Brie Gowen

Savor the Essence of Life

Is Satan Stealing Our Nation?

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I was praying this morning on the way to work, and I felt the Lord speaking to me about the condition of our Nation. I mean, how could He not. Unless you’ve been asleep under a rock, you’ve seen the devastation occurring. We giggle at the many memes joking about the craziness of the year 2020, but I think we laugh so we won’t cry. After all, who hasn’t considered the fact when someone brings up words like “end times.” Indeed, we are living in unprecedented times, and I wonder if we can truly see what is happening around us.

This morning as I prayed I had a vision of people on their knees. It was Saints of God, bowing in worship, and as they prayed light from Heaven beamed down into their bodies. It was as if the Holy Spirit was infusing His people with the power they needed, and the thought of this gave me hope. I prayed for revival, knowing that was what we needed, and then I received clarity on the battle to prevent awakening in our world. We were under attack, like never before, and if we were in end times, then we needed to have eyes to see and ears to hear! That is what I prayed for.

When COVID-19 first descended on our country, and it became apparent that the danger we faced was real, I could see a light peeking through the darkness. I know many of you saw it too. The light was shining from the life of others, as the Lord worked through His people to bring hope to a shocked world. We were witnesses to things we had never before encountered, and as we tried to make our way through the surreal fog of uncertainty, the essence of hope beamed like a beacon to persevere. People came together, communities stood tall, and voices rose. You could actually see faith in action, and while church buildings closed, the true church (the body of believers) came out of the woodwork to hold up the weak and weary. I was so proud.

It felt like revival was working its way through the country. Bibles were flying off store shelves and the Bible App reached record downloads. People who normally stayed away from entering a church building were showing up to watch services online, and the healing power of Jesus was reaching people it never had before. A pandemic was upon us, but in true, Awesome God fashion, the Lord was working it for good.

I remember thinking to myself, this is it. A great awakening is upon us.

But then the dastardly sandman slinked out of the grass, ready to close eyes however he could.

You began to see videos popping up on Facebook, and it was almost like the church of conspiracy theories was born. It stepped up its recruiting efforts in an unparalleled fashion, and it was like everyone I knew was suddenly “woke.” Isn’t it ironic how the medium the devil used to distract God’s people from His work, closing their eyes to what He really wanted them to do, was termed such a thing?

Everyone became suspicious. And while I’m a realist, aware of government intrusion, even I couldn’t believe the uproar. Helpers became hiders. People who had formerly been encouraging each other, suddenly began arguing amongst themselves. United people became fragmented factions, hurling ugly words over whether to stay at home or not. Masked men versus the unmasked, and vaccinators fighting with oil infusers. Ridiculous. Petty arguments over politics, and an ever-present stream of shock-factor videos that threatened to disappear if you didn’t watch right away!

While there was nothing wrong with awareness of media manipulation or political propaganda, the problem came with Satan using the work of evil men to further divide good people. The devil was taking something that should have been for the good of mankind and using it to drive a wedge between them. Tempers flared, and instead of us finding the strength we needed to persevere through difficult times in Jesus, we tried to find it in knowledge, as if uncovering conspiracy would make a very real virus suddenly disappear. Instead of finding unity in our fear of the unknown, we allowed evil to thin our patience, replacing it with anger at our neighbor, when really we were just angry with a situation we couldn’t control.

Basically, a time that could have been a win for the church, became an opportunity for losing our cool. What should have been a time of spiritual awakening, instead became a time of distracted slumber. Y’all, we fell for it hook, line, and sinker. I’m guilty too. In times where I could have shown compassion, I responded in frustration. Pride abounded, with each group certain of only one thing; they were right about absolutely everything. We forgot how to humble ourselves, and Satan lapped it up like the dog he is. Evil fed off our anger, and if we could see into the spiritual realm, I’m certain we would have seen demonic forces strengthened by the vapors of our fear and rage. A time when the Nation could have come together, when the church had the utmost opportunity to be a witness of love, we instead fought over whether Outback Steakhouse should open back up their dining room. It’s a laughable comment, until you realize it’s true. We lashed out when we could have loved instead. Fueled by fear and a lack of control, we found false security in fighting over petty indifferences. As if proving that a face mask does no good in public, that would somehow make everything fall into place.

I realize I’m getting too wordy, so please hang with me and I’ll try to tie this up. My point is, our Nation needs a wake up call, but every time God sends one, we fall for Satan’s lullaby! The Lord calls us to follow Him, but Satan whispers for us to hit the snooze button just one more time.

The remnant prayed for healing, and in His mercy the Lord heard their cries. He brought abundant blessing, cutting off Corona before it could carry out its full potential! But then do you know what we did?! The same people who had prayed for an end to the pandemic cursed it coming to an end. Instead of seeing God’s grace and answer to our prayers, they shouted, “I knew it was a hoax!”

That’s right. The Lord blessed His people with healing, but the devil whispered lies. The great deceiver laughed and laughed.

The Lord still allowed us to reap His blessing despite the blatant denial of His goodness. We began to see the cloud of COVID lift, case numbers go down, and communities opening back up. The light of the Lord’s favor was shining on our country once again. When the Lord blesses, the enemy will try and attack. Especially when the Lord is trying to show us His character, the enemy will come up with the next strategy to distract, divide, and blind.

