Confessions of a Forgiven Hypocrite

 Do you ever feel like such a huge hypocrite? You get hit with something out of nowhere- you know exactly where that road goes- and you get on it anyway and make it even worse- and before you know it, you're sinning up a storm over the weekend. And you know it's wrong because you blow off Bible reading and prayer for the day because you're definitely not in the right frame of mind for that. You're having way too much fun with sin right now- you can't face God right now. And it gets to the point where you feel like such a failure and jerk heading off to church.

   (Confession: This was a good portion of my weekend, except that this portion was anything but good. For a single guy striving to follow Christ but failing a number of times, while seeing victories at others, the battlefield of the mind and maintaining sexual purity there is such a struggle oftentimes. Even if it's not straight up pornography, there are a plethora of images readily available online that help satisfy curiosity for a time. The problem is the eyes never get their fill of seeing. - Ecclesiastes 1:8 

As James 1:12-18 tells us, sin always grows exponentially into more and more with a neverending appetite for destruction, even if it seems like Paradise City at the time.)

     When you feel like that, don't run away; run to God. Go to church anyway. You're not a hypocrite- you're a sinner admitting your need for Jesus The Saviour and Lord. And you'll find that you haven't messed up beyond the measure of grace after all. When you come in faith and repentance, you'll find The Lord is right there waiting for you with open arms, ready to forgive and absolve you of all sins once more. The Father is always watching for us. 1 John 1:9 is still true for Christ followers who have run off that narrow trail over to the hollow pursuits of the broad way and gotten sick on its short-lived pleasures. He puts us back on the path, clears the guilt from our consciences and restores to us the joy of our salvation in Christ once more and reminds us how much infinitely better Jesus is than sin!

      It's crazy how the worship music and the sermon was targeted right at me today at church and spoke to just what I needed. (Not so crazy- hat tip to The Holy Spirit for His work. :-)) The pastor quoted from "Love Lifted Me" and we sang "How Great Thou Art" at the end, both of which I could happily sing after confessing my sins to God, asking His forgiveness and help to not do it again. And we also sang this beautiful, new-to-me worship song I have linked below. The lyrics are amazingly powerful and just what I needed today, along with the sermon from Ephesians 4:17-24, reminding me to put off my old self that's corrupt through deceitful desires and to instead be renewed in the spirit of my mind and put on my new self, created after God's likeness in true righteousness and holiness. That's what He has called me to do and that's what I want to do all the time.

    I am sorry for the many times I fail God in so many ways. I confess that I am far too often a lazy, undisciplined, gluttonous, lustful, lascivious, prideful, jealous, wrathful, fearful, lying, cheating, thieving, covetous old sinner- and likely much more could be named if everyone saw the depths of my heart and soul like The Lord does. For those of my friends who see the man of God I want to be on here and in my life, please know that I have no place to be on any pedestal or to cast any stones. I struggle with the old man of sin constantly and while I know Jesus has won the war already, it still hurts to lose battles along the way. Yet I continue on in the fight knowing it's not I but Christ through me. There is no good in me of my own. Any good in me is Jesus. Pray that I might continue to fling aside the garments stained by the flesh and instead put on the garment of praise that is the new robe of righteousness God The Father gives His prodigals who repent with an amazing Grace and love that overwhelms me.

     May this encourage you to keep standing with God, even enduring mistreatment over the fleeting pleasures of sin, as Moses did. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. (See Hebrews 11:23-28) Let's also go to Christ outside the camp and gladly bear the reproach He endured as we look for the lasting City to come! (See Hebrews 13:10-16)  And when we fall and start to sink like Peter, let us immediately turn our eyes back unto Jesus and cry out to Him for salvation- He's always there to pull us back up and set us on the narrow path again because He loves us with an everlasting love! (Jeremiah 31:3) And He removes our sins as far as the east is from the west! Bless The Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits- He forgives all our iniquities when we ask! He heals all our diseases and redeems our lives from the pit! Praise God for His love and forgiveness! If you don't know this kind of Love, put faith in His death and Resurrection that pays for all sins for all time and follow Him in faith and repentance to receive His Grace and salvation today! If you do know Him and His love, be encouraged today as we traverse the narrow road together, fellow brother and sister pilgrims. Be blessed, be a blessing and most of all- be God's. (Romans 14:8) :-)

https://youtu.be/zundjUFazfg

("Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me" by City Alight) 

What Would You Do? (In Responding to LGBTQ)

 (Note: This is written in response to a question from a LGBTQ study regarding the benefits and harms of conversion therapy which asked the question, "What would you do if someone you knew came out to you as LGBTQ?")

To answer the question posed here, I will tell you what I have done with those I know who have announced their LGBT inclinations- Love my neighbour as myself and speak the Truth in Love to them. (Matthew 22:34-40 and Ephesians 4:15)

    I would first want to ask what exactly is meant when they identify with any of the terms encompassed in that acronym. (i.e. I want to hear their story first of all- truly listen and try to understand.)

     I would assure them that they are loved no matter what- every person is made in God's image and eternally loved by Him- and they are infinitely important and eternally valuable and worthy of love and respect. Because of my faith in Christ and the love and forgiveness I have experienced from Him, I also love all people and seek to extend His grace to them. 

     I would also want to understand what their spiritual beliefs are regarding Jesus. If the person is not a Christ follower, I would tell them about the love God has for all of us and the sin in our lives that have separated us from Him. Adam and Eve sinned in the beginning and brought the curse of sin upon the planet and people. The wages of sin is death- spiritual death eternally separated from The Lord in Hell. God doesn't desire any to perish but for all to come to repentance. He loves us all so much He sent His Son to take the punishment we deserve by dying on the cross in our place. Jesus then rose again to prove He's God. If we will turn to Him in faith and trust Him for forgiveness of all our sins and follow Him in repentance, He will save us from the penalty of Hell we deserve and receive us into eternal joy in His presence in Heaven instead.

      And if the person already is a Christian or if not, the message is still the same. The Gospel is our greatest need and that's what we need to focus on first. No matter gay, straight or bi, lesbian or transgendered- all bow to Christ on the last day so let's make Him Lord while there's time. (Philippians 2:9-11) 

    Yes, we all have our struggles in this life and we all deal with temptations to sin. And I do believe the question is not about what orientation one feels drawn towards- it's about what one does with it.

