It is finished. God said two things to me about this short phrase. One, I don’t owe anything for my salvation. There’s no outstanding balance that I have to pay off for my salvation; Jesus paid the tab in full. He didn’t say he’d match funds with me; he paid the price for my sins completely. The reality of that is so hard to grasp, but each time the Holy Spirit opens my heart to receive a little more of that Truth, I’m knocked to my knees in utter amazement. How deep the Father’s love for us, indeed.

Two, I really need to stop judging other people in their sins. It’s finished, remember? Jesus paid their tab in full as well. No matter what their sin is, it’s taken care of. Period.  

How Deep the Father’s Love

How deep the Father’s love for us,
How vast beyond all measure,
That He should give his only Son
And make a wretch His treasure.
How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns his face away,
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory.

Behold the man upon the cross,
My sin upon His shoulder,
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers.
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished.
His dying breath has brought my life,
I know that it is finished.

I will not boast in anything,
No gifts, no power, no wisdom.
But I will boast in Jesus Christ,
His death and resurrection.
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer.
But this I know with all my heart,
His wounds have paid my ransom.

That really has nothing to do with my point, but I thought it was neat. I love little facts like that.

Anyway, Jesus spots this blind man as he’s walking along, and his disciples ask him, “Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Now this was a pretty popular idea; the Jews of the day believed that sin brought divine punishment. I love what I read in Dr. Constable’s notes: “The disciples did not look at the man as an object of mercy but rather as a subject for a theological discussion. It is much easier to discuss an abstract subject like ‘sin’ than it is to minister to a concrete need in the life of a person.”

Ouch. That one hits home. I’m particularly convicted about my attitude and behavior in  regards to the issue of homosexuality. The issue is a hot topic these days, and most people have a pretty clear stance on it. But I find myself guilty of discussing and debating the morality of homosexuality without ever caring about the people who are living a homosexual lifestyle. Homosexuality has become a political issue to be discussed, and we are choosing to ignore the fact that there are people practicing homosexuality that need to know their Savior, that are hungering for the love of their God, whether they know it or not. To be honest, I have forgotten that these people are in need of Jesus just as much as I am. Their homosexuality makes them no less a person, no less a man or woman in need of a Savior. Their sin is no worse than my own, and that one sin is no worse than any other sin. I have to ask myself: Have I allowed myself to become so caught up in the fight against homosexuality that I have forgotten about the people caught in the crossfire? People who practice the homosexual lifestyle that I preach about and fight against are real people who need to experience the forgiveness that comes from Jesus, not just because they practice a homosexual lifestyle, but because they were born as sinful humans just as I was. They are people who need to know about the Almighty God who knows their name and loves them personally and deeply. They are people who are suffering, people with pain in their hearts just like I have. They’re people that Jesus died to save, people Jesus longs to call his own. Have I chosen to discuss theology in lieu of loving my neighbor?

Reality Check – It’s much easier to discuss theology than it is to love my neighbor and be a vehicle of God’s redeeming love. But think of where we’d be if God had decided to just sit around and discuss theology instead of doing something about our sin.

So basically it’s a drug that gives women the hope of fighting off some of the negative consequences that result from a sexually promiscuous lifestyle. I’m aware that you can contract STDs other ways besides being sexually promiscuous, but I’m willing to bet that’s not how most people get them.

What really irritates me is that this vaccine is being pushed for girls and women ages 11-26. It’s been approved for use in girls as young as 9. Are you kidding? Nine? Eleven? They’re not even teenagers!