Evil came to the forefront in a horrendous way, by act of murder. It started with Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Porter, and came to an explosion with the tragic death of George Floyd. Satan wanted death and destruction, and he brought it by senseless violence. The Lord desires healing, truth, and justice, and He used the video evidence of the obvious murder of George Floyd to illuminate a very real problem in America. He utilized the work of Satan to try and bring some good from the devastation. He opened eyes to racism, that it still existed today, and He opened hearts to compassion and empathy for the marginalized, black community. People who had turned a deaf ear, buried their head in the sand, or simply been blinded by a spirit of apathy, suddenly could see what the black community had been screaming for years!

Once again we are faced with an option. Will we sleep, or will we wake up? Will we have eyes to see and ears to hear, or will we remain blind? Satan is tricky and he will use the cover of religion (over true relationship with Jesus) to keep God’s people asleep. Satan will use division, pride, and anything he possibly can. So, while we may think the devil simply uses bigotry and obvious racist behavior to serve his purposes, in reality he uses so much more. He can cause us to deny racism is an issue, or he can make us apathetic to the plight of others. He can keep us silent with fear of what others may think, or by injecting confusion into the issue.

False thoughts like these.

I don’t agree with violence and rioting, so therefore I can’t stand with Black Lives Matter.

But I believe all lives matter, therefore I can’t stand with Black Lives Matter.

I don’t think all cops are bad, so I can’t support the black community.

These are just a few examples of the confusion that seeps into our thinking, and we inadvertently allow the distractions to prevent us from carrying out God’s will for our world. We’ve gotta stop! We have to recognize the fact that it’s not flesh and blood we fight, but principalities and powers of darkness. We must walk in love, compassion, and humility, facing all pandemics, areas of injustice, and really, all issues with a kingdom mindset. We need eyes wide open, and we need to consider what is not only important to our society as a whole, but also to the souls of society. What brings salvation? Is it arguments over a difference of opinion, or is it a kind, humble heart that considers the feelings of another?

Do you know the biggest barrier to revival in our country? It’s us. In my vision I saw God pouring His Spirit into His children, but I’m afraid when we close our eyes to injustice, our hearts to compassion, and our lives to working together for good, we also close off the flow of His power and blessing. In the end, we all miss out. We all lose. But none so much as the lost who never get to see Jesus in us.

My Opinion on Conspiracy Videos

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I broke down and watched one of the frequently shared YouTube, conspiracy videos the other day, and I got sucked right in. I wanted to show it to my husband. I told him the details, and I found myself saying, “yeah, I can totally see the government doing that.”

Then I began to see hoards of my friends on social media sharing it, and my bristles went up. You see, I haven’t been a huge fan of COVID conspiracy, mainly because so many of the posts or articles I saw made false assumptions that since something suspicious was afoot, that everything must be a lie. In other words, if the news happened to be exaggerating the seriousness of COVID-19, then it must not be serious at all. If the numbers were being inflated, then what could be said of any truly positive cases? This line of irresponsible thought made this nurse angry. Serving in a COVID hotspot, I didn’t have the luxury of hypothesizing the cases were minimal or the disease not much different than the flu. I saw the people dying, and I couldn’t tell myself it wasn’t serious. It was all I could do not to cry myself to sleep at night from the very real and seriousness of COVID-19.

So when I continued to see more conspiracy videos and posts emerge, the most recent Plandemic, I became concerned. I mean, you can only be fed information repeatedly for so long before you question your indigestion. So I found myself with a feeling of worry.

Here’s the thing. I’m a smart girl. I was in the military, I’m well-read, and I’ve had forty-two years of life experience. I am aware of propaganda, and I’m no stranger to government intrusion. I am familiar with Snowden, and I have no doubt the government is/can watch me through my computer camera, or listen to my phone calls. The CIA scares the crap out of me, and there’s legit some evil folks in power. I am certain political spins are being placed on this issue, and politicians are using it for their own agenda. Big Brother is watching, and I know the devil whispers in the ear of some upper echelon peeps. I am not blind to evil among us. But I also am not going to put more faith in the Big Bad Wolf than I do my Father God. He is the only one who controls my life.

That being said, I found myself this morning wondering too much about what is true, and what is not. I felt a heavy emotion of uncertainty concerning world events, and I knew I should not be feeling that way. I asked God to speak clarity to my mind.

Immediately I felt the Lord speak to my heart, “you know who’s the author of confusion.”

And I felt an immediate weight lift from me.

1 Corinthians 14:33 (KJV)

For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

The Christian life isn’t an easy one, but it is a blessed one. We are faced with the situation of being in the world, but not of the world. So we must take into consideration the evil of this world, but we cannot let it overtake us, even mentally. We must be wise, but also confident. We must be aware, but not overcome. Uncertain, worldly circumstances bring fear, but the strong tower of the Lord brings courage. So while I find it wise and prudent to have open eyes to evil, corruption, and injustice, I find that in times like these (the most recent pandemic), where we are emotionally and mentally stressed, it’s easy to fall prey to deception and fear. What begins as concern and a search for truth, can easily become belief in things of this world. Our search for “truth” becomes like an idol, and we place more importance in the conspiracies we uncover than the Spirit that saves us from this sandstorm. See, we forget this world is a vapor, and can easily put too much stock in something that is here today and gone tomorrow. We forget whose corner we’re in, who holds the victory in battle, or even the fact that the war has already been won.

