Choir Members Paraphrase 1 Corinthians 13

If I can sing with a voice like angels

but have not love,

I may as well sing in the wrong key.

And although I may have the gift of perfect pitch

and the ability to harmonize in many parts;

Even if I can write a song,

if I do not have love,

my music may as well be dissonant and noisy.

Love is patient

even when someone else keeps making mistakes that make you look bad.

Love is kind

when someone forgets the words to a song in front of the whole congregation.

Love is not jealous

when someone else is asked to sing a solo you wanted.

Love is not proud

when you are the one chosen for a solo.

Love does not make fun of those who do not sing on pitch, admits when you were the one who sang the wrong note, does not take pleasure when someone is asked to make their joyful noise from the congregation instead of the choir loft, and rejoices even if the person asked is you.

Love bears up when you are asked to sing a supporting part that is boring in order to allow the melody to shine; believes you are singing your part for a reason; hopes for better parts in other songs; and is willing to wait for God’s timing.

Cramped, hot or cold choir lofts,

Lost music,

Lousy practices,

And wrinkled choir robes

Will pass away

But love will last forever.

Since I don’t fully understand the Great Chorale of life

I can only tell you something about the part I sing or play in it.

But someday the Great Conductor will come

and I will be able to see His Conductor’s score

and understand why I had the part I did.

When I was younger I was only concerned about getting the notes right.

Now I realize that articulation, diction, dynamics and heart attitude are important too.

Now I wonder why I am in this congregation, in this choir, at this point in time,

When I see Jesus, I will see that because I was willing to be where He placed me,

I harmonized with His melody to help make His song beautiful.

In the meantime, I’ve learned these three things:

Faith, hope, and love,

but the greatest of these is love.

Shirley Lewis 6/6/2012
adapted from the Bible

& 'a band member's paraphrase'

by Sharon Varner

Love & Hate

A few years ago I became very serious about not just reading the Bible, but about studying it in its cultural and linguistical context. After-all, what I have is a translation and I live in a different time and culture. I hear that the Bible is full of ‘contradictions’ but when I study those passages in context I have found the seeming contradictions usually disappear. Oftentimes the Hebrew or Greek have many words translated into one English word; sometimes the Hebrew or Greek word has multiple meanings but because translations are word by word and not necessarily meaning, the word used in English is not the best translation for meaning. An example of each kind follows: one for the word translated “Love” and one for “hate.”

LOVE

So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs.” He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “ Shepherd My sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus *said to him, “ Tend My sheep. John 21: 15-17

In Greek there are three main words which are translates into English as Love:

Agapao – or agape: unconditional love

Phileo: brotherly love

Eros : sexual love

In this passage, Jesus asks Peter, “Do you agape Me more than these?” Peter responds that he phileos Jesus. That is a different picture than the one painted by use of a single word “love.” Perhaps Peter did not feel he could say agape as a sinful man; we don’t know, but Jesus gives him a second chance by asking again, “Do you agape Me?” and Peter again replies that he phileos Jesus. So finally, Jeusus concedes and says, “Do you phileo Me?” So Peter was grieved that Jesus asked if he phileo Him. Peter replies that yes he phileos Jesus. The meaning of the words in the original document alter our perception of the meaning of the verses and the lessons it has for us.

HATE

In Luke 14:26 Jesus tells the crowds ‘If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.’

Then in I John 2:11 John tells us “But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.”

In English the word “hate” means to detest or dislike. The word “hate” usually is associated with fairly strong emotions like anger. Yesterday I watched a rerun of MASH where a fourth grader said he hated the doctors because they fixed his brother just so he could return to the war to get killed. Hawkeye responded with touching words, “Dear Ronnie, it's a shame to let the love you have for your brother turn to hate for others. Hate makes war, and war is what killed Keith.”

It is pretty obvious that hating someone is a dark place, so why would Jesus say to hate other people, and not just anyone, but He purposefully chooses those closest to us like fathers, mothers, siblings, and children. That slaps us in the face and gets our attention. These are the people we would die for, or even kill for – “blood is thicker than water” and all that. I know when I had kids I truly learned what unconditional love is, and what I am capable of if need-be to protect them. Even when I want to pull-out my (ever-graying) hair, I love, love LOVE my kids with probably the closest thing to agape I have ever known. Hate them? Never!

The Greek for “hate” in both verses is miseo, which has two different meanings – one is “detest” and one is “to love less.”

So in Luke, Jesus is not telling us to be filled with hatred or to detest anyone, He is saying that if we do not love others, even the most important people in our lives or ourselves less than we love Him, then we cannot be His true disciples.

Time of Refreshing

A friend of mine was reading Acts Chapter 3, and he asked what we thought of the concept of refresh or "time of refreshing" from verse 19:

“ Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19)

Here are my thoughts:

In this passage, the word translated as Repent is the word metanoeo, which literally means to think differently (reconsider or repent) {It’s sister is metanoia, which means compunction for guilt (repentance or a reversal) which leads to forgiveness {more on that in my post an offering of forgiveness})}

Return, is the word epistepho, and means to be converted (turned around).

Refresh is the word anapsuxis. It means a recovery of breath, revival.

What I get is this: Peter is saying they are like dead people. Their thinking is twisted by sin. So much so, that they cried for the death of the very Messiah they had been waiting for. He is telling people they are dead in sin and need to turn from death and convert their thinking (repent) to receive life: a recovery of breath (refreshing) from God!

He says a “time of refreshing,” so it is not like one kid at the beach who drowned and got life breathed back into him, but like a tsunami drowned hundreds of thousands of people and they all get life breathed back into them. It is a picture of revival!

Blot out/wipe out is the word exaleipo. It literally means to obliterate: erase so it does not exist. Like a nuke-bomb on sin.

And why would God revive people and obliterate their sin? So Jesus can come back and claim a pure Bride. (Everything is, afterall, about His Glory).

**

What does revival look like? What is our response to being refreshed by God?

If all those drowned people got brought back to life they would probably be dancing and singing and celebrating! They would probably re-evaluate what is most important in life and they would probably tell absolutely every person they knew they had been dead and were brought back to life. That kind of excitement is contagious.

Spiritually speaking, anyone who comes to Christ is one of those people.

Usually when the Church thinks of revival, it thinks of people who are already Christ-followers who have just gotten tired, but I think this specific passage is talking to spiritually dead people.

For the Christian, I think of the 23rd Psalm. “He restores my soul” The journey is long and hard sometimes and we get weary or discouraged.. The word for restore is Shuwb. It fits what we might visualize as being refreshed from our English speaking way of thinking: rescued from weariness - being returned to a state of spiritual vigor - restored; whereas the passage in Acts uses a word that means to be made alive from being dead.

Again, what is our response to that? Do we just lie in the green pastures and sip of the cool, still waters while God pampers us with His affection? Or do we absolutely soak Him in and respond in worship because our cups are filled to overflowing with Love from and for Him? I think when He restores us we want to dance and sing and tell everyone how good He is all over again. That is what He taught me (2007) when He gave me my version of music for this Psalm.

Final thought: Psalm 33 says ‘the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him and who hope for His Lovingkindness… He will rescue them..Our hearts rejoice in His Holy Name.’

Fear here does not mean to cower in a corner. It means to be in awe of His Awesomeness and humble in spirit with respect for His Supremacy over all things. And He will rescue, restore, refresh- and in response our hearts will brim over in Joy.

Symbol of the Dove at Jesus' Baptism

Mark Chapter 1 tells us that when Jesus was baptised by John, the Spirit of God descended as a dove and landed on Jesus. A friend of mine asked what this means. Was it an actual dove or a symbol used to describe something else?

When I was younger, I had this vision of a dove landing on Jesus’ shoulder. But…when I go to the Greek text and look at this passage in linguistical and cultural context, I see a completely different picture.