What irritates me even more is the fact that within a few short months of this drug being released on the market, legislation started popping up all over the place to make this a mandatory vaccine for all females age 11-26. Why does this bother me? Let me see if I can sum it up:

• I don’t like the government requiring me to vaccinate my eleven year old daughter against the consequences of sexual immorality while I’m trying to instill in her the value of sexual purity. It just doesn’t jive well with me.
• I’m not ok with being required to give my daughter a vaccine that has barely been on the market for two years. According to the New York Times article mentioned above, “Typically new vaccines, like the one for chicken pox in the mid-1990’s, have been rolled out gradually in this country, with public health officials endorsing mandatory use only after several years of experience have shown the new products to be generally safe and effective.” Remember that legislation started appearing in courts only a few months after this drug was released. Why? Vaccines for adolescents that ward off whooping cough and meningitis have been introduced over the last few years, and no one is trying to make those mandatory yet. Why not? Why just this one vaccine? By the way, many of the government officials sponsoring these bills to make Gardasil mandatory are receiving funding from Merck, the drug company producing Gardasil.
• Another interesting point from that New York Times article: “Gardasil and another vaccine under development by the drug maker GlaxoSmithKline are aimed at the human papilloma virus, or H.P.V., which is known to be the cause of cervical cancer. Analysts see a potential $5 billion a year market for H.P.V. vaccines, and some say that Merck is intent on inoculating as many girls as possible before the introduction of Glaxo’s product, which could become available this year.”

Reality Check - Please be wise consumers. Listen. Don’t take everything at face value. Think. Use your brain. You are a sheep among wolves. Be as innocent as doves and as wise as serpents.

If you want more info, please read the articles above for yourselves. Also check out this and this.

“Waiting!  It is among the most universal of human experiences. 

• Waiting to begin school.
• Waiting to get our braces off.
• Waiting for our first date.
• Waiting to graduate.
• Waiting to marry.
• Waiting for our first job.
• Waiting for our first baby.
• Waiting for our first house.
• Waiting to retire.
• Waiting . . . waiting to die.

Waiting is among the most common ventures in human life, and the more Christian spirituality touches common life redemptively, the more it deepens in meaning.

Waiting is right at the heart of Christian spirituality.  Think of Moses waiting in the desert for silent year after silent year.  Think of Elijah, sequestered in his cave, keeping a lonely vigil over earthquake, wind, and fire.  Think of Mary waiting patiently for the fulfillment of the word of the Angel Gabriel.  Think of Saul — Saul who became Paul — being instructed by the Spirit in the deserts of Arabia for three solitary years.

 Waiting is the hidden preparation through which God puts his ministers.  We neglect it to our peril.  I remember as a young, brash pastor waxing eloquent about Moses in the wilderness and telling the people that we need to learn all these lessons so that it won’t take us forty years like it did Moses.  Just then a wise and respected member of our fellowship spoke up calmly; “I doubt it!” he said.  Those three words took all the pompous air out of my sermon that day and taught us a valuable lesson.  Especially me.  Waiting is not something to be avoided at all costs.  In waiting we learn things that we learn in no other way.”

Click here to read the rest of Richard Foster’s letter about waiting.

I recently heard something I had never thought of regarding the Israelites and the Promise Land. The Israelites waited and waited for the Promise Land, and finally they arrived. However, they still had a bit of waiting to do. You see, the Promise Land was full already; lots of different groups of people already lived in the land God had designated for his people. Instead of just wiping them out with one quick swipe (as we all know God is perfectly capable of doing), God told his people, “But I will not drive them (the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites) out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land” (Exodus 23:29-30).

So while I’m waiting to “take possession of the land,” I’ve got to stop thinking that each day is purposeless, wasted, and useless. That’s very hard for me because right now I’m believing the lie that I’m not the person I was created to be and I’m not doing the things I was created to do. But that is not the truth! Years ago I surrendered my life to God. Little did I know then how much He was going to take me up on the offer. My life is not my own. God is determined to raise a woman in me after his own heart…in spite of myself. I can kick and scream and whine and complain all I want, but he’s never letting go of me. He’s going to use me for his glory. And I’m not getting out of that deal. So unless I change my attitude and perspective, I’m gonna feel like I’m stuck waiting forever.

Last Sunday, my husband prayed over me and asked God to give us both some hope regarding some situations we’re facing. And God faithfully and quickly answered his prayer. For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been walking around saying that I’m at the end of my rope. But on Sunday, God graciously showed me what’s beyond the step I’m on right now. Do you know what I saw? More rope! Of all things to see, I saw more rope. My first thought was, “Crap! I don’t want there to be more rope! I’m tired of this waiting game! Is anything ever going to happen??”