I can empathize with friends who have unwanted same sex attractions who also strive to serve and obey The Lord Jesus with everything, including their sexuality. I can empathize as a heterosexual single man who is celibate just like them because I know sex outside of marriage is a sin and God has defined marriage as the union of one man to one woman for life. (Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19, Hebrews 13:4)

    And I know the community of those who hold to faith in Christ and also identify as LGBTQ+ veer to different paths on this issue. I have friends who affirm faith in Jesus yet some choose to engage in homosexual relations and others choose to be celibate in keeping with their convictions. For the former, I have had to gently and respectfully explain why I cannot agree with them that God permits homosexual relationships or lust. This doesn't mean I don't love them or respect them. I am still happy to do anything I can to help them but I can't enable them in perpetuating sin. I would not want them to do that for me, so this is just what Matthew 7:12 commands me to do in the Golden Rule.

   For the latter, I commiserate with them and try to encourage them in their walk with Christ and commitment to celibacy. And I pray for those in both camps. 

     Above all, I want to remind them that Love doesn't rejoice with evil but it rejoices with the Truth. And the Truth is Jesus- He's the Way, Truth and Life. And Jesus is better than sin. Jesus is better than lust. Jesus is better than sex. Jesus is better than any human relationship. Jesus is better than anything else I desire.  

I want to want Him and want nothing else. I confess I am certainly not all I should be but by the grace of God, I am not who I once was either. I am a sinner saved by God's grace and because I have been set free by His forgiveness and love, I can do no less than to love others and extend the same grace I have received. 

    And regardless of one's choice about Jesus, the love remains and the respect remains and the prayers remain. 

   I look forward to the day when Jesus will return and set everything wrong right again and all our desires will be rightly oriented for Him and His kingdom. He is our ultimate Hope as we look forward to Heaven where everything sad will come untrue and all the light and momentary troubles we go through here will not even compare to the glory to be revealed.

(Note: Here are a few articles that offer Christian perspectives on these ideas.

https://www.equip.org/article/whats-the-problem-with-conversion-therapy/

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/the-lgbt-movements-dangerous-hypocrisy-on-conversion-therapy/?amp

The Spiritual Friendship Web site is another great resource too. https://www.spiritualfriendship.org)

Whose Law is it Anyway?

(Note: This entry contains comments based on questions raised by a friend about an article. As such, this entry is divided into sections for various parts of this discussion.)

https://www.npr.org/2020/10/05/920416357/justices-thomas-alito-blast-supreme-court-decision-on-gay-marriage-rights)

First of all, I commend you for reading and researching to be well informed on issues! :-)    

      This is a thorny topic and there are a lot of things that could be said on it. I will try to answer some questions raised here as briefly as I can.

    Why is the Obergefell v. Hodges ruling considered to be "ruinous" for religious liberty? If those who oppose same sex unions based on religious views, (which would include Orthodox Jews, Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons and Christians), are forced to perform and endorse such ceremonies or ostracized because of their beliefs, then yes- those are ruinous effects on religious liberty.

    To the point about the divorce rate among straight couples, it is true that it is a 50% or more rate and that is very sad. That is certainly not part of God's design for marriage. In Matthew 19, Jesus says the only allowance God makes for divorce is for marital unfaithfulness. 

Of course, just because the sanctity of marriage has been cheapened by this sin does not mean that it should be further compounded with more sin.

   To be clear, the phrase "separation of church and state" is not actually in The U.S. Constitution. I agree the state should not tell the church what to do. The church doesn't tell the state what to do though; God tells everyone what to do in The Bible.

   Laws man puts in place must still be based on something beyond himself otherwise it's just popular opinion.

   Marriage is indeed a religious institution as God performed the first marriage in Genesis 2 in giving Eve to Adam. Genesis 2:24 defines God's standard for marriage, as Jesus quotes in Matthew 19- "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and the two shall become one flesh." (Note the order there of leaving parents, joining in holy matrimony and then having sexual relations as husband and wife. Note also that God's design is one man joined with one woman for life.)

    That is the primary reason for objecting to the idea of a same sex union, though one could argue biology speaks to this as well, which would be a non-religious reason.

   To hold to this belief only makes a religious person bigoted against sin, as is God for that matter. Of course, God doesn't say things arbitrarily. As the Creator and Designer of all life, He has the right and authority to lay down laws for everyone.

    No one wants their freedoms taken away but I don't believe that has happened. People who identify as having homosexual tendencies have always been free to marry. However, marriage is still defined as the "institution whereby men and women are joined in a special kind of social and legal dependence for the purpose of founding and maintaining a family." It's "the mutual relation of husband and wife in wedlock." (That's from the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, copyrighted 1999.) The word "marriage" itself dates at least to the 14th. century in the English language. And the institution is as old as the beginning of time.

    What the 2015 US Court case does is redefine the meaning of marriage to be expanded to include partners of the same sex. And that directly goes against God's Word, both in violating the design laid out in Genesis 2:24, as well as in violating the commands against homosexual coitus (Romans 1 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, among others). (Since many people enter into marriage with the expectation of having sex at some point with their spouse.)

    Yes, we should all be concerned about our walk with God. Part of that requires Christians to speak out against wrong doing and warn people about the wages of sin, which is death. (Romans 6:23) But the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus died and rose to pay for all sins for all time, including the sin of homosexual relations. He wants to save everyone who will let Him. All one needs to do is to confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in their hearts that God raised Him from the dead. (see Romans 10:9-13) Put faith in Jesus and Jesus alone for forgiveness of all sins and follow Him in repenting of those sins and asking Him to help you in obedience to Him. We are saved by faith alone in His grace alone through Christ alone- and that salvation changes us to do the good deeds He made us to do all along in gratitude to Him for what He's done.

    All that said, everyone has to make their choice. We all have free will. America must base its laws on something. It has largely been based on the moral precepts of The Bible due to the Judeo-Christian heritage of many of the founders. How does one distinguish which laws Americans deem acceptable? What is the moral basis for those laws?

The standard of "do no harm to self or others" seems to be what I often hear. If that's the standard used, I would say that homosexual unions do hurt someone- they hurt God and they hurt the people who engage in them.

