Unveiling my Greatest Adversary

The Christian life is a constant struggle. A friend of mine once gave me the analogy of a towering hill. At the bottom lies utter darkness, but at the top is heavenly holiness. I am just another one of those Christians that keeps going farther down under my own strength. Every transgression I commit sends me tumbling further down the hill, but only through Christ, can I inch my way upward. There are many foes along the way that will do anything and everything to throw me down. There are two possible responses to these foes. David and the Israelites provide an excellent example of each.

David sees his enemies and responds with praise and exultation! He sees God's hand and fears his Creator rather than the creation. ...God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. (Psalm 46 ESV)

The Israelites were terrified when the Egyptians could be seen chasing them near the red sea. But instead of fearing God, who has just worked a miraculous deliverance, they groaned and complained to God about their preferred death sentence. They essentially blamed God for giving Moses the mission of bringing them out of their Egyptian paradise.

"they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? (Exodus 14:13-14 ESV)

When enemies come up against me, I have two choices: either I respond in faith, or I melt in fear.

Yet, there is one enemy which is most formidable indeed. The last couple months has brought it's ferocity into the limelight for any to see and experience.

Is it the devil??

The Bible doesn't give us a plethora of devil facts, but it does give me enough to understand how to avoid this dangerous foe. Satan or a synonym of the devil has over 109 scriptural instances. The number is estimated because it excludes the less common devil synonyms such as dragon, beast, or serpent that appear throughout scripture. Only twenty-three of the 109 instances occur in the old testament.

The devil is introduced to us back in the garden of Eden. He is depicted as a crafty serpent who plants doubt in their minds, and pressures Adam and Eve to give into their lust for power by becoming "like God". (Genesis 3:5 ESV) The next time the devil or Satan is mentioned comes in 1 Chronicles: 21:1. This is the time when the Bible tells us explicitly that "Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel". Only two more books in the Old Testament explicitly mention the devil again. These are the books of Job and Zechariah.

The Job account is very familiar. It is where I learn that satan cannot do anything without the Lord first giving him permission. Satan went back to God twice before he could take away his family, servants, possessions and finally his health. But God wouldn't allow satan to take Job's life. (Job 1 and 2)

The last old testament account is in Zechariah. This account is not as easily understood but appears to be a vision Zechariah saw in the night. Satan is depicted standing at the right hand of Joshua poised with an accusation against him. (Zechariah 3:1-2)

There are a couple more examples, such as the devil inciting Judas, but very few examples exist within scripture explicitly mentioning the devil tempting someone to sin. If the Bible is fully sufficient to govern the totality of life, I would think God would make my greatest enemy more prominent throughout scripture. Therefore, I have concluded that although the evil can be quite influential and powerful, he is not my greatest enemy on this earth.

Is it money??

What besides the devil hinders my pursuit after righteousness? What about the love of money?

Money certainly can be an obstacle. The bible calls "the love of money" as being the root of all kinds of evil. 1 Timothy 6:10 But what effect can money actually have on people? The effect can be everlasting! I remember Jesus and his famous quote from Mark 10:25 ESV "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God."

It seems that loving money above God is certainly a big temptation. Jesus also talks about the impossibility of serving two masters.“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. (Matthew 6:24 ESV)

When it comes to money, either I will love and adore God and pursue His righteousness, or I will love and adore that which is earthly - money. In the preceding four verses of the first referenced passage, 1 Timothy 6:10, best explains the essence behind this potential money problem.

Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. 
(1 Timothy 6:6-10)

I came out of my mother's womb with nothing and I will go down to the grave with nothing. Recently, I read through Ecclesiastes and learned about all the vain things on this earth. Yet, Solomon concludes Ecclesiastes with two things that are not vain.

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. (Ecclesiastes 12:13 ESV)

What about the flesh??

Did evil come into the world because of satan or money? I don't think so. I think Genesis instead speaks a different message. I think sin came into the world through man's lust for power and control. Yes, the devil was present and pressured the man and woman to give into this lust, but in the end it came down to the choice of man. The question became, would man seek his own autonomy or willingly submit to his Head?

I think my greatest enemy on this earth is my depraved will that always wants more control and more knowledge not for the purpose of glorifying God, but for the purpose of glorifying myself. It is this will that must conform to the commandments of God.

