"The Lakehouse"

I went to see "The Lakehouse" tonight. I thought it was an ok movie. However, the plot is filled with a lot of holes and you definitely have to go for the whole "willing suspension of disbelief" thing. If you are willing to disregard logic and you like a good (although predictable) love story, I would recommend seeing this movie in the theater. Otherwise, wait until it comes out on video.

Thoughts on Grace

I have been stressed out lately over a situation in my office involving one particular person. This person appears to enjoy getting ahead at the expense of others. In recent weeks, attitudes within the office have gotten very negative as a result of all the drama this person has initiated. I was at the point of having a talk with my boss when she came to town today, but one of my other co-workers said that she has been praying about the situation and thought we should wait and let God work things out in his own timing. As I pondered this in my heart, I agreed to wait, though not fully convinced it was the right thing to do.

"But he who has been forgiven little loves little..." Luke 7:47

In a book I have been reading recently, the author suggested that we should be willing to extend the same grace to others that God has given us. When I read this, I have to admit I felt a little guilty. This past weekend I ran into a guy that I had a brief (but totally immoral) relationship with prior to becoming a Christian. In my flesh, I felt this guy should be getting his "just desserts" for being an adulterer who never even felt guilty for cheating (at least I felt guilty, right??) Instead, he was strolling casually through the bookstore downtown, holding hands with another woman. I will not lie, seeing this angered me. I got a little self-righteous and wanted to kick and scream to God about how unfair it is that he is happy and I am the one who has repented and tried to live right. I wanted to start quoting one of the imprecatory psalms, calling for God's vindication on all my enemies! What I failed to realize at the time is that if God gave us all exactly what we deserve when we deserve it, I probably wouldn't be here. I had to ask God to forgive me.

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Luke 23:34

In these two situations, I have started to realize areas in which I need to grow. First, I am guilty of getting angry (a thoroughly useless emotion) without thinking about why people might be the way they are. Someone once said, "When you know better, you will do better." I really believe this. Therefore, I am going to try to make a conscious effort to pray for those who hurt me, instead of getting angry. I have asked God to give me a sympathetic heart towards these people. It is a lot harder to be angry when you feel sorry for someone.

One Year Ago, Today...

My dad died.

¡Hola mis amigos!

Sorry I haven't posted anything lately. I have been extremely busy. I've been going in to work early, leaving at noon for my Spanish class, and coming back at 3:30 and finishing out the day. I feel like all I ever do lately is drive!

My Spanish class got off to a rather rocky start. I failed my first vocabulary quiz because I misunderstood the nature of the quiz. I memorized all the words by recognition instead of being able to write them from memory. Now that I know what she expects, I anticipate that things will get better. We had our first major exam on Tuesday. I think it went well. I was hoping to get my exam back today, but my professor was sick and had to cancel class. Hopefully I will hear something tomorrow.

I will try to post something more substantial later...

Gina

Happy Mother's Day!

(Mom and Deidra)


Happy Mother's Day to my mom and all the other moms out there. Parenting is a tough job. You have my utmost respect!

My best friend...

My best friend got married last month and yesterday her husband told her he thinks they made a huge mistake and wants a divorce. Basically, he just wants it all to go away as quickly as possible. She offered to go to counseling and he refused to go. He didn't even want her to say goodbye to his kids, but she insisted.

I went with her today to say goodbye to the kids. We met her husband at the cafe that he owns. She was crying, the kids were upset. It was awful. He didn't even speak to her the whole time...

According to my best friend, they never even had a fight. So, I don't know what brought all this on. He said something about feeling pressured to get married. But, he had plenty of opportunities to get out if he had wanted to. Personally, I think he was just using her. She put a lot of money on credit cards helping him out and paying for him to go to a writer's conference. Not to mention the fact that she gave up her job and moved to another state to be with him. Now, he thinks she is just supposed to go away like a bad dream.

Please pray for this couple.

What a Relief!

I am finally finished with all of my finals. I took my last exam last night and turned in my political theory paper this afternoon. It turned out to be 21 pages long, which was 6 pages longer than I had anticipated.

I am completely exhausted, not to mention starving. I haven't eaten all day. I think I am going to meet my friend Debbi for a drink and some dinner. After that, I will probably crash for the rest of the weekend.

