Ungodliness Exposed

Recently, much has been made in religious and non-religious circles about the release of the new movie "Fifty Shades of Grey," adapted from the book by the same name. While half of our society flocks to theaters to see what all the rage is about, the other half vehemently condemns the movie for its inherent ungodliness and the damage to be done by consuming such "entertainment."

As found at the following site, https://www.yahoo.com/movies/fifty-shades-drive-in-sacramento-fifty-shades-of-111283872117.html, a California drive-in theater is garnering much negative attention for its displaying of the movie. The large drive-in screen is visible from many public places, and numerous children have witnessed some of the more erotic and sexual scenes as their family simply drove past the theater. Many parents are outraged at the public display of such content, for they do not wish for their children to be exposed to such material.

Christians and non-Christians alike have been very quick to point out the severe levels of ungodliness in this film, and for good reason. But my goal is not to drive in the thought of the ungodliness of this movie, but rather to call believing Christians to evaluate the traces and themes of ungodliness in their own lives.

We are often so quick to cast judgment upon the things of this world, and sometimes rightfully so, but we just as often fail to recognize the ways that we may be living ungodly lives. As Jerry Bridges says, "Ungodliness may be defined as

 living one's everyday life with little or no thought of God, or of God's will, or of God's glory, or of one's dependence on God."

 Ungodliness is often seen in the ways that we live our lives as if they depended upon us instead of recognizing God's rightful place in our lives. In doing so, we live with some level of ungodliness. This does not negate our salvation or insinuate that we are not believers, but believers and unbelievers alike live in varying degrees of ungodliness.

We must take the time to evaluate our own lives to see where we are not lined up with that to which God has called us. After acknowledging these areas, we must work to change them, trusting in the grace and saving power of Christ.

As Matthew 7:5 says, "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." Before attacking the world and its own ungodliness, we need to first acknowledge our own ungodliness as we constantly strive to become more and more like Christ.

What Love is This?

In Respectable Sins, Jerry Bridges says, "The good news that God no longer counts my sin against me...is so radical, so contrary to our normal way of thinking that, frankly, it seems to good to be true." Often, evidences of grace and of love are so powerful that they do not make sense to our minds right away.

I was blown away by an article that I came across recently. It told the story of a man named Samuel Forrest who lives in Armenia. As he was in the hospital anxiously awaiting the birth of his son, he received unexpected news from the doctors. His newborn son Leo was born with Down syndrome. Forrest, from New Zealand, was entirely unaware of hospital practices in Armenia that say that if your child is born with a condition such as Down syndrome, the parents are not required to keep the child.

Unknown to Forrest at the time, his wife had already decided that she had no desire to keep the child. She then presented him with an ultimatum:

If you decide to keep this child, I am divorcing you.

I cannot imagine the confusion and pain that must have ran through his head. The woman he loved forcing him to choose between his own newborn and herself. I wonder how many times he questioned whether there truly was a right answer.

Yet Forrest claims that from the beginning, there was never any doubt in his mind as to his course of action: he was keeping Leo, his son. He could not allow him to be killed simply because of the condition of his birth. Forrest said, "As a child with Down Syndrome, that becomes somewhat of a label. If we can get around this label, we'll see that they're normal...They all have niches and I want to work hard to find out where Leo's special. This little guy is great."

One week later, his wife filed for divorce.

I see this as a truly remarkable act of love by Forrest. He chose the life of someone who as of now, is incapable of returning that love. While he may have always known what he would do, it would be foolish to assume that it was a painless decision. He was willing to lay down all that he knew for the life of his son.

As John 15:13 says, "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." Forrest was willing to lay down the life that he had known so as to allow his son Leo to know a life of his own.

Today, can we say that we are willing to lay down the desires and dreams that we have been chasing for so long as to give hope and life to someone who society would tell us is "lesser" than ourselves? Can we set ourselves to the side to work for what will make the lives of those around us better?


https://gma.yahoo.com/dad-refuses-newborn-son-down-syndrome-221817795--abc-news-parenting.html?soc_src=copy

Who Do We Blame??

In today's American church culture, I find there to be an interesting tension in the way that we view women. So many men say that women need to be more mindful of "the visual nature of men" and in doing so change the way in which they dress in order to protect the hearts of men.

At the same time, many women feel as if far too much of the burden is being placed upon them. They feel such strong pressure from society to look and behave a certain way in order to be considered beautiful, and at the same time hear their brothers in Christ plead with them to be sure to dress modestly. Yet even in spite of these requests, many guys still show preference in ascribing beauty to those who dress in the very way that they ask Christian women not to dress.

