Death

My grandfather died today.

Please, don’t say, “Oh, I’m so sorry,” or any similar form of condolence in response to that sentiment.

I feel as if I am one of a random few who view death for what it is and it has little effect on me.

Death is a part of life – the only absolute in our future, really. (I’d probably make a horrible ‘grief counselor’ or sympathizer – at least in cases where the death is of someone elderly or it was expected.) While we may miss those who are no longer with us, we have to keep in mind of what exactly happens after death…

The body is dead. Nothing can change that fact.

The deceased are now free of any suffering, pain, or physical limitations. (Hooray!)

It is a transition for those who still breathe on this earth, and that should not be discounted or pushed aside. (However, not all people grieve.)

The deceased’s spirit…now this is where I’ve heard variant forms of theology, debate, or commonly accepted theory.

Depending on whom you talk to you may hear one of three things:
1. Nothing happens after you die. You have no spirit.
2. The spirit immediately goes to heaven or hell.
3. The spirit is essentially asleep, only to awaken at the return of Christ.

I definitely do not agree with the first sentiment, so I’m going to process the other two theories below.

My main point of reference is in 1st Thessalonians, chapter 4 verses 13-18.

"Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words."

The phrase “those who fall asleep” means “those who are already dead.” Evidently, from what I’ve read via biblical scholars, the Thessalonians were under the impression that the rapture was only for the living, and those who died didn’t get to join Christ “in the air”. So this passage is to help them understand what happens after death & before Christ’s return.

Once Christ returns and the trumpet sounds, the dead (or those who have already fallen asleep) will awaken; and those believers who are yet living will have their spirits leave their bodies and join the ‘already dead’ in meeting Christ (otherwise known as the rapture).

So…is it immediate? Probably not, but when we’re dead we won’t know the difference; and the living can’t possibly fathom one way or the other what it’s like.

Time for God is not like time for mankind. God views the past, present and future as one unit. If we were able to view time from His vantage point, what may seem like eons to us may appear to be a fraction of a second to Him.

We can comfort ourselves and those who yet live with phrases like, “They’re with God now,” or “They’re in Heaven with Jesus.” And I’m fine with that. What truly matters to me is what kind of an eternal perspective the living have, if any.

It eases the mind and the soul to have faith and believe that those who trust in Christ Jesus are reunited with Him – whether it’s immediately or upon Christ’s return at some unknown date. (To reference current news, every time I hear a prediction I immediately think, “We’ll we now know it’s not going to be that day.)

I am tired so I shall end with this; a favorite line used in movies dealing with death is so very relevant and true…

“Death is only the beginning.”

Taking the Bible Literally

There has been a recent article stating that the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible is outdated and in need of being phased out. For the most part I would agree. Most people don't know what half of the "olde English" words are and have trouble with the grammatical layout and phrasing.

What has stirred my heart is the thought that many people on my social networking site, mostly from college & high school, are now questioning a literal translation of the Bible...and it frightens me.

Regardless of the version of the Bible we choose, if we are to place our faith in God and Christ and believe that They are who They say They are then we should take Bible as literal fact.

To do anything but would be to question the very nature of God and the very truth He proclaimed within it.

There are arguements on the side of the, for lack of better word, heretics regarding Old Testament law, the anti-chronologic nature of the Bible, and the general "weird" nature of the book of Revelation. I'll be one of the first to admit that there is plenty within and regarding the Bible that we many never comprehend; culturally, literally, or ideologically. But does our incomprehension negate the Bible's basic truths? Do we allow our ignorance to overpower the need and desire to seek out the truth that we cannot see on our own?

Part of me feel as if we all need to attend some form of theological seminary course just to comprehend some of the basics of the Christian faith; to be given clear answers and to be allowed our questions, however naive they may seem to others.

I have a bone to pick with some modern churches, preachers, and “Christians” out there who have decided to simply pick and choose bits and pieces of the Bible. They select what they like out of the Bible – that which is “happy” and deemed 'relevant' to today’s society. They leave out the “hard” stuff that is in a sense counter-cultural (all of the judgemental, anti-homosexuality, pro-life, one-way-to-heaven stuff).

The world has us seeing shades of gray rather that black or white. Truth is now just a word for what we believe to be correct rather than what is factual.

Christ never said that this journey through life would be easy. He said very plainly that Christians would be despised, hated, and rejected by society; that the truth would be scorned and also rejected. (you can reference Matthew chapter 24 verse 9) Take a stand for truth. Don't be as a wave tossed by the wind.

God gave you a free will in the hope that you might choose to love Him. A love that is demanded is no love at all. Ultimately it is your decision what you believe. The rest of us are simply here to offer our take on things.

*If you need a resource for understanding Biblical truths in modern times, I highly recommend "The Truth Project" DVD series. It's lengthy, but well worth your time.

Economics

With local news stories highlighting the economy, budgets, etc. I wanted to post some general definitions of different economic systems as well as my personal thoughts on the matter.

(all definitions brought to you by dictionary.com)

1. Capitalism: an economic system in which investment in and ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange of wealth is made and maintained chiefly by private individuals or corporations, especially as contrasted to cooperatively or state-owned means of wealth.

2. Market: a capitalistic economic system in which there is free competition and prices are determined by the interaction of supply and demand.

3. Socialism: a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.

4. Command or Planned: an economy in which business activities and the allocation of resources are determined by government order rather than market forces

5. Communism: a theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state.

The general public believes the United States is a Capitalist nation, and I would partly agree with that. However, we lean more towards what is called a "Mixed Market" economy where are elements of Socialism & a standard Market economy as well as the basics of Capitalism - hence "mixed".

