Monthly Archives: June 2014

Life literature goal accomplished: today, I officially completed the Lord of the Rings series. I thoroughly enjoyed them, and was surprised at how much better the books were than the films. Of course, my heart will always belong to the Battle of Gondor scene when Orlando Bloom dispatches an oliphaunt in six seconds. 

Did you fall more in love with Jesus today?

That’s heavy, Doc.

Is that not the chief end of man? Something about enjoying God and glorifying him forever? (Westminster Catechism, *cough cough*). 

Behold me, amateur, as I wake up in the morning with a bleary mumbled greeting of thanks to my Lord. Then, I somehow manage by his grace to get out of bed and mumble more thanks and eat my breakfast. As I involve myself in the lives of my family, my own musings, books, movies, I “amen” to something someone else says. Watch carefully as I “fall more in love with Jesus” as I subsequently forget to pray the entire day and haphazardly return to Colossians 1 two minutes before I crash into sleep. Did you take notes? 

How easy is it to skip reading the Bible? Prayer? Accountability? Fellowship with other members of the Church?

I believe the answer to these questions can show us a lot about ourselves and our walk in Christ. The seduction of self, of others, and of the world is great. Not often do the powers of this world storm into our lives with guns blazing; we would notice right away if something was up. Instead, in a more deceptive and cunning pattern, we are slowly-but-surely drawn away from the narrow path of the Lord’s truth.

Just like in Eden, it all begins with entertaining a thought: “What if…?” Then, we mull over it and think of ways to act it out. “Maybe if I…” Soon, we justify our behavior to ourselves and our thoughts become reality. We already have

Who thinks, really, about what it means to be “dignified?”

We associate such a word with old Victorian tea parties and stiff-necked grandmothers who fuss over things that “aren’t important anymore.” We don’t entertain the term as part of our daily lexicon, and we shove it under the bed, quietly filed away with other forgotten virtues that are eternally attached to women from “back in the olden days” (chastity, anyone?)

Despite our delusions, dignity is quite a godly attribute. In fact, it’s pretty important in the Scriptures.

Living out the truth that we are valued. Self-respect, because we are not our own and have been bought with a price. Character. Integrity. Psalm 1. Wisdom. Proverbs 4.

Proverbs 31:25-26 describes the woman  as being clothed with strength and dignity.

It’s funny how shame suddenly appears when we least expect it.