Hey there,

wanna help us out? We have a few things we'd like help with. If you want to see what might be available or offer a service of some kind, please fill out this form :3
https://goo.gl/forms/JE6vemqVvYrTyrfo2

Thanks and have a blessed day!

[See the original post at: http://furryfellowship.org/an-updat.....e-were-all-at/ ]

An Update On Where We’re All At
Hello there!

Thanks to anyone reading this, it means you follow us despite the silence.

I’d like to give everyone an update on recent events, where we’re at (et cetera). I’ll also talk a little about what our plans are for the future though I won’t go into much detail. Then I’d like to have a quick devotional/reflective moment at the end.

So…



Where have we been?

School. Jude and I are both full-time students and have been trying to pay our respective bills without letting our grades slip. Prayers are appreciated, school is a lot of work. It’s also a blessing just to be able to attend however and It’s currently an object of passion for me.

Now, while we have been at school and we have been overwhelmed, neither Jude nor myself consider this an excuse for inactivity. If anything, I, for one, need to COMMIT to putting in the time on a weekly basis. This ministry is needed and I believe in it, therefore I need to put in the time.



Where are we now?

Still school, but planning for the future and trying to decide what next steps to take so that we can march forward with confidence. The Christian Furry Fellowship intends to do more than just sit around and occasionally say something novel while moderating a chatroom. We wish to resume Bible studies very soon on discord. We do have plans but again, your prayers are appreciated.



What about the podcast?

That’s…also in the planning. It’s not our main focus right now, but we’re sorta bummed out that it got dropped for so long. We have been trying to go about hosting it more professionally with an RSS feed and a slot in the itunes store… YOU KNOW, LIKE A REAL PODCAST.

But, I digress. We will probably start back with a fresh season and a cleaner format and I’d like to personally thank each and everyone of you that have reached out saying that you enjoyed the show and that it made you smile. Thank you, really.



Where are we going?

The current idea is to get this organization up and running as a business. In the long run we’d like to form a non-profit organization, but to get started we may have to just be a regular business on paper (in other words, we may start as a normal business and just put any money it generates back in until we get settled and then convert into a non-profit entity). We may like to have a forum and otherwise expand our web presence. Further, we’d like to give to charity and begin official appearances at conventions.

My big concern and cause for caution (much to the frustration of my peers) is that big projects can be fragile and laying a good foundation is essential. I tend to spend too much time surveying the landscape, but I’m working on that. Keep us in your prayers as it is our hope that this would all be sanctioned by God and blessed by His presence.



Where are you?

I want to break away now to ask some introspective questions and share a couple of thoughts I’ve had as of late.

Where are you at with God?

Where am I with God?

Where are we? What are we doing? Where are we going?

It’s easy to ignore these questions. It’s easy to overlook their gravity. It’s also dangerous.

I stated above that I spend too much time trying to plan out a foundation. So much so that I never get around to laying one down. Then when nothing happens for a while, I get behind in something else and think about that for a while. A poster at my school says, “Wherever you are, be all there.” I don’t know if it’s a famous quote or what but It’s a good saying. More specifically though, we need to “live in the moment.” That almost feels strange coming from this believer’s lips since it sounds like a modern secular proverb of “living life to it’s fullest,” but it actually make sense when we look at it through the right lens. What does it mean to “live life to the fullest?” Well, that all depends on how you define “living” and “life.” Of course we have the scripture saying that whoever loses his life will gain it and also, we know that Jesus is life, but let’s think about it in terms of priorities. What’s important to you? What would make this life a full one? As a Christian, we have some priorities that we should think of as fulfilling. How we meet those is somewhat up to us but what fulfills us? We need to live in that moment.

We need to be present.

We need to be actively thinking about how our daily life and our future goals can serve “life” and those who don’t have it (and I speak all this knowing I have it to work on myself).

We need to be in the present.

We have to live now. I’ll save the ol’ speech on why “we mustn’t live in the past and get caught up in guilt or disappointment over our personal histories” for another time. All the same, we gotta live today to make a better tomorrow.

We have to–I have to– live in today. Planning for tomorrow without getting lost in it. Personally, I try to be a visionary to a fault. Dreaming up plans and goals is FANTASTIC… but it doesn’t matter too much if I don’t ever start building. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes we dream up fantasies and projects that are just fun to think about, but when one really means something or we feel it’s important, we have to do more than just plan.

So I say to myself and to you all, be all there. Whatever your plan or purpose is, be present in it as best you can.

Pray for this organization that it will do the same.



~Thomas, Maltuin

Happy New Year, Mischief! here!

We know that things have been sleepy and slow these last few months, but as always, even when things don't look active, we trust that God is at work behind the scenes. We can't see it, but our Lord is getting things in place, softening hard hearts, setting up opportunities for us and for you to share His love and light to the world, or maybe just into your world.

