I have a couple of Rapunzel fans in my house. I have taken this article and am using it as a Bible Study with my children for a week. (I lead devotions in the evenings my husband isn't home)
My first lesson with the children had 2 goals:
1) "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil". I am teaching my children to be on the lookout for things that are evil that world says is good. For example, Kyle pointed out that in the movie Flynn Rider said it's good and normal to be rebellious. Great example of something evil that the world says is good. So we continue to talk about those themes in the movie, but also in real life such as killing babies. The world calls it abortion, God calls it murder. We are living in a world where evil is masqueraded as good all the time.
2) "Take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ". I am teaching my children that every thought, every imagination, needs to be made obedient to Christ. One thing TV does is it desensitizes us to sin. We are so used to seeing sin glorified, mocked, exalted, and idealized on the big screen, that our senses are dull. I want to teach my children that TV doesn't have some separate moral system apart from God. Everything is subject to his authority! He is King, and there is no part of Kingdom where he is not welcome.
Our Response to Rapunzel
Posted April 19, 2012
Dear Rapunzel,
Thank you for your email. We happen to already be familiar with your story as presented in “Tangled,” and even know a little more about your backstory than you do, and so we do have some thoughts for you.
We will be unusually blunt, because we know you are not a real person with feelings; you are the carefully written, cast, voiced, sketched, sculpted, scanned, painted, rigged, animated, rendered, and composited brainchild of John Lasseter, Glen Keane, and the Disney scriptwriting committee. We’re talking to you, polygons.
And not only were you meticulously handcrafted by others: Your entire universe was built around you, detail by detail, by these same imagineers. Your particular situation, down to Flynn’s serendipitous appearance in your window – your moral dilemmas, down to your conflicts with your mother – the characters you ran into, down to the last pub thug – didn’t just happen, but were deliberated over by a bunch of businessmen for approximately ten years. Everything about your world, including the ethical system by which it operates, came out of somebody’s head.
But here you are, in the middle of it, and you need advice. Let’s get down to helping you out! We would like to propose the following course of action for you:
Kill your mother with her own dagger (for poetic justice), run away from the tower once and for all, reunite with Flynn Rider (and propose to him – why not?), rally the thugs to your side, storm the castle together, throw out the authorities that were trying to imprison Flynn (doesn’t that make them the villains?), and establish yourselves as the ruling elite, where your word can be law, now not only for you, but for everyone.
No, of course that’s not the right answer. But why not?
Some might say that since your universe is a fantasy universe, God’s ethical system does not apply. But if His moral standard doesn’t have jurisdiction over this film – if, since this film isn’t a “Christian” film, we shouldn’t require it to line up with the Bible – then who could dare say bumping your mother out of the way would be wrong? Who’s to say any other solution would be morally better? Are we admitting that there is some overarching standard after all?
We’ve got good news for you: You, Rapunzel, imaginary creature though you are, are not ultimately under the lordship of Disney Studios, but of Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5 commands all men to “take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” – which means every imagination, every script page, and every film frame. Christ demands that every man’s mind and the stuff in it bow the knee, and that would include you. And His moral system – His law – is still the standard by which your moral system must be measured. In other words, stabbing your mother would be wrong, not because it’s not the sort of thing a nice girl with a dream would do, not because it would be politically incorrect, not because it would disturb children – but because it breaks one of His commandments (Ex. 20:13). And that’s why, even though you’re a fairy tale creature, we’re going to respond to you as though you were a real person.
What makes advising you tricky is that the brains who crafted your universe and situation never presented you with a good option. The film offered you two choices at the beginning: 1. Rot your useless life away in the tower with the world’s most detestable mother; or, 2. Defy your mother and run away from home with a thief. Your only visible choices now are: 1. Rot your useless life away in the tower with the world’s most detestable mother; or, 2. Follow your feelings, denounce your mother as a kidnapping imposter with no evidence, and leave again. Yes, it does occasionally seem that the only options life presents are bad ones, but in reality, doing right is always an option. Film has the power to create dishonest moral scenarios, forcing its characters to play a version of the lifeboat game (Who will you throw overboard, passenger A or passenger B?) and never offering a third option. And by making your option A look unspeakable, while making your option B look irresistible, “Tangled” draws us in so deeply that by the time your first moral dilemma comes around, we’re rooting for you to do (what we would normally call) the wrong thing.
So what is the right (biblical) thing for you to do, now? Here are a few (serious) suggestions:
1. Check the facts regarding your identity.
Feelings, hunches, and childhood drawings are a bad guide (and insufficient evidence), especially in such high-stake situations. There are ways to figure out who you are. We, the audience, of course know that your Mother is actually an evil kidnapper and the villain of your story; but you, the protagonist, currently have about as much reason to suspect this as every girl in the audience does her own parents.
If you were wrong, and she turns out to have been your biological mother all along:
2. Apologize sincerely for disobeying, deceiving, and defying her.
Some protest that you were justified in breaking the 5th commandment because she wasn’t really your mother, but let’s be honest: You didn’t leave because you knew that. You didn’t leave because you knew your mother’s command was biblically unlawful. You didn’t leave because you thought it would be wrong to stay and submit to the unbiblical tyranny of a kidnapping sorceress. You left because there was something you really wanted to do, the authority over you forbade it, and you decided to do what you wanted to do it anyway. You actually believed, and said, that it would be wrong for you to go. In your mind, you were as guilty of rebellion as the girl whose parents forbid her to go to a wild party and who sneaks out to go anyway: You left because you didn’t care.
