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The Fodder:  Leviticus 11-13

The Thought:  The sign on the marquee reads, “New Name – New Menu”.  Kashrut’s Kitchen had the reputation for being an industry leader in Goshen and Egypt with more locations than any other eatery.  The Exodus disrupted everything.  Gone were the 23 locations.  Gone were the freshest ingredients of Egypt and Goshen.  Gone were the happy faces of many satisfied customers.  Gone were the long days of boiling pots, rolling steam and sore feet.  Gone.  All gone, including the Gumbo; the dish that combines ingredients and culinary practices from several cultures.  The item that put Kashrut’s Kitchen on the map; the item that people would wait in line for hours to eat;  the item that had won hundreds of “people’s choice” awards over the last 37 years.  Gone.  The meal that epitomized the heart of a nation; the Gumbo was gone.  Forbidden.

The Exodus may have disrupted everything, but the stone tablets changed the menu.  “Who needs holiness when you can have Gumbo?”, Kashrut caught himself whispering under his breath.  More than a question, the thought revealed the tendency of the Israelites to blend in with their surroundings.  They were a nation of chameleons; a fact that God demanded would change. Gumbo represented everything holiness opposed.

The new dietary laws had Gumbo squarely in their sights but Kashrut was determined not to take it personally.  Kashrut’s Kitchen would reorganize, relaunch and survive.  The lines would return; there’d be happy faces again.  Gone was the Gumbo but the people still had its favorite chef and Sinai had its newest restaurant, Kashrut’s Kosher Kitchen.

Kashrut’s experience wasn’t unique – all the Israelites experienced change and lots of it.  God wanted a people who would simply look, think and act differently than all other nations.  That’s the central theme of God’s message to the Israelites – holiness.  God wanted a holy people.  Outlawing Gumbo, with it’s mix of cultures and ingredients, was representative of what God was trying to do in the hearts and minds of His people.   God didn’t want them to think in terms of what was lost, but rather, what is gained.  Living a holy life, set apart from all others – set apart to Him – led to a rich inheritance found only in God.

Millennia later Jesus would come and fulfill all God intended for His people.  For Christ-followers today, Gumbo - as a food item - is back on the menu.  God still desires for His people to be set apart.  Our holiness is expressed through our life in and submission to Christ.

Submitted from www.thefodder.net

My Adventure for this week is our church's celebration of Heart's Day.
Quite fun.I was there from start to finish.We had to set everything up.From the tents to the tables,we set it up.I was an usher(pretty tough task,since I'm people-allergic) but then I was tasked for the lights and sounds,which was more fun.
The fun started at the freedom wall.We were free to write anything about love.I chose to write "We should love God,because He loved us first." from 1 John 4:19.
The praise and worship was AWESOME.Lights + good music + God's presence = AWESOME.
What did I learn? The speaker,Ms. Precious Joy Ocon,was a good speaker,she had told us many things about being in a relationship,but she zeroed in on prioritizing God,family and church before getting a partner.She also talked about the ABC's of relationships,why wrong/bad relationships exist.
It was a fun activity.God really does enjoy people praising,worshiping,and loving Him above everything.

Today I recieved an email from my school, but it wasn't one I was used to. In this it explained that an unusual occurance. Spiritual Warfare to be specific. I sat back and really thought about the truth. There is a constant stuggle of angels and demons all around us. Both are fighting for us, both doing their part to lead us in a direction. Today I was also privilaged to attend a C.S Lewis seminar, in which we were able to talked about a popular book authored by Lewis entilted The Screwtape Letters. If you haven't heard of it, it's about an elder demon writting letters to his nephew, instructing him on how to be a good demon. In one letter, Screwtape writes to his nephew, Wormwood, explaining to him an example of how to lead people in his direction. The example included a man (an atheist) who was sitting reading a newspaper, when Screwtape noticed "the enemy" (an angel) at the man's elbow, speaking to the man encouraging his train of thought. Screwtape then went into action and quietly suggested to the man that is was time to eat. The train of thought the man had been having was forgotten. The profesor of the seminar explained to us that one of the devil's greatest weapons is convincing us that he's not there. That there's nothing there, just us all alone in this world.

