The Sound of Silence

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a space-based satellite navigation system that provides location and time information in all weather conditions, anywhere on or near the Earth where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites. The system provides critical capabilities to military, civil and commercial users around the world. It is maintained by the United States government and is freely accessible to anyone with a GPS receiver.

The GPS project was developed in 1973 to overcome the limitations of previous navigation systems, however, engineering and study designs date back to the 1960s. GPS was created and realized by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and became fully in 1995.  Three men are credited with its invention: Bradford Parkinson, Roger L. Easton, and Ivan A. Getting.

In 2000, the U.S. Congress authorized the modernization effort, GPS III.  Fast forward to September 24, 2014. Where would we be without the use of our GPS?  Today, with a few simple keystrokes or voice command to our smart devices, laptop or desktop we can easily obtain help: step by step directions using public transportation, walking or driving and weather conditions.  But there are approximately 20 other uses for GPS some of which impact our everyday lives.  For example:

·       Fleet tracking: allows you to determine when you can expect your Home Shopping Network/QVC orders; medicine delivery; etc.

·       Cellular telephony: in laymen’s terms part of this function allows emergency responders to locate 911 callers

·       Astronomy – the scientific study of celestial objects (such as stars, galaxies, planets, moons, and nebulae)

·       GPS air trafficking: aids with travel arrival and departure regardless of whether your flight is for the occasional vacation or the regulars who travel so much that flight attendants know them by name.

Yesterday’s Love, Life and Victory session struck a chord with me, especially towards the end of the call when the dialogue turned towards God’s silence which can be utterly frustrating if we allow it to be.  I want to dovetail off yesterday’s dialogue for today’s declaration and dive a little deeper into the dialogue about God’s silence.

One of the questions I asked myself was: Why are some of us so uncomfortable with silence?  Point in case:

·       During Monday’s declaration Dionne accidently muted her phone during the height of her narrative.  I, personally, was on the edge of my seat as I listened intently to her and then suddenly there was silence for approximately 3-4 minutes but it seemed like an eternity. 

·       For most black Pentecostal churches the only time the “church” is quiet is when no one is there but many of our Caucasian churches have mastered the art of silence as they wait before the Lord.

The answer for me is that we don’t trust it (the silence).  Something about it seems awkward especially if you’re a “talker”.  To avoid the awkwardness we will talk, shuffle, move something, click a pen constantly, play with are hair, engage on our cell phone anything but sit or stand in silence.  But if we fill our space with constant noise (e.g. interruptions, talking, singing, movement, etc.) how can we ever hear God?  Of course we know he has the ability to speak through whirlwinds as he did with Job in chapter 38 but that doesn’t happen very often, it would freak us out and be almost abusive.

Why is the silence important?  Because we learn the discipline of listening. 

·       Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before.  1 Thessalonians 4:11 (NLT)

·       I love the KJV:  And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you

Listening for what? 

The Call:

·       The call to obedience and salvation – “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts.  Hebrews 4:7b (NLT)

·       The call to ministry (service to others, your purpose): My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  John 10:27 (NLT)

The Sound:

·       The sounds that alert us of our next assignment to those who may be in anguish, pain, depressed, frustrated, etc.; the sound that alerts us of possible confusion and/or danger from those that are liars, thieves, manipulators, robbers, abusers, etc. so we can counter their evil plans; the sound that allows us to be complacent and settle or whatever the case may be

·       The sound to be equipped:  When Pentecost Day arrived, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound from heaven like the howling of a fierce wind filled the entire house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be individual flames of fire alighting on each one of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them to speak.  Acts 2:1-4 (CEB)

I double dog dare you to go somewhere, intentionally look for and purposefully find quiet.  When

you do, listen for it's sound.  If sought for diligently it will change your outlook, and I don't mean your Microsoft account :)

I’m out of time, so we’ll pick it up tomorrow

In His New Excellence,

Tania Not Tanya

Job Pt 16 – Double for Your Trouble

In our last declaration about Job we talked about recycled arguments.  You know the type, those lukewarm and/or heated discussions that one or both parties won’t put to rest.  The Three amigos, Elihu and Job were masters at it by now because that’s pretty much what they did from Chapters 4-37, complete with anger, harsh words, insults, hurt feelings and misperceptions, at least primarily on the part of the Amigos and Elihu.  

But the tables are about to turn as we will see in Chapters 38-39 when God makes a decision to speak to Job.  God can and uses various ways to speak to us.  Personally most of my experiences of God speaking to me have been in the form of a peaceful quiet voice.  In this instance though God spoke to Job through a whirlwind.  I am sure most of you are familiar with a whirlwind as I am, but I decided to review the definition to see if there were any descriptions I was unfamiliar with. 