Thomas and I (as well as our helpers) are going shooting for early March to get the podcast back up and running, but you may see some smaller projects from us before then. We're also working on getting weekly Bible studies back sometime mid-February. We're sorry for the wait, but we want to do right by the Lord and right by you guys and put out the best studies (and other stuff) we can.

Do you have any ideas or concerns? Feel like you can help? Well, we do have a backlog of requests and offers that we are still reading through, but don't let that stop you. Send us a note at either the Christian Furs FA account, the Christian Furry Fellowship FA account, or to Thomas or I personally here on FA. We also have a website contact page that you can use to reach us. By the end of the week, it'll be updated with all the various means you can reach out to us!

Finally, if it's okay for us to ask you, would you mind praying for us and this ministry to the Fandom? There is so much work to be done, so many hearts and lives that are hurting and in need of the comfort that only Jesus can provide. There are so many souls sitting in darkness who don't even know what they're blind to. Thomas and I can't let life get in the way again, and we will definitely need God's help managing all the responsibilities we have in addition to serving you guys here.

Until next time, may the love of Jesus and His Holy Spirit, keep you close to God.

Hello! Thomas here with an announcement!

...You're fired.


-UP! or at least I hope you're fired up for some Bible study :3
We are almost ready to start and we are planning to have 4 different classes to choose from throughout the week. You can attend whichever one you like or more than one according to you preferences or needs. Also, if you can't attend but want to follow along, we'll make lessons available in blog post form afterwards. Everyone is encouraged to attend but we do ask you fill out our sign up sheet and let us know if you are going to try and attend the live meetings, follow up with the blogs or a mix of both. This is just to give us an idea of how many we should plan for and we have discussed trying to arrange something to reward those who attend and mark the event memorably(more details later).

Jude and Myself will both be leading a pair of studies and leading their own for us is Matthew White-Tail and Nacky :3

Matthew and Nacky will hold their studies covering "Spiritual First Aid" on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. and Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. (All times CST).

Jude and I will be doing "Comprehensive Studies" - New Testament on Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. and Old Testament on Saturdays 6:30 p.m.

ALL TIMES ARE CENTRAL STANDARD TIMES.

First meetings are TBA but we'll try to notify all applicants as soon as we know when the first meetings will be.

Hope to see you there and If you have *any* questions, feel free to send them via private message to Jude or myself (preferably through telegram).

Thomas [at]ThomasMaltuin
Jude [at]judewriley
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1p.....pL8vDlLSnR57_4

Good day you crazy fuzzes and happy Easter (Belated)!

Update:

Sometime in the next couple of weeks, we'll be starting a new weekly devotional series. We hope that everyone here is built up and encouraged by it.

Also, we're starting up weekly Bible studies next week, and we're looking for folks willing to facilitate and lead them. So if you've known the Lord for a few years and want to help the Fandom learn more about Him, fill out an application!

FANCY URL: https://goo.gl/forms/bQuDLJvxb1aXfbDi1

The iiiTails~ podcast is looking for a co-host! If you think you would make a good candidate, please fill out the following form!

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1t.....Adox1WDCP9ekVE

Hello Mischief!

Just a quick update this evening to let you folks know that episode 9 of the III Tails podcast is up and available to listen to!

http://furryfellowship.org/episode-.....fandom-is-not/

Episode 2 of the III Tails Podcast: http://furryfellowship.org/ep-2-reintroductions/

Episode 1 (in case you missed it): http://furryfellowship.org/episode-1-pilot/

We are excited to begin prodcuing the III Tails Podcast featuring  judetherat,  kail200x (A.K.A. Tomo the Wolf) and  thomasmaltuin.
You can find episode one here!
http://furryfellowship.org/episode-1-pilot/

From now on, every Tuesday and Thursday will have a post of encouragement from fellow CFF servant,  Rukh_Whitefang

You can read and comment on the blog post linked here

“It's just never seems like it matters.”
“Matters?” the bull seemed genuinely intrigued at this line of thought.
Haden looked up. “Yeah, I see it on your face, already. You want to tell me all the ways that I'm wrong there I'm the avian and you're the one getting your feathers ruffled.”
Haden's guardian chuckled for a moment. “Well, not so much that you're wrong, but y'know, tell me what you mean.”
“Well, like the Ten Commandments and such are always good. Or that time when Jesus preached from the mountaintop. I can understand being told what to do or how to act. That's how anyone makes sure that people stay in line and don't mess up the good stuff they've been given. It only makes sense that God'll do that too.”
“But that's not what...” Pontiff paused before continuing. “Then what's your beef with the Bible?”
Haden looked at Pontiff for a long moment. “Did you just say...?” But seeing that his new roommate was completely serious, asked for a Bible instead. “Here, I'll show you.” He took it into his hand and opened to a random place, making a big deal in reading aloud the passage.