The word “as” would be better translated “as if it were” or “as if it were like.” The author is describing movement, not an animal, per say. You have to understand how the writer thought, so consider the following: if you take a horse, a bird, and a cow, and you ask a modern native English speaker which two are most alike, the response will be the horse and the cow because of the way they look. If you ask a native Hebrew or Greek speaker, the answer will be the horse and the bird because of the way they move. This passage causes the native English speaker to picture the bird because of the way it looks, but that is not the case for a native Hebrew or Greek speaker - they are more open to realizing it is a description of movement.

Also, the word for Spirit is literally “life-breath” which is so cool to think of the Spirit of God as the life-breath of God! So now I have a new picture in my mind. First, I think this life-breath must have had some visibility – think of when you breathe out on a cold day and you can see your breath. This breath might have had form - something like that (or like a wisp of cloud) - and it descended down from the Heavens and floated on the air currents the way a dove flies on the air currents, until it landed on Jesus. And when it landed it didn’t sit there looking like a bird on His shoulder dear native English speaker; it probably just looked like that breath described (or wisp of cloud) and dissipated as it landed.

So my translation for this passage after reading the Greek is "the life-breath (Spirit) of God descended as if it were a dove and came to rest (or landed) upon Jesus."

Passover or Easter?

[note]God told Solomon not to marry foreign wives because they would bring their pagan worship into his house and before long what was holy would be so intermingled with what was unholy that people would no longer know the difference. I believe this has happened to the modern Church. In Jeremiah the Lord declares that "people perish for their lack of knowledge" and we are exhorted to study the Word of God to rightly divide/ascertain the truth. I believe Keith green correctly stated that the "world is sleeping in the dark that the Church just can't fight 'cause its asleep in the light."

The following brief summarization of past events is for the purposes of understanding why calling the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus "Easter" (and intermingling pagan practices as if they were truth) breaks the heart of God. There are reliable historical documents that explain these events in greater detail for those who wish to investigate them further.

The Case Against Easter

History:
Noah had three sons. One son, Ham, had a son named Cush, who married Semiramus (aka Semiramis). Cush and Semiramus had a son named Nimrod. When Cush died, Nimrod married his mother. Nimrod was king over the land of Shinar, also known as Babylon. He was considered a great hunter. (Genesis 10) Nimrod was killed violently by his enemies, who cut him into pieces and scattered them throughout the kingdom. Semiramus took opportunity and said that Nimrod had ascended to the sun, and was now the sun-god Baal. She further claimed she was immaculately conceived and had arrived on earth in a giant moon egg that fell into the Euphrates during the first full moon after the Spring equinox.

Semiramus took the Aramaic goddess name of Ishtar (the h is silent and it is pronounced e’ star). Her egg which the moon “birthed” her in was called Ishtar’s (e’ stars) egg. When she was pregnant after the death of Nimrod, she claimed the rays of the sun-god Baal had impregnated her. She named her son Tammuz. Ishtar was worshipped as mother of a god-child, and self-proclaimed, “Queen of Heaven.”

When Tammuz was killed by a wild boar, Semiramus told the people he had ascended to his sun-god father Baal. She declared a 40 day period of mourning which was to continue every year in his memory. (Ezekiel 8: 13-18) This period was followed by a sunrise celebration to commemorate the ascension of Tammuz. This celebration coincided with the arrival of Ishtar’s egg, on the first day of the week following the spring equinox (hence, the celebration called e'star - or Easter). [Note that this celebration preceded the arrival of the true Savior Jesus by some 1,500 years].

Temples:
In 550 BC, (~ 1,000 years after the life of Semiramus), a temple was erected for Ishtar in Babylon, the capital of Mesopotamia. Considered to be the city of enlightenment by the people of the day, many Babylonians worshipped Ishtar. It was common practice for a girl to spend time as a temple prostitute before marriage to both worship and be worshiped as the physical embodiment of Ishtar. Other temples were erected in other cities as the worship and celebrations of Ishtar grew. Worshippers exist as of this writing in the early 21st Century, and recently the temple in Babylon (Mesopotamia is now Iraq) was renovated under the rule of Sadam Hussein.

Other Names:
The same way “Good Day” in English has the exact same meaning as “Buenas Dias” in Spanish, or “Guten Tag” in German, names can differ too. John in English is Juan (pronounced whon) in Spanish. They are the same name. The name Ishtar is Aramaic. In Hebrew she is called Ashtaroth; in Greek Astarte; and in English, Estre, or Easter. (The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia).

These are all reference to the same false goddess. The Old Testament, written in Hebrew mentions Ashtorath on several occasions with condemnation for her and those who follow her ways. Judges 2:13 and 10:6 both talk about the children of Israel doing evil, forsaking God to serve Baal (plural Baalim) and Ashtorath. 1 Samuel 7:3 says Samuel spoke to ALL the house of Israel to forsake Ashtorath and return their hearts to the Lord, and He would deliver them from the Philistines.

“Behold you are trusting in deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery and swear falsely and offer sacrifices to Baal and walk after other gods that you have not known, then come and stand before Me in this house, which is called by My Name and say ‘We are delivered!’ – that you may do all these abominations? ...go to My place which is in Shiloh, where I made My Name to dwell at the first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel…And now because you have done all these things…I will cast you out of My sight… Do not pray for these people, and do not lift up cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with Me, for I do not hear you. Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, the fathers kindle fire, and the women knead dough to make cakes for the queen of heaven (Ishtar).” Jeremiah 7: 8-18

In 605 BC, (55 years after the erection of Ishtar’s temple in Babylon), Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem, taking king Jehoiakim, vessels from the temple of God, and among the abductees, many of the choicest of the royal youth to Babylon. One of these youth was Daniel. The book of Daniel describes some of the 70 years of captivity that were prophesied in Jeremiah. (The reason I mention this, is because as I read these books together in context, part of the idolatry that landed them in Babylon was the worship of Ashtaroth, i.e. Easter).

When Daniel was an old man, he mourned for the sins of his people after having visions of the end times. Daniel 9 contains his prayer for God’s mercy. At this time, the 70 years of captivity ended, and many returned to Jerusalem. Daniel stayed in Babylon. There are many possible reasons he stayed, he had a high position in the kingdom, and at the age of ~85, the trip was probably not practical. Daniel 10 finds Daniel in the midst of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. He mourned for Jerusalem for three weeks before an angel came to him. It occurred to me that his mourning might have been compounded by the celebrations of Ishtar that would have been close to, or overlapped Passover each year, with their pagan rites and celebrations.

Fast forward to the time of Christ.
As a Jewish man, Jesus would have traveled to Jerusalem each year to take part in Passover. The week of His betrayal and crucifixion, He shared a Passover feast with His disciples, and then fulfilled the feast by becoming God’s own Passover Lamb. The women who went to the tomb on the first day of the week found that Jesus had risen! Followers of Christ continued to celebrate Passover and its fulfillment in Jesus. “Christ our Passover is sacrifice for us, therefore let us keep the feast.” 1Corinthians 5:7-8

The close time proximity of Passover to the celebration of Ishtar is no doubt the reason a few English Bibles mistakenly translated the word of Passover as Easter in Acts 12. Most recent editions have been corrected. It begs the question of how much the 2 feasts clashed throughout time.

Modern Easter
The Roman Empire was in the height of its power from 63 BC – 476 AD. One of its products was the Roman Catholic Church, which was as much a political power as it was a religious one. The leaders of the church sought to separate all things Jewish from their modern Christianity. I do not know the intentions of their hearts, and I am merely making observation of the consequences of their decisions. Perhaps they were seeking to avoid the persecution that always seemed to pursue the Jewish people through history. Suffice it to say, the early Roman Catholic Church forced Jewish people to renounce their Judaism in order to profess their Christianity, and the misguided era of separatism began. (Constantine’s Sword) Anxious to ditch the practice of all things Jewish, the church began to instigate its own feasts, thereby replacing the feasts of God in Leviticus.