According to dictionary.com a whirlwind is described as air moving rapidly; moving in violent action or destructive force; to move or travel quickly.  As I meditated I tried to imagine the sound.  Natural whirlwinds are very loud and destructive, generally speaking they will drown out the sound of a human voice and pick up anything in its path causing even more noise.  I imagine God speaking so loudly that it must have scared the “I don’t know what out of Job.”  Consider this; Job had mentioned more than once that he felt abandoned, but he went on and on about the desire to present his case before God.  God showed up unannounced so large that it had to be almost unbearable, like a tornado that cannot be controlled or opposed.  Whirlwind appearances are common for God:

·       God brought Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:1-11)

·       God's presence is in the whirlwind (Psalm 77:18; Nahum 1:3)

·       God's coming is like a whirlwind (Isaiah 66:15; Jeremiah 4:13 and 23:19)

·       God appeared to Ezekiel in a whirlwind (Ezekiel 1:4) 

·       Job's troubles began when a “great wind” killed his children (Job 1:19). The Lord was in that storm, and now He speaks from the storm.  What an amazing entrance.

God was not obligated to respond to Job, however, I believe he does because of his love for Job, to vindicate him before his enemies and as a witness of his sovereignty, wisdom and concern for us.  Remember, God was proud of Job, he bragged about him to the accuser which is why he was in this situation in the first place.  God allowed it because he knew what Job was made out of even if Job didn’t know himself. 

In Chapter 37 Elihu ends his monologue but in Chapter 38 God begins with a question:  Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? Some scholars believe he is speaking to Elihu who had just ended his monologue completely off track and others say he was speaking to Job.  Regardless to whether it was either of them, it is clear that all of them (Job, the Amigos and Elihu) spoke without accurate knowledge of God’s purpose as we understand it according to Job 1 and 2.  Obviously we shouldn't think that God expected them to know what they could not know; but he could expect them to appreciate that there were aspects to the matter known to God but hidden to man, and these aspects made sense of what seemed to make no sense.   In other words, they could have decided to trust God and the process versus to question and/or speak for him. 

Job wanted an opportunity to question God so God told him to man up because he was gonna interrogate Job and Job had no alternative but to answer.  I won’t take the time to read the beautifully phrased questions that God asked Job in Chapters 37-38 but I will invite you to read those chapters on your own because they will absolutely make you ponder at the greatness of our God.

The irony of God’s questions to Job is that they were unanswerable and were meant to show Job he wasn’t in a position to demand answers from God.  God wasn’t putting Job on blast (or trying to make him look ignorant) in his form of questioning as some might think.  Remember, Job's greatest agony was that he felt God had abandoned him, and now he knew he was not abandoned. Like any true revelation of God there were plenty of elements that would make Job feel small before the greatness of God; yet it could not take away from the massive comfort Job felt in simply being once again consciously in the presence of God.  Wow!!!  I would imagine that this moment made the suffering worth it for God which enabled and empowered Job more than he realized he had the capacity for.

By Chapter 40, God asked Job if he still wanted to argue and Job conceited.  He said: “I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers? I will cover my mouth with my hand. I have said too much already. I have nothing more to say. Job 40:4-5 (The Message).  The questions from God continue through Chapter 41 but something amazing happens in Chapter 42.  Job sees his error of questioning God and he wholeheartedly repents, he realizes his error for mistrusting God through this process and restoration takes place.  But that’s not the end of it.  After the Lord had finished speaking to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “I am angry with you and your two friends, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has.  So take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer on your behalf. I will not treat you as you deserve, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has.”  Job 42:7-8 (The Message).  The Amigos did exactly as the Lord commanded and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.

Points to consider:   After all the false accusations, the Amigos are rebuked by God himself for lying on him.  He could have caused suffering in their lives for a just cause up to killing them but instead they were made to offer sacrifices for their sins to Job.  Can you say S H A M E!!  After Job prayed for his friends God fully restored everything he lost, in fact he gave him double for his trouble along with seven more sons and three daughters who were drop dead gorgeous, the most beautiful in all of the nation  Man, MJ was a beast.  Assuming she was his baby momma for this new set a kids, she had 20 kids!!!

We have the privilege of studying/reading about Job’s life to better understand that the righteous suffer as well as the wicked but we always win if we don’t quit.  I’m out of time and this concludes the series of Job.  

