my sin in blogging

Blogging has been challenging in my short 2 months of experience. Let me explain.

Hypocrisy has intensified as I have aimed to declare my (false) wisdom and (inflated) knowledge. Hiding in my heart is a motivation to blog with the hope that others may view me as a wise, godly woman with much to say at such a young age.

But how shallow I really am, realizing that I have run out of gas only a handful of weeks into this blogging project. I just don't have that much wisdom in my 21 years on this earth, and now I get that.

I just want to come clean about this for my own conscience and for any readers (if there are any) whom may have been led astray by my falsity.

Another motivation for blogging has been to edify myself (and others) throughout the workday. Really, all I have been doing in this arena is regurgitating information found on other beneficial blogs. I have been a fake; I have posted on issues, Scripture verses, books, etc. that have not transformed my life. I have posted just to post, and this pattern has become deafening.

There are other blogs that can meet our needs as younger individuals seeking wisdom and godliness (see my recommended blog list). I will no longer pretend that my blog can meet this need.

In the future, I hope to blog on what is truly impacting my life. Wisdom or folly, it will aim to be authentic and raw, a challenge for me to wage war against the pride that desperately desires the praises of men. Hopefully, others may benefit from my attempt to process what God is doing in my life, my current struggles, and whatever hints of insight I may gain along the way.

biblical womanhood

I found this video informative and inspiring. It is beneficial for both men and women to watch, as it toys with the ideas of biblical womanhood within the context of a feminist culture.

weekly scripture memory

"Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:20-21)

joshua project

Following the example of bloggers such as Justin Taylor, I have added the "Unreached People Group of the Day," provided by Joshua Project, to the right side of my blog. Hopefully it will serve as a constant reminder that there are nations in this world that have never even been exposed to Jesus Christ, and we who know the truth have a responsibility to make disciples of all nations. At the least, we can begin by interceding on their behalf in prayer.

why is marriage important?

If you have 3 minutes, watch this clip of John Piper preaching on the magnifcance of marriage. Guarantee it will raise your view of marriage.

scripture memory

I love memorizing Scripture. It is so helpful during times of struggle to recall Truth from the Bible, God's Word to us. It is comforting to dwell on the things above while we carry on with life on earth. If you think about it, Scripture is God's way of communicating with us. How amazing is that!
My problem is that I forget to take the time to absorb Scripture. I am quick in reading, interpreting, and applying... but I fail to truly allow the Truth to penetrate my thoughts. I would really like to improve in this area.

As of yesterday, I began dwelling on this verse:
"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Hopefully I can grow in the richness of Christ through memorizing Scripture, and I invite you to share in this with me.

the pornification of a generation

Thanks to my sweetie (and Abe Serrano, for forwarding to Matt), I just finished reading this vitally provocative article entitled "The Pornification of a Generation" by Jessica Bennett, Newsweek Magazine.

Where do I begin? Firstly, let me preface my comments by acknowledging that I was a Sociology major in my years at UCLA, which "socialized" me to become someone relatively passionate about Sociology. Or really, someone very interested in how sociological studies can capture a culture in many unique ways that other sciences fall short at doing...I'm still not sold on the sociological perspective of the world. I love learning about the direction in which our culture is headed, as it is always changing and always sinning.

Onto the article. You have to be stuck in a hole next to Osama in order to miss that our culture is completely oversexualized. Unfortunately, it is our generation whom is reaping the consequences of the Sexual Liberators of the 1970s, and we see this in record-high divorce rates, an abundance of homosexual/bisexual relationships (increasingly encouraged by governmental measures), stably-high abortion rates, and incidences of cohabitation that almost match the number of marriages in this country. It is clear that we are a culture much far removed from the "innocence" during the years of the beginnings of track homes and culturally strict gender roles.

