Today The Poppet (5) was learning about leaders in Social Studies. We talked about how different countries have different names for their leaders, kings, presidents, prime ministers, premiers, chairmen. How some are chosen by the people, some are born into it, some can only rule for a certain period of time, some stay leaders till they die, etc. We looked up the different countries on the globe as we went. At the end, without the batting of an eye she remarked;
"Well, my King is Jesus and he rules the whole earth, forever."
*Tears*. Just one of the reasons I love homeschooling.
"I was raised off of Rural Route Three, Out where the blacktop ends. We'd walk to Church on Sunday mornings, Race barefoot back to Johnson's fence. That's where I first saw Mary, On that roadside pickin' blackberries. That summer I turned a corner in my soul, Down that red dirt road.
It's where I drank my first beer. It's where I found Jesus. Where I wrecked my first car: I tore it all to pieces. I learned the path to Heaven, Is full of sinners an' believers. Learned that happiness on earth, Ain't just for high achievers. I've learned; I've come to know, There's life at both ends, Of that red dirt road."
There's something I love about this song, even though it will inevitably make a good conservative girl squirm if she really thinks about it (uh, yeah, that would be me).
I've been trying to put my finger on it, what I "like" about the heart of this song. I grew up under legalism, so many taboos, so much self righteousness and yet so much hypocrisy. It's the last kind of christian life I want to lead.
I grew up on red dirt roads and still live on one now, and wouldn't change that for the world, even when the red is frozen and drifted over to the point of my being helplessly confined to my farmyard as I am today (the nicely plowed road in the picture is from after *last* years blizzard).
Drinking beer was definitely a mortal sin in my upbringing, not that I care, I think the stuff is pretty disgusting anyway, but I married an Italian who was raised on beer with pizza and wine with pasta from the earliest age and his home was nearly more conservative than mine, if possible.... that's Italian culture for ya.
Anyway, despite not liking the taste of most any alcoholic beverage I refuse to turn that subject into a rule of righteousness. You can be a very reverent and wonderful christian by never touching a drop and you can be a very reverent and wonderful christian even if you do... I believe. (should I be fearing a lightning bolt as this point?).
This song makes me think, and I like that. The kind of upbringing I had pretended that the path to heaven was only full of believers, and ones who followed all the rules (even man made ones) at that. But the truth I have come to learn is that we are ALL sinners, some of us are believers, but we are still sinners. The only righteous person on this road is the one who walked before us, and HE is our righteousness. I love that. It makes me love Him so much and realize that He is SO amazing. So wonderful. This realization, that He loves me, He wants to walk this red dirt road with me, that is true happiness on earth and it is not because of my achievements, but His.
Sometimes I find sermons in the strangest places :D Here`s to red dirt roads, sinners and saints and the One who saves us.
We were just having a gay old time being snowed in today....
till the neighbours called saying they had to get to the hospital with a major emergency and couldn't get out
till P got home (barely) and the vehicle was stuck in gear and he couldn't shut it off... then ironically it shut itself off and he couldn't start it....
till P went to start the tractor only to find *it* refused to start
till P noticed that the horses feed was down to the ground even though he just put a round bale 7 days ago (usually lasts 3 weeks!).
Needless to say, we are not feeling so rosy and romantic about the blizzard anymore!
One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another says, "I follow Apollos"; another says, "I follow Peter"; and another says, "I follow Christ." Christ has been divided up into different groups! Did Paul die on the cross for you? No! Were you baptized in the name of Paul? No! 1 Corinthians 1:12-13
This passage always feels like a home run to me. I read it and I want to cheer. I hate labels. I feel they serve mostly to promote stereotypes and segregation. Why don't we keep it simple? Because we feel the need to make clear as much as possible what we believe to be right and proper? Because we want to distance or distinguish ourselves from those "other" groups that interpret scripture differently than we do? But do we really need to do that? Is it not enough to say "I'm a christian. I love Jesus, I want to know Him more and more and be like Him. I want to spend eternity with Him." We can all agree on that right? I'm talking mainstream christianity here, not beyond...