This morning I prayed for a Spirit of Truth to cover God’s people, because so many of us can think we’re searching for the “truth,” but I wonder if we’re really finding distraction and confusion from the enemy. Just like there’s two types of wisdom, heavenly and earthly, so too are there two types of truth. I know a lot of earthly wise folks, but when it comes to heavenly matters they are clueless. We can seek the “truth” in matters of the world around us, and we can even become extremely proud of ourselves for being “woke” to those truths, but the one thing we miss is how those same earthly truths can take up all the room in our mind and heart, leaving little room for heavenly truth. The heavenly truth is that none of this is a surprise to God. There’s no secret conspiracies to Him. He’s not worried about the bad guys pulling one over on us, and He holds the key to justice. Yes, God gives us courage to demand truth, and He gives us knowledge to ask questions and seek the right answers, but He is never the author of confusion. He will never have us chasing our tail or running through rabbit hole after rabbit hole for the heck of it. If you find yourself consumed or worried as of late, I would encourage you to go to the one source you know without a doubt is true, the Bible. Ask the Lord to reveal His Heavenly truth to you through His word. God speaks to us in many ways, but I’m not ready to believe He’s doing it through every YouTube or Facebook video that goes across my feed.

Isaiah 8:12 ESV

Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread.

What Really Caused the Shooting in Virginia Beach?

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I was standing in a patient’s room waiting for him to take his medicine when I saw the breaking news story on TV about the shooting in Virginia Beach. I stood in slack-jawed shock as the pictures of the victims appeared on the screen with their name and years of public service.

40 years, one caption read. I felt like I would cry. A man who had worked in the same job for forty years would not report to work Monday. For some reason that hit me hard. I knew neither he nor his family dreamed his day would end in tragedy. The senselessness of the murder of so many people, simply doing their job (much like I was doing at the time), hurt my heart. It also made me consider how easily something like this could happen, to anyone. There you are passing medicines, answering a phone, ringing up items on a cash register, or turning a screwdriver when bam, life as you know it here on earth ends. Your family is left to pick up the pieces, and the world is left to try and figure out why.

Why did the gunman shoot those people?

I don’t have to keep watching the news to guess the hypotheses that will be drawn. “Experts” will pipe in with their educated guess on what happened to cause the psychological break of this individual. Or political hopefuls with hidden agendas will feign empathy as they elevate their particular platform cause as the instigation behind such tragedy. They’ll all be wrong. Sure, some issues may aggravate the situation, but there’s no need to try and weigh nurture versus nature if you refuse to look at the real root cause.

It’s not gun laws or how long one has to wait for a handgun. It’s not poverty or socioeconomic constraints. It’s not mental health access problems coupled by lack of insurance issues. It’s not a failing judicial system or problems with a building’s security. That’s not the cause. Sure, these are problems, and many of these can be improved upon. But it’s the issue we ignore that’s at the base of tragedies like today.

See, it’s not just yesterday’s shooting. As I was reading an article about the VA Beach shooting one sad fact stuck out to me. The article stated this to be “the United States’ worse mass shooting since November.” It wasn’t that it was the worst (although that’s horrible), but rather that it was the worst (only) since November. Meaning that a similar tragedy had occurred just half a year prior. That’s sad.

Have you noticed that mass shootings seem more common? Have you noticed school shootings on the rise in the past fifteen years? What about human trafficking, for that matter? Abuse, violence, even child abduction? It seems to me that things I must worry with about my children’s safety weren’t as much a concern for my parents. Times have changed, people say, and it certainly seems true. You could argue that we know more now than we did fifty years ago. With social media, cable news channels, and the internet we have a heightened awareness of the world at large. I suppose that is certainly true, but I tend to believe that the root problem has multiplied. I mean, the Bible has warned us for years it would.

Today, as I prayed about how I should write on this topic, I felt the Lord impress some wisdom into my heart. Wisdom that needs to be shared.

I felt like God said, “you have to stop denying the existence of evil among you.”

Have you ever read the Old Testament?! Talk about evil! They frequently threw their kids into the fire as a sacrifice to Molech. I mean, can you say crazy?! But are we any better now? We can easily look back at Biblical child sacrifice and proclaim, “that’s evil!” That’s demonic, for sure! Am I right? Yet since 1973 well over 54 million babies have been sacrificed legally. Evil exists today, but we call it things like progress or human rights. Now, that’s not to say I’m implying that people who have an abortion are evil. I’m not! But I do believe it is the powers of darkness that tell us murder isn’t murder or sin isn’t sin. See, evil nowadays has become more tricky. It disguises itself as something else. We don’t even think about words like evil or the devil.

First, realize that I’m not giving Satan power by blaming him for tragedy among us. Rather, I am recognizing the battle we face in this world. We aren’t fighting terrorists, human traffickers, shooters, or child molesters. I mean, we do battle those particular outlets of evil in the flesh, but we must also recognize the spiritual significance of the problems we come against. It’s not guns or an unwanted pregnancy that causes death and destruction anymore than it was a flame that caused the sacrificial burning of children by the Canaanites. Yes, fire killed the kids, but Satan was the real principality behind the bull statue/idol. Yes, a gun ripped through the victims in VA Beach, and it was a man who fired the weapon, but who do you think influenced his actions? You could blame his parents, I suppose, but where did the chain of abuse begin? What is it we’re really fighting? What is the root cause of tragedy and death?