In closing, I want to further substantiate the "double for your trouble" I believe is a promise for us: Instead of shame, their[a] portion will be double; instead of disgrace, they will rejoice over their share. They will possess a double portion in their land; everlasting joy will be theirs.  Isaiah 61:7 (CEB)

In His New Excellence,

Tania Not Tanya

Job Pt 15 – Young Bruh’s Drinking Their Kool-Aid

We have been inundated with recycling campaigns for things like aluminum, paper, compost which many Bay Area counties force upon consumers.  But there are also other items that can be recycled which have some type of reward attached to it:  appliances, athletic shoes, batteries, clothes, compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), computers and electronics, eyeglasses, foam packing: ink/toner cartridges, phones, clothes hangers (your local dry cleaners is generally happy to re-purpose wire hangers and/or safety pins).  You can even receive a reward for recycling arguments.  Huh?  Yes, you heard me.  Arguments can be recycled but the reward varies from things as small as silence for the rest of the evening by the person who was dumped on to as much as a full blown beat down or even worse an extra hole or opening in your body that you weren’t born with.  Recycled arguments seem to have been the Three Amigo’s strategy, but it didn’t work.

 

Let’s pick up at Chapter 32:  The Three Amigos, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar, had finally run empty on words, the well of accusation was finally all dried up.  Frustrated to no end and feelin like utter fools I am sure, because with all of their “wisdom” and eloquence of speech Job wouldn’t budge an inch towards admitting his guilt so they fell silent to defeat. 

However, there was a fourth man, Elihu, who it seems had witnessed the entire accusation campaign, silently cheering for the Three Amigos only to become more frustrated as the days wore on because the elders had made no progress.  They talked a good game about how they were gonna wear Job down and convince him that he must admit his wrong, but they didn’t even come close.  That was it, he couldn’t take any more of this nonsense. 

He finally decides to speak but when he does, he starts off on “10”.  Why is he so angry?  He was highly offended by the ineffectiveness of the Amigos, his elders.  I also believe he sees their “humanness” which may have scared him or burst his bubble, like OMG, they aren’t infallible.  When he realized the Amigos had exhausted their arguments, he exploded with pent-up anger.

He was frustrated because he had remained silent all this time out of respect to their custom hoping they would say something great and philosophical that would bring Job to repentance and none of that happened.  He was also frustrated that Job justified himself rather than God and that Job was more concerned about being right himself than God being right.  But Elihu wasn’t just angry with Job, he was angry with the Three Amigo’s dismal failure at neither coming up with an answer (to the question as to why Job was in this predicament) nor had they proved Job wrong.  He hoped against hope that behind all their rhetoric they would actually say something convincing but it never happened.  He goes on to say that he had believed that the longer you live the wise you become and that getting older doesn’t guarantee good sense but now he realizes his thinking was wrong.  In other words, you are all a bunch of old fools.  He goes on to say how intently he listened to them use just the right words in their arguments but nothing they said even penetrated Job and he wouldn’t let them off the hook by using the excuse ‘they did their best’.  In other words, “excuses only satisfy those who make them.”  This last piece right here though was absolutely classic when he asks he rhetorical question:  Do you three have nothing else to say?   Of course you don’t! Because you’re all fakes!  Wow! Talk about a tongue lashing. 

Chapter 33:  In my sanctified imagination this is how I imagine Elihu finally speaks to Job:   “Hey Job, Bruh, I need to holla at ya about something.  I been had this on my mind and I gotta keep it one hunid.  If you think you can prove me wrong, I won’t have no problem with it, lay it out there Bruh, stand up for yourself.  I’m not trying to say I’m no bigger than you.  We both made out of the same kind of mud.  I put my robes on one sleeve at a time just like you.  Let’s work through this together Bruh and don’t be offended by my passion, it’s just how I flow.  Is that cool?”

Elihu seemed to believe he was just as, if not as good, spiritual and wise as Job and the Three Amigos, and he also believed he could be an effective spokesman before Job and God.  As I read Chapter 32 and the first few verses of Chapter 33, Elihu’s character flaws jumped off the page at me and I frowned immediately.  1) he talks too much; 2) he repeats himself; 3) he seems conceited, 4) he believes God is using him to correct Job and 5) he does the exact same thing as the Amigos, .  He misreads Job’s predicament and accuses him without even asking if he sinned.  Can somebody say “recycling in progress?”  But not everything about Elihu is wrong.  He makes some valid points, he exemplifies some compassion in his speech and he still has youth on his side.  If he was alive today he would be a perfect candidate for someone to snatch his “Kool-Aid” out of his hand so he won’t overdose and then mentor him.

Verses 8-11:  Elihu’s interpretation of Job’s comments were wrong just as the Amigos.  They claim he said he was pure when in fact Job said on more than one occasion that he was a sinner which is one of the reasons he offered sacrifices to God, duh!!!  Elihu accuses Job of being self-righteous just like the Three Amigos – sounds like the same recycled argument to me.