   Of course, even if one wanted to argue that a particular action could not be hurting any human- like choosing to kill one's own pet animal- I would still say it's wrong because it is a violation of the higher law that God has put on all of us to take care of all His creation.

1 Corinthians 10:31 says that whatever we do must be done for God's glory. Thus, any sin that one engages in would be violating that command.

   That's what it comes to in the end. Either we will choose to follow Christ and live for His glory or reject Him and live for our own. I personally don't agree with the 2015 court ruling but I also recognize I can't force anyone to live according to The Bible. All I can do is lovingly tell people about Jesus' grace and the salvation He offers that gives us a peace and joy and satisfaction infinitely better than the hell our sins lead us to and any temporary enjoyment they might bring before then. Jesus is better than anything else I desire. I choose to follow Him. All I want to do is love The Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength and love my neighbour as myself and speak the Truth in Love. 

(Follow up comments)

Those are some good questions. Should people of different religious beliefs (or none) be forced to comply with rules they may not agree with? Perhaps that comes across as unfair to some but everyone has to deal with that though. The law applies equally to everyone. Thus, there are things the law allows that I don't believe in but I am still forced to abide by the laws of the country.

(This is a bit of a different conversation, but this is where Romans 13 and its call for me to respect the government authorities God put in place would come into play. However, at the same time, I must obey God rather than men. (Acts 5:29) As I've long said, if it ever comes down to God vs. the government, I choose God over the government.

   As to the way people are born, I would agree that there are people born with homosexual inclinations. That doesn't mean God made them to be that way. In fact, Ecclesiastes 7:29 says God made man upright but they have sought out many schemes. God made Adam and Eve morally perfect but He also gave them free will. They chose to sin and cursed the whole world to be subjected to sin ever since. Thus, those born with homosexual inclinations are born that way because we're all born into sin. (Psalms 51:5)

 (One could say the same for someone born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and a proclivity to drunkenness as a result. Getting drunk is a sin (Ephesians 5:18) but such a person still has a choice over whether to pick up the bottle or not. The same is true for homosexual people in choosing whether to engage in such relations or not.)

In fact, there are a number of Christ followers who struggle with that inclination who choose to deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Christ in a life of celibacy in order to be obedient to the sexual ethos God lays out in The Bible. (Check out  

https://spiritualfriendship.org/ if you're interested in hearing their testimonies and writings on these matters.)

    And of course, I don't expect you to agree with everything I say and that's okay; that's your right to do so, just as I don't agree with all your points either but I respect your right to them.

   That is sad that some would be disadvantaged financially with healthcare because of a marriage by law. It's a shame that our laws are not made to incentivize marriage more. 

I don't mean to be harsh but if one wants an answer to God's view of marriage, I would point one to Jesus' words in Matthew 19 about one man being united to one woman for life in holy matrimony.

I do believe God understands and cares about people in such conditions though as well. I would also suggest considering Jesus' words to the Samaritan woman in John 4. Philippians 4:19 says God will provide for all our needs for those who are in Christ. Oftentimes following Jesus means going against human wisdom but we must also trust that His thoughts and ways are higher than ours. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

   I am sorry for those facing trying circumstances in relationships and I pray that God might bring them aid in dealing with those and wisdom in regards to marital status. I would also suggest seeking counsel with a church pastor, who might be able to help with further resources. ❤

There are a number of Christian ministries that help with such concerns. Here is one such example. (http://www.coopmin.org) 

(Other comments)

Every person's beliefs guide their work (and life in general). That goes for religious and non-religious people.

   The Supreme Court justices are supposed to rule based on the Constitution, even if it's at odds with their religious or non-religious beliefs.

   Of course, it's worth noting that the framers of the Constitution certainly at least to some degree relied on the moral precepts of The Bible, given the Judeo-Christian heritage of many of the USA's founders.

   Whatever laws man puts in place are based on something- either God's Word or popular consensus. 

I can understand people's concerns on this and I appreciate the sentiment that Supreme Court Justices should be interpreting the Constitution and not seeking to work their own particular religious beliefs into law. They are not supposed to be lawmakers in the first place.

And yes, I am thankful for the First Amendment that guarantees the freedom of religion for all (as well as the freedom to not hold to a religion too.)

     

Biblical Sexual Purity Culture

 (Note: This is in response to a critique of what is referred to as "purity culture", posted on this blog.  

I can appreciate the points made and I do think the church needs to consider how best to Biblically address the issue of sexuality, especially with youth groups.)

Interesting blog post. I think the main problem there is that so much of what Is described as "purity culture" is not Biblical. If a church is teaching these things, then it needs to repent and correct its teaching.

To address them one by one:

1. Women are responsible for their sexual sin and men are responsible for their sexual sin.

It is worth noting that Romans 14 does warn about being a stumbling block for others and thus, it is worth considering that factor in the way we dress, along with everything else. 1 Peter 3 speaks to this point for women. Both men and women should be cognizant of how our dress- and everything else we say or do- can either turn someone towards Christ or repel them.

2. Neither women nor men should feel shame about their bodies. We both cover up appropriately according to the Spirit's leading out of love, both for our own bodies and for other people. It should not be a shame-based thing.

3. Both men and women have sexual desire (for the most part- I recognize that some identify as asexual and honestly have no libido). Both men and women are sinners. This is why both fail to control their sexual urges at times. Men are equally prone to be deceived as are women. Sexual desire is not the sin- lust is, along with sexual abuse, and sexual relations outside of the marriage of one man to one woman for life.

We all struggle with sin- and that's why we all need Christ.

4. Every single girl, boy, man and woman Is eternally valuable and loved by God because we are all made in His image. Women are more than just their sexuality, as are men. Our worth is found in Christ, not in our virginity. If a man or woman has fallen into sin with pre- or extra- marital sex, that value has not changed one iota. They are not damaged goods. They are sinners who are still eternally valuable. And Christ restores us when we come to Him in repentance. We must find our value and worth in Him. And because we love Him, we will obey His commands.

5. I'm not sure what this has to do with anything. I am pretty sure I can safely say, for the most part, men and women both enjoy sex equally. I am pretty sure most people find sex to be fun. I am also bewildered that women are evidently not familiar with their anatomy. It would seem to be a failing on the part of biology instruction in schools. Both men and women should have a basic understanding of human anatomy.

