There's Something About Mary

Ok so I'll start by stating that I am well aware of the differences and issues between Catholics and Protestants. Just know that I know I am not breaking new ground here with my thoughts as I humbly take on this hot button topic. I realize this is 2000 years of the equivalent of a religious pushing contest and a battle of authority and "Says who?" With that disclaimer out of the way, here we go!

My pastor has pointed out that as much as the Roman Catholic religion puts Mary on a pedestal(read: idolatry), Protestants are guilty of overlooking her as an example of great faith. I mean which one of us wouldn't want to say like Mary in Luke 1:38, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” That's not the only example of her trust in God. Just look at Christ's first miracle. Mary knew right where to go. John 2 tells us of the famous turning of water into wine. Let's read it:

On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Like I pointed out earlier, it's great that Mary knew where to turn(Christ) but I think that there are a couple other examples in this text to take notice of. 1.) Mary didn't have the power to turn the water into wine herself. The number of people who pray to Mary daily has got to be, in the words of Luke Skywalker, "well more than you can imagine!". But why? Mary shows here in the gospel of John that she had no supernatural powers or abilities. She needed Christ to perform the miracle and turn the water into wine. 2.) Jesus' response to Mary is interesting here. He doesn't run to immediately fill her request. He let's her know that even though she was asking the right person, her request was wrong. She was actually outside of God's will for asking because "His time had not yet come".

If we are to have scripture as our authority for all faith and practice on Earth, that authority doesn't stop at, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life". We have to look at every verse as an example and as instructions from God for how he desires us to live. The word Christian, first used in Antioch(Acts11), means exhibiting a spirit proper to a follower of Jesus Christ; Christlike. God's desire is for us to be conformed to the image of His Son(Romans 8:29) so it makes sense that the way to do that is to follow His example from scripture. Let's take a look at a couple compelling examples from God's Word to see what Christ's actions and words are in response to Mary.

Luke 11:27-28 reads: As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Jesus doesn't allow Mary to be elevated by this woman in the crowd. Blessed rather, He says, are those who hear the word of God and keep it. If you are in the Word and living by it, you are more blessed than Mary according to Jesus. Let's look a couple more places.

Matthew 12:46-50 tells us of this incident with Jesus' family: While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

And again in Mark 3:31-34: And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!

Lastly, Luke8:19-21: Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you.” But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”

Wow. Those verses have always stood out to me because of my Catholic upbringing. I always remember the importance Mary played in the religious life. But when we look at scripture, Jesus does everything He possibly can to keep us from worshiping His mother. These three passages alone are very clear that He holds her in no more esteem than anyone else who does the will of God or who hears the word of God and does it. Combined with Christ's rebuke of the woman in the crowd in Luke 11, we have a clear concise warning in scripture, the examples of Christ Himself, not to elevate Mary to a place of worship.

And that's the point. If we pray to or worship anything or anyone other than God, we are guilty of breaking God's Law against idolatry. Scripture is clear that idolators will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. Somehow along the way, in spite of scripture's clear warning signs, Mary has become an idol or god in certain denominations of faith. She has become the 4th member of the Quadrinity. Perhaps it is because some hold to Mary's perpetual virginity. How on Earth people have come up with that idea is beyond me. We see in the above verses that Jesus' siblings were outside with Mary. Were they all immaculate conceptions? Let's look in scripture. Matthew 1:24-25 says, When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus(Emphasis added). I emphasized until because it necessarily indicates that Joseph did know Mary after she gave birth thereby eliminating her perpetual virginity.

