Genesis 37-42

Grow where you are planted

It's not fair. I should not have to be going through this again. At 17 I had my world ripped apart as I mourned the untimely death of my high school sweetheart, who had just turned 20. Now, 23 years later, I mourn the untimely death of my own firstborn child, also age 20. Both were killed suddenly in accidents that no one could have foreseen; twice my world just went from (relatively) happy and carefree to utter devastation in a matter of seconds, and it's just not fair.

But that's life, right? Life's not fair.

Ugh, how I hate that sentiment. (By the way, I'm sure you don't need reminding that it's not one you should ever say to someone who is grieving.) Sure, I say it to my sons when they complain that the older one gets to stay up later or the younger one doesn't have to do the same chores. It's just easier than trying to explain to a child that older bodies can handle things that younger bodies can't. They don't get it; they stubbornly refuse to see themselves and each other as anything other than completely capable of bearing any burden that anyone else can. If only they knew what true burdens we are preparing them for – burdens we know they will one day have to face... and those we pray they never will.

Joseph's brothers thought that life wasn't fair. Their father Jacob had a favorite, and he was not discrete about it. Even Joseph knew it, and was inclined to rub it in his brothers' faces once in a while. Not a good move on his part, but we all know that's what siblings do. What siblings don't normally do is take revenge the way Jacob's sons did. They dug a well and trapped their brother Joseph in it. After debating about killing him, at least one brother had the sense to talk them into just selling him into slavery. In an instant, Joseph found himself a slave in the strange land of Egypt, away from his family and his happy, carefree life.

Rather than wallow in his misery, Joseph made the best of his situation. Despite the bit of arrogance he occasionally displayed with his brothers, he was a man of God and of strong moral character. He was soon given a place of honor in his master Potiphar's house and again his life, although still bound to servitude, was relatively happy and carefree. And then Potiphar's wife tried to seduce him. Of course he rebuffed her, but she was angry at his rejection, so she lied and had him arrested and all his comforts stripped away. Although Joseph's strong moral character had shone through and he did everything right, he still ended up the victim of life's propensity to be utterly unfair. Now in a cold, dank jail cell with no hope of a fair trial, no ally, and no plan in sight, Joseph could certainly not be blamed if he were to give into despair.

Later, Pharaoh had his chief cupbearer and baker thrown into prison with Joseph, and here were two guys feeling hopeless. They were even plagued with unsettling dreams and began to talk to Joseph about them. Instead of joining the two disgraced royal servants in commiserating, Joseph did the only thing he knew and turned to God for guidance. God granted Joseph interpretations for the dreams, which were instantly proven to be accurate. The baker, whose dream was a bad omen, was lead to his execution the very next day. The cupbearer's dream, however, was indicative of his restoration of good grace to Pharaoh's service, which also happened the next day. As he was being released, the cupbearer promised to tell Pharaoh of Joseph and put in a good word, but caught up as he was in his own delight of deliverance, he forgot.

So there sat Joseph, who had once again been the good guy and done everything right but instead of a reward, he was destined to remain in jail forgotten for another two years. It just wasn't fair. By chance, God gave Pharaoh a dream that nobody could interpret, and the cupbearer suddenly recalled that he had met someone in prison who had helped him out. I don't know for sure, but I would have to imagine that it took some courage for someone as lowly as a cupbearer to speak up to the very agitated Pharaoh about Joseph in the first place. I would guess that Pharaoh, having already once thrown the cupbearer in prison for some offense would not hesitate to do the same or worse if he was wasting his master's time bringing some disgraced slave out of jail to do what all of Pharaoh's wisest magicians and sages could not. Now, Joseph could have come out of his cell bitter and angry and I would not have wanted to be that cupbearer when Pharaoh calls out Joseph on his ability to interpret dreams and Joseph's response is, “I cannot do it” (Gen 41:16a). Maybe the cupbearer thought that Joseph was having his revenge for having forgotten him in jail for two whole years.

Instead, of course, Joseph does what he has always done. He gives the glory to God. He acknowledges that all talents, all life, and all opportunities are gifts from our Creator, and then he goes on to interpret Pharaoh's dream. The result is such high favor in the eyes of the Pharaoh that Joseph is placed second in command of the entire nation of Egypt. He saves Egypt and the surrounding nations from famine, and more importantly he eventually brings restoration to his own family so that God's plan for the sons of Israel to grow and multiply can unfold. All because he accepted again and again that life isn't fair... but God is. Can you imagine - not blaming God for your troubles, but finding a way to use your faith as a trellis to grow despite them?

