God's Amazing Creatures: Cat and Owl Video

God's Amazing Creatures: Cat and Owl Video

It would be interesting to know the story behind how these two became such good friends. Notice the trust and safe playfulness between them.




This makes me think of Isaiah 11:6: "The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat." Unlikely creatures, natural enemies, will be friends in the great redemption. Even among people.

I'm ready for that Great Day.

Warren

Love (Eros) as Attachment #2

Love (Eros) as Attachment #2

Three things make it difficult for churches today to practice the kind of love that binds us together as Peter hoped the Christians in his day would be. One, many of us have an institutional rather than relational view of the church. Though we understand the church to be the people that Jesus died for and we are to love with deep sincerity; in actual practice the church is an institution that follows proper protocol and to which we may become members if we practice that protocol as the church teaches it.

Love, eros, is not as easily tested and defined as the practice or protocol because it cannot be determined by a structure or pattern. Love as attachment or commitment to another responds as the needs dictate in specific contexts. A moral failure in one context may require a soft and sympathetic response (as perhaps to a new Christian sincerely struggling to overcome years of abuse and self-denegrating living) while in another context it may require severe reprimand and even discipline (as with a person in authority using his/her position to exploit vulnerable subordinates).

Secondly, our individualism makes it difficult for a Christian in America to enter so completely into union with another. We want to handle problems ourselves. The concept of autonomy is often implied to exclude reciprocal responsibility, an interconnectedness. If we are in a problem-solving or need-serving relationship, we want to be the ones solving the problems or serving needs; we do not want to be on the receiving end of these functions. Our individualism sets us over-and-against our own brethren, making the union described by 1 Peter an elusive goal.

Thirdly, we are not persecuted for our faith today. At least, I am not in my context. There are social pressures against churches and Christians today, but we are not concerned about the government knocking our doors down at 2 a.m. and hauling our family to prison. We don’t think we need the deep attachment to another believer; we can function fine without it, and our faith will prevail. In reality we function in isolation from one another, alienated from those who share both a like faith and a like need.

Even if the third point is true, we miss a very important purpose for the church to function in a Trinitarian-type manner, practicing agape and eros (attachment) with each other: in our healthy attachment to each other, we reflect the Trinity to the community, living good lives that bless and enhance their existence, and leading them to glorify God.

Have you ever experienced love-as-attachment, either sharing it with another or receiving it from someone? How has it impacted your life?

Warren Baldwin

Seven-Book Give-Away

Seven-Book Give-Away

To celebrate a year of blogging Author Amanda Beth is sponsoring the give-away of seven books on her Family Blog.

Click on the links below to enter each giveaway. Just comment on the blog of the book/books you want to enter to win.

Click here to go to Monday's giveaway: TWO for ONE winner – My book “You Can Have a Happy Family,” and Warren Baldwin’s book “Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks, and Other Gems from Proverbs”

Click here to go to Tuesday's giveaway: Chuck Balsamo’s book “Make Me A Legend”

Click here to go to Wednesday's giveaway: Penny Zeller’s book “Hailee”

Click here to go to Thursday's giveaway: Dr. Gary & Norma Smalley’s book “4 Days to a Forever Marriage”
Click here to go to Friday's giveaway: Deborah Bateman’s book “The Book of Ruth – A Story of Love and Redemption”

Click here to go to Saturday's giveaway: Dave Moore's book “The Father's Love”



All of the drawings will be tomorrow, Monday, Oct. 31, so there is still time to enter for any of the books you would like if you do so by early tomorrow morning.

Hope some of you get to enter and win!

Warren

Love (Eros) as Attachment

Love (Eros) as Attachment #1

There is a general understanding among Christians that the different Greek words for love address different facets or dimensions of love, and they should not be confused or misapplied. Agape love is understood to be a selfless, giving type of love, such as manifested by Jesus on the cross toward sinners. It is to invest one’s self in the wellbeing of another. The lowest expression of love is eros, which, according to the common understanding, is really not love, but the selfish use of another for one’s own wellbeing or satisfaction. Eros, or erotic, would include sexual activity for one’s own benefit or pleasure, and not for relationship building. In this understanding, agape is the love used for the ultimate relationship building, as between a husband and wife, and sexual expression in this relationship is for mutual enjoyment and benefit.

