Last night, at a women’s bible study, I was reminded how
easy it is to take God’s Word for granted.
We have such easy access to the only complete source of absolute truth –
a source that answers all of life’s burning questions, yet most people don’t
bother to crack it open, or to take the time to learn how to study it properly
(hermeneutics). Bottom line, I think
most of us either does not care that much, we don’t really believe it, or we’re
just plum lazy. It really is easier to
glom on to somebody we respect and let them do all of our thinking for us. That’s the stuff cults are made of. I had better know what I believe and why I
believe it. There is a huge need to
study God’s Word and to study it properly. The way you interpret God’s Word ultimately shapes your serious life-defining
philosophies.
We practice what we love.
I spend plenty of time eating chicken curry because I’m obsessed with
it. I spend tons of time learning about
bird flu, natural disasters, and unavoidable nuclear holocausts because I enjoy
being a fatalist and find subjects requiring knowledge of ‘surviving a disaster’
absolutely fascinating. We spend time
with what is primarily on our mind (Politics? Homeschooling? Doctrine? Movies? Television
shows? Books? Music?) What I want to define *me* is my love for God
and my love for His Word. I want my
children to see my love of doctrine and the longing to know truth and to find
these things worthy to chase after as well.
It's true…the time we spend on any given ‘thing’ defines who we are
and what we love. Makes yeh think, eh?
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:
Lorrie Flem of TEACH Magazine is inviting you to
join us for a TeleSeminar with Gena
Suarez of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine.
June 1 at 6pm PST
Dial-in Number:1-641-297-5600
Participant Access Code:53006
You will learn from this Godly
woman how the Lord used her, her husband, Paul, and family to reach out and
bless thousands of homeschoolers through each issue of a magazine. You are sure
to leave with ideas, encouragement, and new “know how.”
PS you can probably tell that our dear friend Lorrie
wrote the above description of the interview.
If I were to write the description I would have said:
Come listen to the gracious and lovely
Lorrie Flem try and come up with short sentences with small enough words for the
Curly-Headed Monster to understand and answer lucidly.
Heh heh.
I love my sister.
I will have to call in with some harassing questions of my own…
|
on May 31st, 2006 at 5:04 pm
Oh my…
I’d like to find the time to call in just to hear what kind of torture you’ll put poor innocent Gena through. *grin* Should be interesting for all involved, to say the least. heh heh.
Thanks for popping by my blog yesterday. It was good to “see” you for a bit. Hope all is well. R says “HI MRS IGARASHI and tell Ryann HI too! Oh and tell her I’m playing My Little Ponies.” (Not sure if she means to tell you or Ryann, but well…now ya both know.)
~Mel
on May 31st, 2006 at 5:59 pm
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Man, I’d dial in just to listen to you two banter! hehehee…
That Lorrie Flem is one talented lady, isn’t she?
And Gena-bean is pretty schnazzy too (that’s a compliment, by the way!).
Love,
Marshie
PS We are planning to visit towards the end of summer.
on May 31st, 2006 at 5:59 pm
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I agree with ya about people not delving into the Word to know what it says for themselves. (I ran into this today with someone.. lol).
I get tired of hearing ‘catch phrases’ that they hear their pastors or others say, yet they cannot support it with scripture verbatim.
Dianna
on May 31st, 2006 at 6:21 pm
You're The Woman of Words!
Ok, from now on you are in charge of my blurbs describing things – if Gena will let you!
Trying to Keep Her Ducks in A Row,
Lorrie
and not doing so hot!…….ll
……………………………….\/
..__(o)>…__(o)>…__(o)>.<(o)__...__(o)>
…\___)…..\___)…..\___)….(___/…\___)…
http://www.TEACHmagazine.com
~Enjoy mothering. ~Bless your husband. ~Motivating ideas. ~Growing Christ-like.
Get $70 of FREE fantastic gifts with a 2 year subscription to TEACH Magazine!