If my flesh is my greatest enemy, then I must know the standard by which I ought to seek His kingdom and His righteousness.

There is an old adage. "If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there." In order to seek Godly manhood in a world where shining examples are severely lacking, I must know from God's word the purpose of man and his role in the kingdom of God. This purpose, I think, is also found in Genesis before the fall of man.

I would like to explore this in an upcoming blog post... Til then, ta ta for now!

"Divided the Movie" Watch it today until September!

Divided The Movie

The release of this very well researched documentary is worth a quick blog post. This documentary answers many questions such as the following:

• Has traditional youth ministry reunited or divided churches?
• What is the history behind youth ministry?
• What is the biblical prescription for youth ministry?
• What should be the role of parents and youth ministers in the life of teens?

It features speakers such as Ken Ham from Answers in Genesis, R.C. Sproul Jr, Voddie Buchham pastor of Grace Family Baptist Church, Doug Phillips of Vision Forum, Kevin Swanson pastor of Reformation Orthodox Presbyterian Church and founder of Generations Radio, Scott Brown director of National Center for Family Integrated Churches and numerous youth pastors and youth leaders across the country. I highly recommend it!

It is from the perspective of a young man seeking answers as to why so many of his peers have left the church and abandoned their faith. I hope you enjoy it, and please comment below after watching it. :)

Remember, it is only available to watch for free until September, 2011!

Note: Click on this button to enable full screen viewing.

If you are having trouble watching the video on this blog, you can also watch it on Vimeo here.

Have a great day, and don't forget to leave a comment below.

Seth

Godly masculinity update!

After a move, a rush to get the semester school done, and numerous family activities, I am now getting back to blogging. The direction of the next blog post will be, what I think, is my greatest enemy as I strive to imitate Christ and His holiness.  It will be written from my perspective and will include the struggles of Godly men throughout bible times.

Hint: This adversary is an extremely formidable foe. It came upon Adam before he allowed Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, it came upon Samson before he seriously compromised his nazarite vow, David before he committed the despicable with Bathsheba, and Solomon before he was drawn astray by his many foreign wives. Its inanimate nature expresses itself quite animately in my life everyday.

An extensive biblical analysis on my greatest enemy is coming up next...

Genesis 1-3 Femininity and Masculinity

I recently have been challenged by a couple good friends of mine to defend biblical femininity as commanded by God in his Word.

As I go through this biblical analysis I want to say that my position on biblical femininity has changed over the past few years. I would have aligned more with feminist teaching but God has since reformed my position.

I would like to first state my presuppositions:

1. I believe that God's word (both OT and NT) is fully sufficient to govern the totality of life.
2. I believe that God's word is inerrant.
3. I believe that God is sovereign, immutable, and eternally faithful.

If we can't agree with these three presuppositions, than this analysis will be of little value.

Genesis 1:26-28

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

The first few things to notice are the whole purpose of man and woman in God’s creation. This has been called the dominion mandate and explains that man is superior to all the other creation because he is made in God’s image. It also is the first command to propagate even before God created man or woman.

Genesis 2:16-17

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

God established the first moral law with clear consequences for disobedience. This command was given exclusively to Adam before The woman was formed. I will explain later why this is significant.

Genesis 2:18-25

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature,that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field.

But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said,

“This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of Man.”

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

Many things can be noted about this passage of scripture regarding biblical femininity. This is the first time God was dissatisfied with His creation. Everything else was good or, in the case of mankind, very good. However, God knew man was not complete without woman. Another important feature is that woman was made from man. Thus, the two together form one complete being or one flesh.

Isn't is amazing that man broke into song when he saw his beautiful bride? This was, however, before the fall and before standards of modesty were necessary. This is because nakedness was shameless even glorious. God’s creation was the epitome of perfection.

If this were the end of the story then we would not need to study biblical femininity. Sadly, it is not.

Genesis 3:1-7

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’”

But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

I mentioned earlier that God commanded Adam and not the woman regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This is important because it shows that there was a communication gap between Adam and the woman. Notice the woman’s words and compare it to the command given to Adam.