But then I heard God say that I’ve only been saying that I’m at the end of my rope because I’m sick of waiting. It’s my way of trying to force something to happen, my own little subtle rebellion. And it’s not going to work. But by showing me that rope, God threw me a life line. He told me, “Little by little, Hallie. Until you have increased enough.” The fact that I saw rope all along the entire path set before me gives me assurance that God is in control and that he is sovereignly working his plan in his time. These days are not purposeless. I’m not just wasting time right now. He has not forgotten me. He is taking care of me, and he is using me for his glory…which is really all I’ve ever wanted anyway.

 So I’m going to keep waiting. Only now it doesn’t feel so much like waiting. It kinda feels more like…living.

• Death of a parent…100 points
• Parents divorce…73 points
• Parents separate…65 points
• Parent travels as part of job…63 points
• Parent remarries…50 points
• Parents reconcile…45 points
• Mother goes to work…45 points
• School difficulties…39 points
• Threat of violence at school…31 points

All of the point values are what I would have expected except for one…mom going to work. Mom going back to work is equally as stressing to adolescents as parents reconciling after being separated. Mom going to work is more stressing than school problems or even being threatened with violence at school. Frankly, I’m surprised that even made it to the list of potential stressors; I’ve just never thought of it that way.

But it’s something to think about. Many moms, including the sincerely godly, Christian moms, go back to work when the kids “get older.” Usually when all the kids are in school (sometimes elementary or middle, but at least by the time they get into high school), moms usually begin to think about heading back into the work field. And this seems perfectly naturally. The kids are growing up. They don’t need (and usually communicate that they don’t want) mom at home to take care of them. I’ve even figured that when my kids were “old enough,” I’d probably go to work or at least do some heavy volunteering somewhere. But apparently this mom-going-back-to-work-thing is more stressful to teenagers than any of us realized. 

Something happens to the pace of life when a mom enters the work field. Life speeds up – exponentially. Every family knows the pressure of balancing the load of household chores, making dinner, helping kids with homework, Bible studies, community groups, sports, extracurricular activities for our kids, and so on. When mom spends half a day or more at work, all those activities get condensed; there’s less time to do everything that needs to be done, not to mention the fact that work robs mom of some of her energy. And that’s when the margin in our lives starts to disappear. Our evenings are filled with activities, some important, some frivolous. And there is no time (or energy) to connect with each other. And families are paying the price.

Let me interrupt myself here to clarify that I’m not condemning women who work outside the home. I understand there are women who have to work, and there are some who simply choose to do so. While I believe that God designed women to manage their households under their husband’s authority, I’ll never pass judgment on a woman who works outside the home. Who am I to judge? For this post, I’m simply trying to assert the fact that with moms at work, the pace of life in the home does speed up, and usually, intimate relationships are harder to achieve because of the fast pace.

Reality Check – Like I said, I got a big reality check on this. I’ve learned that just when I thought it might be perfectly harmless to go back to work, I might need to re-think that. That may be the time when my kids need me at home the most.

Point #1 (the main premise of the book): Today’s teenagers have been abandoned by society as a whole.
Clark says, “Adolescents have been cut off for far too long from the adults who have the power and experience to escort them into the greater society. Adolescents have been abandoned” (p. 21). He later states, “As society in general moved from being a relatively stable and cohesive adult community intent on caring for the needs of the young to a free-for-all of independent and fragmented adults seeking their own survival, individual adolescents found themselves in a deepening hole of systemic rejection. This rejection, or abandonment, of adolescents is the root of the fragmentation and calloused distancing that are the hallmarks of the adolescent culture” (p. 33).