6. If men and women have sex before marriage, yes- many things can go wrong. Thankfully, God is still willing to forgive us when we come to Him in repentance. This sexual sin does not ruin one's entire life forever. God can still bring restoration and forgiveness. The lives of those who fall to this sin are still infinitely important and valuable.

7. There is no difference between sexual abuse and sex before marriage in the sense that both are sins. That aside, of course there's a difference between these acts. Consent should certainly be in place before any sex act and it should come in the form of a two word phrase that both man and woman repeat before man and God- "I do". (And yes, even within the context of marriage, the husband and wife should have each other's consent before engaging in coitus. Your spouse is not your sex toy.)

If a woman is raped, then the man is guilty of rape. The woman is not guilty of pre-marital sex here. The Bible speaks to this point in Deuteronomy 22.

I agree that these teachings can and have been used to marginalize and subjugate women. This is not right.

The church needs to teach Biblical teachings on sexual purity and encourage love and respect for all people. There is no male or female in Christ- we are all one in Him. (Galatians 3:26)

Celibate Recovery

Note: This piece is in response to an article in Relevant Magazine entitled "The Secret Sexual Revolution". The article talked about why it was common to see even Christian singles engaging in sex and how best the church could address this. Thus, my response starts off by repeating a question asked by the article- Why are Christian singles engaging in sex? Why? Because we're sinners- and we need to come back to the Saviour. We need to trust Jesus to be better than anything else in the world- including having sex. He fulfills all our needs, including our sex drive needs- in the right way and in the right context and in the right time. 


        Why? Because we're sinners. It's very sad to see, but yes- we've all fallen so short. Not all Christians are having sex outside of marriage, but I know that notion is mocked as hopelessly outdated now. I kind of wonder how much we really value The Lord Jesus and His Word versus the voice of the world. Certainly both call to us, but we must let Jesus' voice be louder than the world's. Sex outside of marriage is sin. (Our culture has very much blurred the definitions of sex and marriage, but God still defines it as a special act of love to be performed between 1 man united to 1 woman for life. That man and that woman who have been married to each other- they become one flesh. (Genesis 2:24, reiterated by Jesus in Matthew 19)
       Of course, Jesus told us in Matthew 5:28 that if we even look at a woman lustfully, we've committed adultery with her in our hearts. (So His definition of adultery goes way past our human definition.)
These are depressing statistics for sure and I think they are reflective of a few things. One- a lot of Christians are heavily influenced by the world via media- movies, TV, Internet, books, music, etc. and the voice of the world is stronger and louder to them than the voice of Jesus. (In saying this, I don't mean to say it's wrong to partake of some of these media outlets- but I do mean to say that we must be discerning as to what we take in. Philippians 4:8, 1 Corinthians 10:31)
        Two- I think there may be respondents to the surveys that identify as Christian in name only and may not truly be following Christ. (Or perhaps they think they are, but their lives indicate otherwise.)
Three- I think that regardless of what pictures of sex and marriage we see in the culture, we are frail, fallible human beings who want to do what we want to do when we want to do it and don't want anyone telling us it's wrong- and we don't want to face any consequences for it. And thus, we give in to temptation and give in to sin.
         I know I have given in to lust at times and it doesn't help that the Internet is pervaded with sexual images that can be happened upon without even trying to find them. Totally innocent searches online can lead to some nasty images. Other times, I may search them out, knowing exactly where it will lead. Television and movies and Internet videos already display what at times amounts to soft-core porn just about and with sites created to help people find hard-core porn without the pesky viruses that tend to come with those sites- it's very easy to sin, unfortunately.
         And then there are the images we see in advertising and just when we see people walking down the street. Of course, as I've said before, I don't really care if women are parading down the street literally naked- men are always 100% at fault for staring and lusting after them. (I do think both men and women should be conservative in what they wear and not try to be provocative- particularly Christian women- and no, this isn't a cop-out excuse for men who lust and rape women because the women "were inviting them" with their clothing or lack thereof. Men are still 100% wrong there- take responsibility for your actions.) We can't control what others wear or don't wear, but we can control where we let our eyes roam and linger. Rather than get defeated by a momentary accidental glimpse of the forbidden, turn your eyes away and think on the pure things God would have you think upon. And pray for God's help not to give in. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
         I also wonder about why sex is such a temptation for us as Christians, so much so that we want to encourage marriage simply so that we won't be in prolonged temptation. Therefore, we get married so that we can have sex! Well, if you're getting married just so you can have sex, I think you're getting married for the wrong reason. Why do we worship sex like our god? Sin is crouching at our door, desiring to have us, but we must master it! Sex and marriage are good in the right context- the way that God created them. But neither one will ever give us the deep longing of the soul that all of us feel throughout life. A relationship with Jesus Christ is the only way to meet that fulfillment.
        So I don't say any of this as someone who's perfect at it, but as a man who claims Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour and seeks to follow Him, despite falling down off the path so many times, but always getting back up with His help and starting out again. I'm SO thankful that He always remains faithful even when I'm faithless. (2 Timothy 2:13) If we belong to Christ, our bodies are not our own because we were bought with a price. Therefore, we must honor God with our bodies. (1 Corinthians 6) Don't join Christ to a prostitute- don't invite Him to view pornography with you and ogle after naked girls or guys- don't tell sexual jokes to Jesus and think He'll be laughing- don't make your one night stand a threesome with Jesus there on the marriage bed. That is exactly the picture 1 Corinthians 6 paints whenever we indulge in sexual sin- we sin against our own body but we also, since our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, enjoin Jesus to sexual immorality when we enjoin our own bodies to it. As verse 9-11 talk about, some of us were sexual sinners before coming to Christ- but we were washed, cleansed and sanctified from it in Christ's blood. And even if we fall back into old habits, we have an advocate with The Father Who is praying for us and Whose grace still covers all our deepest, darkest sins and Whose forgiveness still extends to us when we come to Him in repentance and Whose love still rides like a banner over us eternally.

