New Earth

 (by Lorie Codispoti)

When I imagine what life will be like on the New Earth, I think of the joy of all things restored in a world filled with the unveiled, manifest presence of God.

However, when I read about it in Scripture there is something that interferes with my vision of absolute perfection & the unimaginable beauty of this world. And apparently I’m not alone in my angst.

Some people can’t imagine a life without their dearest loved ones or the animals they’ve grown to love. Others have a hard time thinking they won’t be married to their spouse. I’ve heard a handful even lament about the perpetual light because they love looking at the night sky & the beauty of walking along the shoreline in the evening. Then there are those who mourn the dreams they imagine they will lose should their life be prematurely cut short (marriage, children, grandchildren, travel, etc.). What about never having the need to sleep? Some people love to sleep in on their days off.

It’s hard to imagine things we can’t relate to, isn't it? We have a tendency to fear the unknown when we’re comfortable with the known.

I’m not uncomfortable with any of the things I mentioned, but my spirit squirms when I read one, repeated word in the description of the New Jerusalem on the New Earth. See if you can guess what it is...

“And I saw the holy city” (Rev.21:2)

“great city” (Rev.21:10)

“confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed & built by God…”

“for He has prepared a city for them” (Heb. 11,12,13)

“City of our God” (Psa.46,48,87)

While you extroverts may read this & be elated, the introvert in me shudders when I see the word “city.” My mind immediately pictures everyone (all believers from the beginning of time), living side by side (like sardines in a can) in a high-rise apartment complex. I seriously need space & I can't even tell you how much I dislike cities.

One introvert describes her heavenly ideal as “… a quaint cabin in forested heaven surrounded by flowers, next to a babbling book, fifty miles from the closest neighbor.” I too prefer this Edenic picture. My soul resonates with trees & rivers over stone & metal.

This uneasiness prompts me to question what is triggering my resistance, because I know it’s not God.

Whenever we feel uncomfortable about something that we read in Scripture we don’t need to feel guilty or ashamed. We need to grab a shovel. God uses our discomfort with His word as an invitation. So rather than dismissing or excusing those feelings let’s accept His invitation & start digging. When we take time to study & contextualize the passage we find that understanding follows. When you’re motivated to dig deeper you also find that, like potato chips, one shovelful is never enough.

One thing jumped out as I was reading Revelation 21:2…

“I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

This city is not a city waiting to be built. The New Earth, along with its capital city, New Jerusalem, is not some etherial dream land waiting to be realized. It is a real tangible, physical place, made up of material substances & in existence right now. It is where resurrected & embodied humans will live. When Jesus told His disciples that He was leaving to prepare a place for them, He was talking about a city that will be ready for habitation when it arrives on the New Earth. At the same time that betrothed believers are preparing ourselves for the wedding, our Groom is preparing a place for all of us to live together with Him.

The way the Hebrew language defines words is like putting together a puzzle, where each letter is a piece that helps to paint the full picture. The three letters in the word for city (eer) each represent something significant. The first one represents eyes & means to see, behold, & be aware of something. The middle letter represents God’s hand. The third letter represents a turning head. What this is saying is that the hand of God is central & always doing something, & He wants the eyes of all those in the city to turn their heads, look around, & behold what He is doing in the midst of them.

The next thing that stands out in this verse is where it says that this city is “coming down out of heaven from God.” Every city, throughout antiquity, was made by human hands, & then corrupted by human hands. Not so with the incorruptible New Jerusalem, as no man will have anything to do with its construction.

Putting all these things (& more) together has given me a diagnostic tool to evaluate things one shovelful at a time.

I have realized that my initial angst about living in a crowded-with-everything-I-detest city was the equivalent of looking through an old pair of lenses & digging in the soil of the OLD Earth without seeing the guiding hand of God at the center. When I turn my head & look at the idea of a city through the “mind of Christ,” anticipating the fact that at the appointed time we will inhabit resurrected & renewed bodies that look like His.

