Sept. 17, 2012
There is so much hatred and violence in the world this week, with each side thinking that their ways are the best ways, maybe we would all do well to consider the following:
“Beware lest we mistake our prejudices for our convictions.” – Dr. Harry Ironside
Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: Luke 6:36 KJV – Jesus Christ 1-33 AD
Something to ponder this week and pray about.
“Young people don’t always do what they’re told, but if they can pull it off and do something wonderful, sometimes they escape punishment. ”
― Rick Riordan
All of us have stories from our childhoods; stories that contributed to the development of our characters or were simply an expression of that character as it developed. One of my most memorable stories involves a chair without a back. It began with an ordindary dinner at the kitchen table and ended with a permanent memento of my desire to explore life from all angles.
I don’t recall what led me to stick my head through the horizontal rungs of my kitchen chair. I don’t know if I was simply trying to see what was on the other side, or if I was simply bored. Neither can I remember actually sticking my head through the slats. However, I can clearly remember not being able to remove it. Unable to free myself, I began to wiggle and scream. It wasn’t long before my dad came to the rescue. I CAN clearly remember the sound of the saw as it ate through the wooden slats just inches away from my neck. That chair remained my personal “seat of honor” at the family dinner table, a testimony to the follies of childhood.
An assortment adventures which run from a series of bee stings from constantly running barefoot in the clover, to a wasp sting from spitting at a wasp nest, to getting bit on the nose by a snapping turtle that I tried to rub noses are topped of with being chased by an entire herd of dairy cows one Christmas season. An experience that left one shoe in the quicksand, and a slamming door flapping behind me while I cowered under my bed. I am not certain whether these misadventures shaped me or were fashioned by me as a result of my insatiable curiosity, inability to follow rules and sheer stubbornness. Regardless, they are part of who I am today.
I would love to hear from you about the stories that have shaped your life, or which are an expression of who you are. Feel free to add to this discussion and let’s get to know each other.
Photo Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/people/rosyfinch/
“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”
― Corrie Ten Boom
Photo: by David
“Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.”
Buddha
It’s been said that faith is blind, but I disagree. Real faith is not blind; it thoroughly inspects reality, examines all its components, determines what is real and what is false, and finally accepts what it cannot know or rationally explain. Many wiser philosophers and theologians have attempted to explain this process, but they all seem to swing from the left side of the pendulum to the right and back again. There does not seem to be any acceptance that the process of knowing is a process of faith without which real understanding cannot take place.
One of the early doctors of the church, St. Augustine, 354-430 A.D. is credited with the philosophy of “faith seeking understanding.” This is an attempt to rationalize why we believe what we believe. This approach to religion and religious belief opened the doors to Catholic doctrines that has resulted in both some advances in thought and faith such as the doctrine that the individual has the moral obligation to follow his/her conscience as directed by the Holy Spirit. However, the Church puts qualifications on its own doctrines by insisting that the final authority in all manners of faith and morality is the Church itself. It has also led to its own ultimate demise.
This philosophy of “faith seeking understanding” is a foundational methodology of modern Christian thought as, at one time, the only authority in Christianity was the Catholic Church, and as such, established not only what was to be taught but how it was to be taught. What began as a simple thirst for understanding progressed into a brutal examination of reality that eventually became devoid of mystery as “scientific methods” of understanding and learning replaced faith-based principles. This, in turn, has led to such extreme views as those presented as “scientific” analyses of the Gospels and Jesus’ life by the participants of the “Jesus Seminar.” These views include the belief that only 18% of the sayings of Jesus were really His own words, that Jesus was not God and man, and that the Gospel of Thomas is more accurate than the Gospel of John. Other, opinions that have then been birthed by the Jesus Seminar are the views that Mary was raped by a Roman solider, married Joseph for protection and gave birth to Jesus. That Jesus did not really perform any miracles, he was simply a talented magician, and that there was no resurrection. It was simply an invention foisted upon the world by desperate believers.
So then, where does that leave us. Are we to blindly accept everything that is fed to us? Are we to never doubt, question or search for the truth? Not at all. Scripture tells us that we need to ” And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Rom 12:2 KJV The word renewing is critical here as it means a renewal, a completion brought about by the Holy Spirit. It is both a process and an accomplished act. It is not an either or proposition. It is a combination of both, and it is to be done on a daily basis. It is faith and reason together working to both accomplish and enhance what was started with belief and accomplished on the cross. I know this sounds confusing, and I admit to getting lost in my own logic at times, but the distinction is important because if it is not understood it can lead to errors, errors which can then lead to false beliefs and apostasy.