Is it a chemical imbalance that causes a man to rape an eighteen month old child? Maybe it’s a tough upbringing. No, it’s pure evil. What else can make people do some of the heinous things they do if not demonic influence?

But people don’t like to talk about Satan. It makes them feel silly cause they can’t see him. They picture the old cartoon drawings of the red skin and pointy horns, forked tail and a sinister grin with matching, curly mustache. Of course they feel silly blaming a caricature. But if you believe in God, and you believe in the Bible, then you must follow the warnings of Jesus about the one who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Yes, there are bad people out there, but recognize what power is influencing their life.

We see atrocities over the past few decades that once only existed in less civilized countries. Do you wonder why terrorism, rampant crime, and sadistic abuse now dominate your news feed? It’s not just because bad news sells. It’s because a country that once primarily served God has turned its back on Him. We no longer exist under the hedge of His protection like we once did. His faithful remnant remain, but evil will make its last rise before Jesus prevails once and for all. This has been prophesied, so don’t be surprised.

What can we do about this evil? If we can understand and believe that it’s not merely flesh and blood we battle, but principalities and powers of darkness, then we must stand for good. We must be the light. When we can stop hiding our heads in the sand and blaming guns, bad neighborhoods, or video games we will be able to stand firm in the spirit of truth.

We must take seriously our role in spreading God’s truth. 90% of the population lives its own little life with little thought to the eternal existence of those around them. We have forgotten The Great Commission. We think it’s up to those called to ministry or the mission field to tell folks about Jesus. Do you go about your day and never make a single positive impact for God’s kingdom? It’s this world that suffers from Christian complacency and comfort. We usher in evil when we do nothing. Let that sink in.

We need to be on our knees praying for people’s souls, but also opening our ears to how God may use us to lead people to Him. We must stand firm against evil by being the salt of the earth. We must walk in goodness, stand for truth, fight for the innocent, and ready our armor against evil. Read the Bible to be aware, open your eyes to spiritual warfare around you, and claim victory in Jesus name. The angel warriors of God gain strength through prayers of the saints. That’s you!

We need to be giving to our church and ministries that spread the love of Jesus, but we also gotta show that same love in our everyday interactions with others. The best roadmap to salvation for someone is watching your life. Not everyone will attend church with you, but they will watch how you react to conflict or treat a coworker.

We must stand up for what is right. We must not bury our heads in the sand or hide in our prayer closets. Yes, we must continuously intercede through prayerful petition, but the world also needs a dose of truth to know the way. We can’t expect them to simply find it on their own. Road to Damascus moments don’t happen everyday. God is counting on us to be the voice of reason, eye-opener, and best example of Christ’s love.

We cannot keep living life oblivious. We can’t keep marching to the own drum of our perfect little lives, ignoring the plight of this world, shaking our head and saying, “that’s so sad,” but then heading out to LongHorn for a steak dinner, never letting distant tragedy cross our minds again. Instead we’ll complain over slow service from the waiter and give a crappy tip while we wear our “I just need coffee and Jesus” T-shirt. No, sister. You need to show people Jesus. Just saying.

What really caused the shooting of innocent employees in VA Beach? I’ll give you a hint. It wasn’t just the over abundant rage of a disgruntled employee whose daddy whipped him as a child. It was the same root cause behind all things that try and stand against the goodness of God. It was evil. Plain and simple.

Why do things like this continue to happen, but also at an alarmingly high rate? Because we, God’s people, are doing nothing about the root cause. We’re being overly distracted by politics and numerous other side notes. Guess what? Distraction is from the devil too. It’s true.

Evil takes root when good hides its light under a bowl. Evil rears it’s head when good people do nothing. Evil stands tall when we bunker down in fear. Evil multiplies when we allow it.

So what really caused the Virginia Beach shooting? Maybe it’s us. Maybe we did.

Four Ways Christians Can Respond to the Changes Around Us

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I’ll be honest with you. I didn’t want to write this post. I didn’t want to go there. Why? Because of the reactions, because of all the varied, crazy responses I’ve seen flying around me in the face of so much change and conflict in the country I love. It’s enough turmoil to make one wish to squirrel away for a month or so until things blow over, but as I stood in the shower spray this morning and prayed, this is what I got. 

I’ve noticed many different types of reactions to the recent decisions made in our country, such as the recent Supreme Court ruling on Gay marriage. There’s been a lot of reactions nationwide from our leaders, our government, our citizens, and also the Christian community. It’s really had me thinking, and it’s had me on my knees. 

Here’s four ways Christians can possibly respond to the changes around us, and my thoughts on those reactions. 

1. Anger. I think this one has probably been most prevalent, and I can understand. I’m not telling you not to be mad as a Christian when the world acts in a manner that goes against your morals and beliefs, but I would add this thought to the equation. We must be cautious not to allow our feelings of anger to be used by Satan. Instead we must allow Jesus to guide our words, thoughts, and actions. 

So often Christians wish to recant the story of Jesus in the temple with the money changers, cracking his whip. It’s like, hey, if Jesus got mad then so can I! I’m good. We all are guilty of placing Jesus in a box, drawing on the piece of His character that we need at the time, but Jesus is much more dynamic than that. 

