Kittens!

http://www.gofundme.com/588le8

This Christmas I would like to get two maine coon red tabbies for my kiddos. It's a bit of a stretch for me, so I am requesting assistance from my friends, family, and following (haha, following. I don't think I blog or tweet frequently enough to have one!). However, I would appreciate any assistance given. Details provided in the link.

A little discussion on piercings and tattoos

Hey Becky. I have a most serious question for you. And also ask for your advice. What are your religious views on tattoos and piercings? I have been getting confronted a lot with people asking me how I am living a Godly life but defiling my body. I need some insight on this and you were the first person that came to mind! Thank you!

Hi Well, I can give you my answer, but the answer needs to come out of your relationship with Jesus What I mean to say is that the answer that best shuts up the "creepy religious people" is the one that comes from deep within you that you believe like crazy!
But here's what's true:

The whole defiling your body thing is a load of b.s. The only verse in the Bible that references tattoos is Leviticus 19:28 "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I [am] the LORD." This was referring to the pagan customs of the day. Egyptians were notorious for marking themselves all over, in remembrance of dead people (perhaps superstitiously hoping to bring them back? the whole preservation of mummies things shows they really believed in a next life). However, these markings again were PAGAN, for PAGAN customs. they were related to worship of other gods, etc. It is no wonder God did not want his people participating. They had just left Egypt and he is telling them not to participate in the heathen customs of Egypt. This is a new order now!

Do ya think that our tattoos are the same as Egyptian tattoos? Let's think about it. When you go get a little kitty cat, are you worshiping the kitty or trying to bring a kitty to life?

Any way... totally different. We are more into self-expression than religious superstition.

Piercings. I've done the research on this. A large majority of the time when the bible speaks of earrings it is speaking of nose rings. Isaac's Rebecca was given a nose ring in Genesis 24:22 "And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten [shekels] weight of gold;" that is the meaning of that word, and why it is singular in the King James Version.

The Old Testament Jews are often referenced as the Bride of Jehovah... They are told in Hosea that when they ran from God, they adorned themselves with jewelry (including earrings, which are defined as nose rings) before they went to their idol lovers. Now before that becomes an indictment against piercings,
Ezekiel 16:12 And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head.
That jewel on the forehead is the same word used for nose ring earrings. God himself says he will adorn his bride with a nose ring.
The word in the Hebrew is nexem by the way, if you want to look it up yourself
And I only stayed in the King James. If you look in other versions, they translate every time nexem is used to the word nose ring.
the word for actual earlobe earrings is agiyl

There is no mention of other body piercings specifically like that (that I know of). But this one is cool

Oh, I know I'm rambling, but I love this stuff. HAHA.. the earrings were heavy (shekel weight in Genesis!) They were called earrings because they pulled the nose cartilage down to look like an earlobe. The translation earring is correct. Our tiny gems today are nothing in comparison to the gaudiness of those nose pieces!! ROFL! My namesake was MEGA adorned in GOLD!

Fast forward... Revelation 14:1 "And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty [and] four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. "
Revelation 22:4 "And they shall see his face; and his name [shall be] in their foreheads."
All believers, not just the 144,000 will have His name on their foreheads. God's into inking of his own. Claiming us for his own. It's awesome. We are pierced and adorned with a ring and other assorted jewelry because we are the bride, and we are inked with his name.

Now, as to can we do it now. Like, practical, every day, OMG, are we defiling our bodies in the here and now?
Here are Paul's words:
Romans 7:6 "But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not [in] the oldness of the letter. "
Romans 8:2 "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. "
We are not under the law anymore. So EVEN if the whole Leviticus thing applied to modern day tattoos, it doesn't apply to us. We do not have to avoid markings for the dead, etc. We are FREE from the law. We serve the Spirit of Christ. That old law does not apply to us.
Those who try and stick us under that law are putting us in bondage. Paul says to stand in our liberty! We are FREE! (Gal 5:1)

I Corinthians 10:23 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.
This is the only "guideline" that Paul gives, and honestly it is an easy one. Everything is lawful. But sometimes things just are not worthy, profitable things (expedient). Somethings are not worthwhile because they tear others or myself down, "they do not edify."
Yet, even this is not a firm and fast rule. This is simply something to ask ourselves. Certainly if going into a situation we realize it is completely an unworthy, unprofitable, and unedifying thing it does give us cause to ask WHY we were doing it in the first place!!
However, I have found that my tattoos have been edification for myself and others. Talking points! They all have deep personal and/or spiritual meanings and as such spark conversations I would not have had otherwise. My nose ring is similarly a conversation piece for those who like to go deep (I got it because Rebekah of the Bible is a symbol of the Bride of Christ! I am named for her, and I am the Bride of Christ!)
Some things we do are frivolous and need no explanation. And why should we have to explain to others? Are we not all responsible to God on our own?
People also need to learn to mind their own business. ;-)

