Sacrificing humans

In Sonlight, we are currently reading Incas, Aztecs and Mayans by John Holzmann.  Yesterday, we were reading how the Aztecs would make human sacrifices to satisfy the Sun god.  The information was just mind-blowing.  After they finished their greatest temple they sacrificed between 20,000-50,000 people in celebration.  My kids asked how many people that was and the only analogy I could come up with was when we go to the Brewer Stadium it usually has about 50,000 people in it.  Their eyes just widened.  The other mind-blowing thing is that people would do this willingly.  They thought they needed to die to satisfy this god.

As I was reading this to my children, I was reminded of a post written a couple years back called God above all gods, which discusses our God, Yahweh, asking Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac on the altar.  I was able to ask my kids what happened?  "God provided a sacrifice and Abraham didn't end up doing it!"  Exactly!  So often when this story is told the focus is put on Abraham and his courage.  I personally think  this emphasis loses the AMAZING, distinguishing BEAUTY of God's love.  If you study history, you will see that human sacrifice to satisfy "god" has been common in cultures, and that people willingly engage in that practice!  God, of course knew this and in the beautiful story of salvation, He made it absolutely clear that He is the One who provides the path of salvation because of His great love for us.

Jeremiah 32:25

They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom

 to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molek,

 though I never commanded

—nor did it enter my mind—

that they should do such a detestable thing and so make Judah sin.

_________________________________________________

As we are reading about this in the Incans, Aztecs and Mayans, the book is quick to point out that demonic forces were behind this culture and how it worked and operated.  We stand amazed how a culture could be so "blind" to allow such atrocities to occur.  We think we have somehow become "enlightened" above religion.  However, demonic forces still operate in our world today and even to a greater degree.  All demons care about is the blood of human life, they could care less how the humans ease their consciousness about it.  As I read about in Love you More and have begun reading in A Heart for Freedom gendercide of females especially all around the world is commonplace practice.  According to A Heart for Freedom, China's one birth policy has taken 400 million innocent lives.  It is easy for us to still judge what is happening across the ocean while ignoring the fact that in our own culture we allow the exact same thing to happen in the name of "woman's rights."  Let us learn from history.  As we look back and can judge other cultures for their ignorance in the name of religion let us not kid ourselves, the exact same thing is still happening but it is cloaked under a different ideology.

And last but not least let us not lose focus of the beauty of Yahweh, who is the giver of life, and that through the understanding of the power of His love, Jesus Christ has the power to bring incredible change and healing to all human lives.

In Christ,

Book Review: Love You More

I recently had the opportunity to do a book review of  Love You More: The Divine Surprise of Adopting my Daughter by Jennifer Grant.  The book is Jennifer's memoir of the process of adopting her 4th child from Guatemala (her first three children were from natural birth).  I was drawn to the story because a quarter of my blood is Guatemalan and so the fact that her daughter was from there piqued my curiosity.  In addition, foreign adoption is becoming more commonplace these days and I was curious to read someone's story about it.

I enjoyed the story.  I think she did a good job of balancing the hardships and realities of adoptions alongside the beauty and the wonder of adoption being a wonderful piece of a God story.  Reading this book gives you a good perspective on adoption, including why people think adoption is immoral (a concept I had never heard before) and resources if you are considering adoption.  Don't worry, reading this story will not make you feel guilty that you HAVE to adopt.  She in some ways even discourages it, if your heart motives are not coming from love.  However, she does emphasize the wide-spread problem of orphans in this world and challenges us as believers to find practical ways to address the problem.

If you are curious about adoption for any reason, whether you have friends that are adopting or you desire to do so someday, this book is a nice, safe, easy way to start exploring the thoughts and concepts around adoption.

In Christ,



I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tommy Nelson publishing.  All thoughts and opinions are mine and mine alone.