I know our personal wounds are still raw. I know we are in a place of struggling between wanting to be strong enough to bear the grief, and being so young in it that some days we just can't. And I know that, like our children, we stubbornly refuse to see ourselves and each other as anything other than completely capable of bearing any burden. Of course in these times we mourn, we grieve, we cry out. But will we stay here in bitterness, or will we trust God? As for me, I have to trust God because I am at least old enough to know that life isn't fair, but He is. I have seen how quickly it can go from happy and carefree to devastation and despair with no warning, but I have also seen time and again that it doesn't stay there.

So what do we do in the mean time? Do we fight with our whole being to get out of these valleys of life, clawing at the walls until our fingernails bleed? Or do we ask God while we are here to help us learn, grow, and maybe help others, as Joseph did, to bear or even avoid their own devastation? We don't always get to choose where we are planted, but we can choose whether to wither and die there or to grow and bear fruit. As for me and my house...(Joshua 24:15).

Earth Day - It's Not Just For Hippies

Today's controversial remarks: I'm definitely not what most people would consider an environmentalist nut. I think global warming - or climate change or whatever - is a natural, cyclical event that has happened since the beginning of time and that the pseudo-science (yes, I can feel your eyes rolling) behind guilting us into believing that it is 100% man-made and that our own self destruction is just one shifting ice cap away only serves to fuel the multi-billion dollar industry that feeds on the capitalist system that most of the industry's victims, er, target demographic, loathes.

HOWEVER, I also believe that the Earth is not ours to destroy. There is definitely some impact that comes from a growing industrial society feeding our insatiable appetite for bigger, faster, more. I believe that man was given stewardship over the Earth and everything on it, and that we have not always been good about fulfilling that role. 

Bio-ethics will tell you there's no going back to the original state of the Earth before the Industrial Revolution, because the adaptations* that have been made to deal with our impact cannot be unmade without further harming the species that are here. So what is the answer? Recycle. Conserve. Make wise choices. Reusable bags, energy-efficient appliances, low emissions vehicles? Great. Allowing the entire city of New Orleans to be devastated by Hurricane Katrina because strengthening the levies would have disrupted the migratory pattern of a prolific little fish? Not great. 

Extremes are hardly the answer, nor is punishing all of mankind for the actions of a few. But as we think about Earth Day today, let's focus on how we can be good stewards of the resources within the one world we have and live in harmony with the glorious creation we get the privilege to share it with.

*this is not an admission of evolution, only adaptations. When I am cold, I put on a coat, but that does not change me to a new species. Intelligent design allows for necessary adaptations to an ever-changing world.

Zacchaeus, Revisited

It's Sunday, another day of church, family lunch at Cracker Barrel, and home for relaxation, naps, and reflecting on the morning's message. Interestingly, Pastor Dan ended his sermon today with a reference to Zaccheaus, whom I mentioned in my previous blog. And even if he hadn't, my mind was making the connection throughout the service (yes, my mind wanders frequently during Sunday sermons). The message today was about Jesus' mission being a rescue mission, because He came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). That's exactly what He told Zacchaeus, and exactly what so many of us forget. See, we (universal we) as Christians too often think that Jesus came to seek and spend time with the found, the ones that have it all together. We think that Jesus wouldn't spend time with sinners, so we'd better get all our ducks in a row.

This summer, there was a story that was pretty big in our local papers about a lifeguard named Tomas Lopez. Tomas was patroling his area when someone alerted him to a swimmer in distress about 1500 feet away from his station. Immediately, the young man sprang into action, ran to the place where the swimmer was and put his training into action. He saved the man's life, and for doing so, his boss gave him the boot. Tomas was fired because he rescued a swimmer who got into trouble outside of the lifeguard patrol zone. There was a clearly posted sign that said “swim at your own risk,” and the man chose to swim there. When a problem arose, according to the boss, he should have been left alone to sink or swim on his own. You made the choice to swim there, so you deal with the repercussions seems to be the message the company wanted to portray.  But Tomas did not stop to think about borders.  He saw a man who needed rescuing, he went to where the man was, and he rescued him.

