Organic Products: It is Not just for the Kitchen Anymore!

Hello Fam!! 


Today I wanted to share with you some great ideas for how to being to incorporate organic products into your lifestyle; especially if you are just starting out. 

1. Food: when we think of organic products we often first think about the food we eat. While this may be a simple or obvious first step, sometimes we can find going organic with foods may be more difficult than expected. Start small and with a few items at a time! 

2. Household products: Instead of purchasing the laundry detergent or glass cleaner from the stores that have numerous carcinogenic chemicals, think about creating your own at home! It will be more pet and child-friendly with no harmful toxins. 

3. Don't forget your pets!!! So our furry loved ones not only bring joy to our lives, but we can also go organic in honor of them! Consider purchasing eco-friendly and biodegradable waste baggies that will help the environment.


These are just a few suggestions on how to begin incorporating organic into your life! 

Is the Hype over Organics worth it? You decide

Truself Organics

Right in your own backyard? Yep! That is the case with the new, grassroots company called Truself Organics. They have made their name online and on instagram and it continues to grow. All products are 100%, Certified Organic through the USDA and very inexpensive. 

If curious to see what is sweeping social media check out the companies website here.

Now, many may be wondering "Is all this Organic stuff nonsense or worth the hype?" For many, that may simply be a matter of perception and value. What we value is what we are willing to invest in. Are you someone who values your health? Do you care for the nature of our planet? Is a nontoxic lifestyle important to you? If you would say yes to all of these, then most likely, these everyday necessity products would be of interest to you! 

Unchanging Truths?

Would love to hear your response! Ask yourself, do you have any unchanging truths you subscribe true? Why? 


It may sound simple, but I focus on the unchanging truth of God's love. In doing so, I must also accept, respect and honor, the unchanging truth of a just Lord. The covenant love God speaks to all Christ-followers is that in which we must strive to display to the world. All of creation. Human or animal. When the world looks at me, it is Christ they should see... 

In subscribing to God's love and being an image bearer of that construct, I also follow and obey the laws and rules in which govern my choice as a Christ-follower. As Apostle Paul illustrates throughout many of the New Testament letters, we are called and set apart. Implying that our lives following Christ will look vastly different than those not following the light of the world. 

How do they help you live a moral life?

I believe understanding there is a divine governing authority sustaining and over my life, is profoundly humbling and surrendering. Many people find issues with "authority" or dislike acknowledging a power far greater than their own, but I am in awe of God every single day. The breath that is breathed into my lungs, the life-sustaining power that can never be taken for granted.... this truth in and of itself is what keeps me grounded, humbled, and living a moral life...all for God's glory.

MLK and Theology- A Great Reminder!

"He realized that every genuine expression of love grows out of a consistent and total surrender to God" (King, 2010, p 44). 

This statement I believe is the anchor to which I draw the relationship to this weeks readings and is also an hourly (not even daily!) reminder for me that my healing is not through my own will, but from a God is above all else. 
I acknowledge that I come from a strong identity of justice. I feel that it must of been engrained in me from a child, because I found myself fascinated with criminology, and the whole construct of how we as a human race "seek" and "enforce" the ideology of justice in this world. However, I never took into perspective, from which anchor many people in society are drawing their perception of justice from. It's almost like drawing water from an empty well. If many are seeking justice through a lens of selfish desires, the end result can be extreme darkness. 

King speaks to that within this chapter, that our construct of justice must originate from the complete surrender of ourselves. It is NOT about: "you." 

Now, to have a moment of confession time. I personally know that this is not easy. After 11 years in the military, working CID and being in a position where a large chunk of my life was to interrogate extremists and terrorists for intel, knowing very well every breath could of been my last, (and for some of my brothers and sisters it was their last) I will be the very first one in line to tell you that forgiveness is not easy!!! I do not know if I have even to this day found complete peace. However, I do know one thing... God moves. He moves us. He moves our hearts. He moves our minds. But it will never happen if we do not let it. 

