Dictator vs moron

“Why do ideas matter? Because the thoughts we entertain –especially those we seriously entertain tend to influence our choices. Belief leads to behavior. Ideas lead to actions.” (Geisler) In the book Chosen but Free, Geisler addresses the issue of salvation and free will. In the opening chapter he talks about ideas and how our beliefs affect our lives and our choices. Geisler addresses the two main views of Christianity that in my mind rather plague Christianity; Calvinism and Arminianism. He also presents a view that is in the middle of the two. I believe that God knows what is going to happen and that he gives us the choice to do what we want and no matter what we choose to do God has the ability to know and cover all the bases. God will never be surprised by what we do.

I think that hyper Armenians who believe that God does not know what we are doing and that he is waiting on the edge of his seat to find out what we are doing seem to be comparing God to child. In my opinion that is rather insulting of the God who created out entire universe and created mysteries that we cannot explain to this day. I also do not agree with the hyper Calvinists that believe that God is controlling our every movement of our lives. When a person is being completely controlled there is no true freedom yet Christ himself says that accepting him is a decision. God is not an overbearing dictator who tells us what to do.

God is a being whose character is perfect. We cannot try and fit God into our rules otherwise we find ourselves with inconsistencies. Instead I think that we need to fit our ideas into God. When we bring our thoughts on theology into the spectrum of how big and powerful God is the idea that he knows us and still allows us to make our own decisions fits into the character of an awesome, all powerful, all knowing and ever present God. God does not exist within the boundaries that we as humans must exist in; he is much bigger than that.  Trying to shove God into the box of Calvinism or the box of Arminianism is also in my opinion saying God is incompetent.

If God is truly perfection like most agree that he is; then by limiting God you are limiting hi perfection. As I read through Chosen but Free and I read the stance of the Calvinists and the Armenians it was rather sad the arguments over verses. The issue of salvation and free will is important but I think that as a whole the midpoint view of God being capable of both knowing what will happen and allowing us to decide what we are going to do is feasible. I know that for myself that if I went to either extreme I would either not care about the rest of this world or I would consider God a moron.  

Footwashing and Worship

Foot washing, the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of that word is shower time. But foot washing can be a symbol of worship. The very first example of foot washing was given to us by Jesus Himself. In John 13 the disciple John describes the Last Supper, while all the men were being served their dinner Jesus got up from the table took off his outer clothes filled a basin with water and proceeded to wash His disciples feet. The son of God washed the feet of his friends. This freaked them out; it would freak me out if Jesus tried to wash my feet. Jesus did what at that time was one of the lowest jobs on the totem pole for slaves. But he did it willingly, and the disciple’s feet were not clean, they walked everywhere, in the dirt. Jesus washed dirty, sweaty nasty feet, to show how much He loved his disciples and to show them that he did not consider himself better than them. Jesus commanded his disciples to likewise. I think this is an element of worship that we have lost in the Church now days. Washing feet is not done where I got to church nor is it really talked about, yet it was part of the Lords Supper, the original one. What better way to show our Christian brothers and sisters that we love them and are willing to serve them, then by washing their feet? If we can’t humble ourselves enough to wash the feet of our friends, people we live with, go to church with, see every week; then how can we say we are willing to serve those on the mission field? If we are to go into the world and give others the Gospel then we are going to be faced with some very humiliating circumstances at some point. I think in our Churches we should start now and wash the feet of those around us. We need to put aside our pride and willingly become like the lowly slave on the totem pole whose job was to wash nasty feet. Once we get in that mindset, there is really no job that looks to dirty or disgusting and I think our ministry will become a whole lot easier. I think we should do this often in our Churches to remind ourselves we are no better than any other person sitting in the pew next to us.