Verses 12-30: Young Bruh, Elihu, begins his speech with a well-known fact which is that God is greater than me.  That’s not even a discussion on the table, it’s not up for debate, it goes without saying.  What is the point young Bruh?  Then he goes on and on about the way God works.  Well, first of all, God does amazing customized things all the time, it’s really kind of hard to put him in a box and say he does X Y Z and 1 2 3 because if there is one thing that I know about God, as soon as you think you’ve got him figured out, he’ll put a spin on that thing and leave you there scratchin your head, “down hem”.   I know I have to stop, but you’ve gotta hear the summation of these last two verses:

Verses 31-33:  In my sanctified imagination, I’m thinking that perhaps Elihu gets the sense or maybe even sees Job’s face all bunched up trying to figure out what in the world this young Bruh is talking about.  And then he asks himself:  “Does the boy just like to hear himself talk or what?”  By now Job can’t tell whether he’d rather hear the old school rhetoric from the Amigos or have someone take a pin and pop open his boils.  As he continues the conversation in his head: “This kid won’t shut up!!!  Wait; Did he just tell me to shut up because he’s not finished and that he’s going to teach me about the basics of wisdom?”  Job bit his tongue to keep from saying anything out loud and then he had another crazy thought: “OK, God, am I being punked? Is that what it is?”  Job stood up.  He looked behind himself to see if anyone was there. He didn’t see a camera crew or Ashton.  “Oh snap, cameras haven’t been invented yet.  I know, maybe I’ll pinch myself to make sure I’m dreaming.  This just has to be one long continuous nightmare.”  Meanwhile everyone is looking at Job like he’s crazy because it is apparent that he has completely tuned Elihu out, he’s mumbling and pinching himself.  Cognizant of their stares, he returns to the reality of the noise coming out of Elihu’s mouth, and tries to refocus and it is then when he hears him say:  “If you think of anything I should know, tell me.  Otherwise keep listening, don’t distract me with interruptions.”  Job thought to himself again: “so is that a trick statement?  How can I tell him anything unless I interrupt him if he won’t shut up?”  I’m confused, I think I’ll just sit here and tune him completely out.

I’m out of time, we’ll have to pick it up next time.

In His New Excellence,

Tania Not Tanya

Job Pt 14 – Recycled Arguments

Tania Not Tanya tip:  Did you know you could recycle these 10 things?  Here are 10+2 things that you can be recycled some of which you may or may not have been aware of:  appliances, athletic shoes, batteries, clothes, compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), computers and electronics, eyeglasses, foam packing: ink/toner cartridges, phones, clothes hangers (your local dry cleaners is generally happy to re-purpose wire hangers and/or safety pins); arguments.  Huh?  Yes, you heard me, arguments.  Ladies, I don't mean any harm but you know we can run out and bring up arguments that we put away in storage from days, weeks, months and years back and run all the way out rehashing and reopening wounds that were in the process of healing. 

Yesterday’s declaration (blog) we heard more of the back and forth bantering between the Amigos and Job but the declaration ended with the fact that every logical thinking human being has a desire for God and they may not even realize it.  They recognize something is missing so they look to fill the void with: money, positions, power, education, manmade religions, people and/or things, but the “relief” is short lived.  Out of frustration they look for more of the same and/or something different which may include controlled/uncontrolled substances only to find that those items are not the answer either.  So like Job, these people are on a quest to find God, but they are all looking in the wrong place.

Chapter 24:  Job’s response to Eliphaz continues as he goes on and on about how tough the poor have it and they do, but it stings when he says: The wretched cry out for help and God does nothing, acts like nothing’s wrong! Job 24:16 (The Message).  His accusation of God is becoming more pronounced and while I want to believe he doesn’t make these comments maliciously, his comments made me pause (with my Believer’s lenses on) to try and refocus my lenses so I could see (understand) his point of view.  However, with my human lenses, I can see the hurt and lonely man who literally has no support system (that he can see, smell, touch or feel).  To humanize him a bit more, I put myself in his shoes during my study time and recalled my most recent God-inflicted suffering when I felt alone, rejected and isolated.  The upside for me is that I could hide in the word of God, draw strength from my faith coaches (e.g. TD Jakes, IV Hilliard, John Smith, Joel Osteen, Charles Stanley, Christopher Smith, etc.) and I had the advantage of reading about Job’s life.  So I can empathize with his agony, however, that does not justify accusation and bitterness toward God from anyone. 

Chapter 25: Bildad attacks Job for a third time, but it’s a repeat of things said before and it’s only six verses long.  It just seems to me that the Amigos are running out of ammunition and that Bro. Job has worn his friends out, “down hem”.