Take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the tribes of Israel. Six names will be on each stone, arranged in the order of the births of the original sons of Israel. Engrave these names on the two stones in the same way a jeweler engraves a seal. Then mount the stones in settings of gold filigree. Fasten the two stones on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod as a reminder that Aaron represents the people of Israel. Aaron will carry these names on his shoulders as a constant reminder whenever he goes before the LORD.

“Now tell me why that matters at all to me right now?” He flapped his wings in frustration. “I'm in big trouble. Big enough trouble to have to live here away from my mom, with a freaking huge and freaking scary roommate. I don't know anyone here and I don't have any of my friends around... And I hate it here!” He blinked away the flood of tears forming in his eyes. “What does a set of shoulder decorations have to do with anything?”
There was a plaintive rumble that seemed to come from Pontiff's large chest. He frowned, leaned forward, retrieving the Bible from Haden's hands, flipped to the next page and started to read.

Then, with great skill and care, make a chestpiece to be worn for seeking a decision from God...Mount four rows of gemstones on it...Each stone will represent one of the twelve sons of Israel, and the name of the tribe will be engraved on it like a seal.

“You have to finish the passage. You wouldn't say that your favorite movie or video game makes a lot of sense if you finish up in the middle. Yeah, reading about some odd-looking pauldrons and how they're supposed to be made and worn could really be dry reading. But Moses wasn't finished yet there.”
“Yeah, so? More silly talking about religious get-ups.”
“Well, Moses ended his writings the middle of the middle. Same is true here too. God wasn't finished yet.”
With a deftness that betrayed his large sausage-like fingers he flipped to near the end of the Bible and started reading again:

But Jesus the Son of God is our great High Priest who has gone to heaven itself to help us; therefore let us never stop trusting him. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses since he had the same temptations we do, though he never once gave way to them and sinned. So let us come boldly to the very throne of God and stay there to receive his mercy and to find grace to help us in our times of need.

Pontiff looked up again, a smile on his muzzle. “That's in the book of Hebrews. God gave Israel the high priest so that they could see a picture of the true High Priest that serves in Heaven – Jesus Christ, His Son.” He sounded subdued, almost somber, as he continued. “He told Israel that the high priest needed to have the names of the People on his shoulders as well as having them on his chest. Always on his back. Always over his heart. And always with very expensive materials.”
“Yeah? Again, so what?”
“It was symboli-” The bull caught himself. “Well, more than just symbolic really,” he flipped through the first few books of the Bible absently, “the whole priestly system, all of it. That was the middle of the story. God put it in place to point to Jesus, the End of the story. The high priest on Earth had his people's names on his shoulders. It was like he was carrying them on his shoulders.” He pointed to his chest. “The names on the breastplate show that his people are always to be on his heart. The high priest was to always remember. Not just remember that he represented God's people, but to remember God's people themselves - thinking about them with love and compassion. The expensive gold and jewels even point to the fact that he was to always treasure his people too.”
The pieces were coming together in Haden's mind. “So putting it all together...”
“Understand that all of this was God's idea from the start! So putting it all together, God is showing us that Jesus has a tenderness toward us. We're always on His heart, and our burdens are always on His shoulders. Because we are His treasures, the eternal well-being of His people is one of his highest priorities.”
The bull anderson rose from his seat and headed over to the stove to make some tea – his normal course of action to usher in some closure. “But that's not all,” he said as he turned on the gas burner, the gentle puff of ignition punctuating the moment.
“I think you've said this before,” Haden admitted.
“Jesus Christ, God the Son, is our High Priest before the Father. But we just said that he's always shouldering our burdens. His heart beats for us. He cherishes us greatly. But not only that, Jesus has experienced all the highs and lows of being a human in this current world.”
Haden scoffed, momentarily breaking the spell he felt himself slipping into. “How could perfect Jesus know anything about how my life is?”
“Well, you mean apart from just 'taking it by faith' since the Bible clearly says it there? Well, that's simple. He knows how it's like to be away from family, to be far outside what made him comfortable. Even though he volunteered for the position, he knew what it was like to be lonely and in circumstances where he didn't feel in control.” And with that, the spell was back, and Pontiff noticed. “Come now, buddy, it's plenty okay to cry,” he said wiping away some tears that had finally betrayed their bounds. “Anyone would in your situation, Haden.”
The avian, flinched visibly at Pontiff's touch, expecting those broad, meaty and calloused hand-paws to be as rough against his face as they looked. But he was rather shocked when Ponti's huge thumb gently tried and succeeded to wipe a few tears from his cheek.
“Because we have a high priest who can fully understand us, we know that we have a God who can do the same. He invites His people to come to His throne for mercy, comfort and strength when they need it, and we never have to be afraid to.”
Haden really should have expected it, but the huge hugs from the bull still surprised him. He was familiar with the term “gentle giant,” but he never really expected that a person as large and as strong as Pontiff could have such gentle and almost meek mannerisms. He never crushed or knocked the air out of Haden, and such hugs were never uncomfortable or awkward.
“We can pray right now and talk to the High Priest about it. How about that?”
Haden pushed away. “No, I'm fine really. I've got stuff I need to do anyway.”
“Alright then.”