Thoughts from the dark days

Through all the doubts and fears and thoughts of betrayal still He is faithful! I can't understand why... I mean, I've had some dark days of fist shaking. I've questioned his existence. I've been angry and hateful. I've mocked and scorned and yet.... He remains. It's like no matter what I do there is this Something.. Something intangible yet very real... that wells up within me that says, "I will never leave you." What do you mean? I don't even believe in an "I" besides me today. This is contradictory to my current state of mind. Yet there is peace. And when I am hurt, in pain, frustrated, unable to make sense of it all, depressed, lower than low, there is this bubbling from Somewhere.... dare I call it Joy? What is this Joy? It is alien in these moments. It is not of myself... and yet, am I not the only one I believe in right now in my angered betrayed state? Yet there is joy. And when I am terrified, shaking, and overwhelmed with the anxieties of facing the world alone I can sense an enveloping embrace. Arms! Arms enfolding me! Someone is holding me. Who is this invisible One that dares enter into my self-pitying soliloquy. Yet there is love.
And what it all boils down to is that if I attempt to divorce myself from all that is HIM, from all that I have believed, thinking that the world will be much the same without Him as it is with Him, there is still HIM. Within me... wooing me, steadily like the gentle beating of my heart. And how my heart swells when I think of Him in this light. Perhaps I have not been betrayed after all.... perhaps I misunderstood. Perhaps I have been the betrayer of such a One as this who has always been true while I demanded explanations and while I explored other options. Perhaps if anyone deserved to doubt and rail against the hand He was dealt it was Him and yet He never did.
And still the constant love that cannot see my indiscretions; the eyes of pure love upon a faithful lover.
He cannot be denied. Jesus Christ in me. Me in Jesus Christ.

--I think back to that day when my husband asked me, Is Jesus in you now? and I could not answer. It would have been easy to deny Christ then. To take the evils of the world, the hardships of life and walk away from all that I knew, all I had been taught. There was nothing holding me. But now there is that KNOWING. I mean, it's in there. It's soo deep in there. The Holy Spirit is like HEY You!! You are MINE! And I am YOURS! The dark days always have an end because his love is so real now.

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Glorious Bride

One of the amazing themes of my life in Christ has been about his bride. I have much that I could write about that. This past Sunday was a profound addition to my bride moments. :) So, I have recently been attending a Methodist church.. yes, I have much to catch you all up on, don't I?

That can be another blog. For now, suffice it say that it surprises even me that I am there and I'm there because Jesus is leading me there. :)

In Sunday's service, near closing, the Pastor said something to the effect of the church being the bride of Christ. He was referring of course to the local aspect of the bride, being that particular church. In my head, almost audibly it was so very, very clear, came the words:

 "It's a glorious church, without spot or wrinkle."

 I paused. Tears filled my eyes and it was all I could do not to weep right there in front of all who would care to witness. Why would such words affect me in this manner? They were referencing Ephesians 5:27, "That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." A verse that I have known well, a verse that I was raised believing that it applied only to the Baptist church. A verse that I have learned (again referencing many of my bride moments through the years) applies much more broadly to the church at large, to all the saved who have ever been, to the Old Testament saints, to ME. Why should I be crying at the thought of this church, this particular church being a church like this? Why?

Because the Holy Spirit touched a nerve. He touched a deep nerve. He found a place that I have been mocking, a place where I have still felt myself to be better than others. He found that I have been standing apart from a group of Christians and saying of them, "You are caught up in liturgy, traditions, and religion, you are not worthy to fellowship with me. I am above you." I who have received grace, who understand freedom and liberty am better.  

I who have felt deep pain because others have judged me... I turned my condemning eye on a group of Christians simply because of their label.

And what does that make of me? Just as guilty of being religious. Turning my grace and identity into a religion. And Jesus says, this is my bride. They too are accepted in the beloved. They too are perfect, loved, and righteous. His eyes are not focused entirely upon the religious trappings but upon their heart before him.

 And I silently cried realizing that IDENTITY is not affected by ACTIONS. The bride is the bride. And in this case, I have seen a church of people who are hungering for growth, a leader who is seeking the lost of his community, youth who have been involved in world missions, young adults who want to build real relationships, and worship that was Spirit filled. I felt a wall crumbling. A wall that I had built between myself and God's people.

