Spiritual Warfare Part Two (or Three?)

I spent the week wondering and sorting through my feelings on this spiritual realm issue. Though odd things kept happening through at least Thursday afternoon, I had a series of very helpful discussions and revelations.

To begin with, I have heard people talk about the devil attacking more the closer a person gets to God. And though I can see some biblical basis for that if we twist the story of Job, I don't believe in that. The idea that we get attacked simply because we are drawing closer to God is ridiculous. Instead, I think in terms of opening myself up to the divine. As I grow deeper in my spiritual life, I take the bad in with the good. As I open myself up to Holy Spirit, it makes sense that I'd begin to understand the darker side as well as the light.

And instead of thinking of it as warfare which would mean I'm on a battlefield daily, I choose to think of those darker forces as a part of creation. Not something to fight against and struggle with but to accept. They're there. They're around. Scriptures tell us they recognize Jesus. And in the demoniac, Jesus is merciful to them. This is not a battle scene.

So I accept that those forces (or whatever you'd like to call them) are there but I'm not fighting against them. My supervisor suggested I simply remind them they're part of God's mysterious creation. I'll let you know what the results are.

Already I can assure you I am much calmer. I'm sorting out what to do with this new addition to my life and weighing it against the overwhelming presence of good that is already alive there.

Here Comes the Sun

And then... well, and then comes the Son. Comes to me in the form of words of love and encouragement and affirmation from my brothers and sisters in Christ.

From my friend David:
*traces sign of the Cross on forehead*
"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
You are a called and claimed child of God. Nothing can stand against our God, who loved us so much that death and sin themselves were conquered for love of us.

From my friend Carolyn:
If ever someone I knew was a vehicle for the light and laughter that send the dark spirits running, you have been that in my life. So even if you're not sure of it, I believe that when you tell the devil to go back to hell, he hears the power of God in you and turns tail and runs. May it be so.

And so many more....

Thanks to you all dear brothers and sisters. May God's blessings rain down upon you.

Spiritual Warfare

Do you believe in spirits? Spiritual forces at work in the world? Spiritual warfare? The Holy Spirit? The devil?

I've been having one of those eerie occurances where something keeps popping back up into conversation. Like you've never heard of etoufee in your life but then you see it on a menu, read about it in a book, and a friend tells you she just had delicious crab etoufee. On of THOSE kinds of things.

For me, it is has been about the spiritual realm. To begin with, it is All Saints Day and last night was All Hallows Eve. Ghosts, goblins, vampires, zombies, and werewolves abound with the other Buzz Lightyear and Bumblebee costumes. I've also had my nose in the Sookie Stackhouse series that abounds with vampires, were wolves, witches, and fairies. An undercurrent to a very normal world.

Then I've had two completely unrelated conversations about people's belief in a very present spiritual realm. Though I've always had a strong belief that spiritual forces are at work in the world, it has been vague in practice. Mostly, I see how the devil delights in twisting something harmless into something wicked. How else you explain affairs? Embezzling? Stealing or cheating in any sense, actually. That line in the Lord's Prayer - "lead me not into temptation but deliver me from evil" or "save me from the time of trial." I think that's EXACTLY what Jesus was talking about.

Reference Job and Jesus' time in the wilderness with the devil. It's real. And today, it feels like I'm the target. That depression I struggle with? I think that's being used against me. My relationships with several individuals feel very strained. I don't like it.

So I'm doing the best I can. Say a little prayer for me, please? I'll repay it in full when I can.

Humble Humans as Vampire Food

Vampires fascinate me. I don't remember a time when I was fascinated by vampires. Werewolves, zombies, and other fantastical creatures are cool, too.... but they never had the allure that the undead did.

There have been as many interpretations and "rules" about vampires as denominations of Christianity. For instance, they come out in the sun and sparkle or they burn instantly into a pile of ashes and dust. Some people survive being bitten, some die, some turn into vampires after ingesting vampire blood. There are variations on healing powers, enchantment, pleasure/pain, how they sleep, sex drives, and so on. You must approach each "denomination" with eyes and ears open for the differences. (Reference: Twilight Series, Sookie Stackhouse Series, Anne Rice, House of Night young adult fiction series, Buffy, and more.)

The consistent threads in vampire folklore are never the vampires themselves for those rules flux and change from one category to the next. What is consistent and fascinating for me is always the relationship vampires have with humans. The reaction on the human side varies from curiosity to fear and from acceptance to murder. On the flip side, some vampires dismiss the sanctity of human life and devalue them merely as "blood bags." They are the superior race. These vampires are in conflict with the vampires who, for whatever reason, value human life. Sometimes it is their memory of their own human life and their longing for that life once again. Other times, there is a love interest and this shakes up the food chain. And then there are those who simply value humans and see them as equals in this mortal world (though there is also a motivation to get along with humans for selfish desires and ease of "living.")

It always seems to paint an interesting portrait of our own values of humans. Who do we value? See as equals? What is simply around us for the taking? When do our own thoughts of being superior lead to death of the inferior?

