Eyes to See, Ears to Hear

People often ask me "Who do you listen to this? Why do you watch that? What do you subject yourself to such and such?"

At times it's hard to have an answer. You can appeal to the Bible (Jesus/apostles didn't shun away from anything, they practically daily walked through the strip clubs and bars around the area!). You can appeal to a religious spirit (it's fodder for evangelism, see how holy I am!). You can even appeal to reason (basically a combination of those two). Sometimes you can appeal to just selfish desire (I LIKE sci-fi and video games, dangit!).

Or, you can provide an example, one that hopefully men and women walking in faith will recognize and rejoice in. And the rest will probably condemn you for for being exposed to in the first place.

This is a scene taken from the last couple of episodes of Battlestar Galactica. A womanizer, liar, and basically overall apparently worldly figure named Gaius Baltar is speaking to a young man named Calvin:

"There never is enough, you know. Never enough money...fame...women. The more you want, the more you need, the more you want. There always is a hunger for more money, greater fame, different women."

"Oh yeah? That's a tragedy, your life."

"The point I'm trying to make, Calvin, the point you are missing...is that there is a certain futility in centering one's entire life around trying to satisfy appetites that can truly never be sated."

Is this Biblical? Is this from the Spirit? I doubt the original writer of the episode was a believer, but that's straight from the heart of God. The author seems perfectly well the futility in pursuing anything that is transient and ultimately meaningless in life. All those things listed above...money, fame, and women...are not necessarily bad things. They are gifts from God (well, "woman", not multiple), meant to be enjoyed. But the pursuit of created things instead of the Creator brings death.

If your life is the sum total of all that you have "conquered" or collected, your life has been spent on worthless things. There are better things out there! God, first of all...and if not him, then others! Better the pagan who lays his life down for others than the "christian" who hoards selfishly! I myself use to be that way, and only by God's grace am I moving away from that disgrace!

What is your life focused on? What is your time focused on? Your energy? Your efforts? Your money?

There are better things.

And God speaks through many things. He even speaks to me through an extremely dark sci-fi show that has elements of wickedness. His Holy Spirit speaks.

And he can speak to you.

God speaks through more than the Bible

From CREATIVE PRAYER by Chris Tiegreen

"So how do we communicate visually with God? How about asking him to engage us in that kind of conversation? We ask him for other kinds of guidance with the expectation he'll give it. Why limit the media through which he speaks?

A frequent rebuttal to such questioning is that God speaks through his Word and only through his Word. While we can be certain that God will not contradict his Word in the ways he speaks to us, nearly all who claim that his only mode of expression is printed words on the Bible's pages are not being honest with themselves.

How do I know? Because nearly every Christian is willing to accept the testimony of a pastor who says he was called into ministry through a combination of personal convictions, open doors of circumstances, the affirmation of others, and the inward guidance of the Holy Spirit. Nearly every Christian will attribute guidance to God when it comes in the form of an inward push or an inner peace, the counsel of godly people in conjunction with open or closed doors of opportunity, or a phrase in a conversation that seems to speak louder than the amplifiers at a rock concert and comes at exactly the right time.

Again, we wouldn't follow any guidance that contradicts Scriptures, because we know that's not from God. But we've already opened the doors of our hearts to biblical principles of counsel and accountability, circumstances and opportunities, personal convictions and the inner witness of the Holy Spirit. Those can be pretty subjective media, but when we submit them to the authority of God, ask him to lead us, trust that he will do so, and see that the guidance seems to converge in one specific direction, we feel pretty safe that we've heard his voice."

Nietzsche killed God because he loved God?

This is from a paper I wrote this past school year. I do not necessarily believe it is true, but it was a fascinating exercise to think through:

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Neither a proverb nor an extremely famous saying, but there is a world-wide known cult saying that has become an example of irony and wit to those who are able to recognize and understand it.

“Every artist is a cannibal, every poet is a thief / All kill their inspiration, and sing about their grief.”

This line is actually from the U2 song, “The Fly.” It has become a staple of their live shows since the song was recorded in 1991, and is known by millions the world over. The song itself is a collection of dark, confusing sayings from a persona, the Fly, created by the lead singer as the ultimate rock star who has sold his soul to the devil. Contradictory proverbs are espoused with the wisdom of youth and the brevity of a man bored. All this from an Irish rock star who grew up, left the Church, and had seen the underbelly of the music industry for over a decade.

The line basically says that nearly every creative person thrives off other’s work as well as the emotional reactions they can gleam from their own soul. Those who are truly desperate to create will steal and kill in order to produce. There is a torturing of self as well as others in order to gain something; art becomes a form of religious sacrifice. You write about what you know…or knew.

Whether or not this idea is true is up for debate. The line comes from a personality that is actively communing with the devil, so you can’t quite trust what this person is saying, even if it gives all appearance of true wisdom. The devil was first quoted as telling Eve the half-truth about the fruit in the Garden; he spoke no lie, but merely a perversion of what God had already said. This line therefore is probably a diabolic mirror of some truth that is known but unspoken in the heart of man.

Every artist probably does not kill their inspiration; if that was the case, the only reason God is dead is because Nietzsche was his biggest fan. This song lyric then would be the rational that drove Mark Chapman to kill John Lennon; he did it out of a perverted sense of love. This obviously is not how most of the rational world does not work. We create tributes to great men and women after they have died, not because we killed them in order to gain inspiration.
While a fantastically witty and deep saying, ultimately this proves to be false. Those who follow this will find themselves increasingly marginalized in society and will be open to all sorts of diabolic suggestions and views.

Guest Post from my friend, Jelani Brinson

STUART - I just found this while reading through some of Jelani's old blogs. Thought I'd reshare it for us all. Ignore the errors in spelling or grammar, please, he went to private school...

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Writers block...

Anyways I found this in on blog on myspace. I wrote it down from Bruces Sermon. Its one of my Favorites..

Why are we listening to the devil more than God? DO we need help people? Seven lies that usually affect us here they go. Compliments to, you know where I got this from if you remember. Thank you

1. God does not love you. / Whenever you hear that "God does not love you" Its not from God. Their is victory in Jesus. YOu must win the victory in you mind,

2. God cares about other more than He does you.
Come on people. Really what God Loves is Faith. *(EVERYTHING) Put your Faith in the works of Jesus.*

3. God cannot be trusted
Again Everything, Put Your trust in God.

4. Your not good enough to be blessed.
YOu are blessed in Christ Jesus. YOu can't do enough to be blessed. Their must be something else blessing thana performance.

5. God's against you
If God is for you, who can be against you. Jesus has prophetted you.

6. Things will never change.
God makes all things new.

7. YOur situation is hopeless
With GOd nothing is impossible. FOundation of your Hope is Jesus Christ (HEBREWS 7:19)

Romans 8:31-32
"WHAT SHALL I SAY TO THESE THINGS"

Religion Most Responsible For Death?

Hardly.

120 million people were killed during the 20th Century under Atheistic regimes.

And you accuse Christianity of causing more pain and suffering in the last 2000 years?

You ignorant fool.