Having a better, more biblical, understanding (though still limited) of the New Earth & its capital city has shifted my shovel and redirected my thinking. Knowing that there is absolute, unfettered beauty & perfection in the presence of God. Knowing that the absence of all sin, death, suffering, etc. & the consequences that follow each will be completely obliterated forever. Knowing that the Light that illumines the entire city is what makes it out-of-this-world dazzling to behold. Knowing all of this frees me from fearing the unknown. It frees me to embrace the introvert in me that can see the restored, peaceful edenic gardens (multiple Edens), with all the sights & sounds of nature, encapsulated within the walls of the city. The introvert will no longer be drained by the crowds, but rather energized by the corporate worship that we hear from both the angels & every nation, tribe, & tongue. In the same way that the veil will be lifted from our eyes, in order to “see Him as He is,” the veil the darkens & skews the world we live in will be lifted to reveal what the Apostles John & Paul could not articulate because they saw & heard things that exceeded any point of reference they had.

The most amazing feature about the city of God is God Himself. The dwelling place of God will be with us, & where He is there will be such beauty, such joy, such perfection, such wonder, such elation, etc., that we will never, ever, ever have a desire to be anywhere else.

Close the door & lock the gate! Give me the key (fashioned from the metal on my shovel's head). I want to hang itaround my neck so that I can put this fact on display: There’s no place I’d rather be than inside the city of God, basking in His manifest presence & the Light of His glory for all eternity.

That is my reality to come. I hope it's yours as well. If so, I'm pretty sure we will love living together with the King.

GloryUsGate.blogspot.com

Brokenness

(by Lorie Codispoti)

Have you ever walked through a season of utter brokenness? Not the kind of broken that comes as a result of bad choices. (That kind of brokenness will hopefully lead to repentance & restoration.) The kind I’m talking about is a cumulative form of brokenness that comes from circumstances that are beyond our ability to stop or control. It’s something we experience physically, emotionally, & spiritually - all at the same time.

The longer it lasts, the easier it is to see a pattern emerge. On the good days it looks & feels like you are moving forward & making progress. Then the next day comes & you are back to watching your heart shatter into pieces. The cycle repeats & you wonder if there is any way to escape the misery.

On those days I find myself crying out to God in a different way.

When I have exhausted all my words - words that go round & round like a record on a turntable - I ask God to turn down the noise in my head & help me to focus on using His words when I pray.

“I’m bruised and broken, overwhelmed by it all; breathe life into me again by your living word.” (Ps.119:107)

Not only do I find that His words express what is in my heart so perfectly, but as I petition my Father I’m countering the lies that bombard me. His Spirit reminds my heart of His truth & promises.

“The LORD is near to the broken in heart, & saves the crushed in spirit.” (Ps.34:18)

When we dive into this text we find that this kind of brokenness is referring to our inner life (mind, will, affections). The brokenhearted person realizes how inwardly shattered they are. They have discovered that they lack the ability to control any of their circumstances, & they recognize their desperate need for deliverance. And for those “crushed in spirit” God is saying He is close enough to touch. Our God draws near enough to bind up the wounds of those who are broken. (Ps.147:3, Isa.61:1)

God uses our brokenness to draw us to Himself & comfort us in our affliction.

But, there’s more!

We tend to be so one-dimensional that we stop short of understanding & embracing the broader nature of what it means to break. The Hebrew word is the same word used for giving birth. Rabbi Daniel Lapin expounds on this thought by saying that “The Lord’s language is teaching us that when something breaks and is destroyed, it also can give birth to something entirely new which can provide ongoing sustenance.”

In his book, Intimacy With God, Chaim Bentora points out a a truth that will infuse hope into your suffering. He says that one rendering for “broken” is “breakthrough,” & notes that “A broken heart is often an opportunity for a breakthrough in one’s heart.”

Have you ever thought of your brokenness as something that can result in a breakthrough - a new beginning?

