quotables

Sometimes you hear a particularly pithy statement that sticks in your mind because of its perfect correlation to what's going on in your life. I heard one the other day at the playground that did just that. The playground behind our house is a great place to go when I want a fresh breath of air for the kiddies and me. It's also great for meeting new neighbors, chatting with other parents and gleaning some wisdom from other kids. The kids in our neighborhood are so precious, I really mean that. As a mom I now look at (almost) all kids with the perspective that they are truly precious and unique creations. I really enjoy sitting and watching them design their play scenarios and function in their own little society out there. The most recent piece of wisdom I gained from the playground was from an 8 year old boy with whom I've had the pleasure of conversing multiple times. He has a charming way of stating things very matter-of-factly and striking up conversations with anyone, anywhere. On this particular day he noticed me with Ezekiel, still very much a baby compared to the other playground patrons, and Mason holding Eden. I'm not quite sure how this happened or what led up to it, but he ended up running around the playground flailing his arms in the air and screaming "BABIES ARE ANOTHER DIMENSIONNNNNNN!" Just like that. When he saw me cracking up, he kept doing it for awhile, then stopped and asked me why I was laughing at him. I told him what he was saying was true, that's all. The conversation then transitioned to Halo, alien violence and some kind of creature called a grunt that I'm still not sure about. But this kid really knew what he was talking about in terms of babies. He perfectly stated my world right now, I'm living in another dimension! He has no idea that he also encouraged me with that statement. I mean, if babies are another dimension, that means they take you to a totally new and different place where unexpected things happen and normal rules don't apply. I'll be thinking about this one for awhile! That was my most quotable encounter of late.

Another place apart from the neighborhood playground where quotes stick with me is church. I don't mean the churchy, trite, feel-good quotes that unfortunately come from many churches. The way that our pastor here teaches Scripture (the Bible) is simple, fresh, honest and unafraid. You would think there would be no other way to teach God's Word, but people find all sorts of ways to twist, complicate, reinterpret, etc. This man takes alot of heat every week through e-mails and phone calls, I am sure, but he preaches the Word like nobody I've heard before. He is just a guy to whom God gave the gift of teaching, no more special than the next person in the Kingdom, but such a blessing to me at this point in my spiritual life. Last Sunday he articulated something I've thought for awhile but hadn't had the ability to put into these simple words. "Religion is dangerous." Yes, this was our Sunday sermon, and it was 100% biblical. How great is that? Have you ever thought that yourself? I know I have. There are so many religions...they can't all be right (no, they really can't)...they bring out violence and conflict...they divide friends, families and nations...if you disagree with that statement, I would like to know what world you live in. But it's just not something you expect to hear at church, the very existence of which implies religiosity. Christianity has become a religion, for sure. But I'm pretty sure that when Jesus Christ walked the earth his goal was not to start a new religion - there have been many, many people whose sole goal in life was to start a new religion, and they've succeeded in further complicating an already muddled mess. His goal was to save people from the separation from God that their actions against him merited. Pastor Chuck pointed out this staggering truth that I had NEVER realized: throughout the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John), Jesus is nothing but kind, forgiving, merciful, gentle and loving to every sinner he encounters. Hated tax collectors, adulterers, thieves, demon-possessed people - they all received the most tender reactions from him. Who did he get mad at? The Pharisees, who were the religious people of the day. They were the Jews who were most studied in Jewish law, most pious in observing it, and most AGGRAVATING to Jesus! He called them names and warned them against their hypocrisy multiple times throughout the Gospels. His words toward them showed that he also thought religion was dangerous. The law as set forth in the Old Testament (the 10 Commandments and more) was given by God, but the self-righteous legalism with which the Pharisees handled it was dangerous because it pushed people away from God. Man, this sounds like alot of "Christians" today. I want to be sure I don't act like a Pharisee by looking clean on the outside but being dirty on the inside, by putting on a public display of piety just for show and caring only what others think of me. They were very good at carrying on a deception. As Jesus said, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.' You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions."(Mark 7:6-8) Whew. So, the chief evil of religion is deception, another quotable quote I borrow from Pastor Chuck, who didn't make it up to sound good, but gathered it directly from Scripture. Jesus said when he walked the earth, "Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them." (Luke 21:8) I've never been so acutely aware of this theme in Jesus' life and teaching. Satan is the father of lies so deception is very hard to decipher from truth without the discernment that God provides to those who are desperately seeking him. May we all follow his advice and watch out that we aren't deceived, especially with such an important possession as our eternal souls!