A charmed choice

I'm going through my re-watch of the show Charmed. This witchy tele-novella can be a fun watch as it sifts through the many difficult choices that the chosen ones go through. Deep into the last seasons of the show I was watching an episode titled: Charmageddon. What I found interesting about this episode is it's answer to the questions, "Why do bad things happen?" "Why does God allow that person to do wrong/bad/evil if he has the power to stop them?" "Why do bad things happen to good people and vice versa?".

Once the sisters reach utopia they no longer feel conflict of any kind. This includes sadness, pain, anger and annoyance. Conflict can not be tolerated and those who create it are dealt with swiftly by a group of characters collectively called the Avatars. A loved one passes and they are just mildly concerned. They continue only with how they should happy because the other one has moved on to a better place. It is a world without free will. In the end they recognize that the way the world is set up, "The Grand Design" has to include all hardships or it's not living at all. It's a gilded cage. No longer can you decide your beliefs or destiny; it is chosen for you: the way of non-conflict. They realize that the battle between good and evil, the ability to choose; helps us understand who we are and what we truly believe. It helps us to grow in maturity and closer to God. It helps us to understand other people. To be a comforter to those who share our misfortunes and disappointments. When we are caged and stopped from this, we no longer have a concept of reality, we are robots only allowed to feel and act one way.

The shows answer, to allow conflict, pain, anger, sadness back into the world; is intrinsic to the nature of the world we live in. It's a world of guidelines and rules; a world created for a greater purpose other than having a great time and just doing what you want. In the bible God shows that we are warned and told of this reality often. Genesis 19 is a good example of this understanding. Two cities; Sodom and Gomorrah. Both dedicated to the idea of eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die; are destroyed after warnings for refusing to turn from that destructive ideal and follow God instead. In this same bit of world history, Lot and his family make a different choice: they choose to follow God and are warned to go out from the cities; thus saving their lives from this particular disaster. When I watched this episode it showed yet again how powerful choice is. That the choice to follow Jesus and believe in Him is something we all have so that it's real to us, so that it matters. Instead of being made to do it, we are allowed to choose which eternity we want, one with him or one without. Joshua 24:15 is famous for the last line, "but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.", but it is the beginning of that verse which holds also a key to understanding this design: but if you think it's hard don't do it. Do you think following God is harder than the eternal choice to live without Him? What doors will you open when it comes time to make the choices in life you must make? How will you live this life that God has given you?

Distance makes the heart grow fonder

After a short hiatus, I'm back! While healing through injuries and several other life things. I couldn't get the last book of Christopher Paolinis' out of my head. He describes the distance between dragon and dragon rider as an unbearable ache. After leaving his dragon behind; the dragon rider missed her presence in his head. Missed having her understanding love and her disciplining care. Everything about her, he missed. I couldn't help but think of the Old Testament. About how the people and their decisions brought them closer or further away from God. The emotions all tied up in these decisions and how it is the same today for our walk with Christ.

When we make decisions for God, we are close to Him. We walk with Him and have the ties that bond us to Him. When we don't; when we decide to go out on our own, we end up with the same feelings as the dragon rider and his dragon. When we forsake prayer, Godly actions and Godly thoughts we begin to miss the still small voice of Christ. Miss his discipling care. The piece that makes us whole. He is the friend that dances with us and that tells us when we mess up. He is an integral part of ourselves. Bonded from the moment we are reborn to him and a life long friend that can always be counted to defend and love us.

As Psalms 119 says: "Your laws are my treasure; they are my heart’s delight." {111}, "You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word."{114}, "Your testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors." {24}, "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." {105}. His testimonies and laws and words are all God getting to know us; presenting himself to us to love and be loved in return.

Once Upon a Faith Pt. 2

Episode 22; Emma has eyes opened by faith. The message of True Love defeating all curses rings in her ears, and throughout the episode... and I can't help but think: God's Love is like this.

The truest form of Love. Caring for us before we are born (Psalm 139:13), while we do evil (Romans 5:6) and when we become his heirs (Matthew 7:9-11). He lived for us to know, died to be with us forever and came back to Love us all over again. His Love breaks any curse (sin) that holds sway over our lives, any difficult path we must follow to stay on his path (temptation) His Love makes everything right and new again ().