This rings true in seminary and my time here. If anyone would of asked me if I would have been sitting back here in these rooms last December, I would have probably said no. There have been very dark and painful experiences done to me and many others in my population that have been judged and threatened, even as we sit here, in what is supposed to be a safe, cultivating "loving" and "just" space. It simply isn't for many of us. 

But in the midst of all this, this is where we return to traditions, and possibly from that, that is our catalyst to becoming a change-agent in the world we live in. I then shift quick to the Ottati text:

"A key insight into human life is that it is eccentric. It finds itself in the midst of interrelations with other things, but it is not itself at the center of other things" (Ottati, 2011, p 45).

This statement affirms and intersects King's reminder of where our source truly is. To allow ourselves to exist and interrelate, and navigating what "doing life" looks like, but also always having a life source, a foundation, that is not of ourselves. That itself is love (e.g., the power to forgive and love enemies), and also that is one major element that shapes our view of justice.

Moral Authority of Scripture..What should we think?

I was originally going to respond on the Johnson text, (because of a unique viewpoint I have being native american) however, the whole text is cut in have and unreadable for me, so I will respond to the Gomes text. After a bit of discernment, I can see more deeply of the expansion Gomes provides for us biblically in this text, and it's profoundly refreshing.

To start, Gomes lays out many straight forward (yet complex in context) truths that we as a society, and if we identify as Christ-followers must be willing to embrace:
1) the Bible must not be read and/or interpreted literally
2) cultural values and beliefs and spiritual values and beliefs are intertwined, however we must strive to view them independent of one another
3) The Bible does not present any credible case against homosexuality

While there is a lot more in the conversation that Gomes has, the above are an overview representation of his authority of Scripture.

Gomes clearly implies that in today's contemporary society, there has been much evolution within culture and the ways of life, that in some areas, he renders the Bible irrelevant and in many cases, oppressive. His main scope of investigation is around the central construct of homosexuality.

Because of this scope of focus, Gomes only briefly mentions slavery within the introduction of the text, which could be a small correlation to the Johnson text. However, the depth at which Johnson expands and analyzes the construct of slavery is unmatched.

Gomes continues and contrasts and compares two specific examples found within the Old Testament: The Book of Leviticus and Sodom and Gomorrah and then uses Apostle Paul in the New Testament. I found these choices interesting and possibly troubling in my own opinion, but I see why the author would choose these as stand-alone examples, and therefore they do hold their own weight.

In a nutshell, Gomes simplifies his analysis by saying the Bible has a clear voice on the "fallen nature of humankind." While there are direct references to homosexuality found within scripture, he deduces that the argument for what context is the true debate here.

For the majority of Gomes perspective I can agree with. I can see where their can be contextual arguments and where there is some gray areas. I also can understand the nature of not reading the Bible literally. However, I do struggle with sacrificing the integrity of the overall premise that the Bible is alive and is relevant to any and all human era.

We discussed last semester in a course that for those who are going into ordained ministry, to be careful to not be a "pick and choose" minister. The Bible is not a Golden Corral where you can just pick bits and pieces of food from what you want that day just because it "feels right" or it is what you want. That is not the gospel. While I am not entering into an ordained ministry setting at this time, I do agree with what the professor spoke on. You either take God's word all in, or not at all.

Within that contextual framework however, if you choose to take the Bible "all in" as Christ-followers we must think biblically, historically, spiritually, and above all through the lens of Christ on how we enact God's word. In that manner, we can come to the most christ-centered behavior and decisions as possible, without making the Bible out to be just what we "wished" it would have said. 

Is Leviticus (or the whole Old Testament) taken out of context in the 21st century?

One can read through Leviticus and finish feeling discouraged, frustrated, and possibly even confused by all the implications within the book. However, if we keep in mind the element of context we can cultivate more clarity and appreciation for what Leviticus has to provide. To do this, 26:13 spoke strongly to me in relation to God's ultimate covenant love. 