One of the statistics that startled me most was that "According to a 2007 study from the University of Alberta, as many as 90 percent of boys and 70 percent of girls aged 13 to 14 have accessed sexually explicit content at least once." Are you kidding me? What a sad state of American culture, in which teenage girls assume incorrect sexual identities and boys immaturely buy into instant virtual gratification.

Although I mentioned earlier that our culture is oversexualized, I never would quite consider that a "porning" effort. But it makes sense; in a culture that is almost rarely free from images and visual stimulation, how could we possibly avoid the objectification of sex and in turn, the apathy towards such provocative images? It is easy when our culture functions solely on the basis of externalities. And I hate to say it, but I think the television and the internet have catalyzed such cultural backwardness.

Reading this article just reminds me that we are a screwed up culture. The world that surrounds us is boiling with sin, and unfortunately that is taking the toll in damaging ways (I think ahead to how I will need to make extreme efforts to feed my children accurate ideas of sexuality). As a Christian community, we need to be showing this confused world that Truth exists and is worth living for. We need to understand the faults of the culture that surrounds us so that we do not fail to blend in and dishonor God in doing so. We need to hold fast to the truth and shine as lights in a world of darkness.

We need to apply the Gospel to this culture of ours that is image-driven, socially shallow, and showered by pornography.

bread of life

"Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out."
(John 6:35-37)

May we remember today that God has satisfied our hunger and our thirst, and He will never cast out those who the Father brings to Him.

knowledge and experience

I feel like lately my eyes have been opened to an interesting realization. Although my nose is stuck in about 5 books at the moment, it seems that the knowledge I gain never fully prepares me for actual experience.

For example, I recently read Practicing Hospitality, which naturally is all about hospitality. Initially, I was blown away by the Scriptural evidence that explains the richness of hospitality and challenged by the exhortations embedded in the lines of this book. I felt like I could better explain hospitality; I felt knowledgeable about the topic.

But, of course, when I am challenged to apply the concept to my own life, I am totally incompetent. Having tackled the theology of hospitality could not prepare me for the actual experience of hospitality, and I will be honest in admitting that it has been harder than I thought.

My point is this: we can read as many books as we want on certain subjects, we can attain as much knowledge as humanly possible, BUT without applying the knowledge to our lives, it is useless.

"Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God." (1 Corinthians 8:1-3)

Now, don't get me wrong. There is so much good in learning and gaining knowledge. I think it is extremely beneficial to pursue knowledge. "An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge." (Proverbs 18:15) There is such wisdom in acquiring knowledge! But, we must be wary to simply allow knowledge to inflate us to the point of uselessness.

And, there is truth in that sometimes we can never fully be prepared (no matter how much we know) for what can be gained through experience. I am discovering this with marriage, and I bet most parents would agree with this in regards to parenting.

Nonetheless, our knowledge must journey from the head to the heart to truly impact our lives and to prepare us to the fullest for what the Lord may cause us to experience.

contentment

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:3-9)

I love this chunk of 1 Peter. It is richly layered with truth that satiates the soul. Every time I sink my teeth into this verse, I am comforted. Promises of salvation are clear and abundant, discussion about trials is present and purposeful, and talk of faith is real and passionate. My soul is at rest when I take the time to digest all that is in these lines!

In addition to the peace that my heart absorbs when reading these verses, I believe that hearing Biblical truth realigns our hearts and refocuses our minds. When I read the Truth, I no longer feel discontent by circumstances or pushed and pulled by external forces. I am grounded, like in Psalm 1:

"He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers." (verse 3)

My point can be applied as this (and I feel it would be helpful to clarify here): in raving about marriage, I want to be honest that I am still predisposed to discontentment. Marriage has not fulfilled me or satisfied me beyond how Christ does. I have not "arrived" now that I am married; I am just as much exposed to desires for the next best thing as I was when I was single, engaged, etc. When before it was a husband, now it is a baby (not a kid, just a baby...how silly!) that I covet. We want what we believe will satisfy us, but we use earthly terms to measure.

