Prove your words by your actions

I've been thinking about James lately. The second chapter, specifically, in which we find the famous faith versus works section. Most of the time this section is just referenced in arguments between roman catholics and reformed evangelicals, and rarely gets to shine in a spotlight of its own.

I've been thinking about this passage in a different way lately. James already spent the previous chapter explaining about faith, and pretty much summed it up, so why then does he seem to drop the topic, only to bring it up again a few verses later? I think it's because James is really talking about sincerity. I think he's warning us to not be the "double-minded man" he mentions in 1:8.

Double-minded. Doesn't that remind you of something? Double-mind, double-thought, doublethink, doublespeak. In George Orwell's 1984, the term doublethink was coined to describe the act of simultaneously accepting two mutually contradictory beliefs as correct. The concept is so wrong, and yet the practice is quite common. As a culture we are not centered on logic and reason, but instead have been overrun by the spirit of the moment, the feeling of "this is right, right now, even though it was wrong yesterday."

I had a discussion last week with someone who thought that words meant more than actions, because actions are just a "loud noise without context."

And so my next vocabulary word is an Orwell-inspired term: doublespeak. This is fairly self-explanatory. This is language that disguises its own meaning, distorts truth and reverses the meaning of words. And, I will add to this definition: doublespeak is sure to be present when one recognizes that their words and their actions are not consistent.

Consistency. It's more like a brother than a synonym to sincerity. But don't take my word for it.

Let's hear it from James:

     What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.
      But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,” and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

It's so easy to promise one thing in the spur of the moment, and then forget - like the double-minded man - to follow through.

My takeaway from this is that while I can't avoid some inconsistencies (such as a holding the belief that it is right and biblical to fast, but not having the self-control or energy to do it) in my life, I should still strive to make sure that my actions match up with my words.

As James said, faith without works is dead. So in my belief, words without actions are dead.

Eyes on Christ

A few days ago I briefly used the example of Peter's struggle walking on the water toward Jesus. So it's only fitting that the sermon I heard this morning was about keeping Jesus always in focus.

It's such a simple concept, yet so many people lose sight of Jesus so quickly, even as they share the gospel. Yet, the gospel is the good news about Jesus. Let's hear it from Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:

Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

And there's no easy way to top Paul in explaining this concept, so I'll let his words stand and just close with this encouragement: Let's remember to keep Jesus at the center of the gospel.

Rooftop Musing - The freedom of fireworks

Why can't every night be like this?

Right now I'm enjoying a favorite pastime - hanging out on my roof. Tonight is particularly awesome because my neighbors are shooting off all of their leftover fireworks, so I get to see some pretty flashing lights as I relax under the moon and stars with a cool breeze blowing through my hair.

I am extremely lucky to have roof with a view.

I've never been afraid of heights, in fact I've always wanted to get higher. A large chunk of my childhood was spent doodling in sketchbooks while sitting on the highest weight-supporting branch I could find on the big evergreen tree in my backyard. And this tree was pretty high - more than twice the height of my childhood home. I could see two streets away.

I suppose the only thing limiting me from going as high as I want to is money and IQ. I could never be smart enough to be an astronaut, and skydiving is super expensive.

I suppose it's fitting that I like to watch fireworks from my roof, because both roofs and fireworks symbolize freedom to me.

Roofs are without the limits of walls. I am free to see as far as my eye will let me in any direction I look. I am above the eyes of others - no one ever looks up these days when there are smartphones to check.  I can come and go freely, directly from my bedroom window, and no one can stop me.

Fireworks are just plain awesomeness in a box - a box filled with explosives, that is. Not only do they have years of tradition and lore connecting them with the birthday of the U.S.A, but they actually do provide citizens with a sense of freedom from the law. No matter how strict the ordinances are about fireworks, policeman will in most cases turn a blind eye (metaphorically, because of course they enjoy watching them too!) to breach of ordinance unless the fireworks happen to start a fire and cause a public hazard. Kids who are normally coddled and kept away from fire get to hold it in their hands, waving it around and making patterns as it sparks mere inches from their delicate fingers. Teens who are beginning to get a sense of the rules of society find themselves able to bend the law... and their parents don't seem to mind.