God said, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isa 55:9 KJV That being the case is there really any hope for us in coming to know Him better? Of course there is because God also said, ” And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. Jer 29:13 KJV However, we must also realize that, there are things which we must simply accept on faith. Things that we cannot possibly understand and are not given to understand. There must be a balance between seeking, searching, learning and simple faith. In Deuteronomy 29:29 it says, ” The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever…” KJV This means that we will find answers but we will also be faced with puzzle pieces that simply don’t fit and trying to make them fit leads to the type of mental gymnastics such as those performed by the members of the Jesus Seminar. We must simply accpect that in this life there will be things that simply cannot be explained, understood or known.
This concept of things being unknowable is not a simple Christian teaching. Lao Tzu, who wrote the Tao Te Ching, wrote about this aspect of eternal goodness that:
The tao that can be told
is not the eternal Tao
The name that can be named
is not the eternal Name. Lao Tzu
The bottom line, then, is that we are to search, question, learn and renew our minds. We are not to blindly accept what is given to us like a baby accepting a bottle. Like our four-legged friends who always seem to be on the look-out for a treat or a meal, we are to be constantly on the search for new sources of spiritual manna so that we might continually grow in Him. However, we need to balance this thirst for knowledge with faith, a faith given to us by God, sustained by God and which ultimately will led back to Him.
“If God were small enough to be understood, He would not be big enough to be worshipped.”
Evelyn Underhill
Photo by: Collin Key
“Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.”
Mark Twain
STOP!! If you think I am going to answer this question, then quit reading right now because you will be disappointed. Better brains than mine, better educated people, and more learned Biblical scholars have attempted to answer this question, and not succeeded, and neither have I. Unless you have been to Heaven and lived to tell about it, you cannot say for sure what happens there. However, you can have a well-developed and well-founded opinion, and I would just like to add my to the mix and hope it provides you with some insight.
I once heard Joni Eareckson Tada speak about animals not having souls, and therefore not being in heaven to greet us. She quoted this verse from Ecclesiastes, “Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?” Eccl 3:21 – KJV She implied that this difference of direction meant that there would be no animals in Heaven. I tend to disagree with this strongly, as did many of her listeners. She later retracted this statement.
However, when I look at the verses that precede this verse, one things becomes clear, not only do animals have spirits but they are, according to Scripture, quite similar in that they both are created by God and destined by God for other things. Ecclesiastes 3:19 states, “For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.” – Eccl 3:19 KJV As I mentioned above, I am not a Biblical scholar, I have no training in Greek, Latin or Hebrew. Yet, to my simple mind the message seems pretty clear. All of God’s living creatures breath, die and are destined for other places. There is some debate on what those places might be, and therein lies the heart of the problem. If animals do have spirits, as Scripture states, where do they go after death.
If you are a Hindu or a Buddhist, or a Native American you are raised to believe that animals have spirits or souls unlike European/Western Christianity where animals are, or were, considered simply an inferior life form. For example, in the Hindu faith all living creatures have an Atman, or soul, and that this soul is continually evolving growing and changing from one incarnation to the next. The Buddhist believer basically agrees with this but also believes that animals possess a spark of the “Divine” and can teach humans many things by their example of gracious living. Most Native American Nations also believe in the spirit or soul of the animal with many tribal religions calling upon animal spirit guides to help them as they walk upon this earth. Even Islam and Judaism believes that animals have souls, although they do disagree as to their final destination. Which brings us back to the question of are there animals in Heaven.
Lots of people like to use the verse from Isaiah about the lions lying down with the lamb to provide Scriptural support for the view that animals will be in heaven. However, I am not so sure this particular verse applies. It reads, “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.” Isa 11:16 KJV. However, when you look at this verse in context with its neighbors it tends to lend itself more to an interpretation of the events during the Second Coming of Christ, or what is called, “The Millennial Kingdom.” A thousand year period of peace and happiness on earth where Christ rules as king.
In my mind, there are two strong verses that support the existence of not only animals in heaven, but the souls of our beloved pets as well. Both of these verses can be found in the Book of Revelations, which is interesting as it speaks specifically of the “End Times” and of the existence an d nature of Heaven. The first verse reads, “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.” Rev: 19:11. Okay, so here we go. John has a vision of Heaven and he sees Jesus on a white horse. How could this be if there were no horses in Heaven? Now, it could be argued that if they had Hummers or other motorized vehicles in those days, John might have seen Jesus arriving in a jeep, or a tank, or an airplane. However, they did have carriages, chariots, camel caravans and other means of transportation, and John did not see Jesus sitting in one of those. Instead, he saw him astride a horse. I find this interesting and it tends to lend credence to the argument that there will be animals in Heaven.