Can I just say that I am so glad that Jesus is more like Tomas Lopez and not like the policy makers and modern day Pharisees in the church. I consider myself a good person most days. I don't commit the “big sins” that the sign wavers seem to think are a one way ticket to hell. But still, every day I swim outside of the perfect-Christian zone. By His perfect and loving grace, Jesus does not stay within those borders and watch me drown. He does not tell me I have to make my way to the right side of the line before He can save me.  In fact, He patrols the very places that the religious bosses would call off limits. Again and again, His word tells us that He loves sinners. He came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). It's not the healthy man who needs a doctor, but the sick (Mark 2:17). While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). It doesn't matter to Jesus whether the person He rescues is one foot away from the line or a million miles away; there is no place His grace cannot reach. We just have to be willing to admit that we need His help, to call for help, and to submit to His perfect rescue plan.

Lessons I Learn From Stories I Tell My Kids #1

Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he.
 He climbed up in a sycamore tree, for the Lord he wanted to see.

This little song we sing to kids in Sunday School teaches the lesson that even little people are noticed by God. It makes them feel better about themselves knowing that even though they are small, God does not overlook them. What can we get from the story? Well, certainly the same lesson applies to us as adults. Notwithstanding our differences in stature, there are differences in status that also make us feel that we are small and insignificant in comparison to others who are pursuing the Lord right beside us. Maybe you don't have the willpower to do a daily devotional or Bible study at this point in your life, so surely God will not use you as mightily as your friends who do, right? Wrong. Maybe you are still struggling with some sort of sin or addiction, so God will overlook you in favor of those who seem to have it all together, right? Wrong. The truth is that no one has it all together, no matter how well they are dressed and smiling for Sunday morning services (Ecclesiastes 7:20) . The truth is that we all struggle with something, whether it is as obvious as a physical addiction or as unnoticed as pride (Romans 3:23). The truth is that many people study the Bible daily and don't get as much out of it as those who make the intentional effort to live out what they already know of God's character and His plan for their lives (James 2:8). The fact is that God uses imperfect people, because that's all He has, and the more we are willing to admit our imperfections and our inability to correct them on our own, the more useable we are.

Which leads me to my second observation on Zacchaeus: he was not a good guy. He was not just a short little cutie who was so eager to see Jesus that he climbed a tree. He was a tax collector, which in those days meant he was a corrupt official, a thief, and a bully. Tax collectors were known for strong-arming those from whom taxes were being collected in order to gain not just the taxes owed, but a little something extra for themselves. In fact, that's pretty much how they made their living. So Zacchaeus was a hated little guy in his own community, and with good reason. Yet Jesus took the time to notice him, to point him out, and to spend time with him. Can you imagine being Zacchaeus, up in that tree, just trying to get a better view of this man that everyone was making such a big fuss about? When Jesus called to him, “you come down”, his heart must have jumped into his throat! Like a child who's been caught stealing from the cookie jar, he probably thought: He's seen me, He knows what I've done. I'm in for it now.

Jesus didn't have to say a word. Immediately, Zacchaeus repented of his sins because he knew who Jesus was and what He represents. He offered to give half of his possessions to the poor and pay back those he had wronged with interest. But Jesus hadn't come to chastise Zacchaeus; He didn't even want to talk about the bad things he'd done. He wanted to spend time with him and invest in his life, which is something we can do even if just for a short visit over a cup of tea. He was certainly pleased with the change in Zacchaeus, not because of the little man's fear but because of the positive changes that would be seen by those who despised him. The people would see that even the slightest encounter with Jesus can cause the lost to begin to find their way. (Luke 19:10).

The lesson: If Jesus could be a friend to Zacchaeus, whom everyone else despised and whose sins were obvious for all to see, why would we think that our sins have placed us out of His reach? What makes any of us think that our past or even our present struggles are greater than God's love? I wonder how it would feel to just sit and have tea with Jesus, not so that He could lecture me about all my sins, but so that He could spend time getting to know me and letting me know how much He genuinely cares not about what I've done or who I've been, but about what I could do if I just let Him in my life and trust who He is.

The Trouble with Absolutes: a Quasi-Political Rant

As I watch the news and TV commercials, it is becoming apparent that we are quickly approaching another exceptionally bad mud-flinging season. Ah, politics. Remember when there were real issues, and the candidates spoke about their ideas for those issues, and we decided whose idea was better, voted for them, and went on with our lives? Neither do I.