Nicholas Wolterstorff credits this understanding of agape and eros to a publication by Anders Nygren in the 1930s entitled, Agape and Eros. He also disagrees with him. Wolterstorff says, “eros is love as attachment.” * Working from this definition, he argues that the contrast between agape and eros is not between love as serving another or love as serving one’s self, but between love as serving another and love as attachment. This attachment he describes as “an intrinsic good, as are the experiences that ensue from the attachment: delight in the presence of the person or thing loved, and so forth ... Love as attachment to the other and love as investment in the wellbeing of the other often come together, inextricably intertwined.” (Pp.185-6)

Wolterstorff discusses the implication of these two terms when applied to the Trinity. Can the love between the members of the Trinity be understood as investing in each other’s wellbeing (agape) or as promoting their own benefit or wellbeing (one understanding of eros)? He says, “no.” But, the relationship of the members of the Trinity toward each other can be understood by the other definition of eros, attachment: “delight in being in the presence of the other.” (p.187)

Integral to this love relationship is primary justice, the fair and proper treatment of others. God’s concern for primary justice between people is reflective of the relationship that exists among the members of the Trinity. “When we treat each other justly, we neither merely obey God’s injunction to act justly nor merely imitate God’s doing of justice within creation. We mirror the inner life of the Trinity.” (p.187)

Though words other than eros are used in the New Testament for our love for one another, this idea of attachment can be detected in a number of passages. The Christians addressed by Peter were facing persecution. Though the persecution may have been relatively mild at the time the epistles were written, it was significant enough to shake the foundations of their faith. Peter writes to encourage them in the Christian walk, assuring them that their new birth was “not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” With this assurance that their lives are now imperishable and eternal (as are the members of the Trinity), the believers are now to live in a way that reflects this Trinitarian nature: they are to love one another sincerely and deeply (1 Peter 1:22-23).

This love can be investing in the lives of each other. But more, it means that the members are to be attached to one another. In their attachment to each another they will find mutual strength to resist the threats to their faith and remain strong. Peter develops this sense of community when he describes the nature of their relationship to each other as being a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belong to God (2:9). In their attachment to each other, they can not only resist the temptations that come at them from the world, they will be able to reflect the love and justice of God to the world (2:11,12).

How has the presence of other believers given you hope or strengthened your spiritual life?

* Nicholas Wolterstorff, God’s Life in Trinity, Miroslav Volf and Michael Welker, eds (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2006), 185.

Warren Baldwin

(Part 2 in a few days)

Gianna's Story of Survival

Gianna's Story of Survival

I like how Gianna paid such tribute to God and Jesus in her testimony. She surely rejoices in her life and her salvation!

I was also struck by some of her comments at the end, particularly this:

"Ladies and gentlemen, you have an opportunity ... Men, you are made for greatness. You are made to stand up and be men. You are made to defend women and children, not stand by and turn your head when you know murder is occurring and do nothing about it. You are not made to use women and leave us alone. You are made to be kind and great and gracious and strong and stand for something. Because men, listen to me, I am too tired to do your job.

Women, you are not made for abuse. You are not made to sit and not know your worth and your value. You are made to be fought for, forever." Gianna Jessen

These two paragraphs alone are enough to chew on for quite a while.

Thanks, Gianna, for your testimony and your challenge.

Warren Baldwin
Note: I got this video from Amy's blog, Everyday Blessings.

Guest Marriage Post: Jen Voight

The Secret of Surrender: Loving Like Jesus Does

All marriages experience conflict. When we join together in marriage, we bring both our good qualities and our emotional baggage. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a strong marriage or a floundering one, a marriage will always experience some amount of conflict because both spouses are human. As human beings, we are prone to selfishness and demanding our own way.

Why is conflict the kiss of death for some marriages, while other marriages weather conflict and come out stronger in the end?

At the heart of any conflict is fear. It may be fear of losing control, fear of insecurity or instability, or fear of losing face. Once we begin a conflict, every ounce of our being may try to win at all costs. Our nastiest qualities can come to the surface as we fight to maintain whatever it is that we fear losing the most. To make matters worse, we all have “hot buttons” of insecurity that can trigger overreactions to matters that may appear trivial to others.