When my heart has been shattered & I’m left with a gaping wound that pulsates with cyclical pain I have a choice to make. I can draw back, close my heart, & let the bitterness of loss consume me, OR I can open my heart & expose the wound, all while crying out to my Father for help. When I choose the later He intervenes & reminds me of how close He literally is. He then responds with a tender touch that draws me close & “breathes life into me again…”

Brokenness is a natural occurrence in a broken world. But, my broken heart does not have to lead me to a shattered end. When we cry out, God supernaturally breaks-through the dark clouds of the natural. His closeness gives birth to healing & greater intimacy with Him.

GloryUsGate.blogspot.com

Loanwords

(by Lorie Codispoti)

English is my first & only language. I know how complicated it can be for others to learn English so I’m very grateful.

I understand that language is inherently dynamic, with words that are always evolving. We see that when we compare dictionary versions. But did you know that up to 80% of our English words are made up of words borrowed from other languages? They are called loanwords & some of them feel like they snuck across the border & invaded our lexicon without even consulting Noah Webster.

The ones that I’ve had the most difficulty with are those we’ve borrowed from the French language. (We’ve adopted approximately 80,000 loanwords from them.) Without the benefit of translation or context I am at a loss to decipher.

“I do not think it means what you think it means.” (Inigo Montoya)

Perhaps your iocaine powder is different than mine & comes from another continent, but my guess is that everyone has had a loanword deficiency they’ve had to contend with at some point.

What's fascinating is some of the loanwords we get wrong on a regular basis.

Starting with the French word, “duvet.” It means “cover.” Most of the time we hear “duvet cover” used, as if duvet were an adjective to describe the kind of cover we are talking about. In reality we are saying, “I found a nice ‘cover cover’ for my bed.”

That’s not the only one that we misuse either.

We say, “I enjoyed a nice cup of ‘chi tea’.” Well, “chi” means tea in Chinese, so we just talked about having a cup of “tea tea.”

Have you ever eaten or made Naan bread? Since “naan” means bread, you just repeated yourself again.

These redundancies can be embarrassing (Don’t ask me how I know that.) when we realize what we’ve actually said. We sometimes add the word we are familiar with to clarify and/or emphasize what we mean. We might tell our friend, “I am going to the cafe’ for coffee.” You guessed it... cafe’ means coffee.

In our attempt to sound all sophisticated we end up demonstrating a linguistic side effect by repeating ourselves in two different languages.

One has to laugh when one discovers they are more like a talking parrot than a walking dictionary when they say things like “Sahara Desert,” “Lake Tahoe,” and “ahi tuna.”

Perhaps I’m more bi-lingual than I thought I was.

If you want to talk about more loanwords you can find me under my duvet sipping on a cup of chi.

Bring a dictionary!

Glad Gladys

I've been pondering gratitude & the goodness of God in the midst of hard places.

Eighteen years later & God is still using her example to encourage me. May it do the same for you.

=============================================

Glad Gladys

© 2007 by Lorie Codispoti

By nature I’m an escape artist. Whenever the negative emotions of a difficult circumstance start to peak I quickly scan the room for the nearest escape route.

I remember a particular rainy day during the Christmas season of 2000 that was exceptionally hard. The downward spiral of this gloomy day caused my emotional state to plummet rather quickly. So, I did what any self-respecting wife and mother under this kind of pressure would do; I grabbed the car keys, looked at my husband, John, and said, “Get me out of here!” He was more than happy to oblige since his day had been as equally taxing as mine.

We got in the car and headed out to our favorite little fast food restaurant. On the way out the door I grabbed the only cash reserve we had, the change jar (the jelly size that is - not the pickle size). It was our emergency money and this definitely constituted as an “emergency.” Finances were tighter than tight since starting the business, and on this particular day an important piece of expensive equipment had broken. John was debating whether or not to use the Christmas money his parents sent us to replace it. On the drive into town we discussed the situation and decided use the money.

