What Kind of God Is This?

I'll answer the question in three words:

A personal one.

Now, if you want more explanation, read on.

I want you to read this post slowly.  I know I sometimes rant, and chase rabbits, so I'll try to stick with the main points for this one.  I want you to truly comprehend some of the truths I have been shown through the years.  There have been many times when I got quiet, and truly observed things, and felt the wondrous majesty of this Holy, Awesome God.

God, who created everything that was ever created.

God, who spoke the universe into existence.  A universe that continues to expand still.

Yet this God isn't sitting out in the eternal heavens, untouchable or unapproachable.

Genesis 1 tells us that when He formed the Earth, it was void and without form.  He could have left it the way it was.  You and I would never have known the difference.  It could all be flat, and plain and black and white.  But He is a personal God.

He loved you and I before He ever formed the Earth.  He knew I loved mountains.  I especially love huge, rock mountains.  Sure, the Smokey Mountains are pretty.  The tallest peak is 6,643 foot Clingmans Dome.  I prefer the Western part of the country.  The mountains are not covered in trees, and are more than twice that tall.  My wife prefers the beach.  Some people's idea of beauty is a meadow covered in flowers.

God is a personal God, and He created the world where we could all find the beauty we enjoy.  He wants us to be happy in His creation.

If I wore an orange shirt with purple pants, blue shoes, yellow socks, red belt and a pink hat, I would look ridiculous.  Who would mix those colors?  Look at the sunrise and sunset, and the magnificent colors displayed.  Yes, I understand that there is dust, water vapor, etc. that create the different hues.  But, again, it could have all been black and white, and we never would have known what we are missing.

And this same God, who cares so much about us that He created such a glorious world, cares no less for our feelings and emotions.  

And He provided a way for us to be accepted into His family.  Why?

Because He's a personal God.  And He loves you.

Bible Belt Coming Unbuckled

Her name is Jennifer Keeton.  She is a graduate student at Augusta State University in Georgia.  She wants to be a counselor when she graduates, "helping strengthen and prepare young people for the challenges they will face."

She has been told by the campus, that she will not be allowed to graduate unless she changes her beliefs.  She has been ordered to undergo a re-education program that will force her to attend diversity and sensitivity training, including attending gay-pride marches, and writing papers, telling how she felt after the event.

We've been told we are no longer allowed to pray before football games.  We've been told if you have a Bible on your desk, you can be fired for it.  Now, public colleges are threatening to expel students if they do not agree with whatever the college decides they want you to believe.

Private companies and even private colleges have the right to choose who they would like to serve.  A public college is not guaranteed that right.

If a homosexual had been turned away from Augusta State because he was gay, there would be national uproar.  What happened to equal treatment?  Why is it okay to punish one person because they believe "A", and not punish another because they believe "B"?

We in America have freedom of religion.  That means the government does not have the right to force any religion on its people.  It does not mean that no one is allowed to practice their religion if it could possibly offend anyone anywhere. 

You choose to believe what you want.  I accept that.  I may not agree with you, but I support your right to have your belief.  I can even have wonderful discussions with you about our beliefs, and why we believe that way.  But if you have the right to believe in evolution, that homosexuality is right, or that we all are nothing but lumps of organic matter, then I have a right to believe in Creation, that there is right and wrong, and that God loved me enough to die on a cross for me.

Augusta State University does not have the right to take your money, and then decide you can't graduate because you don't believe the way they want you to believe.  Neither do they have the right to force that upon Jennifer Keeton.

Where are the equal rights?