Singing

Singing is very different than talking. I, for one, love to sing at the top of my lungs. Many songs that I sing, which are not hymns, I have found have spiritual qualities. For instance, I love to sing along with U2 and Pink Floyd. Both of these artists point out the failures of man, and the needs of others, as well as the need of something more than materialism. I love to sing in church as well, and every time that I sing, I feel uplifted and closer to God. Song does put us on level ground with one another. Many people use song to express themselves. My husband can usually tell what kind of mood I am in by the music that is playing on the radio. He doesn’t even have to lay eyes on me to be able to tell. When I am down, I listen to uplifting music to pick myself back up.

Beautiful Day

U2

The heart is a bloom
Shoots up through the stony ground
There's no room
No space to rent in this town

You're out of luck
And the reason that you had to care
The traffic is stuck
And you're not moving anywhere

You thought you'd found a friend
To take you out of this place
Someone you could lend a hand
In return for grace

It's a beautiful day
Sky falls, you feel like
It's a beautiful day
Don't let it get away

You're on the road
But you've got no destination
You're in the mud
In the maze of her imagination

You love this town
Even if that doesn't ring true
You've been all over
And it's been all over you

It's a beautiful day
Don't let it get away
It's a beautiful day

Touch me
Take me to that other place
Teach me
I know I'm not a hopeless case

See the world in green and blue
See China right in front of you
See the canyons broken by cloud
See the tuna fleets clearing the sea out
See the Bedouin fires at night
See the oil fields at first light
And see the bird with a leaf in her mouth
After the flood all the colors came out

It was a beautiful day
Don't let it get away
Beautiful day

Touch me
Take me to that other place
Reach me
I know I'm not a hopeless case

What you don't have you don't need it now
What you don't know you can feel it somehow
What you don't have you don't need it now
Don't need it now
Was a beautiful day

A Psalm for giving thanks. Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Psalm 100:1-2 

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16

Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, Ephesians 5:19

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! Psalm 95:1-2

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. James 5:13

Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Psalm 150:1-6

Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting. Psalm 147:1

What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. 1 Corinthians 14:15

I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me. Psalm 13:6

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, Acts 16:25

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Psalm 95:1

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:17

My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day. Psalm 71:8

Saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” Hebrews 2:12

Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Hebrews 13:15

And in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.” Romans 15:9

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Mark 14:26

I will sing a new song to you, O God; upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you, Psalm 144:9

Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying, I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea. Exodus 15:1

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. John 4:23-24

Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. Psalm 33:3

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Matthew 26:30

David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim. And they carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart, with the ark of God, and Ahio went before the ark. And David and all the house of Israel were making merry before the Lord, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. 2 Samuel 6:1-23

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A Song. God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered; and those who hate him shall flee before him! As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away; as wax melts before fire, so the wicked shall perish before God! But the righteous shall be glad; they shall exult before God; they shall be jubilant with joy! Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the Lord; exult before him! Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. Psalm 68:1-35

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. John 4:23 

God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. John 4:24

By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. On the willows there we hung up our lyres. For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” How shall we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill! Psalm 137:1-9

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth. He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Psalm 47:1-9

Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! Psalm 105:2

The Children Are Innocent

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” (NIV Matthew 7:15-20)

I wonder, today, how Fred Phelps, an American pastor heading the Westboro Baptist Church, an independent Baptist church based in Topeka, Kansas, must feel. He has preached his hate speeches over and over again and his church has picketed many, many funerals. The Westboro Baptist Church has planned to picket the funerals of the children, who lost their lives to the gunman at the Sandy Hook school. Phelps claimed that the children's lives were taken because Connecticut has legalized gay marriage. The website boasts, "The dead children of Sandy Hook Elementary are better off dead than to continue being raised for such great wrath and destruction as you have brought to this land. There is no hope for any child of this nation outside of Westboro Baptist Church. You have a duty to teach your children to fear God or else leave them to desolation, darkness and destruction."

What you will not read about when reading releases from the Westboro Baptist Church is the shooting that took the lives of two law abiding police officers, Corporal David Gogian and Jeff Atherly, who lost their lives in an attempt to prevent an possible massacre at a local grocery store in Phelps own home town of Topeka, Kansas. So I ask, Mr. Phelps, what are the citizens of Topeka being punished for? Is it the hate speeches that spew from your own mouth, the likes of which lead to more violence and more hate? What wrong did the innocent officers and innocent families of the officers who died commit? Why did God see it fit to punish these two men?

