Weekend At Surrey II

Surrey

Yup

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The weekend at Surrey began with another fine and wonderful birthday party, for two, at the Hintz.

The Hintz are of course among my best friends in the world. Satirical and otherwise.

I entered their 'lavish Bulgarian' inspired domain Saturday evening and I was as usual 'love assaulted' by their Bulgarian female pug. As soon as I saw the dog wearing a diaper I thought....not on my lap tonight.

I was not sure what the purpose of the diaper was for.

Red alert: I am sympathetic, but do not want her sitting on me. 

Brown alert: I am sympathetic, but definitely do not want her sitting on me.

And I really did not want to know.

The answer according to Anjela.

All of the above.

Wonderful.

But computer genius Pope Chucklins decided to be a nice guy and let diaper dog sit on him...

Scrumdiddlyumptious, diaper dog is thinking, I get to lick him again and again and again, once again, just like every party.

The party therefore begins with the pug upchucking on Chuck....

Chuck did not bank on

Green alert

The pug then after clean-up by birthday boy, Deaaannn (this is often how Princess Anjela calls Dean when a little annoyed), moved on to sitting on a young lady but was wisely sent away only to moments later leave a 'pug parcel' minus the correct Canada Post postage on the dining room floor.

The pug then finally sent to prison for the evening.

I was up until Sunday morning at this 'wild party', so I slept in, after all, I work 50 plus hours a week and headed back to Surrey to the second megachurch site for a 4 pm service.

There were some interesting sermon points

I have heard similar statistics, but the Lead Pastor stated a statistic that 80% of 19 to 29 year old single evangelicals are sexually active outside of marriage.

Preface

I approach with this in humility being in the struggle myself.

Theologically and Philosophically there is an issue with not following Scripture and not having a proper order of importance in my opinion.

This would be a reasonable Biblical order:

God, Family/Friends/People, Career

What has happened in the Western World in the 20th and 21st Centuries is the philosophical view has been accepted by many evangelical Christians that they are too young for marriage until their career is established, which biologically will be many years usually after puberty and the development of intense sexual interest.

There is also the accompanying Western view that one is simply too young and too immature for a serious relationship or marriage. One is not ready to raise a family and related.

However, these views are for the most part not Biblical.

Matthew 5: 27-30

English Standard Version

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

Realistically, virtually everyone of the age of puberty onward with normal sexual urges will struggle with lust of some sort. Basically philosophically in agreement with Scripture where in 1 Corinthians 7 it states that unless one is free from such lusts (7), persons were to marry because of lusts and sexual desire, which included immoralities (2), and lack of self-control, to burn (9).

Let us ponder on this...puberty is at perhaps 13 years of age and one marries at 30 of age, that is 17 years of struggling with lust.

No big deal by Western standards, but for God,  sin is why Christ died for us (Roman 3, 6).

It should therefore be no surprise that approximately 80% of evangelicals, if these statistics are accurate, 19 to 29 year olds, that are not married fall to immoralities and lack of self-control and burning with desire.

Seriously, if one is dating for years and years, how many persons have the self-control not to fornicate?

If one is not going to seriously consider marriage from a Biblical perspective, it is best not to date at all.

If career is that important, one should not fornicate in order to do so, if one is to live as a Biblical Christian.

My skeptical philosophical side tells me that there are some concepts of waiting for a better deal down the road. In other words in our Western consumer driven thinking, fornicate now, without marriage, and perhaps down the road he/she will find someone better and marry that person.

Decidedly unbiblical.

Myself, I definitely am guilty of struggling with burn and desire and I am a prayerful work in progress.

But I am not guilty of rejecting someone reasonable as far as mutual spiritual, intellectual, romantic attraction.

I have in the past placed much emphasis on my career to earn a PhD and admittedly I have not been near social enough in my life, but I have never in good conscience 'torpedoed' a potential opportunity.

I have never attempted to put someone on the back-burner either, as in maybe later, as in attempting to play God with timing.

I state this in love, but I very much reason many evangelicals and Christians have their life priorities wrong and this leads to fornication.

I raise the possibility that career is a social idol in the Western World, in many cases.

In other words, an idol (Exodus 20: 3-6).

Another interesting point the Lead Pastor raised, which he stated would be quite controversial, but should be understood by my readers, is that God loves himself the most.

This is theologically and philosophically true. God is infinite, and alone exists by necessity. Creatures are finite and exist contingently.

God's self love would and should be greater and more important than love for his creatures. At the same time in the Gospel acknowledging there is a divine love for those in Christ (John 3, John 14, Ephesians 1-2).

Hebrews 9-12 explains Jesus Christ is the mediator of a new covenant between God and humanity.