Physical and Spiritual Transformation

     I wanted to offer my thoughts here on a topic that has become of great public scrutiny and debate in America in recent years. It is one that (pun intended) engenders strong emotions on either side of things. As always, I hope to be gracious in talking about sensitive matters and always remember that there are always sinners behind the sin and I am just as sinful and in need of grace as anyone else. I also want to be very clear about what I am discussing here and what I am not saying here. I want to talk about the subject of transgenderism and a Christian response to it, particularly in regards to bathroom usage. One of the clearest verses in The Bible about this issue is found in Deuteronomy 22:5, wherein The Lord forbids men from wearing women's clothing and women from wearing men's clothing. I think any Christian struggling with these sexual identity questions must consider this verse, along with Jesus' words in Matthew 19, wherein He reiterates Genesis 1:26-27, wherein God made people male and female. God has put His design in place and I don't think it is our place to tamper with it.
Also, regarding bathroom usage, I generally feel that those who have a penis should use the men's room and those who have a vagina should use the women's room. However, this still poses a question for those who feel they should have either a penis or vagina. I tend to think that, while it would be preferable for them to have had the surgery performed before they entered the restroom that corresponds to their intended genitalia, they should probably use the restroom they identify with best, provided they clearly present themselves as that gender.
A similar solution would be in place for intersex people since most identify as one or the other gender.
It would probably also be helpful to have more family bathrooms established to eliminate this issue if possible.
And of course, no one should perform acts of rape, sexual abuse, assault and/or invasion of privacy, particularly as aided by the usage of cameras and surveillance devices in any bathroom.
This debate is a thorny issue to be sure, but one that I feel society will continue to address and one that I think Christians should be prepared to speak the truth to in love. God loves everyone and made everyone. I think that, as Romans 3:9-26 talks about, everyone has become corrupt with a sin nature because of the fall of man in the Garden of Eden (as Genesis 3 talks about.) This fall not only separated people from God spiritually (and brought about spiritual death just as God said it would) but that sin also corrupted the entire planet- thorns and thistles grew out of the earth to torment Adam in his work and pain in childbearing grew to torture Eve- both man and woman suffered pain because of sin.
It also caused an imbalance in relations between men and women, as Genesis 3:16 says that the woman's desire will be for her husband and he will rule over her. I believe this set in motion the battle of the sexes that we still see fought to this day. (Note the contrast that we have when we are restored from the corruption through Christ in Galatians 3:28. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus.)
I think this corruption is also why we have people born with deformities and diseases. I think it's why some people are born with tendencies to particular sins, as we are all born with tendencies to sin in general, due to our sin nature. For some though, it's heightened in particular areas, whether it's alcoholism (as evidenced by Fetal Alcohol Syndrome), stealing (as evidenced by kleptomania), lying (as evidenced by habitual liars), homosexuality (as evidenced by same sex attractions) or rebellion against God's design (as evidenced by transgender attractions).
The tendencies in themselves can be regarded as temptations; I do not believe they in themselves are sin. However, the reactions to them certainly can be sin. No matter how much a person may struggle with alcoholism, they always make the choice to pick up the bottle, imbibe and get drunk. The same follows for kleptomaniacs and habitual liars, etc. Yes, it does feel near impossible for some with these struggles to resist and with good reason- it is impossible to resist these temptations without the intervention and power of The Holy Spirit, who helps us say "No" to these temptations and choose to follow God instead. That is what the power of Jesus Christ can do. It doesn't mean He will necessarily take away the temptations (though He can do so if He chooses, perhaps in miraculous fashion), but He does promise to not give us more than we can bear and provide the way out so we can stand up under it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
I sometimes hear people make the argument that God made them in a particular way to be of a particular sexual orientation outside of the boundaries He has established (male and female sexual relationships held only within the bonds of holy matrimony and that only between one man and one woman for life- see Genesis 2:24 and Matthew 19). However, God is not a cruel and vindictive God to where He would make someone helpless to keep from sin and then turn around and condemn them for it. That is to say- I don't believe He made anyone to be a murderer and thus give them an excuse for murdering. Someone on death row may well argue that God created them as a murderer and thus they had to satisfy the need to take other peoples' lives, but they would be dead wrong (pun intended). God condemns and punishes that person rightfully for their sin; it is the same with any other sin. It is not that He made us to be sinners- it is that we chose to be sinners and we must face the consequence of that choice. I think too many people confuse the consequences of the freedom of choice that come with our free will that God gave us (see Genesis 1-2) with God's active will. God has both an active and permissive will. God creating the universe was born out of His active will. His permissive will is for us to suffer the consequences of our sin. He certainly didn't create Adam and Eve with the intention of having them choose to sin by taking of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil- He wanted them to do right and obey Him and enjoy eternal fellowship with Him. But He also wanted them to do that willingly and not because He forced them to do so. Thus, He gave human beings free will- and we've willfully chosen to free ourselves from God with it by choosing sin. Death- eternal separation- is the consequence, the wages of sin.
But thanks be to God! He loves us all so much that He didn't let that be the ending point. He demonstrates His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us! (Romans 5:8)
The power of the cross frees us from the penalty of sin! (see Romans 6:7-11) And because Jesus rose, we who put our faith and trust in Him for salvation shall rise with Him too. Our faith must be demonstrated by works though, as Jesus makes clear in Matthew 7 and James 2. Jesus Himself said that if we love Him, we will obey Him. The one who obeys Him (not perfectly, as we all still sin and mess up- but Jesus has grace that never ends! And His grace is still greater than all our sins- see 1 John 1:7)- he is the one who truly is Jesus' disciple. (Basically just read John 13-17. But specifically John 15:7-17 for sure.) And to be Jesus' disciple, we must take up our cross, deny ourselves and follow Him. (Luke 9:23) We are no longer identified by our sinful natures (Romans 6:14-23) but we are now identified by Christ in us (Colossians 3:1-3). And we must walk accordingly to our new nature. (Romans 8:1-11, Ephesians 5:8-9, Galatians 5:16-26)

Season for the Reason: Loving Sinners, Hating Sin and Obeying God Rather Than Men

Note:   This blog deals with some ongoing questions that continue to be part of a national conversation in America, particularly in light of its distinctly Judeo-Christian heritage and a Constitution that maintains the ideals of a separation of church and state. There has long been a struggle in defining rights and ensuring equal rights for all groups of people, particularly in regard to sexual minorities. In light of the Supreme Court of the United States of America's recent ruling regarding the expansion of marriage to include same sex couples, there have arisen questions from people of religious faith who have objections on religious grounds over how to implement this ruling, particularly for those who because of their jobs directly offer services for weddings.
           This blog is an attempt to discuss a Christian viewpoint on these topics and how best to respond in love to all people, while maintaining the Truth of The Bible always and ultimately obeying God over men. And again, this has arisen out of real discussions and questions that have been raised to me from various people. I know Christians and the church have often failed in addressing these issues well and in a Godly, loving manner. I hope that this blog will be both of those things, while also firmly stating the Truth of The Bible.
 


