Reconciliation and Today's Sermon

Around 3 years ago, one of my neighbors got angry at me. Not only would she not speak to me, she wouldn't even look at me.
This morning, I was walking Sam the same time she was out walking. Her and I walked together and talked, and even laughed. It felt like such a burden had been lifted, and now we can have an amicable relationship without any contention. Praise God!
I can love because God first loved me ( 1John 4:19).

Today's sermon was from Revelation 3:14-22.
The letter was addressed to the church in Laodicea. This church had massive spiritual problems and called forth the most stringent and stinging rebuke yet issued by the Lord.
The Lord's diagnosis of the problem in Laodicea is two-fold. First, there moral and religious tepidity in the church, and second, there is prideful self-sufficiency.
The Lord uses the words cold, hot and lukewarm. People typically believe that by "hot" Jesus is referring to zealous, lively, hard working Christians, and that by "cold" He is referring to lifeless pagans devoid of any spiritual life.
However, in all likelihood, "hot"refers to the medicinal waters of Hierapolis ( 6 miles north of Laodicea), whose "hot springs" reached 95 degrees. The word "cold" points to the refreshing waters of Colossae ( 12 miles east).

The church was not being rebuked for its spiritual temperature but for the barrenness of its works. The church was providing neither refreshment for the spiritually weary( portrayed through the imagery of the "cold" water from Colossae), nor healing for the spiritually sick ( portrayed through the imagery of "hot" water from Hierapolis). The church was simply ineffective. That is why Jesus says He would prefer the church to be "cold" rather than "lukewarm".

But there is still hope. Jesus says, " I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see" ( Revelation 3:18).
It is precisely because Jesus loves His people that He refuses to tolerate their lukewarm indifference towards spiritual matters.
Revelation 3:19 confirms this, "Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent".
Lastly, Revelation 3:21 says, " To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne".
I am enthroned with Christ because He died for me and poured out the love of God into my heart through the Spirit who was given to me ( Romans 5:5). Thank you Lord!!

Great New Restaurant

My friend Connie and I went to a relatively new restaurant called Salata.
It is on 122nd and MacArthur. It's the same concept as Cool Greens, except  Salata offers quite a few more toppings than Cool Greens.
If you live close to the area, and appreciate a high quality salad, check it out!

**The pricing is comparable to Cool Greens.

Accountability and Friendship

Today, I had lunch with one of my closest friends and accountability partner, Susie Howell.

Having her as my friend and accountability partner has been a gift from God.

I can tell her anything, and I know I will get wise godly counsel without a hint of judgement.

A few years ago, I did the 12 steps of recovery through my church. Two of the steps are making a fearless moral inventory ( step 4), and confessing all of your wrongdoings to God and another person ( step 5).
I did my 5th step with Susie. I had led a very immoral and sinful life, and I confessed every detail of it to Susie. It took hours, but she just sat listening with loving patience.
It is so freeing to have at least one person who you can reveal your entire self to, and there will be no judgement. There is only godly direction, and the  imparting of Biblical truths.
Having an accountability partner is also Biblical concept. Please
Galatians 6:2 says, "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."
James 5:16 says, "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed."

God commands us to carry each other's burdens to confess our sins to each other.

In order to live by the Holy Spirit, it is imperative to have accountability. God did not intend for us to journey through this life on our own.

Book

Here is a random gobbet from my book:
I attended first grade at a Catholic school called Christ the King. It was traumatizing. My teacher was a nun. Her name was Miss Sister Bernard.
Many people probably envision a nun as sweet, gentle and gracious. Miss Sister Bernard was the polar opposite. She played against every stereotypical image that one might have of a nun. She was mean, angry and violent.
She hit her students on a regular basis. Also, after recess, we would come back into the school building, and line up by the water fountain. Even on very hot days, Miss Sister Bernard would yell, "Only two or three sips!" If we tried to take an extra sip, she would either yell at us or swat us on the behind.
The most terrifying day of my first grade year happened around the middle of the school year. One of the boys in my class and myself had to stay after school to finish an art project. The boy's name was David Brou, and he was handicapped. He wore coke bottle thick eyeglasses, and had already been through a number of surgeries to try to repair various physical defects.
David and I were sitting at a table working on our art projects, and Miss Sister Bernard was sitting at her desk at the front of the classroom. David was making a stick-like figure out of construction paper. When David couldn't find the "eye" he had made out of the construction paper, he began to cry very hard and very loud. Miss Sister Bernard got up from her desk, dragged David into the boys restroom, and started beating him.
I sat in my chair frozen in fear, while listening to his screams of pain and terror as Miss Sister Bernard hit him over and over again.

