LizChatter

The devil catches blame for a lot of stuff. I mean, A LOT of stuff. Blame is a very interesting human phenomenon that, to the best of my knowledge, started with Eve in the Garden of Eden. Since Lucifer committed the original transgression (you know, pride , the thing that got him kicked out of Heaven) there's some merit to why he is assigned so much blame.  Anyhoo, we've followed Eve's example of finger-pointing for several thousand human generations.  Shifting the blame off my own shoulders has seemed at times like an involuntary reflex to trouble; I suppose that's because shifting the blame is sometimes easier than admitting the truth... oddly enough that seems to also stem from pride (back to that original transgression). Our own pride of wanting to be seen in a good light, but yet desiring (at times) to have that which is not ours is at the core of most transgression committed by humanity. As I was contemplating all of this I couldn't help but identify a bit...

For my brothers and sisters in Eritrea, Egypt, and other countries where Christians are being persecuted and even martyred; You are in our hearts and our prayers! Do not be afraid and remain faithful. 

  We are conditioned to believe that if we accept everything & everyone that comes before us we will be loved. There is a time in every life that we come to the crossroad of Fantasy and Truth. The majority choose to walk on the road of Fantasy rather than the road of Truth. The road of Fantasy is full of all the things that please oneself. Each Fantasy Rd. looks different and appeals to the carnality of the individual standing at its entrance. As far as the eye can see there are beautiful things, fun people, big money, fame, notoriety, and the easy life that the flesh desires. The part that never seems to occur to the one standing at the entrance of Fantasy Rd. is that the road continues beyond the distance that the eye can see. Beyond this point is where things begin to change, drastically change. Beyond that distant point is the part of Fantasy Rd. that holds a tarnished life, emptiness, being more alone than one can imagine, moral bankruptcy, ...

I wonder what it would have been like for Christ to look down from the Cross to see his followers holding the coat of the soldier who had pierced his side or passing out beverages to the one who had scourged Him. What would it have been like if He would have looked down to see that the soldier nailing his feet was a man who had followed Him for a time? I know I’m walking a fine line here and some of you have already been lost at the opening of this blog. I totally understand – after all, we are commanded to love our enemies and do well to those who despitefully use us. While this writing gets into some nitty-gritty areas, I know that the powerful love of Christ is greater than any sin ever committed - there is no one beyond His reach. My thought today is along the lines of love versus enabling. Where is the boundary between the two? What does one look like as opposed to the other? I’m sure the heart of Christ could not have been more broken as He hung on the Cross dying for the human r...

I wanted to share a tidbit from a conversation I had with a friend this evening. The Holy Spirit was present and our hearts were being changed by His power. "It's not easy for the carnal minded to follow Jesus... because he tells us to deny ourselves and not only to deny ourselves but also to take up our cross. Hmmm. Even for the best among us - its hard to do. Denying yourself, getting victory over your thing (thoughts, behaviors, attitudes, conversations) takes spiritual focus and soul determination. Sometimes it feels like we need to approach this like a soldier approaches warfare training. So what about your thing. Maybe it's obvious, like huge. People can smell it, see it or hear it very easily. Maybe your thing isn't as obvious as the person you sit next to. In truth, we each have a thing. Lets evaluate ourselves. Where are we as individuals with denying ourselves, with taking up our cross? How readily do we choose Him over self?"