Occasionally, marriages will face issues that are very large. The well-being of the children may possibly be at stake, or a move across the country can require one partner to give up a satisfying career. How do couples resolve these types of conflicts?

Surrender.

It may not be popular, but it is effective. Also known as submission, surrender can be a very effective tool at solving conflict. When we are willing to step out in faith and bend in the breeze like trees in a storm, God can bless our obedience to Him. After all, God tells us in Ephesians 5:21 to “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

Personally, this has been one of the most effective tools I know for resolving conflict in my marriage. I could even say that surrendering on both small and large issues has transformed my marriage.

The best example of this in my own marriage is when we were living in a family-oriented neighborhood with excellent schools and a wonderful church nearby. My husband only had to drive twelve minutes to work. We had a beautiful home that I had finally decorated and landscaped exactly the way I wanted it.

When my husband informed me he felt we should sell our house and move an hour away to a new community where his brother was senior pastor of a church, I was hesitant about leaving my happy life for a town with schools that had a less than stellar reputation, high unemployment, and fewer amenities than we were accustomed. Although the lower cost of living was attractive, I knew that moving there would mean my husband would have to commute 55 minutes each way to work each day. To offset the price of gas we would be paying each month, we had to buy a smaller, less expensive home.

I prayed about it, but God was silent. It was clear that God was speaking to my husband, and not me.

Submitting on this issue was one of the most difficult times of my life; it was also one of the most rewarding. Whether or not my husband made the right decision was irrelevant. I still feel God rewarded my willingness to bend in the breeze.

After all, Christ willingly chose to submit to His father’s will and gave up His power during His time on earth. It’s not that He lacked power or authority, He simply chose not to use it in order to serve a much greater purpose.

While I don’t think we need to give up at every sign of conflict, surrender can be an effective tool when prayer doesn’t yield an answer or when an issue is at a point where there seems to be no other resolution. Surrender gives us rest and peace. When we surrender our rights, we put our full trust in God for the results. Even better, we know that even if the situation may not work out exactly as planned, God can make good come out of a bad situation and even bless us from another direction.

Jen Voight

Jen Voight has been married for nearly 20 years to Eric. They have three boys. She is Director of Adult Ed at Lancaster United Brethren Church in Lancaster, Ohio, and is a writer and decorative artist.

You can follow Jen's writing at her blog, Spejory.

Note: Jen's great article continues the guest post series I have been running this year on the subject of marriage. I posted consistently until my daughter's illness in April, and since then it has been a bit spasmodic. But, I still have some good articles I want to share that author's submitted, and this is one of them.

Thank you to Jen for sharing these insights into her family's experiences, and for encouraging us all to take a more biblical and spiritual approach to our marriages. WB

Isaiah's Call

Isaiah's Call

Isaiah saw some amazing things when God called him to preach, such as heavenly creatures flying above the throne singing, "holy, holy, holy." If we compare our call to Isaiah's, we might be disapponted that ours did not come with such drama. We might even wonder if this story has anything to do with our lives.

But the significant part of the call for us may not be what Isaiah saw, but how he responded. And we can share in that part of the drama with Isaiah. That story is told in the video below.

Thanks for listening,

Warren

(Note: this is my first MP3 conversion to a "movie." I'd appreciate any feedback on what you think about it. Thanks, wb)

Did We Really "Just Happen"?

Did We Really "Just Happen"?

You are walking in the country far from the "noise" of civilization. There are no cars, no telephone poles, no houses ... nothing to indicate that any human being is around you, nothing to indicate that a human has even been here for some time.

As you are walking along a reflection from something on the ground strikes your eye. You wonder what that could be out here in the country so you bend down and see a watch lying there. Mmmm, you wonder, how in the world did this get here? You have two options. One, sometime in history, many years ago, maybe even millions of years ago, a bunch of dust somehow settled in this very spot. Then some pollen settled on it. Then some more dust. Then a light drizzle of rain. And then it happened, during a storm lightening struck this very spot and "Poof!", here was the watch. Somehow, the right particles collected on this spot, the temperature was just right, the moisture content was just right, and then lightening struck just right, and a watch was produced.

