Our Worldview

There is something that has been really concerning me lately. A few posts back, in 'Sanctification', I touched upon it at the end of the post. I mentioned that where we spend our time and what we choose to put into our minds will shape who we are.


What is concerning to me is where we Christians are spending the majority of our time. Are we spending it on the books that we are reading? If so, what are we reading? Are we spending it watching television? If so, what are we watching? Are we spending it on the computer--facebook, reading blogs, email? So, in doing all of these things, do we spend nearly as much time immersed in scripture? If we don't, than what is shaping our worldview? What we fill our minds with is what will shape what we believe. Period.

Some of the books being read by the average Christian (and being 'loved', I might add) is worrisome. One of those would be 'The Shack'. I'll admit that when I first read this book, I got caught up in the hype. Like many, my rationale going on inside my head was: 'it's just fiction--what's the big deal?' and 'it is 'out of the box' and makes you see God's love in a new light'. I even put it on my book list on the side of this blog. However, the more I thought upon this book, the more something didn't sit right with me. I believe now it was one of those Spirit checks--you know the feeling you get deep inside when you know something is not lining up with God's truth. The more I thought upon how God the Father is depicted in The Shack and how VERY contrary it is to God the Father in the Bible, I started to feel sick. Honestly, if you get down to it, it is absolute heresy. In The Shack, God the Father is depicted as a woman. What in the world? Seriously? Filling our heads with 'theology' contrary to biblical theology, is extremely dangerous. How can we say we believe God's Word 100% and yet read something that is in complete opposition to God's Word and not be put off by it?

Then there are the fictional books by Dan Brown--Angels and Demons and the Da Vinci Code. Again, someone might want to argue that these are just fiction. However, Dan Brown will tell you that he believes the things in these books to be 'truth' (even though they are based on half truths, out right lies and very flimsy conspiracy theories). Again, if we are filling our minds with all of this, but not immersing ourselves in The Truth, our worldview is going to be affected.

Filling our heads with knowledge that is partially true, yet partially 'off' is like standing on a slippery slope. When you stand on a slippery slope your feet slowly slide down until you are standing on different ground. And it happens so gradually you don't know how you got there. That is what is going to happen to our minds. Gradually we will come to a place where we are believing something that is in complete opposition to what the Bible says to be true. And we will wonder how we got there. The bottom line is: are we going to be 'grounded' in scripture or 'man-made' views?

And what about Twilight? Harry Potter? Even though they are fiction are they opening us up to the dark side of evil...little by little making it seem 'okay' and 'no big deal'? Can we run these things by the verse: 'whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admireable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things?' Phil. 4:7 If these things don't pass the standards of this verse, should we be filling our minds with it? 'Come on!', you might say, 'it's Harry Potter! He is harmless!' I just don't see how opening up our minds and the minds of our children to witchcraft and sorcery could be a good thing. And the recent Harry Potter movie seems to be even darker than the previous ones. Again, it's the 'slippery slope concept'--slowly, little by little, the movies are getting a little more risky, a little darker. Little by little, so that the audience doesn't even realize it.

And then there are the television programs....adultery, casual sex, violent killings on detective/police dramas, reality after reality show...all portrayed as the norm. I heard recently, that the average person will waste twelve years of their life watching television. Twelve years. Can you believe that? And we want to argue that this stuff doesn't affect us?

Jerry Rankin in the book Spiritual Warfare, points out that every single thing we do in life either glorifies Christ or glorifies Satan. There is no neutral ground. He quotes C.S. Lewis in his introduction of 'The Screwtape Letters': there is no neutral ground in the universe. Every square inch and every split second are claimed by God and counterclaimed by Satan. Rankin also points out that so often we live in the neutral zone. We don't pointedly choose the things of Satan. We don't want to follow the ways of the world. But neither do we consciously choose and submit to God and following Him. When our minds are in neutral we are vulnerable. We have to fill them with God's thoughts, God's truth, and a conscious commitment to Him.