We’re truly sorry that the filmmakers gave you such a loathsome creature as a mother. But if it’s wrong for her to be a law unto herself, you need to hold yourself to the same standard. “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” (1 Sam. 15:23)
3. Biblically examine the legitimacy of her commands.
Even if she is your biological mother, however, that doesn’t mean you have a duty of unconditional submission to her whims. “The requirement of unquestioning obedience by any human authority is a sin and defiles the very intent of God’s Word,” writes R.J. Rushdoony. “The unquestioning obedience which Scripture requires is only to God, never to kings, rulers, employers, husbands, or parents. To render unquestioning obedience is a sin.”
There comes a time when, in the words of our founders, “Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God!” What you need to ask yourself is: Is your mother forcing you to sin, or is she forbidding you to do something God has commanded? In either case, you must disobey. (By the way, God didn’t command you to go see the floating lights.) And if she is physically abusing you or endangering your life, you have a duty to not be an accomplice to her crimes. You need to get out of there. Thankfully, you are fit and resourceful, as well as handy with your lasso hair, and you’ve gotten out of tougher scrapes. We’ll root for you.
4. Appeal to her regarding her sins against you in the spirit of Matthew 18:15:
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.” If she refuses to be reasonable, the biblical answer is not to simply walk away from her forever. Verse 16 continues, “But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.” Use your resourcefulness to bring in some authorities to handle the situation – and, yes, submit yourself to them. Unaccountable autonomy is an alternative Scripture never offers anyone, man, woman, or child.
However… If she is not your biological mother, but instead a kidnapper:
2. Employ your resourcefulness to go to the authorities.
God condemned kidnapping as seriously as murder (Ex. 21:16, Deut. 24:7), and she needs to be brought to justice. This is bigger than you and your feelings; she has sinned against God and your parents as well as you, and right must be done.
However, if justice is really your concern, then…
3….You also need to report the most wanted thief in the kingdom, who has also stolen precious items (the tiara) from your parents.
Flynn has also sinned against God and your parents, and again, this is bigger than you and your feelings. Biblically, he wouldn’t be hung or have his hands cut off, but there are consequences for stealing (Ex. 22:1-4, Lev. 6:1-7, Prov. 6:30,31).
This is not, of course, to assume that Flynn couldn’t repent of stealing. If he did, though, he would certainly go further than saying he’s sorry and never doing it again: He would make restitution to everyone he robbed, as many times over as biblically required. It would be nice if repenting meant not having to suffer the consequences, but God is a God of justice Who requires that things be made right. That He is also a God of mercy means that He does give second chances to those who repent, confess, make things right, go their way, and sin no more… and we can too.
4. Don’t embrace thugs just because they’re nice to you.
This film for young girls contained an interesting message: That everything your mother taught you was wrong. One interesting example was your mother’s caution that the world contained dangerous men. No one would dispute this fact in the real world, but it was a point the film pulled some tricky stunts to prove wrong. At the end of the day, the openly brutal and violent thugs were proven to be harmless to pretty blond girls. The ones shown to be the real villains were parents.
As regards both Flynn and the pub thugs – of course they have souls! But it’s no amazing discovery that the more villainous elements of society also have feelings, dreams, even artistic impulses. Hitler was sensitive and introspective, wrote poetry, loved music and art, collected artifacts, had a dream (a big one), and liked pretty blonde girls. A penchant for collecting ceramic unicorns doesn’t make a criminal innocent. It also doesn’t prove that your mother was wrong about the world – even if she was wrong about how people should respond to it (i.e. hiding in a tower). Unfortunately, neither you nor she figured out what it means to be in the world but not of the world, or the right way to be a light in the darkness.
5. If you are found to be the Lost Princess, step up to the role of royal daughter, and all that that involves.
As the daughter of such obviously wonderful parents, you will obviously not have any excuses for running off to attend events they forbid, or becoming romantically entangled with young men they disapprove of. (If you never had an “authority problem” to begin with, this shouldn’t be a problem for you.) As a princess, however, your new responsibilities go even further than this. As soon as you put on that tiara, you have to stop being the main character of your story and let your subjects take that place. Instead of being slave to a tyrannical mother’s whims, you must now be a slave to duty and the needs of your people. Dancing with the peasants and drawing pictures with them on the sidewalks will not be enough. Whatever your feelings may be, you have to set an example of law-upholding conduct to your people. Whatever your (or others’) dreams may be, you have to impartially uphold justice. Whatever your diplomatic power may be, your word cannot be law.
And Rapunzel, we’re afraid this means that you are going to have to become a different kind of girl.
Your example, unfortunately, can no longer be what it has been throughout the whole movie. You may be one of Disney’s most appealing recent characters, and you may have done some admirable things (such as try to sacrifice your life for Flynn). But your character is nonetheless an extremely dangerous one for girls to relate to.