You would conclude that, wouldn’t you?

But, of course, there is another option. You turn the watch over and read the back. There you see, "Made in China." The watch even provides the name of the watchmaker. So now you conclude, someone, somewhere, made this watch. A designer meticulously and deliberately measured the amounts of metals to be used, made forms to pour the metals into, gauged the temperature, and in other ways supervised the whole operation. And after a carefully crafted process, a watch was produced. Later, that watch was shipped to the U.S. where a person bought it, wore it, and lost it when they were walking out here in the country.

Here are two possible explanations for how that watch got out here, way out here, in the middle of the country. Which one makes more sense to you?

Here is another scenario. You wake up early one morning, look outside, and see a BEAUTIFUL sunrise. It takes your breath away! The beautiful bright colors streaming across the sky. The vividness and contrast of the colors. It is amazing. And you wonder, how could that beauty get there in the sky? Again, you have two options. Somehow, somewhere, millions of years ago, maybe tens of millions of years ago, lightening struck some dust in the sky ... anyway ... you now how that one concludes. Your other option is, just like there is a grand designer for the watch, is it at least possible there is another grand designer who planned that sunrise?

One more scenario. Your wife says, "Honey, its time, lets go!" Nervously you grab your bags and head for the car. The hospital is 30 minutes away, and you fret and worry the whole time. But everything goes well, and four hours later the doctor places your baby son or your baby daughter in your arms and says, "Congratulations, dad." "Unbelievable!" you whisper to your wife, your baby, and yourself. "I can see your chin and your eyebrows on her. I can see my nose and forehead. Can you believe how beautiful she is!"

And two possible explanations for how this beautiful baby got into your arms come into your head. One time, many years ago, even tens of millions of years ago, a collection of dust, pollen and moisture were struck by lightening ... But something doesn’t seem right about that explanation. If a watch requires a watchmaker, a designer, does your baby require any less? Is he or she really nothing more than a chance of nature,

a freak occurrence of eons of time? Is the ape or gorilla really the ancestor of your child? Do you put pictures of monkeys in your family album?

As you look at that beautiful baby boy or girl another possible explanation cries for recognition: God said, "Let us make man and woman in our image."

Warren Baldwin

Eight Reasons Why People Splurge

Eight Reasons Why People Splurge

It’s that time of year again ... fall, and soon to follow, Christmas. Money is tight, and shopping for the holidays can be a real challenge for people. How can we be more financially responsible when we hit the stores this year? MSN Money News recently had an article about eight reasons people splurge their shopping decisions. Here they are:

One, shopping while hungry. Something kicks off in your brain and says, “Buy that, buy that!” The solution is to have several Big Macs, bags of chips and chocolate shakes in your vehicle when you shop, so when you are feeling hungry you can run out to the car and chow down, and not buy as much in the store. No wait, that part wasn’t it in the article, that’s just what I do. But it probably is a good idea to have some healthy snack in the car. And watch out for stores that have cinnamon and vanilla smells. They trigger the hunger urges.

Two, shopping with a partner, such as a friend or spouse. Now, a partner that is fiscally responsible can be good, because they’ll tell you, “No, no, no, no. You don’t need that stuff.” But, a partner that is a buyer, ah, beware. They can induce you to spend more.

Number three, lack of religion or faith. Gavan Fitzsimons, professor of marketing and psychology at Duke University, says religious people are less likely to make purchases as a means of expressing their identity. Thus, they can be content with generic versions rather than name brand items.

Your mood is number four. A study entitled “Misery is not Miserly” by researchers at Harvard, Standford and other Ivy League schools confirmed what we all know: our emotions have a lot to do with how we spend money. I’ve seen that in my life. When I’m sad and down, I want to buy books or hunting equipment. When I’m happy, I want to buy books or hunting equipment. When I don’t know what to do with my life, I visit a book store or hunting store. It’s true every time. So, if you are feeling down, take a jog or a brisk walk instead of pulling out the Visa.