As we stood in line at our favorite eatery I noticed a tiny elderly woman accompanied by a tall, middle-aged man standing in front of us. They both had a rather shabby appearance, with oversized, well-worn clothing and unkempt hair. The volume of the woman’s voice drew the attention and smirks of everyone in line. Her friend spoke very little, but smiled attentively throughout their conversation. I felt sorry for the pitiful pair and tried not to stare, but her bubbly voice and cheerful spirit drew my attention.

After the man ordered and paid for his meal the little woman approached the counter and said to the cashier, “I want the biggest fish sandwich you make!” Well, apparently her budget didn’t match her hunger when the order was totaled, so she began to rummage through her dirty, little, worn out purse. After several minutes of searching to no avail the woman smiled, looked over at her friend and said, “Well, since my check hasn’t arrived yet, maybe I’ll just order the smaller sandwich today.”

She went to hand the cashier her money when a quarter fell from her hand and landed next to her foot. John bent down to retrieve it for her and my eyes followed and fixed on something I will never forget. The little white tennis shoes on this petite lady’s feet were wrapped together with silver duct tape.

My heart sank! I suddenly felt very rich with my little jelly jar collection of change.

We sat in the booth next to them, and due to her flamboyant voice we couldn’t help but overhear most of their conversation. We chuckled several times as she spoke to every passer-by as if they were all her friends. Her gratitude began to convict me of the discontented one I brought in with me that evening.

With a lump in my throat and tears welling up I listened attentively.

By all appearance this little lady looked like she’d acquired her clothing from a charity bin that would have rejected her silver taped shoes for resale. She barely had enough teeth in her head to eat that sandwich, yet she consumed it with delight. Curiously drawn to her captivating demeanor, I surmised that her persona was clearly above the poverty line that her outward appearance communicated. Not once did she complain about her circumstances or display an ungrateful heart. Conversely, she couldn’t say enough about the many blessings she had in her life.

With a big smile on her face and joy in her voice she told her friend she was excited about her landlord coming by to fix the holes in her wall and repair the plumbing problems she’d been having. She told him that she was also hoping to have enough money saved soon to buy a telephone so that she could call her children.

Her countenance reflected that of a contented heart, much like the one the Apostle Paul wrote about in Philippians 4:11-12, "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."

As we sat there John and I concluded that we could do without the equipment; we wanted to spend our Christmas money on something more important.

After dinner we followed the pair out into the parking lot and asked if we could speak to them. Glad Gladys, as we affectionately refer to her in our family, was all smiles as we told her that her cheerful countenance and thankful heart had touched us. “When the quarter landed next to your shoes we couldn’t help but notice that they look like they’ve served you well. We’d be honored if you would allow us to buy you a new pair of shoes to replace them.”

Gladys received the money with as much of a thankful heart as she displayed to the cashier when she received that smaller sandwich, and she headed straight to the shoe store across the street.

What I learned that day changed me. You see, the reality is that Gladys’ heart wasn’t the one in need of repair that night; it was mine! The more I listened the more I realized that I had overlooked the value of a treasure simply because the wrapping paper wasn’t fresh, new and pretty. On the inside it was me that was disheveled and worn out. I was the one walking through my day with an attitude of ingratitude.

We never saw Glad Gladys again, but the lesson I learned that night continues to replay in my heart each time I’m tempted to run away from a difficult circumstance.

Gladys chose to rejoice in her infirmities. She purposed to be content in whatever state she was in. She didn’t look for an escape route; rather, she taped her shoes together and took the next step forward.

Someone, pass the tape! I want to run my race with that kind of perseverance.

GloryUsGate.blogspot.comp

Allhallows Even Is Redeemable

(by Lorie Codispoti)

I hate, hate, hate halloween!

I take what 1John 1:5-6 says seriously: "God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth." There needs to be a stark difference between light & darkness in the life of a Christ follower.

