Helter Skelter

I borrowed the title of this poem from a book of the same name about Charles Manson. While the original title sought to describe the seemingly crazy lifestyle of this acclaimed satan worshipper, my poem calls us from confused living to a quiet trust in Jesus.
 

Sometimes we run around, going helter skelter

Nowhere to hide, looking for a shelter

Racing ahead of God and His perfect will

When all we need to do is stand and be still.

He’s figured it out

He has it all done

We’re not in a rut

God’s still on the throne.

Why do we worry?

Why do we fret?

God’s working it out

And he’s not finished yet.

Just trust Him and wait

He’s never been late

The victory is sure

Even when the enemy frustrates.

 We’ll come out on top

His promises are true

Regardless of what,

His Holy Spirit calls,

Stop, stop Saint, Just stop.

Stop, stop Saint, Just stop.

 

Beautiful Heart/Killer Body?

My work gym was opened about seven years ago, and I began training immediately. Aerobics, body pump and weight lifting were done most days of the week, and I also did uphill walking and running for increased cardio fitness. Yoga came along, and I became a practitioner of that as well.

With all this physical activity, I soon realized that my time with God in devotions grew shorter and shorter. Added to that, I had to get up so early to train, that my time spent in Bible study was also reduced. My prayer life suffered as a result.

Should I stop exercising? Is beautifying the inside alone all I should care about? Should I stop trying to look good on the outside?

Interestingly enough, for a group class collaboration I teamed up with a make-up artist and an athlete. Our alliance caused me to look at the physical side of beauty and strength, and the inner man empowered by spirituality. What a mind-blowing experience it was, as it engendered a more rounded approach to my Christian walk.

I searched the Bible for answers as to what was more important: my outward appearance or my inner heart. What does the Scriptures have to say about physical beauty?

1Timothy 4:8 tells us:

Bodily exercised profits little, but godliness is profitable for the life that now is and the life that is to come.

It does not say physical exercise is not profitable, but reminds us that its profit is only for this life. This demonstrates that my emphasis on it should be with the understanding that it’s not an investment in eternity.

Proverbs 31:30 imparts:

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting...

We are not told that beautifying oneself is wrong, but we are cautioned that our emphasis cannot be at the expense of character, because physical beauty will not last.

Esther in the Bible was described as “fair and beautiful” (Esther 2:7b). Before she could be brought before the king she was prescribed a beauty regimen that lasted all of 12 months: six months with oil of myrrh, six months of perfuming and other beauty treatments (Esther 2:12).

The Bible records that the king loved her above all the other women and made her queen. But Esther’s physical beauty was matched by her character, which made her even more attractive, and God used her greatly to save his people.

So again we see that there’s nothing wrong with embellishing ourselves to be better looking.

Solomon spoke of the fragrance of his beloved and her “dove eyes”. All this spoke of appeal. (Songs of Sol. 1) He described his love’s cheekbones as “comely” and her neck decorated with jewellery. He told of her lovely hair, even teeth, red luscious lips and the shape of her head and neckline. He even spoke pleasurably of her firm breasts. (Song of Sol. 4)

All these physical characteristics can be achieved and enhanced by exercise, especially strength training. Not to mention the fact that facial makeup can add touches to the entire body package.

In Daniel 1, three Jews who were set apart to work directly in the king’s palace chose to engage in a vegetarian diet for a specific period of time, as opposed to consuming the king’s lavish dietary offerings. At the end of three years, they appeared to be in better health than their counterparts who ate everything that was given to them. 

Just as eating the right foods will keep us healthy and strong, studying the Bible will nourish our hearts.

The Bible does not condemn augmenting external beauty, but cautions us that inner beauty should be our main desire. Jesus described the Pharisees as “white-washed tombs”, showing purity on the outside that is not there on the inside. While inward godliness can be reflected on the outside, no amount of makeup can hide a devious, wicked heart.

To see my makeup transformation, click on link below.

https://youtu.be/kIInHsy_hvk

What If Jesus Had Not Come?

Galatians 4:4-6

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

The birth of Jesus Christ is one of the most pivotal events in all of history. Even from a secular perspective, the world would look so much different if Jesus had not been born.

For one, we wouldn’t use His birth to calculate the year all over the world (AD/BC). Also, Christianity would never have spread, meaning the world would look extremely different in a geopolitical sense. Many other religions, like Islam for example, would also look very different because they are founded on some of Jesus’ teachings as well.

Not only that, the lives of followers of God would also be very different. We would still be living under the Law of Moses, which would bind us to obedience to rituals instead of living by the power of God’s Spirit in our lives.

Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection gives us hope, not only for this life but for the life to come that His word tells us about. Jesus’ coming also gives us hope that we would see our loved ones who have died, in a new life, free of pain and sickness.

Jesus’ coming also gives us hope of a better world, free of crime and disease and death, so we know for sure that this life we live is not all there is.