Five, moving counter-clockwise through the store. Supposedly stores lay their merchandise out to subtly induce us to stay longer, and they use a counter-clockwise direction to do that. Break the habit by first going to the consumer section and returning an item you bought last time, then go straight through the center of the store, turn around and head straight out. You may not get what you want or need, but you will spend less.

Number six is the size of your shopping cart. That’s a given. The bigger the container the more you can put in it, so go smaller.

Number seven kind of stumps me. The article says where your name falls in the alphabet has a lot to do with how much you spend in a store. The theory goes like this: the farther back in the alphabet you are, the last you get picked for things. B, as in the last name Baldwin, comes before T, as in Thompson. So, Baldwin always gets picked for things before Thompson. The theory then says that Thompson gets angry with that all through life, so when he gets older, he compensates for always being last by being the first to buy something new that comes out. And, when things first come out, they cost more. So, Thompson buys the first handheld calculator for 80 bucks, but Baldwin waits and buys one for $8.00. Do you believe that? My dad’s last name is Baldwin, and he bought a handheld calculator for the nifty sum of $80 when they first appeared. That shoots that theory. But then, Warren Buffet - a B - has a handsome sum of money, so maybe the theory is true. The solution: if your name begins with a P or anything after, send a friend to shop for you.

Finally, your genes. Some people are genetically predisposed to spend more money. I want to meet some of those people, because I have some items I want to sell.

In the Bible the Apostle Paul wrote, “Godliness with contentment is great gain ... if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that” (1 Tim. 6:6-8). There is the greatest inducement to spend our money wisely - thankfulness to God for all he has already given us.

WB

Guest Post: Anthony Warnes

Children and Marriage

Guest Post by Anthony Warnes

Looking back at the Old Testament, all the way back to the first chapter of the Bible, we see that God had a special purpose for marriage. Of course marriage was put in place by God to give the man a “helper” (Genesis 2:18). Yet we also see that as soon as man and women were created they were commanded to, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth….” Children were a major reason for the creation of both man and women and the institution of marriage.

Further on in the Scriptures, we find that David gives us this statement on the importance of Children, “Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them…” Psalm 127:3-5. God obviously believed from the very beginning of creation and through the Bible, that children are a blessing to any marriage.

Any Christian couple would agree in principle with everything that has been written thus far. The problem arises in the participation of these statements. Many will say, “Children are a gift from the Lord!” and will agree that they can be a huge blessing and asset in any marriage. However, if we look at the current state of the church and our nation, do we find that couples truly believe that children are a blessing? Or that children are more of a burden? Unfortunately, it is my observation that the latter would be more accurate.

If you look at the current birthrate in America, you will see that a high estimate is that each couple is having 2.1 children. This very small number is one that would fit not just for the country, but for many in the church as well. Also think about the way we talk about children, “A boy for me, and a girl for you…Praise the Lord we are THROUGH!” This statement and many others that come from the mouths of Christian couples remind me more of a husband and wife that look at their children as burdens, rather than blessings.

When thinking of any other type of blessing, would one want much of the blessing, or just a minimal portion? If you were given a material blessing such as money, would you take it? Most everyone would. In fact, we would allow the Lord to bless us with that blessing as often as He wanted us to. Yet it would appear that with the blessing of children, we come to a number such as “a boy for me, and a girl for you” and we ask God to stop giving us these blessings. Are we missing something?

Maybe it is time for Christian couples to stop looking at children as burdens and start looking at them as blessings. I am not saying that we should all go out and have a family the size of the Duggars, rather that we need to look at them for what they are, blessings from the Lord.

When a Christian couple allows the Lord to bless them with children, that couple may not have the nicest car on the block or eat at the most expensive restaurants, yet they will be able to reap the benefits of enjoying quality time with the children that the Lord gave them and help these children get to heaven. Children are a Blessing from the Lord.

Anthony Warnes

Note: Anthony is a good friend of mine. He is a very talented young minister, great writer, and wonderful family man. His parents are wonderful people who have given their lives to raising a Christian family. Anthony's father, brother, and brother-in-law are all preachers. Anthony, pictured above with his own family, is now dedicating his life Christian ministry and family.

You can follow Anthony's writing at : Morality Check.