We decided decades ago that we would not have anything to do with our culture's celebration of halloween. We were the house that turned off all the lights to keep anyone from knocking at our door. Our children did not dress up & beg for candy, & we would not engage with any church (or other) related alternatives. Part of our conviction came from the idea that there was nothing redeemable about halloween.

Christians are commanded to expose the deeds of darkness (Eph.5:11) in an effort to redirect people to the Light of Christ.

The glorification of this holiday has progressed exponentially over the years. I used to be able to shield my children & avoid the halloween aisles in stores, but you can’t do that anymore. The fascination with death & the exaltation of all things grotesque is everywhere this time of year. Our hatred for all things evil should remain steadfast, as it is an affront to our Holy God & everything He calls good.

A few years ago, for a variety of reasons, I began wondering if there actually might be a redeemable quality, beyond Reformation Day, All Saints Day, etc. (which we acknowledge). So I started digging into the topic & researching it from every angle.

The following are a few key questions that served as a springboard to my investigation.

~~ What kind of sources am I gleaning from?

The Bible talks about there being safety in a multitude of counselors (Prov.11:14). Safety from what? Safety from reading into something more than what is actually there, as well as not taking something serious enough.

One thing that investigative research has taught me is to vet my sources & consider each perspective in order to evaluate accurately. We need that multitude of counselors to protect us from error. For example, October 31st is most definitely a “high holy day” for the spiritual hosts of wickedness & their human affiliates. I have heard countless testimonies of people who were delivered from the evils of witchcraft, satanism, the occult, New Age, etc., & they all attest to the significance of this day for the realm of darkness.

When you hear about the experiences of those who have come out of this world it’s easy to see the dramatic difference between the darkness they came out of & the light they now walk in. But, there is almost always a hyper-sensitive component to their dire warning. While their cautions have merit & should be considered, I have noticed that they have a tendency to feel so strongly about their message that they can inadvertently exaggerate, or even falsify, the evidence to support their position. We need to be aware of this & proceed with caution.

If you want to gain a deeper understanding of something you have to collect, analyze, & discern the evidence from a variety of sources that represent multiple sides of an issue. Always, always consider the source & understand their perspective as you gather information & formulate your opinions.

~~What is the foundation of my conviction?

As we gain spiritual maturity it is always wise to revisit & reevaluate our convictions. We need to ask ourselves if we have built it on a foundation of faith or fear, & then take a careful look at the fruit it has produced. A conviction that is not from God will often manifest as condemnation that can cause even more confusion & draw us away from God. Whereas a conviction from God will draw us closer to Him with a heart of repentance that frees us from deceptions and false beliefs.

We all need to “be fully convinced in his own mind…” (Rms.14:5-6) when it comes to our personal convictions & how we apply the principles of Scripture to our lives. We must be willing to correct wrong thinking when presented with truth. It is critical for our convictions to be rooted in truth rather than a belief based on inaccurate information or the misapplication of Scripture. It’s a lazy person’s hermeneutic to proof-text Scripture to fit a specific confirmation bias.

“The Word of God informs our conscience and is a light to our path (Psa.119:105). Personal convictions should never be based solely on what we “feel” about a matter. …the Bible does not deal directly with every situation. Forming personal convictions on issues not specified in Scripture requires us to search out the guiding principles in the Word.” (GotQuestions)

~~Is an ungodly origin justification enough to ban the day?

One of the things I’ve discovered is that many of the origin stories that I based my original opinion on have been proven to be false.

The history & origin of something is an important thing to consider, but if those were deciding factors we’d need to 1) ban the celebration of birthdays with cakes & candles, 2) call our months & the days of the week by different names, & 3) reconsider bridesmaids due to the fact that they were instituted to trick evil spirits into going after them instead of the bride. And, what about baptism? Should we cease from baptizing believers because the Babylonians practiced this as a pagan ritual long before Christianity?

