The choices we make, the changes we take

While looking at the list of books I have been reading I have found myself drawn more and more to coming of age stories. The understanding that the way things were at first are no longer that way. That things change because of the choices we make. That the choices we make now will effect even our life after this one.

Part of what drew me to Christianity was the emphases on having a choice. On everything that you do being your choice. That echoed as true with everything I had experienced in life up until then. That God wanted people freely choosing to be His and live His way, that His Love was based on His choice to create and be with us. This was a defining moment for me. In Joshua 24:15 The Bible says, "But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

It's such a simple concept, but one overlooked by many people. The Bible says, "Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe." {Proverbs 2:11} This is taught to everyone by their parents and God teaches it to everyone who will listen. Such a simple concept, taught everywhere, but often overlooked when we live everyday life. It's time to choose who we will serve!

The Temptation of the Hobbit

I was able to see The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. It is an amazing and beautiful movie. It's always nice to see your childhood on the big screen done relatively well. While I was watching the movie, I was struck by one scene in particular. The scene where Bilbo viciously stabs the white spider that comes from up from it's hide away and is heading to pick up the ring. The part that struck me most is towards the end of the scene where he yells, "mine!". It's a very intense scene. But it made me think of how sin holds us the same way.

In the movie, Bilbo turns to the ring for reassurance and refers to it as his courage when talking to Gandalf. We do very similar things when it comes to the sins in our lives. We take our security from money and end up loving it, we call drunkenness "liquid courage" and people often times turn to inappropriate sex to feel loved and happy. When we are challenged on this, we say "Mine!" and defend ourselves in many different ways. In the end though, whoever tries to take our sin and help us to do better we are ready to stab. I know, because I've been there myself.

God provides a way out of every temptation that is here. 1 Corinthians 10:13, "The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure." With Jesus, we can drop our rings of power and walk away. We can let the webs of time take everything we thought we needed; because in the end all we need is Christ.

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.

A Dragon of a Prayer

I've been, how should I say it?... Devouring Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle. It is what you would think about dragon books. Dragon and rider are connected, they have to learn how to work as a team, they have to save the world.

Through all of that though, what really got to me was this part of the book:

They enveloped each other within the folds of their thoughts, holding each other with an intimacy no physical embrace could replicate, allowing their identities to merge once again. Their greatest comfort was a simple one: they were no longer alone. To know that you were with one who cared for you, and understood every fiber of your being, and would not abandon you is the most precious relationship a person can have...

In that moment, while I was reading, it immediately brought to mind prayer. Prayer is the way we talk to God, we are told to, "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17), that when we pray we are to give thanks; to come to Him with everything that we are. Our worries, our plans, our loves and our troubles. When I pray, I am enfolded in His love, held by Him in an intimacy that no physical embrace can even dare to match. I am folded within the Loving arms of God, and in prayer, I am no longer alone. I am merged with Him and have that most precious of relationships. I am understood, cared for and totally belong. Never neglect prayer for the small things of this world. We are created for this type of relationship; one only found with Jesus Christ. Believe He is, all that He says He is, and you will have the ultimate relationship better than a Dragon and her Rider.

What Batman taught me

My brother and I were having one of many random conversations and we meandered to the topic of what comic books taught us. Being different people we learned different things and Batman is one of my most memorable.

Batman epitomized for me the ideal of taking a horrible situation and not letting it destroy you. If Batman had given into the deaths of his parents, he could have walked the path of bitterness. He could have walked the path of destruction and disease; creating nothing but fear and death in his wake (and I'm sure somewhere someone has written an alterverse where that is exactly what he did). However he didn't give into those things.

Instead he became The Caped Crusader. Fighting for truth and justice and for the cleaner streets of Gotham. In much the same way we can also rely on Christ to help us become The Caped Crusader for the people in our lives. Genesis 50:20 says, "But as for you, you thought evil against me; God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive."

Even when people do evil towards us, when we lose the things we hold most dear; we can hold to the knowledge that Christ works through us all for good. To save those who we don't even know yet, to give us what we lost, to work the plans that He has for us, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

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.

Once Upon A Faith Pt. 1

I've been watching Once Upon a Time on Netflix. Giving it, its fair shake; basically watching as much of the show as Netflix has. This shows' main message is the power of true love and faith. Which cannot help but bring me to The Bible and Christ.

There was a time in all of our lives when our faith did not exist. That other Christians running around believing in this book of stories, sounded just as crazy as Henry talking to Emma about the book. You may have felt sorry for them, or wanted to shake what you thought was sense into them; you may have even just tried to humor them. But then something happened, you found faith.

For Emma she had no faith until.. tragedy. Henry dies. But, it is his action backed faith that opens Emma's eyes. Just like The Bible says about our faith in James 2:17-18. Our faith is supported by the works that we do in obedience to Christ and what He says is right. When we obey and trust; our eyes are opened more and more. People believed Jesus when they saw His works, we now are encouraged and grow through works. Just as Henry kept his faith through trials and disbelief so must we. In the end we may lead an Emma to trust and obey and find the family they have been searching for all along.