Truth

So here I am on the last day of January 2011, and as many things as I had thought and hoped to post here this month I come back to a familiar theme.  I've thought about what my goals, resolutions, and hopes for the year might be.  I've considered where I am at this point in my life, the changes I've walked through over the last few years in our family, the Church and more.  So many things I have wrestled with balancing, prioritizing, coming to terms with, and making decisions on.  I've looked inward and outward, desired to process life's puzzling circumstances fairly, honestly, humbly and in a way that will hopefully keep me from falling into my typical blind spots.  I've hungered for more creativity, art, sweetness and relational depths to grace my life, yet I find myself coming back to post on my 'watchword', my banner, my passion of passions; Truth, for the subject of my only significant post in this new month of a new year.  I'm sorry if I seem to beat this horse to death... it's like the biblical phrase, 'a fire shut up in my bones', I can never keep it down for long.  And I always seem to regret unleashing it, for someone whose heart burns for truth, I am a poor communicator and am more often misunderstood than heard. 


I came across some quotes by the scientist and philosopher, Blaise Pascal, and his words seemed so timely even though they were penned in the mid 1600s.  Jesse and I are studying Philosophy this year and here is a tad more about Pascal. 'Blaise Pascal, the precociously brilliant contemporary of Descartes, was a gifted mathematician and physicist, but it is his unfinished apologia for the Christian religion upon which his reputation now rests. "The Pensees" is a collection of philosophical fragments, notes and essays in which Pascal explores the contradictions of human nature in psychological, social, metaphysical and - above all - theological terms. Mankind emerges from Pascal's analysis as a wretched and desolate creature within an impersonal universe, but who can be transformed through faith in God's grace.' (from Amazon, of all places!)  Here are Pascal's thoughts which moved me to make my first and only lengthy blog post in January;

Truth is so obscured nowadays and lies (falsehood) so well established that unless we love the truth we shall never recognize it.—Blaise Pascal, Pensees, #739/864.

Weaklings are those who know the truth, but maintain it only as far as it is in their interest to do so, and apart from that forsake it.—Blaise Pascal, Pensees, #740/583.

LORD, may I have the ability to recognize truth and the courage to live according to truth throughout 2011, is my prayer.

And by the way, if I were to give birth to another son, I think I'd name him Blaise. 

May 2011 be all that God wants it to be for each of us.

(I do plan to do more artwork, time will tell if I can get my 'plan' into action!)  :)

Backyard Massacre

a backyard tragedy., originally uploaded by Az~Kate.

I have a sad tale to tell. Last night we went out for Thai, and when we came home Petey (our mixed terrier mutt) was quite excited...we figured he'd been barking at something outside the wall, as he commonly does.

However this morning, I noticed a couple adult Gambels Quail continually pacing atop our block wall. And while watering the garden, Petey was nosing around under a shrub as if on the hunt. The mama Quail just above him on the wall would not leave. uh oh.

I put Petey in the house and sealed his doggie door. Hunted around the shrubs hoping to spot a chick who couldn't get over the wall to rejoin its family. Nothing. Eventually I gave up, then was tending the pool, when I found a tiny quail chick near the leaf catcher... I cried. Figured Petey chased it into the pool where it drowned. But I knew this chick was not very old, too small to have come into the yard, had to have been born here. Oh dear. First quail nest in our yard in 14 years... what were that pair thinking! Petey is a notorious bird chaser.

So, I started looking again and found 7 more dead babies all in the pool pump enclosure, and a small ground indentation in the corner behind the filter, their ground nest. I had a full blown nature massacre taking place while I was enjoying my Spicy garlic eggplant! I was heart broken and have declared our once beloved pet, an evil monster.

I cleaned up the remains, and noticed the parents still scurrying atop the wall and calling out warningly... could any of these tiny babies have survived? What a large clutch, this must have been. There was no way for them out of our yard at this tiny, too small to fly, size. The drain holes were full of rocks somebody had put in them to keep bunnies out (not me!). Ron and I opened up several of them, on the chance that the parents would escort any remaining chicks to a safer place.

Lo and behold Ron soon discovered 2 which had managed to escape the slaughter! The photo above is of one. He is no more than 2 inches tall. The other one scurried under the wall (through the freshly opened drainage holes) before I could snap its picture. It was a paler, lighter colored baby, perhaps a female. I'm glad at least couple made it, I am still mad at the dog and wonder why the parents dared put a nest here. The Mama scurried them to the wash behind our yard, I hope they are safe now.