Just as the true Loves kiss Snow White received brought her new and happy life; so does following Christ in everything that we do. So does caring for God as our first Love (Jeremiah 2:2) always will.

Fringe: Who are your choices for?

I've been catching up on Fringe. I missed so much the first time and I'm really enjoying catching up on it all. The broad message of the show is choices we make for Love.

Walters' choice for Love was to open up the fabric of space time. He based his decisions on the emotions he felt for his son and how it was to lose him. What he intended for good {save Peter from the disease that was killing him} ultimately cause destruction and pain to not only Peter but those effected by ripples Walter set in motion when he opened that tiny crack.

What Walter couldn't see was any other plan, but the one he had hatched. God always has a better plan for us. God says, "For I know the plans I have for you; plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." {Jeremiah 29:11} Sometimes we need to be reminded that God's Love is the only plan that comes out the best. Even when we think we have the answer sitting right in front of us, staying the course of God's plan for you leads to what you lost and more than what you've always dreamed.

As we can see in Fringe even our choices made out of something as noble as love can have disastrous consequences. This is why we must always "seek first his kingdom and his righteousness" {Matthew 6:33} so that the ripple effect in our lives becomes one touching all others with the hope and Love of Christ.

Friends: The Legendary Journey

I've finally finished my Hercules: The Legendary Journeys watch through. I have to say there are things that I didn't remember and as I watched Sorbo do his thing after three heart attacks/strokes; I was impressed. The one thing that struck me most about this show is how, even though Hercules was as strong as 10 men, he couldn't do it all without his friends. They were there for him through thick and thin. They were willing to give their lives to save his. They were understanding when he had to make whatever decisions he had to make and got on to him when he wasn't thinking straight. These are all characteristics of what makes a good life, good friends. The Bible says in Proverbs 1:10-18 to beware people who encourage you to do the wrong thing. To run from them. It says in Proverbs 18 that "a friend sticks closer than a brother." This show is a small picture of what life and relationships with Christ is like. Relationships that grow ever deeper. Until you know without a doubt; that these people will always be there for you. In hard times and the good times, we fold each other in Love that can only come from Christ. Remember as you go about your day to extend the Love of Christ not only to the lost and unresponsive; but to your fellow Christians as well.

Jesus, our Bad Wolf

In the episode of Doctor Who called Bad Wolf, they explain the culmination of several episodes where the message Bad Wolf appears written somewhere in different episodes. We find out that it was Rose, leaving a message for herself and The Doctor about what was coming.

Similarly God leaves messages for us through time and space in the same way. The Bible says that all of nature, everything made, declares God to us in Romans 1:20. Everytime we look at nature or the Universe we can see God. Two scientific ways you can see God is through Laminin and the cross inside the M15 whirlpool at the far reaches of the galaxy. We can see it in our literature and the way we search for what is missing in our lives.

In the end Rose is filled with the soul of the Tardis and restores life and balance to the situation. Jesus does the same thing to our lives and situations. We are filled with the Holy Spirit, changing our lives forever. He is our Bad Wolf.

Merciful Evil and it's Pretty face

In the Doctor Who episode, "Boom Town"; the last surviving member of the Slitheen family shows back up with a dastardly plan to essentially surf her way back to the area of space where she is from.

The conversation in this episode between the Doctor and the Slitheen is what struck me most. The alien was trying to convince the Doctor that she could be good. That she had changed.
"I promise you I've changed since we last met Doctor. A young thing, something of a danger. The blood lust runs high in our family, I would have killed her without a thought; and then I stopped. She's wandering around out there somewhere right now."

The Doctors response was classic:
"It doesn't mean anything. You let one of them go, but that's nothing new. Every now and then a little victim is spared. Because he smiled, because she's got freckles; 'cause they begged. And that's how you live with yourself. That's how you slaughter millions, because once in a while, on a whim, if the wind's in the right direction; you happen to be kind."