Right now, we have a need for people the serve in the following positions. All roles are now volunteer only. Any volunteers are expected to be Christian, evangelical, actively and faithfully living with Jesus. Participation in the furry fandom is preferred, but not necessary. If you'd like to volunteer or help in any way, comment on this journal, send a note to  CFF or use the contact page on the CFF website

Web Admin
The web admin supervises the day-to-day activity of CFF's website, making sure that it's running smoothly with the least amount of downtime, while also making sure that the website itself is user-friendly to visitors, and allows other ministry heads to update without a lot of effort.

Social Media Team
Members of our Social Media team effectively use the internet in supporting the leaders and ministries of CFF to better present the Gospel to the furry fandom. This team is expected to know how to use social media platforms - Twitter, Facebook, Google+ etc - to announce events, stir up excitement for what CFF is doing and to generally spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. The Social Media Team is also responsible for seeking out new internet-related ways that CFF can reach the fandom.

Bloggers and Devotional Writers
If the Lord has given you a gift for making His truth more easiest understood, or just want to share your experiences in the fandom or walking with the Lord, then we are looking for your talents. Our bloggers have a good grasp of English and will be posting at twice once a week to the CFF blog, sharing insight, wisdom and truths from the Scriptures as well as relating personal experiences.

Under-shepherds
The undershepherds are the people that guide and direct CFF's short-term and long-term activities consistent with its goals, mission and worldview. An undershepherd is expected to be organized and at least competent with finishing a task, able to manage the ministry resources and spiritually lead when necessary. Undershepherds are expected to report to the Chief Shepherd at least once a week, though daily meetings are highly encouraged. They are also expected to have, at the very least, a pleasant, cordial working relationship with other undershepherds. Other general leadership requirements can be found in 1 Timothy 3.

Fundraisers or Entrepreneurs
Following in the footsteps of the Apostle Paul, CFF does not want to be financially dependent on any one person or community that we serve. Therefore, we're looking for people who have insight into how we can be come self-sufficient and more efficient with the donations that we do receive.

Artists
The Furry Fandom is largely a visual fandom, so naturally we'd like to share in that. We are looking for an artist or team of artists who can work together for the Christian Furry Fellowship to have a consistent visual look. Specifically, we're looking for help with the following:

logo design
banner design (for our Twitter, Facebook and other social media outlets)
customized art for the various pages on the website
miscellaneous icons for multipurpose us
Most important now is for us to have a background image to replace the generic cornfield background for the site

Folks to pray

Without trusting in and relying on the Lord Jesus to meet our needs and supply us with workers, no ministry can ever succeed. That's why most of all, we need people committed to spend time in prayer for the spiritual growth and maturity of the leaders of CFF, the spread of the Gospel in the fandom and for the daily spiritual and physical needs of the CFF ministry.

Good evening everyone, Jude here! With some prompting by the Holy Spirit (acting through some good friends of mine) today I'm presenting you with some important information relating to the SCOTUS ruling last Friday.

What's CFF stance on homosexuality?

While a more in-depth study is forthcoming, we would like the state the following now:

The Christian Furry Fellowship affirms the biblical truth that engaging in sexual activity with someone of the same gender is sinful. In addition, we affirm that the Bible - except in regards to lust and wanton desire - does not directly speak about the attractions and feelings that make up most of what constitutes a person's sexuality. We believe that one's sexuality isn't always chosen or voluntary.

Sexual temptation, indeed all temptation, is ugly and powerful, but CFF is a safe place. This community exists to provide mutual support and grow in Christ, to seek and receive help with our temptations. You will not be hated for being homosexual here. You will be loved and supported in your fight to love and serve God obediently and completely - mind, soul and body.


What's CFF stance on same-sex marriage?

(Again, a more in-depth study is forthcoming.)

CFF's position here requires a brief clarification of terms.

We have a "secular" or civil domestic union, where they record that two individuals are living and working together, for the purpose of whatever paperwork or bureaucracy requires that data. Governments only started keeping track of these unions for their own purposes (such as taxes or policy) less than 300 years ago.

Next we have have a "religious" or "cultural" union, thousand of years old that was instituted in the earliest of cultures for stability, long-term protection and procreation. For Bible-trusting Christians, there is an additional deeper meaning and symbolism behind this union.

(You'll note that "love" - at least in the definition most use nowadays - was never the primary purpose or reasoning for marriage.)

Unfortunately, in today's world, they both go by the name "marriage" which has lead to a muddling of purpose and an unfair "merging" of the two into one hybrid institution. That's not to say that the two are mutually exclusive, just that they aren't the same thing.

The Supreme Court of the United States may have redefined the definition of civil marriage but they did not do anything to change cultural or "religious" marriage. And for the Christian, for reasons that I'll explain later, they really cannot.

