Spirit in the Sky part 1

I have recently become infatuated with this song, "Spirit in the Sky" by Norman Greenbaum (who was raised Jewish).  I admit, I became infatuated after hearing it in the movie "Guardians of the Galaxy."  Great movie by the way, go see it once or twice like I will be doing pretty soon.

I am definitely a Christian but I don't really care for most modern Christian music.  It's not that it's not good music or doesn't even carry good messages.  There are just some styles of music I care for and some I don't.  That goes for types of Christian music also.  Which brings me to this song.  From what I can tell it's not deeply Christian but vaguely so with more of a world view of what the gist of Christianity is.

But what is it saying that would make someone think of Christianity?  Apparently there was an interview in which Greenbaum explained that Westerns were his real influence and the thought of dieing with your boots on was something spiritual to him.  Furthermore, using Christianity was necessary because he had to use something.  However the citation on this word is spotty so I cannot confirm this with certainty.  

SO I suppose my question is...how spot on is this song when it comes to Christianity?

"When I die and they lay me to rest
Gonna go to the place that's the best
When I lay me down to die
Goin' up to the spirit in the sky

    Goin' up to the spirit in the sky
    That's where I'm gonna go when I die
    When I die and they lay me to rest
    Gonna go to the place that's the best"

Prepare yourself, you know it's a must
Gotta have a friend in Jesus
So you know that when you die
He's gonna recommend you to the spirit in the sky

    Gonna recommend you to the spirit in the sky
    That's where you're gonna go when you die
    When you die and they lay you to rest
    You're gonna go to the place that's the best

Never been a sinner, I never sinned
I got a friend in Jesus
So you know that when I die
He's gonna set me up with the spirit in the sky

    Oh, set me up with the spirit in the sky
    That's where I'm gonna go when I die
    When I die and they lay me to rest
    I'm gonna go to the place that's the best

Go to the place that's the best

Clearly this could be a couple of things.  "When I lay me down to die, Goin up to the spirit in the sky".

Is this heaven for the dead?  

Acts 1:9 "And when He (Jesus) had said these things, while they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him away from their sight."

2nd Kings 2:11 "And as they went on and talked, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared: and they separated the two of them.  And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven"

Genesis 5:23-24 "And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty-five years.  And Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him."

In  these instances someone was taken up to Heaven but none of these examples involved just the soul of a person after they are laid down to rest as the song indicates.  These examples are of people who were very much alive.  So what about the dead?

In regards to one of the God's prophets Samuel after his death, the Kind of Israel of that time, Saul had sunken low and had sought out a soothsayer (medium) to "Bring up Samuel".  Key phrase there.  The whole section is 1 Samuel 28:3 - 25 if you want to get the full context of what was going on but in verse 15 specifically the transaction occurred like this, "And Samuel said to Saul, Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?......"

However in Ecclesiastes 12:7 says "And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the breath returns to God who gave it."  but when coupled with Genesis 2:7 "Jehovah God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul."  So in this transaction of death in Eccl 12:7 is the breath here the same as the breath in Genesis 2:7 and if so, then what of the living soul?

In Luke 16: 19 - 31 it tells of the story of a rich man who had much wealth in life and a beggar named Lazarus who both died.  Lazarus was carried away into "Abraham's bosom" and the rich man also died.  vs 23 - 24 "And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, begin in torment, and saw Abraham from afar and Lazarus in his bosom.  And he called rout and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in anguish in this flame."   I dunno about you, but visually I always thought of heaven being a greater distance from a place of fire.  Certainly not close enough to where someone can yell from afar and say "Hey, throw me some water!"   This begs to question, what Abraham's bosom is.  It seems to be a part of Hades, not to be confused with hell which certainly doesn't seem to be what is described as heaven or even in the sky for that matter.  

Furthermore if we look at Revelation 1:18 "I am the living One; and I became dead, and behold, I am living forever and ever; and I have the keys of death and of Hades."  Would he have had to go to Heaven to get such keys?  Also Acts 2:31, Acts 2:27.  Now I am not saying conclusively that Hades is where dead souls go.  I am saying that there does not seem to be anything confirming dead souls going to a "spirit in the sky."  It's probably more akin to a waiting area paradise on onside and the waiting area where it's desolate, dry, and terrible and the other side being separated by this "grand canyon" keeping one from crossing over.

But that's more research for another time.    

Courting

How does someone who wants to uphold their christian values court a person of interest in today's world?  You could say, "you should meet some one at church!" This, however is not a guarantee of courtship.  In fact, you could meet someone in church and still succumb to all manners of the flesh without spiritual leading and constraint.  Temptation can feel at it's strongest when you are at your weakest point control.  Make no mistake, no one's will is stronger than temptation when you are by yourself with many opportunities.  Just look at the Biblical character, Joseph the son of Jacob.  He had authority to take care of Potiphar's house, yet Potiphar's wife tried to tempt Joseph.  Joseph, not wishing to test his own resolve, RAN away. 

