As Certain as Death

"...and had revealed to him that he would not die until..."

I like certainty.  I can handle a bit of randomness and spontaneity, but in general, I function just fine when things are certain.  However, when it comes to following Jesus, faith is required in daily living and a lot of time, it means there will be a lot of uncertainty.  I guess that is why this verse in Luke 2 stands out to me.  Would it be cool to be Simeon receiving a clear truth that will come to pass since everyone dies?

Spielbrick Films via photopin cc

Thinking back and re-reading the passage in context, I'm not too sure it was entirely cool. God is telling Simeon that he won't die until he sees the Promised One out of a prophecy from hundreds of years ago. Everyone in the culture is looking forward to this One who will fulfill the prophecy. It sounds much like stuff stories are made out of, like our present day Harry Potter, The Matrix or Star Wars. How hard would it have been to wait on this guy to show up?

The nature of knowing God's will and praying/waiting for it to happen is complicated and different for each person. It may require extreme patience or impossible things to happen before the prayer is answered. But I think the outcome is the same if we are faithful to God's process.  Simeon got to see Jesus in his lifetime and I'm sure what God is bringing to pass in your life will be true as well.

Questions that we wrestled through at our small group tonight:  What has God told you that He will totally come through on? Are you finding it hard to believing Him to bring it to pass? 

I Have a $25 Monthly Allowance

... and I'm 34 years old.

I started to have an allowance when I was in Grade 6 (I think) when my parents would give me a dollar a week. It was amazing- a whole world of 10 cent candies was opened up to me.

Life with no budget... you have no idea how things are going financially. Picture by kenteegardin

But now that I am in my thirties, I have a monthly allowance all over again and I couldn't be more happier and content. Why?

1. It means I budget. I didn't always budget - as long as my expenses didn't exceed my income, I was happy. But living without a budget, especially when married and have children, wasn't practical and does not lead to any savings. 
2. It is a guilt-free set amount for my use only.  When we didn't have a personal category in our budget, every line item was shared with the family (ex/ groceries, clothing, eating out budget, etc). This resulted in healthy checks of how my spending impacted the rest of the family.  However, it made me feel guilty when I wanted to buy something just for myself that was more of a luxury instead of a need. Now, there is no such guilt because it is built into the budget. 
3. It helps me practice delayed gratification. In this day and age, advertisers and culture want you to buy things this instant. I have a $25 monthly allowance.  Now, if I want something costing $70, I have to wait 3 months or, if there already, consider if it is worth using 3 months of funds.
4. It helps prioritize my hobbies and interests. With a set amount, I now evaluate whether or not I want to read an e-book (that can take me 3 days to 10 days to finish/enjoy), a video game (months), a board game (years) or buy some comfort food (10 minutes, if that).  

With something that automatically tracks our expense (we use mint.com) it is really easy to track and with the roll over option (results of one months budget carries over to next month) it has been rewarding to do. Keeping a budget actually has been enjoyable.


Do you have a personal allowance and, if so, has it been successful in helping you enjoy being financially responsible?  If not, do you think it will help?

I Do Not Know God

If we insist upon trying to imagine Him, we end with an idol, made not with hands but with thoughts; and an idol of the mind is so offensive to God as an idol of the hand.  Knowledge of the Holy, Tozer, pg.8

I have followed Jesus for over 25 years now and I have taken for granted that I know God. But when I read this I am shocked back to the truth that I can not know God completely because he is far, above and beyond like anything on this earth. Anything I use as a reference will be a poor likeness of God.

I do not know God... but I want to.

In fact, I yearn to and it seems that there is a craving in each person to do so as well. They may not label is as wanting to "know God", but it may come out in other forms like craving purpose, meaning and intimacy. "The yearning to know What cannot be known, to comprehend the Incomprehensible, to touch and taste the Unapproachable, arises from the image of God in the nature of man... the soul senses its origin and longs to return to its Source." Tozer, 9.

So how can one know? Is it to read the Bible? Obey it? On its own - no.  We need Jesus. Without Jesus, there is nothing to bridge the gap that separates us from God in the first place - the reason why he is unapproachable in the first place.

But with Jesus we have access to know God. Then we can go on and do what Tozer suggests and instead of asking, "What is God like?" we should be asking "What has God disclosed about Himself that He has declared true?" Specifically, we know him by his attributes.

My plan is:

• Study God's attributes (i.e. read the rest of Tozer's book!)
• Do a word study on God's attributes as I learn about them
• Blog about each attribute
• Identify things I take God for granted for and erroneously applied to Him 

What are some suggestions that have worked to help you know God more by focusing on his attributes?