On Christian Love

I am studying for finals and will not have time to write much over the next few days. So, I thought I would post a few things I find around the blogosphere. De(Bill) over at the Thinklings posted an excellent piece here on Christian love (and the lack thereof). He begins by posing this question:

Why are Christians hated so deeply ... by other Christians?

An excerpt:

I have read far too many posts and articles that can be summed up like this: “I’m a Christian but I’m really, really embarassed to be associated with all those hateful, ignorant, hypocritical Christians out there”.

Well, I’m not. I’m done being embarassed. I’m not ashamed of my brothers and sisters. God will take care of us, will correct us, and will make us perfect in the end. If you think about it, one of the things about Jesus that is just so . . . well, so breathtakingly awesome is that He was never embarassed of the weird people in His society. If He has saved someone, He isn’t embarassed of them. He doesn’t mind being associated with them. Because He knows that one day they will truly see Him, and will be like Him, because they will see Him as He is. And they will, one day, be glorified - a creature, redeemed by God and made perfect, before whom (as C.S. Lewis writes) we would sink in awe and might even be tempted to worship.

Jesus has plans for His bride. He plans on making her beautiful. You will not see me pointing at her and telling her she’s ugly. One day the angels will stand in awe.

In the meantime, may we do a better job at working out our salvation with fear and trembling, in walking more wisely toward those who are outside, in never being the cause of an unbeliever’s blasphemy before God, and in loving each other as Christ promised we would. And may God discipline us (starting with me) like crazy as we journey on this road. He will make us perfect - He promised it. And He is stubborn and zealous and determined and all-powerful, so I know he will do it!

Mandi reminds everyone in the comments section of this post: "love is not a feeling, it is a choice." Therefore, we truly must choose to love onen another as Jesus commanded us in John 13:34:

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

Finals

I have finals coming up next week. I also have to write a 15 page paper for my political theory class. I have to choose two themes that we have covered since the last paper. I have chosen to write about about race, and will include material from Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, June Jordan and several articles about the Holocaust. The second theme I have chosen is the economy. I am going to focus on the shift from the laissez-faire ideology of classical liberalism to modern welfare state liberalism and modern conservatism (in its many flavors). For that section, I am using material from Woodrow Wilson, FDR, Regan and a few others.

Luckily, one of my professors gave us a "free pass" on the final. So, that is one less thing I have to worry about. However, I do have a biology final on Monday, a comprehensive (oh yay!) final in my corrections class on Tuesday, and a final in my computer course next Thursday.

After this is over, I only have to finish some Spanish stuff online and then I should be ready to graduate. Hopefully, I can apply for graduation this summer.

Goodbye and Hello

You can get just so much from a good thing
You can linger too long in your dreams
Say goodbye to the oldies but goodies
'Cause the good old days weren't always good
And tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems- Billy Joel

Today is my 30th birthday. To say that I have been depressed about leaving my twenties behind would be an understatement. Yet, as I started to reflect on my twenties, I realized that I had made a big mess out of most of my twenties. So, I suppose I can look at turning 30 in one of two ways: I can either be totally devastated and feel like the world is coming to an end, or I can look at it as a new beginning. I choose the latter. Besides, my friend Doug says that thirty is the new twenty. :)

He Is Risen!

He Is Risen Indeed!

Good Friday Lectionary Reading

GOOD FRIDAY LECTIONARY:
Isaiah 52:13-53:12

[13] See, my servant shall prosper; he shall be exalted and lifted up,
and shall be very high. [14] Just as there were many who were
astonished
at him--so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance, and his
form beyond that of mortals--[15] so he shall startle many nations;
kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which had not
been told them they shall see, and that which they had not heard they
shall contemplate.

[1] Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the
LORD been revealed? [2] For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we
should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire
him. [3] He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering
and acquainted with infirmity; and as one from whom others hide their
faces he was despised, and we held him of no account.

[4] Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet
we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. [5] But
he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we
are healed. [6] All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned
to our own way, and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

[7] He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his
mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that
before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. [8] By a
perversion of justice he was taken away. Who could have imagined his
future? For he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for
the transgression of my people. [9] They made his grave with the
wicked and his tomb with the rich, although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.

[10] Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him with pain. When
you make his life an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, and
shall prolong his days; through him the will of the LORD shall prosper.
[11] Out of his anguish he shall see light; he shall find satisfaction
through his knowledge. The righteous one, my servant, shall make many
righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. [12] Therefore I will
allot him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil
with the strong; because he poured out himself to death, and was
numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and
made intercession for the transgressors.