I’m not a very politically charged person. I am registered as an Independent because I refuse to vote based on party affiliations. I know where I stand on some important issues, and try my best to vote for the person who comes closest to that stance. Some issues are beyond the scope of my understanding, or I just don’t care. The sad truth is, though, it is becoming so difficult to comprehend where the candidates stand on anything, and none of it seems to be lining up with where I think they should be. So here is my commentary on two issues that should not be issues but have been made into issues which mask the real issues.

First, there is the candidate Herman Cain. Of the few things I’ve heard, there is a possibility that he has some good ideas and ideals. Thanks to social media, though, I have heard more about his race and what other candidates think of him than about what he really stands for. One email I’ve received a couple of times is a list of would-be bumper stickers that say things like “my candidate is blacker than your candidate, so what now?” The day Cain won the primary here in Florida, I knew that this would become the big issue. Just so we are clear, I want to rip my hair out every time somebody pulls the “if you don’t agree with Obama’s policies, you’re clearly a racist” card. It’s absolutely ridiculous. Which is why I am not surprised that the GOP is pushing a black candidate to the front. I would just really like to know about his ideas instead of his race, which is obvious and doesn’t affect his ability to do one single thing. Maybe our third black President will be taken seriously. One can only hope.

Secondly, there is the Occupy movement. I am all for American citizens exercising their Constitutional right to be heard. I am also all for a person’s right to work hard and enjoy the fruits of their labor, even if it means that they are earning exponentially more than me. The problem I have with this whole movement is how both sides deal only in absolutes. The opponents have this idea that ALL people on welfare are lazy bums who need to “get off your duff and off my dime”. There are certainly enough people involved in this movement who are seeking attention, trying to get out of their contractual obligations, and looking for a handout because they do not have the good fortune that others have. We will call them Group A. However, there are some who are just not able to make a comfortable living because of having a disability or high medical bills, wanting to earn a degree to improve their own situation, or being a victim of the current recession – Group B. The slogan “we are the 99%” is misleading, because probably half or fewer are actually in that second category. Granted, as the economy continues to sink, Group B is growing we should come together as a nation and help one another out. The problem comes in discerning the first group from the second.

On the other hand, the supporters of the movement refuse to recognize that Group A exists, so they combine everybody with a meager income or lack thereof into one group and cry out that they are being victimized by those who have worked hard, amassed wealth, or have just been fortunate enough to be born into it. So what is the solution? Got me. As I see it, life’s not fair. It is possible to have a great idea or innovation and rise up out of an unfortunate situation and become rich. Just ask any movie star or athlete. It is also possible to lose it all and be in a situation of dependence that you never thought you would be. Finally, it’s possible to just be happy with your lot in life and realize that situations come and go, and maybe it’s not wise to throw all of your energy into trying to get someone else to change a temporary event in your own life.

Personally, I never pass up a penny on the street because each one contains a reminder that In God we Trust. If wealth is what you worship, you will always be let down.

Uncomfortably Numb

You know that feeling when you have been in an awesome relationship for a very long time, but for whatever reason it ends and your world comes crashing down around you? When a relationship like that ends, there’s this feeling that you will never love again. You don’t even want to look at another potential mate. You go emotionally numb.

Now don’t get nervous – Scott and I are great and more in love than ever. No, I’m talking about my church relationship. Today is “Get Back in Church Day”, and yet I sit here, spiritually numb, pouring my heart out to the blogosphere while my husband and kids are trying out a new church that I was so excited about but couldn’t bring myself to go to today. Why? Because it’s not Hope Chapel. Because Hope is where my heart is, and I just don’t feel ready to move on.

It really does feel like a relationship that ended. It was not on bad terms, in fact there was so much love and positive prayer when we left that I almost drove back to the house in Surprise and unloaded the truck. I just had to get out of Arizona and back to Florida, and despite my best efforts at convincing them, the church could not go with me.

Now before you start worrying that our Arizona church had some cultish hold on me that I need psychological help to overcome, I really just mean that I had so much love invested there that it is difficult to make myself vulnerable today. What if the new church is boring? What if the people are weird (-er? Lol)? What if the Holy Spirit is not there? Or what if it’s everything I hoped it would be and I just love it? That might be the worst option of all because it shouldn’t be that easy to just go from one love to the next.