Why? Because although your situation is so different from ours (our parents generally are our biological parents, and they generally aren’t locking us up in towers), and your universe operates so differently from ours (none of us have magic hair), your struggles, feelings, and questions are just the same. “Tangled” tackles the biggest issues in a young woman’s life: relationships with parents, attitudes toward authority, relationships with young men, the outside world, the use of our time, and our bigger purpose in life. It raises the questions every young woman is asking. Then it gives the exact wrong answers.
When a girl sits down to watch your movie, she is about to vicariously live your story with you, feelings, attitudes, romance, temptations and all. She is “you” for the next 90 minutes. And what is she learning along with you? That our parents are wrong about everything. That all will turn out well if we just follow our hearts. That no man is so bad he wouldn’t “turn it all around” just for us. Through you, we tangibly feel the temptation to reject our parents’ instruction, keep secrets from them, and defy them – and then, through you, we give in to temptation. Through you, we feel pangs of guilt, shame, and fear of hurting people we love – and then, through you, we learn to stuff those feelings down and ignore them. Through you, we learn: What I want is more important than what I believe is right.
And at the end of your story, everything turns out beautifully to prove that when you chose to follow your heart rather than your conscience, you made the right moral decision.
Some might still point out that, in order for your story to work out, you had to. True, but next time any of us want to “pull a Rapunzel,” and do something we know is wrong to make things right, let’s remember that our stories are not Disney movies; that our world is not populated with Disney characters; that we are not Disney heroines whose universes revolve around us; and that our Creator has rigged things to work differently. We’ve had to watch girl after girl after girl make the same decisions you did, give in to temptation the way you did, sear her conscience the way you did, and run off with scoundrels like the one you did. Unlike you, they discovered that the real world revolves around a God Who isn’t them, and that He has built into His world rewards for sin that don’t generally include “Happily Ever After.”
We admit, we don’t typically write emails to CG models representing imaginary people. The reason we’re writing to you is because for many girls, you’re much more than that. Though you’re just a figment of someone’s imagination, a mere idea – ideas are real. And that’s why “Tangled” matters. After all, girls don’t really love “Tangled” because it’s “just a movie.” The reason we love it isn’t because we just can’t, practically or morally, put ourselves in Rapunzel’s shoes. We don’t love it because it’s a totally un-relatable fantasy that has no connection to our lives. If we love it, it’s because it does strike a chord with our lives. We laugh and cry along with Rapunzel’s joys and woes because we can relate to her. And when we passionately, emotionally tell critics to leave it alone because “It’s just a movie!” we are proving that down inside our hearts, it’s much more than that.
You may be just an idea, an imagination, a thought – but thoughts (not people) are exactly what we’re commanded to take captive (2 Cor. 10:5). “Arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God” are exactly what we are supposed to destroy (v. 5). Strongholds are exactly what we are supposed to tear down (v. 4).
Rapunzel, Rapunzel, we’re not condemning you.
We’re just trying to take you captive.
Love,
Anna Sofia and Elizabeth
I've been teaching science from the wrong perspective, and I just realized it. I have been approaching science from the perspective of:
-This is a school subject, I'm teacher, therefore I teach science
-Kids need to know how things work
-Kids need to know about the world around them
-Kids need to know how things are made, how to make things, and what things are made of
But I have been wrong. Science is a gift. It is a special gift from God. It is a gift to us-mankind; that we may know him and glorify his power, might, creativity, and majesty. Science should be a continual reminder that "it is he that has made us, and not we ourselves" Psalm 100. Science should expose our distinctly ordered and complex world and direct students to the God of order and the author of incomprehensible things.
To know God is to know creation, the very work of His hands which are plain for us all to see. In fact we have to work diligently, not to see them. "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse" Romans 1:19-20
Psalm 19:1 "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands".
I've been thinking a lot about what exactly I want the children to know about science at the completion of their homeschool. And one thing is certain; I want them to see science, as we call it, as God's means of revealing himself to us. I want them to understand His grace in even allowing us to understand just some of his infinte power, order, and complexity. I want them to stand in awe as they see how creation confirms the creator and the implication that has for how the must live their life.
Now I am viewing curriculum shopping differently. I want to purchase materials that will accomplish and highlight the great task of revealing God to my children through science. I've included in this post lots of books and materials that I'm looking at. I'll get to do a review of the Body of Evidence DVD's because our co-op has them and I get to teach the class in a few months to 7-12 graders!!! I'm so excited!!! Click the link to see a sample video.
I've been devouring Answers Magazine from Answers in Genesis Please visit them today!!!! And I have been rereading Already Gone: Why your kids will quit church and what you can do to stop it. It has a lot more to do with science than you think!
This week (last week, a little late) I wanted to talk about how to use the Bible in the homeschool.
Robin Sampson expounds on how to seamlessly integrate the Bible into all other studies,The Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach.
I just wanted to show what that looked like this week for our family. I will say upfront having the right materials helps alot.