Jesus had righteous anger, Jesus grieved, and Jesus was love. Often times in our righteous anger we allow our emotions to rule our actions. We become blind in our rage, and we speak words tainted with hate. 

Controlling our anger is one of the toughest things a Christian faces, and it’s hard in a world where sin is commonplace. It’s even harder when speaking passionately about your personal beliefs is perceived as hate speech if it doesn’t conform to the worldly status quo. Although speaking out loud what you believe isn’t being judgmental, that’s exactly how it’s perceived and labeled. We should be angry at that persecution, and strongly frustrated that equality only applies to some. We should be affected to the point that we don’t bury our heads in the sand, but we must remember to harness our anger. 

We cannot allow Satan to pervert our righteous indignation into words of division, words that cut like a sword severing us from the rest of humanity. No one’s life was ever changed by a ranting Facebook update. We must remember that God changes lives; our job is to love unconditionally. Even in our anger. 

2. Despondency. I hate this response. I understand it, but I hate it. The world hasn’t changed overnight. I often imagine our country like a toad being ever so slowly boiled in a pot so that even he is unaware he’s being cooked alive.

In 1973 Roe vs Wade paved the way for legal abortion, and changes have been occurring all around us ever since I was born, I know. But when another big change occurs that challenges our belief system we are thrown into a frenzy. Often times we are catapulted into despair. 

I see the words of others. Our world is going to hell in a hand basket. The end is near. Jesus, come quickly. 

No more that I asked you to forgo anger am I saying you cannot be sad. We are allowed to grieve over the downfall of man. Even Jesus wept. But what happens many times is we allow our grief to plummet into despondency. We lose all joy over God’s hand in existence here on this earth, and we feel despair. We end up succumbing to a spirit of defeat over a world we cannot change, but this is not what God wants for us at all. 

Even in our sadness, grief, and disappointment we must always remember the truth. The Lord still reigns. King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, He holds supreme power over all things. 

3. Indifference. It doesn’t affect me, so I’m not worried about it. To each his own. It’s none of my business. Who cares?! Blah, blah, blah. 

I can totally understand this response. This is the easy, comfortable way to react, especially when opinions cause you to lose friendships or hurt other’s feelings. In the difficulties inherent with sharing what you believe to be the Biblical truth versus being branded a judgmental bigot it’s easiest to remain silent. It’s best overall for your feelings and everyone else’s to keep your mouth shut. I. Get. It. 

Tempers flare, stubborn minds stay put, and convicted hearts are the most easily wounded by poorly placed words that are motivated by anger. It’s a challenge to be a Christian who believes the statutes of the Bible to be true. It’s not easy to see each and every sin described in scripture as a real commandment to abstain from for us today. Black and white is hard; gray is easier. I. Get. It. 

I will admit I don’t know everything, and I have many questions I plan to ask God one day. I’m sure many of you feel the same. I can believe what I believe for myself and my family. So I can then decide to be indifferent to what others believe, and even convince myself it doesn’t affect my perfect little family. But there is this one little thing. Everything that is happening around us affects us. If it affects our world, it affects us. We can go down to the basement to hide out all we want as it’s certainly more comfortable that way, and it makes for better interpersonal relationships, but indifference is never the answer. 

1 Timothy 2:1

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people

Prayer is the answer. Actually caring for those outside our circle is the answer. It’s okay to not be indifferent to the lives of someone else. It’s okay to care. That’s what we’re supposed to do. 

4. Hope. In a world that is constantly changing, that is skewing far away from the moral center we hold dear, it’s easy to get angry. It’s easy to get despondent. It’s even easier to become indifferent. But what seems to evade us through all the varying reactions is the most important of all. This central theme is what drives the Christian faith, yet we somehow allow it to slip through our fingers. 

In life, especially in a chaotic, difficult life, we must always hold to our faith. We must always grab ahold ferociously of our hope that God is in control. Even when it’s not easy to see any good come from a situation we must cling to hope that God’s people will rise triumphantly. The battle has already been won, after all. 

We must be hopeful for a revelation of God’s love in hearts across this country. We must be hopeful for His Holy Spirit to transform lives. We must pray in a hopeful spirit for revival, for the people of God to wake up, rise up, and band together in times of turmoil. 

There are many ways we can react to change around us, but there is only one way we must react, and that is with hope for the future. 

Romans 12:12

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Always. 

When Passion Gets Ugly

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I have watched in quiet contemplation at the aftershocks of tragedy in South Carolina, and although some of it has been inspiring, other things have been disappointing even to the point of absurdity. One such argument that has spurred in the aftermath of a massacre was the recent issue with the confederate flag favored by a murderer. You all know the story. And while I don’t agree that a flag is responsible or even motivational in the murder of nine innocent lives, I have been honestly flabbergasted by the uproar it’s caused as of late. 

I’m not really talking about a flag, per se, or even what this symbol means or doesn’t mean. What’s really surprised me the most has been the appalling reaction of this debate. It’s not only disappointing, it’s despicable. 

So I’ve watched my social media newsfeed explode with collective reaction, and I’ve noticed far too many people who claim to be Christians speaking in a rather un-Christ-like manner. I’ve seen some of the most rambling, raging, unnecessary arguments come from a discussion to retire a flag, and I’m saddened to say that after the monster Dylann Roof was arrested other monsters have taken his place in the form of hateful, vehement social display. 