Chapter 26:  Job sarcastically responds to Bildad’s empty very short speech.  But his questions were sincere: 

·       Have you counseled people who are without wisdom?  Job’s statement was broad enough to include himself and anyone else that Bildad and his friends failed to help.

·       Who else have you “counseled”? Job wondered who else had been damaged by the insensitivity and misapplied wisdom of his friends.

·       Where did you get your counsel?  Do you recall Eliphaz’ first speech in Job 4 when he got a “word” from a mysterious spirit?  The message from the shadowy spirit began, Can a mortal be more righteous than his God? (Job 4:17). Bildad then repeated the same idea to Job in Job 25:4.  Clearly his Bildad’s recycled arguments raised a red flag to Job which is why he asked:  Where in the world did you learn all of this?  Job knew those were not Bildad’s words because they were too similar to Eliphaz initial speech to him and just like Eliphaz was off, repeating it a second time didn’t make it any more convincing.

Job finally praises God and his awesome power of creation.  He strings the words together so beautifully that they almost jumped off the page at me.  If I were Bildad, I would have been shame, but the Amigos were on a really big power trip so I don’t know that anything Job said would have embarrassed them.  Listen to some of the analogies he makes:

Job 27-31 are more of the recycled speeches, insults, arguments and rhetoric so I won’t cover them, but I would encourage you to read the chapters on your own.

Job considered all the wisdom from Bildad and his two friends (Eliphaz and Zophar), and wondered where the help or strength was in any of it.  I know I have said it before but it seems befitting to point at again, that at the end of it all, Job's friends got to the point where they were so concerned about being right that they forgot to be concerned about helping Job which was the initial intent.  I don’t ever want friends like that.  Go away; Stay away, leave me alone. 

I’m out of time, we’ll have to pick it up tomorrow.

In His New Excellence,

Tania Not Tanya

Job Pt 13 – Stand Your Ground

In yesterday’s blog Zophar accused Job of being a hypocrite because he had exploited the poor and

violently taken away a house he did not build.  In other words, Job allegedly foreclosed on the property of some poor property owner and that “ungodly act” is the reason God punished Job so severely.  As a general rule foreclosures are related to the borrower’s inability to meet their financial obligations (regardless of the reason).  Who is this alleged poor person anyway?  Was he there to testify against Job or is this something Zophar heard?  Is a Christian lender obligated to ignore the debt of a borrower because of their faith?  Zophar’s accusations are completely unfounded and he is clearly grasping for straws to insinuate that Job’s punishment is fair based upon his actions is outrageous. 

At the conclusion of yesterday’s blog, the point about evil and righteous people suffering and prospering was raised passionately in hopes that we would wake up from the myth that the righteous suffer for wrong doing.  NO ONE (i.e. preacher, teacher, apostle, bishop, professor, theologian, seasoned church mother and/or lay person) can say with certainty why the righteous suffer.  We can certainly give our opinions, but that ain't the gospel truth.  Given that we cannot be certain of the cause but understanding it [suffering] will happen, not just once but at multiple intervals throughout our lives and without warning I might add, we would do well to accept the unexplained suffering as a necessary process in life.  If I accept this fact beforehand, resolve ourselves that the “why” as important as we try to make it out to be and decide we won’t focus on the length of time we are suffering, we will save ourselves a lifetime of agony.  Not that we walk around in fear or terror of doom, not at all, but that we are more prepared (than surprised) when things come up.  Even if the "suffering" knocks us to the ground, we pray while we are down there, pop back up and stand your ground.  

Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.  2 Timothy 3:12

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 2 Corinthians 4:17 (NLT)

Moment:  an indefinitely short period of time; instant; the present time or any other particular time; a definite period or stage, as in a course of events; juncture.

Tania Not Tanya moment.  Self-inflicted suffering is different.  For example:  A surveillance camera records me robbing a liquor store and a bystander captures my specialized BUGGOD license plates on their cell phone peeling out the parking lot and the people pick me up at home, that’s self-inflicted suffering and I deserve what I get for being so stupid and disobedient.  I should have at least had sense enough to remove the plates from my car or use an untraceable bicycle.  But, if I fully repent because I am sorry for my actions, not because I got caught (and there is a big difference); God will absolutely forgive me AND I believe he will turn the situation around for my good.  I will have to suffer the consequences but he will give me the grace to do so and/or he may allow me to find favor with the “judicial system” so that they are not as harsh as they could be.