It’s hard to even conceive how much our lives would be different had Jesus never come! But thank God that 2,000 years ago, a baby was born who would change the world forever. And it’s by the gift given to us on that Christmas so long ago that we’re able to live in the freedom of grace.

Jesus’ coming tells us how to live victoriously among wicked people, stupid people, haters and hypocrites. His coming gives me a glimpse of the paradise He went to prepare for us.

Thank God for the gift of Immanuel—God with us, for his immeasurable gift of Jesus Christ to the world!

Are You Waiting To Be Rescued?

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Imagine looking at a swimming pool filled with people. All of a sudden, you see a small child caught in the deep end, unable to swim and sinking to the bottom. So you start waving your arms and shouting at him, trying to give him some tips on how to make it back to the shallow end of the pool. That of course would be a very foolish thing to do.

Does that make sense? Would anyone in their right mind just stand there and shout while a child is drowning? Of course not! Any rational thinking person would jump in the water and pull that child to safety.

If Jesus did not come into our world and died for our sin, we would be exactly like that drowning child. We would have no hope of escaping death on our own. And while the world’s religions wave their arms and shout instructions at us for pulling ourselves from death, Jesus is the only one who gets into the water to save us.

As we move into the Christmas season, let us focus our hearts and minds on the work of Jesus Christ. He is the one who came into the world to die for our sins and rescue us from a hopeless eternity. He did not just leave us to wallow in darkness; He did something about our condition. Praise God today for His love! Thank God that he didn’t just give us instructions for living, but came himself to save us from a hopeless eternity!

And Christ left us His holy Word, the Bible, which gives us directions for living successfully, and helps us reach our fullest potential.

Depressing Depression!

The nation awoke last weekend to the sad news that a Mayaro councillor had committed suicide.  The newspapers cited that she was very depressed, but she hid her feelings from those around. Her family and friends all felt that she had everything going for her: beauty, marriage and two adorable children. What could have led her to end her life?

Suicide leaves many unanswered questions, not the least of which is “why?”. Could the person not have reached out to someone? Could those closest to the victim not have sensed that something was wrong?

While there are no cut and dried answers, my post today looks at ways we can deal with feelings of depression or if possible stave them off completely.

The Bible does provide some proactive remedies.

The scriptures acknowledge in Genesis 2:18—It is not good that the man should be alone—and God created Eve as a companion for Adam. Well, the councillor had a spouse, so we know that having a spouse does not mean there will not be seasons of depression. Some may even say that a spouse sometimes is the root cause of depression. But of course, it is one type of companionship that God provides. But we know that not everyone will marry.

The Bible however does not leave us wanting in this regard. We are reminded in Hebrews to “not forsake the assembling of ourselves together”, which speaks of regular church fellowship. We need friends around us. No man is an island.

Friendship keeps us connected with the world around us. Friends could bring laughter and encouragement into our space. The Bible also tells us that “a friend loves at all times”.  

Fellowship helps to keep us accountable to each other, so if we are going astray, our friends can reel us in, reminding us how we ought to live holy. 1John 1:7 tells us:

If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another…”

Someone might suggest that all friends are not real buddies. Well the Bible understands that too and offers that we should have another level of friends we can call “an inner circle”, those persons with whom we can share our innermost emotions, fears and tears. We can be our truest selves with them without being afraid or ashamed.

In Daniel 2, King Nebuchadnezzar had a very disturbing dream, and his wise men could not discern its meaning, he threatened to kill them all. But Daniel who was a prisoner in the palace told the king’s captain that he could interpret the dream. What was his first action? He went immediately to his inner circle of three friends and asked them to pray with him for God’s revelation.

We might have a thousand friends, but an inner circle is vital to our survival. This circle could be as little as three, but they know us better than everyone else, and see the parts of us that no one else does. An inner circle is critical to warding off depression and suicidal thoughts.

Today, let us identify those persons who can be our inner circle.

Are You Waiting To Be Rescued?

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Imagine you're looking at a swimming pool filled with people. All of a sudden, you see a small child caught in the deep end, unable to swim and sinking to the bottom. What would be your response? Do you start waving your arms and shouting at him, trying to give him some tips on how to make it back to the shallow end of the pool? 

Does that make sense? Would anyone in their right mind just stand there and shout while a child is drowning? Of course not! Any rational thinking person would jump in the water and pull that child to safety.

If Jesus did not come into our world and died for our sin, we would be exactly like that drowning child. We would have no hope of escaping death on our own. And while the world’s religions wave their arms and shout instructions at us for pulling ourselves from death, Jesus is the only one who gets into the water to save us.

As we move into the Christmas season, let us focus our hearts and minds on the work of Jesus Christ. He is the one who came into the world to die for our sins and rescue us from a hopeless eternity. He did not just leave us to wallow in darkness; He did something about our condition. 

Praise God today for His love! Thank God that he didn’t just give us instructions for living, but came himself to save us from a hopeless eternity!

And Christ left us His holy Word, the Bible, which gives us directions for living successfully, and helps us reach our fullest potential.