The last thing I want to look at is Mary's song of praise in Luke chapter 1. Verses 46-47 she sings, "And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior," Like everyone else on the face of the Earth Mary was imperfect and born into sin. She denotes that in her song by indicating her need for God, her Savior. That goes a long way into showing her humility and also her helplessness in regards to her status before a holy God. Even she, by example in scripture, didn't elevate herself to a position worthy of any undue worship. She humbly praises God and admits her need for salvation! So what's the take away? What am I even trying to accomplish with this one? Sola Scriptura. If this article gets one person trapped in religious tradition to compare what they are told with what scripture actually tells us then it has done what I set out to do. There is so much freedom in Christ that is not found in the yoke of religiosity. My hope is that some would read this and be encouraged to be like the Bereans in Acts 17. The people in Berea didn't just believe Paul, but weighed everything he said in light of the Word. I pray that people would run to scripture to see if what I am saying is true here. I'm not asking anybody to just listen to me. I am nobody. Check it against God's Living Word. Do that with what you hear at church, from your priest, from your traditions. If what you are being told doesn't align with scripture, ask yourself "why am I doing this?"

The bottom line is if your focus is not on Christ and bringing glory to God then the mark has been missed already. To worship an idol, whether it is Mary or any other person or thing that takes the place of God in your heart, is a direct violation of the 1st Commandment. Mary could have been anyone...well, any female virgin, from the beginning of time until now. But Christ is eternal. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through Him and by Him. Jesus was the one prophesied about specifically to be born of a virgin(any virgin) and has been part of the plan from the foundation of all the universe. That's why He has to be our focus. Christ came as God in the flesh and died for the sins of the world. If we repent and trust in Him alone for salvation we will be saved.

Blood in Blood out

Warning: Intended for Mature Readers. Content may not be suitable for all age groups.

Flaco walked slowly toward the waiting Chevy Impala, looking back over his right shoulder to make sure no one was watching the scene. Flaco wanted to be certain that his busybody neighbors weren't focused on him and his waiting "homies". He then looked back over his left shoulder to acknowledge the door being slammed by his girlfriend Marisol. It wasn't her house nor was it Flaco's. It was his parent's house of 34 years. She was there due to lack of options since her parents kicked her out of their house for dating a known criminal. Flaco's parents didn't really like either of them being there but were fearful to say much. She turned back to the slamming door just in time see the Crucifix bounce gently back into place on the wall to the left of the entryway. She then looked out the small window in the door to catch a glimpse of her boyfriend's skinny, tattooed leg being pulled into the car. Those legs with his zip code, 90023, tatted on them were the source of his street name Flaco. His parents, girlfriend and the local East Los Angeles postman all called him by his real name which was Hector Guzman.

Hector had been in and out of jail for what he deemed "small time stuff". Drugs, thefts, fights, etc. All those were child's play compared to what he was headed for now. Blood in, Blood out. He was on his way to accomplish the "Blood in" part of joining one of the most feared gangs in his neighborhood. What that means is that someone is about to have lived their last day. Murder. 150,000 people die each day; this would just be one of them. As Chuey's Impala rolled along, all of its inhabitants were quiet. The only sound was that of an old school Kid Frost rap pounding from the top of the line, stolen sound system. "This is for la raza". The thought reverberated through Flaco's mind as he pondered who his target would be. Mother of four? Policeman? Office worker? How many lives would be impacted by the death of one? That didn't matter to him. So long as one person went down, Flaco was in.

Flaco looked down as the car rolled on. His eyes followed the gold chain he wore down past a tattoo of two roses, the stems of which intertwined through and around two matching pistols. One of the guns had his name on the barrel; the other read "Marisol". The names matched the roses, having a deep red color. The diamond cut chain ended with a hanging, graven image of Christ on the cross which rested on an oversized picture of the Virgin Mary tattooed on his chest. He pulled it out from under his wife-beater style tank top, kissed it and slid it back into place. Flaco, like his family and most of the people in his hood , was born into the Catholic religion. He had done all the works that the Church deemed necessary for salvation. He was baptized as an infant. He had done his First Holy Communion and Confirmation. Even to this day he prayed the Rosary regularly and he still went to church when he wasn't too hung-over. He took communion on those days when he felt like getting up and "doing something for Jesus". Flaco's mind raced as he thought about his upcoming murderous deed but remembering that he had given up video games for Lent, which started today, was somehow comforting to him. In Flaco’s mind, his 40 day sacrifice might somehow help outweigh the bad he had done and all he was going to do. As he wrestled with all of these thoughts, sweat rolled down his forehead and blurred the already smudged ashes that he had gotten on his forehead earlier this morning.