Don’t look at my blog: homeschoolblogger.com/TEACHmagazine
on May 31st, 2006 at 7:09 pm
Bird flu?
Do you really study about bird flu? Tell me what I need to know! They just had people quaranteened in Romania LAST WEEK because of bird flu and we are going there NEXT WEEK.
The teleconference sounds like fun!
on May 31st, 2006 at 7:11 pm
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Hmmmmm, I’m suddenly at a loss for words. Oh, here’s one: KILL.
P.S. Paul and I are leaving for our anniversary. Congratulations. You just won all my children for a four day spree. Please have Coie do the cooking; I’d like them back (alive).
on May 31st, 2006 at 8:13 pm
Jen, you're a hoot!
Okay, I think my dh is doing . . .something or other tomorrow night, but I’m going to try to find a quiet spot in my little house so I can grab the phone and listen in!
So glad to have had the chance to meet you live and in person last weekend! Hope to do it again sometime.
Love, Misty
on May 31st, 2006 at 11:04 pm
Hey!
Thanks for stopping by my blog. Swings are neat! I took a nap on mine today.
This post (of yours) is so true! I have come across so many people who have no idea what God’s word really says. They take responsibility for their relationship with the Lord just like they take responsibility for their children or their choices, they don’t! We live in a lazy society that wants the easiest route to wellness and self appreciation.
When are you coming to a convention in my state? I’ll let you sleep on my porch swing!
Abiding in the Vine!
on June 1st, 2006 at 12:19 am
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So true what you said about people not getting into God’s Word to find out the truths for themselves. Not long ago, one of my friends and I were just discussing our laziness in not studying like we should and so we set up a long-distance Bible Study with each other. We live 2 states apart so we email back and forth. We started in the book of John and it has been really fun to read each other’s comments as we take a few verses at a time. It also holds us accountable to each other.
~Connie
on June 1st, 2006 at 8:12 am
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Well poo. I just didn’t wanna be convicted right at this very moment, thank you very much. (((((HUGS))))) sandi
on June 1st, 2006 at 8:40 am
ROFL!!!
no wonder James thinks you’re terrific…i’ll bet YOU tried to set Gena on fire too, right???
sorry i can’t teleseminar…i’d like to hear what you’ll call in and ask
a;salslskdjkdjfhfg!
on June 1st, 2006 at 10:31 am
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You are right that the things we spend time on define us. I’ve realized that “I don’t have time for that” is a pretty lame excuse because we really do make time for what’s important to us. And nothing should be more important that knowing our Saviour and His Word and His heart.
I feel convicted.
Blessings,
Rebeca
on June 1st, 2006 at 11:14 am
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I like how you distinguish the Bible from (among other things) doctrine. I’ve decided that, more often than not, doctrine is “the Bible plus something else.” There’s probably no better example than eschatology. There are a million different variations of end times theology, and most depend on symbolism, inferences and other things not directly found in the text of Scripture. Being that we are all strict literalists when it comes to reading the first book of the Bible, we approach the last book of the Bible with heavily embroidered interpretations, otherwise perhaps we could really expect a literal dragon to arise, with seven actual heads and ten literal horns. Pre-trib, post-trip and everyone in between all use the same texts (plus something else) to arrive at their doctrines.
on June 1st, 2006 at 11:35 am
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hey Jay, yep, it’s fascinating to me. The rules you use to study and interpret God’s Word will determine the ‘camp’ you fall in, whether it’s Covenant theology and you lean towards Reconstructionism / Dominionist theology (it seems like a lot of this camp tends to lean towards Preterism) or if you’re a dispensationalist with a take of ‘We’re simply passing through and not meant to get too involved with politics and ‘ushering in God’s rule”, being Calvinist or Armenian, pre-trib, post trib, along with all the takes on the millennium … also Charismatic vs believing that the signs and wonders ceased with the closing of the Canon…all of these views are formed because of the way one studies the bible (what rules they use). John MacArthur has some great resources, and to be completely honest with you, most of what I’ve learned has been shown to me by your good buddy Paul Suarez. It really is hugely interesting to me.
on June 1st, 2006 at 11:57 am
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Being in this study with all you gals is going to either be great or kill me. I’ll let you know later. I really liked yesterday’s read about Peter. I know I am guilty of listening too often to scripture other’s use, without looking into it further. I hope to become better disciplined at that.