Okay, so striving to be like Him may look differently for many of us, but does that *really* matter? Are we not "dividing Christ up into different groups" just as Paul condemned? I hate it. Everytime I hear/see someone state "I'm ____________ (Baptist, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Calvinist, Mennonite....)." This passage comes to mind. Now for all my dear mennonite friends, don't get me wrong, I realize Mennonite has evolved into an equally cultural distinction as a doctrinal one over the years, after all, you can be "mennonite" and not give a hoot for Menno Simons or what he stood for, right? Just like in some cultures steeped in Catholicism you can be Catholic merely for being born into a Catholic family even if you only set foot in the church for baptism, first communion and your wedding.....
Anyway, I just wish that we didn't label ourselves so much and just pointed to Christ despite our differences. After all, no two people on earth are going to agree 100% about EVERY scriptural interpretation, not even with those we are closest to and in deepest fellowship with. That's not what it's about. It's about loving, encouraging, submitting, serving, practicing humility DESPITE our differences. My lifetime favorite passage Romans 14 and 15 outlines this better than anything I think.
I just love Christ. I love Christians. I love non-christians, I want peace on earth and look forward to the day we will have it, but think we should strive for it a bit more in the present :D
So all the kids are madly looking for The Hero's glasses this morning, to no avail. There's crying and complaining from all three older children that they can't find them anywhere. Finally, tired of all the lamenting, I sighed and started to dry my dishwater hands and go in search of them myself. Meanwhile, The Rugrat (17 months) pushes a chair from the dining room table over to the corner shelf, climbs up on it, retrieves Hero's glasses from the middle shelf, and carries them to him in the hallway. The ooh's and aah's, pats and kisses the littlest hero received were reward enough to bring a big grin to that little munchkin's face. My baby is growing up...
Went to the city with Prairie Princess II the other day, just the two of us. The highlight of the day was hearing her pipe up to Nitty Gritty Dirt band's "Cadillac Ranch" from the back seat. Her 5 year old rendition? "tearing up the highway like a..... pickle without a soul." Oh dear. That had me laughing for 10 minutes straight.
One of the things I love about homeschooling is how it really makes me accountable for making sure my kids get both sides of the story. The thing I love about the curriculum we use is that it has such a well rounded approach to presenting "both sides of the story", at least attempting heartily to do so. For example, in our studies of the American Revolution we have read a very endearing account of King George the 3rd's upbringing and life, as well as that of George Washington's. Fictional novels have been read for enjoyment that portray both the hearts of the patriot colonialists and the hearts of the loyalists, the mindset of the proud red-coats as well as the deserters. It's enough to make a person's head spin when you can feel empathy and compassion for all involved. That said, I feel the need to vocalize something from a spiritual standpoint that I do not feel has been adequately voiced in all I have read. Being the chicken that I am, I will do it here and not on the largely american discussion forum for Sonlight Curriculum :D
Here goes. Last night, in pre-reading one of Shay's novels (actually not a curriculum scheduled novel but an extra reader I have scheduled from Focus on the Family's Sisters in Time series) I came across the following discourse where the young heroine's father and uncle are arguing their separate patriot/loyalist causes;
"Don't be fooled, Kate. The congress also said it's a Christian's duty to fight bad leaders. But the Bible says we are to obey our leaders."
"The Bible also says that rulers must be just and rule in the fear of God," Uncle Jack argued. "God wants kings to treat people well so they can live in peace and have good lives."
Harry stepped into the argument now. "Until King George rules the way the Bible says he should, we will serve no king but Jesus."
That's the Patriot's slogan, Kate remembered. The words always sent a shiver of awe and pride through her. It seemed a great thing to choose to serve Jesus. But she knew the words only angered Loyalists life FAther and Mama. After all, they served Jesus, too. They just disagreed on the way to go about doing that.