I remembered the way I have mocked a dear friend who is working to become a Methodist minister and I wish to beg his forgiveness. I wish to ask forgiveness from many people that I have unknowingly offended. I was blind to this aspect.

I am still me with the same passions and the same heart to free those who are missing relationship with Jesus because they are focused upon the trappings of religion. But I am realizing that I can find people who are free and people who are in bonds everywhere irregardless to labels and denominations. Even those who believe they are free still find bits of chains for the Spirit to remove here and there. I know that I feel freer today than I did a few days ago. Freer to love and serve in capacities that I thought were closed to me.

My desire ~ What I want

What do I want? I desire to be that person who is embraced and ravished by the sun rather than irritated by it's scorching presence. I want to be the one who stretches out her arms and invites the gentle rain to saturate her entire being rather than muttering course words as each water droplet leaves it's mark. Storms? What are they but an accompaniment to my heart's pounding soliloquy? Wind is but the blowing of my soul pulling me to the next destination in my journey. "No grievance with the day" would be the motto here. Yes, even wintry blizzards in their harsh extremes would stir the upward motion of my lips into the greatest of delighted looks. Do I mean Content? Is that enough? Merely content? Not I! To content, add thankful, grateful, happy, blessed! And seeking still beyond for life abundant, life so free. Freedom to laugh in the face of fate whatever that might be simply for enjoyment and pleasure. Yes, That is what I desire. To taste everything, and to share it. To share it with all who do not know how. To the one who cowers from the sun, to the one who shrinks from the rain, to the one who fears the storm and shivers in the blizzards, to YOU, I wish to share my freedom and joy and gratefulness in life. This I desire. Passion... yes, passion too. Passion for HIM, for the reason for my existence. And I share his passion, to set captives free. Freedom is my passion. Freedom above all else. It is for these freed ones who do not know they are free that I am so emblazoned. Yes! Galatians 5:1 is my cry and I feel it deeply. I see the chains as if they were real, I hear the clinking. The yoke of bondage of which Paul speaks has a hold of so many, so many. And it is then that I allow myself to grieve. It is then that I weep. I, the one who is content, thankful, happy, blessed, free, who is ever longing to be at utter abandon at my Lover's feet and not concerned with the doubts and worries of life, WEEP. It is then that I realize that I my path is not one of flippant disregard of all things.. it is a path of deepest regard. There are those who may not think so (Even I, myself, have not thought so!), but I care more deeply than most. I love more deeply. I share His heart. For in enjoying creation I have developed a love for it. A love for his people. Freedom brings with it a price, a price of being willing to lay down one's life to give it to others. Ahhh, that word... surrender... it again finds me. And here I am with the striking awareness that my future will not be exactly as I thought. It will not be exactly as others thought. It will not necessarily be easy, and it will not always be pretty. It will be my hearts desire, it will be my passion, and that is what matters above all. It will be following that inner voice whom I love more dearly than anything in the world, and He is above all voices. And I am fairly sure that it will be the hardest thing I've ever done. Yes. I will be my own worst enemy in this. And I can already number my enemies before I begin. I am scared. But I can count my supporters. And I know what I desire. I know who I desire to be. And I know WHOM I desire. What else matters? When it comes down to it, I have a choice and I can choose anything. I AM FREE! But which choice will bring me closer to the woman I wish to see in the mirror at the end of the day? Ahh, this is the question. And so I am excited. An adventure awaits. How it will be accomplished, I do not know. It is a journey and I will be swept along in this chapter just as the last!

Loved with an amazing love

In constant flux.. ever changing, growing, becoming, discovering. Fearless! Yet filled with trepidation. Anticipating! Yet hanging back in the shadows doubting... The voices in my head fighting for attention, "Go this way and that way!", pointing their fingers and shaking them when they disapprove. Smiling and nodding when they are proud. And then there is Your voice and it is STUNNING. I am locked in your gaze. I can't believe your words, or can I? They come when I most need them as you say that I am PERFECT and beautiful. And exactly as you DESIRE me to be. You breathe the words in a way that I cannot deny them even if I try.... fear fades away. The doubt fades away. In those moments I am as one chained, enslaved to you, your words mean all and all others pale in comparison. I am loved and that is all that matters! Then glancing at my feet I realize I am still as free as I always was. One look into your loving eyes confirms it. WOW. What is a girl to do when lavished with such love and trust? Fly, that's what! Fly back out and conquer it all with his words propelling me onward!