Clark discusses the point that adolescence as a social construct has only been recognized for about a century or so. Before this, there were only two stages of life: childhood and adulthood. Most cultures held some sacred ritual or ceremony to mark a child’s becoming an adult. When our society created the stage of adolescence, everything changed; society started treating adolescents differently. He notes, “Within two decades of naming adolescence, public high school, or secondary school, became a common experience in the U.S.” (p. 45). He continues, “Youth sports, music, dance, drama and even religious youth programs…were originally designed and structured with a common goal: to nurture emerging adolescents by providing systems, structures, and activities to help them grow into adulthood by means of the smoothest, most productive transition possible” (p. 45). Now, Clark notes, these same programs have become a medium through which adults push their own dreams and agendas; no longer are these systems and organizations focused on the nurturing of the youth. Even very young children intrinsically understand that their value is found only in what they can contribute to the team. Adults seem to no longer value teens as human beings; children and teens only have value in so much as they can be productive and benefit the larger whole.

“Sports, music, dance, drama, Scouts, and even faith-related programs are all guilty of ignoring the developmental needs of each individual young person in favor of the organization’s goals. Add to this the increasing amount of homework being assigned to students at younger and younger ages. The systemic pressure on American children is immense. Too many of us actually enjoy the athletic, cultural, or artistic baby-sitting service provided by those paid by the organizations (or who volunteer). Even with the best of intentions, the way we raise, train, and even parent our children today exhibits attitudes and behaviors that are simply subtle forms of parental abandonment,” says Clark (p. 47). “We have evolved to the point where we believe driving (our kids to sports, etc.) is support, being active is love, and providing any and every opportunity is selfless nurture. We are a culture that has forgotten how to be together. We have lost the ability to spend unstructured down time” (p. 46).

Even though Clark focuses on the abandonment of adolescents, I’d like to contend that everyone has abandoned everybody. My favorite line in this book is, “We are a culture that has forgotten how to be together.” Relationships are no longer a high priority anymore; we are focused on progress and productivity. Making more money. Getting more done. Our technological advances, while helpful to us humans, have sped up the pace of life so much that human society is now paying a high price for it: we are losing the ability to value each other as human beings.

And this is a very important value. If you look at the ten commandments, they all either relate to our relationship with God or our relationship with other people. God didn’t create those ten commandments so we could be a more productive, efficient society. He gave us those commands so we could live at peace with one another in a way that honors him. In the New Testament, Jesus says that the greatest commandment is to love God. But he continues on by saying that the second greatest command is to love our neighbor. Not to tolerate each other’s presence as we each go about our days trying to get more done. But to actively love each other, to pursue relationships with one another. To purposely spend time with one another. To care for one another. To engage relationally, to connect with one another frequently.

You aren’t supposed to waltz through this life barely engaging those around you. If we as a whole continue to do this, our society will fall.

I’ll post more later on other significant points of the book, but for now what do you think? Do you agree or disagree? Where have you experienced or seen evidence of our society’s abandonment of today’s youth?

Thanks to Jonathan’s Blog for digging up this great graph!

Brief findings from the study:

• “Fifty-seven percent of evangelical church attendees said they believe many religions can lead to eternal life, in conflict with traditional evangelical teaching.”
• Only fourteen percent of people “cite religious beliefs as the main influence on their political thinking.”
• Ninety-two percent believe in God.
• Seventy-four percent believe in life after death.
• Sixty-three percent say their respective scriptures are the word of God.
• Twenty-one percent of self-identified atheists said they believe in God or a universal spirit, with 8 percent “absolutely certain” of it.

Anyone else see a problem with these stats? Here’s a statement that I take issue with:

“But it also showed support across religious lines for greater governmental aid for the poor, even if it means more debt and stricter environmental laws and regulations.”

What the heck? I had to read that twice before it really sank in. You’re telling me that the majority of self-professing “religious” people in America would rather the government take care of the poor? And what’s worse, these same people don’t care if that means that America will incur even more debt! How many times in the Bible does God command his people to take care of the widows and orphans, to aid the poor and needy? This is not our government’s responsibility. It’s time for us Christians to step up to the plate. How? Manage your own finances well. Tithe and give generously. Revise attitudes about what is the government’s responsibility and what is our own responsibility.

[Side note - In writing this, I've realized that while my perspectives about my responsibility vs. the government's responsibility might be proper, it may be time for me to do a reality check and see just how well I'm doing at taking care of God's poor, orphans, and widows...]