"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the yoke of slavery from your neck so you can walk with your heads held high." Much of Leviticus is a response to something. If we just dove into reading the book, then as the reader we wouldn't fully understand the context or what this is in response to. So understandably, we read all these laws and the protocol laid out for the consequences one would endure in the event that God's commands where not upheld. 

But if we read 26 closely, we hear God intermittently weaving in his promises and reminding us of what He had done for the people in the past and also what faithfulness one would expect to witness in the future. Only a God with covenant love for His children would save them from an eternity of slavery and despair. A God of love would reassure His children of who He is. This is encouragement and uplifting. However, a good father is one who will also share what the consequences will be if His child disobeys. 

If Leviticus 26 is read closely, yes I believe it could influence and put into context a framework for how to interpret the previous books. 

When someone attempts to use this book as a support of their argument, there are many concerns found within this process. On the one hand, if you are clear and objective on the book as a whole and have a decent grasp on what God is intending with loving His children, then the present-day argument may be valid (context-specific). However, too often the old testament in general is highly skewed when attempting to use it in a present-day discussion (i.e., mostly occurs when the individual is picking and choosing passages and putting them together out of context). 

I will conclude my thoughts by returning to 26:13 and quoting a commentary on it: 

" Imagine the joy of a slave set free. God took the children of Israel out of bitter slavery and gave them freedom and dignity. We, too, are set free when we accept Christ's payment that redeems us from sin's slavery. We no longer need to be bogged down in shame over our past sins: we can walk with dignity because God has forgiven us and forgotten them [sins]. But just as the Israelites were still in danger of returning to a slave mentality, we need to beware of the temptation to return to our former selves."

I can honestly say, I now read Leviticus in a new light.

Genesis: Where It All Began..

Whether one identifies as Christian or not, everyone at some point in their life is posed (or self-reflects) on the idea of "existence" at some level. Whether we grew up in a school that 'taught' or introduced the idea of evolution in a grade-school science class or if we just simply were inquisitive. Creation is something we all have to interact with daily regardless of our belief system. Based on this premise, that is why I arrived at a couple varying outcomes.

When reflecting on this question, I wanted to approach it from a dual-perspective. For me, one may come to two radically different outcomes when comparing "use for ministry" and "personal guidance". The dynamics shift when adding to something and in this case if we think of ministry we have an external (outward self) focus. However, for personal growth we have an intrinsic, internal (inward) focus. This journey can, and most often will, have different outcomes and different influences along the way. 

As this integrates into Genesis, there are many implications. From the personal guidance perspective, I believe the imagery illustrated in Genesis provides a framework for understanding who God is and how His creation came to be. However, I didn't always feel this way. As my faith grew however, things seemed to become more organized in my mind and my heart. But to understand the origins of the human race, the planet, the universe, all of it is beneficial in the ultimate understanding which is to know God's grace. 

From a ministry perspective however, it can be profoundly challenging. As I touched on the major dynamic is that you begin to add more vertical relationships. We may have heard the analogy (one must be good vertically in order to do God's work horizontally-in rows). The idea that when in ministry, we as individuals, are outwardly attempting to reach people, but we may have no idea how their own vertical relationship with God is. We can speak to Genesis 1-11 all day, but it could cause more intimidation or confusion than good. This could be for many reasons, but one main challenge can be the enormity of discussion. 

Someone new to Christ or even contemplating becoming saved, may be struggling just to afford food, let alone wanting to tackle understanding the creation story. I believe that understanding ministry from a holistic perspective can help us to acquire valuable insight into how one may possibly receive God's word, and at what pace God is working through them. 

We all can get overwhelmed and burdened with every single detail, in any book in the Bible. But perhaps the greatest takeaway from Genesis 1-11 can simply be: humbling ourselves to an almighty God, that has been in control of our existence, from the very beginning.