In the end she is still cruel. Just as Proverbs 12:10 says in the last part of the verse {or part b}, "but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel." Even in this spinning of the way she had changed, the slitheen was still going to kill the lady she spared, along with everyone else on earth, at the end of her master plan.

In the end even her kindest act was cruel. We are very similar to the slitheen in this way. We believe one good deed will cover all the bad ones we have committed. It's why we need a savior to save us from ourselves. It's why we need Jesus in our lives, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" (Romans 3:23). God though gives us the same chance the slitheen had at the end of the episode: to start again. John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." A chance at a life with the one who says, "Behold, I make all things new." (Revelations 21:5)

Oh, Day 9-oh

My brother and I watch this shout caster named Day 9 {a.k.a. Sean Plott}. He casts about Starcraft and in one of his videos, he proceeds to tell us about a life lesson which he calls: Kittens and Ninja Stars.

***Warning, there is some language***

If you watched the video, and you should, you can see that Day 9 talks about a realization that is actually Biblical in nature.

Namely, that we are made for fellowship and that our emotions will fool us.

Although he is missing the key ingredient; he doesn't fall short of a full pie when he talks about being there for a friend. That actually caring for someone like a beloved family member {Proverbs 17:17, Proverbs 18:24} is what gets the point across that their is friendship, and therefore Love, here. Romans 12:5 goes on to say it even more completely, "so it is with Christ's body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other." We are all one. When one of us gets a ninja star we should react as though it was our body being hit and give aid immediately. We should be there to build defenses and help each other dodge.

In this battle we can't let our emotions fool us {Jeremiah 17:9). Even when we emotionally can't stand a person, we get up pull the ninja star out, dress their wound; and in doing so, get that much closer toward what God was saying about Love. We are to love our enemiesMatthew 5:44, Love God, Mark 12:30 and Love your neighbor as though they were youLuke 10:27.

At the end of the day are you someones ninja star or kitten?

More verses showing the idea of support for each other:
Hebrews 10:25, Romans 12:10-21,

Forgiveness in a Jurassic Park

Last night a group of friends and I sat down and watched Jurassic Park. My husband has never seen it and we all decided that it was time. I haven't seen this movie in about 10 years, so I forgot some of the elements that were in the movie itself. One such element was the pairing of the use of Gods' name in vain and a curse word. For me, this is an unaccpetable thing. However, I completely forgot it and told my husband he would Love this movie, that it was great! That he would love it!

This is kind of what forgiveness looks like.

This movie would have never made the cut for viewing if I had remembered those words were in there. But since I didn't, I did nothing but praise it and encourage others to participate in it. God wants us to forgive each other the same way {Colossians 3:13}. He says that when He forgives, those sins are as far away as the east is from the west {Psalms 103:12}. He forgets they were ever there and praises us, participates in our lives and sends others to do the same.

Love Christ like a comicbook

Just recently I started watching Stargate SG-1 again. It's one of my favorite t.v. shows that I go through once a year. Even if I work that day I'm pretty faithful to get one or two episodes in everyday.

For a geek this activity is nothing new. We all have our favorite show that we go through or favorite movie that we watch at least once a year. We go back and visit these characters that we have bonded with, the romances we connected with, the drama and intrigue that became so much a part of us. We raise our kids with it; we watch it with friends and family; we even have parties themed with it.

As geeks, we understand Love and Devotion to ideals that echo within us. Just as these shows touch us, The Bible should live in us and through us. In Deuteronomy 6:7 and 11:19 God says to teach your children His ways in everything that you do. Just like we would introduce our kids to Star Trek, Star Wars, Comic books and all other geeky wonders we should also no forget to teach them about Christ. The Bible teaches us to pray always; to have that continual conversation with Christ. Just like our conversations with friends and fellow comic bookers, gamers, movie buffs and collectors of all types. Jesus wishes the same camaraderie. God desires a passionate relationship with you!

3XODU5 guest post: Fasting and Spice and everything's coming up Beans

Genesis 25: In which we see that Abraham loved his first son, his twins are born The Con Man and The Red Son, names make Purple Kitty rage and fasting is where it's at!

