Can Innocence be Regained?

In Paradise Regained by John Milton innocence is not naivety, like our culture usually defines it. It is not simply waiting to have sex before marriage, or protecting your senses from unclean or unfruitful things. That is definitely part of innocence, but not the most important part. This is because the emphasis is placed on the appetitive part of our soul, but reason and spirit are completely ignored. Abstinence does no good if lust continues to dwell in the heart. Innocence is when everything is in order, and the three parts of our soul are controlled properly. Christ redeems the reason, spirited, and appetitive so that all are in check and controlled to better serve His kingdom. They are brought to innocence. In other words, innocence is when everything is in the right place. Christ cannot rewrite our past, or cause us to forget what we have done in its entirety. There is no condemnation or shame in Christ, but who we are is still colored by what we have done, what we are doing, and what we will do. Christ coming to die for our sins redeemed our past, changed our present mindset, and gave us hope for the future. In Christ doing those three things eternally, all can regain innocence.

            Our redemption in Christ is more complete then what Job and Abraham received in the Old Testament. They had more direct communication with the Lord, but they had to offer burnt sacrifices to the Lord for every single sin they committed. They had to do penance for wronging their Lord. Jesus, as a pure and innocent man, came to pay the price for our sins eternally by willingly sacrificing Himself. He made grace and redemption available to all people who call upon the name of the Lord as their sovereign and ruler over their life. Grace is a free gift, all we have to do is confess that we have sinned and take it. In doing so we are born again into the citizenship of His kingdom, and regain the innocence that was lost.

            With that said, Christians are still here on Earth. Christ has come, but the glory of His kingdom has not fully arrived. While we are covered by the grace of God, our innocence is held suspended in a constant battle of who we are in Christ and who we are temporally. With innocence comes a great responsibility to accept the protection of the Lord, and also work in community to protect the innocence of those around you. The battle is real, and the end is coming. Christians have hope, and a profound responsibility to share it so that all the world might know the innocence of Christ. 

Nothing.

I am nothing.

I am not the clothes that I wear, or the way I do my hair.
I am not the phone that I choose or the people that I use.
I am not the books that I read or the ways I succeed.
I am not the food that I eat or the ways that I compete.
I am not the things that I hear or the people I endear.
I am not the things I see or the ideas to which I agree.
I am not the things I desire or the day that I expire.

I am nothing.

Nothing, except utterly broken and completely dependent
On the One who is my Defendant.

Effecting Change!

The Legislative Affiliate of Family Research Council brought to my attention an abortion expansion bill that was brought before council last week. The details can be found here:


http://www.frcaction.org/alerts/act-today-to-halt-abortion-expansion-in-california


Through the FRC website I was able to contact my representative regarding the issue, and I just got a response today! Wanted to share it with you all, because it was a pleasant surprise to know my opinion really does matter to my representatives.


Here is what I said: 


Senator,I do not pretend to know everything there is to know about politics in the
State of California. But as a young woman, I know how important it is for
us to be mothers, and to raise healthy children. SB 1338 was brought to my
attention by a friend and I must ask you to not allow this bill to go any
further in the process of becoming a law. I understand it has been amended
to add training requirements for those non-physicians who will be
performing these abortions. But I do not understand how allowing abortions
to be done by those who have not gone through extensive medical school is
in any way giving the young mother a better choice. If abortions are to be
done in America, and in the state of California, so be it. But endangering
the life of the mothers who are supposed to be given that choice seems to
be a far cry from justice. I leave you with this: 
Precious One - 12 week old preborn baby:
Week 1: Conception; the baby is smaller than a grain of sugar, but the
instructions are present for all that this person will ever become.
Week 2: The baby attaches and borrows securely into the wall of
its mother's womb.
Week 3: The baby's blood vessels and sex cells form. Founda-
tions of the brain, spinal cord and nervous system are laid.
Week 4: The baby's heart has begun to beat. Eyes, ears and
lungs begin to form.
Week 5: Tiny arms and legs appear, as well as the baby's face.
The baby's blood is now separate from the mother's.
Week 6: Tiny fingers and toes develop. The baby's brain is divided into
3 parts for emotion and language, hearing and seeing.
Week 7: Buds of the baby's milk teeth appear. 99% of the muscles
are present, and brain activity is detectable.
Week 8: The baby begins spontaneous movement and is now well
proportioned, about the size of a thumb. Every organ is present, but
immature. The skull, elbows, and knees are forming.
Week 9: If prodded, hands and eyelids close. Genitalia become
visible, indicating whether the baby is a boy or a girl. Muscular
movement begins.
Week 10: The baby's fingerprints begin to form. Nerve and muscle
connections have tripled. Eyelids fuse together temporarily to
protect the baby's delicate developing eyes.
Week 11: The baby "practices" breathing and facial expressions, even
smiling. The baby can also urinate and stomach muscles can contract.
Week 12: The baby is now 3 inches in length and weighs 2 oz.
with fine hair on the face. The baby is able to swallow and feels
and responds to skin stimulation.
Sincerely,
Havilah Joy Steinman