As I was doing a typical browse through my Facebook newsfeed, I came across an article/video that was posted on Buzzfeed that highlighted the way that beauty standards have evolved over time entitled "Women's Ideal Body Types Throughout History."






The article can be found at http://www.buzzfeed.com/eugeneyang/womens-ideal-body-types-throughout-history#.rkzjvE6g6.

In watching this video, I find it interesting that throughout the course of history, just about every type of body shape and size was once considered ideal. So what causes this to change? Who makes the decisions about what is attractive and what is not? The ideal woman in ancient Greece would likely be scorned by the majority of American men today.

I feel as if so many men have attempted to place the entirety of the blame upon women and the way that they dress, but men are the primary determiners of what is and is not considered beautiful. So if we as men are reinforcing a certain body type and style of dress as more attractive than others, why do we then turn around and complain about how women present themselves?

In his book Respectable Sins, Jerry Bridges says, "Even though our hearts have been renewed...this principle of sin still lurks within us and wages war against our souls." Although Christ is working sanctification within us, our hearts must still battle our sinful flesh.

1 Timothy 2:9-10 says, "Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly...by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim for godliness." Now, I am not saying that women need to cover every inch of skin, but I do believe that modesty is seen as excellent before God. But at the same time, God is a God of beauty, and there is nothing wrong with seeking to make oneself beautiful.

Now guys, regardless of what women wear, whether deemed modest or immodest, we must resolve in our hearts to remain pure in thought and deed. We are responsible for our own behavior. Can we say as Job did in Job 31:1, "I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin?" Job had already purposed in his heart that no matter how good a woman looked, that he was going to remain pure. My prayer is that as Christian men today, we would take the stand to be pure and blameless in our walk with Christ, including the way that we treat the women in our lives. Regardless of our view of how they dress or what our standard of beauty is, we must be able to present ourselves pure to God, and treat women with the respect that they deserve as creations of the Almighty King.

Everyone Hurts

"How are you?"

I am sure that my fellow church member meant well. But whether their question was fueled by genuine concern, or by thoughtless routine, I may never be sure.

Nevertheless this brief inquiry sent my mind on a reckless path. My mind flooded with the pain of the past week, with the stress of life, and with endless recollections of the hurt I've faced. But, I braced myself, mustered up a smile, and with practiced ease offered back what has become one of the most common lies of our time:

"I'm good."

Why is it that in today's society, we are so unwilling to share our struggles with others? We neglect sharing our pain with others, when they are the ones who often provide clarity and spiritual insight which help point us back to Christ.

We tend to have such an inflated sense of pride, that we grin and try to put on a happy face, shielding others from the searing pain that we truly feel within our being. There is no need to feel any shame in admitting our problems.

"He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy." - Proverbs 28:13

In our attempts to hide our struggles and our sin from others in order not to be viewed as a hypocrite, we become even bigger hypocrites by portraying lives that we are not truly living. Why? Because everyone else in our church does it too. We don't want to be the only person who struggles.

But next time you are in church, look around. Every single person that you see is dealing with much the same pain as you. The deacon and his wife of fifty years may be suffering a broken marriage. The pianist may be dealing with the death of her only son. The pastor's son may be struggling with an addiction to pornography. They all just might be too ashamed to seek help for they feel as if the church would look down upon and alienate them.

EVERYONE HURTS.

It's inescapable. Unavoidable. This life is full of pain and suffering. There is absolutely no way that we can isolate ourselves from the trials of this earth.

So why hide it? Why act as if we have this pretty little life, when in reality it's only a pretty little lie to cover what is really going on? We are so afraid to let down our masks to reveal what we really struggle with.

"My loss of hope causes me to scramble for safety from behind a mask. The cost is horrific. No one told me that when I wear a mask, only my mask receives love. We can gain admiration and respect from behind a mask. We can even intimidate. But as long as we're behind a mask, any mask, we will not be able to receive love. Then, in our desperation to be loved, we'll rush to fashion more masks, hoping the next will give us what we're longing for: To be known, accepted, trusted, and loved." --from "The Cure" by John Lynch

The origin of the word "hypocrite" comes from ancient Greek, and the plays and dramas which they so famously performed. A hypocrite was one who spoke from behind a mask on stage. He gave himself a false identity and sought to create a believable character which would please the audience.

Unfortunately, this practice has lived on long past the Greeks. We are more than happy to join in the charade, crafting invisible disguises in order to play our parts upon the bigger stage of our lives to please an audience that will never be satisfied with our performance, not matter how convincingly we play the part.

