oh, conviction

it has been a long stressful couple of days, but i suppose i will blog feelings about that later, right now there is something on my mind.

my personal battle against complacent christianity continues…

something i read a little while ago in c.s. lewis’ “The Screwtape Letters” really got me thinking. lewis brings out the point that christians often rally around a cause (he actually used pacifism as an example) rather than focus on Christ.

oh, conviction.

i can be anti-war, anti-government, pro-life or whatever, but it shouldn’t replace my relationship with Christ. even christianity itself can become an ideology that trumps relationship. the second i start identifying with an ideology before i identify myself as a child of God, i am treading on dangerous ground.

i spent this whole weekend working on my Hebrews paper, among many other things. my study of Hebrews also shed some light on the subject. Hebrews 12: 17 says, “For you know that afterward, when [Esau] wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears”. i suppose it seems kind of unrelated, but my thought was that when we are identifying ourselves with an ideology rather than Christ we begin to feel a strong sense of right rather than confess our sins. that breeds not only a hatred for our brothers and sisters (for esau it was his literal brother), but a separation from communion with God.

closing thoughts:
christianity (or fill-in-the-blank ideology) without a relationship with God is empty.
keep talking to God, no matter where you're at. this is the most important.

He is risen indeed

several things:

i made my first hat.
here is my sister rachael being pensive and wearing it.


i made a second hat.
here is my other sister charity modeling it.


i went to a sweet art show about the last days of Christ, which prompted me to make some easter art. these are about Jesus.




lastly, a reminder of the meaning of easter. Ephesians 2:

"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.

BUT

because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus."

...praise God that Jesus conquered death!
...praise God for the resurrection of the dead!

every thought a Thought of You

reasons i love the new song from mwY:
it's different
but good
it's thoughtful
there are kierkegaard allusions
daniel smith produces! yes!
it compels me to dance
there is trumpet

if you are not convinced,
listen to the song in its entirety.
happy break all.

some days i just want to give up

life is too much work sometimes. here is a dorothy parker poem called "coda" that mirrors my sentiments:

There's little in taking or giving,
There's little in water or wine;
This living, this living, this living
Was never a project of mine.
Oh, hard is the struggle, and sparse is
The gain of the one at the top,
For art is a form of catharsis,
And love is a permanent flop,
And work is the province of cattle,
And rest's for a clam in a shell,
So I'm thinking of throwing the battle ---
Would you kindly direct me to hell?



don't worry, i'm not suicidal.
...and back to work.