CFF is perfectly okay with those who choose to enter into such civil marriages, just as long as they do not try to put words in God's mouth, or assert that He's "changed his mind" about what He says about marriage. (We still hold that sexual activity between two individuals of the same sex is sinful and can not accept its normalization.)

The Bible gives a pattern for what God considers a spiritual marriage - the lifelong union of a man and a woman, for the having and raising of children, for the increasing Christlike-ness of the husband and wife and as a living symbol demonstrating the commitment and love between God and His people (or Jesus and the Church).

We know that many of these perspectives are not popular - with either Christians or or the LGBT community - but this is the only fair position to hold that gives proper justice to what is clearly taught in the Scriptures.

“Ponti? What’s wrong?”

Haden hadn’t been mistaken after all. There, at the kitchen table, still in his workout clothes, was his guardian weeping softly. It had only been a few weeks since being assigned to the bovine-anderson so Haden still hadn’t gotten used to all of Pontiff’s quirks and idiosyncrasies. Sure, he could understand Pontiff’s obsession with the gym or the accept inexplicable flint-hearted, melancholy when they went out to see Haden’s social worker. But tears? From the bull?

“Oh! Haden…” Pontiff’s cheeks and ears reddened slightly on realizing he wasn’t alone. He started to get up. “I didn’t think you’d be back from school yet.”

Another thing that Haden couldn’t get past was how large Pontiff really was, always seeming loom over his surroundings. And even though he almost always wore an approachable smile, the large gym-pumped muscles, deep voice and normally piercing eyes hadn’t gotten that particular memo yet. For his credit, Pontiff read the wince on Haden’s face and sat back down clumsily.

“What’s wrong?” he repeated.

“Wrong?”

“You’re crying. I don’t think I’ve seen you cry before.”

“I was just spending time with…” The bull’s tongue seemed to have caught itself in his throat, as he coughed and restarted himself. “I got back from the gym and thought to read my Bible some.” Haden noticed the open book on the table, his worry quickly turning to incredulity.

“Dude, what in there could make a grown bull cry?”

Pontiff chucked, “Well, these are good tears.” He looked around for a napkin to dry his eyes. “I’m just grateful. Really really grateful.” He looked up at his charge. “I know you’re skeptical, Haden. But if you ever understand just how much Jesus did for us and how deep his love is I can guarantee you’d break into tears, or song or whatever you do when you’re overwhelmed.”

“Not likely, dude. I mean, really, what’s he done for me?”

“And that little buddy,” the bull said, putting an arm around the bird’s shoulders, “is one of the reasons you are here with me.”

“Pontiff, you just came from the gym, dude. You stink. Doesn’t that place have showers?”

(Crossposted from furryfellowship.org. Check the website regularly for new stuff as well)

Did you know that you're a theologian? Theology is merely the study of God. Or let me put it even simpler: theology what you know, feel and believe about God.

You may not ever be asked to compile your Theology into a textbook or into a confession, but that doesn't make your theology any less real.

But there's something that's very important as well: What you think, feel or believe about God influences every single aspect of your life. So you can't pit theology against love any more than you can ask a yolk and an egg to fight against each other.

Often our deepest "theological foundations" come out in ways that aren't always fully conscious. We act a certain way, because our worldview, our "theology," shapes our perspective.

Do you believe that God doesn't care about who you have sex with? That's theology. You are making a statement about God, his intents and expectations. This one in particular doesn't match reality (where God has made it plain that He does care about our love and sex lives) but it still is a theology. If God doesn't care, then He'll never hold you accountable and you are bound to do whatever and whenever you want.

Do you believe that God has your best interests at heart? Then you'll find that obedience and trusting him is one of the easiest things to do, even when life is painful and difficult, or when obeying seems counter intuitive to your own happiness.

Do you not trust that God will take care of your needs? Then you could either move toward a life of workaholic stress since if you can't trust God to care for you, then you yourself would have to care for your every need. Or you'd drift toward apathy or fatalistic complacency instead.

I could go on and on. For example, here are a few big ones:

If we don't truly believe that God gave us the Bible, then nothing it says to us will ever be authoritative and binding. If we consider God to be involved with the conception and birth of every human being, then human life becomes immensely valuable. If we neglect Jesus and run to Thor or to Buddha or anywhere else, we then we can ignore his claims to deity.

Also, don't let anyone try to divorce "theology" from the "real world" of loving people. It's just not going to happen. In fact, the truest theologies will produce a love for people that's real, tangible and undeniable. If you love (true) theology, then you'll find yourself loving people in ways you never thought possible before.

(Don't confuse loving people with always being sentimental, passive or nonthreatening. Jesus' love for the ancient Hebrews moved Him to declare war on the Egyptian gods and their pagan devotees resulting in the miraculous Ten Plagues of Egypt, the Passover and the Exodus in general. The Lord's love for His people both in the Old Testament and in the New prompted him to call them out on their sin - calling them vipers and snakes and bullies - so that they could wake up and turn back to Him. God's love for us convicts us of our sin and makes our hearts come alive to Christ for the same reason.)

