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Showing posts from March, 2012

Does God Force Himself Against Free Will?

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Have you seen A&E’s TV show, Intervention? I’m not a regular watcher but I’ve caught bits of the show a handful of times. The confrontation by the family and friends of a person trapped in destructive behaviour is full of tension and is unpleasant for everyone involved but the motivation for family to take such strong action is always love and the knowledge their loved one is capable of much more. They know their loved one is on a destructive path that ultimately leads to death.  They also know their spouse/child/friend feels powerless to change and if he or she could think clearly, he or she would choose to live life differently. It’s fair to say if the family/friends took strong action to save their loved one from self-destruction, no one would rebuke them for their action and yet, too often we rebuke God for violating our free will. The truth is, at time, God may choose to do an intervention based on an on-going love relationship, as in the example of Jonah. Jonah was running

Yada: It's Not What You Think

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Q. What do you call couples who use the rhythm method [of birth control]? A. Parents The natural outcome of a union between two people is fruit (fruit of the loins, according to the KJV).   It is true in the natural realm.   It is also true in the spiritual realm. Psalm 46:10 tells us to, ‘Be still and know God.’   The word, still, is translated raphah and means to yield, or give slack [to another].   The image being denoted is to cut the tension.   The NASB translates the word, ‘cease striving’.   In a game of tug-of-war, the opposing teams keep tension on the rope and try to win by pulling the other team into their territory.   It takes a great deal of effort.    As I read the whole of Psalm 46, I have a mental image of God’s people having a tug-of-war with God.   The real enemy is simply watching the efforts of the Israelites and picking them off at will because they are fully focused on their own struggle with God.   God is telling them to yield, cut the tension.   In doing

Fun in the Sun

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It’s spring break and our family is joining thousands of other Canadian families who migrate south in hopes of warmer weather. Had I been more organized, I would have written posts in advance but I work best under pressure and I had to decide: clean house or pre-written posts. I opted for a clean house. I love coming home to a house preserved in cleanliness. If you have school-aged children in your home, then you know how family life is ruled by the school schedule. Enjoy your break, I know I will.

It's Like Peeing Your Pants

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Friendship is like peeing your pants; it’s obvious to everybody but only you can feel the warmth. ~unknown My online buddy, Bret Alan, a professing atheist of the blog, Anything But Theist is often a source for post ideas. His post yesterday (March 5) left me thinking about the truth of his comment. "Those who hate a religion do not understand it very well. Those who follow a religion do not understand it at all." To those on the outside (of anything, not just religion) can only observe and judge – they do not receive any benefit. The benefits are reserved for those included. Bret writes often about religion and many times I agree. Religion is stifling, boxy and rule-oriented. From outside observation, it would be easy to assess religion is unattractive as a lifestyle choice or philosophy. I’m not interested in religion and rules without relationship make me squirrelly and want to rebel. Unfortunately, too many Christians are caught in the box of religion and don’t

Everything That Has Breath, Praise the Lord

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There are a limited number of truths I would stake my life on.   One is God is more than previously thought – it is true no matter how little or much you know God, he is more. Another truth is if you are not worshipping God as a regular part of your day then you do not know the holiness of God. I am a worshipper but I wasn’t always. For many years, I took offense by what I saw as a requirement to worship. Like a tip for a restaurant worker, it should be voluntary if the service was good, or better. Then o ne morning we had a woman guest tell us about her ministry at the women’s group I lead. She helped girls on the street get off – sometimes for a night, sometimes longer. In my offense, I scoffed at the idea of saving a girl for only one night but a shift happened in my thinking that day. On average, a street worker will make 10 sales of her body in one night – it might not seem significant but for one night, they will have prevented 10 acts of abuse against that girl. And she gav