This week in the Story Book of Science, (completely free online)we read The Age of Trees and the Length of Animal Life. Now in order to keep his attention, I find relevant pictures and unfamiliar passages from the readings and put them in a file on my computer for him too look at. It helps his understanding tremendously. (written almost 100 years ago there are a lot of unfamiliar words and ideas). So we found some of the trees from the reading, which lead us to find more interesting trees on the Internet. He was interested in trees. (Delight Directed Learning) So I pulled out Exploring Creation with Botany. So we read about the oldest tree Methuselah, which of course lead us to talk about the oldest man Methuselah. But even more interesting, Exploring Creation with Botany has sections in the book called Creation Confirmation. We learned how the age of Bristlecone Pine Tree's legitimize biblical creation and confirm the worldwide flood as described in the Genesis.
Our Artist this term is Jean Honore Fragonard. As I was looking up the picture for the week from the Ambleside schedule of art, I came across another painting he did, Jeroboam Sacrificing to the Idols. Of course we found the passage in the Bible and read and talked about it. We talked about modern day idols and what they are and how we worship them. We talked about Fragonard whether he was a Christian or not, does painting Christian pictures mean your a Christian?
We read Parables from Nature. (one of my favorites) We talked about how God gives us lessons from nature, that we might learn and gain wisdom from small creatures. We read the Law of Authority and Obedience.. We talked about what happens when we are discontent, slothful, easily swayed, and envious. We read Romans 1:18-20
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
We learned that nature itself provides validation of our God and it is plain for all to see, in fact you have to work hard not to see it. Nature is the evidence of God. This is how we study nature, science, even math! But how math?
Back to the Story Book of Science, we read the Wily Deverish and A Numerous Family. (trust me, these readings are 1000X more interesting with pictures) We learned about the principal of doubling. Jesus talked about that! We read the Great Commission and demonstrated on the board. If 1 disciple makes 1 disciple you have 2 disciples. If those 2 disciples make 1 disciple each you have 4 disciples. If those 4 disciples make 1 disciple each, you have 8 disciples, if those 8 disciples make 1 disciple each you have 16 disciples, etc. etc. The beautiful principal of evangelism as laid out by our Lord Jesus. This is the very same principle we just read about in our Science book!!! Wonderful.
Homeschooling is wonderful. We have so many God-given opportunities to teach truth. How are culture is lacking in truth.Do you see the potential? As homeschooling mothers we have the platform to do what the schools cannot and will not do.
Often when I go to the thrift store I'll buy books to add to my personal library, but I'm not sure when I'll use it. I bought this book, The One Year Book of Hymns, a couple of years ago for under a dollar; but haven't used it. I have recently fallen in love with the hymn, Come Thy Fount of Every Blessing. I found the chords and learned how to play it on the guitar, and I found the song in our nifty Hymn book. Now I am totally excited about learning and teaching hymns. It is advocated in the Ambleside curriculum, but I hadn't gotten around to planning it out yet. I've just been reading these hymns for a couple of days, they are so beautiful. How happy am I!!!
I'm back...I am recommitting myself to my blog. I do like and enjoy blogging, however I feel a philanthropic compulsion to blog...like I need to give back. I've learned sooo much from blogs, it has in fact help fortify the person that I am today. Sounds corny, but true. Long before I ever met homeschooling, cloth diapering, Little-house loving, Ladies Against Feminism real-life women; I found solace and camaraderie in my e-friends. What right have I not to give back some of what I've been given, in the hope that it might bless others. But secretly, or maybe not so secretly, I doubt my ability and validity to help others. Who am I to, what right have I to, when will I, why will I, how will I, but they do it better than I, etc. etc. etc. flood my mind and talk me right out of blogging each and everyday. But I guess more and more I'm finding comfort in my weaknesses and imperfections. Not so comfortable, that I'm complacent; but comfortable in the sense that I'm not perfect and never will be. That's fine, because I have a perfect Savior who has redeemed me, and I am living my life for Him.
St. Peter Denying Christ, by Paul Gustav Doré (1832-1883)
Speaking of living for him, I found this great article whilst helping my son with his assignment. My wonderful mother advised me to integrate current events into our school day. So my oldest has started reading Scholastic.com and I let him write two paragraphs reviewing an article of his choosing. His favorite writing assignment is the Sticky Situations. He has to find one applicable scripture for the situation, which has been a great research exercise as well as a practical approach to teaching how the scriptures are useful for all things. Well I was helping him find a scripture about pleasing God and not men and came across The Folly of Trying to Please Man by Richard Baxter-I do love Puritan sermons! Oh this one cut me deep. I would do well to memorize this entire treastie.
Richard Baxter:
1. Remember what a multitude you have to please;
and when you have pleased some, how many more will be still unpleased, and how many displeased when you have done your best. Alas! we are insufficient at once to observe all those that observe us and would be pleased by us. You are like one that hath but twelve pence in his purse, and a thousand beggars come about him for it, and every one will be displeased if he have it not all. If you resolve to give all that you have to the poor, if you do it to please God, you may attain your end, but if you do it to please them, when you have pleased those few that you gave it to, perhaps twice as many will revile or curse you, because they had nothing. The beggar that speeds well will proclaim you liberal, and the beggar that speeds ill will proclaim you niggardly and unmerciful; and so you will have more to offend and dishonour you, than to comfort you by their praise, if that must be your comfort.