The closeness of Passover with the celebration of Ishtar /Easter was certainly obvious to the leaders of the time. Perhaps they aspired to replace the pagan practices that honored the false deity with a religious one that honored the risen Christ, but the way they went about it was to “poach” each pagan ritual and “claim” it for Christianity. The 40 days of sorrow were replaced with what was called Lent. The sunrise service for Tammuz was replaced with a sunrise service for the resurrection of Christ. (The church taught that Jesus rose at sunrise, but John 20 says Mary arrived at the tomb while it was STILL dark on the first day of the week and Jesus was Already risen). Ishtar/Easter’s egg became colored Easter eggs brought forth by another symbol of fertility, an “Easter” Bunny. The cakes baked for the queen of Heaven were called by the favorite little nursery song “hot cross buns.” Somewhere along the way, Passover was lost and the resurrection of Christ was known by the masses as Easter.

“Howbeit in vain they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandments of God you hold the tradition of men. Full well you reject the commandment of God that you may keep your own tradition.” (Mark 7:7-9)

Some people think it is “legalistic” to forsake Easter and practice Passover. Passover is thought to be a feast for the Jewish people with no significance to the Gentiles, but besides what would be another discussion, the fact that Jesus fulfilled the feast alone makes it relevant to all people who call Him Christ/Messiah. (Plus, why do they not consider the celebration of Easter legalistic too?) We are under grace and not the law, and when we celebrate the resurrection is probably not a big deal (though the “how” is very important), but, if you are going to celebrate the resurrection and redemption of Christ, why would you choose the man-ordained Easter celebration with pagan practices which honor an enemy of God and evoke His anger over a celebration which God Himself ordained and fulfilled?

Jesus said it would be better to have a millstone hung around your neck and drown rather than to cause a believer to stumble. Yet, the American Christian culture tells innocent children the Easter Bunny is REAL (idolatry in its purest form) and invites him (and Easter egg hunts) into their homes and their sanctuaries alongside with Christ.

I cannot say that observing 40 days of Lent is bad just because it originated in a pagan practice; many people earnestly seek God in this time, and I believe God sees our hearts. I’m not purporting that we have to worship in the manner of the early Church who were Messianic Jews [although it is my personal preference] or meet in houses or be like the first Gentile believers who were Greek. There is room for adaptation to culture and preference – As long as we know and practice truth!

However - Telling children a mythical creature is real is a lie, plain and simple. No excuses. Celebrating Spring and even having egg hunts is okay as long as we are truthful about what it is and don't pretend it has anything to do with the resurrection of our Lord.

(I’ll reiterate what a Jewish girl told me when I was ~9 or 10 – “Why should I listen to you tell me Jesus is real when you still believe in Santa Claus? Someday you’ll know all the adults have been lying to you about everything!” That week I knew the truth about Santa, the Easter Bunny and more, and it was a long, hard road to be sure Jesus was indeed real).

When we do not even know the truth from the fiction, how are we effective witnesses to a dying world? We speak truth out of one side of our mouths and lie from the other (knowingly or not); how can this honor Christ? Sometimes the world knows more than those who claim to know “the truth” like Jesus.

Finally for this particular writing, imagine you are married, and your spouse has/had an affair. Now imagine it is the anniversary of your marriage, and your spouse wants to celebrate it, but the anniversary with his/her lover is the same week, and so this year, s/he will celebrate Your anniversary on the date of Their anniversary; you will eat Their favorite meal, and it will be called by the Lover’s name. Even when your spouse swears the lover meant nothing, you continue to celebrate your anniversary on their day with their customs. (Recall Jeremiah 7:8) How would you feel? IMO, that is what "Easter" is to God.

Is Jesus Really the Reason for the Season?

I was reading a blog by a wonderful Christian man about how Jesus is the reason for the season, but how there is a push to say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas, and how people are so caught up in the secular aspects of Christmas that focus on self, like getting presents, but missing the gift God gave us in His Son Jesus, and wondering how a Christian holiday got so screwed up.

But you know what? The roots behind the Christmas holiday were not Christian, they were pagan. Christians just took a pagan holiday and slapped the Name of Jesus on it as if that act claimed it for Christ and made it Christian. It started with a Mass for Christ on the day of a pagan holiday, so that people would go to Mass instead of parties with drunkenness and orgies, but what happened was, many did both – which shouldn’t be surprising, really. Ever read the Old Testament? Perhaps this was a new twist on an old bad idea, but the end result was the same: mingling the Holy with the unholy. (It never went over well then either). So why should we be surprised that the World has such a claim on this holiday or the things surrounding it, regardless of the name we give it or the attempt by a few to claim it as the time to celebrate the birth of our Lord?

As Christians, we can use this man-made holiday to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. There are many wonderful things that happen this time of year. People in general think about giving to those less fortunate, even if they ignore them the rest of the year. Families get together. But there are many holiday specific things that are rooted in ungodliness waiting to devour who it may. Should we be surprised that retail takes advantage of the holiday mood to capitalize on buying goods in a culture obsessed with materialism?

It may seem like a small thing to you, but the more I study the Word of God in its cultural and linguistical context, the more deception I see clouding the eyes of our understanding, and as time moves on, things that would have caused alarm in one generation are dismissed by another because when change is slow and subtle enough, it goes virtually unnoticed. It has been that way since the beginning of time and is a tried and tested maneuver by the enemy of our souls. Is there any doubt he is busy at work during this time of year? Suicide rates skyrocket from Thanksgiving through New Years.

Amidst the pretty lights and outward cheer of the season, people are literally dying to know truth and be set free.

Keith Green had this revealing illustration of people on a dock, dressed in party clothes, sipping tea and eating h'ordourves while all around them people are drowning in the water, but the people on the dock are oblivious. He said “The world is sleeping in the dark that the church just can’t fight ‘cause its asleep in the light” That is a picture of Christmas IMO.

Like me, did you grow up believing Christ was born on a cold winter’s night and that He was born in a Stable with barn animals all around? Where in scripture did we get that from? NOWHERE. It came from songs and such that were written with the false perception that Christmas was celebrated because that is when Christ was born because we celebrate our own birthdays on the dates we were born, when in fact, it had nothing to do with the date of His birth, but as stated previously. Picture these poor shivering shepherds with their sheep out in the pastures grazing on dead grass through the snow, in the cold, trying not to freeze to death (instead of in the barn where the smart shepherds had their sheep on cold winter’s nights), just so a girly choir of angels could sing to them. What’s wrong with this picture? What isn’t?! Not to mention how stupid it would be to call a census of all the people to travel {on foot} in the dead of winter in the first place! The stable was a modern day Western culture assumption made because they used a manger as a crib. (In a barn full of animals because it was a cold winter’s night).
A Heavenly Host, that is, an ARMY of Angels appeared to the shepherds. They had to tell them to not be afraid. Like the moon reflects the sun, they probably radiated with a mere reflection of the glory of the God in Whose Presence they had just been. Think for a minute how overwhelming this must have been! I wonder if an army of angels is what frightened the Roman soldiers at the tomb of Jesus – so much so they fled, knowing this meant they chose death for leaving their posts. That is pretty powerful fear. The kind of fear that makes people wet themselves. Seriously. It had to be amazing and terrifying!

There are so many things our culture associates with Christ’s birth that are actually very different from the truth revealed in God’s Word, and yet so many cling to them as if our whole faith will unravel if it isn’t true because we have our “warm-fuzzy” feelings associated with it. I know people who think the little drummer boy is in the Bible and are shocked to find out it is not. Some will even argue, and I’ll give $1,000 to anyone who can find it – it is not there, but hey, if it gets someone into the Word of God, so be it!

Like me, did you grow up thinking three wise men came to see the baby Jesus on the night of His birth, right after the shepherds? (Did you know what wise men were and how this experience changed them?) The Hebrew text of the Word in Matthew 2 refers to these men arriving at the house of the young child. His house, not a temporary lodging. A young child, a toddler in age, not a baby. Three types of gifts are listed by name, but it is most likely there were several men in the party if you study history and context.