Scripture Verse:
"I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty" ( 2 Corinthians 6:18).

"REED," and "The Norm."

Yesterday, I texted my sisters to tell them my aunt had been sick. One of my sisters responded back with an angry text and the other one didn't respond back at all.

So, I decided today to practice "REED" with the emotions that were conjured up by what happened yesterday.

REED is an acronym that stands for Recognize, Express, Evaluate , and Decide.

Recognize- I felt angry and hurt

Express- I wrote a letter to God telling Him how hurt and angry I was about what happened. I poured my heart out and didn't edit my words. Then, I thanked Him that I can approach His throne of grace anytime to receive grace and mercy in my time of need.

Evaluate ( This is where you write down what thought and beliefs underlie the emotions you are feeling)-
"I want to do something to retaliate."
"I can't trust God to take care of this."
"I need to protect myself."
"Humility is synonymous with weakness."

Decide ( This is where you decide to replace your erroneous thinking with God's truth)-
I wrote a letter thanking God that I have the mind of Christ. I thanked Him that He empowered me to respond to Allison's angry text with kindness ( something that I would not have done in the past). I told God that I am choosing to believe Him, and take all my thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ.

When I was doing my Bible study this morning, something that stood out to me is what the author refers to as "the norm."
She says this, "God has given all believers the grace to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives. This is the norm. It is normal and natural to do what is right for yourself physically and to be moderate and godly in your behavior.
"Meeting your needs in your own way is a definition of the "flesh," and living in the flesh is a departure from what is normal for a Christian. Living in the Spirit is the norm for 'new creations in Christ'. The Spirit indwells us  and brings forth fruit in our lives. One of the fruits listed in Galatians 5:22-23 is self-control. Unlike what many of us believe it is not normal for the Christian to be out of control regarding food and eating."

This was very illuminating. I have always thought that living a life of moderation and self-control was not the norm, and something that I had to fight to achieve. However, for the Christian, moderation and self-control is the norm.
When I live a life that lacks control, that is in direct contradiction to my new nature. However when I practice control and moderation that is a manifestation of my new identity in Christ.

Because I have struggled with food addiction almost my whole life, I assumed that that's what's normal. In reality, self-control and moderation is what's normal and natural for the believer.

Returning To True Hunger

In the Bible study, "The Weight of Grace," the author describes 3 "layers" of issues with one "bedrock" factor underlying the reason women overeat.

• The first layer, which is the most obvious layer, is food/dieting. This is the layer that most women tend to believe is the "real issue," and where the they usually concentrate their greatest efforts to "solve the problem" of overeating.
• The layer below is eating to "medicate" emotions. This is a deeper, less obvious layer. Here, food is used to comfort, distract from, suppress, or calm unpleasant emotions.
• The layer below that is the need to stay large/fat. This is the deepest, most overlooked layer. This is the layer that most women have no idea exists, but women who overeat have deeply held beliefs about themselves and what it means to be "fat" or "thin" that serve as tremendous motivators for their overeating, canceling out even the strongest desire to be thin.

Until about a year ago, I didn't give much thought to the need to stay fat. Staying fat is a form of protection for me. When I have been thin, I have done terrible things and terrible things were done to me. So as much as I desire to be thin, thinness is also very closely related to danger for me. When I am fat, I don't take as many risks, and disqualify myself from many activities. As a result, this self-imposed seclusion protects me from danger.

