It all can be so confusing...

So there has been a Facebook status showing up recently... praying for the death of the president, or some such malarkey. I'm admitting (confessing?)... a few days ago one of my FB friends had posted it, and when I read it, I chuckled.

"Oh, that's funny" I thought... and clicked the "like" button. Then I thought, "wait a minute...Boo for that status!" and immediately deleted my initial "like" from my profile. I'm not praying for his death, and come to think of it... it kind of annoyed me the way the whole thing was worded.

Do I believe that some people are praying for the presidents death? As sad a thought that that is... yes! I believe that there are people who are praying for the presidents death. But I would venture to say that most who "liked" the post are not. It, and they, are trying to make a point... in a rather tasteless and ire-provoking way.

No surprise that this particular status is upsetting a lot of folks... and the most frequent point being made is "What kind of a thing is this for a Christian?"

Indeed.

I'm reminded of a book I read a few years ago "The Pursuit of Holiness"

It was a thought-provoker, an uncomfortable maker sort of book. After a few years of following Christ I have an inkling of what it means to be Holy... but honestly... I'm not sure I understand, or even like, God's holiness at all. He says... "You must be Holy because I, the Lord your God, am Holy" (Lev. 19:2) There were many rules in the Law that God's people had to follow to show that they were holy. I thank Him daily that I am living under the New Covenant! I have the Law to show me how I sin... and to show me just how HOLY, holy is... but I have a Savior Who fulfilled that Law, and I no longer have to live up to it. Gasp!!! Did I just say that as a Christian, I don't have standards to follow, that I don't have to follow rules? Au contraire....

God's new covenant says I don't have to live by the Law... but as a Christian, I do have to live by His Spirit.

Somewhere between 1000-1500 years after the "be Holy" words were written by Moses... Peter wrote them again, reminding his readers that "You must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy." (1 Pet.1:15)

Nearly 2000 years after that, a FB status is causing me to commiserate over the words. UGH!! (or could it be His Spirit?) :-)

I say with confidence that praying for the President's death, just because I don't agree with how he is carrying out his office, is NOT holy. But what about thinking a "joke status" is funny because I don't like him... is that UNHOLY? I have a sneaking suspicion that it is. Doesn't God want our entire being to be holy? Not just our behavior and outward appearance.... doesn't He want my thoughts to be Holy? I think He does. That belief, along with what little I understand of God's holiness, makes me very uncomfortable.

In regard to the Facebook status, one of my FB friends said "this kind of hate rhetoric is exactly why I do not identify myself as a Christian anymore." I understand his emotion... and his point. But is hiding my Christianity a good thing just because I don't want to be identified with so-called Christians who spew hate? I'm not sure if that line of thought is anymore pleasing to Jesus than "Lord, in the past year You've taken my favorite actor...... my favorite actress... my favorite singer. Just wanted you to know my favorite president is....."

...a topic for another blogpost.

Until then... be blessed. And.... pursue Holiness. :-)

Unimaginable Love

I just watched a video of a song about why Jesus' death was necessary. It was heart wrenching. They showed video in the background, scenes from "The Passion of the Christ", the whole thing was very "staged" and a more cynical (closed? hurting?) mind might think that it was all a bunch of show. But despite the structure, the song tore at my heart... yes because of what Jesus suffered, but mostly I think because He suffered it for me.

That sort of love is impossible and frightening. It brings me not only to tears, but to my knees. I'm not sure I want it sometimes. If I accept it, everything changes. And I mean EVERYTHING.

After nearly a year of considering a "blog of my own" I finally set one up. Now it's been several weeks and I'm posting. On another blog that I follow, the writer had posted over 500 times! I find that pretty neat. He was wondering what kind of blogger he IS.

I find myself wondering what sort of blogger I will BE. Hmmmm....

1 The Aggregator
Re-posts interesting tid-bits from all over the internet.

2 The Talk Show Host
Brings up provocative topics to fuel comments.

3 The Professional
Writes insightful posts about his/her particular occupation.

4 The Hobbyist
Tries to blog seriously, but can't help but post family pics and sports scores.

5 The Editorialist
Writes long diatribes fueled by current events.

6 The Human RSS Feeder
Tries to blog but ends up mostly citing other blogs.

7 The Preacher
Preaches short sermons in each blog post because the world is his/her congregaton.

8 The Jokester
Treats the blog like a humor column and links excessively to YouTube as if nobody's heard of it.

9 The Social Media Expert
Blogs about blogging to help others blog about blogging.

10 The Storyteller
Uses chuckle-in-the-belly anecdotes to share insights about life.

Will I be one of these types, or a combination... or perhaps something completely different than any of these descriptions. Time will tell, I suppose. Until next time... may you be blessed.