There is no shame in running.  It looks funny, but better to run than to succumb.   What does this have to do with courting in today world?  Well, the idea of dating being the way to go, as in you meet up a few times at a restaurant or a movie or where ever is not necessarily a bad thing.   You have to get to know someone somehow, however the key is getting to know with the idea of marriage.  To date to be with someone is not good enough.  There needs to be a goal and if the goal is not marriage then why are you dating?  Surely such a relationship with no goal will lead to an unfortunate circumstance. 

But enough of this.  The manner by which you should court is very straight forward in practice.
1. Pray Together
2. Communicate a lot
3. Never be alone together in darkness or dim light
4. Be candid (which goes back to communication)
5. Look your best

That pretty much sums it up from my limited experience. 

Knowledge vs Life

I was raised baptist.  Christian baptist, in a mostly black church in the south.  An emphasis on knowledge of the Word of God was put in all it's members.  This is good in that is helps us with biblical accuracy, but I wonder if that is sufficient for people.  Go to church, learn, appreciate and go home.  Maybe even go to extra meetings through out the week to learn more, have logistical meetings, etc.  I wonder, is there any enjoyment among those who do this?  For me there wasn't but I cannot speak for everyone as I am sure that there is some enjoyment for others.  If there is enjoyment then what is the source of that enjoyment.

In Genesis there are two trees in the Garden of Eden that are mentioned.  The Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  When Adam and Eve ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil they were immediately aware of their nakedness and hid from the knowledge of how they were.

The key word is knowledge.  Knowledge in this case was bad.  However let's not forget that the tree also had good on it also.  So I have to wonder when we are in a meeting or in church and we say we enjoy something, are we enjoying it because it's good?  IF it's good to us then there's no way that can be enough because it emanates from the same tree as evil.  I don't have to list things that are evil because things that are evil are in my opinion are intrinsically understood by the internal moral fiber of a general human being.  But what are good things?  Can we associate good things with the bad things?  Giving to the poor, feeding a hungry person, watching an inspirational movie, speaking to a friend in need, or even reading the bible to gain more knowledge.  None of these things are bad, but can still emanate from the same tree as it is named, "The KNOWLEDGE of GOOD and EVIL."

There is another tree called Life and yes life is good but good does not mean life.  So I suppose the real question is, is that good that we do are participate in a life giving good?  Not emotionally uplifting but Life giving.  When you sit in a church service are you emotionally moved?  If yes, that's good, but is that Life?  Do not confuse emotion with life because emotion is a reaction to something good or evil from the knowledge we have gained, but Life can produce an emotion after it is experience can't it?

I seriously wonder about many who attend a church of any religion.  I love Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.  I wonder if the way we do things now in the "Christian" are truly getting it.

Name

There is power in a name.  A name can impact you positively or negatively. No one is truly indifferent to their name.  They love it or they dislike it but everyone has some type of leaning for their name.  There is power in the name of a person because the person with the name matters.    If the person with the name didn't matter thein there would be little to no power in their name.  If this was ever the case this would shufy be a rare occurrence because even a person without a name wants to know their name because they want to have a sense of value. Not that the person is invaluable but that they feel power in the obtaining of a name.  The ability to identify and be identified is something intrinsic to our nature.  

So then what is the purpose of a nick name.  As a term of endearment or as a name of jest.  One should be careful, for if this name is not invited or approved of it can cause more trouble than it is worth because of the inherent power in a given name. Never underestimate this power by dawning a nick band upon someone who didn't ask for it nor wants it.   It can cause much turmoil with in that person and within you. 

Introduction

Jesus Christ is Lord.  I have always been told that often times if you open with that in a conversation it will either end abruptly, start an argument or spark a more favorable response from whoever has the pleasure of being on the receiving end.  I love the Lord and I love the saints.  However the purpose of the blog is to just convey general thoughts that I may have at an infrequent basis about various issues that may come across my mind.

Everything I say may not be agreeable to all.  That's ok.  It is not within me to please but to present a genuine and honest case for what I am feeling and what I am thinking.  That's all anyone really can do.  What comes out of it is what comes, however I earnestly believe that any thought conveyed as long as it is genuine will be received genuinely.

So let's start with a small list of things that I think before I go off on any sort of tangent.

1. A student sitting is a desk is not as productive as a student moving around.
2. A quiet classroom isn't always a good thing
3. Learning different languages in school is great but increasingly irrelevant with the rise of translation technology.
4. Yes I do believe in universal healthcare.  No I do not like the current bill for universal health care for the reason that I do not think it goes far enough.
5. Income Inequality is the biggest issue facing the future of the U.S.
6. Abortion is wrong.
7. I support the President Barak Obama of the United States without agreeing with everything he says or does.
8. Tattoos are awesome but I probably will never get one
9. A healthy body = a healthy mind (I love Crossfit)
10. LeBron James is my favorite NBA player and I am a heat fan for life (not a bandwagoner)

That pretty much sums it up.  Everyone has a different opinion and everyone is so complex in their view of the world.  Thats what makes people so amazing.  I look forward to the time I am inspired to write in more detail about a specific subject but until then, I am happy to end here.

Congrats Cleveland, I am so happy LeBron is going home.