Friday October 30, 2009

Women: Sexual Predators?

A recent news article indicated that although most women engaged in sex for pleasure, researchers had counted 237 reasons why they did! There were many good or innocuous reasons for women to have sex. “These reasons ranged from the very altruistic, specifically because you wanted to make your partner feel good; to the mundane, where women said they had sex because they were bored; or to the medicinal, where they said they had sex to get rid of a headache or back pain or menstrual cramps, or to keep warm, or to lose weight, or to get exercise.”

Other reasons, although not altogether surprising given today’s sexual climate, are far more problematic. Some used it as revenge against a partner, or giving unprotected sex to pass aids to a man who wronged them. Others had it for adventure, to get another notch on their belt, to “mate-poach,” to compete to be first to get a desirable guy into bed, or barter for wealth, a job or even just for dinner!

Some had sex to fight loneliness, or to hold onto a guy. Perhaps the most unusual was having sex to get closer to God. Not quite sure how that would work. Perhaps the same way as admiring God’s creation often does the same thing. After all, the beauty of sex was God’s idea in the first place. Certainly, sex in the appropriate relationship without guilt is a great gift from God.

What was most surprising was that the article didn’t even mentioned having a child, although it is hard to believe it was not at least one of the 237 reasons for women to have sex. After all, furthering the human race is the purpose, if increasingly not the reason, for sex. The pleasure derived from it is a side benefit to ensure reproduction takes place! What this article with its glaring omission declares is that sex has finally become totally recreational, and not procreational.

A friend once stated her belief that the trend started with condoms. While contraception in some form has always been practiced—recall Onan in Genesis 38:8–10—the condom and later contraceptive methods have provided a completely new environment where sex can be practised without the attendant responsibility. While contraception was touted as a means of family planning, it is now a vehicle for free sex, even abortion frequently used as a means to the same end.

Nature demonstrates its dislike of indiscriminate sex by sexually transmitted diseases, which would die out in a generation if monogamous fidelity were practiced. This may be too much to ask, but it would be a start to recognise that it is not sex but children, the product of sex, that are the priority. There is perhaps a glimmer of hope in that the majority of Americans are now against abortion for the first time since Rowe v. Wade. Even a recent Law and Order episode portrayed a rethink on the practice.

An old song says: “Love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage.” Unfortunately, too many think that idea went out with the horse and buggy days. Even a cursory knowledge of Scripture will reveal its message of final sexual satisfaction only within marriage. At the risk of being legalistic, the restriction of sex within marriage must be the basis not only of a stable society, but also of a secure and happy family life; for a man and a woman, but also particularly for the children.

Thursday October 29, 2009

I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing." Psalm 16:2

The idea that apart from God we “have no good thing,” is probably the greatest barrier to reconciliation with God for it completely deflates our pride and independence. Yet we don’t need to look far to see the naked evil that is unleashed around us daily, born in the minds and hearts of humans. And in those infrequent moments of honest personal appraisal, perhaps sparked by anger, misery or even Holy Spirit conviction, we realize that the propensity for evil is resident in us all. The idea of what Christians call depravity is illustrated in this following excerpt from our book Happy Together: Daily Insights for Families from Scripture.

When I first learned to ride a bicycle, I was let loose on the streets of my neighbourhood and almost immediately came into conflict with another user. My problem was a very simple one; I was riding on the wrong side of the road as the other user testily informed me. My father had not taught me the first rule of the road—to ride or drive on the left (that was in England of course). A moment’s thought reveals to us the chaos produced without this one simple and basic rule.

When it comes to human nature, most are poorly informed of the one simple rule that governs all human behaviour, and must be taken into account in any process of governing: that is our total depravity. This very definitely goes against the grain, especially as it suggests that we have nothing good in us. But it simply means that everything we do is somehow infected with sin; we act with mixed motives and engage in undesirable fantasies. Society assumes the ultimate good in all, a mistaken notion that contributes as much to society's ills as sin itself, by applying incorrect notions. Sin is regarded as a correctable defect rather than a terminal disease.

By contrast the Bible teaches that we are all infected by sin and need inward cleansing by our Creator. The first line of defence for our children is a commitment to Jesus Christ, responding to their recognised need of cleansing and forgiveness; first as an initial experience of salvation, and then as an ongoing need in daily life. Unfortunately, these are so basic that we take them for granted and forget to clearly instruct our children of them—as my father forgot to inform me of the first rule of the road.

Sunday October 25, 2009

The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out, Proverbs 20:5.

Deep waters indeed! It is in the innermost recesses of our soul that our greatest unspoken shames and ambitions reside, and as long as we have a conscience, however distorted or dulled by sin, it threatens a future judgment. After all, our conscience at least gives sufficient innate knowledge of right and wrong to suggest that one day we must all face an accounting. This is the greatest fear of death: what will happen to us when we die?

