This is something that really touched my heart. I hope you take the time to read it. I took the time to type it out, because it really uplifted my spirits.
Thoughts by Dr. Tony Evans (with my interjections) Everything in quotes is from his message in Tampa, Fla., on Nov. 2.
CANDIED APPLES WITH SECULARISM
Tony Evans tells the story of how he does not like apples; he’s more of an “orange kind of guy.” But he likes them when he goes to a fair they have in Texas.
Why? Because they are candied apples. The thing is, he said, once you dip the apple into liquid sugar, it cancels out its nutrients. People take God’s word, and they dip it into human opinion, man-made thought and secularism.
“They think that just because they have an apple, they still have its nutrion. Not knowing, you dip God’s Truth in man’s thought, you canceled out its impactin your life.”
MAKING IT GO
He further reveals an experience of when he was on a horse. He felt he knew what to do because he had watched plenty of Western movies. He got on the horse and made the “click, click” sound and said “giddy up,” with a slight kick. The horse would go two steps forward and four steps back. He became frustrated with the horse and told the organizer that his horse was crazy and that he needed another horse.
The organizer asked him, “What are you doing?”
He responded telling him, “I am going ‘click, click,’ like this, and saying ‘giddy up’ with a kick.”
The organizer looked at him and said, “The horse is not the one that is crazy. You can’t expect him to go when you keep pulling on the reins. He is confused.”
Sometimes, it is like this with us and God. We want Him to go, and have control of our destiny and future, yet we pull back on the reins.
“In the Bible, wisdom has to do with one’s ability, capacity and determination to apply spiritual truth to life’s realities. Conversely, a fool in the Bible is not somebody who dropped out of kindergarten; it is not concerned with academic accomplishments as its formal meaning. A fool in the Bible is someone who refuses to apply spiritual truth to life’s realities. The difference between wisdom and foolishness is an application difference, not an informational difference.”
TWO FOUNDATIONS
24 “Everybody who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise builder who built a house on bedrock. 25 The rain fell, the floods came, and the wind blew and beat against that house [Like Hurricane Sandy…]. It didn’t fall because it was firmly set on bedrock. 26 But everybody who hears these words of mine and doesn’t put them into practice will be like a fool who built a house on sand. 27 The rain fell, the floods came, and the wind blew and beat against that house. It fell and was completely destroyed.” (Matthew 7)
“Both looked fine until the storm came. Your foundation determines your future. You can’t fix a foundation in a storm. One house stood, one house fell–all predicated, not one their dreams, but on where they started.”
“Sand is easy, moving, cheap; bedrock is hard, firm and expensive.”
“It is all about where you start: The Bible or our human efforts.”
Despite our finite intelligence, which is given to us by God, we can’t find our own way. In the end, humanity’s solo path leads to a dead end. We will always be at a loss, no matter how hard we try. You know that feeling when someone compliments you, and you genuinely say, “No…no, I am not that great.” That feeling of inadequacy and unworthiness– that is how we always are before God. That is how we are on our own. But our weakness is made perfect in His strength and power.
Common English Bible (CEB)
THE STORM
35 Later that day, when evening came, Jesus said to them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.” [They said they wanted to cross over to the other side… isn’t that what we always say? When someone wants to take us to the other side, and we are excited; we want to go–something new, something that might be better-(paraphrase)] 36 They left the crowd and took him in the boat just as he was. Other boats followed along.
37 Gale-force winds arose, and waves crashed against the boat so that the boat was swamped.[Storm]38 But Jesus was in the rear of the boat, sleeping on a pillow. [When someone is asleep on a pillow or cushion, you know that person intended to sleep, He did not fall asleep on accident. (paraphrase)] They woke him up and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re drowning?” [The storm must’ve been bad if FISHERMEN feared for their lives (paraphrase)]
39 He got up and gave orders to the wind, and he said to the lake, “Peace! Be still!” The wind settled down and there was a great calm. [He told the peace to be still. Wouldn’t He address the storm instead? No, because even within the storm is the movement of God’s peace, taking you to where you are intended to wind up.-(paraphrase)]40 Jesus asked them, “Why are you frightened? Don’t you have faith yet?” [“Do you believe my word in your storm. A storm in the way does not change my word, [Jesus was trying to teach them.]”]