I do not understand the logic of attacking victims of violent crimes and saying they deserve to be victims due to the actions of others. Innocent children do not have the right to vote; and though the lives of twenty children in the Sandy Hook school were taken, each and every child in that school and that community have been victimized. What did Jesus teach us about children? Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (NIV Matthew 19:14)

The Jesus I follow is the Jesus that teaches love and compassion. He does not condone the killing of the innocent for any reason. Apparently, the Jesus I follow is not the Jesus that Phelps follows. The only conclusion is that they are two separate beings. What I find the most perplexing about Phelps’ teachings is that he is a former Civil Rights activist.

Today, Americans are coming together to have Fred Phelps and his followers recognized as what they are, a hate group. A petition has been initiated and signed by 132,167 Americans as of yet. I had checked the site just a little less than an hour ago, and the petition had only 127,303 signatures. Other Americans have joined the group, Anonymous, which has sent out the following video publicly (I am not associated with Anonymous in any way):

Unfortunately, Fred Phelps is not the only pastor who is preaching hate-filled messages to evangelical congregations. Another pastor spewing hate is Sam Morris, of Old Paths Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Tennessee. Although the Old Paths website claims, “We believe in the separation of the church and its members from worldliness, apostasy, heresy, or any questionable habits that would tarnish our Christian testimony or bring reproach to the name of Christ,” Morris complained about the call for tough gun control laws [italics are mine]. He went on to state that “I guarantee you there’s at least six or seven guns in this place [Old Paths Baptist Church] right now. Amen.”

Amen? To be a Christian is to follow the law of Christ, not to pick and choose which law you choose to follow. What need does a pastor have to facilitate the possession of a firearm? Did Jesus not teach us to turn the other cheek? Had I been sitting in the pews when so much hate was being bellowed through the air, I would have committed myself to never walk in the doors of the Old Paths Baptist Church, Fayetteville, Tennessee again.

So, Morris, how do you view arming yourself against the brothers and sisters Jesus teaches us to love? What do you think Jesus would say had he heard you spouting so much hate in the church? I do not see what need an evangelical pastor has in owning a firearm to protect himself from both Christians and non-Christians alike. There is no need for a pastor to even hunt for food, as food is widely available and far cheaper than hunting licenses; and the needs of the family of the pastor are met by the tithe given by parishioners  Where is your faith, Morris? My Christ and Morris’ Christ must be two different entities, which is the only explanation I have been able to find for our differing opinions on owning firearms.

I am not against owning firearms on the whole; for had it not been for my father’s guns, my siblings and I would have often gone without meat growing up. I am against having military grade automatic and semi-automatic weapons when you are not in the military. No one needs to agree with my opinion, as it is mine alone, and I have the right to my opinion as well as voice that opinion.

My Christ teaches us to love, not hate. My Jesus taught us, “For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” (NIV 1 John 3:11-16)

Morris’ sermon included, “that authorities should take the body of the suspected shooter, ‘and string him up in public and set his body on fire and leave it out there to let the birds pick his bones.’” This is hate. “Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer,” Jesus taught us. To say that this man’s family should have to suffer even more than they already are due to not only his actions, but also the loss of him, his mother, and the people he killed on Friday is hate. Did Morris forget that the shooter was human? Did he forget that the families that are in turmoil are already suffering? Did he forget that Jesus loved all men, women, and children, especially those marginalized due to their differences including mental illness? I could never imagine how it feels to be the parent of the children and adults that lost their lives and to hear that I am being blamed for someone stealing the life of my loved one away. Does Morris even understand the meaning of the word ‘respect?’

I do not and cannot believe that my Jesus would call for the death of innocent children due to what is taught in the school. Morris believes, “the number of mass shooting were escalating because of schools were government ‘mind-control centers’ that taught ‘junk about evolution’ and ‘how to be a homo… And I want to tell you what evolution teaches - here’s the bottom line - that you’re an animal. That’s what it teaches. So, you’re an animal, you can act like an animal. Amen.’”