Flaco hoped that all these religious duties would be a sufficient offering (or even bribe if you wanted to call it that) to God in spite of all the sin in his life. After all, he was washed of the original sin as a baby right? Didn't that mean he was saved and could live however he wanted and do whatever he felt like doing? That's the example he was given throughout childhood. His parents lived with no fear of the Lord and they were supposed to have the same "faith" that he did. Yet every Sunday after church, Alejandro Guzman, Hector's father would shout out expletives accompanied by God's name to express his dislike with people's driving in the church parking lot. Alejandro would deny this in the company of certain people which made sense since lying was never an issue for him. As a matter of fact, Flaco’s dad was pretty much the person who taught him how to lie. A partial truth is a whole lie would have been the opposite of Guzman motto. Not only that, Alejandro had cheated on Hector's mother, Maria, several years ago. He had done so more than just that time but that was the only instance he got caught. Maria was no saint either even though she had somehow forgiven Alejandro for his transgressions. She coveted things. That coveting almost always led to theft. She was guilty of not only stealing, but also teaching her son Hector how to do so as well. Who knows how many free things she and her son had gotten from the Walgreens near their house? None of it was of great value but did that matter Flaco thought? Stealing is stealing. He knew because he was guilty of theft too. He, however, had moved on from his mother’s petty theft of nail polish remover and candy bars to cars and money. Did he still have a conscience? The notion brought him back to what he was on his way to do and trying to justify it. Was murder so different than the things his mom and dad did on a regular basis? Weren't blasphemy, adultery, lying, coveting and theft all part of the 10 Commandments handed down by the God of their religion? What would make murder different? He could just go to church Sunday if he didn’t get caught by man’s law and say a few prayers and be ok. He could work off his own sin right? If his parents could be religious and still blatantly live in sin, Flaco felt he should be just fine with his breaking of God's Law.

Chuey mashed on the gas to catch the yellow light and the acceleration brought Flaco back to the situation at hand. He felt a tap on his shoulder and looked back to see a Beretta 9mm pistol being handed to him from the back seat. Lil' Piaso was quiet as a mouse back there but he spoke volumes with just a nod and another thrust forward of the "acquired" handgun. Flaco grabbed it and knew that it was time. Who knows what other weapons Piaso had back there? The '64 Impala screeched to a halt in front of the Pacific Commerce 14 Theater. The door was already opening and out came Flaco with Beretta in hand. He ran up to the closest person and began to raise the 9mm pistol to her head. He tried to steady the gun and his shaking, sweaty hand. As the girl turned toward Flaco, a nearby woman screamed. The young girl tried to process what she was seeing. What she was looking at was a loaded, shaking gun pointed at her face and a skinny, tattooed, pale faced Mexican with eyes that looked as if they were beginning to water. She dropped to her knees before he had a chance to pull the trigger and she began to pray. Flaco seemed unmoved by the girls last ditch effort for salvation. That's when it happened. He looked over to an upcoming movie poster. "Priest" was the name of the movie. The titular character was perched on a building. The poster said only one thing besides the title. REPENT. He lowered the instrument of death as he pondered the word. What did that mean? Chuey and Lil' Piaso yelled for him to hurry from the blue Chevy. "Rapido, rapido!!" He couldn't move. Something had grabbed a hold of his heart. The word repent captivated him. At that moment he realized that all of his attempts to follow church tradition meant nothing. He was supposed to turn from sin in response to what Christ had done on the cross for him. He couldn't continue with the lies and the blasphemy and the stealing anymore. He certainly couldn’t go through with a murder. God's grace wasn't a license to continue sinning like his family had demonstrated to him all of these years. He looked down once again at the sobbing teenager before sliding the gun towards his impatient homies. Flaco took off running as fast as those skinny legs would take him.

