A Breather

Yes, even I get tired of hearing/reading me rant and blather. Here is God's Word for a welcome respite.

PSALM 51

_{For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.}

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.

Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.

Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak
and justified when you judge.

Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

Surely you desire truth in the inner parts;
you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.

Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will turn back to you.

Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.

You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

In your good pleasure make Zion prosper;
build up the walls of Jerusalem.

Then there will be righteous sacrifices,
whole burnt offerings to delight you;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

- Psalm 51 NIV

Amen.

From My Desk

For over 20 years I have had a button with a saying on it that I have kept in my desk at various jobs.

It says:

"Evil Flourishes
When Good People
Think They're Perfect"

Important message, that one...

Abomination - An Intro

I have a real gripe with the way the modern, conservative church handles Homesexuality and Lesbianism.

No, I'm not a person who wants to compromise The Word and somehow say we should embrace homosexuality into the church. I suspect that the church may soon accept homosexuality as "just another" constituent portion within the body (using the same logic and emotional appeals that we've used to accept divorce within the church.) That would be a travesty, but I've written about that before. I've also written about how it is too easy for the church to focus on fighting homosexuality at the expense of confessing to and repenting from our own sins.

Even the secular (atheist) mainstream press is now very familiar with the fact that the Bible says that homosexuality is an "abomination". I'm not surprised to see the press mishandle (or disregard) scripture, so that doesn't bother me. I find real concern elsewhere: the church has begun to handle that quote as if it were to mean that "abomination" means "Homosexuality is Sin ++" or "Homosexuality is Super Sin" or "That Sin Which We Dare Not Speak It's Name!"

Make no mistake, an "abomination" is serious. "Abomination" is "a sin that God hates". The Bible says firmly, (and repeatedly!) that homesexuality IS an abomination. So far, so good... ...The problem is that we stop there.

I want to write a post doing a word study on "abomination". Those who want to de-emphasize or discount "abomination" would therein be severely disappointed at what such a study reveals. Those who want to use the "abomination" designation to brand homosexuals with a "Scarlet Letter" will be well advised to be veeeery, veeeery careful. "Abomination" is a label applied to quite a few things more than just homosexuality.

If we want to rush headlong tying up nooses to hang the homosexuals because of their "abominations" we'd better be sure to tie a lot of extra nooses because when we start that party we're gonna fill a whole lotta trees with church-going heterosexuals, Deacons and Pastors before we even dent our "abomination" problem.

Here's just a taste:

"These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren."

- Proverbs 6:16-19 KJV

If you didn't hear the voice of Scooby-Doo in the back of your mind saying, "Ruh-Rooooh!" then go back and read that again and do it carefully this time! It is worthy to reflect upon and tremble at the title of Jonathan Edwards' sermon from almost three centuries past for we are truly "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God". If we cannot fully appreciate the magnitude of our sins then we cannot also clearly regard the immensity of the Grace we have received.

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

- Matthew 7:3-5 NIV