Prayer Request

Please pray for my coworker's husband, Woody. He had a heart attack yesterday and is in intensive care. They are unable to stabilize him so that he can be moved to another hospital for a heart catheterization.

A Response From The Pastor

I got a reply from the email I sent my pastor regarding the lecture series last weekend. I am posting the response here. I have intentionally removed the names of the parties to protect their privacy interests.

Thanks for your thoughts on the lecture series, I shared them with (the two associate pastors). The three of us have talked about some of the statements made by Dr. _____. Of course, we can't speak for her, but it is safe to say that at least a point of her message was the diversity within scripture interpretation. She exemplified just that! There is a wide range of scriptural interpretation, no two people see every word the same way. However, I did appreciate the way she upheld the Bible as inspired, as the word of God, as our authority as Christians.

Some of her words (ie "convoluted") were rather abrasive, rough, and at times, even disconcerting to some, I'm sure. However, as (one of the associate pastors) commented, Dr. ______ is used to an academic environment, one with a purpose to challenge, to test, to dispute, to confront, to tantalize one's curiosity to plumb the depths of God's word - ie to do theology.

All of us can agree that Paul was more than just a computer keyboard for the HS. We can also agree that he wrote in a certain period, within a certain culture. What we cannot agree on all the time is how all of those ingredients fit into the equation we call inspired word of God.

You've made some good comments which any of us would enjoy discussing further with you, though I'd much prefer face to face. I'd also encourage you, if you'd like, to write an email to Dr._____. It would be interesting to hear her comments.

Thanks again Gina, for caring so deeply for the Word, for sharing your faith, and for joining together in our quest for a discerning heart.

Grace and Peace,

_________

"Rejoice in the Lord always!.... and the peace of God, which surpasses
all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
(Phil. 4:4,7)

What are your thoughts?? Comments??

"We Are Marshall" Cast to Visit Huntington on Saturday

Matthew McConaughey and other cast and crew members of the upcoming "We Are Marshall" movie will be in town this weekend to meet with reporters at the Keith Albee. Also on Saturday, there will be a block party on 4th Avenue to kick off the movie.

Phone Duty

I called the Social Security office yesterday regarding a matter I have been trying to get taken care of since my dad passed away in June of last year. After getting the run around for the last few weeks, I was finally able to talk to someone in the local office where I had originally filled out a form that has since vanished from the face of the earth. I was told that without this form (that I filled out almost a year ago) that I would have to start the process to get this matter taken care of from scratch, which means it would take at least another two months. However, I was told that if I contacted the local office they should have my form on file and could fax the form to the appropriate person to expedite this matter. Great, I think. Maybe I will get this taken care of before I die!

Unfortunately, I forgot that I was dealing with the a governmental organization. Here is what happened:

Me: Hi. I am calling regarding.....

SSA rep: Oh. Well...um yeah, it says they don't have the form and there is nothing I can do about that.

Me: Yes, I know. But, I was told that your office should have it on file.

SSA rep: Yes. We might have it on file, that's true. I would love to help you, but I am afraid I can't get up from my desk to check the filing cabinet because I am on phone duty and there are other callers waiting in the queue.

Me: I've been waiting for 9 months!

SSA rep: Yes, ma'am. I apologize. But, I am afraid I can't get out of my chair right now. As I said, I am on phone duty... We have other callers waiting...I am really sorry...I could call you back in a few hours perhaps...It's just that I am on phone duty and I have other callers in the queue...

Me: (Interrupting) Yes, I understand. (Sigh!) Ok, please return my call as soon as possible at _____________. Thank you!

SIGH!

I Guess Nathan Gets To Say, "I Told You So"

I posted here about my concern over the guest speaker from Columbia Theological Seminary that was scheduled to speak at my church today. I thought that it was only fair to find out what she had to say before jumping to any radical conclusions. Unfortunately, my fears were validated. In a nutshell, she essentially took a blowtorch to the doctrine of biblical inerrancy. In a series of lectures on family values she declared that there are several ways in which to understand family values from a biblical perspective and indicated that these various ways create a contradiction. At one point she declared that Paul's letters to the Corinthians were very "convoluted." She also said she hoped Jesus was wrong about there being no marriage or giving in marriage at the resurrection. Oh, lets see...what else? She further claimed that both Paul and Jesus thought celibacy was superior to marriage.