I continue to have my meltdown. : ( My post today is probably too honest about some of it. I hate being a whiner. Thanks for you love and support.
Letitia
on June 1st, 2006 at 12:26 pm
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Hi Jen, I’ve heard of most of those ideologies you mention, but I’ve never been interested in aligning with some “camp.” It seems to me that kids have the purest faith — simple and uncomplicated — and they don’t process on the level of a doctorate in theology. And Jesus told us to have the faith of a little child. So what does all that high-minded stuff avail? If kids don’t need it, what do adults gain from it? (Besides a lot of arrogance and acrimony between Christian brothers and sisters.) All this doctrinal wrangling has a root of pride — the old “I’m right and you’re wrong” attitude that I blogged about recently. I’m SOOO glad that it’s not my job to judge someone else’s servants!
Even more dangerous, most Christians have this attitude that unless one holds correct doctrine (i.e. *their* doctrine) the person is doomed to eternal ****ation. This reminds me of the ancient Gnostic heresy (drawn from pagan philosophy) that held that salvation results from knowledge of the truth, contrary to the Bible’s straightforward teaching of salvation through God’s unmerited grace.
Scripture simply teaches:
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
Anyway, I’ve always tried to simply study the Word at face value, and grab the concordance for help. But if the original languages are where it’s really at, then maybe one must become a scholar of Greek and Hebrew to *really* know Scripture? All this stuff has driven me nuts over the years, which is why I feel even more strongly that striving for childlike faith is the way to go. -j
on June 1st, 2006 at 1:16 pm
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Jay, I understand what you’re saying. The names of the doctrinal positions are not really what is important. The point is that most Christians are going to be faced with decisions to make about what they believe. For instance… I don’t believe the gifts of tongues and prophesy are meant today, or that the incredible occurrences that took place in the book of Acts are meant to be ‘done’ today. I believe this because I am a dispensationalist and that the book of Acts was a transitional period between the Old and New covenant. I believe that God has operated in different stages (what he did with Adam and Eve was different than how He related during the times of Noah, and then again he set up a different way of life with Moses (when the law came) and then things changed again when Christ came (the old law was fully realized with Christ and a new covenant was established) and I believe things will be different when Christ returns (I do believe He will return and fulfill the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation). All this to say, it doesn’t matter what those doctrines are ‘called’, but I think it is important to understand what those ideas are so that we’re able to form opinions on different doctrines that most definitely need defining. Doctrinal ideas and affiliations most assuredly affect the way we live our life and how we relate to God and others. The rules we follow (hermeneutics) to interpret God’s Word will shape the doctrinal issues that we inevitably end up facing as Christians.
on June 1st, 2006 at 2:57 pm
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Sure Jen, I’ve had these sorts of discussions a million times over the years. The good news is, at the speed with which life flies by, soon we’ll all stand before Jesus and He’ll tell us which doctrine (if any) was right!
on June 1st, 2006 at 3:31 pm
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amen my brother!
: )
on June 2nd, 2006 at 5:54 am
I was the nobody from New Jersey
I was the first to come on. I said that I was nobody because when I said that I was Karen. I think that they thought that I was someone else. I am so glad that I got to hear that conference call. My husband and I listened. It was night time so my children were asleep. It was such a blessing to glean off of Gena’s wisdom. I truly have a lot of respect for her and this magazine.
Thank you, Jen, but I was hoping to hear you come in and comment. Blessings to you this day.