Today I have a GUEST blogger: Steve Gilbertson.  Check out his blog site for more of his great writing and insight: Besume (http://stevegilbertson.blogspot.com/)

Steve does some writing for his local newspaper and leads worship at a coffee house (aren't worshipers the best!?) and has a great way with words.  He is allowing me to share some here.  When I saw his title, I cracked up.  Has anybody even heard this phrase since high school?  Honestly, I thought about just swiping it and writing my own thing, but I loved what he wrote so much - the simplicity, the power, the truth, I just got his permission to share it, instead.  However - I am still adding "Eschew obfuscation" to my "I'ts only words…" page.  Thanks for letting me share this, Steve in Arizona!

 Eschew Obfuscation – Steve Gilbertson

Eschew Obfuscation. Two words, bold white letters, light blue background. I saw them on a poster while studying in my high school library.

Eschew I thought I knew; obfuscation was unclear. Ever inquisitive, I looked it up in the dictionary. Thirty years later, I have forgotten neither it nor the ironic library poster.

In an effort to eschew obfuscation, then, let me be perfectly clear: the key to Christianity is found in your honest answer to this question, “Who is Jesus, and how will I respond to him?”

Jesus is a universally admired figure. Virtually every religion or spiritual belief system acknowledges his life and teachings. Many consider him a prophet, a visionary, a great teacher, a worthy example.

Christians acknowledge these things. But we go a significant step further: we believe Jesus was God Incarnate.

Jesus was unique in all history: no one like him before or since. He was fully human and fully divine. He died, was buried, rose from the dead, is still alive, and will someday return to assume his rightful place as Lord of the Universe.

Admittedly, these are outlandish claims. If they are true, they set Christianity apart from every other faith system. If they are not true, Christianity is a farce. “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (1 Corinthians 15:14).

That is why the stakes are so high. Whatever your religious persuasion, the person of Jesus deserves your honest investigation. Was he, as Christians believe, God clothed in human flesh?

If Jesus was God, then by definition, he is worthy of your worship. Put aside your pride, your doubts, and your fears. Surrender to him, receive his forgiveness, and commit your life to him. Make it your life’s ambition to love him, know him, and follow him.

If he was not God, if he was merely a good example, or a moral teacher, then Christianity is a fraudulent faith. It’s as simple as that.

Let’s take it a step further. Many people mistakenly assume that simply acknowledging the deity of Jesus is adequate. They readily admit, “I believe Jesus is the Son of God,” not realizing that in the Bible, even demons acknowledge this fact (Mark 1:24, for example). Obviously, Jesus deserves more from us than mental assent.

Christianity is not merely a belief to which we adhere. Instead, Christianity is a relationship to which we commit. At its heart, Christianity is a love story. It is surprisingly similar to the courtship between a man and woman. Jesus is the Groom. We are the Bride. He has proposed to us. How will we respond?

For my part, everything I know about Jesus encourages me to trust him for those things I do not understand. He has invited me into a relationship which I can enjoy now and forever.

My response is simple, succinct and sincere. Eschewing obfuscation, I say "I Do."

“Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.” (Revelation 19:7-8).

Perusing an old Baptist Hymnal this morning (Church Service Hymns, copyright 1948), I was engaged by an interesting responsive reading entitled, "The Woes of Strong Drink."

For those of you without a liturgical church background, a responsive reading is usually printed in the church bulletin as part of the worship service.  The first line is read by the pastor or reader and then the whole congregation responds by reading the next line.  This can be a very powerful exercise on some topics.  Try to imagine me reading the unhighlighted portions and you be the "congregation."  Let's do this out loud, OK?  Feel free to imagine all your friends, family and co-workers reading along with you.  It will make your responses so much more effective.  Ready?  Here goes:

Hear, thou, my son, and be wise and guide thine heart in the way.

Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:

For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

Who hath woe?  Who hath sorrow?  Who hath contentions?  Who hath babbling?  Who hath wounds without cause?  Who hath redness of eyes?

They that tarry long at the wine;  they that go to seek mixed wine.

Look not upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his color in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.

At last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.

Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.

Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.

They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick;  they have beaten me, and I felt it not:  when shall I awake?  I will seek it yet again.

Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them.

And the harp, and the viol, and the tabret, and pipe, and wine are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of His hands.

Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink.

Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink, that puttest thy bottle to him and makest him drunken also.

Well, yes, indeed – woe unto the person who would make his neighbor drunk.  I think that is a reasonable judgement.  Woe – seriously: WOE – don't do it!  Don't make people drunk!!!  And I don't know if you should be doing it either since winebibbers are all inevitably riotous flesh eaters, too.  You don't want that.  Am I right?

Just kidding.

Naturally, I feel a bit cheated at my modern worship service.  I would love to hear the whole congregation, all of us, next Sunday belting out with passion: Thine eyes shall behold strange women and thine heart shall utter perverse things.  No, instead we will just focus on Jesus Christ and giving Him our worship and, *sigh, will leave the convictions about strong drink to the Holy Spirit. 