Amen? What do small children, the eldest being seven years of age, have to do with what is being taught in their schools. They are not the ones who passed laws, nor are they the ones that have mandated what is to be and is not to be taught in the schools they attend. For a matter of fact, it is the teachers’ responsibilities to teach what they are required to teach in the school. It is the parents’ responsibilities to teach what they want their children to believe and not believe out of the school. There is no crime or sin that calls for the death of innocent children and adults.

The website for Old Paths Baptist Church, Fayetteville, Tennessee goes on to say, “All of our teachings come from the King James Bible. This way we know that we will have unity in doctrine and spirit. Because our doctrine comes straight from God, we do not apologize for our beliefs and standards. Whenever a person gets offended at Bible preaching it is because of a spiritual problem on the part of that person.” Well, I am offended by the beliefs and standards of this church if they do not teach love and acceptance, as Christ has taught us to do. If that means I have a spiritual problem on the part of myself, then so be it. I say; I do not remember reading doctrine that condones the murder of an innocent child in Christ’s teachings.

I do find that the children will be punished for the sins of the father. However, even Exodus 20:5, Exodus 34:6-7, Deuteronomy 5:9, and 1 Corinthians 15:22, that calls for the sins of the father being put on the child, scripture does not mention the death of the child due to the father’s actions. The Bible does cover the death of children according to their fathers’ sins in the following manner: "Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin.” (Deuteronomy 24:16) “The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.” (Ezekiel 18:20)

I Desire Mercy, Not Sacrifice

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. (NIV Genesis 2:2-3)

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (Exodus 20:8-11)

The sabbath is defined as “a day of religious observance and abstinence from work.” It is the fourth commandment handed down to Christians and Jews by their common creator. It is a rule that many of Christians forget to follow on a weekly basis.

Many Christians see the sabbath as Sunday, but they are truly mistaken. We worship on Sunday because in worship we are celebrating our life and birth. We are celebrating the birth of the universe. Look very closely to the word Sun-day.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. (NIV Genesis 1:1-5)

Therefore, the sabbath would actually be on Saturday, as Sunday is the day that the Sun was created. Some faiths, including Christian faiths, do worship on Saturday. In their way of worship, they are keeping the day Holy. In Judaism, the sabbath is a sacred day, which they do not work, nor do they drive on Saturday. Many Catholic churches also worship on the sabbath, for that is when they often hold evening mass.

I do believe that there are many American Christians that overlook the "Keep it holy" part of our fourth commandment. Many Christians spend the wee hours of their Saturday mornings and late Saturday evenings partying it up. I have seen these same Christians in church, looking worse for wear, and fighting major headaches due to hangovers on Sunday mornings. This is the type of hypocrisy in Christian Americans that many critics of Christianity speak of.

As Christians, though, do we rest on the sabbath? Not always. Now there are certain professions where it is not possible to rest on each and every Saturday. These professions are law enforcement agencies, medical professions, and other similar civil service agencies. But in those professions, though the person is not resting, are they keeping the day Holy?

I am convinced that sacrificing your day of rest to be one of the body is Holy. If we sacrifice our day of rest to ensure the safety and welfare of others, are we not being the Lord's hands and feet in the world?

With that being said, I have seen many, many changes for American Christians in my lifetime. As a child there was one store in town that was open on Sundays, and most others were closed for the majority of the day on Saturdays. There were no restaurants opened on Sunday, and going downtown on Sunday meant walking through a ghost town. Today, most business excluding offices and such are opened on both Saturday and Sunday. Due to the economy, many Christians must work on the sabbath, as they need to on Sunday as well. However, I am not convinced that they are breaking God's law. Again, to sacrifice your day of rest in order to ensure the welfare and safety of others is a Christian act.

Jesus has taught us that one who has sacrificed for the sake of another is still keeping the sabbath.

At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”

He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”

He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12:1-12)

Do you believe that working for income on a Saturday and Sunday is keeping the sabbath? I do. I feel that a person who does such in order to provide food, shelter, and clothing to their families. I feel that the economy makes working on the sabbath necessary. We need to remember, as Christians, that the Bible was written for a different time and circumstances. Keeping the sabbath does not come before caring for your brothers and sisters, whether they be family or strangers.