Apparently kind, Christian folks are saying some pretty awful things, and in their passion and indignation it’s turned really ugly. The list of people with which I’d choose to be stuck on a desert island is quickly dwindling as true characters are coming to light when angers flare, and the church-going Southerners are appearing to be the ones who would stab me for the last piece of bread. 

My observations sound pretty harsh, I’m aware, but rather than judging the heated opinions of others, I’m simply asking as a sister in Christ if you bother to run your strong words and views through a filter of love before you throw them haphazardly for all to see? It’s no wonder the rest of the country laughs at us. Christians who aren’t acting very loving? Hogwash. 

There’s not a thing wrong with standing up for truth and goodness, just as there’s nothing wrong with treasuring your heritage or respecting history. But when do we need to ask ourselves exactly what it is we’re fighting for, and if the wounded will be worth the battle?

Here’s what I mean. I’ve noticed many good, Christian friends remaining silent on the matter much as I have been doing, but I did have one gentleman have the courage to speak something that rang very truthful to my spirit. 

He said, “If we can’t be strong enough to retire a piece of history that others find offensive, then we’re a weaker people than we think. Strength is shown through compassion for our neighbor. It is highlighted when we do not insist on having our own way. If we truly love our neighbor as ourselves, then we don’t lay down a stumbling block for them to trip on.”

I’ll add to his statement and make my own. Jesus was mocked, beaten, laughed at, and called a liar even though He was truly the Son of God. In His suffering and unjust treatment He still chose to die for mankind. Yet we can’t even lay down a piece of cloth in the name of peace and healing for a Nation. What does that say?

I love my state of Mississippi, and I love our strong values and heritage. I sometimes think this world has gone and gotten over-offended happy on everything. But I also am a sensitive enough soul to try and understand the opinions of others, evaluate if my actions are offensive, and let go of what’s not that huge of a thing in the big picture scheme of it all. 

Sometimes conceding doesn’t mean you’re saying that you are wrong. It doesn’t even mean you’re saying someone else is right. It means you stand up as the bigger person for the greater good of all. It means you stand strong for something after all; it just happens to be that you’re standing strong for unity and healing of a country. Sometimes to stand strong means to lay it all down. Just ask a soldier. 

I’ll tell you what it shouldn’t entail. It shouldn’t mean digging your heels in stubbornly simply to make a point. It doesn’t mean hurling insult at those who disagree with you. It doesn’t mean causing continued and further division when your actions are perceived in a negative light. And it certainly doesn’t mean becoming so fixated on minuscule arguments in the grand scheme of life that you become blinded to the real problems this country faces. Don’t you know the devil is in the business of deception and distraction?

Sometimes I’m honestly amazed that we as a people have come so far when we are so easily led away from the important things God wants to show us. Imagine what we could accomplish if we set aside petty differences and instead focused our eyes on the big picture. 

It comes down to a little thing called love. It’s even better than the Hokey Pokey because love is what it’s truly all about. Without it we are nothing. 

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

1 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

This is something I need to work on, it’s something our country needs to work on, it’s something we all could do better at. What we can’t do is this. We can’t allow the words of passion that we speak to become tainted by things that contradict love, and to become ugly. And when a situation personally offends and angers us the best response is to pray and ask God, “how shall I proceed to honor you and speak your truth into this problem?” 

Yes, let’s try that. 

I’m Really Worried About My Daughter

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This morning I decided to watch the full Today show interview with Rachel Dolezal. I was curious to hear her side of the story after recent allegations against her. If you’re unfamiliar I’ll briefly summarize by saying this former NAACP chapter president was apparently born of two Caucasian parents, but has spent a large part of her adult life under the title of a black woman. Naturally this has angered many people as they feel she lied to the public at large, and some are even calling this biracial-looking woman a racist. 

As I watched the interview it became obvious to me (even if I had not see the very white girl in her teen year photos) that through her evasion of direct questioning and ambiguous answers that this woman wasn’t born African American. She had simply transformed herself to appear that way. 

  
I grew very confused over her continuous use of the word “identified.” Repeatedly she used this word to describe how she had become an apparent black woman. In essence she was not a black woman, but she did identify as one. From what I could gather, and believe me, it was very convoluted, it seemed that the word identify equaled what you wanted to be. Well, if that were the case then I certainly identified as a millionaire. 

I was pretty shaken after watching the video clip. Here was a white woman who identified as a black woman, and she had lived as one for many years. She would in fact still be living as one if her Caucasian parents hadn’t let the cat out of the bag. I looked over at my four year old daughter, and I became very worried for her. I was worried for this world she was living in today. 

You see, for some time now my daughter has exihibited very distinct traits that identify her as other than a little girl. For over a year now I’ve noticed it, and her father has too. It’s not just the barking. She runs around on all fours, and sometimes she even eats her dinner out of a saucer on the floor. Ms. Dolezal said in her interview that at the age of five she began to draw herself as a black girl, and my daughter draws herself as a canine quite often. I see my child, and I am certain she is identifying as a puppy. 