One way to overcome this fear is to assume God doesn’t exist, or if there is one, he is simply irrelevant. However, with a little thought, it must be obvious that what we believe about God must affect the way we live. If we believe there is a God to whom we are probably accountable, then we will try to adore, fear, respect, appease or worship him—at least try to seek his favour in some way. If we don’t believe he exists, then we will live by laws imposed on us, fear of what others think of us, or by our own moral values or lack of them.

Without God, human ambition tries to assert a natural world that exists on its own as the final truth. Unfortunately, truth based on human reason alone undermines itself because truth then becomes each person’s individual property. With no universal or absolute truth about life, the slogan becomes, “All truth is relative.” Because the truth of that statement is also relative, a postmodern approach where intuition trumps reason is a natural outcome.

The idea in our text that “a man of understanding draws them out,” suggests that a wise man will be able to see into the deep recesses of the human heart, but in addition, “draws out” the false conclusions that those dark recesses invent for cover. In fact, the wisest man, whose foolishness begins where human wisdom peaks, not only made us aware of our hidden proclivities, but also came to deliver us from them. His wisdom is not a cold recitation of facts about us, but also a love for us that passes all human understanding.

It may be a stretch to say that this verse is a prophecy of Jesus Christ, but at least it provides the basic truth about us: In our fall into sin we also fell from truth, and all our human reasoning contains error about life. What we believe about the God who not only insisted that sin and its reasoning be recognized and judged, but also gave himself to ransom us from our predicament, will affect the way we think and live. Particularly it gives life meaning now, and future hope for earth and eternity.

Tuesday October 20, 2009

The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, and all who live in it. Psalm 24:1

This year has been eventful! Ann and I spent the first two months in England on a short-term missionary assignment, meeting up with members of our family to visit many of our haunts of our early-married life. Then there was prostate surgery waiting of me on our return and thankfully has given me clean results to date. During that time, we published our first book, Happy Together: Insights for Families from Scripture, and that meant a spring of activity and two summer trips to the coast to promote it.

Then our second great grandchild was born, but taken seriously ill shortly after. Again, we are so thankful that after a lengthy stay in hospital, he is home with his family and the prognosis is good, but needing a minor operation in a few weeks. Then another trip to the coast, this time to Victoria to attend a cousin’s sixtieth wedding anniversary. Now of course, Ann is back at university, and has one further course to take in the spring to complete her political science degree.

During the summer, I put together material for a second book, Guess Who’s Coming to Reign! Jesus Talks about His Return, ready for publishing this fall. I also launched a website to incorporate much of the writing we have done during the years, and you will find a link to it on the side panel, Norford's Writings - Home. All this has meant an interruption in my blogging and the letters that I regularly like to write to our grandchildren, but it is my hope that this blog will get me back into that comfortable rut I am always looking for!

Thus, it seems a fitting start today to muse on the words of today’s text, that all the earth and its inhabitants belong to God; especially that all we do is within God’s view and, we trust, within his purposes. In fact, despite the effort of many, it is impossible to get away from him.

If I go up to the heavens, you are there; If I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, If I settle on the far side of the sea, Even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. Psalm 139:8–10.

The first line of this quote reminds me of yesterday’s news, that astronomers have found another 32 planets around other stars raising the number to over 500. This always raises the excitement that we can find another earth like ours with similar life upon it. Unlikely; other heavenly bodies all appear to be frozen wastes or stifling heat. Furthermore, our expanding universe appears to maroon us in an eternal space that God controls and where immense distances ensure we are contained in this solar system.

The immensity of God’s power is at once frightening and comforting. It is certainly a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, and terrifying that we cannot get away from accountability to him. Yet the offer he gives us of reconciliation with him gives us equally immeasurable security for life and for eternity. The vast universe is the big picture, and is an analogy of the big picture of our lives, “hidden with Christ in God.”

Welcome Back!

Tuesday October 20, 2009

After some experimentation we have finally come back here with our blogs. They are easily accessed from our website at http://norfords-writings.com/, or directly from this address at http://norfords.blogspot.com/.

You can also access Norfords' Writings from here by clicking the link on the side panel

Either way, we trust you find future information helpful or interesting, and look forward to meeting you here again on a regular basis.

Ann and Bryan Norford

Thursday October 8, 2009

Cole is HOME!

Here is the latest bulletin from Cole's mom. Thanks to all of you who prayed for a healthy outcome.


*From:* Joelle Alexander

*Sent:* Thursday, October 08, 2009 1:03 PM

Hello!

Wanted to let you know that Cole is home!! We just got back from the hospital 1/2 hour ago... What a great feeling it is to have him home with us. All the screening for side effects from the meningitis have come back negative. He is doing great!

Thanks again to all for all your support, prayers, thoughts and helping hand through this tough time. We couldn't have made it through without you.

We hope that you all get to meet Cole very soon!!!

With much Love.

Dan, Joelle, Norah and Cole





Friday October 2nd, 2009

Cole is Improving

Thanks for your prayers. Below a note from Cole’s mother Joelle.