We are clear by now that Job’s suffering was not self-inflicted, it was God-inflicted.  Let’s continue:

Chapter 21:  Job is understandably irritated with the Three Amigos due to their continued accusations but also because he is looking for sympathy and understanding that the Amigos are not willing to give because of their self-imposed beliefs that Job is a wicked, ungodly man.  He asks repeatedly for them to "point out my wickedness," but they don’t because they can’t.  He argues about the perceived benefits of the wicked: long life, witnessing the success of their children, prosperous business, enjoying their grandchildren play carefree, never having to fear the discipline of God, they die of natural causes, etc.  The wicked see no point in serving God because they “have everything”.  It may seem that God is showing favor to the wicked but who are we to tell God when and how to punish someone?  And who says the wicked are really enjoying all their “stuff”?  Our perceptions of their happiness do not equal the truth and getting “by” doesn't mean getting “away”.

Chapter 22: Eliphaz attacks Job for a third time.  Does anyone besides me see this as an unfair fight, it is after all three healthy men against one weak, broken, half-dead man.  Nothing about Eliphaz’ accusations are really different except this.  He points out that Job was not hospitable at some point in his life and that makes him a wicked, ungodly man.  While it may not seem like much to us during that time period not only was being inhospitable considered rude, it was actually considered a great wickedness if you didn’t: offer to help to a neighbor, offer food and/or beverages, clothing to those in need, aid to the fatherless and/or widows.  One of the travesties about our culture and the digital age is that we are self-absorbed, it’s all about me, me and I; what makes me feel good; what I want to do when I want to do it regardless to whether it inconveniences someone else or not.

Chapter 23:  Job’s response to Eliphaz was: “You know, to be perfectly honest, what's happened to

me is even worse than I'm complaining.  I'm not even really complaining a full measure for what I'm really feeling. You tell me to find God and be at peace.  Well how about this, can you tell me where he is, ‘cause I can’t find him?”  Job was looking in the wrong place and with the wrong attitude.

In closing, deep within the heart of every logical thinking human being there is a desire, search and/or quest for God because we were created to worship him, to have a relationship with him.  It’s not that people are not seeking and searching for God (that peace that is unquenchable), it’s that they are searching in the wrong places – money, things, people, positions, power, etc.  The only thing that will satisfy the emptiness they are trying to fill is having an intimate relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ, period, end of story put an exclamation mark at the end of the sentence.

I’m out of time, we’ll have to pick it up tomorrow.

In His New Excellence,

Tania Not Tanya

Job Pt 12 – STOP IT! STOP in the name of Love!

In the most recent blog about Job he was defending himself against the monologue delivered by his friend Zophar who in essence compared Job to a person of histrionic character because he pretended to be sinless, self-righteous and innocent.  Zophar also accused Job of being stupid because he wouldn’t go along with their plan (the Three Amigos) for him to repent from the heinous sin that they could not define, describe or recall.  Both Zophar and Job presented elegant cases about the splendor, majesty, power, authority, creativity, etc. of our God, ElShaddai.  The tragedy is that the initial intent to comfort their friend was lost after the Amigos aggressively tried to force Job to repent.  Job would have definitely sinned had he went along with their scheme and repented for sins he hadn’t committed.  Sinned how?  He would be lying, giving in to peer pressure and he would have been a “men-pleaser”.  The initial intent of the Three Amigos to comfort their friend turned into a disastrous visit ushering Job to the door of depression that he fell through head first so deeply that each time he attempted to explain his position we find his ending statements full of blame and accusation at God.  Job’s most recent defense sent Zophar over the edge because he viewed it doltish, ludicrous and preposterous.  Job’s last cry for help before ending his defense really spoke to me:  “Earth, don’t muffle my cry! There must be someone in heaven who knows the truth about me, in highest heaven, some Attorney who can clear my name—My Champion, my Friend, while I’m weeping my eyes out before God.  I appeal to the One who represents mortals before God as a neighbor stands up for a neighbor. ” Job 16:18-21 (The Message) 

Chapter 17, Job continues to lament about having no friends; that he was once respected as a blessed man but now he is viewed as a curse.

Chapter 18: Bildad speaks for a second time verbally attacking Job for playing word games and for addressing them (Three Amigos) disrespectfully.  Can you believe that?  They (the Three Amigos) are all insulted.  That is absolutely asinine to me.  He condemns Job to die because of his wickedness when in actuality everybody dies at some point and to add insult to injury he calls Job “God-ignorant”.

Tania Not Tanya Moment:  Their theory that God curses the wicked seems contradictory at best.  Think about it.  How does Job go from being: a wise trusted man of God; upstanding member of society; member of the elders council; trusted advisor; amazing employer; priest of his household whom no one ever, ever, ever found any fault with and whom they all befriended to: a liar, self-righteous, histrionic, stupid and God-ignorant man?  Using their own beliefs as a model, if Job was so wicked why was he blessed for all that time?  I don’t mean ordinarily blessed, I mean like being the wealthiest and “most influential man in all the East!” (Job 1:3 The Message).  Was Job such an incredible manipulating prankster that er’body missed it (i.e. the Three Amigos, all of his business constituents, elders, and God himself?)  That doesn’t make any sense.  I’m Just Sayin’.