Does it matter when Christ was born? Does it matter when we celebrate it?
Does it matter that God already had a celebration for the birth of His Son (at the time He was most certainly born) within the Feast of Tabernacles (God come to dwell among us), and the Gentile world disregarded it because those who associated with Messianic Judaism (which is what Christianity is) years before were persecuted to death? Are we more concerned with the opinions of men and our good feelings than we are with the opinions of God if we find the answers are yes? (I Thess. 2:4)

Were the Priests who came up with the idea of a Christ Mass trying to do a good thing? Were they deceived or perhaps misguided despite their best of intentions? (Considering a Mass is for a dead person, and Christ is Alive aside). Can we reach people for Christ through this holiday we call Christmas? YES!

But we need to not be ignorant of the truth we are professing to claim.
In Jeremiah, God said people perish for their lack of knowledge. I think this is true today.
God also said we would be better off to have a millstone around our necks and be drowned than to lead a soul astray, especially children. So this is serious business deserving our attention.

Is it ever okay to lie or is lying always sin?
Lying is what the enemy of our souls does best.
Do we want to be like him?

So what about our modern day Santa (BTW, move the letter n and you spell satan). Our culture gives him the three Omni’s: Omnipresent, Omnipotent, and Omniscient. (He sees you when you sleep and when you wake, he knows who is good and bad, he has the power to give or not). How can the World not see that ONLY THE LORD GOD MOST HIGH - POSESSOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH is Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and Omniscient?!?!?! We blaspheme Him with a false idol when we tell children to “Just Believe in the magic of Christmas and in santa who will bring them presents if they have been good enough”
Then, without skipping a beat, turn around and say with almost the same conviction: “Jesus is the reason for the season, if you Believe in Him, you will have Eternal Life.”

If you are a liar about one, why should anyone believe what you say about the other?

Magic is the enemy’s counterfeit of miracles. Just Believe is the new age idea of tolerance for all religious thought (however blind or mindless) as a means to Heaven. Santa perpetuates giving God our ‘wish lists’ if we can just be good enough for Him to see fit to give them to us, along with the idea of earning our salvation. Most Christians will say “Well, I don’t take it that way” but don’t realize the subtleness of idolatry is a stealth bomber flying under the radar of our understanding or how a Lost World has taken it all to heart.

I’m not trying to be all negative. The Good News of Jesus Christ is AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL and He wants us to Live in the Joy of the Lord! Not the joy of the world. If we who profess to know the truth deny or ignore the evil in the world, we will find ourselves part of it without even knowing it because it is a wolf in sheep’s clothing inside our own camp, stealing right under our noses. We are told Satan disguises himself as an angel of light so that he might deceive and seduce us away from God.

Many professing Christians are ignorant that a portion of the World sees right through this farce and spits in God’s face because of it. (Although as some countries are “Westernized” they have adopted the same lies as “cute” or “quaint”). A Jewish girl I went to grade school with once commented how stupid all the Christian kids were and how disappointed they were going to be when they realized Santa and Jesus were both fakes. Her heart was closed to hearing about her Messiah because of the place Santa has in the “Christian” culture. She is only one of many Jewish people with this stumbling block.

Daniel walked among idolatry. He was made the Chief over all the magicians, diviners, seers {all these things forbidden by God}, but he did not partake of those things. Instead he remained uncompromisingly faithful to the Lord. I think when we know the whole truth of the Christmas holiday, then we can be like Daniel, not partakers of idolatry and lies, but servants of the Lord who can be trusted to speak the truth with Love to the many who are open to hear of the wonderful gift of salvation that has been given in Jesus to all who will receive.

So I am not saying we should necessarily abandon the whole idea of celebrating the birth of our Lord during the celebration called Christmas, but we need to put it in perspective with the world in which we live. For one thing, if we are going to call it Christmas, we need to recognize that we are indeed using the Name of Christ to identify it, which is serious business. We are told not to say things mindlessly or repetitiously – our words should mean something. If we use the Name of the Lord without embracing Who and What He is, we are using His Name in vain.

Does flippantly crying out “Merry Christmas” to everyone we meet really carry any value or meaning? Is it just some mindless thing we repeat for the sake of a holiday? When you ask the lost world to call it Christmas, you are asking them to use the Name of the Lord. And if they use that Name without embracing its meaning, you are asking them to use the Name of the Lord vainly. So maybe happy holidays is appropriate for the world, and maybe Merry Christmas should be reserved only for those who embrace its meaning.

And just repeating words over and over, does that convey its meaning to the lost world – or is it Christianeze and you have to be a member of the club to ‘get it’? I don’t know the answers, but I know what Merry Christmas means to me:
“Rejoice! for the Christ came to dwell among Mankind and we are celebrating His birth, and the gift of Salvation to the world. Come celebrate with me!” I can’t say one without saying the other, and in it, is the opportunity to share our Christ with a lost and dying world.

What Kind of Love

The Samaritan woman was going to draw water from the well when she met Jesus. She probably figured when she approached, He would walk away. Or worse, tell her to come back later. She might have figured that not only was she a lowly Samaritan woman in His Jewish eyes, but it would be obvious that she was an outcast even of her own people, since she was drawing water during the day, rather than in the cool of the morning when the rest of the women gathered to draw water and socialize. My guess is, she approached the well with her eyes down, trying to avoid Him. And what did Jesus do? (for He had been waiting for her) He not only spoke to her, but engaged her in conversation, and then, as if that wasn't enough, He told her everything about her with total accuracy, and instead of condemning her, He gave her the awesome privilege of revealing Himself as Messiah! When she encountered Jesus, she encountered Love.

As I sat in Sunday school one morning as the class discussed this scenario, I was unusually quiet. What could I say? The people in this class could talk the talk, but none of them had any idea what it was to be this woman. I know, because they shared testimonies about how blessed they were to be married and not to have ever walked such a road. It became painfully evident to me that I was the only single person in the class that day. And I found myself wondering what they'd think if they knew my story.

I first encountered Jesus when I was 7. I believe He took a hold of my hand at such a young age because He knew I was in for some difficult times in life, (my parents were not Christians) and He wasn't about to let the enemy snatch me (my brother practiced the occult). And despite some pretty valiant attempts by that enemy, I sought after the Lord with my whole heart more often than not, and I was what you'd call a "good" girl, that is, until I was 21, and I was a victim of date rape in a college dorm. It became my "secret" for over five years. (I lied and said the bruises were from a bike accident). I still prayed to God, but I also didn't really trust Him with my life any more, and I took matters into my own hands. Since I was no longer a virgin, I felt ruined. I had struggled with feeling ugly and unworthy all my life. I had been touched inappropriately when I was a teen, (and dealt with constant sexual propositions and pressure to comply, but I would run away or get into a fight over it). I was led to feel I would only be 'useful' to a 'bad' guy. Now I was certain it was true, and that no godly man would ever want me. If all I was good for was sex and I'd never be loved, I decided I might as well enjoy it, so I plunged into a secret lifestyle of dating 'bad' boys, which included having sex. But I still maintained the "good" girl image, especially at church. No one who knew me would have ever suspected. I turned down dates with church going guys because I knew eventually we'd have "the conversation" that would end it all, and then 'everyone' would know.

I brought a world of hurt upon myself. I desperately wanted a marriage that was a reflection of God's love for us, but I settled for less because I thought I was undeserving - 'used' merchandise who would never know real love. Because of my poor decisions, I found out first-hand how cruel adultery and abuse were (as a recipient, not as a doer), and then how hard it was to be a divorced, single mom. I attended a big church with a singles program. Despite outward politeness, we were still the 'outcasts' of the church to most people. They might not admit it, but honestly, when it came down to it, certain "things" were different when it came to us. (yeah, them and us are purposeful statements because that was the reality). The worship team prayed for a long while to consider letting a woman getting a divorce join the team. I had to "prove" myself for a year before I was allowed to sing solos. Then there were the guys I dated from the singles group. Most of them wanted to have sex sooner or later. I wanted to get my life right with God. That meant giving control back to Him, come to the place of healing and rest, and start obeying His Word. I remember walking away from sin and embracing Jesus.