2. Remember that all men are so selfish, that their expectations will be higher than you are able to satisfy.
They will not consider your hinderances, or avocations, or what you do for others, but most of them look to have as much to themselves, as if you had nobody else to mind but them. Many and many a time, when I have had an hour or a day to spend, a multitude have every one expected that I should have spent it with them. When I visit one, there are ten offended that I am not visiting them at the same hour: when I am discoursing with one, many more are offended that I am not speaking to them all at once: if those that I speak to account me courteous, and humble, and respectful, those that I could not speak to, or but in a word, account me discourteous and morose. How many have censured me, because I have not allowed them the time, which God and conscience commanded me to spend upon greater and more necessary work! If you have any office to give, or benefit to bestow which one only can have, every one thinketh himself the fittest; and when you have pleased one that hath it, you have displeased all that went without it, and missed of their desires.
READ the entire 22 reasons why it is foolish to try to please others.
The complete sermon on Man-pleasing by Richard Baxter can be found here
St. Peter Denying Christ, by Paul Gustav Doré (1832-1883)
Speaking of living for him, I found this great article whilst helping my son with his assignment. My wonderful mother advised me to integrate current events into our school day. So my oldest has started reading Scholastic.com and I let him write two paragraphs reviewing an article of his choosing. His favorite writing assignment is the Sticky Situations. He has to find one applicable scripture for the situation, which has been a great research exercise as well as a practical approach to teaching how the scriptures are useful for all things. Well I was helping him find a scripture about pleasing God and not men and came across The Folly of Trying to Please Man by Richard Baxter-I do love Puritan sermons! Oh this one cut me deep. I would do well to memorize this entire treastie.
Richard Baxter:
1. Remember what a multitude you have to please;
and when you have pleased some, how many more will be still unpleased, and how many displeased when you have done your best. Alas! we are insufficient at once to observe all those that observe us and would be pleased by us. You are like one that hath but twelve pence in his purse, and a thousand beggars come about him for it, and every one will be displeased if he have it not all. If you resolve to give all that you have to the poor, if you do it to please God, you may attain your end, but if you do it to please them, when you have pleased those few that you gave it to, perhaps twice as many will revile or curse you, because they had nothing. The beggar that speeds well will proclaim you liberal, and the beggar that speeds ill will proclaim you niggardly and unmerciful; and so you will have more to offend and dishonour you, than to comfort you by their praise, if that must be your comfort.
2. Remember that all men are so selfish, that their expectations will be higher than you are able to satisfy.
They will not consider your hinderances, or avocations, or what you do for others, but most of them look to have as much to themselves, as if you had nobody else to mind but them. Many and many a time, when I have had an hour or a day to spend, a multitude have every one expected that I should have spent it with them. When I visit one, there are ten offended that I am not visiting them at the same hour: when I am discoursing with one, many more are offended that I am not speaking to them all at once: if those that I speak to account me courteous, and humble, and respectful, those that I could not speak to, or but in a word, account me discourteous and morose. How many have censured me, because I have not allowed them the time, which God and conscience commanded me to spend upon greater and more necessary work! If you have any office to give, or benefit to bestow which one only can have, every one thinketh himself the fittest; and when you have pleased one that hath it, you have displeased all that went without it, and missed of their desires.
READ the entire 22 reasons why it is foolish to try to please others.
The complete sermon on Man-pleasing by Richard Baxter can be found here
I'm currently listening to:
Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord for the 2nd time. It is an amazing seminar for parents of children under 10.
Courtship. Yeah that time is approaching soon. Basically my husband and I are starting to have dialogue about the kinds of conversations we need to start having with our children regarding boy/girl relationships. I am comforted by Isaiah 28:9-10
Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
When I feel like I have to teach them everything today, I'm comforted by this scripture. Here a little and there a little.
I want to listen to:
About 10 messages from The Baby Conference
And some messages from Dr. S.M. Davis. I found this website on the Duggars website and there are some messages here I'd really like to listen to.
My iPod gets me through laundry and I'm so grateful.
I mentioned that as a church we read the book Crazy Love; a wonderful life changing book.
Quotes on my mind from Crazy Love:
"Perhaps you start a movement called Aspiring to the Median, where people commit to living at or below the median U.S. income ($46,000 in 2006)and giving the rest away. Is it intimidating to think about giving radically and liberally?"
"Maybe you have already made sacrifices...The temptation is to level off increases with each passing year. Pride tells you that you've sacrificed more than others. Fear tells you it's time to worry about the future. Friends say you've given enough, that it's someone else's turn now."
"The idea of holding back certainly didn't come from Scripture. The Bible teaches us to be consumed with Christ and to faithfully live out His words."
"If one person "wastes" away his day by spending hours connecting with God, and the other person believes he is too busy or has better things to do than worship the Creator and Sustainer, who is the crazy one? If one person invests her or his resources in the poor-which, according to Matthew 25, is giving to Jesus Himself-and the other extravagantly remodels a temporary dwelling that will not last beyond his few years left on this earth, who is the crazy one?"
Luke 14:12-14 Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
Quotes on my mind from Crazy Love:
"Perhaps you start a movement called Aspiring to the Median, where people commit to living at or below the median U.S. income ($46,000 in 2006)and giving the rest away. Is it intimidating to think about giving radically and liberally?"
"Maybe you have already made sacrifices...The temptation is to level off increases with each passing year. Pride tells you that you've sacrificed more than others. Fear tells you it's time to worry about the future. Friends say you've given enough, that it's someone else's turn now."
