First, some beautiful, peace-full music:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUQF-Gfly1c&lr=1

And here is another one from the same band:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SrhNE8lZOY&lr=1

I just bought this album (band: Kye Kye) and listen to it every time I'm at home. I haven't done that with an entire album in YEARS.

Second, and what I really came for, some thoughts from today: I sense the world becoming more and more polarized, which is absolutely terrifying to me. I am a passionate person, which makes me a prime candidate for polarization, but I learned in junior high/high school how detrimental that can be to relationships when people don't share your beliefs. And the last thing in the world I want to do is lose friends. But I'm getting closer and closer to the point where I care too much about the truth I believe to not share it.

I also sense persecution of Christians rising in America. No--we aren't being stoned, jailed, or murdered (yet). But there is a strong feeling of hatred toward the Christian worldview. I can't even say I believe that homosexuality is a sin--even if I go on further to explain what the Gospel has to say about it--without gaining the venomous title of "homophobe." I also can't claim that there is ultimate truth, and that it is in the Bible, without being called arrogant and narrow-minded.

This isn't coming from just the outside, either. It's coming from the inside, too. In fact, in my circle of friends, it is coming mostly from the inside. What is it that makes people so willing to "love" their rebellious younger brothers and so unwilling to love their obedient elder brothers? Never mind. It's a misunderstanding of the Gospel, just like everything else.

At this point in time, in my little corner of the world, it feels as if Stephen and I and our pastors, and Stephen's family and their old pastors, are the only ones still holding onto the Bible as truth. I know that isn't 100% the case, but the amount of enmity around us is daunting. Everybody seems to have compromised, and the ones who are supposed to be our brothers and sisters in Christ are the ones who turn against us the worst. It makes me feel very alone and afraid.

But it occurred to me, as I was talking about these things with Stephen last night, that maybe all is not lost. "So...If the world is becoming more polarized and Christians are becoming more persecuted...Does that mean we will see more people coming to believe in Biblical truth?" I asked Stephen.

"Yes," he answered, with no hesitation. "Absolutely."

In the moment that I asked, I already realized that it was true and felt the hope it brings. So I'm going to keep my eyes open over the next 5 or 10 years and look for an increase in Bible-believers, and pray to trust in God through the culture war.

-Stephanie

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