The woman allowed Satan to sow seeds of doubt and dissatisfaction in her heart. She added “neither shall you touch it” which was not included within the command. And where was Adam during this discourse that would change the course of humanity? God tells us that he “was with her”. Wow!

Genesis 3:8-10

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

We also need to notice that after the fall, shame came along with the sin tainted creation. Adam and the woman were still together as before but now nakedness was shameful. This is the first principle behind the necessity of modesty for both sexes.

The second thing about these few verses is the call by God. Whom did he call? If God knew that the woman had sinned first, since He is omniscient, why didn’t He call her? Or did Adam sin first? The reason is because Adam was supposed to be her spiritual and physical protector and was ultimately responsible for her fall and his failure to protect her from satan. (This conclusion is not clear here but later is proven from other passages) We all know what happens next…

The curse:

Genesis 3:16-19

To the woman he said,

“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”

And to Adam he said,

“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree

of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

The curse on the woman and the curse on the man drastically changed the relationship between men and women. Now, women will have a strong desire for their husband and to be married.

Second, God proclaimed a curse on both men and women that would greatly increase pain and suffering fulfilling their dominion purpose.

Third, as Ephesians echoes, the husband is the head of the wife. The other thing to notice is how God introduces the curse on men. “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife…” It is clear that Adam was supposed to be her spiritual protector but instead listened and also ate the forbidden fruit.

I think it is important to take inventory of what we have gleaned from Genesis regarding biblical femininity.

1. God created man and woman to have dominion over the created order

2. God created and designed men and women for the very purpose of propagation

3. Woman was created from man and to be a helper for man

4. God designed men to be incomplete and lonely without woman

5. Modesty standards were not applicable and purposeless before the fall

6. Woman was deceived first but God went straight to the man

7. Women will strongly desire their husband and he is ruler over her

8. The curse on woman greatly increased pain fulfilling her dominion purpose

9. God emphasized man’s irresponsibility and pathetic protection over his wife

10. God Himself introduced modesty through the act of clothing the man and woman

If God had only given us the first three chapters of Genesis, we shouldn’t have any problem understanding biblical femininity and masculinity. However, God chose to provide us with additional examples of Godly and ungodly image bearers throughout scripture.

By measuring these examples with God’s purposes for creating men and women, we can ascertain which examples exhibit true biblical femininity and masculinity.

An Inspiring Psalm

Psalm 18

I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.

4 The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of destruction assailed me;
5 the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.

6 In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.

7 Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
8 Smoke went up from his nostrils, [2]
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
9 He bowed the heavens and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
10 He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,
thick clouds dark with water.
12 Out of the brightness before him
hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.

13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice,
hailstones and coals of fire.
14 And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
15 Then the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O Lord,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

16 He sent from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of many waters.
17 He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out into a broad place;
he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

20 The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all his rules were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
23 I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from my guilt.
24 So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

25 With the merciful you show yourself merciful;
with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
26 with the purified you show yourself pure;
and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
27 For you save a humble people,
but the haughty eyes you bring down.
28 For it is you who light my lamp;
the Lord my God lightens my darkness.
29 For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
30 This God—his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

31 For who is God, but the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?—
32 the God who equipped me with strength
and made my way blameless.
33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer
and set me secure on the heights.
34 He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand supported me,
and your gentleness made me great.
36 You gave a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip.
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them,
and did not turn back till they were consumed.
38 I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise;
they fell under my feet.
39 For you equipped me with strength for the battle;
you made those who rise against me sink under me.
40 You made my enemies turn their backs to me,
and those who hated me I destroyed.
41 They cried for help, but there was none to save;
they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
42 I beat them fine as dust before the wind;
I cast them out like the mire of the streets.

43 You delivered me from strife with the people;
you made me the head of the nations;
people whom I had not known served me.
44 As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;
foreigners came cringing to me.
45 Foreigners lost heart
and came trembling out of their fortresses.

46 The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,
and exalted be the God of my salvation—
47 the God who gave me vengeance
and subdued peoples under me,
48 who delivered me from my enemies;
yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me;
you rescued me from the man of violence.

49 For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations,
and sing to your name.
50 Great salvation he brings to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
to David and his offspring forever.

Finding Joy among the Unexpected

If you will forgive me. This is the second post about our trip to Michigan almost 2 months ago!

