Sinner the Hands of an Angry God? Not so much

NOTE: While I have no intention of this blog being solely theological, there are moments when my fingers start running around the keyboard producing ideas of their own. Is this the so called stream of consciousness? I don't know. Todays missal comes from a reaction to some things a fiend is goint through, and my response to it. As my response grew in length, I realized that a chord in my spirit had been set off and that this was more than a response to one friend, it si for all those out there who face doubet about the source of your faith and have been told that God is out to get you and he will punish you...Do we belong to an Angry God? Do I live in fear of an angry God? Is God waitng for me to screw up kust one more time before he yanks me off this blue marble in the outskirts of the Milky Way and dumps me into some dark abyss? Not so much.

At some point we all make a decision to accept the manure that lands in our lap or do something about it. When we are at that point in our lives, we are all too often inundated by judgementalist Christianity (that is my term for fundamentalists after they left the fundamentals on the bathroom sink) and the only reasonable voice we hear may be the one we are told is no longer reliable or reasonable.

Our government is based on a principal that the majority rules. But with God, that is not the case. The only voice that should matter is His, through the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. He wants us to live by faith in Him, and that faith means we should listen to His voice alone. Fear, on the other hand, sends us careening around the planet looking for a majority consensus to tell us we are doing okay, or at least okay enough that God is not going to smack us down and grind us to powder. I know all about this, I have been there, and sometimes still stop there for a while.

Many, too many, Christians live in this fear based belief system without being aware of it. It is what we have been taught by our traditions. It is a belief that says, “God’s gonna git ya” unless you follow the rules. The “sinners in thehands of an angry God” philosophy.

So, why don't we take a close look at this Angry God…

This angry God, while we were still His ENEMIES, while we were still AGAINST Him, sent the ONLY SON He ever sired to be the recipient of His judgment and wrath, so that I WOULD NOT HAVE TO, so that YOU WOULD NOT HAVE TO. And Jesus stretched out His hands WILLINGLY so that he would be the recipient of that wrath. WILLINGLY! INTENTIONALLY! AS PLANNED for eons. WITHOUT HESITATION. I fully believe the bible shows us that Jesus fought to make sure he lived through all of the torture prior to the cross so that He could willingly be nailed to it. He did this for everyone of us. Angry hands? not so much.

The images are clear of this "angry" God...JESUS praying, sweating blood, before God in Gethsemane; Jesus silent before the Sanhedrin; Jesus silent before Pilate; Jesus silent in the face of the Roman whips and the Roman fists; Jesus struggling along the path to the top of Golgotha, Jesus suspended in agony on the cross, crying out, “WHY have you forsaken me?; Jesus, God in the flesh, outstretched hands clearly demonstratingthe true nature of Gods “anger.” Angry hands? Not so much

And then He said, “IT…IS…FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!” God’s anger was fulfilled.

He was buried.

And then, by the power of the Holy Spirit, HE ROSE FROM THE GRAVE. He is ALIVE.

Because HE LIVES,

I can face tomorrow.

BECAUSE HE LIVES

ALL fear is GONE

Because I KNOW

HE HOLDS the future,

MY life is worth LIVING

BECAUSE HE LIVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Gaithers)

And because He lives, I need never fear an Angry God.

An angry and judgmental world? For certain.

A world that is hell bent for election on rebelling against Him? YEP, and as often as not I get caught up in that headlong rush.

And what is it that awaits me when I recognize the error of my ways? If it is God’s anger, it is an anger that takes the form of the atoning and cleansing blood of Jesus and the forgiving and restorative grace of God that surpasses even his perfect mercy.

His hands reach out to me, lifting me and consoling me. Are they angry hands?

NOT SO MUCH as a speck of anger is in hose hands. The nail scars are ample proof of hat.

Today, the warrior.

What's In A Name

Standing on her balcony, crying out to the stars, Juliet asks,

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."

But, in reality, names, like words in general, do have meaning, and they do convey ideas and images to others.

And so, why choose to title my blog as I have?

The short answer is that I am an adopted daughter of the King of The Universe (aka: God). I was given this opportunity through the sacrifice of Jesus, the first born of the redeemed.

I accepted this gift and, as an adopted daughter of a king, I am thus a princess.

As a soldier formerly serving as a US Army Infantry officer, and one who still sees a need to assail the odd errant windmill, scale ivory towers of intolerance and work to right social ills, both from a human as well as heavenly perspective, I am called to live as a warrior.

There are many other titles that could also be included, but to do so would make the title longer than many of my future reflections.

I challenge you, the reader, to give this blog a chance. Ride with it a while. See for yourself that while I am a woman whose faith is central to her life, my perspective is unique and will often prove challenging, if not controversial, to readers on every side of an issue.

This is good.

A little thought never hurt anyone, and a lot of thought can only prove to make the world a better place.


While my faith is central to who I am, I strongly believe in the old adage "more is caught than taught," and hope that my whole personality comes through [ and my sense of humor, you are in for a real treat, there ;) ] and that something in who I am may show someone that it is okay to believe as I do and still be who you are. In that light, the purpose of this blog is not to proselytize, or cram any form of religion into anyone's brain housing group, rather its purpose is:

• To afford me an opportunity to vent my spleen on issues about which I feel strongly;
• To allow me to regale the universe with my vast knowledge and wisdom regarding all subjects, public or private, be they plant, mineral or animal; larger or smaller than a bread box; and brought to you in living color;
• To offer some perspectives on contemporary issues;
• To at times offer my opinions on matters of faith for discussion and consideration;
• To accomplish other goals as determined to be necessary by the management (the standard blanket "other duties as required" clause common to all job descriptions).

I kind of hope that I will get the opportunity to comment on a wide variety of topics, only one of which is my faith. You can expect to see book reviews, movie reviews, social commentary, the odd advice column (odd being the operative term), announcements of events of interest, personal accounts on the course of my life, and musings & ruminations on random (and not so random) thoughts.

And anything else I find of interest...after all it IS my blog.

E.

PS, as this is new technology for me, there will undoubtedly be moments where I so seriously botch what I am doing it will come across as if written in some obscure ancient dialect of Klingon. But its my party and I will try if I want to...