Here’s another statement from the article:

“[The findings] show increased religious security. People are comfortable with other traditions even if they’re different,” said the Rev. C. Welton Gaddy, president of the Interfaith Alliance. “It indicates a level of humility about religion that would be of great benefit to everyone.”

Humility, huh? Rev. Fluffypants, I think you’ve missed the boat. I’m all for humility. In fact, I could stand to be a little more humble most of the time. But the Bible clearly states that Jesus is THE Way. God is a jealous God and will have no other gods before him. Period. Being humble has nothing to do with it. My mom told me when I was growing up that I needed to be open-minded…but not so open-minded that my brains fall out. The same Scriptures that tell us that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life also tell us to love our neighbors as ourselves and to be humble. But in our efforts to be humble and loving, let’s not let the truth of the Gospel get lost in translation.

Boy, do I know what he’s talking about! Every since we moved to Nashville 1 year, 2 months, and 10 or so days ago, I feel like I’ve lost everything that I spent the first 23 years of my life building; I feel like I’ve had to start over from scratch. And it’s not easy recreating 23 years of life; it takes a long, long time. 

Since moving, there have been times that I have wished we were back in Memphis; I have wanted things to go back to the way they used to be. I’m certain that we are/were following God’s will by moving here, but truthfully sometimes I miss my old life in Memphis. I want my family back. I want my friends back. I want my community group back. I want my church back. I want my job back. I want my life back. But the truth is, we can’t go back to the way things were. Even if we moved back right now, things would not be the same as they were a year ago. I’m not where I used to be.

And I’m certainly not where I want to be. I feel like I’m beating my head against a wall in almost every area of my life; I feel like nothing has settled back into place…and it’s been over a year! I’m growing weary.

When we moved, my husband and I agreed that a top priority would be to make friends. I have made several, but it’s hard to develop deep, solid friendships quickly. Relationships take time. I had a friend in Memphis who cautioned me before we moved; she told me that it would take longer than I expected to make new friends. While I took her advice to heart, I hoped she was wrong. She wasn’t. I’m beginning to wonder if there even are people in their mid-twenties in the Nashville area. Are you out there??

My job situation is not where I want it to be either. We moved for Michael to take a job where his passions and skills would be most utilized. I took a job where I’m hardly utilized for anything. And I feel so stuck. And it sucks.

Michael and I have prayed for a baby for over two years now. While family and friends have advised us to pursue medical testing and procedures related to infertility, we sincerely believe that the Lord has told us to wait for him to act on our behalf. Whether we will pursue infertility testing or even adoption at a later time is unknown. For now, we know without a shadow of a doubt that the Lord has told us be still and wait for him. So we’re doing our part and waiting for God to do his. But the waiting, the time in between, is hard.

It seems like everything is within reach, but I can’t get a hold of anything. Nothing will happen. Everything is just up in the air. And I’m just stuck here waiting, miserable yet inexplicably happy to be loved by such a God. I am confident that God is working his plan, and I am completely surrendered to his plan, content to wait on him for his glory. But I just don’t know what to do with myself anymore. I’d like to take some initiative to “better my situation,” but everything is out of my hands. And I don’t like not being in control. I’m literally standing here with the whole world up in the air, and all I can do is wait.

Reality Check - Paul Peterson ends his post with some verse from Proverbs 4; these tokens of wisdom contain the key to what I’m supposed to do while I’m waiting.

“Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life. Don’t let your mouth speak dishonestly and don’t let your lips talk deviously. Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead. Carefully consider the path for your feet, and all your ways will be established. Don’t turn to the right or to the left; keep your feet away from evil.” (v. 23-27).

So with my heart well guarded, I will carry on. My mouth will not speak dishonestly and my lips will not talk deviously. I will look forward with the eyes of my heart; the gaze of my heart will be straight ahead on the path I know God has laid out for me…for his glory. I will consider the path under my feet, knowing that my ways will be established firmly by the Lord. I will not turn to the right or to the left, and I will turn away from evil. I will do this while I’m walking in the “in between.”