of Jesus we are getting the short end of the stick because we are not to be having fun with the saturnalian props of our worldly counterparts?

We come dangerously close to legalism again...is this a sin? Is that a sin? How much is too much? When should I stop and how much can I have? What is the acceptable Heavenly BAC (Blood Alcohol Content)? Drop it. Lose it! Stop thinking that way. It is wrong. It is wrong because it misses the point. The point is not, "When does it become a sin?" but rather "What reason does the Christian have to drink?" I have some suggestions of why and some judgments of those reasons.

Because of the taste - Good reason!

Because of the fellowship that happens over a beer or a glass of wine drunk responsibly - Good reason!

Because I had a rough day at work - BAD REASON

So what could be the difference? Why is it wrong to drink to cope with a problem and right to drink in such a way that celebrates what God has made, done, or is doing? The assumption here is that we are already not drinking in excess, but what's the difference? The difference is the dependence. If we have a rough day at work God doesn't want us to comfort ourselves alcohol! He wants us to look to His Spirit as the Comforter! (the other assumption that I am making is that the party in question is old enough to drink legally. If not the Word is clear: drinking becomes breaking the law, which in turn will break fellowship with God).

It's amazing to realize that people even accused Jesus of being a drunkard! (Matthew 11:19) Why would that be? Perhaps in part because Jesus did drink wine and didn't do the silly thing that all humans expect: Holy=aestheticism (denying ones self any form of pleasure or health). Legalism again! But I believe there was more to it. I believe that Jesus was so joyful, so full of life, so full of love, kindness and pleasure that drunkenness would only lessen His great mirth! People thought that He was so full of life and happiness that He must be drunk, because they had never seen anyone in perfect communion and fullness of the Holy Spirit!

Now back to our Ephesians verse. Why are we not to get drunk on wine? Because life with Christ, Life walking in the Spirit, Life to the fullest, is so much better than drunkenness that drunkenness is just a hazy imitation of the full joy, peace, happiness, humor and life that is already given to us in the Spirit. It is our foolishness that looks elsewhere for the life that is only given from God in Christ by the Holy Spirit! Yet we do this anyway. I think the thing that makes us continue to do this is a lack of faith. We don't believe that God can comfort us and give us that much life (we doubt God's ability), we don't believe that God cares enough to give it to us (we doubt God's Character), we don't believe we have earned it so God won't give it to us (we doubt God's grace). This list may not be exhaustive. But I imagine we all go through each of these phases of doubting God. Behold Jesus through His word. Don't dare not to dare! Believe that what He has is better than what you are willing to settle for.

A Free Gift

Romans 6:23 tells us: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." This verse gets used when explaining salvation to people all of the time. After this verse is brought out we follow the usual steps through how we have a choice to either put our faith in Jesus and recieve the full life which he gives (John 10:10) or we can reject Jesus and face the judgement of eternal separation from Him (Revelation 20:15). While this is true, it is not actually what Paul is thinking about when He wrote the verse. (Note: I am not saying it is wrong to use this verse when explaining salvation. I am merely saying that the context points to a more direct application.)

Romans 6 isn't addressing non-believers telling them why they should come to Christ, here the Holy Spirit is addressing people who have already put their faith in Jesus, been identified in him in His death, burial and ressurrection. So what is this death that can be reaped by someone who is already saved? Is our salvation in question? Is our hope of eternal life to be dimmed by the chance that we may be reaping death for our actions constantly? No.

This chapter is telling us about the Christian life in very exciting terms. We are given the piciture in Romans 6 that the believer has two choices. We have been freed from the power of the Sin Nature that ruled us, and now we can present ourselves to God or to Sin. What happens if we present ourselves to sin? Sin pays wages!

Wages are earned. If someone recieves wages it is because he worked for them. After a week of work the employee doesn't have to beg for his wages, and then thank the benevolence of His employer for paying him. He earned the money and it was payed to Him. So what are the wages that we recieve for living as slaves to sin? Death.

Death in scripture is a powerful and complicated word. Death doesn't just mean physical death in Scripture. Death means separation. When Adam and Eve at the apple they were told that they would die on the day that they ate of it...yet they didn't physically die on that day. On that day they did die spiritually: they were separated from God. This rings true with what Jesus would say later in the true Lord's Prayer: "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." (John 17:3) So, when the believer presents himself to his Sin Nature to obey it the results (wages) are separation from God. Though that believer is still saved by the work of God, because of His faith in Christ Jesus, He is out of fellowship. The thing that is needful in this situation is confession and repentance (1 John 1:9). This, however, is not the main thrust of what I hoped to address in this posting.

