Separation of church and...marketplace?

"When we start to separate and fragment our lives between that which belongs in church and that which belongs in the marketplace, we risk doing the same with God - relegating Him to a secondary, segmented place in our lives." - Gareth Goossen

A good reminder to keep God part of all aspects of life. :)

Worship isn't about me

Reading a book called "Worship Walk", I am struck again with the reminder that worship is not about the music, presentation, or style...it's about giving praise to God.  What right do we have to withhold that if something isn't just right or we don't "connect" with a particular song?

Do we sometimes forget what it means when we say "He is worthy"? Is it tempting to want to add "so long as the song triggers my emotions"?

My thoughts on the existence of "the one"

On the radio, I heard yet another person proclaim the folly of thinking that there is "the one" person for them...a soulmate or specific person God has chosen for them.  It's not the first time I have heard this and I have a confession to make, regarding this topic.

I believe there is a "one" specific person God has crafted for each person (and is crafting you for a specific person).  

Now, before the pitchforks or torches come out, allow me to explain why I believe this.

The reason I believe this is rooted in a number of other beliefs.  I believe God is sovereign, and that He is in control of every aspect of our lives.  This also means that I believe that God is never surprised and that I am not powerful enough to derail God's plans.  Lastly, I believe that God cares about the small details of my life. Life may not go according to my own plan, but I know I can rest assured that it *always* goes according to His plan.

Based on that set of beliefs, I believe that God has planned out who I will or won't marry and through that same outlook, it takes the stress off and provides me a lot of comfort (especially when I have doubts about the whole thing).

You see, this means that I never have to worry about "making the wrong choice" when it comes to who I want to be with.  This means I don't have to worry about "finding" or searching for this person that is hidden somewhere on the planet.  This means that, ultimately, I don't have to worry on whether or not I will be married at all.  Ultimately, it's up to God and His timing and His plan on how to best bring glory to Him (which is really what it's all about).

Does this mean that I don't still worry about all of the above? If only. I am still human, I still fail, and I still sometimes worry myself into a corner, convinced I am not good enough in some way or scared I will end up truly alone (not just romantically).  When I do, though, I can take comfort in knowing that God is most certainly still in control and I can look back on my own past and see that He has seen me through the valleys

and we've always come out on the other side, because He is with me.

So all that is to say and show that God can use even something I may totally disagree with, to comfort, encourage, and remind me that He's got this handled and that I don't need to worry...and also that He's got a plan (which may or may not include a "one"...but if it does, the one I marry one day will be "the one".)

Excess, even in books...

"But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body." Ecclesiastes 12:12

Yet another good reminder for balance...study, but also do.

Permanence in the age of temporary

I stumbled onto this blog while researching something unrelated and, while it's not "new" information or thoughts (I suspect we all know deep down that there is little on earth that is permanent), the truth of the temporary nature of our lives really struck me.

http://www.holymessofmarriage.com/2013/08/the-myth-of-permanency.html?m=1

Moses and Horeb

Exodus 3:11-12
But Moses said to God, “ Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you:When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”

Three things of interest in these two verses...

First, God says "when", not "if." I wonder if Moses noticed that too.

Secondly, the sign wasn't until after the task was accomplished. It wasn't going to be given ahead of time, but far after (once they got to Mt Sinai).

Third, I never made the connection until just now (as I type this) that the mountain Moses was at when he encountered the burning bush was the same that the Israelites camped out at for all that time while Moses received the law (Horeb is another name or the same mountain, according to Strongs).

On God making things new...

A friend of mine recently posted some verses on how God will make all things new and, while I was encouraged by this reminder, it got me thinking as well.

Just because He promises to make things new, doesn't mean He will make them the same.

This is something I need to be careful of in my expectations.