Missing Steve Jobs

It sometimes takes me awhile to process things. The other day I was sitting and thinking about the iPhone 5 and wondering what Jobs was going to say at the next key note speech. I had to realize that someone else was going to do the key note and present to the world what Apple Computers was going to be doing next. I'm not particularly an apple fan, but I realize the way the technology and design has changed things. I did look forward to his key notes and all the energy he put behind his project. It was his baby, and you could tell every time he was on that stage. Something I was surprised to see was this quote by Jobs:

It struck a cord with me because it reminds of the ideas found in Matthew 6:27-34 and James 4:13-14. These basically say that we shouldn't worry about tomorrow because God has it all in hand. We should be focusing on the important stuff. The stuff we are called to do, the stuff we are made to do. When Christ spoke about what God loves, He spoke about obedience, Loving God above all others and loving one another. Those are the important things in life. Those are the things that when faced with death we should be wondering, "Did I do it right?" or "Did I do it enough?" Are we living as if the commands of Christ are important or are we worried about the failures or the teasing or the loss?

Jobs kept going in his chosen field even after set backs and loses. Are we as Christians willing to do the same? Are you? God does help us in any situation we may come across; and I would venture to say, that in the grand scheme of life and everything there is to it, following Christ is much bigger than creating a company that changed the way the world looks at computing and communication. The change that Christ is after is the creation of loving and willing hearts; the creation of a called people who know His voice and answer to Him. Can you hear His voice? Will you answer to Him?

Why church is great; even when your DATA

In Star Trek: The Next Generation the character DATA can do just about anything. He figures out all the things the humans scratch their heads at. He's super fast, super smart, super strong and super efficient. He only lacks one thing: emotional capacity. DATA, although given an emotion chip, chooses to live without it. He chooses to make his best friend Jordy LaForge, instead of the ships computer. He chooses to learn from the flawed humans he works with and does not understand. In essence he chooses to fellowship with others who aren't like him and who never will be. How does this bring us to the church? The word church comes from the word ekklesia, which basically means a gathering of people called out to a purpose. As Christians we are called out to love God, love others and love your fellow Christians. 1 Corinthians 12:21-27 says it the best: we all have different jobs and are all different, but we all belong with and to each other. Even if you can do it all yourself, you benefit from being together. Just like DATA who chose to stay himself an:d gain friendship through dedication and essentially, love. We are the same as DATA, even when we think we can do it all, the people Christ puts in our life enriches and grows us. So, church is good, even if your DATA.

Dune "Fear"

Let us paint the picture of fear.  Biologically it's something built into us to give us an understanding of our past pains.  Fears is often caused by a memory of pain, either our own or someone elses'.  Watching Frank Herberts' Dune brought all the old ideas of pain that I used to have back.  Much like the ideas in the movie about pain and fear, I also believed that it was something I could control.  That I could repeat something however many times and the fear would just vanish. My beliefs, however, never rang true.  The more I tried to control my fear the more it grew inside me.  At the time  I even tried the Bene Gesserite mantra for fear:
                                                I will not fear
                                               Fear is the mind killer
                                               I will face my fear 
                                               I will let it pass through me
                                               Where the fear has gone there shall be nothing
                                               Only I will remain.
As silly as that sounds when you live your life without Christ and His nurturing care you will try anything to keep your emotions in check.  After becoming a Christian I learned that fear will not longer have a hold on me.  1 Peter 3:14 says, "But if you suffer for righteousness sake, happy are you and be not afraid of their terrors, neither be troubled."  Such an odd statement can only be followed if I understand that, "The Lord is in the midst of you, He is mighty, He will save..." (Zephaniah 3:15-17) and that He "will help me and I will not fall to my enemies." (Jeremiah 39:17-18 paraphrased).  Once I understand this concept I stand on the solid ground of Christ.  Like Muad'dib I stand boldly and declare the things that are true.  With Christ I say:
                                                 I will not fear
                                                 Fear is conquered through Christ
                                                I will give my fear to the Lord
                                                I will let Christ flow through me
                                               Where the fear has gone there shall be love
                                                Only Christ will remain.