 The author also explains the "bedrock factor." This is our relationship with God, and our understanding of his character and intimate, loving involvement with our struggles, even struggles with overeating and being overweight. Seeing God as a participant in each layer of issues is crucial to experiencing healing and freedom.

I have become acutely aware that my fear of being thin is not that I don't trust myself, but that I don't trust God. I don't trust what He says about me; that I am a brand new creation ( 2 Cor. 5:17), that I am seated with Christ in the heavenlies ( Eph. 2:6), that I have incomparably great power because I believe( Eph. 1:19), and that I am no longer a slave to sin but to righteousness( Romans 6:18). Moreover, I lack trust in what God says about Himself: He is my hiding place and will protect me from trouble ( Psalm 32:7), He satisfies my desires with good things ( Psalm 103:5), God is greater than the one who is in the world ( 1 John 4:4b), and that Christ came to give me abundant life ( John 10:10).

There is a difference between believing God and believing in God. Scripture says, "Even the demons believe in God and shudder" ( James 2:19). Do I believe what God says or just merely believe in Him?

Although I don't always believe what God says about Himself and about me, it doesn't make what He says any less true. I am going to continue to pray that  God's truth would be my authority, instead of my circumstances or how I feel.

Sermon

Today's sermon was a continuation of Revelation 3:7-13.

The title was, "The Power of Identity."

To the one who conquers, Jesus says, "I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" ( Rev. 3:12-13).

We are God's Temple.

• The imagery of the individual Christian and the corporate church as the temple of God is a familiar one in Scripture:

1 Cor. 3:16 says, "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple."

See also; 1 Cor. 6:19, Eph. 2:21-22 and 1 Peter 2:4-5.

• This language is probably a metaphor of eternal salvation.Special emphasis may be on the security of our position as God's dwelling place in view of assurance "never shall he go out of it."

The Life-Changing Power of Knowing Who You Are.

• Christians often struggle with a sense of identity. 
• Virtually every assault and accusation of Satan is grounded in his effort to convince us we are not who God declares we are.
• If I am able to to rest securely in who I am in Christ, an identity forged by forgiveness not failure, by his goodness rather than mine, I am enveloped in a veritable fortress of strength and protective love.No assault, accusation or inclination will prevail. I am who he says I am by virtue of what he has done and will do.

To illustrate the transforming power of a renewed awareness of one's identity, Pastor Storms showed us a short clip from the movie, "Blood Diamond." Needless to say, I can't wait to see the movie!

Pastor Storms set up the scene. It is set in Sierra Leone,Africa. The country has been ravaged by political unrerst. There is a rebel faction known as Revolutionary United Front ( or RUF).

Soloman Vandy is a native fisherman. Soloman's young son, Dia is captured and brainwashed by the RUF, and has been turned into a vicious fighter.

In one of the final scenes, Dia pulls a gun on his father to kill him, but Soloman speaks to him and awakens Dia to his true identity. This is what Soloman says to Dia:

"Dia. What are you doing? Dia. Look at me. What are you doing? You are Dia Vandy, of the proud Mende tribe. You are a good boy who loves soccer and school. Your mother loves you so much. She waits by the fire making plantains and red palm oil stew, with your sister N'yanda. And the new baby. The cows wait for you, and Babu the wild dog who minds no one but you. I know they made you do bad things. But you are not a bad boy. I am your father who loves you. You will come home with me and be my son again."

Once Dia realizes who he really is, he falls into his father's arms and begins to cry. When I saw that scene I started crying as well. It is a beautiful illustration of our Heavenly Father reminding us of our true identity. You are a child of the Most High God who loves you, who wants you to come home with him, and be his son and daughter, once again.

Identity governs behavior. You will always behave in accordance with who you believe you are.

Emotions

I am working on actually feeling my emotions, especially uncomfortable ones such as anger, fear, hurt and loneliness, instead of attempting to avoid them or "medicate" them.
In this week's Bible study, the author says, "When we go ahead and feel the emotion and talk about it with God, rather than trying to avoid it, we actually get through it and over it because God's desire is to become intimately involved in our concerns and show us His love."
The goal is to not be afraid of feeling and expressing our emotions, while not allowing them to be more of an authority in our life than God's truth.

