How to Get Past Religion - Romans 8 Part III

If you follow my blog regularly, you probably know I’ve been covering Romans 8 on a bi-weekly basis. I spent an entire month meditating on this chapter, and was so inspired that I wanted to share it with you. I’m looking at it in the Message version, and while some might argue that this is not the most literal translation, there are two things about it I really like. 1) It was translated directly from the Greek and Hebrew by someone who shares our mindset rather than a group of translators in the 16^th century. 2) There is a freshness to the translation that really ministers to someone like me who grew up in church.

For my third installment of this series, I’m going to breeze quickly through a bigger chunk of scripture that all deals with the same subject, how get past religion and move onto God.

 ^5-8Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God's action in them find that God's Spirit is in them—living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. And God isn't pleased at being ignored. 

Here’s the first thing I’ve noticed about religious Christians who are focused on morality and other outward issues rather than on the spiritual world and the spirit of God: They have a lot rules. Exhausting rules, and as we saw in Part II, that is not God’s plan. It’s a dead sort of Christianity. Christ freed us from the curse of the law. Not only do they have a lot of rules for themselves, they have a lot of rules for everyone else, and seem to want to control those around them. They often seem angry and have a chip on their shoulders. I translate it as, “If I have to follow these awful rules, then so do you, darn it!” Although, of course, we all know they would never use the actual word “darn” ;) No wonder the world doesn’t like so many Christians. No wonder so many unbelievers think church is a hypocritical, judgmental sort of place. Christians are putting so much pressure on themselves, that they’re stressed out and upset. And often downright angry and mean.

 ^9-11But if God himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of him. Anyone, of course, who has not welcomed this invisible but clearly present God, the Spirit of Christ, won't know what we're talking about. But for you who welcome him, in whom he dwells—even though you still experience all the limitations of sin—you yourself experience life on God's terms. It stands to reason, doesn't it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he'll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ's! 

There’s a lot of pride and self-centeredness bound up at the heart of religiosity. I have to do it myself. I have to control myself. I have to follow the rules. I…I…I. Where’s God’s place in all of this. He sets the rules and walks away? No, that’s not the point at all. The rules were only ever meant to guide us and point the way to fulfillment and happiness. To set us free to accomplish God’s plans for our lives. If it’s his plan, his will, then he will do the work in us. Our job is to focus on him, to spend time with him, rest in his presence, and allow him to do a deep work in our hearts. God dwelling in us, bringing us fully to life. Take a minute to meditate on that. Imagine what it would look like to become fully alive through God’s spirit. What would that change in your life? Spend some more time to enter into his presence and let him become alive in you.

 ^12-14So don't you see that we don't owe this old do-it-yourself life one red cent. There's nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life. God's Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go! 

God’s spirit wants to bring you to life. He has things for you to do and places for you to go. So let go of all that self-centered religion and let God bring you to life today.

What ill effects have you seen from religion-based Christianity? How has it hurt you? How have you seen it hurt others? What can you do to get past religion and move onto God in a deeper way?

The Setting for Love in Three-Quarter Time

Stories come to authors in all different forms. Really, the impetus for this story first came from my agent who asked me to write a historical romance novel set in America during the 19th century. From there we narrowed down the setting to Virginia or Pennsylvania, the two states I know the most about. Then after several weeks of prayer, the initial idea came to me in the form of the title, Love in Three-Quarter Time. So I knew it would have something to do with the waltz.

Regency Era Waltz

I wanted it to take place when the waltz first came to America. However, I could only find absolute documentation that the waltz was officially accepted in England in 1816, when it was included in a ball given by the Prince Regent, and that it was well established in America by 1830. From there I chose 1817, figuring some daring Americans probably tried shortly after their British counterparts. And by choosing this time, I was able to give my book that popular Regency flavor.

Next I needed a place for my story. It seemed that it should start in Richmond and move to a gorgeous Southern plantation home nearer the frontier. So I created the fictional White Willow Hall just off the famous Three Notch'd Road which ran through Charlottesville, Virginia. I decided my plantation would be set in rolling hills with a weeping willow, lots of flowers, and a small pond out front. For the architecture, I thought my Beaumont family might have chosen something similar to the nearby Monticello. Oh! And I would include a few scenes at Monticello for an added historical touch.

Monticello

So I went about writing my book, mostly from my imagination and my memories of Charlottesville. I did some online research. But it wasn't until I had already completed the first draft that I had an opportunity to visit while I was in Charlottesville for the Virginia Festival of the Book. It was quite a feat to figure out where Three Notch'd Road ran today, but with the help of the ladies at the Monticello gift shop, I finally figured it out. Then of course it was farther than expected, and I was running out of gas, and my GPS kept taking me to old country gas stations that weren't open.... Suffice to say, it was the next afternoon before I skipped out on the festival and managed to explore Three Notch'd Road west of the town.