Here are a few examples straight from God's Word Himself.

John 13.35 "By [obeying my commands] all people will know that you are My disciples [this is theology, Jesus was an itinerant Jewish rabbi, a teacher of God and His ways so he was summing up all he'd taught them] if you have love for one another.”

James 1.27 "Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this [in other words, theology that is true and accurately reflects reality]: to look after orphans and widows in their distress [this is love] and to keep oneself unstained by the world [this is obedience to God doing what he says].

So true religion - true theological concepts - gives birth to truly loving people.

This is what God wants (hey look, it's a statement about God, His intents and purposes, it's theology!) and this is what it produces in some way (and every time in the Bible you'll see something involved with love).

Matthew 26.36-40

36 “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?” [a theological question: what does God want from us?]

37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and most important command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. 40 All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.” [and the theological answer: Love]

The great commandment is a statement about God. What does God expect and desire from human beings? To love Him with all our hearts and to love people almost just as much.

We love God by obeying Him. We love people by serving them.

Any theology that fails to do this, that fails to produce a love for people and a love for God is a false one.

So theology isn't this monster meant to be reviled, or an ogre against whom we take up arms and fight. No, theology, as God sees it, is our friend, a confidante and guide, often a face of our Lord God Himself.

CFF will be relaunching May 1st with our new website at www.furryfellowship.org !

If you want to write something to help other furs learn about Jesus, send a note with a topic.

To help in getting over the weekly stagnation that we sometimes find ourselves with on Wednesday, here is one of God's own promises to us.

---

I sought the Lord’s help and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.

Those who look to him for help are happy;
their faces are not ashamed.

This oppressed man cried out and the Lord heard;
he saved him from all his troubles.

The Lord’s Angel camps around
the Lord’s loyal followers and delivers them.

Psalm 34.4-7 NET

This is the day that we Christians, at least those who are Christians more than just a label, celebrate the the resurrection of Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In the most important day in history, Jesus has conquered death, pardoned us from sin, saving us from the wrath of God, and now works to make His people as righteous and as holy as he is.

Christ is Risen!

Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin. Hebrews 12.1b-4 NLT

If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

- Jesus, in Matthew 16.24

"On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Then they remembered his words." Luke 24.1-8

Happy April First! While you're out enjoying the joy and laughter today, don't forget that God is the Source of all real joy and all true laughter. So take some time today to sit back and reflect that the jokes and smiles and camaraderie you experience today is points to Someone greater who wishes to smile on you and have you with Him now and for all eternity in mutual love and companionship.

Here is a good post from Dan Doriani of the Gospel Coalition about why Christians actually do what God tells us to do. Originally posted here.

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When I was a new Christian, I learned that I owed the Lord obedience in every sphere of life. Yet I was a bit muddled as to why I obeyed. If asked to explain, I answered three ways, which we can call the way of wisdom, the way of trust, and the way of gratitude.

The way of wisdom says it is only reasonable to obey God's law. He created all things, so he knows how they work. Therefore, we expect his commands to be effective, to bring us good. As Moses said, God gave Israel his commands "for your own good" (Deut. 10:13).

The way of trust says God loves us and would never mislead us. We should behave as he directs and trust him to make it work. If we do what is right for him, he will do right for us.

The way of gratitude judges that it is fitting for us to obey God without reserve because God first gave himself without reserve to us when he redeemed us. Because he has done so much for us, we should be willing to do much for him.

These perspectives contain profound truth. They are certainly superior to the way of merit, where people obey God in order to earn or retain his favor. And they surpass the way of servile or craven fear, where people obey God to avert punishment (there is, of course, a proper fear of God, the awe of our great Father and King). It is always good to obey God's law, yet he cannot be pleased with anyone who obeys him strictly to merit rewards or avoid penalties. Such obedience can be selfish, even manipulative.

Noblest Motive

Yet, if we pause, we see that even in the ways of wisdom, trust, and gratitude we obey both for God's sake and also for self-seeking reasons. There is trust and gratitude toward the Lord, but there is also desire to gain benefits and to relieve debts. Thus they fall short of the noblest motive for obedience, the desire to obey God for his sake, out of love for him.

Bernard of Clairvaux said we cajole the unwilling, not the willing, with promises and rewards. Who, he asked, offers men rewards for doing what they want to do? Do we pay hungry men to eat? Do we pay thirsty men to drink? So, Bernard says, if we demand a reward to obey God, we love the reward rather than God. In his words, "The soul that loves God seeks no other reward than that God whom it loves. Were the soul to demand anything else, then it would certainly love that other thing and not God."

Let's put this teaching in contemporary terms. Suppose that three men go running five days each week. Suppose, further, that we ask each one why he dedicates himself to running.