I’m worried because the world is changing. I’ve seen the stories emerging of five year old boys wanting to play with dolls and wear dresses. At such an advanced age their parents are comfortable that they are mature enough to make gender deciding roles, and since they are identifying as a gender other than the one they were born with, then their parents are allowing them to decide. Jimmy is identifying as Julia, so now we all must call him/her Julia. I must now be okay with Jimmy, I mean Julia, using the same restroom as my own daughters who were lucky enough to be born with a vagina already. 

I probably wouldn’t have worried about this fifteen or twenty years ago. I mean, we did live in a world then where if you identified as a big-breasted woman instead of an A cup you could take care of that, but otherwise it was pretty taboo to identify outside of your genetic make-up. But now I am raising children in a world of self-gratification where what you want is what you get. The word empowerment is becoming the Holy Grail of today’s language, and everyone wants to feel the right to be who they want to be without discrimination. Women stepping out of roles traditionally held for females are becoming empowered to be their own dominant self. In fact we’re all so busy reading our self-help books and becoming empowered that we’re taking the real power right out of our creator’s hands. We make the decisions, we make it happen. We’re empowered!

In a world where boys can identify as girls and vice-versa, and Caucasians can identify as African Americans simply because they feel that way, they desire to be that way, and not because they were born that way, then why should it sound so ridiculous or far-fetched that I fear my daughter wanting to be a dog. Who’s to say that a well-meaning teacher won’t suggest to me that we take her to counseling to explore her feelings related to species confusion. Perhaps an educated psychologist will suggest that she needs some freedom to decide what kind of creation she wants to be in this life. Maybe she needs to be empowered to make her own decision about whether she identifies better with Homo sapiens or Canines. 

I certainly don’t think I’m raising her in a world where we hypothesize that a person’s dissatisfaction with themselves may be based on an injured psyche from childhood, or perhaps even the obvious conclusion that we are all empty human beings searching for a Savior to make us feel complete. 

I once knew a man who was a very unhappy individual. At the peak of his discontentment he began searching frantically for how to make himself happy. He quit his job. He moved. He changed his friends. He began to diet, work-out, and cut unhealthy habits from his life. He frequently bought new, stylish clothing. Eventually he even divorced his wife in his search for self-empowerment and the quest to be happy. I often wonder if my ex-husband ever found his joy, but I know if he didn’t finally fill himself with Jesus then he’s likely still searching. 

I could be off my rocker, and according to a world where it’s becoming more and more common to identify beyond what God created you to be, then I guess I am. But in my humble opinion I think we will never be happy with who we are until we’re happy with who God made us to be. I don’t ever think we’ll truly feel empowered until we understand the power really rests in God’s hands. We can read every self-help book available, but until we allow Jesus to help us we will fail over and over again. 

In reality my daughter is no more a dog than I’m an African American, male millionaire, but we do find our true power in our absolute inheritance. We find our joy, peace, and feeling of belonging as princesses under the rule of the One True King. For many people who read this that last comment may sound as silly to them as my worrying that my daughter is identifying as a puppy, but I can tell you this. In my experience no peace compares to that of accepting your status as a child of God, and no feeling of belonging and identification compares to it. And I guess with that in mind you can understand that I’m not really worried at all. 

Why It’s Okay to Judge the Duggars, but Not Bruce Jenner

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I have remained pretty silent on the subject of Josh Duggar other than a couple of Facebook statuses that I quickly deleted after it became apparent it would an online argument (something I actually loathe). It’s not that I don’t have opinions. I do. I’ve just been hesitant to share them. The subject matter of molestation is a sensitive topic, naturally, and rather than digging myself into a social media hole, I chose to remain silent. 

I did blog about Bruce Jenner, though, and in this link to the article you’ll see how I defended unjust, cruel ridicule of him for his decisions. I didn’t like seeing people bearing the title of Christian speaking so vehemently about him. But it was easy to blog about that. Despite living in the Bible Belt, most of my friends and blog followers can agree that judging a person’s sin just isn’t right. So it was pretty easy to put that post out there. 

Where it wasn’t easy was to compose one about the Duggars. After all, if I spoke anything other than disgust and anger towards them then I was obviously a supporter of molestation, or simply a Bible-thumping hypocrite. So honestly my fear of man drove me to my silence on the subject. That same fear may prevent those who agree with me from saying so, and that’s okay. I get it. 

I remember when news broke about two weeks ago I became so upset. I was so frustrated with many of the comments and opinions I saw, to the point of getting off social media for a time. Then this morning I watched the recent interview with Jim Bob and Michelle on Fox, and once again my feelings returned. 

Why am I taking this so personally, Lord? They’re strangers to me. 

And it was at that moment I realized that it was a much deeper point that upset me so. It wasn’t about Josh Duggar, and the things he had done when he was a minor. It didn’t matter to me that he had placed his hand over the clothed breast of his sister rather than the penetrating act of rape like some were saying it was. It didn’t matter that he had come forward to confess to his parents, then later confessed to the Lord, and then, still later confessed to the world. It didn’t matter that he owned his sin as his own and that he was humbly asking for forgiveness not only from his family, his victims, God his Father, or even the media. Heck, it didn’t even matter that sealed records were illegally released (something people chose to ignore). I mean, all that mattered some, but it wasn’t what made me feel pain for them. 

I was taking it personally because they were children of God just like me. They were a Christian family who loved Jesus, and when they fell it seems that a pack of wolves were eagerly awaiting to devour them whole. Indeed, the thing that had upset me from the beginning was the droves of people almost foaming at the mouth to see them fail. There were two huge falsehoods being branded to the whole affair, and that was what bothered me the most. 

