A Voice Of Purpose--The "Stage" To Present

My interest for blogging all started over a year ago--January 2008. I was taking an English course at the Ohio State University, which not only taught your basic grammar techniques for writing, but the professor went a step further to teach various techniques within internet communication. I was really not surprised to hear that internet communication skills were taught in this class, as web-base “talk” is so widely used these days in various personal and professional settings. So, what would be an excellent setting to teach skills within internet communication for a college English course? You guest it, an internet blogging site

Blog sites are an ever growing internet “phenomenon,” where those who have a passion to write or just have something to say can express it. MySpace, one of the world’s largest social networking sites, reports more than 300,000 blogs posts are submitted daily on the site--no doubt, blogging is utilized by many for internet communication.

Now, this English course had many assignments, however, the largest assignment was for every student to set up a blog account on the internet blogging site, Blogger; then weekly, submit a blog post and comment on at least three different student blog posts throughout the ten week course period. Moreover, the professor added one restriction--"no random thoughts"--each student had to pick their own a particular blog theme, title it, and stay within the relationship of their theme. Well, it did not take me long to figure out my choice theme--Religion, but more specifically, Christianity--as my faith plays a vital role in my life.

I have been a Christian for some time now and my life’s focus revolves around my Christian faith--not by fear or tradition, but by a strong inward conviction of belief in Jesus Christ. The title I chose for my blog was “Truth Perceived,” which speaks of the truths of my faith and how I perceive and understand it. I am a simple person, a simple Christian--no theology degree here--just my thoughts and convictions towards biblical truth.

Instantly, I grabbed the “bull by its horns” with this blog assignment; funny, really up to this point, my interest in writing was only a mere attitude of “Have to do it” either for work or school--that’s it. However, I believe what gained my interest in this assignment was that blogging presented the perfect “stage” for me to express my thoughts and feelings without any certain guidelines, interruptions, or distractions. Moreover, through the years, I have gained the reputation from friends and family as a “good listener”--the go to guy--for others to express their thoughts, issues, or problems. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy being a well-respected listener--but come on--listening isn’t my only feature.

One major quality I came to enjoy, throughout the blog assignment, was that often face-to-face conversations can have annoying distractions, but blogging overcomes that "distraction" dilemma by creating a distraction free zone. So many times, especially, in group conversations, I have seen a, ready and willing, speaker left out of the conversation and/or abruptly silenced without ever truly finishing his or her point. Blogging solves these problems by allowing that speaker to openly say and completely finish his or her point without being left out or having to try to overcome a dominate speaker--blogging can be a powerful instrument to the soft spoken, face-to-face, speaker.

Throughout this blog assignment, as I would suggest to any future blogger, I maintained a constant focus--builds credibility with other bloggers. My focus was to bring some realism about Christianity--“hey, Christians are still only human.” The true nature of the Christian has been so overlooked due to various media scandals, negative stereotypes, and other so called “Christians” misrepresenting the faith--society, unfortunately, seems to take more interest in the negative rather than the positive. I am always amazed on how many people think Christianity is just made up of money-hungry self-loathing preachers with believers who are nothing but hypocrites. I would agree Christianity is not free from such bad examples; however, such examples are not the majority, but rather, the minority.

Truly, the majority within Christianity do represent the true Christian characteristics--love, patience, kindness, humbleness, and self-control. Therefore, my whole purpose in all my posts was to convey the Christian message in the most real and understandable way to any who may read. Furthermore, I wanted to break the notion that Christians are a bunch of judgmental “holy rollers”--“Bible thumpers”--“Jesus freaks,” who force their faith on others. Christians, in general, are just like everyday people, who look like everyday people, who have families like everyday people, and who have jobs like everyday people. Christians are not perfect, though people often expect us to be, and like everyone else--we make mistakes, but what we bring to the "everyday" world around us is the face and attitude of hope, compassion, and a life’s purpose.

Needless to say, the ten week blog assignment inspired a new found passion within me. I learned so much, gained a new kind of fulfillment, and realized that even a quit easy-going guy like myself, can have a place to come to, speak his mind, and bring forth a message of faith, love, and hope to an almost countless audience. I have since continued on with blogging since my English class, as I still regularly submit new blog posts on Blogger, as well as, on MySpace (myspace.com/fowardthought). Blogger, unfortunately, hasn’t taken much shape in gaining a vast audience of readers--my fault though, I never really worked at it--but my blog on MySpace has taken flight in so many unexpected ways.

To this date, as I am still amazed, I get on average over 200 hits weekly on my blog posts (small potatoes compared to other bloggers); in addition, my blog audience has expanded to an international level. Moreover, several of my posts have ranked up into MySpace’s Top 20 most viewed blogs, worldwide. Really, I did not state these facts of mine to brag, my purpose was to make the point that the blogging world can be a huge tool for anyone to speak his or her thoughts or message. However, gaining a vast audience isn’t easy--takes time and work--but when you get there, the pay off is very fulfilling (commenting on other blogs is key).

Honestly, my intentions were to never grow my blog on such a vast scale--just kind of happened. My intentions, from the beginning, were truly wrapped around my enjoyment in writing my thoughts to help anyone who may stop by to read; but with anything, you just never know what will come out of it. The past year in blogging has brought me a vast number of new and interesting friends, helped too further my writing skills, and helped to grow my knowledge in a wide range of subjects.

Blogging can be a very fulfilling, learning, and sometimes frustrating experience (opposing comments can rattle the nerves); but in all, if you like to write, have something to get off your chest, have a message of purpose, or just like meeting interesting people--blogging is an effective outlet in accomplishing that.