Flaco had a small head start due to Lil' Piaso jumping from the back of the car to pick up the weapon which he had taken from his girlfriend’s father’s nightstand. He got back in the front seat and they took off after Flaco. The small tires chirped as the Dayton rims started spinning. The woman who had screamed called 911 and went to comfort the terrified would-be victim who was sitting in her own urine. Meanwhile, Flaco ran towards home. When he was almost there, he stopped in an alley that he thought would be safe and called Marisol. He told her that he didn't go through with it and that he had turned from that thug lifestyle to follow Jesus. She could hardly believe it. Marisol hung up the phone and packed up her things and left Flaco's parents house. She didn’t want him to go in the first place but his new condition was worse to her than his previous one. Hector, the name he had resolved to go by from now on, looked down at the phone. He knew she left but it didn't matter. He had finally found forgiveness. Hector had found true forgiveness with Christ as his Lord and not some sort of just-in-case Savior to be left on the back burner of life. Hector waited quite some time. When he figured the coast to be clear, he headed towards his parent's house. He actually didn't have much of a choice with the General Waste Disposal truck coming toward him down the one lane back road. He got to the end of the alley that was perpendicular to his street when he saw the front of the blue Impala. He had nowhere to go. The trash truck was blocking the only way back. He looked at the open window of the creeping Chevy. A face covered with a blue bandana and dark Ray-Ban sunglasses stared back at him along with a pump shotgun. He knew what was about to happen and he feared not. He knew now where he was going. Time seemed to crawl as Lil' Piaso pumped a shell into the chamber of the Mossberg shotgun and Hector reviewed his life. All those years of religious duties Hector and his family had partaken in meant nothing. Christ had done everything that needed to be done when He died on the cross then three days later rose again and defeated death. Blood in. "Sinners like me can get in to Heaven now thanks to His blood", thought Hector. At least he had the chance to tell one person the good news before this moment even though she didn't accept it. He wished he could have gotten a hold of his mom and dad. Maybe Truth could have triumphed over tradition with them too. Maybe it still will. Hector could no longer be a part of any of that. This was it. Repentance and trusting in Jesus alone for salvation alone was the only thing that helped him now as the flash came before his eyes and his life ended. Blood out.

Ephesians 2:13

English Standard Version (ESV)

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Omegle Witnessing 3

this one was long but very interesting. i kept the conversation in the natural for a long time and it seems as if i gave him just enough salt to finally thirst. he then asks the question about believing in God. Now this person didn't fall down and cry out for God then and there but notice at the end how he sincerely thanked me as did the person in the first Omegle witnessing post. He definitely has something to ponder. Pray for him. Good times. great conversation.