"The idea of holding back certainly didn't come from Scripture. The Bible teaches us to be consumed with Christ and to faithfully live out His words."
"If one person "wastes" away his day by spending hours connecting with God, and the other person believes he is too busy or has better things to do than worship the Creator and Sustainer, who is the crazy one? If one person invests her or his resources in the poor-which, according to Matthew 25, is giving to Jesus Himself-and the other extravagantly remodels a temporary dwelling that will not last beyond his few years left on this earth, who is the crazy one?"
Luke 14:12-14 Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
"It ought to be the business of every day to prepare for our final day." Crazy Love
This is 100% worth your 10 minutes.
Lyrics to What if there were no more excuses
Blair Wingo
What if there were no more excuses
You know how you say that turning from sin is a process
When the truth is you just want an excuse to take your so called precious time
So you throw out no bodies perfect to cover the guilt on your mind
Or how about this one… we won’t be holy until we enter glory
But then who is hell for?
You may feel like sin is warring within but Christ gave victory not to give in
Cause can’t enter heaven and not reflect Him
So… what if you had no more excuses
Because for a Christian, they just don’t make sense
Like knowing He’s coming back for a bride without spot
But thinking you can climb over the fence
But it’s just not true
So what if there was nothing stopping you
Like you’re told not to drink or smoke, and you got an excuses
Like technically the Bible doesn’t specifically say not to
Show me the exact scripture, and I’ll consider, matter of fact show me a sign
I mean Jesus turned water into wine
And God created weed, the Bible says I give you every tree,…so it must be fine
Or you’re told not to listen to worldly music
And you say we’ll I’ll just listen to r&b, the oldies or neo-soul
When you know they aint preaching the gospel
And when your done listening it makes you lust grow
Before you were cool, now your sentual
Dress provocatively so you gab the compliments of men
When truthfully your lacking Christs convictions
He doesn’t have your whole heart cause your seeking male attention
Don’t you see these excuses causes a dissention
Between you and the Father
And we love holding on to these excuses, that’s why we insist
To pass up all these scriptures that teaches us to be righteous
And find that one that we can bend, pervert and twist
Come on
But what if all our excuses were gone
What if there was no excuse
Keeping you in your sin
Stopping you from holiness
From letting Christ in
What if there was no excuse
But all of us began
To throw away these clichés like
We all gone sin
What if there were no more excuses
Like serving God is hard
Cause you trust in yourself rather than the Word of God-you know I’m pulling your card
Come on admit it
Don’t use the very Bible which says that we are to be holy, then say you can’t get with it
When He was bruised for it
The King of Jews was whipped
In order that the veil be ripped
Giving direct access through Christ-He is our holiness
Because the truth is if you got excuses, then you have got to beware
Because the truth is He won’t give us a temptation beyond what we can bear
So don’t use the scripture to hold on to your sin, come on don’t go there
Like Romans 3:23
We’ve all sinned and fallen short of His glory
But look at verse 24
It’s a compound
It shows that we have been set free
You see you’ve got to read some more
It says that we have been justified by His grace
A stunning transaction has taken place
Outside the court, the guilt of sinners pardoned through faith
You see the Sons death waved the consequences of sin
In a unique sacrifice of atonement
Which truly washes us from within
This is not pretend
He bought us back like Hosea his wife when she was prostituting in sin
So what are your excuses?
What if there was no excuse
Keeping you in your sin
Stopping you from holiness
From letting Christ in
What if there was no excuse
But all of us began
To throw away these clichés like
We all gone sin
It is written: without holiness, no one will see Him
And this holiness is reflectant on weather or not Christ is within
Cause if Christ suffered and died, bearing your shame
And you would never really live a life affected by the cross,
then He would have never came
If there is no change and we will always do things that bring Him shame
Then Christ could have never came
But He did so your could live
Delivered from things perverse
And I challenge those that don’t believe, you do the research
Search the scripture yourself
Come on; pull your sword of the shelf
And I’m not talking sinless perfection
I’m talking about being grateful
Because sin goes against His resurrection
Read Romans chapter 6 if in need of a cross reference
About the new birth that has been written candidly
Which verifies
Romans 7 does not nullify victory over sin in Christianity
He is explaining the sin the law produced inwardly
Says himself he is unspiritual-in slavery
Calls out woe, who will rescues me
Trusts Jesus Christ cause in Romans 8 he has the victory
Sowing to the Spirit, this cats been redeemed
Because He knows who the truth is
And Paul wasn’t trying to hold on to His excuses
What if there was no excuse
Keeping you in your sin
Stopping you from holiness
From letting Christ in
What if there was no excuse
But all of us began
To throw away these clichés like
We all gone sin
So ask yourself what are my excuses?
What, nobodies perfect…or God knows my heart…or I was born this way,
forget what the scriptures say,
but if were always going to sin, I guess its okay
No…these things are abominable, do you see how deep these excuses will go
What if you had no more excuses?
What if you had them no more?
What if you had no more excuses?
Laid open before the Lord
No more holding on to your temporal lusts
Ungodly relationships that mess up your godly trust
No more blaming others to justify why you cuss
What if you had no more excuses?