           First of all, let me re-emphasize, as I've said before, that in dealing with all people, Christians are commanded to love one another and I always want to make sure that I am loving to all people. (Romans 12:15-18, John 13:34-35) I would never want to shun any homosexual couples. However, I would contend that it is their behavior that is shunned. As a follower of Christ, I am instructed in Jude 1:21-23 to reach out with mercy to those who doubt and help save them by snatching them out of the fire and also show mercy with fear. Why fear? The verse goes on to say that I am commanded to hate even the garment stained by the flesh. In other words, while I am always commanded to love all people, I must also be wary of sin and hate sin because it drives me away from my real life in Christ and instead pushes me back toward the old life enslaved by the devil. God hates sin too for this reason- it drives people away from Him. Because of God’s great love for us, He must hate sin because He doesn’t want anything to separate us from His indescribably awesome love. (see 1 Peter 1:13-16, Colossians 3:1-4, Romans 6 and a number of other Bible passages for more on this point.)
          The question has been brought to the forefront particularly in the case of Kim Davis, a Kentucky clerk has refused to issue licenses for same sex marriage unions and was subsequently jailed for not carrying out the duties of her job. (I will briefly say on this point that I think she should look to the words of Christ in Matthew 5:38-42 and choose to issue the licenses, even if it does go against her beliefs and certainly it goes against God's plan for marriage. [see Jesus' words on that in Matthew 19- He clearly defines it as the union of one man and one woman for life- solely bound to each other in the eyes of God and man until death do them part.] I think Christians are sometimes called to let themselves be taken advantage of and to give up our rights. Certainly, Jesus directly calls us to do that in Luke 9:23 in order to follow Him- deny ourselves, die to ourselves daily and take up our cross and follow Him. I think it's also important to note that rendering such services doesn't make her complicit in approving or partaking in the sin of homosexuality. I think of it as a Christian sales associate working at a grocery store and selling customers beer and wine. If the customer chooses to go get drunk on these products, I don't think the Christian sales associate is held accountable by God for inducing the drunkenness of the customer [something that God does condemn as sin- see Ephesians 5:18, among others. However, note that drinking itself is not condemned as sin in The Bible.]- that is a sin that will weigh on their conscience, not the Christian's.)
            To look at an example that is often offered for comparison, what if it were a photographer (of any race other than African-American) refusing to give service to a black person and/or refusing to photograph an interracial marriage (i.e. refusing to do the work on the basis of race)? I think this would be a false equivalency. I fully agree that religion and The Bible (wrongfully, I must add) has been used to justify this racist hatred. (Something 1 John 4:20-21 clearly says is wrong.) I agree that a black person cannot change the color of his skin and a homosexual person cannot change their homosexual tendencies. (Although, just to point out, as Jesus says in Matthew 19:26- “With man this is impossible but with God all things are possible.” God is certainly capable of changing a person’s homosexual tendencies- however, I will also say that it seems that it is rare that He does that, though there are some that would attest to this. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 speaks to Corinthians who used to be homosexual offenders but were washed by the blood of Christ and changed. However, I don’t know if this means that God supernaturally removed their sinful tendencies altogether. I think what for sure happened is that He changed their heart and desires so that they desired God’s will- and then they rejected the allure of homosexual relations and sought the fulfillment of all their needs in Christ’s sufficiency. [Philippians 3:8 and many other verses speak to this.]) And yes- I realize this can sound rather cruel if not carefully worded, but keep in mind that we are all tainted with Adam’s sin- and we all struggle with sinful tendencies, though they may not all be sexual in nature. [So I am not trying to say anything negative about homosexual people and hold their sin up as worse than any others. James 2:10 says all sins are equally bad- when we commit one, it’s the same as doing all of them.] And certainly homosexual people struggle with other sins as well- their sexuality is not the totality of their personhood. This would also be true for people born with kleptomaniac tendencies or those born with an inclination toward drunkenness through Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and other such things- the choice is always theirs as to how they will respond. The secular world may certainly disagree, but I believe Jesus Christ is powerful enough to change the desires of people to give in to these sinful desires and instead to help them choose to deny them and follow His commands instead. [2 Corinthians 5:14-21 speaks to this point very well.] Psalms 37:4 says that if we delight ourselves in The Lord, He will give us the desires of our heart. And as we delight ourselves more and more in Jesus alone, we will find that our desires are conformed to His and that we desire Him and His will- His standards of righteous living- above all else. Psalms 84:10 “For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.”)
           Here is another example to consider. What would a Jewish or Muslim caterer say to the question of serving pork at a wedding? The objection the Jewish or Muslim caterer would have against serving pork (as well as their objections to giving their services to a gay marriage, for that matter) is the same that a Christian caterer would have against giving his or her services to a gay marriage. The issue is not with the people; the issue is with what the people are doing. In one case, it’s serving pork- in another case, it’s uniting a man and a man or a woman and a woman as a couple, bound as one in an institute established and ordained by God- and one that He clearly sets down to us as being strictly reserved for a man and a woman. (Matthew 19, Genesis 2:24)
However, despite this, as I said earlier, I still think it might be good for a Christian if they decided to partake and offer their services in an attempt to be a witness to the gay couple and demonstrate the love of Christ. This is of course a call that each Christian would have to make on their own conscience though. (see Romans 14- it should also be considered as to whether this would be seen as a stumbling block to a brother or sister weaker in their faith in Christ.) The concern for many Christian business owners is that they would not want to be seen as giving tacit approval to a union diametrically opposed to God’s design for marriage. It is sad and unfortunate that this gets translated by some as to mean an outright hatred for gay people. [Let me be quick to concede that I am sure that is very much the case on the part of some. And to those who call themselves followers of Christ yet hate people with homosexual tendencies, I would offer rebuke as a brother in The Lord and direct them to reread 1 John 4 and John 13:35 and Ephesians 4:15 and ask them to seek The Holy Spirit’s leading in that- as hating people is as much of a sin as homosexuality is- and that must be addressed too.] As a Christ follower, I love all people but I cannot and do not condone all that they do. That is the dilemma Christian caterers, photographers, etc. are facing in this issue.
         Of course, a non-Christian would not find this a compelling argument that applies to them- the reason being that, (and indeed, the reason non-Christian gay people would find the Christian’s position offensive and discriminatory) because in their mindset, there is nothing wrong with following on their natural desires. However, a Christian would of course disagree- and therein lies the point of contention. Of course, one does not have to be a Christian in order to respect the beliefs of Christians and people of other faiths, certainly. However, most non-Christian gay people would most likely be prone to discard any Biblical reasons since they do not believe in Christ and do not follow Him- thus, His rules in The Bible would not be a valid reason for them. I would hope that people on both sides (both Christians and non-Christian gays) would be able to reason calmly with each other and make a real effort to understand each other’s viewpoint and feelings in the matter.
I think the question for America that will eventually come is deciding whether or not marriage is a God ordained institution or simply a manmade construct. In the case of the latter, the government would dictate the matter. However, at this point, there is still a partnership of sorts between the government and the church in the matter of marriage. (Though certainly one does not have to go through the church for a marriage license.) But thankfully, that is not for me to decide. I have already stated my view that marriage is an institution established by God and ordained by Him and that is where I will stand on it. Others are welcome to draw their own conclusions of course- and that may eventually become the solution (which is already in place to some degree, with certain churches that affirm gay marriage performing ceremonies and some state governments acknowledging it, and of course the recent ruling from the Supreme Court.) As far as the legal rights that go with it, while I don’t agree with its validity as marriage as defined by God, I honestly don’t have a problem with the government providing for legal benefits to gay couples.)
           For everyone reading this, I hope you know that anything I say about Jesus and about my belief in Him and The Bible is all meant to come only out of a heart of love, concern, respect and kindness. I will fully admit that I have certainly failed on that at times, but I hope that those desires come across above all. I do not expect to convert anyone to anything, but I certainly do want to let people know about Jesus and His love for all and His standards for living that I have found to be better than anything else in the world- and His offer of forgiveness and salvation open to all through faith. This is something everyone must choose for themselves; I don’t believe in forcing anything upon anyone and I don’t believe God does either. I do believe that He rewards the sincere seeker of Him though. (Jeremiah 29:13) If anyone reading this ever wants to talk further about having a relationship with Christ, I am always glad to correspond further on that.
           Thank you for bearing with this lengthy document. I apologize for what may seem to be belaboring the point, but it’s a rather complex issue that deserves to be considered carefully, though I know I can always stand to study and learn more on it myself. I want to reiterate that we must be loving and respecting to our gay/lesbian and any other kind of queer friends (along with all people of any sexual persuasion or identity.) I have some gay friends myself as well and I certainly respect their rights too. All of us as human beings must come together as God’s creation and learn to learn from each other- and find a way to respect both the rights of people of faith and people of different faiths and/or no faith- and the rights of gay/lesbian/queer/transgender and all other variations people. I certainly pray that we will do just that and as Romans 12:18 commands, if possible, as much as it depends on us, live peaceably with all. May God bless you richly. Grace, love and peace to all.

