Now it is time for something completely different.

Now that I have spent the past eight or so posts writing poety and /or nonsensical ramblings I thought I would take Jer's advice and post something of at least partial coherance about my life.

I was talking to Todd today about writing and he mentioned to me that what I write is who I am, and that it is what I am thinking about. He then warned that I need to be careful what I let my mind continuosly think about. This immediately reminded me of a passage of scripture, Proverbs
23:7:

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. (Good ol' KJV)

Hmmm... As I think in my heart I am... "think.." in my "heart...?" I don't suppose I've ever thought in my heart. As far as I know human biology, we think in our brains.

Interestingly, this passage actually uses two Hebrew words that are both translated as "heart" in the KJV text. The first instance is the Hebrew word nephesh, which literally means a "breathing creature," or, the body; figuratively it can mean "desire."

The second word is leb, which literally means "most interior organ," or "the centre of emotions."

Notice that neither word means "brain." The first means body. This implies the physical, the flesh. How does your body think? (Figuratively speaking, of course). It tells you what it needs, or wants. For example, "hey, I'm hungry! Feed me already!" or "Ouch! that fire burns! Get me out of it, idiot!"

So, the human body responds only on what it needs. What about the "centre of our emotions," the "heart?"

It is just plain irrational.

We can know things in our heads, but that doesn't matter all that much. No matter what our brain tells us, we're going to go by our emotions and our physical needs before we actually believe or do anything.

Why do you think Jesus fed the five-thousand people? Because its hard to focus on the gospel when you're starving!

Why does the bible continually speak about love, worry, fear, etc. constantly appealing to our emotions? Because unless we feel things, we won't care.

I've read so many excellent books that do brilliant jobs explaining the reasons for things such as suffering in the world. Yet when I read of natural disasters I point my finger at God.

I know, in my head, that chastity is godly and I know all the reasons why pre-marital sexual relations are ultimately damaging. But it doesn't stop me from desiring sex when it is not my time to engage in it.

Its not our brains that count, its our bodies and our emotions that will ultimately make any decisions for us.

To bring it back... what I write is what I feel. What I feel is what I am. If my writing is continually bitter then so is my heart, and so am I.

"Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee." I can say all I want to God or to you. But if my heart isn't with him, or with you, then my words are meaningless.

And another general application: I must choose to follow God with my body and my emotions, because then, and only then, will what I know in my brain be true of me.

Let it.