The origins of halloween are very obscure. The evidence shows a convergence of traditions that have evolved with time & cultures. For example, the origin of giving children treats in the U.S. can be traced to states almost banning the event altogether due to mischievous boys picking October 31st as a day to pull pranks, some of which were starting to become dangerous. In an effort to quell the mayhem there was an exchange of candy for their cooperation to cease their troublesome behavior.

As christians, we need to steer clear of bolstering presuppositions based on some kind of fake-lore or pseudo history. We are called to a higher standard & the origin argument is simply too weak for it to be the deciding factor.

~~ Have I fallen into the trap of legalism?

Sometimes, in our well-intentioned efforts to “contend for the faith,” (Jude 3) we can be snagged by legalism. The enemy knows that we are all susceptible to a surprise attack & we need to be cognizant of his sneaky ways. While a discussion is merited, a disagreement about halloween should never be elevated to gospel proportions when it’s more of a matter of conscience. This is not a contest to be won, & when a disagreement shifts from being a civil debate to a quarrelsome attack (Rms.14:1) we need to either agree to disagree or shut it down & be willing to walk away. It’s pharisaical to imply that man-made ideas are commands from God & that one person’s conviction supersedes all others.

~~ What is my view moving forward?

I still hate halloween. That hasn't changed. However, I’ve come to a few conclusions that I hope will be helpful to you as you prayerfully navigate this tricky subject.

~ Every day belongs to the God who created them. (Psa.118:24)

Satan does not get to own a single day, so let’s not give him one. This is a spiritual battle designed to win back the territory that has been stolen. We may not be able to prevent the attention that Satan & his minions receive, but we can flip the agenda to one that focuses on God & celebrates life rather than death, witchcraft, violence, & horror. Halloween presents itself as the victor, but in Colossians 2:15 we’re informed that Christ, through His death & resurrection, disarmed the principalities & powers of darkness, making a public spectacle of them & triumphing over them. Christ is the Victor!

~ Throughout history, christians have always lived among cultures where sinful acts were practiced & false gods worshipped.

They had to decide what kind of approach they would take with the evil they encountered. To darken our homes & hide is no different than what the Israelites did when they retreated to the mountains when God commanded them to engage the ungodly in order to make Him known. In Matthew 10:16 Jesus said that He was sending His disciples out as sheep among wolves. They were to remain innocent & use wisdom as they purposely engaged the ungodly.

~ There’s a difference between celebrating & participating.

To celebrate an event is to embrace & engage in what has already been established. It promotes the good or bad in it. However, it is possible to participate in the same event, but as an active agent whose purpose is to promote an alternative to the the dark arts.

I conclude by saying that I no longer believe that halloween cannot be redeemed. Believers are commanded to act wisely & redeem the time (Col.4:5). We are also told to live wisely, “making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil” (Eph.5:15-16). How we go about fleshing that out may look different from one culture & time to another, but the objective remains.

We’ve been commissioned to dispatch good news...

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” (1Jn.1:5)

May we overpower the darkness that is so pervasive on October 31st. For me, that means turning on all the lights & asking God to give me opportunities to share the Light of Christ with those who live in darkness.

GloryUsGate.blogspot.com

Nationalism

(by Lorie Codispoti)

Over the years my husband has had many requests to sing This Little Child by Scott Wesley Brown. It’s an oldie, but the words still ring true. One line stands out to me as I ponder the angst I see among our nation’s citizenry … “every nation that has fallen has fallen from within.”

We continue to hear the label “christian nationalist” thrown around by a contingent known as the “left.” It's meant to be derogatory as they accuse another group known as the “right.”

Two questions: 1) Is there a definitive explanation of what christian nationalism is, because it’s apparent that we are not all working from the same definition? And, 2) Who decided that everyone should be pigeonholed into the left or right?