There is an acronym that Scope Ministries uses in relation to our emotions. It is REED.
The 'R' stands for "Recognize." Recognize and verbalize how you feel.
The first 'E' stands for "Express." Express your emotions to God. Avoid turning the emotion inward and imploding, and avoid turning the emotion outward towards others and exploding.
The second 'E' stands for "Evaluate." What do your emotions tell you about your thoughts and beliefs?
The 'D' stands for "Decide." We are to decide to replace our thinking and behavior with God's instruction and truth.

There are a few important points that Scope Ministries emphasize.
1. Emotions are morally neutral. No emotion is inherently sinful. But how we choose to respond to our emotions can be sinful. Ephesians 4:26 says, "Be angry and yet do not sin..." It does not say do not be angry or that anger is a sin. Instead, when we are angry, do not turn it into sin.
2. Emotions express God's character. Jesus felt every single emotion, including anger, grief, hurt and fear.
3. Emotions become messy when they seem more real to us than God's word. Do my emotions, or God's Word, act as my authority?

Lies vs Truth

This past week in my Bible study, "The Weight of Grace," I prayed for God to reveal the lies I am believing about food, weight and God. I then wrote the lies I am believing on one side of the paper and then wrote the corresponding truth next to each lie. Here is some of what God revealed to me:

1. Lie- I need food to comfort me when I am angry, lonely, scared or hurt
    Truth- "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort who comforts me in all my troubles" (2 Cor. 1:3&4a).

2. Lie- Sitting through temptation is too difficult.
    Truth- "No temptation has seized me except that which is common to man, and God is faithful. He will not let me be tempted beyond what I can bear, and when tempted he will provide a way out so that I can stand up under it" (1 Cor. 10:13).

3. Lie- I can't trust that God will protect me if I lose weight.
    Truth- "The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold" (Psalm 18:2).

4. Lie- Being thin/losing weight makes me a success.
    Truth- My worth is based on what Jesus did for me on the cross.

5. Lie- I will never be free from compulsive overeating.
    Truth- I am no longer a slave to sin, because anyone who has died has been freed from sin (Romans 6:6b&7).
     Truth- "It is for freedom that Christ has set me free" (Galatians 5:1).

6. Lie- Food fills the void that is inside of me.
    Truth- God satisfies my desires with good things (Psalm 103:5).

7. Lie- God is not sufficient to meet my needs.
    Truth- God's grace is sufficient for me. His power is made perfect in my weakness (2 Cor. 12:9a).

8. Lie- I don't know how to not either diet or compulsively overeat.
    Truth- "If I lack wisdom, I should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to me" (James 1:5).

9. Lie- Being fat protects me because I don't take as many risks when I am fat.
    Truth- "God is my hiding place. He will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance" (Psalm 32:7).

10. Lie- Men do not look twice at fat women.
      Truth- True godly men find women lovely because of Christ living inside of them.

11. Lie- I am not acceptable like this.
      Truth- "For God chose me in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. God predestined me to be adopted as his daughter through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will" (Ephesians 1:4&5).

Sermon

The sermon this morning was from Revelation 3:7-13. It's entitled, "The Church of Little Power."
Here are some points that stood out to me:

1. When Jesus says that the church in Philadelphia has "but little power" (Revelation 3:8), it's a commendation. Having little power isn't always good, but having little power also isn't always bad.
2. In verse 9, Jesus says, "Your lack of resources, money, and manpower proved no obstacle to your accomplishing great things for the kingdom of God."
3. The Philadelphian believers did more than simply not deny the name of Jesus. They loudly and proudly proclaimed Him as "the Holy One!"
4. The greatness of a church is not measured by the size of its congregation, but by the size of the Savior.