Chapter 19: Job is completely vexed by the time Bildad is done with his rhetoric.  In anguished pleas he says that he cries out for help but no one, get this, no one comes to his aid.  We have talked about the physical pain he must have been in but can you imagine how painful the isolation must have been?  How much it must have hurt, especially when he considered allllllll of the people he had helped in his life time.  I believe without question Job’s help was authentic because he was an upright man and honest man as described by God, and people of that caliber do the right thing authentically which includes helping people. Unfortunately for Job (at least the way he saw it) those that would have probably helped, his children, were all dead; poor MJ had checked out mentally and to make matters worse, his servants wouldn’t help or listen to him. 

The word vex means:  to irritate; annoy; provoke; to torment; trouble; distress; plague; worry; to discuss or debate (a subject, question, etc.) with vigor or at great length; to disturb by motion; stir up; toss about; to afflict with physical pain. 

It’s a noun, a thing, and I believe that’s a fair assessment of his position with his friends at this point and that’s putting it nicely.  But the Three Amigos were angry because Job was blaming God for his calamities.  As much as we don’t like their dogmatic, self-righteous, insensitive approach, they have a valid point.  Job is accusing God unjustly based upon his perceptions.

Chapter 20:  Zophar the traditionalist, again accuses Job of being wicked, histrionic and evil but this time he insinuates that Job has somehow exploited the poor and taken their belongings.  Could that be the heinous sin they believe him guilty of?   Throughout these past 20 chapters, the Amigos hold fast to their belief that Job is a hypocrite, liar, wicked and evil.  You would think that after all of this redundancy that we could change the subject and move on to something else, but I do believe there is a method to their repetition.  There are people today that still believe that the only reason Believers suffer is because they have done something wrong.  Some of you may even be reading this blog and just like the Three Amigos you have or are telling fellow Believers they need to repent, forsake all of their sins, etc. so they can be forgiven causing instant restoration with God.  STOP IT! STOP, STOP, STOP in the name of Love!!! 

Righteous people suffer. Evil people prosper. Righteous people prosper. Evil people suffer. We don't know why righteous people times suffer. We just don't know. It is wrong to assume things about a person: because s/he's suffering; that they don't have the faith, and so s/he is sick; or that if they had enough faith, they would never be sick, because it isn't true.  Perhaps, just maybe God allows the Amigos to stay on this point to demonstrate our true ignorance of God’s purpose and plan for our lives. The question of the book of Job is: Why do godly people suffer? The question is not really answered but there is one certainty we have and that I have decided to settle on, God rules our lives so I don't have to understand the “why”.  All I have to understand is the fact that God is in control and I rest in and on that thought.  If we could just rest in the fact that God controls the affairs of our lives we would be faith giants doing far more than we are now because we would be unstoppable.

I’m out of time, we’ll have to pick it up tomorrow.

In His New Excellence,

Tania Not Tanya  

Job Pt 11 – Your Arms Are Too Short to Box With God

Way back in the day when we were taught and believed it was a sin to go to the movies I went to see “Your Arms Are Too Short to Box With God” starring Patti LaBelle at the Orpheum Theater in San Francisco.  I justified attending my first live performance because it wasn't actually a movie, besides, how could anything with the words “God” in the title be wrong?  Well, I didn't get struck down by lightning; I've had ups and downs but that's a part of the life process but since I’m a walking in success I guess God didn't mind at all.  He probably fell back on his thrown and shook his head wondering what in the world was wrong with his well-intended children and their misconceptions, rules and regulations that they defined as sin.  At any rate, the point is that this memory popped in my head as I wrote this declaration last night while reading about Zophar’s misconception of God.  You know what yawl, sometimes we have God all wrong with all of the rules and regulations about stuff he probably could care less about unless, now hear me well, unless you idolize that thing, it is harmful to you and/or others.

In Chapters 12-14 Job let his friends have it and it was all Zophar could take but by the time Job had finished, Zophar was as hot as fish grease.  He was so mad that he looked like he turned deep purple.  He stood up and paced back and forth as he stared at Job as if he was wondering whether he should punch him or spit on him.  Bildad and Eliphaz got a little nervous when they saw the veins in his neck pulsating.  They looked at each other and whispered that this was not going the way they had planned and Zophar looks like he’s gonna lose it any minute.  Just then Zophar opened his mouth and said:  “I’ve had enough dog gone it!  Maybe I’m missing something.  Perhaps sir, you are a complete imposter because our dear and wise friend would not speak so foolishly.  Are you Job from Uz?”  Job gave him the ‘blank stare, are you an absolute idiot stare’ but never opened his mouth.  When Job wouldn’t acknowledge his question Zophar continued:  “Since you won’t answer me, I will take your silence as an affirmative that you are indeed Job.  My dear friend I must tell you that I have respected you for all these years as a wise, fair and godly man but the more I listen to you the more I realize what a complete idiot you are!!  I don’t know if it’s the “Old Man’s disease”; if those sores are also in your head; if that gook oozing out of your body is actually liquid brain matter or what, but you have completely lost it.  How dare you trivialize our wise counsel and dismiss our visit with you as if it is nothing.