You see, both situations contain an element of danger if not handled safely, yet both can be quite exhilarating experiences even if one is ultra careful.

Freedom is a bit like that, you know.
It's scary. It's exhilarating. You take your own life into your hands and every decision you make affects its quality and length.

So here's to taking risks every now and then.

Come Thou Fount - My Ebenezer

Come Thou Fount is quickly becoming my favorite hymn. Not only do I have it memorized (a feat that I could previously only say about Amazing Grace), but I keep on finding new ways that it reminds me of my life.

Today's post is about verse two: 

Here I raise mine Ebenezer; hither by thy help I'm come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home. 

Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God;
he, to rescue me from danger, interposed his precious blood

What is an Ebenezer, and why would I raise it? The answer comes straight out of the Bible. Remember that Sunday School lesson from children's church? The one about Samuel hearing God as a little child and telling Eli that his two disobedient sons would die? Well, it's a pity the teachers don't usually tell what happened next to complete his prophecy, because it's a fascinating story.

It begins in 1 Samuel 4, when the children of Israel brought the ark of the covenant to battle with them, believing that it would help them win against the Philistines. The Philistines quickly figured out that the ark was on the battlefield when the Israelites gave a loud shout of joy. Because of this, the Philistines fought even harder than before because they were so afraid of being killed by Israel's God.

So, of course, the Philistines won because they were trying, and the Israelites lost because they mistakenly thought that having the ark was an instant win.

The ark was then taken as spoils of war, and Eli's two sons who had brought it to battle were killed. The next two chapters describe what it was like for the Philistines to have the ark in their possession. TLDR: If you plan to steal and keep the Ark of the Covenant, you're gonna have a BAD time.

Finally fed up with the tumors and famine the ark was bringing them, the Philistines loaded it up onto a cart and sent it on its way back to Israel, where more shenanigans happened, but the ark eventually made its way back home, where it stayed another 20 years.

But Things weren't quite done yet with the Philistines, and Samuel called for the entire nation of Israel to turn back to God, destroying their idols and repenting, directing their hearts to serve God alone.
This was followed by another battle with the Philistines, which the Israelites won, and were able to drive the Philistines out of the nation's borders.

When all this was done, Samuel set up a stone between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”

So the story has a happy end and brings to the world a lovely concept.

But it was a hard lesson to learn.

Israel had idolized the ark, thinking that God's glory would follow it; not understanding that God's Glory was always in God's will, and God's will was for the nation to learn to trust in His will and not in their own plans.

God speaks to us in many ways, and one of the ways He's used throughout the years is symbolism. Representing a Kingdom concept with a tangible object does wonders for our flesh-based brains. Some of Jesus' most powerful messages were accompanied by physical works. Walking on the water, feeding five thousand, ordering Peter to use a shekel found in a fish to pay taxes... And, of course, everything he said and did during the Last Supper.

I find it appropriate, then, to use a tangible object to symbolize a concept in my own life.

Two years ago, on my 18th spiritual birthday, I went shopping with Jesus. Okay, I went shopping by myself, but since Jesus is in my heart, He was with me while I shopped. Anyway, I went to the mall with one goal in mind: find a special ring to represent my relationship with my Bridegroom, Jesus.

Not really a purity ring, but similar to a promise ring. But more than that, a ring to remind me of His continual grace and renewal in my life. A ring to symbolize in my heart that I have been spiritually circumcised, dead to sin but alive in Christ.

Sound familiar?

Little did I know it then, but Jesus sent me to that mall to get me an Ebenezer. A literal "stone of help" or "stone of remembrance" to wear on my finger and remind me of Him. I was just looking for a simple ring. I didn't expect it to have a stone... but when I saw it and tried it on, I just knew.