As long as we continue to fashion these masks that we wear, we will never be able to truly experience the things which desire in life. We create these masks in an effort to block out pain, hurt, and judgment, but in reality they block out acceptance, trust, and love, creating an even deeper pain than that which we originally tried to avoid.

We will never fully understand the beauty of being genuine until we stop being fake. Being genuine allows us to experience love in a way never before known. There is something truly special about knowing that you are truly loved and accepted. Christ asks that we come to him as we are. There is no need to act, no need to pretend as if we are something that we are not.

He already knows all that we are, so why try to hide it? We must surrender everything that we are to him and allow him to begin his work of restoration in our lives. He does not allow us to remain the same as when we first come to him, and there is beauty to be found in this sanctification process.

"Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins one to another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." - James 5:13-16

I believe that it is time that we finally break down these walls and be open and honest with Christ, each other, and even ourselves. Healing can only begin when we break down our walls, and let others into our lives. But above all, healing begins when we peel back the layers of our facade and let Christ invade every corner of our lives.

"Immanuel, God with Us"

While on a retreat recently, I took some time in silence, and sat down to write a poem to hopefully be used in a Christmas recital at LBC. While it was not used, I figured that I would go ahead and share the poem anyway. This poem may not be extremely refined or in perfect form, but it is an attempt to share the beauty of the incarnation of Christ and the joy that it should lead us into.

Immanuel, God with Us

Immanuel, God with us

The baby boy

The promise of salvation for every nation

For at his declaration every knee will bot

Yet, we wonder how this tiny stranger 

Lying in a lonely manger

Will become our glorious Savior

Immanuel, God with us

This mighty God

Who blows the breeze

And parts the seas

Whose voice echoes across the lakes

And name makes the mountains shake

All wrapped up in this quiet baby

How could it be?

Immanuel, God with us

The same God who led the Israelites

With cloud by day and fire by night

And this infant crying in the night

Contains in him this very might

Immanuel, God with us

The man the prophets foretold of

Left his glorious home above

Submitted to the virgin birth 

In search to reconcile this sinful earth

Immanuel, God with us

He left his glory, left his throne

Made this lonely earth his home

So he could make his sons his own

Immanuel, God with us

Now let us praise this holy king

And as a gift our lives to bring

Our sacrifice the song we sing

An offering to the infant king

Immanuel, God with us

Lift our voices, lift our lives

As a living sacrifice

Praise him for as a man he dwelt 

Immanuel, God with us


I hope you enjoy. Merry Christmas and God bless you all. 

"From Your Loving Brother in Christ"

In today's society, woman are completely torn down, chewed up, and spit out by society. I wanted to take the time to write a poem to encourage females, and let them know that there are guys that care for and love them, and to ultimately show them that they are loved by God.


From Your Loving Brother in Christ

To all my sisters, all the ladies out there,

There are a few things which I would like to make clear.

First, I want to offer an apology.

I apologize for all the lies we guys have told you

For all the tears we’ve made you cry that hurt you

Now, I realize that I cannot offer an excuse for your uncle’s abuse

Or an explanation for your father’s alienation of you and your family

But, I’m sorry.

I’m sorry for the way society has reduced you into objects to be used.

How we guys treat you as trophies to be won

Rather than as treasures to be cherished and loved

We have made you into the objects of our lustful conquests

So we could have stories for our next locker room jests

We make jokes about our one night stands

Until the number of hearts we’ve shattered stands too high to be counted on two hands

We hand out heartache like its candy

Ignoring your pain like it’s all fine and dandy

But we have been wrong.

All along, We. Have. Been. Wrong.

It breaks my heart to know that we have broken yours.

I’m sorry.  

Now for the second point of attention

I recently read a statistic that states that only 4% of girls in the world would call themselves beautiful

My question is: What have we done to make the rest of you feel so unloved?

To the 96% of you who don’t feel “pretty enough”

Any guy who can’t look past your exterior to the beauty of your heart is not worth your love

Because hear me when I say, You. Are. Beautiful.

You are worthy to be loved.

You were created in God’s perfect image above.

So please, never let any guy tell you that you aren’t pretty enough.

All of these images of models you see in the magazines and TV screens

Please. They are not the standard of what beauty means.

For beauty will never be measured by how easily you fit into your jeans

Don’t buy the lie that you have to be thinner

Sticking your fingers down your throat is never the answer

If you measure yourself by society, you will never live up

For society’s priorities can never be reached

Wearing a size 2 will never bring you as much peace as you think

God made you perfect, He makes no mistakes

True beauty is found when you rest in His love, goodness, and grace.