Stranger: hi there! :)
You: hey! back! :)
Stranger: What's happenin? :D
You: not too much. got 2 hours left of work. this site helped me through the night lol
Stranger: hahaha that's cool!
You: ya this is the first time ive used it. its kinda bizarre
Stranger: Dont you get annoyed with people here always saying "asl"
Stranger: i hate it!
You: lol ya then when i tell them they just leave anyway so go figure
Stranger: yeahh thats true..
Stranger: so what do you do in your work?
You: i work at a refinery. im homer simpson right now lol
Stranger: That's so cool!
You: ya not bad, how bout you
Stranger: I'm a student actually..
You: college
Stranger: almost.. im about to graduate high school
You: nice. are you planning on going to college? i never went. i went into the air force
Stranger: Yeah i'm hoping to get into a college..
Stranger: How was the air force for you?
You: pretty cool. my job was pretty crazy. i climbed 90 foot tall telephone poles to work on antennas lol
Stranger: That must have been awesome!
You: looking back its kinda nuts haha
Stranger: did you have like a harness or something?
You: well most of the poles had steps after 20' but ya you had a leather strap that wrapped around the pole
You: so what on earth is a student doing up at this hour on this crazy site??? lol
You: you still there?
Stranger: Oh sorry! yeah im still here!
Stranger: its not that late where im at
Stranger: hehe
You: cool lol. so do you go to church or something? you seem really nice
Stranger: Haha its just my nature.
Stranger: but thanks though!
Stranger: you seem really cool!
You: well i used to be a real jerk before i met Jesus. what do you know about Jesus?
Stranger: Im a Catholic so i may know some things about him.. haha
You: cool i was raised catholic. i pretty much went away from all things God for a long time. my daughter got sick 6 years ago and Jesus found me. (people always say the found Him but He was never lost lol)
Stranger: That is sooo nice to hear :)
Stranger: Is your daughter doing well now? :)
You: ya its awesome. there's nothing more important in this life than repenting and trustin in Him. once we are goine its too late.
You: ya she's all good. 10 years old in feb
You: http://digoutreach.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=104:saulbecomespauls-testimony&catid=60:testimonies&Itemid=77 heres my testimony if you are interested
You: my buddy and i started digoutreach as a way to reach gamers for Christ
Stranger: you started this? Woah this is actually awesome
You: ya my buddy is an computer guy but some of the ideas and stuff were mine. God has been good to our site for sure
You: if you have an email address i can sign you up for the DiG Verse of the Day lol
Stranger: Sure thing! it's ************@yahoo.com
Stranger: Thanks man
You: no problem. its been good chattin with you. remember, nothing is more important than your eternal salvation. like ecclesiastes advises in chapter 12 verse 1 Remember your Creator
in the days of your youth,
[b]Stranger: Hmm.. can i ask a question?
You: you just did lol ya go ahead
Stranger: Haha oh yeahh. so anyway.. Right now, i don't believe in God as much as i'm expected to.. is that okay? i mean i really do not do anything wrong.. i dont do vices or anything bad like what the other people my age do in my country..[/b]
You: if you were in court and had to pay a 300 million dollar fine or you would go to jail. the judge is staring at you , the defense has rested. youre guilty and going to jail not ifs and or buts. right before the judge strikes the gavel someone you dont even know comes in and says his fine is paid. i gave everything so he doesnt have to be punished. How would you feel about that person?
Stranger: about the person who paid the fine or the one condemned to go to jail?
You: say you are the one condemned how would you feel toward the person who paid your fine. a fine you could never pay
Stranger: Really happy, i think..
Stranger: actually, i know..
You: right and you should. now how much more should you be happy, grateful even that Jesus did that for you in terms of heaven and hell. we broke the law by either lying or stealing, looking with lust, hating or blaspheming. God's gavel is coming down. the punishment is hell. Jesus steps in and paid our fine on the cross. he rose again three days later defeating death so if you repent and trust in him you can go to heaven. you are young so seeing eternity as the gift or reason to follow Jesus might be hard. but thats the promise. an eternity in heaven in spite of the fact that we are so sinful. he will forgive everything. that should more than enough be a reason to not only believe in Him but follow Him with all your heart. We dont know when we are going to die so we always need to be ready. does that make sense?
Stranger: Actually yeah
You: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6t0s7fpg1M
You: http://www.digoutreach.com/good/index.htm
You: those links are great for seeing exactly whey we need God
Stranger: haha alright
You: i know it wouldnt be a popular decision among your family and friends but repenting and trusting in Jesus is the best thing you will ever do my friend. trust me. ive tried the party life the booze the women its all just empty and it makes you empty. knowing your name is written in the book of Life is the most fulfilling thing you can have
Stranger: Thanks man
Stranger: Really thanks :)
You: no problem. do you have a bible
You: ?
Stranger: yeah of coures! i study in a Jesuit school actually
You: nice. i would recommend reading it and listening to what it says. start in the Gospel of John and read a chapter a day. it will change you, He will change you. if you are on the computer you can go to biblegateway.com and read there too!
Stranger: Alright :D
You: well have a blessed day my friend. i will be praying for you. if you want to commit fully to Jesus and dont know what to say to Him, Psalm 51 is a great place to start. that was David's psalm where he was basically saying sorry to God for breaking all 10 commandments :)
You: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%2051&version=NIV
Stranger: You too! have a blessed day! and thank you so much! :)
You: no problem, it was a joy to talk to you and share Christs love!! take care!
Stranger: You too man :)