Reborn This Way (song)

Ladies and gentlemen, I have yet another parody to share with you that hopefully you'll go ga-ga for in this post. :-) This is another one I completed fairly recently but have held off on sharing for a while. And as I noted on the last post, this parody song flows well with the nature of my last two devotional posts regarding the difference between shoving beliefs and a holier-than-thou attitude down someone's throat and just plain showing them real love as Jesus showed us. My aim is always the latter.
       The point of this parody song to address a subject that has become a controversial issue today of which many have strong opinions and beliefs regarding it. The goal of this song (along with anything else I write) is to show love for God above all else- with all my heart, soul, mind and strength- and to show love for my neighbors as I love myself- and to speak the Truth in Love. I ask that people keep in mind again that one can only say so much in a song (especially in the confines of a parody song that is attempting to maintain the same rhyme structure) and it's easy for things to be misconstrued. In an effort to avoid that, I want to clarify here- I am not trying to call anyone names and try to condemn anyone, but rather to state what The Bible says regarding sexual matters.
         (On this note, I want to clarify the meaning of a phrase used within the song. As you may notice, the tone of the song shifts from the world's point of view regarding sexuality and life in general after the first verse and chorus to my point of view as a Christian. The term "let your freak flag fly" is referenced in the first chorus. This phrase is not intended to be derogatory in any way. It is a phrase that may well have its origins in the 1960s as a rallying call for hippies, but it's become adopted into the common vernacular as an exhortation to allow all one's true colors to show- to embrace the person you are, no matter how "freaky" the rest of the world may view it, and flaunt it, revel in it and enjoy it. Here are some references for further reading. This is the Urban Dictionary's listing for the term. [Please note that this site contains some vulgar references.)
Also worth noting, within the song I referenced a wonderful book that offers a Christian perspective on the topic this song addresses and I highly recommend giving it a read.
        And most of all, I want to remind people that no matter what sin you've done (and we're all in the same boat in that area)- Jesus can forgive you of all of them. He loves us all like crazy and wants to have a relationship with us all. He forgives all of us when we ask Him and He gives us a spiritual rebirth. As He said to Nicodemus in John 3:3, we all must be born again. And when we're in Christ, we're no longer slaves to sin, but instead we're slaves of Christ! (as Romans 6 talks about.) 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation! The old has gone and the new has come. And as 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, today is the day of salvation! Jesus has died to pay for all our sins and He rose again to give us all salvation if we will trust Him in faith and follow Him. And when we do that, we truly are reborn His way. :-)