Now let’s move on to the next point of interest

Don’t simply settle for the first guy to express his interest

There are plenty of Christian boys, but few godly men

Trust God. He’ll provide. For He knows when

When you’ll meet that man, when you will marry

He knows how many kids in your stomach you’ll carry

Please never stop pushing us guys to be better men

Whether your brother, your lover, or simply your friend

Ladies, never stop seeking Christ

He is all you need, and if you seek, you’ll find

Finding extravagant beauty and undeniable love

All wrapped up in your Father above

Loving you, pursuing you, and NEVER failing you

I beg you ladies to love God more than you love us men

For only on the ground of his love can a relationship stand

Now, for a quick review of all I have told you.

1. I’m sorry for the way we guys have treated you. We have been wrong.

2. God made you beautiful. Don’t let any guy tell you otherwise, for true beauty comes from God.

3. Never stop seeking God, for He is all you need. More than you need any guy, you need God. As much as any guy could love you, God loves you infinitely more.

So these are my words to all you ladies out there

I hope I was able to make a few things clear

From your loving brother in Christ.

"A Glorious Intervention"

This is essentially my testimony in a poem. I hope you enjoy. 

"A Glorious Intervention"

I cannot turn around;

I cannot look back,

Not after where I’ve been.

My feet pound the pavement

Paving a path away from all that I’ve known, 

Knowing that each step takes me farther from what was once home.

I started so innocently, 

Accidentally stumbling,

Fumbling down roads that just left me wondering:

What happened to peace? 

What happened to home?

At the end of my stumbling, I found myself standing

In the middle of the dark forest. Alone. 

At first I was terrified, staring so wide-eyed

At a deep sinister darkness, of which I was inside.

I cried out in pure terror,

Terrorized by the thought of the error which led me here.

But my cries went unheard.

My screams echoed into nothingness.

So I finally resigned to signing myself over to this new life

Or should I say… death. 

Eventually I ceased seeking an escape

And instead immersed myself in the darkness,

Darkening my soul by embracing it whole-heartedly.

I became numb to emotion,

My every devotion fully given to wicked ambition.

I traded love for hate,

Peace for war,

Of this evil I only wanted more.

Warring against myself and always losing this fight

But somehow still in love with this “life.”

I rationalized wrong ‘til I thought it was right,

Adoring the darkness and despising the light,

Running from day and hiding in night.

And then things changed on the darkest of nights.

I saw a speck of light, no more than a glimmer

Shimmering in the distance but it seemed to grow thinner.

Still, I was strangely compelled and fatally attracted,

Distracted by its wonder so on impulse I acted.

I leapt from my chains and loosed all my bonds.

I chased this faint speck over rivers, through ponds.

I was irresistibly and inexplicably drawn to this mystery,

And after it I chased relentlessly wherever it wanted to lead me

So I ran and I ran, pushing myself farther

‘Til my legs turned to jelly, and my heart, it beat harder.

Farther and farther, I was losing my breath.

I was ready to collapse with my every next step.

Finally the light slowed and I made up some ground,

Unaware, unprepared for what was to be found.

At first I questioned why here the light led me,

All I saw was a hill, and on it, a tree.

Then the light led me closer, and then I could see

Something strange about this tree, this tree seemed to bleed.

Being the curious cat that I am

I walked a bit closer and stretched out my hand.

I touched just a drop, small drop of the blood

And touched to my lips,

Yes, I tasted the blood.

And instantaneously fell to my knees and eyes started to flood,

I flooded the ground with the tears of my pain.

Paining myself with the thoughts of my shame.

For when I tasted the taste my eyes opened to see

The wicked, detestable, despicable me.

For then I saw the reality of my own existence,

Existing for self at my own insistence.

But as my tears saturated the ground below my feet

I witnessed a phenomenon I’d never before seen.

The speck of light grew to a fury of flames,

Flaming and bright with a wondrous blaze.

Then like shot from a cannon the light chased the dark.

And the darkness it fled. The light beat the dark.

Now I’m delivered from my past.

I’m delivered from shame.

I’m delivered from darkness.

I’m delivered from blame.

I’m free from my guilt. 

I’m free from my chains. 

I’m free from my death.

The light gave me life, and now I’m changed.

I’ve lived in the darkness. I’ve felt its great pain.

I won’t ever go back. Not ever again. 

The light cast out the darkness.

The victory is won.

Now I’ll live in the light.

The light of the sun.