Who Can You Trust?

Yesterday, I got to see the movie, Mockingjay, at my favorite downtown theater.  This is the third movie of The Hunger Games trilogy, and it was only part 1.  As with any movie that does not finish the storyline, we are left hanging for what will happen in the end.

Happy Veteran's Day!

I could imagine some of our veterans experiencing something like Paul experienced.

"I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not.

"I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm." ~‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭11‬:‭26-27‬ (NLT)

I want to thank the men and women who suffered on my behalf, fighting for the freedoms I still enjoy here in this country.

Happy Veteran's Day!
~Kathy 

What Causes Evil?

This weekend I was able to pick up the movie Maleficent and watch it.  I was compelled at this re-imagining of old story of The Sleeping Beauty, and found the new twists to be believable.  Be careful, there are spoilers in this post, so don't read any further if you still want to see this movie.  

Have We Lost our Foundation?

I'm in an adult learning class at my church.  This quarter, we have been discussing Biblical Christianity vs. Postmodernism.  Our associate paster has been marvelously "deconstructing" both world views to help us learn how we may have compromised Biblical Truth in our modern churches.

To sum up the biggest difference between the two world views: We Christians accept the Bible and God's Truth as absolute.  We measure everything to that foundation.  Our moral structure and law system historically was based on these judeo-christian beliefs.  It is wrong to lie.  It is wrong to cheat.  It is wrong to murder.

Conversely, the postmodern worldview indicates that nothing is absolute.  There are no universal foundational truths.  Everything we see and know is based on our perceptions.  If we extend this thinking into our current moral structure and law, we will find the legal system slowly break down to whatever the players think about at the time.  It will become a legal system of persuasion.  I could argue that it already has.

When I think about this, I find myself more than a little scared of our future.  If our society is no longer based on universal absolutes, then anything goes.  It would be fine to lie or cheat, if the circumstances indicated the need.

This scripture caught my attention as soon as I opened my Bible today.

"As for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point.

"My conscience is clear, but that doesn’t prove I’m right. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide." ~1 Corinthians‬ ‭4‬:‭3-4‬ (NLT)

Earlier this week, I heard fellow believers remark that they know when they are right and wrong because the Holy Spirit resides within. I don't argue that the Holy Spirit can convict, but what if we only imagined we heard the Spirit, and instead heard our own desires talking?  I worry that the postmodern world view has invaded our Church.  We think it, we feel it, so it must be OK.

In the end, God is the only judge, but when we need a standard to know right from wrong, we need to check His Word. Read the Bible.

He is our foundation on which everything else is based.