1. Christian nationalism is put simply by the consensus of Natasha Crain’s research (When Culture Hates You). Generally speaking to be a christian nationalist means you are advocating for public policy according to biblical values. (This does not include the problematic, fringe, extremist groups who claim to be christians & would define the term differently.)

What’s so scary about that? There’s nothing dangerous about advocating for the government to take care of its people by promoting “what is good & restrain what is evil.” (N.C.) That is not only the biblical mandate for government, but it’s what the Founding Fathers established with our Democratic Republic.

2. The symbolic labels of left wing vs. right wing originate from a political divide that started in 1789 France. Members of the French National Assembly were at odds with one another over how much authority the king should have. Their opposing political ideologies dictated their seating arrangements, with the liberal faction seating themselves on the left & the conservatives on the right.

I can’t help but remember how children would separate themselves on the playground based on whether or not you were an officer’s kid or a measly enlisted serviceman’s child. Can’t we all simply play nice together?

I recently heard former CIA agent, Andrew Bustamante summarize this whole thing in a way that made perfect sense.

“ Whether you are old or young, we're all nationalistic. We all love our country. But the thing that's driving so much of our nationalism is this fear of the other side. Not a fear of the collapse of our society, not the fear of some rising power across the ocean. But for some reason, we're more afraid of our neighbor than we are afraid of the real threats that are out there. For whatever reason, we get so distracted and so confused with our own infighting, that we don't realize that infighting is exactly what helps our adversaries. As we become more and more tribal, then we will become fed upon by our adversaries.”

In my opinion, the best example of Christian Nationalism looks a lot like it did for our founding fathers. While the left & right wings were all presently divided & dutifully accounted for, they were also able to come together to discuss their differences & yet find enough common ground to formulate the Declaration of Independence & Constitution that would serve & protect its citizens. They risked both their lives & livelihood for the good of a fledgling nation that needed to be unified if it was going to survive the onslaught of its enemies.

Jesus noted that, “every kingdom divided against itself is doomed to destruction" (Luke 11:17).

An older friend pointed out to me last week, as he reminisced about the political environment of his youth, that he can’t remember a time when the people of this nation were so divided. He lamented over the fact that he is even estranged from one sibling & barely has much of a relationship left with the other due to political divides.

Am I concerned about Christian Nationalism? Not in the way it’s defined above. What concerns me is the unwillingness to respectfully come together & dialogue enough to conclude that while we may have differing opinions, we-the-people want to see our democratic republic thrive as we advocate for “what is good” for our people.

I’m not naive enough to think that there is an easy fix to the problem of division in this nation. And, while I wish I could, I can’t say with confidence that our nation will survive this divide. But what I can say (& sing) with confidence, however, comes from another line in the song I mentioned … “Yet in the midst of this darkness, there is a hope, a light that burns. This little Child, the King of Kings, someday will return.”

And in His kingdom, all His children enjoy playing together on the playground.

GloryUsGate.blogspot.com

Watch The Body Grow

(by Lorie Codispoti)

One of the things I’ve been thinking about in recent days is this familiar idiom: “Cut the head off the snake & the body dies.”

Here’s the thing though; that idea doesn't apply to the kingdom of God. History confirms that when you cut the head off a christian leader, whose ministry is effectively producing fruit, the body of Christ is strengthened & christians multiply.

It was the early christian theologian, Tertullian, who said that it’s the blood of the martyrs that is the seed of the church.

The sacrifice of one christian who dies for his faith will serve as fertilizer for the soil that was prepared for a harvest of new believers. We see this example recorded in the book of Acts with the stoning of Steven, which resulted in the conversion of Paul. (We know this to be true with the deaths of many of the apostles as well.)

Church history is replete with the stories of many who were persecuted & murdered for their unwavering faith. Some of the ones whose stories we might be familiar with are John Wycliffe, John Huss, & William Tyndale. A few well known, modern day martyrs include Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Jim Elliott & his four colleagues. Two of the women that stand out are Dorothy Stang & Nagham Nawzat.