After the class and the email and sat my RA for my dorm floor down and asked her some questions so I could understand better (and not be so scared if I'm being honest). I asked her exactly what it was and why, on a Bible colleges campus could we be attacked like we were. She explained that there are kingdoms at war right now and both want desprately to spread and recruit us. She said that it's because we're a Bible college is why we're under such heavy fire. Satan is going to TRY to bring us down where we are stong. I am in no way antagonizing the enemy, for that would be foolish, but I have trust in my God to know that we will stand strong and overcome.

I know that another major weapon of the devil is to create isolation within a community. To make everyone feel along and seperated from each other. However, after hearing about this battle that my campus has been going through, I sat back and thought about how the community has been lately. And then my heart swelled with joy. My community, well actually God's community hasn't been this strong all year. People who have never spoken or met have gotten together and gotten to know each other. People are supporting others in ways that are both big and small. People are fighting side by side to over come and guess what? we're winning :)

The Fodder:  Leviticus 8-10

The Thought:  Nadab and Abihu: two brothers who represent the perfect mixture of ignorance and pride.  You may not agree with that summation, but before you get about the rest of your day, look at the first word the jumps out of this collection of letters: ignorance.  Do you immediately see the word IGNOR (ignore)?  I hope so because that’s exactly what Nadab and Abihu did - they pridefully ignored the holiness of God and did so with full knowledge.  They paid the ultimate price. 

This pair was part of the seventy four member procession whom ventured up the mountain with Moses and saw the presence of the Lord first hand (Exodus 24:9-11).  They were part of the seven day ordination ceremonies that God instituted for the inauguration of the priesthood.  These ordained priests had strategic roles on the day following the ordination and participated in all the sin, burnt, fellowship and grain offerings.  Also, they knew the Lord would appear the day their pride got the best of them (Leviticus 9:1-4).

All of the rites were being performed just as the Lord had instructed Moses.  Notice the words used to describe the consumption of the burnt offering in Leviticus 9:24, “Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar.  And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.”  All the people? Yep, the entire nation of Israel was gathered at the Tent of Meeting for the seven day ordination of the priests and on the eighth day the priests performed all the rituals before the people.

Imagine this... There’s a massive worship service; it’s celebratory, loud and becomes reverent.  Once again God demonstrated His power and everyone is facedown on the ground, except Nadab and Abihu.  They’re priests, dressed for the occasion and apparently not at all fazed by God’s demonstration.  Had the antecedent exposure to God’s presence, the fact that their father was the high priest, the priestly garb, the moment - the whole day - served as the buffet from which their pride feasted on?  What would cause them to burn incense when incense wasn’t required for a burnt offering?  I can only think of two things: ignorance and pride.

Notice the words used to describe the consumption of this ignorance and pride in Leviticus 10:2. “So fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.”  Aaron, their father, remained silent as Moses chided him.  I suspect that very few saw what happened.  They were still facedown as a result of the demonstration of God’s power in the consumption of the burnt offering.  However, they couldn’t help but hear the second rush of flame and later notice the charred remains of two men in tunics being carted outside the camp.  “What happened?”  

I’ll tell you what happened:  God’s holiness cannot share the altar with anyone who will pridefully ignore His statutes.

Submitted by www.thefodder.net

February 17, 2012

The Life of Jesus; read today: Multitudes mock Jesus; Matthew 27:39-43; Mark 15:29-32; Luke 23:35-37

On Wednesday nights at the church I attend we have a self-help group running for people who have co-dependency issues.  One thing that I have learned from them is that a person can not help themselves get out of their addictions.  Nor can you help anyone else out of their addictions.  If you try, you run the risk of becoming codependent and having an addiction to trying to fix them.  

The only way one can come out of those addictions to recognize that they can not do it in their own strength.  As I have gone through this program, I have had to say that I am powerless in myself, that I can not break the chains. However, if I turn acknowledge that I have the problem, and turn to God for help (a higher power as some organizations say), then God can help me through the problems.  To put it bluntly, I can not save myself.  

ESV: Mark 15:31. So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, He saved others; he cannot save himself.