Defining "The Church"

As you know, I've been reading "The Unstoppable Force" by Erwin McManus.  It is a book about "the church."  The principles, thoughts and ideas presented in this book have been so refreshing for me to read.  I was sharing some concepts from this book with a friend saying, "The principles and ideas in this book would be great for you BUT the book is about the church..."    However, as the words slipped out of my mouth, I felt the Holy Spirit putting on the brakes and He was asking me, "Wait a minute, what exactly is "the church"?"

You see, as I've stopped to ask this question over the last couple of years, the Lord has been blowing up my nice Christian boxes.  My former definition (as expressed through my language and how I lived my life): church is the gathering of believers on Sunday mornings.  My new definition: "Where two or three are gathered in His name, there He is (Matthew 18:20)."

If you've been around Sunday gatherings for awhile you've heard this story come out of the preacher's mouth:

"On Sunday mornings everyone hops into the car, the husband,

wife and children have been fighting, but the minute they enter 

church on goes the happy faces." 

We sit in the pews, chuckle and nod with a knowing expression.  We know that it is easy to smile at the pastor on Sunday and it's easy to love people that we only rub shoulders with for 2 hours once a week.  But it is an entirely different story, to live with the concept that where two or three are gathered in His name, there He is.  If you will allow this to be the definition of church then when does church primarily happen?  For most, the answer will be, in our families. Would you have treated your kids and husband that same way in the front of "the church"?  If your answer is no, my next question would be, why not?  Is it because you are seeking the approval of man or that your accountable to God when you enter the building because that is where His presence is?  Because it's not as if God is sitting in the "church building" on Sunday waiting for you to show up and put on your "everything is great smile."  He LIVES in you 24/7 by the way.  So when you are at home, with your family, sitting around the dinner table, not in your Sunday best, there He is.  You are having church. 

Just this week, I had "church" at a waterpark.  Perhaps you think I'm being slightly sacrilegious when I say that it was one of the best "church" experiences I've had in a long time.  But floating down the lazy river, we were sharing our hearts, our struggles, encouraging one another in the faith and giving each other the hope to carry on.  Sitting in a pew Sunday after Sunday, shoulder to shoulder does not create osmosis of the Spirit.  How am I to know my neighbor's marriage is falling apart or that a mother is at her wits end and REALLY needs help through a smile and ashake of each other's hands 3 seconds before the sermon? 
 
I would like to leave you with this quote from Erwin, (People mistake Sunday gatherings to be a place where we) "Come to meet God INSTEAD of coming WITH God to meet each other.  (In addition), many come to worship God instead of coming worshipping." 

For myself personally, during this time of transitional thinking, I am being very intentional about my words.  For me it is a distinction that I need to make in order to bring what I believe in mind and heart out into how I live my life.  When I use the word, "CHURCH" it will be referring to every believer living life with each other any day of the week.  "Sunday gatherings" is my terminology for the traditional gathering of believers on Sunday mornings in a building.


In Christ,

A Valuable Lesson

I read Waking the Dead: The Glory of a Heart Fully Alive by John Eldredge 8 years ago.  Reading this book laid a huge memorial stone in my Christian journey and it has had a huge impact on my walk of faith.  It is now 8 years later and I want to share with you one of the valuable lessons that I have taken from this book, applied to my life and seen the truth of it lived out:

The Enemy will always try to get you to do to someone

what he is doing to that person.  Heads up - it's not you, and being aware of it

becomes a very helpful diagnostic. (170)

I would like to take this thought one step further, by adding that the enemy, by getting you to agree with these lies, would like to prevent you from being able to be used as a tool of God for good in this individual's life. This understanding has had a huge influence in my life, especially in my ministry to women. 

If you are willing to admit it, there are some people that just annoy you!  You walk into the room and they are annoying.  Everything they say or do gets under your skin.  The best way to deal with it is to AVOID them, right?  That used to be my solution, but ever since I read this quote the Lord has challenged me to push beyond my initial reactions and learn to love these people through His eyes.  I would like to say that it is easy to do and required a simple prayer, and voila, everything was better.  But in my experience that wasn't always the case.  Often times, it required lots of prayer, denying and fighting against the agreements that my mind and the enemy wanted me to make about those people.