Now I come to the story of the woman who washed Jesus feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. The whole ordeal is but a few sentences of the Bible, but the fact that it is in there at all means it is significant, and for me, it is profoundly moving. No one dreams of becoming a whore when they grow up (and why do we call women whores but men-whores are called 'players'? Why was the woman caught in adultery brought before Jesus for judgment but the man was left un-accused?). Life is unfair and life is cruel. In Jesus' day, a woman had limited options and opportunities. Prostitution or co-habitation were the only means of survival some women could find who were widowed or sold into slavery or given by their parents as temple prostitutes, etc. Jesus showed this woman a better way, and being forgiven much, she worshipped Him as her tears fell so sweetly on His feet. You know the men there said if Jesus knew what 'sort' of woman she was, He'd have nothing to do with her, but He rebuked them and embraced her worship as one of His children. I just cannot get over that kind of Love!

That kind of Love transforms a person from the inside out. That kind of Love went to the cross and bore the shame and cruelty for my sin. That kind of Love not only knows my name, but beckons me by it. That kind of Love gives me hope. That kind of Love heals me and makes me whole. That kind of Love redeems me and makes me pure, as if the past never happened.

I recently encountered the prejudice of people in the 'church' against divorce. Some do not even recognize they have this prejudice, but their actions speak volumes. I was wounded deeply. I considered leaving this church body, but I feel like God told me to stay for the moment. The people who acted in ways that wounded me do not even see their 'privileged' attitude towards me. Trying to lovingly confront it only made matters worse. These people have no idea of the pain and suffering endured for years, while praying for a miracle that was never going to happen. I could say lots here, but to sum it up, many don't have a clue how absolutely blessed they are.

Now we are all broken, messed-up people; some have bigger secrets than others, and God is no respecter of sin or of people. We really need to learn to love each other. The church is not about coming to a building to sing and hear a sermon – it is about embracing our family who are hurting or lost or in need. God has given me a gift for teaching. Sometimes when people find out I am divorced, they decide that what I have to say is of no value anymore, like the truth is tarnished by my past, despite that when I told God if He would hold on to me, I would walk a pure life, no matter what, and I meant it, and I have not fallen (it has been years). I just think, you who are without sin may cast the first stone and I will receive it. Thing is, the One without sin embraced me with His radical, redeeming Love, and now He has given me a ministry to hurting people like youth from broken homes.

So back to the woman at the well. I know her story way too well, and the woman who fell at Jesus feet to worship Him with her sweet tears of brokenness and thanksgiving and love. I hate it that I understand a piece of them, but I am so grateful that He understands us all, and Loves us anyway. I am not the woman I was, because of His Love. Now, I only date men who are on the same spiritual page as I am, which means I say no a lot, but that's okay, I am trusting God to write my love story. He will have to bring me a man who will love me for who I am today in Jesus. A friend pointed out to me that because I am not remarried and not even dating at the moment, that in some people's minds I am probably looked upon (subconsciously) as someone who must be pretty difficult to live with or I'd not be alone. The truth is, I have chosen to be selective and never again compromise. I am trusting the "LOVE of my life" to bring me to the "Love of my life" and that means being patient until He orchestrates it.

Recently as I pondered the woman washing Jesus' feet with her tears and the woman at the well, and my own life, He gave me the words to What Kind of Love. Then He gave me the music, and the story here, is that I have not played piano for ~ 20 years because as soon as I had learned the basics of piano, I had nerve damage in my right hand from cutting a nerve in an accident. In time I had much healing and my brain figured out how to compensate where there was not healing, and though I did most things I had done before the injury, I never returned to the piano. I thought about it, but always had excuses. Then I knew someone who had a hand injury that could potentially limit his ability to play guitar and he does it for a living. As I prayed for healing, or for grace to be sufficient if God chose to Glorify Himself through not healing, I became convicted of my excuses. So when God gave me the music for this song, it was on the condition that it was piano music. The first recording is very basic because it is what God gave me after a week of playing piano after ~20 years. I expect it is just the beginning of a chapter in my journey...


What Kind of Love

They said if You knew me
You would walk away...
But when You looked into my eyes
You saw beyond my disguise
And much to their surprise...
You Loved me!

What kind of Love is this?
That sees beyond the shame
Calls to me by name
Transforms me from within
Gives me hope again
Now I'll never be the same!

You welcomed my tears so sweet
As they fell to wash Your feet
And as I dried them with my hair
With tenderness and care
You took me in Your arms
And called me child!

What kind of Love is this?
That sees beyond the shame
Calls to me by name
Transforms me from within
Gives me hope again
Now I'll never be the same!

A Love that saved my soul
A Love that made me whole
Required sacrifice
To make things right...

They nailed You to a tree
To die at Calvary
To pay a debt for me
To set the captives free
You conquered death and sin
When You rose again!

What kind of Love is this?
That sees beyond the shame
Calls to me by name
Transforms me from within
Gives me hope again
Now I'll never be the same!

Jesus! Since You came...
I will never be the same!

(c) Shirley Lewis 2007

Waiting On God A Lesson From Ezekiel

The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord GOD, you know." Then he said to me, "Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the LORD." {Ezekiel 37: 1-6}

I have friends who have been in prison ministry for many years. They believed that God spoke to their hearts and told them to rent a house and start a ministry for men getting out of prison. These men would live in the house, be embraced by the church, have a system of accountability and support, get help learning skills they lacked like cooking and such, and aid the process of looking for and landing a job. They would stay in the house until they were ready to get their own place.
It is difficult for an ex-offender to get employment, even if they are not the person they were when they were convicted. Many end up back in prison simply because they cannot get a break outside of prison. My friends were positive they were called to start this ministry. But they had to wait years before things were in place for it to happen. Did they believe it could? Yes. Did they believe it would? Some days doubt crept in, but they trusted God for His timing.

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. {Ezekiel 37: 7-8}

God spoke, but nothing happened until Ezekiel acted in faith and obeyed. Sometimes we have to wait on God for a time. When Ezekiel prophesied as the Lord commanded, things started to happen, beginning with the bones rattling. Now I don’t know if this all happened in the blink of an eye, or if it took some time, because several things had to happen.
I think we can read the Bible in a few minutes what spanned days and years and lifetimes and don’t appreciate the time involved in the event. I’m just guessing this process took some doing. When the bones rattled, it might not even have seemed like much was happening.
Sometimes I think we get discouraged when the bones are rattling because we don’t recognize it.
How ever long it took, even after the bones had flesh, there was still no breath.

Sometimes we get so caught up in the end result (a living body) that we miss or overlook the process (rattling, bones come together, sinew, flesh).

Actually, in life, sometimes things appear to be the end result, when they are only part of the process. God does not always give us the details of the process like He did with Ezekiel, so we can get discouraged when things start happening, but we are not getting the end result. We can begin to wonder if God spoke to our hearts or if we imagined it. Yet, if we wait on God, even seeming roadblocks can be compasses that direct our path.

Finally my friends had the ministry set up, the money to fund it, and it was time to move. Earlier this year, they found a house that they felt would be excellent for the ministry. It seemed ideal. It needed a little work, but there was money and skilled labor within the church. They spoke to the landlord, and after a few days of getting all their ducks in a row, they put down a deposit, and began to make plans. They still needed a signature on a piece of legal paper that they would deliver to the landlord the next day and then he would give them the key and it would be final. After years of waiting and months of looking, they were excited that God was moving!

The next day when they went to give the landlord the signed paper, they noticed that there was a mattress and a couch on the front porch of the house they were renting. When they asked the landlord about it, he said he had rented it to someone else, done deal, and since they had not closed their deal with him, he felt he had the right to do this. He told them to come back the next day for their deposit because he didn’t have it with him. They were shocked! They thought God was moving. They thought this was the perfect house. It had been such a ‘God thing’ the way He had led them to find this house in the first place. If only they’d have had that signature a day sooner, the house would have been theirs.
How could they have been so wrong?!

They went to God in prayer. They thanked Him for His plan and His timing, and despite what felt like such a setback, they believed if God spoke, He would also act. They believed there must be something even better.

Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live." So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. {Ezekiel 37: 9-10}

Ezekiel didn’t get all bent out of shape when there was no breath the first time. He had to have stood amazed in the process. He didn’t say “Hey God, I prophesied like you said and there is no breath, just a bunch of naked, dead, flesh covered bones .” Instead, he must have waited on God. Who knows how long that took. So the lesson is, do not measure success of whether God is working by whether or not you have arrived at the end result. Don’t miss the rattling, and don’t get impatient with the process. If I read the Word right, faith pleases God beyond our comprehension.

My friends felt discouraged, yet they trusted God had spoken, and would move. The next day as they went to get their deposit, a temporary roadblock forced them to drive down a street they would not normally have driven down. And there, on that block, was a house. It was being put up for rent that very day. It had not yet been advertised. This house was a duplex. It was bigger. It was a better location. It was cheaper rent, and in better condition. They rented both sides of the duplex – closed the deal within 24 hours, and marveled at how perfect the second house was. It so exceeded the first house, which they had once thought God was leading them towards – the house they had thought ideal. The duplex needed no work, and increased the number of men they could house. All the ducks were in a row from the lost house, so it only took a day to acquire the second one, with more reputable landlords.

This is just the first house of many as they expand the ministry. (They have a vision for a women’s house soon). Isn’t God GOOD!!

I think we all have times when we feel God has spoken to our hearts about something, and we wait. Then we get anxious if nothing happens right away. But maybe the bones are rattling, and we are so intent on the end result that we fail to see it. Or maybe it appears our answer is before us, only for things to go contrary. We may not realize the very thing that seemed contrary is a part of the process to lead us to what we are waiting for. If my friends had not had the first house fall out from under them, they would not have been on that road that led them to a temporary roadblock that took them to the right house. (Sometimes roadblocks are stops along the way so we won't make the same mistakes).

The background to this passage of scripture is that people were only calling on God when they had a need. The rest of the time they ignored Him. God wants relationship with us. He does put desires in our hearts and He wants us to wait on Him and enjoy the process, and when those desires become realities, He does not want us to ignore Him, but continue to fellowship with Him. To praise Him for His goodness, whether we get anything or not. When a dream is realized, it is hardly the end, it is a new beginning. We must never stop being desperate for God, even when times are good. He wants us to fellowship with Him whether we have all our needs, or whether we are waiting for something. Love Him just because HE IS.

And BTW, He is never late. . .

I just felt like someone needed to hear this testimony right now. I know I have a couple of things I am waiting on God for. The bones are rattling, and there have been several seeming roadblocks, but I believe with all my heart that God is good, that they are just part of the process, and He will put breath in the bones at the precise right moment, and in so doing, He will get all the glory!

endnote: as my friend shared their story, he is the one who mentioned Ezekiel and made me ponder it; then I expound upon it from my ponderings and came up with this.

Martha

Luke 10:38 tells us Martha invited Jesus into her home. It doesn’t say if she was preparing a snack or if dinner was part of her hospitality, but at any rate, she was busy fixing something.
Now her sister, Mary, was sitting at Jesus’ feet, and Martha got bent out of shape about it. I’ve heard lots of commentaries and sermons, but I’ve never been satisfied with stereotyping Martha concerning her attitude in one moment in time, (or perhaps the real root of her discontent), while failing to recognize her great faith at another.

Martha displayed the gift of hospitality.
She did not have to invite Jesus into her home.
She wanted to. ..
As a woman who likes to cook (and does it well), I understand this. I enjoy having people in my home for meals or even just to visit. I’m mostly a ‘make yourself at home’ kind-of gal. Especially drinks: there is a time to serve people, (like the first visit or party) and there is a time to point them to the fridge, cupboard, ice box, and tell them to partake freely – mi casa es su casa.

I think in Martha’s day, formal serving was maybe more the custom of the day, and perhaps she was anxious to make a good impression on Jesus by being a wonderful hostess. Everything had to be “just so”. The word says she was ‘distracted’ by her preparations.
The one and only time I was this nervous about my dinner guests, (many years ago) the brisket turned out tough as a brick, and the rolls burned. Graciously, they laughed (plenty of jokes and ribbing about ‘artillery’ potential), we ordered pizza, and they returned many times afterwards to enjoy great cuisine and company.

When we get so caught up in serving someone to impress them rather than to bless them, it is easy to see where priorities need adjustment,
but I don’t want to diminish the importance of having a servant heart and serving people. (In any area).
I believe that when someone prepares a meal out of love, it is part of living out worship: whether it is a dinner party in your home, the thanksgiving meal, preparing food at the local soup kitchen or shelter, cooking meals on a mission trip, teaching teens or ex offenders how to cook for themselves at a half-way house, or just the daily family meal.

I think Martha had a servant heart, she just got side-tracked for a moment. More than feeling left out, maybe her ideals of custom dictated that her sister should be serving too; apparently it didn’t bother her that Lazarus was reclining with Jesus while she did all the work because of tradition and culture, but no one was demanding Mary to do so, and she was a woman. It must have felt a little unjust to Martha, as if she did not matter. Cinderella syndrome? Perhaps it seemed to her that Mary was being shown favoritism, while she was being unappreciated.
That’s just what it sounds like to me.

Maybe she could have just stopped what she was doing and sat at Jesus’ feet too. And maybe it would not have mattered if the meal was late or never prepared. But my guess is, that is not what her problem was. Instead of being ‘distracted’ by preparations, maybe Martha just forgot that when we are called to serve, (to bless, not to impress), our own blessings come from that very service –we don’t have to worry we are missing out.

She could have exclaimed, “Hey Jesus! The kitchen is in here! Everyone gather round and You can teach while I cook!” I mean, Jesus didn’t have a problem breaking man-made traditions when breaking them was a good thing. I know some of the best conversations I’ve ever had have been in the kitchen while I’m cooking or doing dishes.
But in her day, it probably seemed rude to her to even consider such a thing. And the kitchen might not have been spacious enough. But anyway, I just think she gets a bad rap when all she did was feel unappreciated and sorry for herself for just a moment. If anyone wants to throw a stone, then s/he must never, ever have held their own pity party, even for a second.
Any takers?
Not me.

Martha was actually a woman of great faith. In John 11 when Lazarus died Martha confronts Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you." (vs. 21, 22) She recognized His Lordship and she already had the faith that whatever Jesus asked, it would be given to Him, perhaps even delivering Lazarus from death?! She declares He is the Christ, the Son of God. And when she tells Mary that Jesus has arrived, she calls Him Teacher. Curious… Was this anticipation?

Verse 5 says, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.” We know Jesus loved mankind enough to die for our sins, but this is personal. These three were close, personal friends of Jesus who He held dear, and loved.
Men were usually listed first in Hebrew culture. Here, Martha is listed first; she is no second rate person to Jesus by any means.
Can you imagine getting to be a close, personal friend of Jesus when He walked the earth?! To be embraced by the Lord God in the flesh?! To be called one whom He loved?! Wow! That gives me pause…[Selah]

Martha may have gotten bent out of shape for a moment, but I’m thinking she got it right somewhere on the journey. Maybe she learned her gift of hospitality could be just as much worship as Mary pouring perfume on His feet and wiping it with her hair.
Very different outward actions, but same servant heart.

endnote: Ironically, while I was writing this, I stopped to warm up some leftovers before the kids dashed off to this event and that, and in my haste to return to writing, I pushed 2 minutes instead of 20 seconds on the microwave for a small piece of meat. After 1:30 it began to smoke. My kids told me burnt offerings were no longer part of God’s plan, and anyway, how would He have ever thought that awful smell was a sweet aroma? No way! You just have to love how God keeps us humble and has a sense of humor!