Here’s what I know right now: finding a home church is an extremely big deal and not one to be taken lightly. All churches are definitely not built the same, and like relationships can be beneficial or harmful if it is not the right fit. Scott and the kids will come home with a report from at least 3 different viewpoints. Depending on their opinions, either I will go to this church next week with great anticipation or I will start looking for another one. The Lord is in this, and He will guide us. I have been through enough relationships to realize that real love is something you never forget and will always be a part of who you are. I’ve also experienced enough to realize that emotions are fleeting, especially the negative ones, and that I will find love again.

In His perfect time, as always.

How Do I Love Thee? More Importantly, Why?

Some thoughts on love

My grandmother had a little heart-shaped pillow hanging from her rearview mirror. It was a gift from her late husband, my grandpa. On the pillow were the words: “I don’t love you because I need you, I need you because I love you.” It was always one of my favorite trinkets Grandma had, because it made me think about all the things it means. Today it makes me think about my love for God, and His love for me.

God does not need us. I know that’s not a great revelation, but sometimes we still forget that. God can do anything without involving mankind at all. He could save a life without surgical intervention and move a mountain without TNT. But God loves us so much that he wants to have a relationship with us. He designed mankind to be close to Him, to walk with Him and talk with Him, as Adam did in the Garden of Eden before the whole serpent and fruit debacle. Since the Fall, sin has kept us separated from God yet He continues to make a way for us to get back to that place of closeness. He sent His Son to die so the veil that separates us could be removed forever! So why are we still so far away from the original design? One word: pride. The same pride that made Eve believe that eating the fruit would give her knowledge equal to God’s makes us believe that we can do life on our own. It makes us believe that we can figure out the universe and everything in it without the God factor. It makes us believe that coincidence is the supreme dictator of life. And yet, in all our stubbornness, God continues to love us enough to include us in His ultimate plan.

I have told many people in my life “I love you”. I’d like to think that most of them were for the right reason, specifically an Agape love that brings my heart to care deeply for my fellow man. I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I have used those words for the wrong reasons, too. I have used them to try to hold on to people and things that were not good for me. In other words, I tried to force myself to love someone because I thought I needed them.

Through the years I have learned that truly loving someone is not something one can do out of need, obedience, or belief. We all have those family members that are so crazy they’re almost toxic. You know the ones. At family reunions everybody talks about them under their breath and in corners where they think nobody can hear. Inevitably someone pipes up with, “yeah, but we have to love so-and-so, because they’re family.” I do think there’s a certain bond connecting blood relatives, but when love is forced, it is immediately obvious that it is not a product of the heart.

This is why it is so difficult for me to understand how unbelievers can say that someone loves God because their parents/church/society tells them to. I can honestly say that my love for God is as genuine as the love I have for my husband. I don’t love Scott because anyone told me to, or because I think I will benefit from it. I love him because he is what he says he is, and he has proven his character again and again. He does not judge me from my oh-so-imperfect past, but loves me for who I am now and who I can be tomorrow. When I mess up, he doesn’t hold it against me (for too long, anyway). He reminds me of what needs to be done and helps me get back on track. He is always there, rooting for me to succeed, and he keeps loving me no matter what. That is how God is, and that is why I love Him so much. Sure there may be benefits for living a life close to God, but that is never the motivation of pure love.

I have always said that I look to Scripture because it has more wisdom than I ever will, so I invite you to read what Paul had to say about love. It is a passage commonly used in weddings – we used it in ours – but it goes so far beyond that. God IS love, and we are His bride. With that in mind, read these words:

1 Corinthians 13
1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Tonight's Testimony

(Here are the notes for my testimony at tonight's ice cream social. For those of you who won't be able to make it because you're out of town, have a Y chromosome, whatever.)

What is a testimony? Most commonly, it is used when a person is called upon to give an account of what he witnessed. This, however, is a narrow usage.
In a broader application, Webster says that it means "firsthand authentication of a fact," which is what one is called upon to do in a court trial, to verify a fact. A trial lawyer may ask, "Did you know this person before such and such a date?" The witness then authenticates whether or not this fact is true. Testimony also means "evidence." The lawyer asks, "What did you see?" And then the witness presents his evidence.

Here’s what I have seen: I was lost. I was the wretch the song sings about. I was trouble with a capital T. Sex, drugs, and rock and roll were all I knew. They were my idols. I hated God; I was Saul. But here’s what I love about the Bible: God uses some of the most sinful, lost people to do his work. And He uses them to set examples for the rest of us. It’s not sugar-coated. There are no perfect people in the OT, and only one in the New. Nobody who understands what Christianity is really about expects perfection, but for God to use us in our imperfection. I had to hit rock bottom before the Lord would lift me up, meet me in my darkest hour, and bring me through to where I could see the light.