Are you ready for some good news yet?  The good news is that it is worth FIGHTING through the "annoying" attitudes to get to God's perspective on the issues.  I can name at least 4 women (and for all you self-conscious friends of mine out there ~ yes, it was you - just kidding - maybe...:) that used to drive me absolutely crazy, but I applied and fought in this truth - that I cannot settle for what the enemy has to say about them, or over them.  I had to fight for friendship and for Christ's love.  As I look back over the last 8 years, those people whom I fought to love have now become some of my dearest friends and the Lord has bound us together to fight for some very significant areas of freedom.  What I now see, is that the enemy did not want us to become friends because he knew the significant roles we would play for freedom was dependent upon the bond of unity we discovered through God's love.

It is almost humorous to me now when I meet a woman who initially drives me crazy.  I often chuckle to the Lord, "what is it that you have for the three of us together?"  The enemy has also laid off in this area, I believe, because he knows it is not worth his time to try and disrupt this relationship through initial lies and attitudes.

So this post is written to share with you what I believe is one of the most significant, tried and true life lessons that I have faithfully put into practice in my life over the last 8 years.  As you know, I have a passion for the Lord and for people to experience the freedom that only comes through Him.  It is important to put on our spiritual eyes and recognize that not every attitude, emotion and initial response we have to people and situations is correct.  Instead, we need to fight for God's truth and learn to love people the way God loves them, even when it is hard.  Time will prove that it was worth the fight, worth the pain, and worth the denying of yourself to do this.

In Christ,

Book Review: Surprised by Oxford

Right now all I can say is, "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh." And it is a sigh of beauty, joy and contentment.  I absolutely LOVED Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber.  Reading this book was like going away on a long weekend with a beloved friend and getting to hear her God story.  The book description is:

A girl-meets-God style memoir of an agnostic who, through her surprising opportunity to study at Oxford, comes to a dynamic personal faith in God.


Carolyn Weber arrives for graduate study at Oxford University a feminist from a loving but broken family, suspicious of men and intellectually hostile to all things religious. As she grapples with her God-shaped void alongside the friends, classmates, and professors she meets, she tackles big questions in search of love and a life that matters.

This savvy, beautifully written, credible account of Christian conversion follows the calendar and events of the school year as it entertains, informs, and promises to engage even the most skeptical and unlikely reader.

Carolyn has studied and taught Romantic Literature so this book is not only a beautiful God story, it is also a beautiful display of the use of language, and poetry.  Throughout each chapter she throws in poems and quotes from famous poets, authors of old and U2.  This book has an absolutely beautiful way of sharing the Gospel through a life lived in question.  Throughout her life story, she wrestles with many of the questions Christianity presents unbelievers and she manages to answer those questions in a grace-filled way.

As many of you know, I had the privilege of growing up in Christianity. After you have been around faith for many years, the waters can get murky with religiosity. Carolyn came to Christ, in her adulthood and didn't have any experience with Christianity. It was refreshingly beauitful to see the Gospel come alive through the power of love to someone who has no experience with Christianity. It was also beautiful to see how in hindsight God had been weaving His way into her story through the people and influences around her. This is a modern day life story lived out showing how God is a loving Father who strongly desires for all men to be saved.

I hands down loved this book.  It was not only an enjoyable read, it ministered to my heart in a very healing way and it expanded my love for my Heavenly Father.  He is a good Father, and He loves to author our stories.  I sooooooo hope that you decide to read this beautiful book; it's that good. 

To get a taste of the story, you can download the first chapter for free from the author's website: http://www.pressingsave.com/.


In Christ,


 
P.S. I received this book free of charge from Booksneeze in exchange for a review.  I was not paid for my review or required to give a positive review.  I really just loved the book! I am an Amazon.com affliate so if you purchase the book through one of my links, they may store up some pennies for me.