UPDATE on June 8.
Well later that day the quail family was back in the yard, apparently the chicks were too young to make a significant move, or for some other instinctual reason of which I am unaware.  So over the weekend we kept Petey under a tight rein.  I was able to get a few more pictures of them, below.  Yesterday morning they were nowhere to be found, and I can't hear the rest of the covey calling from the wash any longer, so we assume they've finally moved to a safer place.  I am wary of cleaning the pool leaf catcher again though, afraid of what I may discover.  It was sweet to watch the tiny 2 surviving chicks over a couple of days though.  I can't say I'm terribly impressed with the parents protective tactics though.

Above, mama quail watches the chicks who are at the base of the wall... whenever she'd hop out of sight they would start peeping and running in circles, which is why I thought her continuing to do that was not a very protective move!  When she would stay with them, they'd quietly sit with her under the shrubs, well hidden.

  Here they are the last afternoon we saw them around the yard, the next morning there was no sign of them.  There are still some bowl shaped 'nests' under the shrubs they spent the most time around... pretty easy nest construction, and not too effectively camouflaged.  God speed little quails, you'll need it!  ;o)

Warren plays the pied piper to Piper

This is a follow up on my Purpose Driven post down below 'Is God Purpose Driven?'.  It's currently making the 'rounds' that John Piper has invited Rick Warren to speak at his upcoming Desiring God conference. Piper met Warren at a funeral and striking up a conversation, found him very likable.  Piper asked Warren some very direct questions about his pragmatic methods (which Piper is against) and was bowled over by Warren's responses.  I first read about this disturbing development on Lighthouse Trails newsletter.  Yesterday while researching something else I came across a new post from blogger and friend of John MacArthur, Phil Johnson where he discusses the fallout from Piper's announcement and his own balanced thoughts on the matter.  It's a very well written post that I agree with whole heartedly.  You can read it here:

http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2010/04/on-piper-warren-connection.html

I also highly recommend clicking on the links Johnson provides at the end of his post, particularly the response from Chris Rosebrough, which is an audio file. (Listen to the first half of his Pirate Radio broadcast) These men offer valid and discerning insight into Rick Warren's ability to 'read' his audience and say whatever he needs to disarm any mistrust you might have toward him.  I believe that our brother, an amazing Pastor and teacher, John Piper would do well to heed their words.  He has been played by Warren in my opinion.  I will be praying that God turns the tables on Warren and he is exposed, and hopefully he will repent and begin to declare the true biblical gospel and stand for Christianity that honors God's word.  

Another resource I came across from Rosebrough describes the tactics that are employed by Purpose Driven methodologies in Churches undergoing PD transitioning.  How eerie to see the exact list of maneuvers we experienced 3 years ago when our Church was merged with a Purpose Driven group in the same denomination.  I always believed in my heart that the entire experience was planned in advance much like when businesses engage in a 'hostile takeover'.  

Here is an excerpt from Rosebrough's blog, followed by a link where you can read (or listen as it were) the whole thing.

Exposing The Cult-Like Hostile Takeover Tactics of the Purpose-Driven Church Transitioning Seminar

Below is a Special Edition of the Fighting for the Faith radio program that exposes the Cult-Like Hostile Takeover Tactics of Dan Southerland's Purpose-Driven Church Transtioning Seminar. The list of cult-like tactics employed by Southerland is LONG. They include:

1. Flat out lies and manipulative double speak
2. Blatant Scripture Twisting
3. New & Direct Extra Biblical Revelation and Visions from God
4. Flat out intolerance for anyone who questions or challenges these "new" Extra Biblical Revelations and Visions that are supposedly from God.

All of these cult-like tactics are exposed and discussed in this special edition of F4F. Furthermore, I cannot emphasize enough the fact that Dan Southerland's Church Transitions company has been the "go to" company used by Rick Warren's Purpose-Driven businesses to train pastors into Warren's Druckerite leadership methodologies.

http://www.extremetheology.com/rick-warren/

Me again...  If anyone would like to hear how those 4 tactics were specifically fulfilled in the situation we encountered back in 2007, I'd be happy to write them up.  Let me know in a comment.  (Sadly we recently left a Church when, at the end of a long Pastoral search, the gentleman chosen as Pastor seemed to follow a mixture of vision and methodologies fairly similar to PD.  For us the deciding issue was his treatment of scripture.)  It is grievous to my heart that many Christians may be getting side tracked onto a man-made, though well meaning perhaps, agenda with a mixture of truth and error.  May the Lord protect His people from false or simply misguided Shepherds which seem to be more in number in America than those faithful to teach and apply scripture.

The Shack (my review reposted)

It seems that as far as being a 'hot topic' goes, The Shack hullabaloo has died down somewhat.  However a friend recently asked for some information about the book, which prompted me to post my review of it here.  I wrote this in October of 2008. If you've read The Shack, or are thinking of reading it, I'd like you to know this information before doing so.    Blessed ~  Katie


As this moving book grows and grows in popularity, I find that I cannot keep silent about it's dangerous contents. Yes, dangerous.