There is more great news yet here. The natural conclusion that we are bound to make from looking at, and understanding, Romans 6:23 in context is to say something to the effect of: "OK, I get it sin means death. So, I'm going to try super hard not to ever sin again and then I won't get death! Then I will earn life!" The trouble with this logic is that you can only earn one thing in this verse. If you want to earn something you have only death to choose from. If you want life (again, this is talking about the christian life, NOT salvation) we must accept it as a free gift from Jesus Christ. We must believe that real life only comes from him and recieve it! Trusting in Jesus fully is the way to be saved (we don't contribute even .0000001 percent of the process), living the Christian life successfully is trusting in what He has done and is doing (again, we don't contribute even .0000001 percent of the process). That's bad news for legalists, but GREAT news for Christians!

He Cares for You

I am not adequately blown away by the reality of what Scripture tells me is true. I am not to worry because "he cares for me." When has this ever been said that a god cared for a man. Greek and Roman gods use men as bartering chips; first caring then casting aside. The world can offer, at very best a legalism in which God is "rooting for us." But it is a legalism none-the-less. I am not to disgard worry because (as the New Age proponent would tell me) "It doesn't do any good." Nor am I to distain worry because "I just can't help it." I am to distain worry and fear because I belong to Him. How amazing.

What do I have that so much needs protecting that it needs my protection as an extra bit of insulation on top of His? Surely my addition to His sovereignty is the subject of many a good laugh in heaven, perhaps many a good cry, as it shows my lack of faith.

My favorite translation of 1 Peter 5:7 ends with "...because you are His charge." What a surprising God that would take His delinquent creation, still writhing in his own disobedience and then say that He will take responsability for this one? It is beyond all reason. It is too wonderful. I worry myself in my foolishness and He gives me more assurance. Nothing new or profound here, I just feel particularly blessed by this reality!

Foot Washing

Today we got to look at John 13. The temptation is to go directly to the Last Supper, but foot washing is too important to miss. Here, the week that Jesus is going to head to the cross (and He knows it) He takes some time out to tell the disciples some of the most important information they have ever received. But the actions proceed the words. First thing Jesus does is takes a rag and a bowl and washes the disciples feet. Some interesting cultural points about this:

1) A rabbi (as Jesus was) could tell his disciples to do nearly anything. There was, however, a rule that a rabbi could NOT ask his disciples to wash his feet.

2) This was not the sort of thing that one person would just do for another. Even when Jesus was marveling at Mary weeping at his feet he didn't reproach Simon for not washing his feet, but for the fact that he didn't bring him water to wash his own feet.

3) It seems the only person low enough for this task was a gentile slave. Considering the Jews of this time were in the habit of referring to gentiles as dogs (not pet dogs, but wild mangy mongrels) it really was a low task.

A couple of things seem really shocking about that to me. Jesus took a cultural standard (Rabbis are not to command their disciples to wash their feet) and completely over shot it. That is amazing. That is an amazing humility! It would be remarkable if Jesus were only a man, how much more so for the fact that He is God!

The next amazing thing is that He told the disciples they wouldn't understand right then, but later, and that they should continue to wash each other's feet going forward. I don't know if Jesus meant us to continue to literally wash each others feet. But I am quite certain that regardless of whether foot washing is to continue it needs to be a principle that is applied to our everyday lives. Which of my brothers and sisters need serving? What is the lowest, most basic, humiliating service I can give to them to let them know how treasured they are (regardless of cultural habits and stigmas). This week I want to be looking for feet to wash, and the courage to wash them.

Faith and Faith

Faith is so vital to life. Everything we know (or think we know) we know on faith. Faith in our senses, faith in others who have done more research than we have, faith in a system, country, faith that our vote counts, faith that our vote is counted. The human creature operates (it would appear) fully on faith. Those who would claim to be faithless, seem to need the most faith of all! Those who have no faith in God must revert to believing in themselves as the only thing on which they can rely. It seems everyone is given a measure of faith, and where they put it becomes the eternal issue. Clearly the demand of scripture is for humans to put their faith in Jesus Christ and all that He represents about the God that wants a relationship with His creations. But what comes after that?

Having been freed from the incorrect image of a tyrannical, accountant-God who was measuring our steps to see if we were good enough to merit something; we are freed to behold the Father God of love that was always longing for His people to understand His great love and mercy that is presented in the Old Testament and New, chiefly and most clearly in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus is God's message of love to the world. But how to continue on?

