Saturday, April 22, 2006

It's a very special day...

Happy Birthday Mama!

(Mama & me in 2000)

Yes, it's my dear Mama's birthday today. For 23 years I've never once wished I'd been given a different mother. For 23 years she's been the best friend a girl could ask for.
Thanks for being there for me all this time, Mama.
Wish I was there so we could celebrate together.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's so sweet.

Anonymous said...

Thank you Rach! I love you too and wish you could of been here with us.

Anonymous said...

Hope you had a good birthday "mama J" :-D

Anonymous said...

First of all, happy birthday to mom.
Second, on the power of God:

If God has all power, how could he allow evil, something that opposed him, to exist? You could say that allowing us to become aware of evil was the only way to ensure that we could love him through our own choice. The first problem with this is that if God is all powerful, why couldn't he come up with a way to give us choice without causing evil to exist? The second problem is that if God is good, how could he create all the suffering in the world? To this, people will respond that God doesn't want us to suffer, and that Satan entering the world caused suffering for all life. To that I say that, one, God does want us to suffer. We are "blessed" if we are persecuted, or made to suffer, for God's sake. In other words, we go up in favor with God if we have to suffer. Second, Satan's entry into the world does not mean the inevitability of suffering. Suffering is a response to what Satan did. God's response. In the book of Job, Satan has to ask permission to bring suffering to Job. Which is in line with God being all powerful. But if God is the creator of suffering, how can he be good? God cannot be both good and all powerful at the same time.

Anonymous said...

Thank you Brad and Jon. I had a great day ;-)

Anonymous said...

Jon is a very intelligent person it seems like. I like your point. I guess that's why some churches are always shouting about God's wrath, fire and brimstone and whatnot, and some are like "God loves you!" Can't be both, and people just can't decide as a whole on which it is.

Anonymous said...

Jon, you blow my mind. As usual. Some things never change. :-) I'll have to give some thought to a response, but my first thought is that if you have a choice, then what you choose is the opposite of the first thing. The antithesis to good is evil. And we're back to an earlier conversation...

Becky, I disagree that it can't be both ways. Think about it this way. If a judge lets a criminal after criminal off the hook, would that make him loving? Kind? Merciful maybe, but that would not be a very just judge. He would be giving the idea that it is ok to murder and steal. Being just means consequences for actions, but love is giving people a way to change.

Anonymous said...

theres a difference between just and wrathful. :\

Anonymous said...

I agree! Wrath is more, "I don't like you! Die Die Die!"

Just is when a Mama has to punish her child for disobeying (consequences for actions), but she disciplines out of love, because they have to learn, or else they will have miserable lives. Discipline with a greater good in mind.

Hate the sin, not the sinner.

So I guess wrath tempered with love is justice.

Anyway. Just my thoughts.

Anonymous said...

lol, It's just that, some churches that I've been to act like, no matter what you do, you're always sinning, so you have to be punished, and some act like, no matter what you do, God will always love you anyway. I get what you're saying. I just think that the views going from one extreme to the other (I know, not all places are like that, most try to find a balance) is weird. I dunno.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I know. You can't pick what parts of the Bible you like and blow that one piece out of proportion! If you're gonna call yourself a Christian, you can't pick and choose. Believe me, I've been under both extremes. It frustrates me too.

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday to your Momma, Rachel...God Bless you and keep you until you can be together again.

Anonymous said...

kd thank you for the Happy Birthday. It was a special day.
~Rachels Mama