Legacy Legalism

I want to admit something to everyone.

At times I suffer from Legalism, I look around and wonder, why do people do this or raise their children that way or handle their finances this way.  I'm guilty. 

God gives each of us spiritual gifts for us to develop, but these gifts God gave to us alone.   Sometimes we get so fired up in our gifts that we look around and ask, "Why don't people get it?"  "Am I the only one that sees the truth?"

This type of thinking leads to prejudging people and legalism. 

I believe that Legacy Dad is a calling of mine but this calling is my path.  Not everyone will take this path and not everyone should. 

I apologize if sometimes I come off as "all knowing"  I certainly am not all knowing and in fact I struggle in many areas.  I usually write from a point of learning after the fact. 

Meaning, the reason I write on certain topics is because I've already made mistakes in these areas and I am now writing about my failures to share, reflect and learn. 

I honestly hope my tone to readers does not come off as "all knowing" but in fact a tone of sharing and learning. 

I guess I can only pray that I let God work through me and focus less on my plan and more on his. 

 

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The Christian Tony Soprano

Media and members of law enforcement alike referred to Michael Franzese as “The Prince of the Mafia.” The son of a kingpin in New York’s Colombo crime family, he was one of the biggest money earners the mob had seen since Al Capone, masterminding scams in sports, gambling and even a multi-billion dollar gasoline tax scheme.                     
It was assumed that Franzese would be heir to his family’s vast power. But then he fell in love. And the woman who would become his wife, Camille Garcia, led him to Jesus.

“My conversion completed the transition from a kingdom of darkness into a kingdom of light,” Franzese said. “One covenant bound me to the mob, the other—the covenant in Christ—set me free.”                        

This new faith led Franzese to make a previously unthinkable decision: to quit the mob. Although he had dozens of court appearances and served nearly 10 years in prison, he is the only high ranking Mafia official to quit, refuse government protection, and live to tell about it.

See His Testimony Here                   

Thoughts From A Dying Man

Randy Pausch set the tone early on yesterday at his farewell lecture at Carnegie Mellon University.

"If I don't seem as depressed or morose as I should be, sorry todisappoint you," said Dr. Pausch, a 46-year-old computer scienceprofessor who has incurable pancreatic cancer.

"What we're not going to talk about today," he continued, "iscancer, because I've spent a lot of time talking about that ... andwe're not going to talk about things that are even more important, likemy wife and [three preschool] kids, because I'm good, but I'm not goodenough to talk about that without tearing up."

What he was there to discuss was how to fulfill your childhood dreams, and the lessons he had learned on his life's journey.

"I find that I am completely positive," he wrote. "The only times I cryare when I think about the kids -- and it's not so much the 'Gee, I'llmiss seeing their first bicycle ride' type of stuff as it is a sense ofunfulfilled duty -- that I will not be there to help raise them, andthat I have left a very heavy burden for my wife."

His wife and children, he said, "mean everything to me. They give apurpose to life and a depth of joy that no job [and I've had some ofthe most awesome jobs in the world] can begin to provide.

Read the article Here.  Thanks to Metro Dad for finding this one.

The Foundation of the Legacy: Part III

Creating Common Interests

There is only one verse that shows up 5 times in the Bible.

Throughout the course of the Bible you hear people referencing saying "As I have said before"  but when you hear that only one verse is mentioned 5 times in the bible, it must be important. 

Most would think it is about salvation or following God's word?  No.

"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh."

It's about marital oneness.  This is the single most important verse on marriage in the Bible, it is my belief that if you get this area right, all the other areas of marriage will fall into place.  It all starts with Oneness.

True happiness in marriage is defined and obtained by the mutual pursuit of oneness.

Now I know that I certainly fall short at times in this area of my life.
We pursue our jobs.
We pursue our hobbies.
We pursue NFL Football.

But are we putting our wife above all others accept God? 

Oneness of spirit
Oneness of soul

You think the same, you feel the same, your goals are the same and you do not allow anything to come between you and your wife.

Unity is built on the foundation of commonality.  You have to have common ground.

Your wife needs to be your best friend and time and having a shared interest is essential to building a strong friendship and relationship.

Thats goes beyond living in the same house and having kids together.

It's easy for women to put the kids or her career ahead of their husband.
It's easy for men to put their career or their hobbies ahead of their wife.

As a couple, we have to fight to never let anything come between our oneness.  Furthermore, we have to find areas that we as a couple can do together, alone. 

Some couples exercise together
Some couples research things together
Some couples cook together

Some couples find something that they both know nothing about and they learn something new together.

It's about finding time and common interests to share together to create connectedness and oneness.

We have to find ways everyday to create oneness in our marriage and never let anything, person or activity come between the friendship and relationship.

In the Part IV of The Foundation of the Legacy will we add to Part III with Confused Allegiances and Wrong Priorities.

-Esse Quam Videri-

The Real Christians?

We were studying Acts and Galatians this week and I heard an interesting sermon that drove home one of the points I have tried to illustrate here on Legacy Dad and when talking with other Christians. 

In Acts, Paul is answering some followers who believe that only those circumcised are going to go to heaven and they were preaching this to other Christians.  Some times people have the right intentions and are passionate about their faith but they have the teachings a little wrong. 

Here is an example:

How are Christians supposed to dress?
How long can a Christian man's hair be?
Are Christians aloud to drink alcohol?
Are Christians aloud to have tattoos and piercings?

Let's look at some further clarifications.

True or False?

A Christian must be baptized to go to heaven?
A Christian that goes to Church 3 times per week will go to heaven before someone who only goes  once a week?
All real Christians home school their children right?

Many Christians I talk too will tell you that all of these things have a bearing on our placement with God and the more you serve and do works for God, the more Christian you are. 

However, the Bible tells us a different story.

We are saved by grace through faith alone, period.

Works do not equal salvation.  These are merely steps in obedience of Gods Law.

In Luke 23, one of thieves on the cross believed Jesus was the son of man and was told by Jesus “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Was the thief baptized?  Did he attend Men's Study Group weekly?  No.

Does this mean if we have faith we can now just run wild and live our lives recklessly? Certainly not.  I believe that once a person accepts Christ and is saved they are moved personally to works in service of God. 

But works do not bring us closer to salvation and it irritates me when some Christians go around and preach this. 

"A good Christian woman only wears dresses"
"A Christian would never drink wine."
"We go to church 3 times per week."
"Look at the boy dressed in Goth, he must not be saved."

Why do some Christians believe this?  I believe that true faith puts us in an uncontrollable situation, thats why the saying goes "A Leap of Faith"

Doing extra things appeals to the flesh and gives us some control. However faith is a leap with no control.

I also believe that many Christians want to belong and some latch on and spend everyday in fear that they will not go to Heaven by grace through faith, that they need to do more in order to win God's favor.

When I meet these people in person or online, I can tell they are unhappy and they believe the answer is doing more works.  I sometimes wonder if they ever stop and enjoy God's grace?

Look at some Articles of Faith and see what I mean or venture to some popular Christian online forums and ask this very question.  Many will tell you that you must do more to be saved. 

I however, will take my guidance from the Bible.  In closing, lets look at what Peter said in Acts 15 on this very topic:

"God knows people’s hearts, and he confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he cleansed their hearts through faith. So why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear? We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.”

We do not need to do more to be saved, we need to do more because we are already saved.     

 

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