Holy, Separated, yet wholly articulated.

Well, it is time again for the HHBC Singles Labor Day Retreat.  I am so looking forward to a time of reconnecting with the Lord in the beauty of his nature. Two full days with nothing planned but devoting every minute to Him.

In that, I have developed a challenge for myself.  From 6PM Friday evening to 6PM Sunday evening, I am going to read the entire New Testament.  Yikes.

In the interest of full disclosure, I need to admit that I didn’t receive any sort of audible Holy Spirit calling or anything about this.   I just thought it would be a fun goal. 

So, the nitty-gritty: the version I will be reading from is the HCSB and my particular copy has 452 pages.   I would love to say that I chose this because I have done extensive research about the accuracy of translations and awesome smart things like that.  But I really chose it because its small and fits in my pocket. *Shrug*

So, 48 hours to do 452 pages.  We’ll say 14 hours for sleep leaves 34 hours. What’s that?  13 pages an hour?  I think that’s do-able.  I read the DaVinci Code in, like, 9 hours.

If I remember to bring my computer I will post some periodic updates to my progress (I say all these things like anyone actually reads this thing ).  But, more importantly (!)  I issue you this challenge: YOU CAN DO IT, TOO!

No, seriously, you can.  Just pick it up and start reading.  Sound off in the comments if you wanna join me!

If you have ever sat in one of my Bible Study classes you know about my opener every week where I require reports of something awesome that God did over the past week.   I just love hearing stories of God’s awesome faithfulness, power, and love.

And man, do I get them every week.  I have heard stories of seriously miraculous healing, stories of folks proclaiming Christ as the Lord and Savior, and tons of other great things.  Well, I had one and I thought I would share it with everybody.  I usually allow my class to give reports, but this one was just huge for me.

Let me preface the story by saying that I hate the circumstances through which this opportunity came.  But I know beyond any doubt that God is the true master of taking horrible situations and turning them into situations where grace and healing abound.  OK, sorry, the story:

I have a good friend here at my place of evening employment.  He was, at one time, my employee, but we became friends through that.  We’ve had a few spats over the three years that we’ve known one another, but we’ve had some really good conversations, as well.  They have spanned the gamut from girls to religion to sports to music.  All kinds of stuff.  We’ve grown about as close as two coworkers can.

Anyway, this friend is a (very) non-practicing Jew who has had a rough life.  I cannot disclose any details but suffice it to say that some of the confirmed stories I have heard are both shocking and heartbreaking.  Well, Monday morning he woke to the news of a VERY close loved one’s death.

I knew something was wrong when I spoke to him last evening; he broke down in tears as he told me what had happened.  I pulled him into the office and let him cry for a while and tell me stories about the good times he had with this person.

Here is the awesome part.  After he was done, I asked if he would let me pray for him right then and he accepted!  It doesn’t sound like much, I know, but this person is very averted to the whole concept of Christianity in general.  So for him to allow me to pray for him aloud like that was a huge breakthrough.

I did not take the opportunity lightly.  I made sure to emphasize the comforting power of the Holy Spirit and the saving power of Jesus Christ all the while letting the person know how much he truly meant to me as a friend.

I do not know which point of contact I am on the statistical 15 touches that a person needs to accept Christ, but I am so thankful that I was allowed to be one for my friend yesterday.  I have been praying for this man for a long time.

Thank you so much, Lord, for your mercy and grace. Thank you for sending your Son that we might be able to worship you at your throne for eternity. Thank you for allowing me to be a vessel from which your power can flow here on earth. You are so holy and so amazing, I can see your glory in all of creation. Thank you for your love and comfort. Amen.

OK, so what AWESOME stories do you have about the Lord’s faithfulness?  I want to hear them in the comments section!

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands…” 

I am almost sure that I will irritate a few people with this post, but so be it.  Wrecked.org posted an article a few days ago about the Pledge of Allegiance.  It is an article with which I wholeheartedly agree.  You can read the whole thing here.

To sum it up, the author writes that pledging our allegiance to anything other than God while in church is equivalent to idolatry.  That it IS idolatry.  He does not call for Christians to stop saying the plege all together, just in church where our focus and allegiance should to God and God alone.  

However, I do take it to that next step.  My allegiance needs to be to God, and no other, all the time.  Not just while at church.  I choose to exercise my freedoms as an American and refrain from saying the pledge of allegiance in most cases.  Certainly not in all cases, though I must admit that I have yet to find a case where I have chosen to say it since making the decision, but I might someday.  *Shrug*

Now, before you get all crazy: No, I do not hate America.  No, I do not hate soldiers.  No, I do not hate freedom.  Yes, I realize that those freedoms came at a price.  In past generations, several members of my family have served in the military.  I was about 15 minutes from enlisting after high school, myself.  I appreciate their sacrifice.

But we have to remember that, while patriotism is fine, America is not our kingdom.  As Christians we belong to one kingdom: the kingdom of God.

And yes, I realize that it might seem hypocritical to refrain from pledging my allegiance to the flag for this reason while my everyday actions show that I am obviously placing my allegiances elsewhere.  Yes, I sin.  Yes, I put things before God all the time.  But this particular action is an obvious, and I think blatant, one that can be remedied quickly and relatively painlessly.

Now, please do not think that I am telling you to quit saying the pledge of allegiance.  I am merely asking that, if you do, remember to whom you belong and where your allegiance really lies.  May God bless America now and until His Son returns.