Friends, I have no doubt that though my sins were as crimson, through Christ I am now white as snow. But even in the snow, our thorns can show through.

Romans 7:13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful. 14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do–this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,

When we total the monetary value of the elements in our bodies and the value of the average person's skin, we arrive at a net worth of $4.50! Basing the skin's value on the selling price of cowhide, which is approximately $.25 per square foot, the value of an average person's skin is about $3.50.
The U.S. Bureau of Chemistry and Soils invested many a hard-earned tax dollar in calculating the chemical and mineral composition of the human body, which breaks down as follows:

65% Oxygen 18% Carbon
10% Hydrogen 3% Nitrogen
1.5% Calcium 1% Phosphorous
0.35% Potassium 0.25% Sulfur
0.15% Sodium 0.15% Chlorine
0.05% Magnesium 0.0004% Iron
0.00004% Iodine

Additionally, it was discovered that our bodies contain trace quantities of fluorine, silicon, manganese, zinc, copper, aluminum, and arsenic. Together, all of the above amounts to less than one dollar!
So what’s it all for? What is life really worth?

Revelation 12:11 (amplified) And they have overcome (conquered) him by means of the blood of the Lamb and by the utterance of their testimony, for they did not love {and} cling to life even when faced with death [holding their lives cheap till they had to die for their witnessing].

The key word, testimony, is the Greek word marturían, which means either "the act or office of testifying" or "what one testifies." In modern terms, it is either the giving of evidence, as before a judge in a courtroom, or the evidence itself. The word witness is similarly used, as, for instance, the Two Witnesses of Revelation 11 are called mártusín ("witnesses" or "martyrs"), a related word. Their "testimony," then, is evidence they give or a witness they provide.
We should not forget the final phrase, "which they held," as it adds definition and emphasis to their testimony. The evidence they give means something special to them! It is not as if they witnessed an auto accident and, as unbiased bystanders, simply testified about how it happened. Their testimony is something so precious that they hold it fast, bear it, maintain it, keep it in trust, possess it, consider it, believe it, and adhere to it.

We give testimony of our devotion to God and our beliefs in simple, everyday acts, many of which we probably never consider to be witnessing. We make a witness to other members of our families with our every word, act, and decision. We witness of our adherence to law in our public activities, from driving our cars to paying our taxes. Our diligence and thoroughness on the job testify of our godly character or lack thereof. One could go so far as to say that everything we say and do that is witnessed by others shouts out the testimony that we hold. Lord, I pray that not just my words, but my life will be a testimony to your saving grace. Amen.

Summer Reading

Here are the books I've read so far this summer:

1984 by George Orwell

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Currently reading Beloved by Toni Morrison for a class

Next up, The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. I'm really looking forward to that one!

Oh, Ellen

I want so much to be an Ellen DeGeneres fan. She's funny, witty and smart. Her stand up routines always made me laugh out loud. I watched her sitcom faithfully.

Until...

Everything started to be about being gay. Ok, I get that the "coming out" episode was a big deal for people who choose that lifestyle. It pushed the GLBT agenda to new levels in Hollywood. I don't like the agenda or what it stands for, but I get it. If only that was the end of it. Sadly, after that episode there were no more funny sitcom moments on the show for straight people. So I gave up watching it.

Then, Ellen got a talk show. Great! She's funny again. She's got that cool little dance thing, and lots of fun guests.

Until...

California decided to allow same-sex couples to have legal "marriages" yesterday. Again, I don't agree with it, but I get where people are coming from. But, the first thing Ellen does is goes on the show and announces she will "marry" her girlfriend, just because she can. Her show has become a platform for that tired old agenda again, and I will no longer watch.

This is the major point I have against same-sex marriages at this point. [Obvious Scriptural reasons aside] I see this sect using marriage for political standing, rather than the loving, personal commitment it is meant to be. It's almost fitting that this is done in California, since same-sex relationships rarely last longer than a Hollywood marriage anyway. The difference now is that there will be a costly divorce involved, increasing the divorce rate exponentially. It's sad that GLBT activists care less about the meaning of marriage and more about activism itself.

Here's my parting thought, if anybody is reading who may be affected by the new law in California: as with anything else, just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should.