         Jesus, the Keeping King:
A. The notion that any Christian is assured of special protection from trials, tribulations, and persecution is unbiblical.
B. The trial or tribulation that is coming is designed for the judgement of unbelievers, not Christians.
C. The promise is for spiritual protection in the midst of physical tribulation.
D. Pretribulationists typically think that the only way God's people can be spiritually protected from the outpouring of divine wrath is by being physically removed from the.  earth. However, John 17:15 stands in opposition to this, "I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one." In this text, "keep from" is actually contrasted with the notion of physical removal. Jesus does not pray that the Father physically take them out of the world, but that the Father "keep them from"  Satan's effort to destroy their spiritual life.
E. It is in remaining faithful unto death that our greatest victory is achieved, not in being "raptured" to safety.

Apologetics Group

We had our Apologetics group today at Java Dave's. I had never been to Java Dave's before. It is a very cute coffee shop in Downtown Edmond.
We had a new man in our group today. We talked about morality, the reliability of science, and how to prove the reliability of the Gospels. We discussed the archaeological evidence in support of the Gospels and the possibility of actually using science to argue (unproven) scientific data.
We also threw out some ideas about how to reach middle school and high school students. Many times, students walk away from the faith when they enter college. Universities are notoriously liberal. College students who express their faith in Christ and declare the authority of Scripture, can be made to feel foolish. They can be ostracized for standing firm in the faith and not conforming to the world's standards.
I remember when I took Political and Social Philosophy a few years ago. I was the only student in the class who believed in Creation. Every other student and the professor believed in evolution. When I openly shared what I believe, I was ostracized by the other students and the professor.
They declared my belief in Creation to be illogical and lacking evidence.
It was so intimidating that I didn't attempt to make a defense for what I believe.
If we can reach students before they enter college, they will be better equipped to handle any opposition that will invariably come their way.

Scripture verse:
"Be merciful to those who doubt" Jude 22.

Book

I completed the first draft of my book! I met with my publisher today and it is ready to go for editing! I'm excited! It's been emotionally taxing but also very cathartic.

Here is a random gobbett from chapter 2:

It was August of 1986 and my friend Ashley was turning 16. Ashley's parents paid for her and several of her friends to go to the Van Halen concert.
Soon after arriving at the concert my friend Shannon and I started getting bored, so we started walking the concert hallways asking random guys if they had any pot. We kept getting turned down, until one guy told us that he didn't have any pot, but he did have acid. He offered to give us some at no cost, and we eagerly accepted.
The acid looked like a stamp. They guy told us to only take half of it ,at first, to see how it affected us. Shannon and I tore our "stamp" in half and swallowed it. We were both disappointed when we didn't immediately feel any sort of high, so we swallowed the last half of the "stamp."
A few minutes later the acid kicked in. At first it was glorious. The floor felt like it was moving up and down, and we were sort of just floating. It was like a dreamy alternate state of reality. Out of nowhere, my wonderfully groovy trip took on a malevolent form.
I felt like I was going out of my mind. My brain felt like it was going to explode, and everywhere I looked people were disintegrating into skeletons before eventually melting into a pool of nothingness.
I don't remember how our friends got Shannon and I into the car. By that time my hallucinations had become so sinister, that I started screaming at the top of my lungs.

Scripture verse:
"You, dear children, are from God and have overcome, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world" (1John 4:4).

The Right Time

This morning I was reading John 7:1-8.
Jesus' brothers told Jesus He ought to go to Judea so that His disciples could see His miracles.
Jesus replied, "The right time for me has not yet come; for you anytime is right" (verse 6).
Jesus knew there were many influential people who hated Him and wanted to kill Him. The more openly Jesus taught, the greater chance of Him being killed. Jesus knew that it was not yet time for Him to die.

I thought about how excruciating that must be for Jesus, not to just know He was going to die, but to also wait on His Father's timing, and subsequently plan every detail of His life accordingly. This brought to mind a couple of things; how much Jesus trusted His Father, and how intimately connected they were.