*[Yes, I realize I went even more than usual on the heavy side on the Bible verse references. ;-) The main reason for this is that, though this list is of course far from comprehensive, there are a number of Bible verses, commands, principles, teachings and examples that I think should be considered in how we navigate this and other controversial issues that are complex and simple at the same time. Many times, I may have directly referenced some verses or drew some inspiration from them in writing some lines- and others I simply researched and read in the course of putting the song together as The Lord guided. And others are just for further reading reference. :-) That is generally true for most all of my songs and poems and writings in general. As Rich Mullins was known for saying, I'd rather you get to know the Scriptures more so than these song lyrics- and ultimately, the Lord God Christ who provided them all. :-)]



Reborn This Way
(parody of "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 5/7/2014)
(1 Corinthians 13 [especially verse 6], Proverbs 8:12-13, Proverbs 9:10, Proverbs 8:1-11 and 32-36, Proverbs 9:13-18, James 4 [particularly verses 11-12], Galatians 3:26-29, Psalms 19:7-11, Ephesians 4:20-24, 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, Colossians 3:1-4 and 5-17, Romans 6:1-14, Galatians 6:14, Ephesians 2:8-10, Romans 8, John 12:25, John 3:1-21, 2 Corinthians 4:16, Galatians 5:16, Isaiah 64:6, Hebrews 9:14, Ephesians 1:1-14, 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, 1 Peter 2:24, John 15, Romans 12:1-2, Philippians 2:1-18, 1 John 2:1-17, Romans 1-3, Genesis 1:26-27, Genesis 2 [especially verse 24], Genesis 3, Exodus 22:19, Leviticus 19:20-22, Exodus 20:1-17, Leviticus 18, Leviticus 20-21, Leviticus 11:45, Deuteronomy 5, Deuteronomy 6:4-19 and 8:19-20, Deuteronomy 21-22, Deuteronomy 23:1-14 and 17-18, Deuteronomy 24:1-5, Deuteronomy 25, Deuteronomy 28-31, Judges 19, 1 Corinthians 7, Mark 7:20-23, Matthew 15:18-20, Galatians 5:19-21, Philippians 4:13, Romans 3:23-24, 1 John 1:8-9, 1 Timothy 3:1-13, Genesis 1:31, Psalms 145:8-9, Romans 5:8, Romans 6:23, Matthew 18:15-20, 1 Timothy 5:17-25, Matthew 25:31-46, James 2:10-13, John 8, 1 Timothy 1:8-10, 1 Corinthians 6:9-20, John 1:16-17, Galatians 2:20, Matthew 16:24-28, Luke 9:23-27, Mark 10, Matthew 19, Romans 14, Matthew 22:23-40, Matthew 7:1-5, Matthew 5:43-48, Matthew 9:9-13, Luke 7:36-48, Luke 18:9-14 and 18-30, Hebrews 10:30-31, 1 Corinthians 4:5, Romans 7, 1 Peter 1, 2 Corinthians 4:7-18, 2 Corinthians 6:1-2, 2 Corinthians 7:1, Ephesians 6:5-8, Colossians 3:18-25,1 Peter 2:13-25, John 10:10, John 14:6, Acts 4:12, John 6:68)

 (Intro: [spoken]) It doesn't matter how you love, kid- for capital I, you live ["live" echoed x3]
Forget the laws- yup
'Cause you were born to be free, baby- yeah

Verse 1
The Bible told us when we were formed
We were all born sinners, ya'll
We rolled our eyes- it's just religion
We're long past all those myths- so there!
"There's nothing wrong with loving who you want,"
They said, " 'Cause He made you perfect, babe"
"So go your heart's route, girl and you'll go far"
"Listen- your dreams lead the way"

Chorus 1
You're beautiful just that way
'Cause God makes no mistakes
You've got the right to, baby
Do what your truth says
Don't hide yourself- just flaunt it
Just love yourself and you're set
So fly your freak flag, baby
You were born this way [echo: "born this way"]

Verse 2
Ooh, how quaint- The only Way
Hear me- you were born sin's slave
Baby, Jesus bore our shame [echo: "bore our shame"]
Ooh, there ain't another Way
Save me, Jesus Lord
Come on, invite Him to save ya
Be reborn today!

Bridge
Dump filthy rags- that's our "good deeds"
Isaiah writes- 64:6 - see?
No room to brag- just Jesus cleans
Trust Him!

Verse 3
If you have prudence, see Proverbs 9:10
Seek wisdom- rejoice with Truth
In the keeping of God's Word is great reward
I have died to self- instead Christ rules!

Verse 4
A same sex lover- that is a sin
Believe capital H-I-M (Hey, hey, hey)
Husband and wife is God's marriage plan
Jesus told us- Matthew 19 (Trust and obey)

Chorus 2
It's beautiful what He's made
'Cause God makes no mistakes
But Adam jumped tracks, baby
Now we're born sin's slaves
But Christ just died in our stead
He loves us all and beat death
Get brand new life, stat- baby
Be reborn His Way

(Repeat Verse 2 with first line changed as follows:)
Ooh- hear what I've got to say
Hear me- you were born sin's slave
Baby, Jesus bore our shame [echo: "bore our shame"]
Ooh, there ain't another Way
Save me, Jesus Lord
Come on, invite Him to save ya
Be reborn today!

Verse 5
Kind of a drag just bein' me
Whatever your lot, not easy bein' green
These black/white/grey labels- let's end
We're sexual beings- we orient
If your same sex tendencies
Left you outcast, bullied or teased
Rejoice- God loves you! Me too, babe
In Jesus, we are washed and waiting!

Verse 6
No matter gay, straight or bi
Lesbian, transgendered life
All bow to Christ on Last Day, so
Make Him Lord while there's time
All that come after Christ are changed
2nd. Cor. 5:17
Strap on my cross and deny me
I'm reborn and Christ's slave

(Repeat Chorus 2)

(Repeat Verse 2 with first line changed as follows:)
Ooh- hear what I've got to say
Hear me- you were born sin's slave
Baby, Jesus bore our shame [echo: "bore our shame"]
Ooh, there ain't another Way
Save me, Jesus Lord
Come on, invite Him to save ya
Be reborn today!

We were born in sin, babe!
But Jesus bore our shame
I asked Lord Christ to save me
I'm reborn His Way!
Now's the time to get saved
Jesus Lord- He is waiting
Go ask Lord Christ to save ya
And be reborn today!

[whispered echo: "I'm reborn His Way! Be reborn His Way! Be reborn today!"]
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