It is estimated that over 900,000 christians have been murdered for their faith between 2011 - 2020. These are ordinary people serving as missionaries & advocates in hostile environments. We’ll never know their names, but God does, & their reward is great.

While peace can also contribute to growth, persecution serves to sharpen our focus as believers. Christian advocacy groups report that in most cases it is a catalyst for growth. Some have reasoned that persecution fosters solidarity as it drives believers to deepen their personal & corporate reliance on God. As we reflect on our own convictions in the wake of recent persecutions, may we be strengthened & inspired to share our faith with boldness.

Do you remember what God told the snake in Genesis 3:15? “I will put enmity between you & the woman, & between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, & you shall bruise His heel.” Not only did Christ step on our enemy’s head & crush it when He died & rose again, but He is going to return & chop satan’s head completely off. And when that happens his minions will scatter & be destroyed along with him.

Psalm 74:14 says of God… You broke the heads of leviathan in pieces, & gave him as food to the people inhabiting the wilderness.

Mount up the offense & don your armor, Church!

We have been commissioned to pursue the enemy, rescue the captives, & reclaim the territory that was stolen. Running away is not an option; there is no armor for our back. One day we will remove the battle armor forever, but this is not that day.

Cut the heads off believers & watch the body grow!

GloryUsGate.blogspot.com

Tattoos

(by Lorie Codispoti)

Tattoos! What's your opinion?

When I was growing up the only time I saw a tattoo was on someone in the military. And since we lived on several military bases I saw a lot of them. They were more rare, & outside of that setting, people (mostly men) who donned a tattoo were stigmatized. The culture primarily associated them with rebellion & defiance. (Think of famous motorcycle & street gangs.)

Yesterday’s tattoos were a way for a person to express themselves. But today’s tattoos go beyond expression. They make statements & tell stories. Some are reminders of pain, tragedy, & loss, while others commemorate a special event or honor someone special.

According to a Pew research survey, 32% of Americans have a tattoo, and 23% have more than one. While only about 24% regret the decision, most Americans do not.

I’ve seen some amazing artwork created by tattoo artists. They are truly gifted artisans. And while getting a tattoo has never been something on my to-do list, I do not believe that having one is a sin.

They are, however, a fascination.

Curiosity draws me to them, as I want to know the story behind each one. Something I did not expect from this peculiarity is that I've found it to be a strategic tool in my sparsely populated evangelistic tool box.

Let me explain.

According to the statistics, 41% of those who get a tattoo are religiously unaffiliated. Hmm, interesting, don’t you think?

I know that every believer is called to share the Gospel with others. (“Go into all the world & preach the Gospel…” Mark 16:15) But, the spiritual gift of evangelism was not given to me. It does not come natural for me to share the Gospel with someone I do not have some kind of relationship with. There is something that comes natural for me though. I love to hear people’s stories & I am curious enough to ask a stranger to tell me about their tattoo. Most seem eager to talk about them, & many times this has opened the door for me to share something about the Lord.

The stories are always interesting.

One day at the checkout I asked the clerk to tell me about the tattoo on her arm. It looked like the night sky, with the moon & stars shining bright. There were some other symbols that were unfamiliar to me. She was enthusiastic as she explained that the whole scene was linked to her astrological sign.

I took advantage of the opportunity & told her that the God who created the moon & stars did so in such a way that it would proclaim His glory & majesty throughout the cosmos (Psalm 19:1). It was a very short interaction, as I didn’t want to get her in trouble or anger the people in line behind me. Nevertheless, it was a way for me to sow a seed, or “put a pebble in her shoe,” as Greg Koukl says in his book, Tactics. (An excellent read.)

It was Jesus who told His disciples, “Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!” (John 4:35)

Whatever your opinion about tattoos, don’t miss the opportunity to share with those who have run the ink well dry in an attempt to tell their story. Use it to paint for them a picture of the greatest story ever told.

GloryUsGate.blogspot.com