I thought about how this applied to my own life. There have been so many times when I have thought that a particular situation called for immediate action. A situation presented itself and instead of prayerfully considering the right time (God's time) I hastily and rashly chose to act.
I want to trust God more and deepen my intimacy with Him so that my actions are in line with the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus demonstrates a life that is completely dependent on the Father's perfect timing.

He Knows Your Name!

Here is the second half of yesterday's sermon:

1. In Revelation 3:5b Jesus says, "I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels."
This is a joyful and heartfelt proclamation to the Father and the myriads of angelic beings: He's mine! She belongs to me! They are worthy! "
These names are on his lips because they are first in his heart.
2. Revelation 3:5 says, "I will confess his name" (singular), so evidently Jesus will speak each of our names individually.
3. Following the resurrection of Jesus, Mary Magdalene stood outside the tomb weeping. Turning around, she saw Jesus but did not know if was him. Jesus said to her, "Woman why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" Thinking he was the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away."
Then Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned to Jesus and said to him in Aramaic, "Rabboni," which means Teacher ( John 20:14b-16).

This lady understood the difference between being called "Woman" and being called "Mary." This woman who at one time was indwelt and tormented by seven demons (Luke 8:2),filled with shame and reproach, hears the sweetest and most comforting word imaginable, her name: "Mary!"
But if wasn't the name so much as the man on whose lips it was willfully and happily found: Jesus!
"He knows my name! He remembers
me! I am not an embarrassment to him.  He's not ashamed of me!"

4. Envision standing in the blazing presence of the unfathomable God, an all consuming fire, the God of infinite and unending glory.
Small and weak as you are, Jesus takes hold of your hand and leads you before his Father and the gaze of myriads of angels. Then he proudly, happily, confidently and joyfully declares, "Father, Tara (fill in your own name) is mine! I am hers! She is clothed in white! I've paid her debt. I suffered the penalty. She is clean. She is pure. She is in me and I am in her. Tara is righteous!"
He knows my name!!

Sermon

Today's sermon was entitled; "Written Down in the Lamb's Book of Life: The Real Reason to Rejoice."
It was a continuation on Revelation 3:1-6.

Here are some very thought provoking points that stood out to me:

1. In what do you take deepest delight? What is it that brings the greatest and most intense joy and happiness to your heart?

2. In Luke 10:17, the 72 disciples, who Jesus sent out, exclaimed with joy, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!"
Jesus responds in Luke 10:20, "Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this,that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."
Jesus isn't saying that it is wrong to rejoice that we have authority over demons. His point is that compared with having your name written down in heaven exercising authority over demons is next to nothing.

3. The promise in Revelation 3:5 is, "The one who conquers will be clothed in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life."

4. The "book" that Jesus mentions has several possible meanings:
a. In the Old Testament, God's book had reference to the rights of citizenship for the Jewish people.
b. The concept of a "book" was also used to portray God's all inclusive decree (Psalm 139:16), the very days of one's life are ordained and written in God's "book" before one of them occurs.
c. There is also the notion of "books" of judgement in which are recorded men's deeds. They serve as that by which or from which one shall be judged ( Rev. 2:20; Daniel 7:10).
d. The most accurate meaning of the concept of "book" as it is written in Revelation 3:1-6, is the register of those who have been chosen for salvation from eternity past.

5. You don't believe in Jesus in order that your name will be written in the book. You believe in Jesus because your name has already been written down in the book.

6. God has chosen not to reveal to us the names written in the Lamb's book of life. It is none of our business. None of us deserve to have his/her name written down in God's book. We all deserve eternal damnation. The only explanation for why a sinner has his/her name written in the Lamb's book of life before the foundation of the world is because God is gracious and merciful and wishes to provide his Son with a Bride that will enjoy his glorious presence and love for eternity. Had God not chosen to inscribe anyone's name in his book, he would have done no one an injustice.

It is important that we do not become so fixated on why we are written in the Lamb's book of life, whether it is predestination ( Calvinism) or freewill, that we forget to drop to our knees and praise and thank God just for the simple fact that we are written in his book of life.