Dina at Birdwood Pavilion (Now a Conference Center) on Three Notch'd Road

And it was so worth it!!!! I found a plantation about 3 miles west of town, right where it belonged, that fit my description almost precisely. The willow and pond were more to the right side than in front. The house did not have a rotunda, but the size, red brick, white pillars, and verandas all matched! You can't tell in the picture, but there are about two sets of rolling hills between me and the house. The plantation would have existed at the time of my story, although the house was built a few years later. I was so excited that I went back after the festival with my travel companion, author Christy Barritt, to snap some pictures.

Garden Pavilion at Monticello

But don't forget those few scenes at Monticello as well. I had actually found great online tours, photos, and videos. So there weren't too many surprises for me. I was, however, oddly shocked that it sat on top of the only mountain in the area. Duh! Thus the name. But I didn't realize there were any mountains that far east. My favorite place at Monticello was a spot where I had already set a pivotal scene. This lovely little garden pavilion where Constance and Robbie shared a passionate kiss for the first time in five years.

I had so much fun with the setting of this story. I hope you'll enjoy it too!

What's your favorite historical time and place? Do you enjoy Southern plantations and old mansions? If you could set a book anywhere, where would you choose?

God's Prescription for Healing Sin - Romans 8 Part II

^3-4God went for the jugular when he sent his own Son. He didn't deal with the problem as something remote and unimportant. In his Son, Jesus, he personally took on the human condition, entered the disordered mess of struggling humanity in order to set it right once and for all. The law code, weakened as it always was by fractured human nature, could never have done that.

The law always ended up being used as a Band-Aid on sin instead of a deep healing of it. And now what the law code asked for but we couldn't deliver is accomplished as we, instead of redoubling our own efforts, simply embrace what the Spirit is doing in us.

Sin. Kind of an ugly word. A charged word to be sure. Maybe it’s been overused. Maybe we apply it to anything we don’t like. We certainly don’t want to apply it to ourselves, but truth be told, we probably do it in some way or another everyday. From my understanding, there are two Hebrew words for sin. One means evil. Hopefully not too many of us are guilty of that. But the other one--the simpler one was known as “het” or “chet” in Hebrew. It means missing the mark. Veering of the path. Missing God’s best plan for our lives.

Yep, I’d say most of us do that every day.

And no one understands that more than God himself. He made us after all. And He knows us intimately. Although I don’t think it would be fair to say He “planned” for us to sin, I imagine He “knew” it was going to happen. For the record, I don’t think God is the control freak most Christians seem to think He is. I happen to think He has given us a ton of choice and more responsibility for our own life than the whole “God is in control” mind set seems to acknowledge. Oh, and that there’s an enemy too, who seeks to destroy us, and as we saw in verses one and two, we’ve been given power over that enemy.

Anyway, back to verses three and four. So mankind fell into sin. And it created a degree of separation from God, but He wasn’t numb to our plight. He had a plan. And not a wimpy little plan. No, it says here He went for the jugular by sending His own son. A son who died for us on a cross to pay the price for our sin. Pretty amazing. God took a personal interest in our human condition. Why? Because He loved us. He wanted to fix this disordered mess once and for all.

Laws—rules, they could never fix the mess. They weren’t enough to earn us salvation. To restore our relationship with God. And guess what? They still aren’t. We don’t need the band-aid of the law anymore. What we need is the deep healing that Christ offered on the cross. We don't need to accept Christ's salvation once and then earn our own salvation everyday for the rest of our lives. We just accept Christ's salvation, and it's done.

So why do we spend sooooo much time trying to fix ourselves, control ourselves, be perfect, please people, live up to some impossible religious standards?

Now we get to my favorite part of these verses. We don’t have to try harder. We don’t have to redouble our efforts. We just relax and embrace what the Spirit is already doing in us. If we’ve accepted Christ and His forgiveness, it’s God’s job to fix us. Not our job. His!!!!

We just have to hold on for the ride.

Wow! How freeing is that? Take a minute to feel that freedom. Breathe it in. Shake off the heaviness of guilt and sin and live in the moment of liberty and forgiveness. Of spiritual health and well-being. No wonder that dark cloud from verses one and two has been blown away and now we can live under clear, bright skies. Sigh. Lovely.


Have you been redoubling your efforts lately? Have you been stressing over your sin? How could you simply embrace what the Spirit is doing in your life? What would that look like?