And here is his response: 



Thank you for taking the time to contact my office regarding Senate Bill 1338 (Kehoe).  I appreciate hearing from you on this issue. 
SB 1338 would authorize a nurse practitioner, certified nurse midwife, or physician’s assistant who has completed training through the “Health Workforce Pilot Project No. 171, The Access through Primary Care Project: Demonstrating the Role of Advance Practice Clinicians in Expanding Early Pregnancy Care”, on or before January 1, 2013 to continue to perform abortions by aspiration techniques.  Supporters argue that, "SB 1338 is critically important to improving women's reproductive health access in California."   However, this measure is simply an ill-advised and needless reduction in the standard of care for women.  It is premature, overreaching, and unsafe for women.  Fortunately, SB 1338 failed passage in the Senate Business and Professions Committee by a vote of 4-4.  During the hearing, I spoke out against the measure, and am pleased that some of my colleagues did the same.  Should it come before me again, rest assured I will continue to oppose it.
Thank you again for contacting me. Should you have another concern related to state government, please do not hesitate to contact me again in the future.
Sincerely,
MARK WYLAND
Senator, 38th District


Remember we can and do effect change by speaking and living out our convictions. 

There is a time for.. everything?

There is a season for practically everything, and for almost everything there is a season.

There is a time for argument and a time for peace.

There is a time for love and a time for war.

There is a time for anger and a time for acceptance.

There is a time for discourse and a time for silence.

There is a time for community and a time for solitary.

There is a time for fraction and a time for solidarity.

There is a time for flirtation and a time for piety.

There is a time for exuberance and a time for calm.

There is a time for sadness and a time for joy.

There is never a time for betrayal.

There is never a time for exploitation.

There is never a time for hatred.

There is never a time for corruptive words.

There is never a time for greed.

There is never a time for submission to evil.

There is never a time for pride in oneself.

There is never a time for a languid attitude.

There is never a time for self-deprecation or loathing.

The End of an Era.

Tomorrow, Edwards will have their very last session ever with Dr. Reynolds.

In 1995, Dr. John Mark Reynolds founded the Torrey Honors Institute at Biola University, and it has grown into the incredible program that I am proud to call myself a chum of today.

This will be his last semester functioning as Director, and after he takes fourty-so of us chums to Europe him and his family will move away.

He is following God's call on his life to become the new head of academics at Houston Baptist University.

When I found out a few months ago, I bawled in one of my closest friends arms. Almost half my Torrey group was huddled around my laptop reading his personal letter to all of us in a matter of minutes.

It seems ridiculous to try to describe what kind of influence he has had on my life, and in all of our lives. In every single Torrey alumni dating all the way back to 1995.

He personally interviewed and accepted each and every student that has journeyed through the incredible program that we all love, love to hate, but always appreciate.

He has a deep gift of discernment, and many students have felt the impact of his razor sharp perception into their darkest secrets and most painful insecurities.

But he also has the courage to always see the best in his students, and to encourage them to work towards being that best, while still functioning under the covering of the profound grace of God.

And now, he is moving on.

And it is our last session. Ever. Tomorrow.

It is on Milton's Paradise Regained, and the text was not that exciting to me.

Quite honestly though, I am not really worried about it.

Because I am finally beginning to realize that, it is not about me.

It never was.

It is about the people in my group. Our family. It is about the professors that deem us worthy (and smart) enough to aid us in working through these books to find Truth. It is about the freshman class we got to mentor at the beginning of the fall. It is about the mentor-mentee relationship that all students have with a really intelligent professor who truly cares about them personally, not just academically. It is about lectures and conferences and impromptu frisbee games before session. It is about how we interact with the authors we read.

Torrey is about community.

The chums.

None of that is going to change when Dr. Reynolds leaves.

Because Dr. John Mark Reynolds realized that it was not about him, either.

I am sure it began as-
his vision, his plan, and his program.

But now it is most definitely-
His vision, His plan, and His program.

What man builds of his own volition will pass away, but what God ordains that man builds will withstand time.

The Torrey Honors Institute is here to stay.

We are all so grateful that Dr. Reynolds founded THI.

But I will to further to say, that I am so grateful and blessed that Dr. Reynolds is letting it go.

Ecclesiastes 3

A Time for Everything

 1 There is a time for everything,

   and a season for every activity under the heavens:

 2 a time to be born and a time to die,

   a time to plant and a time to uproot,

 3 a time to kill and a time to heal,

   a time to tear down and a time to build,

 4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,

   a time to mourn and a time to dance,

 5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

   a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

 6 a time to search and a time to give up,

   a time to keep and a time to throw away,

 7 a time to tear and a time to mend,

   a time to be silent and a time to speak,

 8 a time to love and a time to hate,

   a time for war and a time for peace.

Edwards will miss you, Dr. Reynolds!