41 Overcome with awe, they said to each other, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!” (Mark 4)
TO YOU:
Are you going through a storm? Are you building a foundation? We all are, but what are you building it on? Are you building it on truth or society and man’s everchanging arguments and opinions?
Today, take truth as it is; unadulterated, even if it is not convenient. Let your destiny unfold in God’s providence, and let go of the reins. Build a foundation on something eternal that never changes and that is greater than yourself. And when you go through the storm, don’t lose faith, and know that not even a storm can change His word, power and plan for you.
I Touched His Garment:
This video is of a group I sing with back home (I love and miss them all!). We sang on Thanksgiving weekend. This song is a beautiful song. I hope the words touch you, as they touched us.
And yes, I am the girl that starts out and finishes the song singing in the purple dress. 🙂
“It is in vain, 0 men, that you seek within yourselves the cure for your miseries. All your insight only leads you to the knowledge that it is not in yourselves that you will discover the true and the good. The philosophers promised them to you, and have not been able to keep their promises… Your principal maladies are pride, which cuts you off from God, and sensuality, which binds you to the earth; and they have done nothing but foster at least one of these maladies. If they have given you God for your object, it has only been to pander to your pride; they have made you think that you were like Him and resembled Him by your nature. And those who have grasped the vanity of such a pretension have cast you down into the other abyss by making you believe that your nature was like that of the beasts of the field, and have led you to seek your good in lust, which is the lot of animals.” Blaise Pascal
David Berlinski (Who responded to Richard Dawkin’s book, The God Delusion, with his own book called, The Devil’s Delusion):
“Has anyone provided a proof of God’s inexistence?
Not even close.
Has quantum cosmology explained the emergence of the universe or why it is here?
Not even close.
Have the sciences explained why our universe seems to be fine-tuned to allow for the existence of life?
Not even close.
Are physicists and biologists willing to believe in anything so long as it is not religious thought?
Close enough.
Has rationalism in moral thought provided us with an understanding of what is good, what is right, and what is moral?
Not close enough.
Has secularism in the terrible twentieth century been a force for good?
Not even close to being close.
Is there a narrow and oppressive orthodoxy of thought and opinion within the sciences?
Close enough.
Does anything in the sciences or in their philosophy justify the claim that religious belief is irrational?
Not even ballpark.
Is scientific atheism a frivolous exercise in intellectual contempt?
Dead on.”
2] For the world thinker and philosopher
“And I promise you I say this to you very sincerely, the more I know of Him, the more I read the Gospels, the epistles and letters, the more I read in the scriptures, the more I understand that the other world views are not even close to being close. That in Christ you have this comprehensive explanation for the four deepest questions of life. Do you know what those four questions are? Origin, meaning, morality and destiny. How did I come to be? What point of reference do I find for meaning? How do I differentiate between good and evil? What happens to a human being when he or she dies? He answers to those four questions, when you find answers that are correspondingly true to the individual questions; and when all of the questions are put together, you have a coherent set of answers.” -Thoughts from Ravi Zacharias, apologetic, evangelist and philosopher (Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, RZIM)
3] For the woman who needs relationship advice
Love Letters to Kellie-Kidd Kraddick in the Morning
“This is what I have learned the older I get: I don’t want a man who I have to beg to go out with me, and be nice to me and call me. When a man wants you; a man lets you know he wants you. He pursues you, he chases you, and he buys you laptops. And that is what happens when a man likes you, so don’t try to make something happen when it’s not there.”-Kellie Rasberry
I should be reading my outlines furiously… but I wanted to say…
I am disgusted in how women change themselves. I know it is a personal choice, but I feel it is a cycle. For example, I always knew there was something off about Katrina Kaif’s face… how about the fact that she got a nose job and lip enhancement? So many women are so fake; it is frustrating.
(That includes pretty much every woman in an American, Latin American or Indian movie.)
People get nose jobs, lip fillers, restructure their faces, wear color contacts– why are people so unhappy with themselves?
I really like European actresses… many of them aren’t afraid of looking natural. They are not afraid of frizzy hair, imperfect teeth, and looking like they just woke up.
Why have we dreamt up the perfect woman, or made one kind the ideal? It is an illusion that will not be ours, and women feel the pressure to be her.
