Weird Wednesday: Angels in the Outfield

In recent years, I have failed to find a fictional character or creature to capture my attention as much as vampires do. They're dark, mysterious, handsome, etc. etc...until now...

Angels are the creature that are currently stealing every reading hour available as of late. I've read different takes on fallen angels, archangels, guardian angels, and the nephilim race. Authors and books include (but never limited to) Lauren Kate's Fallen series, Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush, Hush series (my personal favorite), and Syrie James' Forbidden. Still to come are: Alexandra Adornetto's Halo Trilogy and James Patterson's Maximum Ride series and of course whatever else I can get my hands on that's good.

But all these mixed up fictional angel stories got me to thinking about the real angels that God has under his power. And yes, I did say real angels. God sent them as messengers and guardians in the Old Testament to warn his followers of impending danger or good news. In the New Testament we see an angel heralding the birth of Christ.

The only heavenly being I have come across is the cherubim. The first mention of a cherubim in the Bible is in Genesis 3:23-24

"therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life." (ESV)

God didn't want man to partake of the Tree of Life because He didn't want him to gain eternal life. So God placed the cherubim to protect the garden. Man is still in search of the garden trying to gain access to the fountain of youth that he is never going to find.

I found it interesting that cherubim are listed as having wings, but angels are not. (If anyone can correct me on this let me know.)

The first time we see an angel is when God sends a messenger to attend to Hagar and her son. God's plan for her is told in Genesis 16:6-9:

"But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your servant is in your power; do to her as you please.” Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her. The angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.” The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her.” The angel of the Lord also said to her, “I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.” (ESV)

The archangel Michael (my favorite name of course) is first seen in Jude 1:9 arguing with the devil.

"But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgement, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" (NASB)

Even Michael as an archangel didn't dare overstep he authority be judging the devil, but left that up to God. He is also shown in battle with the dragon in Revelation 12:7-9 when Satan is cast from heaven.

"Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world- he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown with him." (ESV)

As for the Nephilim race, they are first mentioned in Genesis 6:4

"The nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown." (ESV)

But the first of two angels and their world changing news can be read in Matthew 1:20-21 when the angel comes to Joseph to foretell the birth of Christ. 

"But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.'"

The second angel is found in Matthew 25:5-6 and he tells the best news we sinner could ever hope for. 

"But the angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I now that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.'" (ESV)

So at the end of the day, the angels have my attention hands down. They were trusted to guard the garden from man. They showed a nation it's start. Showed the devil what side he should be on at the end of the day. But most of all, they heralded the birth of Christ, my risen Lord. And loving all men with his love is what get me through the toughest days, because Hebrews 13:3 reminds me:

'Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.' (NASB)

Media Monday: Goth Girl Running

This is your quick post for the night. I've been running for a little over a year now and my love for it rivals my love of music. I love all kinds of music, so I have various playlists on my iPod. However, since I'm running in three 5k races in the next month and a half, I thought I'd create a new running playlist. Entitled "GOTH Girl Running" it is as follows:

1. Tonight TobyMac
2. Live Life Loud  Hawk Nelson
3. Stay Close    Fireflight
4. Hang On (remix)  Plumb
5. Breathe Into me    RED
6. In My Arms (remix)   Plumb
7. In Need You   Relient K
8. All Things New   Rapture Ruckus
9. Monster  Skillet
10.Cross the Line  Superchick
11. Afterlife   Switchfoot
12. I Get Wicked   Thousand Foot Krutch
13. Faceless  RED
14. Im So Sick   Flyleaf
15. For Those Who Wait   Flyleaf
16. We Are Loved  David Crowder Band
17. Again   Flyleaf
18. Better Than Drugs   Skillet
19. Dead Man   Jars of Clay
20. To Know That You're Alive  Kutless
21. Where I Belong   Building 429
22. Keep You Eyes Open   NEEDTOBREATHE
23. Busted Heart   for King and County


Yeah, I know, it's an odd number, but all these songs mean something special to me and I can't have it too long. They all also remind me that "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

For those of you who don't know, I've been having on and off health problems with my nerves for the last year and a half. I'm not supposed to be running at all, but I have found that I can shrug off the stress of the day on the pavement and go to bed relieved to not be carrying negative thoughts. If you are in need of great uplifting, loud, and get you moving music, I recommend any on this list along with the groups. The last three songs are a little slower, but I need those to get through the cool down and the messages are unsurpassed at this time.