In close, I leave you with an excerpt from Jerry Rankin's book:

Scripture makes clear that renewing the mind is something we do. "You took off our former way of life, the old man that is corrupted by deceitful desires; you are being renewed in the spirit of your minds; you put on the new man, the one created according to God's likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth" (Eph. 4:-22-24). We are constantly putting aside that old nature, the flesh, rejecting it and denying it. We refuse to acknowledge it and give place to it. But how do we put on the new self that is in the likeness of God, that is, a Christlike life? We do that by renewing our minds, making the conscious decision to reject the old, sin nature and choosing to view our life as in Christ. We don't readily do this unless every day we are feeding on His Word and building up our faith in an awareness of God's truth. Only then can we discern and recognize when something is contrary to God's truth and Christlikeness.

Biblical Manhood

Eric brought home a sermon yesterday that he told me to listen to. It is called Biblical Manhood preached by Voddie Bauchum (not sure I spelled his name right). Eric and some men from our church have been getting together weekly listening to various sermons and discussing them. This one is the one they are discussing today. It was excellent! Some points from it were:

• God made the husband the head of the household. It is not a co-leadership. The man is the head, period. The woman was created to be his helper, period. The man was created first. The woman was made for him and from him. The Lord brought the woman to the man.
• The man being the head of the home DOES NOT mean by any means that he is a tyrant or that he lords this authority over his wife. NOT AT ALL. Quite the contrary. He does it by loving her so much that he'd die for her, if necessary. Ephesians 5:25-29: 'Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church.'
• Okay these last two points are my favorite: 'Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word' ... Husbands are to be the spiritual leaders of the home by discipling and mentoring her through God's Word and bathing her in prayer! It is not the other way around! It is the husbands leading the wives in this area!
• Lastly, Voddie discussed that the husband is to come up with a spiritual vision for their marriage. He needs to have a vision: 'okay, this is what our purpose is, this is where were going, this is what we are going to be passionate about. Now, woman, you go do the day to day stuff.' Okay, he didn't say it quite like that. It was much more eloquent but you get the picture. That women need to know what their purpose is so that they can do the day in day out functions and that that purpose can spur her on through the mundaneness of life.
• By the way, I think someone needs to preach on Biblical Womanhood and our role in marriage and put us women in our place :) . God is and has been convicting me in the area of submission, especially lately. The book 'Lies Women Believe and the Truth that Sets Them Free' by Nancy Lee DeMoss has an excellent chapter on marriage and the lies we believe about marriage. It has helped me in reframing my mind with God's truth concerning my role, as I am constantly bombarded from all fronts by the world's view. This book is incredible in all ways--I highly recommend it! I think every woman should own a copy and read it every year or so!

If you are interested in hearing this sermon, I can find out from where you can download it. By the way, Voddie wrote an excellent book entitled 'The Family Driven Faith'. I highly recommend it, too! It is about having a family integrated church. It is excellent.

Two Great Books!

I am reading to books simultaneously. One is 'Don't Waste Your Life' by John Piper and the other is 'Rebound Rules' by Rick Pitino. They are written for completely different audiences and one would think that they would have extremely different messages. Strangely, I am finding so many similar lessons from these two books. Both books' purpose is to motivate the reader to live life to the very fullest, no hold's bar. Of course, one book is about doing this through the working of the Holy Spirit in your life and the other gives you practical steps to do in your own strength. However, I am seeing the wisdom of interweaving the two together. I look forward to what the Lord can teach me through both of these heroic people! (and by the way, it's extra exciting reading Pitino's book right now! Go Cards!)

Front Porch Blogging

Well, I am sitting on my very favorite porch in the world, with my very favorite drink in hand (Starbucks peppermint mocha). This covered porch is very southern-style. it has green ivey growing up the walls and onto the ceiling. For August, the humidity is next to zero. The wind is slightly blowing. There are lush green plants and palm trees all around me. Ok, so depression is starting to settle in because tomorrow is our last full day :( . I do this every time. I get so sad on the last two days of vacation because I keep thinking 'it's almost over!' that I almost can't enjoy them. So I can here you right now saying this is the smallest violin in the world saying I feel for you! Okay, okay. I am going to snap out of my whoa is me attitude and enjoy our little bit of time left!!!! :) See? Now I am smiling.

Anyway, it is afternoon. Eric and Joshua have went back to the beach (the beachcombers of the family!), Owen and Jeremiah are napping, Sophie and Wes are watching a movie and I am sitting here getting ready to read one of the ten books that are calling my name and write down some things that I have been wanting to write for quite some time before they disappear into the vast land of forgetfulness. So here's to the next two hours of just hanging out in book world and blog land!

Hope you are having a wonderful afternoon!