All you have done since we got here is whine and complain.  My words haven’t passed judgment over you.  Your guilty words have condemned and incriminated you because of the sins so heinous that God had no choice but to pour out his wrath and judgment to make you an example. 

There are countless elders that have been around longer than you, but you talk as if you’ve been around as long as the mountains and that you were in on God’s brainstorming sessions when he planned all of this.  You don’t know any more than we do and your insight is no greater than ours.

You’ve allowed your emotions to get the best of you, up today, down tomorrow like an untamed woman who is having her season, lashing out and spitting fire in whatever direction that suits you.  Do you realize you are pitting yourself against God with the words that are running out of your mouth like a river overrun by a bursting dam?  You cannot possibly believe that a mere mortal can be sinless before God who doesn’t trust anyone, not even his holy angels.  God sees the flaws in the very heavens themselves so how much more will he see the faults of smelly and foul human beings?” 

Job was about to interrupt when Zophar put his hand up and said:  “I’m not finished so sit down and

shut up!!  You need to know my thoughts on this whole matter.  It’s what wise men and women have always taught, holding nothing back from the wisdom they learned from their parents which was: those who live by their own rules and not God’s can expect nothing but trouble, and the longer they live the more they can expect.  The wrong eats away at them like the sores on your body.  Every little sound terrifies them.  They have no peace, afraid of their own shadow so they take extra precautions by offering sacrifices all the time, even for their own children whom they have trained to live wicked lives just like them.  Just when they think they have it made, disaster strikes and it strikes with a vengeance leaving them hopeless of things ever getting better so they wander around like nomads without direction, not knowing what to do, where to go and begging for help from anyone that comes their way.  They live in constant terror with their backs up against the wall in constant crises mode with no end in sight like a woman when birth calls and the pains are so great that they are on top of each other.  Why?  Why God they cry out seemingly innocent when they know exactly why they are in this state.  It is because they insist on shaking their fists at God, defying El Shaddai to his face. Always and ever at odds with God, always on the defensive as they try to box with God.

It doesn’t matter if they are trim, fit and healthy with youth on their side they will end up living worse than junkyard dogs with no place to call home.  They will never get ahead, never amount to a hill of beans.  They’ll end up like shriveled up weeds brought down by one puff of God’s breath.  What is my point?  Whoever invests in lies gets lies for interest, paid in full before the due date.  Talk about a return on investment!!  The godless are fruitless—a barren crew; a life built on bribes goes up in smoke.  They have sex with sin and give birth to evil.  Their lives are wombs for breeding deceit.”

Chapter 16:  Well that did it for Job, he was done with them and he told them so when he said:  “I’ve had all I can take from yawl, you’re nothing more than a bund of windbags blowing hot air.  What a miserable group of comforters.  What is your problem that you go on and on and on like a nagging bitter woman.  You would think I did something personal against the three of you!  If you were in my shoes I could talk from a place of logic and accusation, but I would never do that, I would console and comfort to make things better.  Neither speaking nor silence makes me feel any better.  I’m tired, man!  I’m tired; I’m tired….

Job then fell to the ground and grimaced in pain as the sores on his knees and back of his legs re-opened but he completely dismissed them as he cried out to God in utter anguish that surfaced from deep within his soul:  “God, the lives of my family and mines were a total waste.  I’m like a dried up prune. Your anger tears at me, your teeth rip me to shreds, your eyes burn holes in me—God, my enemy!  People take one look at me and gasp.  Contemptuous, they slap me around and gang up against me and God just stands there and lets wicked people do what they want with me.  I was contentedly minding my business when God beat me up. He grabbed me by the neck and threw me around. O Earth, don’t cover up the wrong done to me!  Don’t muffle my cry! There must be someone in heaven who knows the truth about me, in highest heaven, some Attorney who can clear my name—My Champion, my Friend, while I’m weeping my eyes out before God.  I appeal to the One who represents mortals before God as a neighbor stands up for a neighbor.”

I’m out of time, we’ll have to pick it later.

In His New Excellence,

Tania Not Tanya