I want to begin by thanking my wonderful Mother and amazing sister, Kayla, for their tremendous cheerfulness and forbearance modeled this 23rd of June 2010.

After a delicious feast and a sad farewell, we left Lansing, Michigan very near 1 p.m. Glancing at the gas tank, we decided to begin with a full tank. While at the station, I also performed a quick fluid and tire checkup and made sure "Old Charley" was in tip top shape!

The next couple hours was spent reading Prince Caspian to Kayla, substantial discourse, and finishing up a message by Paul Washer entitled The Glory of God in Ministering to the Lord.

Some discussion topics included:

•  The state of the Union
•  The battle for the sanctity of life and marriage
•  The growing neglect of the Bible as sufficient for all life
•  Biblical parenthood responsibilities
•  Time management
•  Cultivating biblical manhood and womanhood
•  Avoiding common snares that distract Godly growth
•  Responsibilities and qualities of Godly Husbands and Wives
•  Finding biblical life direction among cultural lies

What fun! :)

Granted, not all of these topics were covered in the first couple hours. Many happened later.

Later that afternoon I called an upright man who has been my prayer partner and mentor for almost a year now. I was driving at the time and noticed a guy in a grey suburban yelling at us. I didn't know what he was saying. My first thought was that he was just another one of those "crazy Michigan" drivers. Then, Mom exclaimed that we had taken a wrong turn. I quickly hung up with Floyd and attempted to relocate my senses.

The situation was pretty funny in hindsight. This guy was still yelling at us, mom was telling me that we had made a wrong turn, and I was surrounded by traffic. Kayla somehow remained calm for some unknown reason. God bless her.

I sped up and passed the guy in the suburban with the passenger window open. Seeing us, he again yells at us, this time we understood clearly. "You have a flat tire!!"

If I wasn't startled before, I was very frightened now. From the time I talked to Floyd, we had driven at least a couple miles. I have seen tire debris littering highways before and I knew that traveling at interstate speeds should transform our tire into an expensive mess! I tried to remain as calm as possible and quickly stopped by the roadside.

If you have read previous posts, you would know that I have had extensive experience changing one tire in particular. After turning the hazards on, we hurried to survey the damage with a distraught heart. Seeing the tire, I could hardly believe my eyes! It was indeed flat, but the tread was still there and appeared to be unscathed.

Being the good mother that she is, Mom was frightened for my safety because the tire was on the side with oncoming traffic. I pulled over a little more in the ditch and consoled her that I had done this before. With traffic blazing past, we extracted the donut and I proceeded with the process.

In the past, I had trouble with the car jack, but this time it performed beautifully. I got the car all jacked up and had about half the bolts taken off when another motorist kindly stopped and offered some assistance. With two, it was done very quickly and probably helped alleviate mother's fears.

After the donut was on and the flat tire stowed in the trunk, we had a consultation concerning our situation. I had purchased the tires with a warranty at Big O in Nebraska and according to my Blackberry, the closest location was an hours drive in Indiana. We concluded that a free repair was the best option.

It was time to get back on the road! Only, we stayed in the right lane and barely traveled the minimum speed. At this rate, we wouldn't be going anywhere quickly. We soon stopped for a restroom break and to switch drivers because we were now exclusively following the directions to Big O on my blackberry. Mom hasn't quite been sold on the whole "smart phone" technology and would rather I operate the device. :)


As we poked along, Mom, in her wisdom, made a brilliant suggestion! It was based upon the tried and true cost/benefit analysis. Gasoline cost alone would be at least $25 by the time we got there and returned back to our original route. The time lost would be more than two hours. Why not find a local tire shop and at least get a diagnosis before adding two hours to the trip? I didn't right away see the wisdom, but then realized that Mom had a great point.

About that time, we were passing through Schoolcraft, MI. It was a nice little town with a population of 8,220.



View Larger Map

Again, I utilized the power of the "smart phone" and quickly located the nearest tire repair shop. In God's providence, Schoolcraft just happened to have such a place. After we exited the vehicle at Mark's Towing and Tires, I explained the story at the front desk and was assured someone would perform a diagnosis within fifteen minutes.