* The first answers, "I run because my father died of a heart attack at 54, and I want to live long enough to retire and to see my grandchildren grow up."
* The second replies, "I run because I can eat anything I want when I run and I still don't gain weight. Running also makes me nice and tired, so I sleep soundly at night."
* The third says, "When I run, my legs soar over the ground, the wind brushes my face, my heart beats like slow, heavy thunder in my chest and I feel alive."

The first man runs out of fear; he worries about the consequences if he stops. The second runs for its benefits; he eats and sleeps better when he runs. But for the third man, running is its own reward. The first and second men love health, food, and sleep. Running is an instrument they use to gain what they desire. Only the third man loves running, as an end in itself.

Our obedience commonly resembles the motives of the first two runners. We obey to avoid what we fear or to get what we want. How many serve God and seek no reward other than God himself? Ideally, believers love and obey the Lord for his sake. We heed the command, "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might" (Deut. 6:5). We love God as he reveals himself in history and Scripture. We love him for his grace and his gospel.

We may wonder if any sinful human can love God with perfect purity, but that's a topic for another day. For now let's admit that the idea of loving God for his own sake is daunting. But he does not leave us to "work up" love for him. Rather, he draws us to himself through the gospel of his Son and the work of his Spirit.

This article comes to us from Michael Patton, of the Credo House coffee shop and theological teaching center (yes, that's a "thing").

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Christianity is the easiest religion to doubt. In fact, I think I would go as far to say followers of Christ doubt their faith more than followers of any other God. I have spoken about this previously in a slightly different context, but I think this idea will help alleviate some of the problems associated with the vast number of people who believe that they can no longer maintain their faith with integrity. There is reason for your doubt, and in some ways it is very understandable.

The “easiness” of doubt concerning Christianity is not difficult to understand when you think about it. I mean . . . after all . . . there is just so much to doubt. Wait a moment. I don’t think I put that down well. You are most certianly hearing something different than what I am saying. Let’s go in this direction: the less you know, the easier it is to believe. Or, maybe you have heard it this way: ignorance is bliss. Now, let me unpack some of this.

My God expects so much. My God reveals so much. My God is so much. Faith is easy when it is one-dimentional. If my faith were simply a bunch of rules to be kept, it would be simple. If my faith were just a basic philosophy about truth, knowledge and wisdom, there would be no problem. If my faith were about some distant God who did not get his hands dirty with mankind, I think I would often be more at ease. If my God hadn’t loved me so much that he died for me, I would not raise an eyebrow. Had my God stayed silent and not written such an extensive book, I would have experienced much less intellectual anxiety. However, it is precisely because of these things that my faith suffers such challenges. When we suffer from over-exposure to the sun, we frequently get burned.

Let me put it another way . . .

Relationships are easy so long as we keep our distance. I know many of you, but I only know you well enough to continue to like and trust you. As long as our relationship stays distant, we are going to get along fine. But the moment I get to know you too well (and vice-versa) is the moment I begin to have problems. Add to this the expectations we anticipate in our relationship. Then things really begin to fall apart. I don’t want you to have any responsibilities toward me, nor me toward you. In that way, we cannot let each other down. I want us to have one of “those” kinds of relationships. You know: the kind that works! That’s what makes the relationship with your hair stylist so much easier than the one with your spouse—it stays one-dimensional.

Christianity does not offer to us a one-dimensional faith. God calls on us to love Him with our heart, mind, and strength (Luke 10:27; Matt. 22:37). We are to be emotionally engaged with Him, intellectually engaged with Him, and willfully engaged with Him. God does not want some distant hair-stylist relationship. He does not want you to be ignorant of Him and His ways. He does not want to make things easy through giving you a minimal number of expectations. Furthermore, He cares deeply about how you feel about Him. Add all of this up, and you have a recipe for disaster. You have assimilated the perfect ingredients for doubt.

If you were a Muslim, God keeps everything about Himself against his chest. He is a distant ruler. In deistic philosophy, God does not bother to engage with humanity and does not care about our love. In Mormonism, God just wants us to close our eyes and believe with the “burning in the bosom.” In just about all Eastern religions, God is an impersonal force one with which one could hardly get angry. In these and every other option beside Christianity, God is far enough away for us stay safe. Simply put: doubt is much harder because there is not too much to doubt.

Christianity, on the other hand, is all-together different. We have resource reference which provide us with incredible knowledge of God. He tells us who He is, what He is like, and what His future plans are. He cares so much about our knowledge and understanding of Him that he became incarnate. He says He is always with us, even when we can’t feel Him. He says His love protects us even when we don’t see it. He does not hide from the terrible pain and suffering of this world by either denying its existence or claiming to be “hands-off” to anything hurtful. He says He is right in the middle of it, able to control it, yet, more often than not, failing to stop it. He allows the rawness of our emotions to be seen in books like the Psalms and Lamentations, but does not take away the sorrow. He allows us to be confused by His actions as we see in the book of Job and Romans 9; and, does not feel compelled to give us an answer. He gave us a peak behind the curtain of creation, but just enough for us to be left with ten-thousand questions He does not intend to answer. He gives us the drive to think deeply about all matters of life, yet does not take away this drive when we are riddled with sin (Eccl.). He calls on us to be perfect even though He knows we cannot be (Matt. 5:48). All of these things He does, even though He knows that they bring with them the possibility of more doubt? Why? Because they also bring with them the possibility of deeper belief.