Which economy is best? For the USA? For the World?

We need to lay down some fundamental principles that will help you understand my final opinion.

a. mankind is the deciding factor in what intrinsic and ultimately monetary or perceived value something has. (i.e. the chunk of gold is worth "X" amount of money because that's what someone decided it should be)

b. when a vast majority of the world's wealth lies in a small percentage of the populace (top 5% or roughly 3 million people in a world of 6 billion), we need to find a new means of distribution to equalize it so there aren't these giant pockets of poverty found around the world an within our own nation.

c. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the whole "value" principle. I don't know where it started or how, but I'm sure that Satan is behind it somehow. God created each man equal, and at some point mankind decided to put a dollar sign over each man's head saying "what you do and who you are is only worth this amount of money to society".

d. The "rarity" princple: just because there is a limited quantity of something available, why should that increase the value? What would happen if pocket lint became rare? Would we find it valuable then?

So, what do you think my final thought is on what is the best economic system?

Communism.

Not this perverted, twisted, socialist-dictatorship that we find being passed off in the world as communism. (My research online to make sure my definitions and theories were inline made me sad to see how warped and ill-informed most people are when it comes to the true basics of communism.) I'm talking pure communism. The kind that only can be dreamed about in a utopian society.

Communism's primary basics: common ownership, common resources, equal distribution

Anyone see a problem with any of that?

So long as there is man with his power-hungry nature, pride and selfish tendencies there is no hope for a pure communist society to exist outside of a small kibbutz.

I think that there needs to be a reinstatement of Levitical practices done as a whole and around the world. Every 7 years they would erase all debt and begin the new season with a clean slate. I think that our world would be a very different place.

I'm Thankful

This time of year I am reminded of so many things for which I am thankful. My ultimate question is why do we only dedicate one day a year to giving thanks? I feel like it should be done all year long...maybe something would be lost, but I think there is more gains to be had if we did.

We made the trip down to Indiana for Thanksgiving. It took us three hours just to get outside of the city...it should take one. Driving rains, wicked winds, slow traffic...it made us think that maybe we should have just stayed home. But it was worth it.

It was so wonderful to see my family - most of them anyway. Grandparents, aunts, cousins, and of course my parents. Time with them always feels far too short and I'm left longing for more time and more opportunities to be with them.

Reality is that some of them won't be with us for too many more years. My grandparents are showing their ages and states of health. It's a heart-wrenching thought to realize that each time I see them could be the last...but I cherish what time I am able to spend with them.

I wish I could have taken some of our friends with us to Indiana just to share a holiday with them. I love our Chicago family. They fill the void of not having any blood relatives in the remote area. They love and dote on our girls, they offer comfort and advice, they provide hours of laughter, they share meals, and they yell at the football games on the television alongside us. We are truly blessed by having all of them in our lives.

I am thankful...

I am thankful to be able to stay at home and raise my daughters and not work outside the home.

I am thankful for a loving, god-fearing husband who loves me more than I could ever know.

I am thankful for my two, beautiful daughters who teach me (and challenge me) every day regarding the Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. Not a day goes by where they don't make me laugh and smile.

I am thankful for a warm, inviting home.

I am thankful for my god-given cooking abilities that allow me to feed and love on others...if only I could have some god-given Cleaning abilities...

I am thankful for truth speaking pastors and leaders in our church. New Life, you have blessed me beyond words.

I am thankful for loving parents & family.

I am thankful that I am in Chicago...as much as I long for a slower pace of life, I am thankful for this too. Only in Chicago would I have met many of the people I call dear friends and only in Chicago would I have been forced to grow beyond myself.

My friends and family, I love you. And I am thankful that God has made a way for us to have such a love through His Son, Jesus Christ.

1 John 4:7
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

Creative Nostalgia

I know, I know. It's been nearly 2 months since I last updated this thing...life is BUSY, people. :oP

Seems like the only "me" time I have right now is when everyone else is asleep. My brain fails to let me rest, even when I know I need to rest.

I don't know if it's because my 10 year high school reunion is coming up, or the fact that we're going to the Ball State vs. Purdue football game this weekend, or what, but for one reason or another I've been reminiscing about the days of yore...and all the creative things I did or was involved in.

I was actually thinking about some of my pottery pieces I created during my stint in ceramics sometime during high school. I wonder what happened to the large vase I spent hours carving.

I've been thinking about the Latin songs I sang during the time I was a nun...in the Sound of Music production my Junior year of high school. I know it was high school, but I can help but think about how I got goosebumps whenever we hit the chords just right on Gaudeamus. (Mr. Hayden was a great conductor/director/teacher. I miss being challenged by the songs we sang.)

I keep wistfully remembering all the literally countless hours I spent swing dancing in college...and the ballroom class and country western class with Ya'akov.

I keep dreaming about a day that I could be on Dancing With The Stars - or some version where it's just regular people that no one really knows.

Yes, I know, I could go on a dance date with the hubby....but Brian's not much of a dancer... I love my hubby to pieces, but there are times I want to just dance and not have to re-train him. (Not to mention the fact that we have two kids, so we have to find a sitter anytime we want to get out on our own.)

*sigh*

I've come to realize that I don't have much of a physical or tangible creative outlet.

Years upon years of always having something - choir, art, dance, etc. - and now I have nothing really. No church choir, no worship team, no art classes, no dance classes or outings...

Kinda bums me out...and makes me get all itchy thinking about what all I used to do.

I want to sing - and not just with my daughters.
I want to dance in public.
I want to create in a way that is fulfilling to me.

I just need a means to an end...and I'm not sure where to find it.