While we waited outside on a picnic table, Mom and I considered the maximum price we would be willing to pay before a trip to Big O Tires in Mishawaka, IN would be justified. We determined that $30 was about the limit. After praying to our Father in heaven for His guidance and protection, a young man came up to us and introduced himself. I procured our suspect tire and watched his thorough examination.

I can picture it in my mind now. That gentlemen was very precise and sprayed multiple times around the circumference of the tire with a spray bottle. He then carefully scrutinized every inch of the tire for signs of leakage but finally announced that a leak was not found. Strange... I retold our story with a little more background information about that tire. I was very hesitant to continue on our journey without more assurance the tire was in perfectly running order. So, he offered to remount the tire on the rim, replace the tire stem and extension.

With all that work done, I was beginning to doubt it could be accomplished within our budget. Including labor, the price at a major tire dealer should easily exceed $20. Imagine my shock when he quoted a price of only $12 for everything! Just another way God carefully provides for His children.

Fascinated, I watched as his dexterous hands unmounted, sanded the rim, and remounted the tire on the rim. It was during this process that we discovered the reason for the leak. I had previously installed metal, tire, stem extensions and this particular one had a rusted valve partway open.

The mechanic reasoned that when I checked my tires back in Lansing I had mistakenly left the valve barely open. For the next few hours, the tire had slowly leaked air until it consummated into our little episode.

With the answer finally within our grasp, we prepared to get back on the road. The nice gentleman cordially offered to install our tire again and didn't hesitate assisting us with placing the donut back in the trunk. After a warm handshake, mom paid our bill and we were off again!

Considering the adventures we already experienced, I couldn't wait to find out what God had in store for us the rest of the day! It wouldn't be long before I was given my answer...

The trip itinerary was as follows:

- Drive from Lansing to Marengo, Illinois (5 hours and 8 minutes)
- Stay the night in Marengo
- Drive the rest of the way home on Thursday (8 hours and 19 minutes)

Doing some quick calculations we originally estimated we would arrive in Marengo around 6:30 p.m. After our adventures it was now already past three in the afternoon. The new ETA was about 7:00 p.m.

With renewed vigor, we continued the journey. Next stop, Marengo, Illinois!

Mom took the wheel for awhile as we prepared to enter the windy city. I don't say prepare lightly either. With what God had planned, we needed all the preparation time we could get!

The next hour or so went by fairly quickly. Kayla and I slept for a little while and Mom faithfully drove. I was awakened again when mom announced a toll was up ahead. Being it was my job to find the necessary coins, I  quickly awoke to my surroundings.

Up ahead was the toll way with a large sign that read "Chicago Skyway". It was cause for groaning. From past experience, I knew that Chicago valued their visitors highly and rewarded them with heavy toll roads around the city. One has to be an map extraordinare or know Chicago, like the back of their hand, before there is any hope avoiding the toll ways.

Since neither description fits us, we sighed deeply and watched as our lunch money dwindled... The clouds around us looked mighty ominous. The thunderheads towered above the Chicago skyscrapers. It was an impressive sight! I wish I had captured it with my camera, but there wasn't any stopping. Traffic around Chicago is not light to say the least.

I queried a radar map on my blackberry and found out a massive storm was coming straight for us! As the rain began slowly at first and then came in a downpour we knew God was testing our patience and trust in Him. It reduced visibility drastically and my wind shield wipers struggled clearing the windshield. It was about this time that I called Benjamin (the professional weatherman) and inquired about the storm. He and his family were at prayer meeting but assured me (through his mother) that he had looked at the storm on radar and wasn't in the least concerned.

Again, I must say how I admired Kayla's faith and fearlessness. She didn't panic, but calmly prayed for God's protection in the midst of the chaos. We all remained relatively calm and our spirits remained high as mom battled the rain. The lightning around us was truly majestic. I would see lightning bolts less than a mile away strike the ground and then hear the thunderous response.

As the rain descended, the on and off ramps on the interstate began to funnel water to their base causing flooding along the interstate and especially in the viaducts. Passing exits became steadily more risky and the water level continued to rise even more. Finally, after moving at a maximum speed of 25 mph. for at least an hour we came to a dead halt.