There are two more lectures in this series, one tonight and one tomorrow afternoon. Based upon what was said in her sermon during morning worship, I anticipate that she is setting the stage to justify alternative lifestyles, like homosexuality and same sex marriage. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely believe in equal rights in the workplace and etc... regardless of sexual orientation. I also believe that as Christ's church on the earth, we are to preach the truth in love. At the same time, the church must not redefine morality to make it more popular.

So, now I am not sure what to do. Do I stay and take a stand for the truth? Or, do I leave in order to preserve my mind from unsound doctrine?

Comfort

I had a terrible headache all morning and most of the afternoon. I hadn't eaten anything all day so I went out to get something around 2:00 p.m. or so. I thought that if I ate something and took some ibuprofen, I might feel better. As I was driving, Steven called. Here is an excerpt of our conversation:

Me: What should I have for lunch?

Steven: Hmm. A salad.

Me: Yuck. I don't want a salad...

Steven: Why not? Salad is good for you...

Me: Yeah, but salad is not comforting.

Steven: Ahhh! Food is not supposed to be comforting! Food is not a substitute for love.

Me: Oh...

Bittersweet Memories

Today would have been my dad's 54th birthday. Unfortunately, he passed away on June 14th, 2005. I think of my dad often, especially on days like today. I miss him so much more than I ever imagined was possible. I miss the way we used to discuss religion and politics until the wee hours of the morning, or how we listened to music together and talked about the lyrics. We also shared a love for reading, suspense movies, and most importantly, God. (Oh, how I wish I could have shared more of this part of my life with my father. But, it was not to be. In many ways my journey of faith echoed that of St. Augustine, who cried out in lament: "How late have I loved thee, oh God.")

My dad and I didn't always agree. In fact, we rarely saw eye to eye on many things. We were both very opinioned. In the earlier years of my life, this inherited trait kept me in a lot of trouble. Those years were not the easiest by any means. We had a lot of problems in our home. My parents argued a lot and my dad battled alcoholism. (He was sober for many years and then he relapsed and my parents divorced...) But, as I became an adult, we did grow closer. For that I am very thankful.

When someone dies, I think it is easy to put them on a pedestal and forget about their flaws. I don't want to do that. My dad wasn't perfect. No one is. Ultimately, it took cancer to bring him to his knees in repentance. In one day, after hearing the words, "You have cancer," my dad was able to do what he had declared for years was impossible. He gave up smoking and drinking cold turkey, and never looked back. (This from a man who drank from the time he got out of bed in the morning, until he went to bed at night). Its amazing what we can do when we have no choice. In my father's hospital room, a few days before he passed away, he looked at me with tears in his eyes and said, "I am so sorry. I know I did this to myself." What an awful realization!

Today has been hard. I talked to my associate pastor this morning and he invited me to a LOGOS dinner that the kids have on Wednesday nights and offered me some quiet time in the prayer room at our church. (It is a very peacefully little room that looks like a miniature sanctuary, complete with mini pews and an altar). I thanked him for the invitation, but I didn't go. Instead, I opted to have dinner with my mom and my grandmother. One thing I have learned from my father's passing is that, as much as your family members can get on your nerves or drive you crazy, time stands still for no one. Life is short. We must make the most of it. Of all the mistakes I have made in life, one that stands out among the ones for which I am most regretful, is the time, a couple of years prior to my fathers passing, that we did not speak for several months. I can't even remember why I was angry with him. But, I do know that in the end I would have given anything to have those few months back.

I bought my dad a birthday card today. I don't know why. My mother asked me what I was going to do with it. I said, "I don't know." I suppose a part of me just can't accept the fact that I can never give my dad another Christmas card or birthday card again. When I was in New York City over the holidays I saw many cards stuck in the fence at ground zero. I guess those people are a lot like me, and find it hard to accept the fact that their loved ones are gone.

Despite my grief,I know we will see each other again. I take comfort in this:

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 ESV

And this:

When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

"Death is swallowed up in victory."

1 Corinthians 15:54 ESV

I love you Dad. Happy Birthday!

"We'll Always Have Paris"

I knew it! I would LOVE to go to Paris...

You Belong in Paris

Stylish and a little sassy, you were meant for Paris. The art, the fashion, the wine, the men! Whether you're enjoying the cafe life or a beautiful park... You'll love living in the most chic place on earth.

What City Do You Belong In?