Exerpt from Kate and the Spies, Sisters in Time.
Well, as timeliness would have it, I just happened to be reading Romans 13 in my quiet time yesterday. Here is my NCV translation;
"All of you must yield to the government rulers. No one rules unless God has given him the power to rule, and no one rules now without that power from God. So those who are against the government are really against what God has commanded. And they will bring punishment on themselves. Those who do right do not have to fear the rulers; only those who do wrong fear them. Do you want to be unafraid of the rulers? Then do what is right and they will praise you. The rulers is God's servant to help you. But if you do wrong, then b e afraid. He has the power to punish; he is God's servant to punish those who do wrong. So you must yield to the government, not only because you might be punished, buty because you know it is right. This is also why you pay taxes. Rulers are working for God and give their time to their work. Pay everyone, then, what you owe. If you owe any kind of tax, pay it. Show respect and honor to them all."
Okay, now for the ruminating. I don't want to resort to absolutism or over generalizations, and I recognize this is a complex and multi-faceted issue. As I wrestle with the concept of revolutions and revolts being justifiable for christians I am faced with the following "problems".
The Bible commands christians to yield to the authorities, not just when those authorities are "justified" and ensuring the rights of the people.
The Bible teaches that rulers (wether they recognize it or not) have been placed in that position by God. I think of Pharoah, and Saul. Pharaoh was a tyrant if there ever was one, but in starting a revolution the Israelites would have "robbed" God of the chance to display His power and to free them by His hand and according to His plan. Likewise, when David had been annointed, he did not seek to take the life of Saul, but recognized Him still as the Lord's annointed, and that in God's time, Saul would surrender the throne and God would exalt David to the position He had chosen him for.
I don't see "protecting our rights or interests" ever expounded in the scripture, au contraire, I see forfeiting earthly rights and interests for heavenly rights and interests. I see God working mightily to redeem the underdog but not urging the underdog to "fight for his rights".
All this to say that I see how Britain was wrong and mis-used their power to rule the colonies and didn't protect or enforce the rights of the British citizens who lived there. I can see how in this light the revolution was "justifiable" if we look at things through worldly eyes. BUT, if I place Jesus and his disciples there (really not that hard to do when you think the Romans were ruling in Jesus day), and try to think what would have been his response, I can't see the refusal to pay taxes, the destruction of property that occured in the Boston Tea Party, the whole gory battle for independence as His way.
Are we called to "fight back", "protect our rights", "look out for our own best interests", or is that God's promise to us? Are we only to submit to our rulers when "they" are submitting? Are husbands only called to love their wives when they are lovable? Wives to respect their husband when they are respectable? (I used to think so until reading Love and Respect btw). How come we grasp unconditional love but not unconditional obedience to other mandates (excluding obviously anything that would be disobedience to God's moral standard)?
I think God was more than capable of overthrowing the British and bringing independence to America without the personal participation in rebellion of His followers against the sovreign that according to scripture He had placed in that position. God could have used the French, the unbelieving colonists, or anyone else of His choosing to bring independence to America.
Like I said, just ruminations, not claiming to have things boxed up. Now, 2 kids and a monopoly board are calling my name....
We love to play on the sled it's true But sometimes we return half blue We have to learn to scream and shout To make our Daddy turn about.
Prairie Princess II lost her boot the sock inside, not good, oh shoot and couldn't get poor Dad to hear so froze her foot and shed a tear
Daddy wrapped the foot in his mitt and turned to search for the missing culprit While racing off to search behind He lost two kids which wasn't kind
Prairie Princess II didn't feel them go till they found her boot in the drifting snow then she saw she was alone on the sled and Daddy felt like a real dead head.
So off they went in search of those two which were easier to find it's true Good thing they all thought the tale was fun and laughed as they retold it all to Mum.