The street of ideal proportions. (Les Poupees Russes)
I know, people rant about this all the time– I am not going to say obesity and the other extremes are okay, I just want to say:
Girls out there, you are beautiful. Don’t change your nose, your lips, your chin, your breasts. Maybe, I am just strange, and I love what is not perfect.
This reminds me of a great scene:
It isn’t just about women. Here in New York you see this genre of men who wear tight clothes, they look like girls, they wear oversized glasses–what is this image people are buying into? The store sells skinny jeans, so now automatically everyone has to wear them and look good in them. They are probably one of the most universally unflattering articles of clothing.
Leave the pressure of what everyone wants you to be, and be you.
Live.your.life.
People who feel they need to fix themselves to be perfected are sending the wrong message.
This season find that thing; what makes you extraordinary. Follow no one-be purely you.
Today, I talked to my friend Joonas. It left me feeling bubbly and happy. Totally made my day; he usually does. Law school is approaching its most intense weeks, but talking to him reminded me what life is all about. Have someone: who inspires you; leaves you speechless; is brilliant; is kind; has a golden heart; you have amazing memories with? Tell them.
I have been blessed with some extraordinary people in my life.
Joonas (center) and me in La Rochelle, France, summer of 2009.
“Join the Seventh-day Adventist world church in a day of prayer and fasting for two Adventists imprisoned in Togo. Pastor Antonio Monteiro and church member Bruno Amah have been falsely detained for eight months. Even though there is no evidence of guilt, the men have been held without hope of bail or a trial. On December 1, Adventists around the world are gathering for a day of prayer and fasting for the safety of the men and their families and a speedy release from prison.”
I have been following this case for months now. Please join a body of believers in prayer for these falsely imprisoned ministers.
2] “It is more important for us to talk about people to God [in prayer], than for us to talk to people about God.”-Ravi Zacharias
3] “Prendre la route et rouler…”/ J’ai trouve le sens de la vie….
Tal is a fabulous French Israeli-born singer. I adore her voice. She does great songs featuring Arab/French rappers.
/I found the reason for my life…/ (song title translation)
4] Angus T. Jones spoke out against his show and has said to have joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church. I thought I’d mention it. People have been outraged, some saying he is a hypocrit because he is still working under the contract, others say the church is exploiting him and it is a cult, others say he did the right thing.
I will say this: People have a right to walk in life and grow. They have the right to choose their ways even if they weren’t on that track always; that doesn’t make them hypocrits. I don’t judge. If something bothers you, perhaps you should flat out quit, whatever. That is between him and God. The truth is the show, ‘Two and a Half Men’ is trash; everyone seems to agree on that point.
Also, don’t judge a church by its people. Some may be extreme, others crazy, but you find this everywhere. The Seventh-day Adventist Church is not a cult. It is a humanitarian church that educates, helps people live healthier lives and is Biblical (If other churches criticize it for its Sabbath keeping–that is just anti-semetic convenience going way back into history). If someone takes advantage of him, tells him untrue things, again, that is between that person and God. He is an intelligent being who can reason and make choices.
Ravi Zacharias always says: Don’t judge a movement or religion by its flaws. Each one will have its flaws. Religion is a shallow term. When you have religion you arrive to a place, when you find a Savior you arrive to a person.
If Jones found what he was looking for, then that is wonderful. We all should be studying, searching, growing and changing. No judgement. I understand, I am biased.
I am a Seventh-day Adventist. Note, I am never afraid to explore things I don’t know about or things I disagree with. I think leaving a comfort zone is important. One must not be afraid to question. God provides enough for us to believe but never takes away the opportunity to question and doubt, but by this we can grow. I belong to this church despite the flaws of the people and the church itself. It isn’t perfect, but at the same time, Biblically, Christians view the church as a symbol of the bride of Christ, that which He will return for. Therefore, the church deserves respect, and it must be valued.
I realized my condition as a selfish human being who is broken. I think every human being is broken somehow and we all make mistakes and hurt; we are all looking for that person who will put us back together. Someone who will be an advocate for us; pardon us for our mistakes and take us higher; Someone who will love us so much He will show us through each breath we take in life.
Anyway, no sermon here. Just know, people can belong to something because they really believe in it. It doesn’t mean they are brainwashed.
GABRIELA YARELIZ 