However, the most compelling argument, and the one that most people know is the verse in Revelations that speaks about no more tears. It reads, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”Rev 21:4 For many people, this is all the proof that is needed. No more tears, no more pain, no more death. Heaven simply will not be Heaven if it does not contain the souls of all our beloveds including our pets.
To give Joni credit, when she retracted her statement, she did agree that Heaven in order to be Heaven must include replications of our pets so that the pain of their passing would no longer exist. However, I am willing to take it one step further and say that, “We will see all our love ones in Heaven including our pets for our God is a good God and He desires more than anything else to fulfill the desires of the hearts of His children.”
I think God will have prepared everything for our perfect happiness. If it takes my dog being there [in Heaven], I believe he’ll be there.
Rev. Billy Graham
Exactly How I Feel Lately
“The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four people is suffering from a mental illness. Look at your 3 best friends. If they’re ok, then it’s you.”
― Rita Mae Brown
I have suffered from depression for as long as I can remember. I had it even before I knew I had it, and long before I even knew what it meant to be “depressed.” My depression has always been cyclical in nature meaning that I suffered from continual, on-going low levels of depression interspersed with serious depressive episodes where the only solution appeared to be suicide. I can still clearly remember the first time I thought about suicide, the feeling of not wanting to be alive, and I can clearly remember my shock. I was only 16-17 years old, and even though my life would have never made the “Leave It To Beaver” cut, it was still life and I still wanted it. Until, that piercing moment when the thought occurred to me, “Maybe I should just kill myself.”
I was in the car with my first husband, I don’t remember what we were talking about but I do remember the hopelessness, the pain and the despair. I also remember that the thought shook the very foundations of my concepts of the sanctity of life, reality and sanity. A million questions ran through my brain as it tried to digest the unpalatable reality of my new world.
Who in their right mind does not want to live? What was happening to me? Was I losing my mind? I would never find the answers to these questions, but I was to suffer much worse over the rest of my life as this mild form of depressive thought spiraled out of control and led up to three major depressive episodes. The first of these episodes, occurred about 40 years ago and lasted nine months. The second occurred in 1996 and lasted two years. The most recent bout happened in 2003 and lasted nine long years. A key feature of these episodes, aside from not wanting to live, is the inability to function, to cry, to laugh, to live. I spent the better part of the last nine years in bed: sleeping late, taking long naps and going to bed very early. I also spent the last nine years heavily medicated as only drugs could control my constant companions: self-loathing, discouragement, and overwhelming hopelessness.
Recent studies indicate that one in every 10 Americans suffer from depression of some sort, with 4 of those individuals, nearly half, suffering from major depressive episodes. However, in light of my own recent experiences, I have a ton of more questions to ask. Like, what causes it? Why don’t the treatments work better? And, who says what depression really is? I can believe you are depressed if you want to kill yourself, but are you depressed if you simply just don’t like the current circumstances in your life?
I know they have charts, grids and tests, I have taken enough those tests myself to build a bonfire with them, but who establishes the standards and measurements for those tests and charts? If you perceive yourself as being depressed, are you? Or, if you perceive yourself as being not depressed, are you? From my own experience, I think it is a combination of both. I think there is a physical and inherited tendency toward depression, but I also think how I perceive myself also factors into the reality of its severity. The Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius is quotes as saying, “Reject your sense of injury and the injury itself disappears.”
And, I am wondering, is this true? I cannot explain what has happened to me, or what has happened in the past. I do not understand why the depression is gone, why it happened in the first place, and if it will come again. Studies suggest that those who have suffered one major depressive episode will like suffer another, and that each new episode will be more severe than the last. I, personally, have found this to be true, and I am terribly afraid that if it happens again, I won’t survive.
However, today, I am good! I am in a new place, an environment of my own making where I am free of depression, and once again, I am wondering…what and who I am? I have never experienced this level of freedom, this level of energy, or this level of love in my life: love for my children, my husband, my students, my pets, my friends and my God. I awake, when I sleep, energized and ready to take on the world. I am excited about my career, my writing and even posting on Facebook. So, I am wondering, is this what normal people do? Is this what life is all about? Or, am I must in a manic phase of a manic/depressive episode. Friedrich Nietzsche said, “And those who were seen dancing, were thought to be crazy, by those who could not hear the music.” Is this me now? I don’t know, but I am wondering.
The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.
– Albert Einstein
So tired, back to bed soon
While, I don’t claim to be a genius in any sense of the word, I do know that I can be amazingly stupid at times. Take last night for example, I managed less than fours of sleep because of this darn, stupid blog. I simply could not put aside thinking about it. Tons and tons of quotes, quips, picture ideas, etc. When I had finished mulling over those thoughs, I then began to mentally write out my blog posts. This went on for hours until I finally got up and something about it, like writing them down. Duh! If I had done that hours before maybe I would have been able to sleep. However, when I finished that tasks and went to bed, somewhere around 2 a.m. I fell asleep only to awaken four hours later full of ideas that simply consume my every waking moment. So, here I am, blogging away, and hoping to take a nap once this is posted. Problem is like Einstein’s definition of stupidity, I don’t seem to recognize my limitations.