Even after the most emotional conversion experience it can be a matter of hours before a new believer says, "I know I am saved by believing in Jesus. He did for me what I couldn't do for myself. Now, I'm ready to start following His rules!" And in a moment life shifts from a quick taste of God's love and grace quickly replaced by our own dirty rags of legalism. The relationship goes out the window and we simply feel better about what was behind and life does not change substantially. That is not the grace and the love that I see in the Bible, that the Spirit whispers to my soul, that is not the grace that I see the need of in my life.

If it was about relationship at the beginning, it is about relationship at the end. It was about daring to believe that God loved us enough to give up His only begotten Son for us, daring to believe that Christ's perfect sacrifice was enough to take away the sin of the world (my personal sin as well as my sinful condition), then it will always be about who He is and what He has done. It will always be about the love relationship. It is not as if coming to Christ turns the angry accountant-God into a happy accountant-God, it is realizing that God is not the God we deserve, but the God we need. The Old Testament as well as the new shows this good. Read the book of Hosea, read Genesis and Exodus, we are blind to not see the God of Love there as well (Paul uses the idea that there is a veil). This was always who God was, will always be who God is. He is righteous and Holy, and that is why Christ had to come and die: to pay the penalty that we incurred (Is. 53).

But how to continue on? If it doesn't become about keeping a different set of rules, or a better set of rules, or getting a fresh start at the same set of rules what is it all about? We must continue in faith, continue in Christ. The exhortation is to believe that what He has said is true. The price has been paid, we have been crucified with Christ, we no longer have to obey the wretched slave master of our Sin Nature (Romans 6 clearly lays this out). We continue believing that we no longer have to sin again because Christ's life is working in us. We must simply abide in Him and what he as done (John 15) and let Him conform us to the image of Jesus Christ. That's a goal that I can walk towards. I want to know the One who loved me enough to save me at His own expense. I want to know and live out that love.

New Every Morning

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:21-23

I recently got to sit and watch the sun come up with a few of my favourite persons. Every time I see the sun come up and see things going from the dark of dawn to the brightness of day it makes me think of these verses in Lamentations. It is so strange that the Lord knew how very forgetful we are, and how much we would need reminders, and here is one! Each day we think of ourselves as one day older, but each day He is the same that he always was. He truly is the one "who was and is and is to come!" He calls all times know and today is the day of Salvation!

It makes me think of G.K. Chesterton's Orthodoxy. The gist of some of his pondering in arriving at orthodoxy was the conviction that apple trees need not bring forth apples because "that's just the way things are" but rather because God willed them to bring forth apples. And were he tired of seeing the apple trees bring forth apples than he could easily have them grow fully grown lynx cats! However, He continues to will them to make apples and that must mean that the Lord is not tired of apples! Like a child who sees the simplest trick and cries out: "Again! Again!" each apple is a miracle, and as much as we, in our thick chronological silliness can think we've tired of the miracle of apples, were we to examine it again we would find that the apple is too much of a miracle to tire of in the mere century that we live on this planet. We start to understand the joy of Katsimoto's sentiment in The Last Samurai: "Cherry blossoms. One could spend a lifetime looking for the perfect one and it would not be a wasted life." Then finishing the film as he takes his dying breath proclaiming: "They are all perfect."

This is how I feel about the sunrise. What a wonderful reminder that God hasn't changed since last night, but I have. I may feel that each day I come into existence and I can rightly feel that I enter each day a bit more conformed to the image of my Lord, but He is never changing, and his grace, mercy and love are inexhaustible. Each sunrise is evidence of the fact that the Lord is not tired of painting the sky each morning, and as long as He has me here on this planet I take it as my solemn duty to look at His miracles and say: "Again! Again!"

*photo by Jeff Maston www.thewindsweptsky.com Isn't it awesome?

Grace for the Moment

I am overcome with the fact that Jesus always meets us exactly where we are chronologically (which is always right now!). The future caring for itself we can only rest in Christ at the moment in which he has us. I have had a number of beautiful moments this week that I would like to share.