Didn’t fight each time the light exposed your sin
Like knowing you have to die to self, yet there is a war going on within
Because your flesh loves the path that it is on
But what if all your excuses were gone
What if I told you to lay down your favorite secular song, because it opposes Christianity?
If I broke down all your idols, your TV shows, your hidden vanity
What then, when you cant hide behind men?
No more blaming your pastor, for your sin
Pastors say you don’t have to live it, so you’ll go to the pit?
When we stand before God none of our excuses will be legit, He will spit
Us out of His mouth
Too busy looking for our season, can’t see the filth inside our house
It’s not in order, so we won’ t be ready when He comes
And I know what your saying…hold up, but I’m saved,
But I’m saying if you are practicing sin, then you are getting played
When 1John 3:10 clearly states that you are hopelessly depraved
A child of the devil willing slave
But Christ set you free, but you choose to be chained
And I’m like that godly banshee, sending you a word, a poem, a fax
Based on facts to expose the gun the enemy has at your back
He is trying to take you out
And He uses your excuses to make you doubt
He doesn’t care about your finances
He will actually give you more, if it will lead you from the Lord
And we say take back what the enemy has stole
We focus on
money, what about your soul?
Submitting to Satans delusions, cause think about it if you wanted to send people to hell, how would you do it?
Wouldn’t you use and excuse?
A lie to keep men from the truth
Do I need to show you more proof?
So what if you had no more excuses?
What if there was no excuse
Keeping you in your sin
Stopping you from holiness
From letting Christ in
What if there was no excuse
But all of us began
To throw away these clichés like
We all gone sin
Still tempted but accepted the grace not to do it
Not to give in
Because we know that as a Christian we have died to sin
You see His arms were stretched
We were working for the enemy, the minimum wage is death
But the deep thing is Christ picked up our check
Saved us from the coming wrath
And I know right now, some of yawl are mad
But I’m going to tell it, to save you from this wide path
Because Jesus said if I am ashamed of His words, then He will be ashamed of me
And if I still fear men, then I’m not truly free
So I aint scared of none of yawl
Cause it’s a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God
So you do the math
And it’s crazy that Christians will persecute you
Make excuse to hold on to the evil things they do
Yet there are no excuses when you want God to bless you
Isn’t this true?
But I’m talking nothing separating your from the love of God
So why is what I’m saying odd, a foreign language
Because sin is contagious, your read the Bible but skip the convicting pages
From Adam to you, this is outrageous
When Christ the Lamb of God has already saved us
Would He have done all that…heal the deaf, deliver the possessed, and restore sight
And not give us the power to live right?
So you choose
The next time God convicts you
Will you hide behind your theology, or believe in the reality of the Bible
Will you serve the living God, or the American Idol?
So leave these excuses at the cross
Stop saying its someone else’s fault
Let Him clear your murky water
He is here to take away the prop keeping you from the Father
But you have to accept what the truth is
There is no reason now, not to live holy for God
Cause I’ve taken away all you excuses
Lyrics to What if there were no more excuses
Blair Wingo
What if there were no more excuses
You know how you say that turning from sin is a process
When the truth is you just want an excuse to take your so called precious time
So you throw out no bodies perfect to cover the guilt on your mind
Or how about this one… we won’t be holy until we enter glory
But then who is hell for?
You may feel like sin is warring within but Christ gave victory not to give in
Cause can’t enter heaven and not reflect Him
So… what if you had no more excuses
Because for a Christian, they just don’t make sense
Like knowing He’s coming back for a bride without spot
But thinking you can climb over the fence
But it’s just not true
So what if there was nothing stopping you
Like you’re told not to drink or smoke, and you got an excuses
Like technically the Bible doesn’t specifically say not to
Show me the exact scripture, and I’ll consider, matter of fact show me a sign
I mean Jesus turned water into wine
And God created weed, the Bible says I give you every tree,…so it must be fine
Or you’re told not to listen to worldly music
And you say we’ll I’ll just listen to r&b, the oldies or neo-soul
When you know they aint preaching the gospel
And when your done listening it makes you lust grow
Before you were cool, now your sentual
Dress provocatively so you gab the compliments of men
When truthfully your lacking Christs convictions
He doesn’t have your whole heart cause your seeking male attention
Don’t you see these excuses causes a dissention
Between you and the Father
And we love holding on to these excuses, that’s why we insist
To pass up all these scriptures that teaches us to be righteous
And find that one that we can bend, pervert and twist
Come on
But what if all our excuses were gone
What if there was no excuse
Keeping you in your sin
Stopping you from holiness
From letting Christ in
What if there was no excuse
But all of us began
To throw away these clichés like
We all gone sin
What if there were no more excuses
Like serving God is hard
Cause you trust in yourself rather than the Word of God-you know I’m pulling your card
Come on admit it
Don’t use the very Bible which says that we are to be holy, then say you can’t get with it
When He was bruised for it
The King of Jews was whipped
In order that the veil be ripped
Giving direct access through Christ-He is our holiness
Because the truth is if you got excuses, then you have got to beware
Because the truth is He won’t give us a temptation beyond what we can bear
So don’t use the scripture to hold on to your sin, come on don’t go there
Like Romans 3:23
We’ve all sinned and fallen short of His glory
But look at verse 24
It’s a compound
It shows that we have been set free
You see you’ve got to read some more
It says that we have been justified by His grace
A stunning transaction has taken place
Outside the court, the guilt of sinners pardoned through faith
You see the Sons death waved the consequences of sin
In a unique sacrifice of atonement
Which truly washes us from within
This is not pretend
He bought us back like Hosea his wife when she was prostituting in sin
So what are your excuses?