Ann and Bryan

From: Joelle Alexander [mailto:joelle_alexander@hotmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 30, 2009 9:50 PM

A quick note to let you know that Cole is doing great. The docs were successful at putting the picc in his leg and he bounced back from the anaesthetics quickly. He was really looking well tonight. He is out of ICU and back in Unit 2. He was only in ICU for 26 hours cause he was doing so well! We are so glad this part is over! Now he can get his treatment easily with no more pain and just work on getting better. Cole should be coming home in 8 days!! Yay.

Thanks again for your prayers and thoughts! We all feel relieved and are looking forward to taking our little hero home soon!

Love.

Daniel, Joelle, Norah and Cole

Joelle Alexander





Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Love is Stronger than Death

In an earlier blog, we were happy to announce the birth of our first great grandson, Cole Ryan Alexander. Now we are seeking prayer for his recovery from serious infection that could include meningitis, besides kidney and blood infection. The time in hospital for most of his three and a half weeks of life has been traumatic for his little body, a harrowing one for his parents, and anxiety for other close relatives—grandparents and great grandparents!

His mother Joelle writes that through it all “He's a trooper, a very strong boy!” While some individuals—adults and children—are stronger than others, strength for all of us is gained from the love of those around us. It is common knowledge that a newborn cannot survive without love, and will die unless held and nurtured. Similarly, the will to survive for a newborn like Cole is strengthened by the love and care he receives from his parents.

Somehow, he will be sensing their love and devotion, the desire for him as an essential part of their family. It seems to me that love from another is what gives life its meaning, and the greater Cole senses that his little life already has meaning, the greater his will to participate in it and fight the disease and the pain of it.

This speaks to the meaning that life has for all of us—without the loving interest of another in our existence, life loses its meaning. The decisive significance of life is found in God’s love for us—that we were created purposefully and for a destiny with Him. That is why our souls crave for direction and meaning and it can only be found in the knowledge that God loves us and has an ultimate purpose for us.

We can all feel the pain and heartache that Dan and Joelle are experiencing this moment, although perhaps not to the same degree. But we trust that our love, prayers and support will increase their strength. And Cole himself will fight to be with them as he is drawn to their love and affection for him. Above all, our prayers can strengthen the bond between God and Cole created at birth that will be his ultimate healing.





Tuesday September 15, 2009

Most Terrorists may be Muslims, but not all Muslims are Terrorists



Few of us would feel comfortable meeting these three men, at least the way they are portrayed in these media photographs. But if we met them on the street we probably would not give them a second glance.

Nevertheless, these men were convicted of plotting suicide attacks to blow up seven flights from London's Heathrow airport to New York, Washington, Chicago, San Francisco, Toronto and Montreal, using liquid bombs concealed in drink containers. The jets were planned to explode over the Atlantic simultaneously, and would have killed upwards of 2,000 people.

The three pictured above were sentenced separately to life in prison, with no less than 40, 36, and 32 years minimum to be served in detention. The trio were told they may never be released.

Short of capital punishment, this is perhaps the closest to punishment fitting the crime than most jurisdictions provide. Yet what is remarkable in this case is that the intent was considered equal to the action, the closest I’ve ever seen to Jesus’ charge that anger will be judged as murder, Matt. 5:21–22—the thought is as bad as the deed.

This conspiracy follows the New York, Madrid and London bombings, planned bombings of Toronto buildings and other attacks of the last decade all triggered by Muslim extremists. So it is not surprising that Maclean’s May 24th 2009 magazine found that 45% of Canadians consider mainstream Islam encourages violence.

Ann and I have had contact with a number of Muslim families over the years, and found that whatever interpretation is placed on the Quran’s promotion of violence, most Muslims want what we all want: freedom and security to raise our families. The massive migration of Muslims from their homelands to the west in recent years, bears testimony to the desire to escape from religious tyranny to the freedom of expression (however challenged) of western nations.

Even if not acknowledged, it is the Christian faith that has provided that freedom and the recent rejection of Sharia law in Ontario by Muslims themselves is evidence that they prefer the culture of the west to what they left behind.

While we may hear little against Islamist violence from the Islamic community—often from fear of reprisals!—Muslims have the same range of devotion to nominalism as Christianity does. The majority are not going to give up their new-found freedoms and return to what they escaped from any more than we would.

It may be surprising to find the same Maclean’s article referred to above also notes that 10% of Canadians believe that mainstream Christianity also encourages violence! In reality, every belief system has its fringe extremism and certainly Christian history attests to that.

Few of us in our right mind, including Muslims, can possibly believe that God’s call on our lives is to kill and maim as many countless innocent men women and children as possible any more than we applaud Hitler’s death camps. Our God given conscience tells us at least that much.

Your Muslim neighbour next door wants much the same from life as you do, and would welcome your friendship to help them understand how to achieve it. Eventually they may come to understand that the freedom we enjoy in the west is an outcome of the personal freedom we enjoy in Jesus Christ.