For one, there was an incorrect assumption out there that they were perfect. Because they held strong values, different from most of the world, because they homeschooled, dressed modestly, and bore the name of Christian it was assumed that they were without fault. Naturally, when it came to light that they were imperfect a persistent comment was jeered in their direction. 

“I knew they were too perfect! I knew something had to be wrong with them!”

And it was at this point that a large majority jumped up in down in celebration. I’m not sure why, but for some reason when someone who appears to have it all together falls flat on their face we get really excited. It’s like it somehow makes us feel better about our own life. Well, it’s okay that I have issues, cause I mean, hey, look at that guy!

Why else do people gossip in a spirit of joy when the “perfect couple” gets a divorce, or the preacher’s son turns out to be a drug addict? Misery loves company. And nothing has shown a light on that sad fact for me more than the jubilant “I told you so’s” exclaimed by the masses when the Josh Duggar story broke. 

It was a horrible thing to happen to any family, but it gained the attention and judgement it did from the public because they were a Christian family. It wasn’t because they were a reality TV family; it was because they were a Christian, reality TV family. Christians are supposed to be perfect, and therefore if we are discovered to be in sin everyone must send in the lynch mob immediately. But for siblings who touch their sister inappropriately and without consent and are not a proclaimed Christian, like Lena Dunham, well, it’s not really a big deal. I mean, she was just a kid, right?

Which brings me to point number two. We realize that people assume Christians must be perfect, so what’s something else about them? Number two: Christians can’t judge others. Sigh. 

I have a lot of opinions on this. First off, I hate the sin of judgement. I mean, I really, really dislike it when Christians judge people for their lifestyle. It gives Christianity a bad name, and it goes against what Jesus desires for us. But… this does not mean as Christians you are not responsible to speak out about what the Bible states is a sin. That’s actually hating sin, and heck, Jesus hates sin. And although a lot of the Christian population gets mixed up on what is righteous judgement versus what’s falsely basing a person’s worth on their sin rather than who they are in the Lord’s eyes, that’s just too big of a topic for today. 

I won’t even try to lay it out for you when it’s okay to judge versus when it’s wrong. Since everyone seems so intent out there on quoting the scripture of “judge not” we’ll just go with that for now. Okay? 

So let’s say we’re not supposed to judge. That’s the second falsehood about Christianity, but let’s just go with it cause it’s one of those favorite things people pull from the Bible. Even people who hate Christianity and think it’s a joke like to reference that scripture. “Hey, it’s your book, and it says you can’t judge. So you can’t!”

Well, shoot. How in the world do you get around this whole “I can’t judge people thing?!” No problem folks. It seems the solution is right before our very eyes. You can judge people; they just have to be Christians. 

As a Christian you cannot judge someone for a lifestyle that goes against your core values. If you do then you are a fear-mongering, hateful, homophobic, hypocrite. This is pretty simple, guys, so try not to get lost. As a Christian, even simple disagreement with another’s lifestyle is wrong, wrong, wrong. Don’t do it. It will kill your witness. 

Conversely, if you are a Christian I want you to be prepared. You will be made fun of, called names, watched like a hawk for any stumbling not in line with your value system, and you will be judged. In fact, it’s accepted. As a Christian you should know better according to public opinion, and any sin you commit will be placed under a magnifying glass and more stringent set of judgement than that of the secular world. That’s just how it is. 

Here, I’ll try to spell it out for you. Judging Bruce Jenner for saying God made a mistake when he formed him as a man is bad. Don’t do it. You’ll be a judgmental hypocrite. But, you are allowed to judge the entire Duggar family based on the past sin of a fourteen year old member of the family. In fact, while you’re at it you should judge all homeschooling families with strong moral values under this same umbrella. We’re all alike, you know? 

Look, I’m not saying I’m pro-molestation. I’m not saying I believe what Josh Duggar did to his sisters was right. Heck, he knew it was wrong which is why he went to his parents in tears. It was wrong! That’s not my point, and if you think putting Josh on trial is my purpose then you haven’t been paying attention. 

For me, I decided not to judge either one. I have some opinions about the sins they committed, but as far as name-calling, I stayed out of that ugly affair. 

Look, Josh is a sinner. The Duggars are sinners. Bruce Jenner is a sinner. I’m a sinner. And so are you. I serve a God who forgives my sin when I earnestly repent, and if we’re going to split hairs about it then maybe the unrepented sins are the ones we should be getting so fired up about.

But that’s not how this world works. I guess that’s what I got so upset about. Accepted sin is, well, accepted. Sin forgiven by God is placed on trial by man. You may judge someone if it’s the popular thing to do, but if it’s not, watch out! You’ll be no better than the molesters. 

If we’re going to say “judge not” then let’s mean it for all, not just those we don’t want to be judged. Let’s all try to see things a little clearer through the eyes of Jesus. No matter who you’re talking about, to Him they are someone special. Someone He loves. 

Again, I’m not making a post about my opinions on a transgender lifestyle any more than I’m making one in support of incest and molestation. Sin is sin, is sin. I just think we should start treating it that way. My sins aren’t any bigger just because I serve a big God. They’re just forgiven.