Deeply moved by the story, and the emotional tug the author adeptly uses to paint a fresh picture of God for his readers, my primary reaction while reading this book a year ago was alarm. Intermingled with many lovely new ways of explaining our God and our faith, was a good deal of 'not quite right' theology. Understanding and relating to God according to His truth, is the only safeguard for assurance that the gospel we preach is the gospel that saves. And truly saving mankind is God's heart and mission. A half truth is as bad as an out and out lie, and often more effective at deceiving.

For months previous, I had been researching and reading resources on the topics of Post Modernism, the Emergent Church, Contemplative Spirituality and other philosophies and fads that are impacting the Church, (often harming, diluting, and distracting her from her true mission, in my opinion) when I picked up the book to 'divert' myself from such somber material to enjoy something lighter. Ha ha.

It was not necessarily the non-traditional, non-western, out of the ordinary characters that the author chose to represent the godhead that set off these alarms, but the content meaning and implications of the words put into the mouth of God the Father, or more precisely 'Papa' as (s)he gently re-enlightened Mack's thinking, that made my skin prickle. Beautiful, yet subtly poisonous, was my reaction.

Recently I discovered a response to the author and his book, that finally connected the dots for me. It has helped to bring into clarity the reason why the book set off such strong discernment alarms, while at the same time being able to find much to admire in it's pages. This helpful information comes from the Professor of New Testament Languages and Literature at Western Seminary in Oregon. Prof. James DeYoung has known The Shack's author personally for some years, and is aware of the authors faith journey which readers of The Shack are not privy to.

Rather than trying to restate DeYoung's case here, I humbly point my friends and family to seriously consider the facts behind the writing of The Shack and to reconsider their enthusiasm for it's powerful tale. In short William P Young embraces an unbiblical doctrine of Reconciliation ism. A belief that is on par with Universalism. Editor Wayne Jacobsen attempted to remove the false doctrine from the book, but its footprints remain.

You can avail yourself of Professor DeYoung's thoughtful and well researched work here;
http://theshackreview.com

There are a few pdf files, one being a shorter review of 9 pages, and one going into more detail at 39 pages. I urge you to at least read the shorter review if you have been favorably impacted by The Shack. Or if you have plans to read it, or pass it on to others. Or if you have had questions of theological concern raised by this book.

The mixture of truth and error when presenting an explanation of God is very common and very human. God is ultimately beyond our human words and understanding to be perfectly, or should I say completely, explained. Yet, we are admonished by Him to very carefully hold to the Faith once for all delivered to the saints. Why? Because it is His great heart's desire that all should come to a knowledge of the truth and enter into His Kingdom. God has provided the pathway to know and experience His presence and person, to knowing and living in the truth, and how to pass that on to others. Jesus described the gate as narrow and the way difficult. There is a reason why Christ described it so, He was speaking truth, and only spoke that which He heard the Father tell Him to speak.

The Shack falls short of this, and in fact, I fear it is pointing many who hunger for reconciliation with God onto a path that will ultimately lead away from Him, and quite possibly to destruction...all the while proclaiming and imagining that they are His children. (Matt. 13:7-26)

May the Church realize it's her calling to make the way to the Father clear, so that the lost should not be deceived, and may enter in. God's self-revelation is the one we must point the lost to, and fellow believers back to for comfort, instruction and discipleship. When we can re-state the truths of God's word without adding false, skewed or our own preferred ideals, and without taking away essential truths (such as the atonement, and the ultimate destiny for unbelievers), reforming biblical truths in artistic and creative ways can be wonderful and very effective.

Jesus paid an unthinkable price to deliver mankind, may we honor His sacrifice and speak His truth with love, boldly, and without mixture. 'Mixture' is repeatedly exposed as unholy and defiling (resulting in separation) in the Old Testament, we are wise not to forget those lessons. The Shack is a dangerous mixture of partial truth and serious error.

I applaud Mr Young's attempt to correct the distorted picture of God as simply a distant angry judge ....but God is not merely close gentle and conciliatory either. The Shack corrects one misconception, but replaces it with another, possibly more fatal for it's allure to our desires to make God in our own image. God is love, but God's love is HOLY, meaning altogether something different than human emotional love...though I've no doubt God, as the creator of emotions, is quite full of them; one being a jealous love that is much richer, sacrificial and deeper still than what is taught through the fictional Papa's words in The Shack.

Please prayerfully consider these things.

Other helpful reviews of The Shack can be found here

http://www.calvarycsd.org/docs/Discernment%20&%20The%20Shack.pdf

Justin Peters review