The Fashion of Love in Three-Quarter Time

In just a few short months my new novel, Love in Three-Quarter Time, will be released. The novel takes place in Virginia in 1817. While America was settling in as a nation, off in England this period was known as the Regency Era, an era well-loved by romance fans for the works of Jane Austen. And just as well-loved for its beautiful fashions. As I was choosing the year for my book to take place a number of considerations came into play. One concern was that I wanted my heroine to dress comfortably without the horrors of corsets, hoops, and bustles. That meant Regency fashion. For most of the next hundred years, fashionable women's clothing will be quite unbearable. So enjoy a quick tour of some of the lovely, free-flowing Regency costumes that inspired this book.

Heroine Constance Cavendish will wear this gown in rose instead of yellow for the climactic big ball. She won't be wearing that weird thing on her head though, and knowing Constance, she's sure to loose her gloves by the end of the night.

Constance's mother and her sister Felicity are brought to Charlottesville from Richmond to make special gowns for Mrs. Beaumont and her twin daughters for the occasion. To the left is Mrs. Beaumont's dress. She's the mother of hero Robert Montgomery by the way. And to the right is the gown worn by the twins. Molly's is blue and Dolly's is pink as shown here.

 

Of course they won't always be dressed up. This period is best known for the basic white muslin day dress with an empire waist.

And we can't forget about the men. While their clothing is not quite as fun, it is important as well. Notice that his pants are full length at this time. Also note the hair and the thick mutton chop sideburns, although only my most fashionable fellows will bother with those details.

Robbie Montgomery is more often dressed like a simple farmer than the dandy above. His normal outfit consists of simple brown breeches, a work shirt, and worn Hessian boots. As the story takes place close to the frontier, I also had opportunities to include mountain man and Indian clothing, such as the fringed buckskin outfit below worn by the handsome and quite manly circuit-preacher, Lorimer.

I hope you enjoyed this little tour of the fashion found in Love in Three-Quarter Time, and I hope you'll enjoy the book even more. For more fashion from 1817, check out this great blogpost. http://nineteenteen.blogspot.com/2010/11/fashion-forecast-1817.html

Which outfit shown above is your favorite and why?

How Romans 8 Can Set You Free - Part I

^{Romans 8}

^1-2With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ's being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death. (The Message Version)

All last month I meditated on one chapter of scripture: Romans 8 in the Message version. Some days I would read the whole passage, sometimes half, others only a few verses. I meditated and mulled over those words until they really became alive to me. So I thought I’d do a series about Romans 8 to share with all of you. It’s rich with truth and light that will set you free.

Let’s begin today with verses 1-2. Plenty to chew on there. I will break it down piece by piece.

With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved.

What dilemma is this? Perhaps the very dilemma of fate? Chance? Or is it our ultimate fate as fallen human beings. A fate separated from our glorious maker. Perhaps even eternal separation, which would be the appropriate result of our sinful state. But with the arrival of Jesus, the slate is wiped clean. We are reconciled to our heavenly father. No longer pawns of fate—of Satan, the enemy of our soul—but beloved children. A royal priesthood, ambassadors of Christ to the dark world around us.

Those who enter into Christ's being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud.

I know I’ve lived too much of my life under a low-lying black cloud. Even as a believer. What about you? Do you ever feel oppressed, depressed? But that’s not the plan. Christ has set us free from that. We no longer have to live under that darkness. But what is the condition? We must enter into Christ. The light of the world lives in us, shines through us. He is more than capable of dispelling that darkness. As we soak in His presence the darkness dissipates. As we speak His name and declare His word the darkness must flee.

A new power is in operation.

At the cross Jesus conquered the enemy. Satan lost his power. Death was defeated. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us. And He’s given us the keys to the kingdom. As His ambassadors, His children, He’s given us the power. Yet too often we feel powerless, defeated, and broken down. We must put on the full armor of God that we might stand against the assaults of the enemy. We must fill ourselves with the word of God so that we can not only withstand any attack, but even be on the offensive for the kingdom of God.

The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.

And here’s the best part. The Spirit of life in Christ blows in like a strong wind, clearing the air of that black cloud. Can you see it? Can you feel it blowing crisp and clean across your skin. Take a moment to close your eyes and picture this scene. Picture the black cloud in your life. Name it. Then watch the Spirit of life blow it away and clear the air. We are free from our original fate. Free of the brutal tyranny we were born under. Free from a life as slaves to sin and death. Free to serve Christ in all His liberty and grace in clean air under bright skies. Why don’t you take a moment to dance in spin in that freedom. I know I will.

Thanks for joining me today for this foray through the first two verses of Romans 8. Come again in two weeks when I’ll continue with this study. And please take a moment to share your thoughts, impressions, and experiences from these first two verses.