My Story

Everyone has a story, whether they like what is in their story or not. Mine has its up and downs, happy times and sad times. I am writing this story or as Christians call it their testimony. I am in a Theology class taught my Dr. Ergun Caner and he has challenged us to write out our story without using words that are "church" words. Mine starts back when I was about four years old, I was at a church club one night when the adult leader started talking about hell I was told that all people are sinners and deserve death. And sin is anything that goes against the rules that are laid out in the Bible like lying stealing etc. That night the leader told me that a sinless man a man who did no wrong, ever in all thirty three years that he lived on this earth, he never did anything wrong. I was told this man died in my place he took all the things I had done and will do that wrong; on his shoulders and took my punishment. He died but this sinless man was also God and after three days of being dead came back to life. I have put my trust in this man, whose name is Jesus, if I hadn’t had him to trust for all these years I would never have lived through depression, eating disorders and hurtful relationships. The pages of my life are not perfect, some are ripped, and some are stained with tears and blood. But because of Jesus, I have survived.

Hypocrite and a Pharisee

I named my blog my box of junk because what may be junk to you is memories for me. My mind is kind of like my box only instead of old toys or cards or physical reminders of a memory they are memories, thoughts and stories. They may seem silly to you but to me they do mean a lot.

I have been thinking lately about myself and Christianity and Church in general for the past few weeks. In my LPG (leadership prayer group) at my school we are going through the book Radical by David Platt. I as a Christian today am a Pharisee of the highest water. In the time of Jesus the Pharisee's were men who fulfilled the law and walked around with their heads held high praying and on the outside were the most spiritual Godly men in the world. But on the inside they were full of deceit and they loved money and themselves and they seemed like they didn't really care about those whom they were supposed to be leading, the law was their god and they were its slave. Today I was hit with the sickening reality that I am the same way.
I sit here thinking to myself that I have made my Jesus not the man who is God who came to save me from my sins and wants me to serve him by denying everything, instead I have made him the all loving god who fits into my viewpoint... I do not serve in a way to willingly let go of everything that is holding me back and stopping me from serving. I hold on to my pet sins screaming in His face I want them I like them they aren't that bad! I enjoy sliding through the muck of sin and pretending that I don't get dirty.
But I am realizing that if I truly want to call myself a Christian I have to stop pretending. I have to stop following after the world and the worlds plan for how my life should turn out and instead listen to the voice that tells me to give up what I want most to serve Him better.  I want to stop being the Pharisee who wants the best and walk around with an attitude of I am better then you because of this and lists off a long list of accomplishments, instead I want to be the radical Christ follower who truly understands who Jesus is and what it means to follow Him.
This is my prayer, to deny me. To deny the selfish craving that I have this will be a slow and very painful process. This is going to hurt and I know there will be times I will give up and have to start all over. There will be times that I succeed. I hope that I can become a true Christian.
Peace to you.

Birthday

Today was my 21st birthday :) and what a great day! Being away from home and my family saddened me a bit but my "family" here at school filled the small hole in my heart with the love and birthday wishes. I was taken out to dinner by one of my new best friends and then my roommates surprised me with a little party. :) I have to say the surprise party couldn't have been a better ending to a birthday. My roommates are the best, they even decorated the room in streamers and balloons and they put a party hat on my stuffed bunny. I also received two bottles of sparkling grape juice one bottle was from my SLD's. I am too excited and joyful to sleep. My heart is completely overflowing with happiness and I am so grateful to have made the friends that I have. I don't think I have ever been more blessed in my life. These memories will last a lifetime. My classes today were great, I even understand my math lesson which is surprising because math and I do not get along, I even met a couple of new people. I am going to head off now and watch one of the movies I received for my birthday. Peace to you.

Hey I am Tasha, I have never written a blog before so this will be my first attempt. I have to write about a few things for a class that I am taking at the University I am going to. Maybe later on I will write more. I am going into the field of Psychology and am as one of my professors lovingly dubbed me, a Psyco. I am incredibly thrilled to see what this semester in school has in store for me. I am already loving classes and slowly going getting back into the daily grind of school life. Peace to you.