What if there was no excuse
Keeping you in your sin
Stopping you from holiness
From letting Christ in
What if there was no excuse
But all of us began
To throw away these clichés like
We all gone sin
It is written: without holiness, no one will see Him
And this holiness is reflectant on weather or not Christ is within
Cause if Christ suffered and died, bearing your shame
And you would never really live a life affected by the cross,
then He would have never came
If there is no change and we will always do things that bring Him shame
Then Christ could have never came
But He did so your could live
Delivered from things perverse
And I challenge those that don’t believe, you do the research
Search the scripture yourself
Come on; pull your sword of the shelf
And I’m not talking sinless perfection
I’m talking about being grateful
Because sin goes against His resurrection
Read Romans chapter 6 if in need of a cross reference
About the new birth that has been written candidly
Which verifies
Romans 7 does not nullify victory over sin in Christianity
He is explaining the sin the law produced inwardly
Says himself he is unspiritual-in slavery
Calls out woe, who will rescues me
Trusts Jesus Christ cause in Romans 8 he has the victory
Sowing to the Spirit, this cats been redeemed
Because He knows who the truth is
And Paul wasn’t trying to hold on to His excuses
What if there was no excuse
Keeping you in your sin
Stopping you from holiness
From letting Christ in
What if there was no excuse
But all of us began
To throw away these clichés like
We all gone sin
So ask yourself what are my excuses?
What, nobodies perfect…or God knows my heart…or I was born this way,
forget what the scriptures say,
but if were always going to sin, I guess its okay
No…these things are abominable, do you see how deep these excuses will go
What if you had no more excuses?
What if you had them no more?
What if you had no more excuses?
Laid open before the Lord
No more holding on to your temporal lusts
Ungodly relationships that mess up your godly trust
No more blaming others to justify why you cuss
What if you had no more excuses?
Didn’t fight each time the light exposed your sin
Like knowing you have to die to self, yet there is a war going on within
Because your flesh loves the path that it is on
But what if all your excuses were gone
What if I told you to lay down your favorite secular song, because it opposes Christianity?
If I broke down all your idols, your TV shows, your hidden vanity
What then, when you cant hide behind men?
No more blaming your pastor, for your sin
Pastors say you don’t have to live it, so you’ll go to the pit?
When we stand before God none of our excuses will be legit, He will spit
Us out of His mouth
Too busy looking for our season, can’t see the filth inside our house
It’s not in order, so we won’ t be ready when He comes
And I know what your saying…hold up, but I’m saved,
But I’m saying if you are practicing sin, then you are getting played
When 1John 3:10 clearly states that you are hopelessly depraved
A child of the devil willing slave
But Christ set you free, but you choose to be chained
And I’m like that godly banshee, sending you a word, a poem, a fax
Based on facts to expose the gun the enemy has at your back
He is trying to take you out
And He uses your excuses to make you doubt
He doesn’t care about your finances
He will actually give you more, if it will lead you from the Lord
And we say take back what the enemy has stole
We focus on
money, what about your soul?
Submitting to Satans delusions, cause think about it if you wanted to send people to hell, how would you do it?
Wouldn’t you use and excuse?
A lie to keep men from the truth
Do I need to show you more proof?
So what if you had no more excuses?
What if there was no excuse
Keeping you in your sin
Stopping you from holiness
From letting Christ in
What if there was no excuse
But all of us began
To throw away these clichés like
We all gone sin
Still tempted but accepted the grace not to do it
Not to give in
Because we know that as a Christian we have died to sin
You see His arms were stretched
We were working for the enemy, the minimum wage is death
But the deep thing is Christ picked up our check
Saved us from the coming wrath
And I know right now, some of yawl are mad
But I’m going to tell it, to save you from this wide path
Because Jesus said if I am ashamed of His words, then He will be ashamed of me
And if I still fear men, then I’m not truly free
So I aint scared of none of yawl
Cause it’s a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God
So you do the math
And it’s crazy that Christians will persecute you
Make excuse to hold on to the evil things they do
Yet there are no excuses when you want God to bless you
Isn’t this true?
But I’m talking nothing separating your from the love of God
So why is what I’m saying odd, a foreign language
Because sin is contagious, your read the Bible but skip the convicting pages
From Adam to you, this is outrageous
When Christ the Lamb of God has already saved us
Would He have done all that…heal the deaf, deliver the possessed, and restore sight
And not give us the power to live right?
So you choose
The next time God convicts you
Will you hide behind your theology, or believe in the reality of the Bible
Will you serve the living God, or the American Idol?
So leave these excuses at the cross
Stop saying its someone else’s fault
Let Him clear your murky water
He is here to take away the prop keeping you from the Father
But you have to accept what the truth is
There is no reason now, not to live holy for God
Cause I’ve taken away all you excuses