With that, I'm off for the night and hope that you'll join me in music (Winter Jam 2013 baby!) or running! (To get any easy start check out www.coolrunning.com)

Weird Wednesday! Depeche Mode Baby

I love Depeche Mode! I have loved them ever since I first remember being introduced to their music back in the summer of 1995 while staying in Germany with my friend Anna. The first album I purchased was "Songs of Faith and Devotion" which is still one of my favorites. When my cell phone rings, part of the song "Enjoy the Silence" plays, which is ironic because I'm busy enjoying the song instead of any silence. The dulcet tones of David Gahan just make me smile.

But lately, I've been thinking about the the song "The Policy of Truth." And right now, I'm not worrying anything about what the song might actually mean or what hundreds of other people think it means. I'm focusing on one specific stanza with one question in mind (that we'll get to later):

"It's too late to change events
It's time to face the consequence
For delivering the proof
In the policy of truth"

Someone in this song has made a bad decision. Sometimes it's really hard to tell the truth if we're afraid we will disappoint another person. Some people think maybe a little white lie won't hurt a soul. But sadly, there are people on this green planet that think lying is just as natural as breathing and will lie to you every day in every way.  

So back to that question: What's your policy of truth? 

Do you believe it's okay to lie to someone if you think you're sparing their feelings down the road? Or are you keeping something hidden that you need to unburden yourself of desperately? Or maybe you're the type that just doesn't care how many times you lie, who gets in the way or who gets hurt?

Personally, I think getting the hurt out of the way and just telling the truth in the first place is hard, but the best plan. It saves time and feelings (guilt on your part and betrayal on the part of the other party involved) in the long run.  

Having to face up to the truth of sin to others is one of the hardest things for a person to do. I know this first hand. Having to tell my parents, church, but most importantly, God,  that I was pregnant and unmarried at the age of 18 was so painful. It's still hard to think about. But one thing I know for sure is that I took that to God, begged forgiveness, and was forgiven. Matthew 26:28 tells us:

"For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."

Remember John 3:16, "For God loved the world so much, He gave His only son" Love like that doesn't grow on trees. 

Paul tells us in 1 Cor. 13:4-7 that:

"Love is patient and kind; loves does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or due. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

The end of verse six tells us the the greatest of all things "does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth." Now I'm sure you're thinking, 'Um, yeah, but no one's happy when something painful is told or thrown in their face!' But that's where you're wrong. Because verse seven tells us that love bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things. 

Now, when we bear our soul to Christ and ask forgiveness and tell him the truth, He gives it, but at the price of His blood shed on the cross of you and me. Ephesians 1:7 tells us:

"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace."

And John 14:6:

"Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

He is the way, truth and life and without Him, I won't see Heaven. So what about you? Are you ready to face up and revise your policy of truth? 

"I'm so goth, I sacked Rome!"

So I found this book the other day in the library and certainly got a good laugh out of it!

Most of the pictures are grainy and evidently "The Cure" is one of the most popular goth bands ever. And according to the fashion chapter, I'm officially a goth. The only thing I'm missing is a white, puffy poet shirt. However....

According to all the reviews, especially on www.awfullibrarybooks.net this book is a terrible non-fiction resource for the goth scene. It's more of a book to make parents feel better that their child is dressing in black. Thank goodness my parents didn't have to worry about my clothes being too short, just a little too dark. :)

But all this got me to thinking. I've had quite a few people I've met for the first time lately asking me what it's like to be a goth or "goff" in one person's case. And honestly, I don't really know, because as I said in my first post, I don't really see myself that way. I just see me as the unique person God made me to be. David tells God in Psalm 139:14

"I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well." (ESV)

I thank Him every day for all the wonderful things He has made in my world. God made in His image, so even though I dress in black with skulls and skeletons everywhere, I am still His child clothed in His salvation as Isaiah tells us in chapter 61:10:

"I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed my with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."

I was a little shocked that someone asked a friend of mine if I could tell him about paganism. I know, I know: 'That's what you should expect dressing the way to do,' is was a lot of people would say. However, since I try (try being the key word here) not to be the judging type, again I was shocked. My friend however, was very sweet and said "She may look the part on the outside, but her heart is far from anything like that." 

It made me smile to know that those around me know that I seek God, even though I dress a little weirdly at times. But there are also times that my feeling are hurt when I overhear someone say that I'm a weirdo or have a person tell me that I'm "twisted and a freak." God loves me just as much as He loves those people and so everyday, I try to love them with the love of Jesus. So it's been nice to have the following challenge offered at my church.

We are currently being challenged (Bethany's Challenge, see below) to do something on purpose and one of mine is to be on here more often, sharing how God is working in my life, even if it seems as though it's in a different sort of way. Book reviews are also going to be coming along with more recipes and Weird Wednesdays.  Thanks for hanging in there with me, even though I've let life get in the way a little lately. 

You can find more information on Bethany's Challenge at 
https://www.facebook.com/Bethanyschallenge

Hope you all have a great week!