For the next hour and a half we inched along less than 500 feet! This is not a 'normal' Chicago traffic jam in our experience. After about half an hour discussing the situation and contacting our destination, I decided that walking would be faster. After exiting, people probably thought I was nuts, but I walked for about a 1/4 mile and found the cause of the traffic jam.

I conversed with a couple city officials and discovered that three vehicles had ridiculously attempted plowing through three foot of water and had gotten stuck thus impeding traffic. Their plan was to redirect traffic the opposite direction. I was dismayed for two reasons.

1. I didn't particularly relish driving in Chicago
2. I especially didn't want to backtrack and waste more time.

Needless to say, I ran back to our vehicle at a good pace. I could have easily become a traffic reporter and gone from vehicle to vehicle explaining the situation, but I only had the opportunity to explain it to the driver just ahead of us.

Returning to the vehicle, we waited for traffic to proceed again. It would be another 40 minutes at least before the viaduct was cleared and traffic could proceed 'normally'. In a way, it was a blessing to avoid the busiest Chicago rush hours being stuck in traffic. God was definitely in control.

The final two hours of driving was slow, but we finally arrived at our destination close to 10 p.m. We were exhausted and had our belated supper together with Dana's husband's parents. Our sleep that night was especially necessary and all of us had a good night's rest.

The next morning, we left at about eight and found a place to stop for gas and a tire/fluid checkup. This time, I made sure all the tires were holding air. This final day on the road was practically uneventful. The fellowship in the car was very edifying to all and I enjoyed it immensely. We managed to use the remainder of Grandma's money to get us lunch at Subway. The previous day's tolls had cost us nearly $8! Just think about the hundred's, perhaps thousands, of out of state vehicles that graciously donate to the 'windy city' each day!

On the way back, we stopped at a gas station in Iowa for a restroom break and I snapped the following, very curious, picture. If you bothered to read this far, you could leave a comment in the section below. :)

The way I understand it is perhaps a way to escape the reality of life and step into a world of chance that will hopefully fulfill every desire of the heart. How else could the word redemption be used with a gambling machine?

We arrived home very close to supper time after making a couple stops including Kayla's 4-H garden. Thus ends the long tale of the Brauning Michigan Excursion of 2010. :)

Christian Spam?

I received the following spam message in my special spam Gmail. Not only is it one of the more clever spam specimens I have seen, it could also be targeted at gullible Christians. :)

Dear Beloved ,

It is by the grace of God that I received Christ,having known the
truth,I had no choice than to do what is lawful and right
in the sight of God for eternal life and in the sight of man for
witness of God & his mercies and glory upon my life.
I am Mrs.Sheila Johnson the wife of Mr Harold Johnson,my husband worked
with the Chevron/Texaco in Kenya for twenty
years before he died in the year 2001.We were married for ten years
without a child. My Husband died after a brief illness that
lasted for only four days.

Before his death we were both born again Christians.
Since his death I decided not to re-marry or get a child outside my
matrimonial home which the Bible is against.When my late
husband was alive he deposited the sum of  £9,000,000.00Million Great
Britain Pound.
with a bank company in Asia .

Presently,this money is still with the Bank and the management just
wrote me as the beneficiary to come forward to sign for the
release of this money or rather issue a letter of authorization to
somebody to receive it on my behalf if I can not come over.

Presently,I'm in a hospital in Kenya where I have been undergoing
treatment for esophageal cancer.I have since lost my ability
to talk and my doctors have told me that I have only a few weeks to
live.It is my last wish to see this money distributed to charity
organizations anywhere in the World.Because relatives and friends have
plundered so much of my wealth since my illness,I
cannot live with the agony of entrusting this huge responsibility to
any of them.

Please,I beg you in the name of God to help me Stand and collect the
Funds from the Bank.

I want a person that is God fearing that will use this money to fund
churches,orphanages and widows propagating the word of
God and to ensure that the house of God is maintained.
The Bible made us to understand that blessed is the hand that giveth.I
took this decision because I don't have any child that will
inherit this money and my husband's relatives are not Good  and I
don't want my husband's hard earned money to be misused
by them.

As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of my
attorney who is in Asia as he will be the one to assist you in laying
claims for this funds.

Kindly send your reply to my private email address which is as follows:

mrs.sheilajohnson61@gmail.com

Your Sister in Christ,
Mrs.sheila Johnson.