News on other fronts: Today Dee gets her hearing aids. After four years of living with steady hearing loss, she will finally be able to hear again. God is good, all the time, whether we believe it or not.
My new laptop arrives sometime today. YAY!! I will finally be using state-of-the-art equipment and considering how much time I spend working, writing, teaching, blogging, and yes, dare I say it, shopping on the Internet, it is about time. Also, I can use it as a tax write-off and for the first time in my life, I think I am going to need to use that option.
Finally, I intend to make another major blog post, later today, after a much needed nap, and will find it under the Curiouser and Curiouser category.
God’s peace and have a great day!
Nancy
Matt 11:28
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matt 11:28 KJV
My Girls
Many years ago, at the age of 15, I found myself pregnant in a culture where “good girls” didn’t do things like that. I became a social pariah, and which was worse, an outcast from the faith that for so long been my only emotional support. I married the baby’s father on my 16th birthday, an abusive, alcoholic drug addict, and thus began a long slide into several divorces and other abusive relationships. However, it also led me into a lifelong pursuit of truth and knowledge as my emotional and spiritual needs were just not being fulfilled in either my relationships or my current worldviews. As much as I was able, I attempted to address this need by reading everything I could in this area, but the hunger for advanced education persisted. Unfortunately, this desire for learning took a back seat to the responsibilities of raising five daughters, but eventually I was able to start pursuing my dreams; dreams which culminated in two Master’s Degrees and three published books, two novels and one non-fiction book on spiritual direction.
My journey has not been easy. I have had to overcome the trauma of divorce, the ramifications of being an abused child and spouse, and the inherited tendency toward depressive episodes. In addition, as a pregnant teenager I was, for most of my life, in the lower social-economic strata. Thus I was continually faced with financial challenges while trying to ensure that my children had more than just the basic necessities so that they might grow into fully confident and accomplished adults. I did succeed in this area and am proud of them; proud that they have well-balanced lives, proud that they have not succumbed to the pressures of substance abuse, and proud that all of them have had enough confidence and motivation to pursue and succeed in the areas of advanced education.
However, I want to do more. I want to reach more people. I want to help others through the type of trials that I went through. I believe that the way to do this is to learn more about religion, education, counseling and writing in order to bring to the faith-based denominations an ecumenical outlook toward the various doctrines which currently only serve to divide and discredit Christian Spirituality. I want to be able to provide comfort and solace to others that experience the underbelly of life whether it be addictions, poverty, mental disorders, or lack of educational opportunities, and I believe that a united faith, one devoid of doctrinal issues, is the key to reaching those that are in the most need.
In addition, I have had a lifelong love affair with the written word. It was my passion, my dream and, next to raising my children, my greatest accomplishment. It manifested itself in many ways including the publication of two novels, numerous articles and newspaper stories, children’s literature, poetry as well as adult literary fiction. I pursued advanced education in this field and achieved a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing. This love for the written word extends itself into my teaching philosophy as I seek to instill in all my students not only a passion for writing but the ability to write clearly, concisely and effectively. I know that not every student will fall in love with the written word like I did, but I strive to at least give them a taste of what is possible when one communicates successfully in writing.
It is my goal to combine these three passions, faith, writing and teaching, in such a way that I may help others learn, grow and prosper in their academic, professional, creative and spirituals lives and, I am humbled by the trust my students, my friends and my family have in me and my small attempts to help others. I honestly don’t know if I am worthy to do this, if I have the talent, the skills and/or the brains to even try this, but if I don’t try, I will never know. So, I thank you all in advance for your patience, love and support.
God’s Peace, Nancy
I am, and this is, a WORK IN PROGRESS, and I am excited to share with you my thoughts, feelings, victories and failures as we journey together on our life paths. Remember it’s not the destination but the journey that counts. Let’s make it a great one!
On this journey I will try not to use too many cliches, trite expressions or other meaningless platitudes, but I admit to being corny and loving some of those old sayings, like this one: A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. So I am offering to take not only that first step together, but all of them with you, and hope that it will be enjoyable for all of us.
I will be sharing family stories, animal stories, publishing news, Biblical Scriptures, motivational sayings, and whatever else I feel like blithering and blathering about, and I am hoping that all of you will find this a good place to share your stories as well.
God’s peace, Nancy
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...gone "walkabout" with God...
Nancy Segovia 