Here is a man who could save Himself.  Jesus had not only the power to come off that cross, but since He had not sinned, He should not have been up there and had the right to do so. If He had done so I would still be in my co-dependent state.  I could not save my self, I had to have God do it for me by having His Son die for me.  For years I tried to do things in my own power, until I realized that I could never do it for myself, I had to have help.


Read for next time: Robbers mock Jesus; Matthew 27:44, Mark 15:32; Luke 23:39

As we know, our bodies are not our own. They are in fact the temple of the Holy Spirit, and we need to start treating them as such.  We not only disrespect our bodies by filling them with what ever we deem tastes good, but we also use whatever products we ignorantly think works for cosmetics and hygiene products.  They say that ignorance is bliss, but with the rate that cancer and disease are sky-rocketing in America, we need to educate ourselves on what we are putting on and in our bodies and stop living in ignorance..  Chris and Andrea Fabry have been using Chris' radio show on Moody Radio to educate people on how to do just that.  Here are a few links to those shows. Check them out. Ignorance will just put us into an early grave.

Hi Everyone!
You might as well be wondering why I wrote this post.I wrote this because I was half hoping that you guys will grasp this idea,'kay?
Let's start with the history of Valentine's day.It all started with a priest named Valentine in Rome.You might be thinking,"What another good ending story.Hurrah." But NO.Ladies and gentlemen,I introduce to you,to love-hating,cruel,and cranky Emperor Claudius! *silence* Oh well.
Back to the story,Valentine was a good guy.He was the one whom people came to be married.But Claudius wants to expand his army,with Rome being the strongest empire and all.The men refused to go to war and would rather stay home with their wifeys. ;) 
Claudius,hearing this reports of men not wanting to join the army,he banned men to be married.Valentine,still officiating marriages,got caught and was put to death.And he left a note ending with, 
"Love,Your Valentine"
And that was the start of Valentines day.Now as a CHRISTian,how can we celebrate V-day the CHRISTIAN WAY?
1. Stand firm on what is truth.Valentine knew this well,and refused to back down from his duty until the end.

• It is dangerous to oppose what is wrong and untrue.
• As a Christian,EXPECT opposition. I experienced it well.

But 1 Corinthians says,For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 
and Romans 5:5 says,
 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. 

       Last week my school presented all us students with what we call International Focus Week, where most classes are cancled on a specific day and other hour long seminars are set in their place. We are able to choose any of the classes we want. One class that I chose was entitled simply "Sex Trafficking. In no way was I fully ready for what I was going to hear.

       The professor was so pasionate about this subject that it was hard not to connect. As he retold some stories that he exerienced himself and had heard from others my heart was drawn out to those being abused in these situations. The class focused on the young boys being exploited. Often we forget that it's not just young girls being sold and abused. 30% of the children involved in the trafficking are boys under the age of 16, some, are only infants. I heard stories that broke my heart and made me angry. Angry not only at the people who choose to do that to children, but also at myself, who at that time was sitting in an air conditioned room and had no idea this was even going on. When the speaker was asked what was being done to help these boys the answer was less than satisfactory. He told us a story he heard from a police officer that participated in a raid on a trafficking home. The officer explained that during that raid, he went in and grabbed as many girls as he could, but when he found a young boy, he was forced to leave him behind, because he had absolutely no where to take him or any of the other boys. There are homes set up for girls, but not for boys.

      I remember looking around, after that news was announced, at my classmates and seeing the look of devistation and heartache on their faces. Again it was asked what could be done to help. My teacher then said that to help these boys, they need people who are in it for the long haul. they need couples to take them in, adopt them (most of the children can't go back home because of saftey, or in some sad cases the parents sold them), they need men to show them what a Godly man looks like, a woman who will love them in the appropriate way, and they deffinitly need counsalors to help them understand and get through it.

       To end the class, the proffessor told us of a site that is involved and working to help these boys. blackboxinternational.org. On Black Box International it has ways that you can help in your own way, whether it be donating money to help those on the field or fully get your hands in there. After that class some people told me thats where they felt that God was calling them to go. To help those boys that cant help themselves. I know God is watching over them, I can't say what He has in store but I have faith and trust in my Lord to know that something is going to be done. As his hands and feet we are encouraged to help these boys, and to see the end of these stories.