First, it was the teardrop shape, for the tears He cried in the garden. Second, it was the way it shone. Moonstone, if you are not familiar with it, reflects light in an unusual way. Instead of just glaring off of its surface, it looks as though the light is coming from within.

For the past two years, it has served as a reminder that my light always comes from Him, and He will always guide me to where I need to go. And when I worship to the familiar strains of Come Thou Fount, I literally raise my Ebenezer.

When ideals become idols: On confrontation

I had the day off from work today. I planned to do many things... and I actually got a few of them done, but this afternoon I had planned to build up a buffer of blog posts to help keep me on track this month.

Instead, I found myself writing a very long email.

It's a little ironic that I still spend a considerable amount of time writing today, but it just wasn't the kind of writing that you publish. This was the kind of blunt, straightforward, set-you-straight kind of writing that needed to be addressed between me and a fellow believer about certain actions that should or should not take place in certain situations between fellow believers.

It wasn't easy. But it had to be done. Sometimes even when two people believe in the same Savior, love Him with the same passion and have the same Spirit dwelling within them, they still have certain views of the world that can be obstacles to each other -- certain ideals that they've unknowingly set in another's path that can become a stumbling block.

I had to let this person know they were setting a stumbling block in my path, and I wasn't going to tolerate it.

So, while I wait for a response and pray that my message got through in a loving, yet truthful way... Here's to openness. Here's to honesty. Here's to sharing and bearing each other's burdens, even when it means letting someone know that something they are doing is affecting you in a negative way.

Grace and Peace,

Esther

Don't touch that dial!

Here's just a quick thought without any prior research or prolonged pondering to back it up: What if ADHD is a product of one specific component of our entertainment-driven society? What if TV is the actual culprit of distracted youth around the country?

Remember the days before Cable, when you would flip through the 5 TV channels during a commercial break to try and catch another show. Now remember the days after Cable, when you would flip through all 50 channels at least 3 times looking for something decent, because, "there's nothing good on!" Now remember the past 20 minutes you've spent on the Internet. How many tabs do you have open? How many tabs have you cycled through, checking on this web comic, that blog, this forum, that email... ?

We've learned to focus our attention on things in quick bursts, instead of long spans. I know I struggle with this constantly. It's one of the obstacles I have to pass in the process of writing. It's so tempting to avoid the uncomfortable task of rewording a paragraph, in favor of watching a funny YouTube video.

You see, this is only the second day of my month-long attempt to blog every day, and I'm already experiencing the flipping-through-channels phenomenon.

Luckily, I'm motivated to actually publish a blog post tonight... so I haven't been switching tabs, but I've done something a little more time-consuming.

This is the third topic I've started to write about tonight. I saved the other two as drafts, and may yet develop them as full posts, but for one reason or the other, both ideas just didn't have that extra "oomph" to keep me going. I ran into trouble wording a sentence in one. The other had a faulty assumption that I couldn't figure out how to approach from another angle. I just couldn't stick it out and finish either one. I wanted to move on to something new...

What if my life were in danger?
What if I could drown when I lost my focus?

Man, if even Peter, while attempting to walk on water to reach Jesus, had a difficult time focusing on Christ when he was right out in front of him, just think of how much more difficulty we have with so much to distract us from Christ while we can't see him face to face.

Rediscovering words

After a long hiatus from blogging, and writing in general, I've decided to tell myself, "that is quite enough of that!"

I've also decided to listen to myself.

So there we have it, I'm going to try something that I last attempted three years ago: Writing and publishing a blog post every day for an entire month -- specifically, the month of July.

Why July? This time of year contains almost the perfect balance of free time, inspiration, energy, motivation, and events I'm actually interested in writing about. It's the halfway point of the year, which motivates me to get a move-on and make the rest of the year really count for something.

Call it my own personal blog writing month... or Peblowrimo. Um. Or don't call it anything.

Whatever you do, be prepared.

It's gonna be a long month!