1 - April had gone to the store and I was watching the kids. Finn played happily on the grass and Cadence danced around like a Whirling Dervish with the tree branch she found pretending to be a dryad. Suddenly (as she is often wont to do) she collapsed to the pavement cutting her finger and knee. This brought on the melt down that one would expect. As we all piled in the house to doctor her painful casualty Finn decided he must be held as he was upset by the shrieks of Cadence's great pain. Pugsley used the opportunity to escape out the front door while I dragged in all of the accessories of being out of doors (bubbles, blanket, rattles, toys, guitar, etc.). Of course Cadence did not want me to tough the scrapes that she had aquired and fought me to clean with alcohol, apply Neo (duh da da da da da) sporin (duh da da da da da), and then stick on a feel good sticker (band-aid). Once this painful operation had been drawn to completion screaming was about to reach it's zenith. And there I sat with two screaming children on my lap, one in pain the other in confusion. As I balanced on my usual beam between anger and despair I recieved the grace to look up, laugh and say "Jesus, I really have nothing left and the screaming is a bit much!" Then the miracle happend: The children did not stop screaming! Five minutes later I was still thankful to be rocking these two screaming babes of mine and smiling about the fact that even in these simple "young" years when problems can be solved with band-aids and silly tubes of cream that

claim to relieve pain (but really do not), I couldn't be more thankful for these little ones who constantly remind me that my love is not enough, and I must trust in Jesus for the love, peace and patience I need.

2 - Working on the hard woods. Running sanding machines was by no means a life goal of mine. Scraping off old finish with a hand-scraper even

less so. Over the last two days, as I have been toiling, scraping and sanding I have been overcome with the peace and joy of Christ. I'm thankful to know exactly where I am supposed to be right now. Thankful to be doing something productive with my hands. Thankful to be working with my two brothers whom I love and whom I can always count on to point me towards Jesus. Thankful for the joy of sweating and bringing forth a product that will serve someone well over the next decades of their lives (with proper care and maintenance - use only bonakemi products - jk). What a blessing to have a place to be like this, being able to move my body and pray for my loved ones. Right at the mome

nt I'm in.

3 - Driving in my car is not something that I have ever REALLY enjoyed. I've never really been one of those "I'm just going for a drive" kind of people. However driving to and from work has been a great ministry to my soul. I look around and see the people around me hurring about like ants bringing their crumb in quickly so that they can repeat the process and am thankfull that the commute is just more time to commune with my Savior. Not a wasted moment.

Sitting with my kids, listening to them talk, chat, smile, laugh and play, what is left to say? How great, truly great is the God we serve? How wonderful to be indwelt by Christ and know that our Savior cared enough to be with us every moment, giving us the love, hope and peace that we need to give to others. I'm blessed beyond reason, I can hardly sleep, there is too much for which to stay awake.

New Body

I am obsessed with the promise of a new body. I'm not totally dissatisfied with the body that I have; however, the idea of getting a new one is more than a bit intriguing to me. It is amazing to me how very much advertisement is directed that this exact desire. Creams for wrinkles, diets for weight loss, gym's for muscle building and physique, to name just a few. I am not personally drawn to the idea of patching up this body, or making this body look so much better than it is. It is an adequate vessel and I could certainly care for it more than I do. That, however, is exactly my point.

I'm tired of this body that continually needs sleep and food. I get bored with being sick, and I have no patience for headaches, aches, pains and soreness. I dislike how fragile these bodies are. A bit of moving metal can finish them off forever. The pleasures that this body offers are nice from time to time, but I find that very few of them seem to be more than a foreshadowing of some greater pleasure to come. Needless to say, I find it quite stunning that we get so easily wrapped up in thinking that these bodies are the beginning and the end of what's going on here. These physical shells can become the focus of our whole lives. This can happen either by denying these shells (exercise, diet, discipline) in order to feel good about how we look, or by stuffing them and polluting them with every pleasure we can get. We may strive for some balance between these two, but that is simply not enough for the longing of my soul.

I'm on the "New Body Plan." You see, my Heavenly Father has designed a new body for me that will be fit for eternity. The measurements are all made and the vessel is all set and put together, I'm just waiting for that call that it's time to dash over to the shop and pick it up. I was reading some of the specs on this new body and they are impressive. No weeping, no pain, no fear, no death, no temptation, and fully loaded with all the options: endless energy (based on perfect community with the Source of all energy), climate control, clear purpose and reason (to glorify God forever), and much more! I'm excited to get that new body and appreciate the total comfort of knowing that my body will one day be fully in line with what God created me to be.

In the meantime, I am thankful for the loaner that I've got out from the dealership. It's way nicer than I deserve. I really should take better care, and remember to be thankful for it. However, it is important to the balance of life on this earth to know that there are better times ahead, there are more beautiful sights to see, there are more beautiful sensations to feel (even greater than large burritos). Like the feeling of being totally at rest in the work of Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. This Sin Nature within me plagues me like and enemy at the gates. It is constantly out to spoil my day of resting in what Jesus has done and get me off the track. It is, without a doubt, the most wonderful thing that I will soon have no other urge flowing through my system than the desire to love, know and please the Lord more and more.