Woman's Desire

Recently, a dear friend challenged me to look more closely at Genesis 3:16, where the Lord tells Eve, “Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you." and consider that it might have greater implications than sexual/emotional desire for fulfillment, a concept we had both heard preached many times. “Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you" is a single statement: cause and effect: because a woman’s desire is for her husband, he will rule over her. Why is that? The Hebrew word tesuqah, translated as desire is used three times in the old testament. In song of Solomon, this desire is undoubtedly sexual (and emotional) longing, but in Genesis 4:7, it means to overcome or defeat another: "[Sin's] desire is for you, but you should rule over it” If sin’s desire is for us and we are to rule over it, and woman’s desire is for her husband and he will rule over her, perhaps the meaning of desire here is not so much sexual, as it is that woman would desire to be the leader of the man. And though woman’s desire will be to lead the man, God is establishing that man will be the leader over the woman.

{{sidenote: a word study of consume and consummate sheds even more light on the word desire.}}

When Eve took the fruit from the serpent, it appears her husband was standing right beside her, silent as a lamb. (Gen. 3:6) Did she ask him what he thought?
Apparently not.
He had already told her they were forbidden to eat of the fruit of this tree. It seems she decided to form her own opinion, and that he decided to let her, even though it contradicted him.

[diatribe] In Genesis 2, it appears that God forbade eating the fruit before Eve was created, and perhaps Adam was the one to convey the message to her. In Genesis 2, God tells Adam not to eat of the fruit, it doesn’t say anything about touching it, but when Eve is socializing with the serpent in the garden, she says God said neither to eat nor to touch. I don’t know, I wasn’t there, God could have spoken later to Eve, but perhaps this is the first ‘fence’ law made by man. (Adam thought – we can’t eat it, so I’ll tell her we can’t even touch it so she won’t be tempted to eat it). If so, it didn’t work, because they both ended up eating it anyway. [end diatribe].

Even though Eve usurped the leadership role, Adam was still held responsible for that leadership role. Romans 5:12 says “ sin came into the world through one man” meaning through Adam, (if I understand it right), not Eve, who ate first, and therefore technically might have sinned first. {{Was the first sin Eve eating the fruit, or Adam letting her???}}
{{Regardless}}This says Adam was given the responsibility of leadership, and just because he let Eve have it, he was still responsible for the consequences of it. (death)

So women desire that leadership position, but men will be held accountable for it because it is God’s divine order. That is certainly something to consider very seriously and soberly. The ramifications are huge. It is difficult to go against these natural tendencies of the flesh. But God gave us a picture of what marriage should look like through the example of Christ and the Church. Wives are to submit rather than contend. Husbands must love rather than dominate.

But we live in a fallen world. The realities are that on one side of the coin: many men dominate and some even abuse; therefore many women will take over for self preservation or the preservation of their children. On the other side of the coin: many women desire to lead (because they don't like the way he does it) and will take over; and many men let them, out of weakness, laziness, or to keep the peace, even when the results create disharmony. (American tv says if a hot babe emasculates a man, he should accept it because she is, well, hot, and the sex is worth it. Wrong!) Explains a lot of what goes wrong in relationships. Explains why women who have yielded to the Lord are so desperate to find a godly man they can follow. Seriously.

I am not ditzing the intelligence of women. I am an intelligent woman. Women can be leaders and teachers in many roles in society. I am speaking of the marriage partnership here. I was in a position where I submitted to the authority of a husband who made a horribly wrong decision, and I suffered the consequences of that decision. And in the past, I was one of those who all too easily would not submit when I thought a man was wrong, and even if in that particular situation I was right, in the long-run, this text suggests I was wrong because I was out of order.

But I also believe God does not intend for us to submit to abuse. I was in an abusive situation, and in order to survive {literally} I left. I had counsel telling me I had to make it work, even if he killed me. I had to remove myself from that counsel and from that situation and get my kids and me safe. I left an already broken covenant - I did not break it. I think people get very legalistic about divorce when they themselves do not have an understanding of the absolute wreckage of adultery and abuse. Sure, God hates divorce – it tears people’s hearts, but I do not think He is in favor of some of the horrible things happening in marriages that are ruining people’s lives either.
There are accounts of women leaders in the community and women opening their homes in the early days of the church. Deborah was a judge and God seemed okay with it. But God was okay with men having several wives and concubines (David and Solomon certainly had God’s favor and had many), and yet it says God intended there to be one man and one woman from the beginning. So does God have a perfect plan for His Creation, but makes concessions for a fallen world because of necessity? (Men wouldn’t need divorce, just add another wife and basically ignore the one you didn’t want – who was the loser here?) Maybe that is why God is gracious to allow divorced people to remarry. I hope so, because I am waiting for a godly man and I think God has promised me one.[Note 2011

Maybe women are only not to be leaders over men in marriage, which does not mean women do not have valuable input or sway in decision making as partners. I am the youth worship team leader. I come under the authority of the youth pastor. He plays with us and even though he lets me make all the decisions, I do so with his blessing, and he can at any time tell me to do something different and I would submit to his authority. Meaning, if we disagreed how to do something with the band, we would discuss it, but in the end, he gets the final say. So far, I have been blessed that he absolutely backs me 100%, even when it is not the way he would have done it because he feels I am called to lead it and he sees God at work in my life. (I think this is a picture of how marriage should work too).

I do believe that each of us is responsible to answer to God, and that whenever He allows us to be subject to an authority, good or evil, we are to submit to that authority except for where that authority asks us to go against God. There are times it seems slaves are told to be subject to masters who did not treat them well. And women are told that through their humble submission their husbands might be brought to Christ; if the unbeliever stayed, so should she.
The disciples obeyed the law except for when they were forbidden to preach Jesus and/or heal people in the Name of Jesus. They only did not submit to authority when it asked them to go against God. When Abigail went to meet king David, she was not submitting to the authority of a husband who was sinning against God and asking her to do the same.

Those who wish to lead must do so by serving.

Feast of Shavuot / Petecost

Pentecost did not happen because
that is the day the Holy Spirit came with tongues of fire –
the Holy Spirit came that day because it was Pentecost!

And that is significant.

Remember, basically the old testament was written in Hebrew, and the new testament in Greek. Sometimes what seems like a new concept in the new testament is really an old concept expressed in a new language. Such as:
“Moshiach” (Messiah) in Hebrew = “Christ” in Greek.

Though Pentecost literally means “fifty”
and Shavuot literally means “weeks”,
the day of Pentecost, was the Greek translation
for the Hebrew Feast of Shavuot,
which was the counting of seven weeks plus one day (50 days)
after First Fruits. [(7X7)+1=50].

Day of Pentecost = Feast of Shavuot

“You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering.{first fruits} You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. “ Leviticus 23: 15, 16

The first sheaf of the harvest was to be offered as a wave offering on the feast of first fruits, which is the second day of Passover. The following 49 days, referred to as counting the omer, or sheaves, ended with the celebration of the harvest on the 50th day: Shavuot.

Shavuot is one of three major festivals when males presented themselves before God at Jerusalem. So when God chose to send the Holy Spirit on this day, Jerusalem was a “happenin’ place” just as it had been at Passover. No wonder Jesus had told His disciples to remain…

“When the day of Pentecost (i.e. Shavuot) had come, they were all together in one place.” Acts 2:1

Jesus/Yeshua
Became God’s Passover Lamb for our redemption (at Passover)
Rose as the First Fruits of the dead (on the feast of First Fruits)
and
Sent His Holy Spirit at Shavuot (Pentecost) to celebrate the beginning of the spiritual harvest of human souls (Acts 2:41)!

There is more…

After Moses led the people out of Egypt and into the wilderness, (Passover), Exodus 19 tells us it was the third month when God told Moses to tell all the people to assemble after three days of consecrating themselves so that God would come in a thick cloud “so that the people may hear when I speak with you” (vs. 9). Then God descended upon Mount Sinai in fire and smoke and spoke with thunder, and the mountain quaked violently (vs. 18-19), and God spoke the ten commandments, until the people trembled with fear and begged Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us or we will die.” (20: 19) Rabbinic study has calculated this is most probably the day of Shavuot, or Pentecost.

Acts 2: 2-3 says on the day of Pentecost, “ And suddenly there came from Heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.”