Following my God is not easy. He calls on us to have a holistic faith. He does not want a trivial relationship that fails to get into quite a few wrestling matches. Previously, I said that Christianity is the most falsifiable religion there is. Of course, this does not mean that Christianity is not true. It just means that it exposes itself to the possibility of being wrong, precisely because it is right. It is the same here. God exposes himself to the possibility of doubt due to the fact that He is not hiding behind a curtain, wanting some distant relationship. If it is your desire to doubt less, go to one of the other religions out there. Everything about them is so obscured, it is hard to find anything to doubt. But my God, the God of Christianity, stands at the door and knocks, ever desiring to sit down with us, reasons with us, reveals Himself to us, gives us directions, commands, and guidance, even though all of these things could cause you to doubt more substantially. Why? Because, in a nutshell, all of these things give us the ability to believe more holistically.

The Insanity of Leaning on Our Own Understanding, blog post by Jon Bloom of Desiring God available here.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5–6)

When the Bible tells us in this verse not to lean on our own understanding, it is not encouraging us to be irrational. The Bible puts up no wall of separation between our intellect and faith. In fact, the book of Proverbs speaks very highly of understanding:

“[Incline] your heart to understanding” (Proverbs 2:2).

“Raise your voice for understanding” (Proverbs 2:3).

“Understanding will guard you” (Proverbs 2:6).

“Blessed is the one who…gets understanding” (Proverbs 3:13).

“Wisdom rests in the heart of a man of understanding” (Proverbs 14:33).

“The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge” (Proverbs 15:14).

To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver (Proverbs 16:16).

“Buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding” (Proverbs 23:23).

So if we’re supposed to get understanding, why are we not supposed to lean on it?

What we’re told not to lean on is our “own understanding,” meaning conclusions based primarily on our own perceptions. Because our own understanding simply will not bear the full weight of reality. It was never intended to.

The Insanity of Trusting Ourselves

Let’s go back to the Garden of Eden. The one tree in the garden that humans were forbidden to eat from was not, interestingly, the tree of life (Genesis 2:9). It was not life that God denied human beings. He forbade them to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17).

The point of this prohibition was not to keep humans ignorant but, as John Piper says, “to preserve [for us] the pleasures of the world.” It was as if God was saying,

"If you eat of that one [tree] you will be saying to me, ‘I’m smarter than you. I am more authoritative than you. I am wiser than you are. I think I can care for myself better than you care for me. You are not a very good Father. And so I am going to reject you.’ So don’t eat from the tree, because you will be rejecting me and all my good gifts and all my wisdom and all my care. Instead, keep on submitting to my will. Keep on affirming my wisdom. Keep on being thankful for my generosity. Keep on trusting me as a Father and keep on eating from these [other] trees as a way of enjoying me."

You see, in order to handle the knowledge of good and evil, one must possess 1) the ability to completely comprehend all possible options and contingencies (omniscience); 2) the righteousness and wisdom to choose the right course; and 3) the power to make reality conform to the right course (omnipotence).

In other words, only God can handle such knowledge.

What this means is that it is not the one who trusts in the Lord that is irrational, but the one who leans on his or her own understanding. It is insane to trust such pitifully limited understanding when one can trust the unlimited understanding of God.

The Joyful Sanity of Trusting the Lord

So many of the things that cause us the most difficulty and heartache in life, the source of so much of our anxiety, fear, doubt, and anger with others and with God, is the result of leaning on our own understanding.

God does not want us to be miserable, even in this fallen, futility-infected evil age. He wants to relieve our anxiety (Luke 12:12; Philippians 4:6–7), fear (Psalm 118:6; 1 Peter 3:6), doubt (Matthew 21:21; Luke 24:38), and sinful anger (Ephesians 4:31). And so he gives us Proverbs 3:5–6 as a priceless gift.

In exercising faith — trusting fully in the Lord and not leaning on our own understanding — we’re not setting aside our intellect. We’re resting our intellect upon the intellect of God. Nothing is wiser or saner. To do so is to allow him to direct our paths, which not only lead to ultimate joy, but also make the journey itself, even when laden with sorrow, joyful (2 Corinthians 6:10). And it preserves for us all the pleasures God provides us in the world. To not do this is the height of foolishness and the path to misery.

So let us choose joy today by not leaning on our own understanding but in sweet, childlike trust on the sure foundation of our loving Creator’s omniscience.