Blah, blah, blah.

This above all others is the age of much talk.

AW Tozer

Oh, Tozer.  You saucy minx.  Bless.  You had no idea what was coming down the pike.

Or did you?
I am constantly amazed that the troubling trends in the world and the Church that Mr. Tozer was beginning to see sprout in the mid-20th century are in full bloom now.  And that is not necessarily a good thing.

The notion back of this endless official chatter is that all differences

between men result from their failure to understand each other;

if each can discover exactly what the other thinks 

they will find to their delight that they are really in full agreement after all.

Then they have only to smile, shake hands, go home

and live happily ever after.

AW Tozer

That.

How is that working out for the world?
Seriously- why do people believe that is a thing?

Tozer also goes on to say "It is a truism that people agree to disagree only about matters they consider unimportant."  I think that is very true.

I don't know what to do, what to think about the world around me.

All the yelling.  All the hate- from ALL sides.  

The intolerance- from ALL sides.  All sides.  

Blahblahblahblahblahblahblahblah.

I am sorry- you can't scream and holler about equal rights and tolerance and then not allow people to think differently than you do.  That is called "hypocrisy." And the truth is we ALL deal with it, ALL of us...the church, the world, the democrats, the republicans- EVERYONE.

hy·poc·ri·sy

həˈpäkrəsē/

noun

1. the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform; pretense.

I just want to go hide somewhere with my kindle and some kittens and comfort food.  I know that's not God's intention- but man, it's tempting.

I just don't understand why people think all this talking and hollering is doing any good.  

Everyone is so extreme lately- it makes me tired.
I am a person that can unfortunately, or fortunately- see all sides of an issue- and understand why people think the way they do even if I don't.   I didn't think I was all that unusual.  Perhaps I am.

Or perhaps, it's just because I try.

When did it become okay to not care about anyone but yourself?

When did it become okay for Christians to think that?

Here's the thing I have noticed.

All those people who know EXACTLY WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS- a lot of them haven't read it in awhile or perhaps at all.  Maybe they sat under some teaching once upon a time and heard someone's "spin" of the scriptures...  It doesn't occur to them that perhaps they might be wrong.  It bothers me when people start spouting scripture out of context, without understanding, twisting it to suit their own purposes, believing only the bits they like.

...lately, it bothers me A LOT.

I think I have talked about this before- but when I was about eight years old, I got my first adult Bible- and I remember sitting in a tiny chair in my room, with it open to the Psalms, wishing I understood what it was trying to say.

I really believe God is now taking a lifetime to honor the prayer of my eight year old heart.

This is what I have learned thus far.

And yes, I have read the WHOLE BIBLE- all the way through- a few times- once chronologically (did you know Job comes smack in the middle of Genesis?  I didn't either, but it does) and then I have done a few other reading plans- and I am always consistently reading. I don't necessarily read every single day- but no more than a couple of days goes by without me reading.  I am an avid reader.  And this is one of the books I read all the time. And I have done that for the past 19 years.  I am just telling you this, not because I am bragging or think I know any better than the next person- but to let you know- that I love this Book and it is a priority in my life- and a habit- or a discipline if you like that language instead.  I experience this book, I read it for myself- in different translations- with historical study guides as well....I want to KNOW.

Why?  Because that is where the answers are.
I am not kidding.
Don't take my word for it.  Seriously.  Don't.

READ THE BOOK YOURSELF.

I have found that if I am mulling over a question or issue in my mind or I am struggling, and I ask God about it- usually within a fairly short amount of time- the answer shows up in the Bible.

It's weird, I know.  But it works.

And I find that the character of God isn't as inconsistent as we think it is.  In both the Old and New Testaments- His call to His people is to seek Him, to know Him, to love Him, to love others and take care of them.  This is not rocket science.  People get hung up on stupid stuff-  you can always take random verses out of the Bible and make them say anything you want them to, to twist them to suit your agenda.  You can do that.  But you shouldn't- you need to look at the whole story- the big picture.  Don't fixate on a section or a verse.... it's like trying to draw an elephant based on a snapshot of the tail.

For real, if you had never seen an elephant, could you draw a picture of one,

including the enormity of the scale of an elephant

based on this photo?
No. You couldn't.

We learn a lot if we try.  But we need the big picture to see it all correctly.

We learn that God uses horrible people to accomplish His will in the earth.  He will use them if they are open to Him- if they are teachable and willing and love Him and TRY.   They don't have to be perfect all the time- they can doubt and fail and screw up- He will still love and use them.  If He can use King David- who saw someone else's wife bathing, slept with her, knocked her up- and then sent her husband to war to get killed because her husband was too honorable to sleep with her to cover up David's sin...I am just saying.

Any Christian who bases "excellence in faith" on their own behavior- well, I am going to call bullshit on that one. BULLSHIT.

Yes, I know- I need this shirt. I digress.

But we can't make ourselves the baseline for anyone else's behavior or beliefs.

We don't have the right to do that.

You remember- free will?  Yes.  That.

And if we really, truly self-examined, we'd be VERY aware of the depravity and selfishness of our own souls. But most of us try not to do that.  We just flit about, judging and hollering about all these specks in people's eyes while we knock people over and out with the logs in our own eyes.
And anyone who lords their morality over others?  I mean on BOTH sides of the fence- truly I do, liberal and conservative- they are out of line.
The only judge is God. 

I cannot hold you responsible for my level of knowledge and faith. I cannot make you responsible and accountable for what God is calling ME to do in this moment.

However, YOU are responsible for you.  You are responsible to respond and obey God in what HE is calling you to- whatever that may be.

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, 

according to the tradition of men,

according to the elementary principles of the world, 

rather than according to Christ.

Colossians 2:8

From what I can see, most folks don't have an issue with Jesus.  Their issues are with the Church, and how it has twisted the Word, ignored the needy and helpless, abused power, and screamed hypocrisy all over the place. I get that.  I do.

But most folks also don't actually know what the Bible says.  They assume they do, because they went to Sunday school forever ago or whatever- but they don't examine it, or test it.  OR they take other people's word for it and their interpretation.  It makes me a bit ill.

Honestly, don't take my word for it.  Read it yourself. 

And not just for a few days- give it some time.

The Bible itself tells us to test the spirits- to see if they line up with God's character and His word.

I am hear to tell you- they often don't.  The "spirits" that is.

Spirits of hate, fear, division, strife, unlove, unforgiveness, slavery, pornography, misogyny, racism, lust.

Recognize those?  Of course you do.  They are what is thrust in our face every single minute of every single day.  And if you do not counter them with truth and beauty- you begin to believe them.

And you begin to divide...and isolate...and fear...and hate....and despair.

SEEK THE TRUTH.

Seek love.

Seek beauty.

Love someone.

Give.

And READ THE BOOK FOR YOURSELF.

It'll be worth it.

But don't start in Genesis.  Nope.  Too depressing.  Start in John- the horrible beginning is a lot easier to take when you know the hope of the story.  Don't worry- it won't spoil it. 

Selah