An Interesting Thought: "The Fall Of Satan"

“The Fall of Satan”--where, what, when, and how--remains a mysterious subject to most. There are thoughts that the Satan’s fall from Heaven happened sometime before Earth’s creation or sometime during creation. Now, there are many discussions whether The Bible even gives us the actual story; but perhaps, when we line up three separate passages in The Bible we will indeed find the story of “The Fall of Satan.”


Ezekiel 28:12-17

(12) “Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "You had the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.” (13) “You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: the ruby, the topaz and the diamond; the beryl, the onyx and the jasper; the lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; and the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, was in you. On the day that you were created. They were prepared.” (14) “You were the anointed cherub who covers, and I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; you walked in the midst of the stones of fire.” (15) “You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you.” (16) “By the abundance of your trade you were internally filled with violence, and you sinned; therefore I have cast you as profane from the mountain of God. And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.” (17) “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, that they may see you.”

Genesis 3:1-6 (1) “Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" (2) The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; (3) but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'" (4) The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die! (5) "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (6) “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.”

Revelation 12:7-9 (7) “And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon and his angels waged war,” (8) “And they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven.” (9) “And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”


Now, here’s the thought--I put the Scripture above in a certain order so that you may notice a “time-line,” so to speak, of Satan‘s fall. Going back to Ezekiel 28, which some apply to only the Trye nation specifically; however, I believe, as many do, this passage is the very story of the fall of Satan where God is speaking to Satan.

As we read in Ezekiel chapter 28, Satan was created with full wisdom and in perfect beauty from the hands of God, and then placed in the Garden of Eden--(12), (13) 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "You had the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty (13) “You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering…the workmanship of your settings and sockets, was in you. On the day that you were created. They were prepared.”
Satan was created for a reason, a purpose, and that purpose was to be the appointed “overseer” of the Garden--(14) “You were the anointed cherub who covers, and I placed you there. Satan was everything glorious when God created him; but like man, God did not create any of His angels, including Satan (Lucifer), as perfect beings--(15) “You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you.” (16) “By the abundance of your trade you were internally filled with violence, you sinned; therefore I have cast you as profane from the mountain of God.”

Now, we have seen the first part of this story, which continues back in the first book of The Bible, Genesis.

Satan was created special and given special attributes by God; but Satan was not alone in the Garden, God created two other beings (Adam and Eve). Adam and Eve were not created in the same beauty as Satan, but created in the very image and likeness of God. They were not created with perfect wisdom like Satan; however, Adam and Eve had a unique relationship with God that Satan did not. Possibly, this puzzled Satan, which brought him to think, “What makes Adam and Eve so special that God would want such a relationship with them; I am more beautiful, I have more wisdom--why them, and not me?” Perhaps daily this thought became an obsession to Satan, which soon started to rot a hole of jealousy and bitterness within Satan; until one day, his pride took over, which he seized an opportunity to end this special relationship that God had with these “worthless” humans.

No doubt, Satan knew the two trees in the Garden, and He knew the result if Adam and Eve ate of the tree of “Knowledge of Good and Evil.” Adam and Eve would not only be disobeying God, but then they would know the full wisdom that he (Satan) had; and because of their humanity, they would not be able to handle it--the ultimate tear in their relationship with God. Therefore, one day, he put his plan into action, tempted Eve, and succeeded in destroying the relationship between God and man.

A sub-thought in all of this is that in Genesis chapter 3 we read that the “serpent” was the most skillful and cunning beast of all the created beasts--“the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made,” however, I do not think this is reference to all snakes, but rather, only one snake, “the serpent,” Satan’s image in the Garden. Interesting thing when reading the conversation in Genesis chapter 3, I have always wondered why the conversation between Satan and Eve read so casual, almost a friendly conversation between the two. Now, unless every beast in the Garden could talk--wouldn’t you think Eve would be rather startled by talking to a snake? Seems rather plausible that Eve’s lack of concern, familiar talk, and ease of persuasion by Satan speak of past conversations, trust in him, and recognizing him as the “serpent,” Lucifer

Of course, most of us are familiar of what then happened to Adam and Eve because of their act of disobedience towards God. However, there is nothing further mentioned about what happened to Satan after all of this--Did he just disappear to his throne in hell? On the other hand, did he continue to roam around until more “victims” came his way to deceive? The answer to these questions, I believe, is “No, not at all.” Satan did not retreat or stop after his victory over man; his success only fueled his arrogance and bitterness towards God. Therefore, Satan, "The Master of Lies," convinces other fellow angels to team up with him to wage war against God in Heaven, as the story continues in the last book of The Bible, Revelations.

I do not believe that Revelations chapter 12 has anything to do with “end time” stuff, but everything to do with the start of the church body, Satan's fall, and the overcoming nature of the salvation of Jesus Christ. Revelations chapter 12 in verse 7 tells us of a war waging in heaven between the Arch-Angel Michael and his army of angels, and "the dragon” Satan (verse 9) and his army of angels (demons). Verses 8 and 9 in Revelation chapter 12 are the foundational pieces, which bring this whole thought together--(8) “And they [Satan and his army] were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven.” Apparently, at one time, Satan and his army of angels had a place in Heaven and were in good standings with God; however, Satan’s defiance in waging this war resulted in--you guest it--his fall-- (9) “And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”

Perhaps the story of “The Fall of Satan” is not so mysterious--"The Fall of Satan" happened relatively the same time as "The Fall of Man" (Adam's disobedience). What do you think?