When are we going to stop striving for the next best earthly comfort, our latest obsession for what we trick ourselves into thinking will satiate us? Christ is all that we need.

immaturity or selfishness?

In reading Shepherding a Child's Heart, I came across this passage, which I found extremely interesting and thought-provoking. It comes from a chapter titled "Your Child's Development: Godward Orientation":

"Since it is the Godward orientation of your child's heart that determines his response to life, you may never conclude that his problems are simply a lack of maturity. Selfishness is not outgrown. Rebellion against authority is not outgrown. These things are not outgrown because they are not reflective of immaturity but rather the idolatry of your child's heart." (p.23)

I never really thought about it like that. As parents, we cannot reduce our child's problems to immature development. Even mature individuals still have a heart that naturally wanders away from God. We must focus our corrective and restorative attention on the problem that infects us all: the heart.

(P.S. The Anne Geddes photo is a joke... how ridiculous and weird is this "art"?!)

midweek Gospel

"Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:4-6)

Sin is gross. It is ugly, dirty, and depressing. Sometimes I find myself convinced that my sin owns me, that it rules me...that I am not allowed to interact with God.

But Christ gave up His life for us sinners, for those whom God desired to know intimately. Even though we are sinners until we die, Christ has given us a new life. We are healed by His wounds! His chastisement has brought us peace! His death has brought us life! May we praise God for turning over His Son to be crushed for our iniquities.

let's talk about...

...sex.

Erin nicely informed me yesterday that Mark Driscoll over at Mars Hill Church in Seattle just began a sermon series on the Song of Songs. Of course, the Song of Songs is an extremely intimate and even erotic book, in which Solomon and his wife engage in physical intimacy (and it's in the Bible...how sweet!). I have begun watching Driscoll preach on this topic, and so far it is awesome. I really enjoy how much he values marriage and his family (and oftentimes that is expressed in hilarious practical applications).

Watching these sermons reminded me of my early months as a Christian, in which I listened to a sermon series about sex, money, and power (or something like that) from Rock Harbor Church in Orange County. I remember how much listening to honest discussion about God's view of sex transformed my mind and heart, and ultimately led me down a path towards purity. It was so good for me to learn about the goodness of sex in the context of marriage, and that it is a gift from God meant to be enjoyed. How awesome is that! Sex is a taboo subject within the Christian subculture, and that is unfortunate and damaging to the body (who lives amongst a culture with perverted and distorted views of sex). It is a tainted topic with baggage for most of us, and we need to drench ourselves in the truth about it if we are to "...eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31)

PLEASE, I beg you, if you have never really thought about or seeked out God's design for physical intimacy, begin that journey NOW. It is not something just for marrieds to discuss; we all need to have an accurate view of sex, even if it is not a part of our lives. And, if you know that your view is incorrect or confused, DO NOT wait around until you meet that special someone to discover how God's design for sex can influence your life now.

Here are some helpful resources:

• The Peasant Princess series from Mars Hill Church (which is good so far, minus the distracting neon stage lights... what the heck?!)
  
• Shoreline also preached a series on love and romance (I forget the title) in which sex was addressed. You can access those sermons here.
• Sex and the Supremacy of Christ, edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor. There is a sweet chapter in there for ladies, titled "What every Christian wife needs to know," in which Carolyn Mahaney practically instructs women on how to view (and seek out) physical intimacy with their husbands.
• I would love to communicate with you if you are concerned, confused, or afraid of sex (or just want to toss around ideas about it). Girls only, please! I just want to clarify that I am not an expert, nor do I have all the answers. But, my ideas and understanding of sex have radically changed throughout my walk with Christ, and I would love to share how He has transformed me.
  

If God wrote an entire book of the Bible about the topic (and Paul/other NT writers warn against sexual immorality A LOT), then we should at least consider what God has to say about it, and what that means for our lives now. Let's talk about it!