It is timely always as we, humanity, lift up lives to preserve and lives to destroy. Casualties in war that are listed as a cold statistic... and often this number reflects only the soldiers on one side of the war - forget the other enemy soldiers or civilians on either side. There are the deaths of homosexual youth catching the attention of the media right now. This is also seen within the church as questions rage on about whether or not it is a sin and how to respond to those brothers and sisters who are GLBTQ or those who believe differently about it than we personally do. And I stand as a woman in a world and culture where we are often devalued, even if jokingly or in jest by well intentioned males.

How do we treat those whom are different than us? How do we value the lives of humans (think outside of family and friends here, even outside your faith or country)? The life of creation as we see it in animals, plants, water, and air? Are we curious or outraged? Accepting or rejecting? How does this effect the world around us, beyond our own front doors?

So while there might be something sinister or Freudian about undead creatures who feed off the blood of humans, what does it say about them that it is human blood that sustains them? Then of course I start to wonder what sustains me that I take for granted daily - a warm bed, food, clean air, sunlight, family and friends, a savior on a cross, technology, the ability to read and write and connect through the internet to the world.

I am humbled.

Depression and Grace

Depression is a funny little beast. I struggle with it. Issues of self worth or loneliness or inactivity creep up and strike me. Sometimes it is situational - my difficult candidacy process, a conversation with someone, the ups and downs of being in relationship with others, CPE last summer, illness...

There is a quote in the foreword of "The Shack" that I reference often: "I suppose that since most of our hurts come through relationships so will our healing, and I know that grace rarely makes sense for those looking in from the outside." (pg 11)

This might be a good opportunity for you to go read my post yesterday on Taste and See.

And since this is Reformation Sunday and we love to talk about the grace of God, I am wondering how it all ties together. How do both our hurts and healings happen through others and where is grace? Do we have to go through the waiting and wondering and wandering so that we are more joyful when whatever it is arrives?

It often seems to me that vacations happen RIGHT when you really need them. A reading week break in seminary or a visit with a friend. Is there some kind of "fulfilling the prophecy" thing going on here? You know a vacation is coming so you allow the stress to build and build? Or is God simply big enough to know when that tension has built high enough that you turn to your God and are rewarded with healing or an answer. "Your faith has made you well."

I don't know. I'm just setting a table full of food for thought. Chow down and let me know what you think.

Blog World

I follow several blogs. I then have to unfollow blogs when writers stop posting. But then I revisit old posts. I find new blogs. The cycle continues. It is a lovely way to connect to the world.

One of the ones I keep returning to: http://oyeperegrina.blogspot.com/

A quote she posted that I love:

"i write because it is dangerous, a bloody risk, like love, to form the words, to say the words, to touch the source, to be touched, to reveal how vulnerable we are, how transient we are. i write as though i am whispering in the ear of the one i love."

-terry tempest williams, red

All By Myself

Well, mostly all by myself. My supervisor preached. But I did everything else. It was terrifying! I survived. The spirit showed up. I was washed in grace. I survived! Did I mention I survived? *big sigh*

Wrestling

Noting all our fears, our broken hips, our battles with God and angels, and our blessings.... I am exceptionally comforted by this passage. It is one of the most beautiful reunions in the entire human story. Jacob is limping to meet his brother who he fears will destroy all he is and has or at the very least turn his face away and reject him.

"But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept."

Distance

There isn't a person I know that doesn't miss someone who is far away. And though most of us miss someone who has died and is no longer on the planet, I'm talking about the missing that could be fixed by a walk or a ride in a car or on a boat or plane.

I have "people homes" scattered around the world. Most are in Tennessee. More are in Chicago, on internship around the US, or in a foreign country. Others are elsewhere. The point is, they aren't here. And that makes being in relationship with people difficult.

From where does your energy come when you know that you are beginning another relationship that will soon be challenged by distance? And though there are no guarantees in any relationship that it will last beyond tomorrow (for life is constantly changing and challenging us), there is comfort in knowing one will get to enjoy it for a while.

I remember telling my friend Rob a few years ago when I knew I was moving to Chicago that I hoped when he turned 21 that he'd have a beer on my behalf to celebrate (knowing I wouldn't be there). And he looked at me like I just said something horribly offensive. "Um, you can just buy me one. You'll see me when I'm 21." He made clear what I was too scared to hope for - that we'd be friends two years later even though our paths were pulling us in absolutely opposite directions on the planet. We'd be friends despite the distance.

In May 2010, a day before he moved to Florida and a week after my semester in Chicago ended, we sat on the rooftop of one of our favorite Chattanooga locals and shared a beer. It was a beautiful affirmation of our promise to remain friends no matter where life took us.

I thank God for my friends though I still don't like the distance that separates us and the time in between our visits. Here's to phone calls, skype conversations, snail mail, and warm fuzzies shared with friends that are friends no matter the distance. I thank God for each of you.


EDIT: I shared this post with Rob and he replied with this. "on the roof of that restaurant, an overwhelming peace of mind came over me. call it crossing things off of a list. call it para-kletos. call it love incarnate. call it friendship. whatever it was, i was able to turn and walk away knowing that distance no longer mattered.

i will never enjoy a beer quite as much as i enjoyed that one. love you, al." He put it into words in a way I couldn't - distance no longer matters.

Taste and See

----> http://tasteandseelstc.blogspot.com/

This is LSTC's blog - stories from seven different students across campus (and the country) post once a week. I'm Saturdays if you want to check mine out!