Redeemed

I work with amazing kids. Every Sunday I get to spend a couple hours with these kids who are all in different places all at different schools, all in wildly different situations. Today we opened up the floor for question and answer. Not shockingly the topics of sex, alcohol, tatoos and tobacco dominated most of the Q&A time that we had available. The whole discussion followed these legalistic lines of "Is this a sin? Is that a sin?" It was interesting to see how much this wierd legalism is the filter of all of our thinking.

I suppose I should not use the word "wierd"; as legalism is the way the world is run and the only faith than many have ever been exposed to. It is so easy to understand, so simple and finite. I spent the whole time answering the questions then post-scripting everything with, "But don't get hung up on whether or not such and such is a sin, try to focus on what is going to draw you closer to Jesus." Getting the idea of relationship across to people is hard. Praise the Lord, there are some who see Jesus. There are some who are hungry enough to look for Jesus and not look for that "big cop in the sky" who is somehow annoyed that they may be having fun.

It was after this time that we got to talk about Redemption. It is kind of a big concept for kids of this age. The whole artical that we went through can be found on my teaching website (www.agapestudy.com). But the idea of being redeemed out of something was the major point. What have we been redeemed out from?

Sin - We never have to sin again. We are, in Christ, able to live lives that are fully pleasing to God. We are able to be free from the sins of bitterness, hatred, anger, lust, fear, hopelessness, and the dread of life. We are (by faith in Christ and His sacrifice for us on the cross) free from living a life of concern over the eternal penalties for our disobedience. We are free.

The Law - We are no longer under any system of Law to govern our behavior. As Galatians clearly explains to us, we no longer need to live our lives by these lists of rules and the constantly haunting fear that we may have broken some rule that we didn't know about. We are now being conformed to the person of Jesus Christ by His power, and the power of the rest of the Godhead. We have moved from the childish (rules that tell us what to do) to the adult (having such an intimate relationship with Christ that we want to be conformed to Him and be pleasing to Him in everything that we are and do).

Future Redemption - We will soon be redeemed from these bodies that get sick, get old, wear out and wear thin. As a consequence of being freed and redeemed from these broken bodies we will also be freed from the clamor of the Sin Nature that plagues us still with constant demand and temptation to abide in Sin.

All of this for what? We have been redeemed (God redeemed us) because he wanted us for the objects of His grace, His fellowship and His love. Succinctly: He wants a relationship. Are we so mad in our self-obsession and busyness that we are unable to bask in His love? His love is costly; being worth unspeakably more than most of the activities and actions that fill up most of our days. What would it cost to sit for some time today and realize how very deeply loved we are?

What would it cost not to?

A Public Journal

Granted, no one would have thought that the internet would become all that it has become, but even still it seems to have changed our entire outlook on life. It seems that there was a time when a journal was meant to be private. People would even go to great lengths to keep their private thoughts private yet still have the feeling of confiding in someone or something (being a journal, diary or something of the like). When I was young I would see those ever perplexing creatures, girls, running around with diaries with locks. Later years showed little electronic diaries that were heavily password protected. It seemed as if there were so many secrets to be kepts. There were so many little private thoughts that people wanted to keep hidden from view, yet none of them were really interesting at all.

Now it seems that between blogging, facebook, myspace, and everybody having their own webpage the opposite problem is coming to light. It seems odd that it wasn't so long ago that I heard about kids wanting to hide too much of their lives and not reveal the things that they really should have confided in a parent or friend. Now it seems that people (kids especially) are exposing far more than they should of themselves on various internet venues and entering themselves into a far more dangerous world of annonymity. All from an apparent desire to be known and admired. Tragic. We can share our thoughts with people around the world and next door. Share all the pictures, and access information that was never so easy to find before. Yet, we still wind up feeling so lonely and unloved that we go to great measures.

All that being said, here is my online diary. I identify myself as one who is greatly loved by Jesus Christ. To be fully clear I am loved by the whole Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). The three-in-one God of the Bible is a perfect community of Persons who has no need of me, but loves me anyway. That is the point. I am known and loved fully by Him, and one day I will behold Him face-to-face and I'm excited for that day. In the intrim I behold Him through the Bible, I behold Him through prayer, I behold Him by loving others with the love and strength that He alone can provide.