This noise beckoned a crowd to assemble. This time the word of God came through the Spirit descended upon men with tongues like fire, and violent rushing wind.
I can imagine violent rushing wind. I live in Kansas, and we get lots of tornadoes, and I have seen two very close in my life so far, and first there is a deathly silence, then a violent rushing wind that sounds like a train roaring through – challenges thunder to be sure.

My imaginings, but I see many parallels in Exodus 19, 20 and Acts 2, plus, as I study the feasts of Messiah, it just seems that God likes to do major events on these days for a specific reason, and we should not let that escape us.

So on Pentecost/Shavuot:

OT – God descends in fire and smoke on mountain
NT – Holy Spirit descends in tongues of fire on men

OT – God speaks with Thunder and imparts the law, later written on tablets of stone
NT – Holy Spirit comes in violent rushing wind and causes men to speak in every language, so that the law can be written on human hearts

OT - 3,000 slain for spiritual adultery (idolatry/golden calf)
NT - 3,000 baptized and added to the Book of Life


When is Pentecost?
The Western world uses a Gregorian calendar which differs from the calendar as set forth in scripture.
‘Biblical’ dates and Gregorian dates will fall on different days most years, but will occasionally coincide some years. Just as you were born on a particular day of the week but your birth ‘date’ falls on a different day each year, so too do Biblical holidays.
The Biblical calendar uses 1st, 2nd, etc., to note days and months (the book of Esther is an exception, using Babylonian names, but these are not God given names). The Gregorian calendar uses Julian (Roman) names for days and months after false deities of mythology and such.
A Biblical day is sunset to sunset. Sabbath, the seventh day, is sunset of the 6th day to sunset of the 7th day: sunset of Friday to sunset of Saturday, on the Gregorian calendar.

Just as the western world has chosen to adopt Mondays to observe several national holidays (even though the date falls on different days each year), [Memorial day is May 30, but we observe it May 28 this year, 2007], so too, the modern, Western Christian world, since the 3rd century, has chosen to observe certain events such as the resurrection of Jesus and Pentecost on Sundays, since Jesus rose on the 1st day of the week. So, the Biblical Passover (which is the 14th day of the first month) fell on April 3 of the Gregorian calendar, 2007. (or sunset of April 2 to sunset of April 3). First Fruits was the second day of Passover in the Feast of Unleavened Bread, April 4. These were a Tuesday and Wednesday this year. The Western world celebrated the resurrection on April 8.
The Biblical Pentecost falls on May 23, a Wednesday. The Western calendar will celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit part of Pentecost on Sunday the 27. (This is in the third month of the Biblical calendar. re: exodus 19 mentioned above). I don’t have a problem with celebrating on Sundays since that is when we gather as a body to worship and fellowship; I just think we might lack understanding from having not been taught the history of it. Sometimes man changes things for his own convenience, and does not realize that over time the significance of the original can become diluted without due diligence to teach it in context.

I will post Passover, First Fruits and Unleavened Bread soon. I was in Trinidad during this time and am behind. Seeing all the feasts as pieces of the same picture add insight, so I hope to post soon.

What I Learned in Trinidad

In Trinidad I learned:
A cold shower @ 5 am is a shocking wake-up call,
but in the middle of a hot day it is a tiny taste of Heaven.

Frogs like to hide under the toilet seat (when you’re lucky enough to have one) - they have suction-cup feet, are cold and wet and can hang upside down on human flesh.

Lesson two is sweeter when it happens to someone else.

The birds have lovely, exotic songs,

however, the roosters out-number them, and they begin their rooster-to-rooster island wake-up regime ~ 4 am, each and every morning, (except for when they start ~ 3 am).

The Trinidadian people are gracious hosts, even when you break two glasses in two days (the second one wasn't my fault, but I was the ‘lucky’ one to open the cupboard after the {mild} earthquake); the response is always, “No Worries” or “Don’t worry – Be happy”.

When they find out that doing dishes makes the calluses soft on the fingers that play guitar, they tell you to play and sing while others do dishes (maybe they just wanted to keep me away from the glasses!); everyone sings and worships and God is Glorified. (I found a way to do my share of chores [laundry and dishes] in six weeks, I promise).

Laundry by hand is an interesting experience, and nothing is private when it is hanging on the line to dry in a small village.

When the palm trees sway in the Caribbean breeze it is a living picture of the trees of the field ‘clapping’ their hands.

Pizza really is good with hot pepper sauce and ketchup on top. (Don’t knock it till you try it).
Hot pepper sauce is part of every meal.
Too much hot pepper sauce will reek havoc with your intestines (but don’t forget to check for frogs in your haste to make it to the facilities in time) –and if there was fire going in, there will most likely be fire coming out.

If you put a little rum inside a traditional wedding fruit-cake, it will keep for a year without having to refrigerate it; it is the first fruit cake I’ve ever thought was yummy.

Rum is made from sugar cane.

Maniku is possum. It is okay to say “no” when offered such a {dare I say} ‘delicacy’. Same with chicken feet. Means more for those who love it. (Can I just say, “Yuk!”)

My idea of delicacies include fresh: coconut water {and jelly}, sugar cane, paw paws, mangos, fig bananas, tomatoes, cucumbers, home-made coconut and rum raisin ice creams, pomcity chutney and mango chutney with tamarind (spicy, slow burn). (I managed to arrive home with a bottle of home-made hot pepper sauce and a bottle of home-made mango chutney – the wedding cake is illegal to cross the border since it has rum.

A Lime is a fruit you eat. To Lime (plural Limon) is something you do (hang out).

Trinny Terms A very common phrase: “Coming Just Now” means ‘I hear you, and I am coming sometime in the near future’ (by near future I mean it might be five minutes or an hour: this is known as being on ‘Trinny time’)
“Reaching” means arriving.
If you want someone who is always running on Trinny time to meet you somewhere at 6, tell him/her to “reach for 5” and they might just make it when you do. [tic][but really]
“Bounce’ means to hit something.

Driving in Trinidad is crazy! Excluding the little bit of highway, the roads are narrow and winding. I’d say they drive on the left side of the road, but the truth is, they drive all over the road, and just use the left to get past each other. I think I saw a total of two stop signs on the entire island. Intersections are some form of ordered chaos. I would therefore classify driving in Trinidad as a “religious” experience (it evoked lots of prayer in other words). Pedestrians take their lives into their own hands to cross the street – it is common to denote being a pedestrian by saying “You know you are Trinny to d’ bone when you jump in front of a car and say ‘Bounce Me Now!’” (translation: “I hope I survive crossing the road!”)
When you get gas for the car there are signs that say “ No Naked Lights”
'Naked Lights' are ‘open flames’
Another driving term is “Overtaking” which means ‘passing’ on the highway.

Do not get between a pelican and a school of fish during low tide. Pelicans are like kamikaze pilots when they bounce the water for a fish (it is very cool)!
Don’t get so caught up watching the pelicans that you fail to notice the big wave coming and you have to choose between loosing your {prescription} sunglasses or your swimming suit top when it bounces (and rolls) you.

On a non-tourist beach, the washroom is the ocean. On a tourist beach, it costs 1 TT to use the washroom (so you know for some, the washroom is still the ocean). If you seek a bush to be the washroom, you may find you are never alone – this is affectionately referred to by some missionaries as “bush fellowship”.

“Don’t worry - Be happy” isn’t just a song, but a way of life.

Most importantly, I learned the awesome responsibility to speak the truth of God, knowing that God has spoken, and what I say is my opinion, and just because I get to stand up in the pulpit and give my opinion does not mean I have all the answers, or even all the questions. I am a beggar who found the Bread of Life and I am eager to share, but that doesn’t mean that because God called me to be a missionary in this time and place that I have any special connection to Him or that my prayers are any better than anyone else’s. When someone asks for prayer and I see an open door to an enemy stronghold and God tells me to speak the hard truth in love, I had better do it – I expect the same. Being a humble servant who is desperate for God to supply all my needs and direct my path is a privilege. I hope I was as much a blessing as I was blessed.

Lastly, I learned I have family in Trinidad and Tobago, and I can’t wait to return.