A little fun with religion today because I don't like it much, although I am a wholeheartedly devoted follower of Jesus Christ – a friend of sinners and the God who actually saved me.  Blessings!…Jeanie

NOTE TO SELF:  The Holy Spirit realizes, I am certain,  that my very strong, bold, Venti coffee from Starbucks isn't the same as this other stuff…He does, right?…

In just a few weeks, right here in Denver, at the Pepsi Center, I believe, the annual Women of Faith Conference will take place.  As usual, they are sold out and women's ministry leaders from various churches are frantically making phone calls hoping for a few extra tickets from some one who had the foresight to purchase extra.

I would love to hear Beth Moore on Friday night of the WOF conference, because she is, besides being a trendy Christian icon (not of her own choosing, I am certain), a true lover of the Word of God and He has given her great insight into His heart.  She communicates it well.

But I am not going.  I am not against it at all, even if I am afraid of what might happen to a person squished in to an arena with thousands of church ladies.  There are probably nice women there, too, but I'll guarantee you there will be church ladies.  Somewhat frightening!

No, I won't be there, but the impending event has been making me think.  Here is something I've been chewing on for a few days ~

My friend Amanda Ottaway posted a blog last week of a list of good advice to live by.   "Wear sunscreen" was the first piece of advice.  "Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but in your living room," another read.  I love lists.  I actually own books of lists.  So, this post was fun for me. 

But right at the end, the list said this: "Be careful whose advice you buy…Advice is a form of nostalgia.  Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth."

I started thinking of myself years ago as a young minister's wife, 3 really small children and another on the way (there was always another on the way in those days).  I remember attending a "ladies retreat" our church sponsored and we had the neatest speaker.  I was amazed by her because she could expound on any number of scripture passages and was a personal friend and Bible study leader to the wives of a professional football team.  She talked about how to really know God, you had to spend time with Him early.  She painted the picture of getting up before her family and sitting at her kitchen table with a cup of hot coffee just having some "quiet time" with Jesus. 

I was awestruck.  I wanted to be her.  My life was chaotic and consisted of spilled milk and cereal all over the floor and nursing and diapers and OB/gyn and pedriatric appointments.  I couldn't get up before my family because with babies in the house – you were already up at 1…and 2:30…and 4:47…and…  When I got the kids down for a nap in the afternoon, I'd say, "This is Your time, Lord," but could not keep my eyes open.  I just wanted what that speaker had.  I wanted to just have this perfectly beautiful life of faith. 

Funny – now I actually do get up early and get to have coffee at my kitchen table, but I nearly killed myself to get here.  I didn't come by choice.  I lost a lot.  I lost almost everything.  There are still things I am losing. "Pride comes before a fall'?  It's true. I can tell you this from personal experience.  Nothing about me actually turned out like the speaker – at least what she presented to us. 

Who knows?  Maybe her road was tough, but what she told us wasn't.  It was sweet and very lady-like and Christian and serene and gentle.  I could tell her house was spotless, her husband adored her and her kids were on the honor roll.  It was once my great goal.  Life doesn't always turn out just like that.

I have mulled over the quote from Amanda's blog, "Dispensing (advice) is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth."  And I have started thinking how much I don't want to do that.  I have daughters who are the age I was when I heard that speaker – who was the age I am now and the things I tell my daughters and the MOPS mommies I speak to and any of the women God puts in my path - they should be real and true and the truth is I have not always been a "woman of faith."  In fact, sometimes it seems I rarely have. 

I feel more like a woman of fury – a woman who wrestles with her faith and her God and whose life hasn't been wrapped in a tidy package.  To be honest, to be true – I need to pull the the rotting junk from my garbage disposal (because of course, a woman of fury's disposal is not working correctly) plop it on the counter and allow you to see, really see.

Did that speaker go through times of hell to have the time of plenty she was in?  Probably.  Did she keep vital information from us, though?  Did she forget to mention how tough marriage can be and almost losing a child to drugs?  Did she ever contemplate suicide, have a bad body image or deal with depression and self-hatred?  Did she struggle with sin she could not get past- lying or pride and arrogance?  Is it fair for us to tout blessing without telling you the price we paid?

So here I sit – thinking about an upcoming conference where women will gather and the chance to bring hope through truth will be huge; pondering the garbage disposal quote and thinking about the Christian women I know.

And I am thinking perhaps I will start a new movement: Women of Fury, real women who wrestle with their faith and if you want their advice – it's coming straight out of the garbage.  I already know a bunch of these women – they have pain, they go through hell and being misunderstood and diappointment and rejection and work hard through family problems and hang in there through church problems and defy the images of the day to dictate who they are.  They are fighting the good fight.  They are Women of Fury and I want to be just like them when I grow up.

My dear friends who are Women of Fury, you know who you are, you amaze and inspire me!  Blessings…Jeanie

NOTE TO SELF: I promise to tell the truth, the real truth and nothing but the ugly, disgusting, embarrassing truth, if You help me, Lord.  The truth hurts my pride, but it will set me free…and others, too, I hope!