Photo by kloan

Occupiers, 1% and Proverbs 11

Photo by My Pickz

As I read Proverbs 11 this morning, I was struck how the words strike a chord with current events of today, specifically in the age of Occupiers vs. the 1%.  How much would the world be different if parties on both sides followed and lived out this chapter?

"The Lord detests the use of dishonest scales, but he delights in accurate weights."
"Honesty guides good people; dishonesty destroys treacherous people."
1%: You won't be facing criticism of making your money off the backs of the poor and the oppressed and be accused of using fear to get your way.

"Riches won't help on the day of judgement, but right living can save you from death."
1%: What are you doing with your riches?  Are you using it for right living?  You won't be depending on riches for happiness or fulfillment.
Occupiers: Are you aspiring for the riches the 1% has or are you working like an ant?  You won't be depending on riches for happiness or fulfillment.

"Without wise leadership, a nation falls; there is safety in having many advisers."
Occupiers: Does everyone have a voice or should there be a separation of those who are wise and those who should not be listened to?  Wisdom will shine through in interviews and solutions.
1%: Are you a power hungry CEO or do you have many advisers that you listen to and consult to make great policies and lead well?  By garnering the collective wisdom of a team, you will offset your personal weaknesses.

"Evil people get rich for the moment, but the reward of the godly will last."
"Give freely and become more wealthy, be stingy and lose everything."
1%: Who and what are you living for?  Are you leaving a legacy that will help others after you?  The bottom line will no longer just be a personal gain, but a gain for society.
Occupiers: Are you influencing the 1% to live a godly life or are you secretly want to be rich?  Develop a giving attitude early on and you will find it easier to give when you have wealth.

"Trust in your money and down you go!  But the godly flourish like leaves in spring."
All: Are we trusting in money?  Are we thinking that money will solve all our problems?  Are we striving to be more like Jesus?

I am reminded that in writing this that this is just not for two sectors of society - the 1% or the Occupiers, but for all of society - for me.  I believe that if these proverbs are followed, there will be an acceleration of the shrinking gap between rich and poor.   Society as a whole will be caring about the lives of people because they hold onto the sanctity of life.

But it will take more than just living a lifestyle - because it is evident through history that we can not do it with ideals.  This can only happen if we follow Jesus.

There are obvious many more ways to apply these verses - these are just my personal thoughts.  What do you think would the world look like if we applied Proverbs to our lives and followed Jesus' teaching?

The Pursuit of God: Chapter 1- Following Hard after God

We have almost forgotten that God is a Person and, as such, can be cultivated as any person can.  It is inherent in personality to be able to know other personalities, but full knowledge of one personality by another cannot be achieved by one encounter.

Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth.  

The evil habit of seeking God and effectively prevents us from finding God in full revelation.  In the "and" lies our great woe.  If we omit the "and" we shall soon find God, and in Him we shall find that for which we have all our lives been secretly longing.

There are many quotes in the first chapter of The Pursuit of God that I wrote down to comment on or to guide my first response to this amazing book.  I think I wrote down 7-8 of them.  I think 3 will suffice to help me respond to this first chapter.

I am guilty of complacency.  I have been that person that lived like I only had one encounter with God and thought that was enough.  I have bought the lie that I needed God and...  

I have many "and"s, but at the forefront is convenience.  I think inside of me, I believe that God and convenience will give me the satisfaction my heart is looking for.  But convenience is just the desire in me that leads to complacency - I just do enough to get by and I am content.  But I usually don't realize that I miss the opportunity and the joy that comes from going further to experience God.  My end goal was really convenience and not God.

picture by JPhilipson

I have not grasped what Paul said when he writes, "Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." Philippians 3

Like a friend taken for granted, I do not cultivate my relationship with my Friend - I only do enough to get by.

So what needs to change?  I need to cast off complacency, not settle for convenience and be intentional in my communion with God (3 C's... that could be a sermon).  That is why my church's Prayer 41 is such a challenge and a great channel to break out of complacency. It is my hope my church's small group can hold me accountable to.

Prayer 41

Our prayer is to be at the epicenter of an unprecedented move of God in the city of Halifax marked by glorious conversions and supernatural life transformation. To this end we ask for: faith- to believe it is possible, passion- to care about lost people, and boldness- to play our part.

What I first made as a casual commitment to prayer is quickly becoming something that is forcing me to be more serious in prayer.  I have always prayed, but praying for one thing over a specific period of time in a community of like-minded people via different avenues of praying that prayer is new.  And I am liking it more and more.

Praying for a one hour period is part of this commitment and as I was praying this morning, I wondered why God "waits" for prayer before acting.  This was evident in the Bible when God waited for Elijah to pray for no rain (James 5:17, 1 Kings 17:1), and then for rain (James 5:18, 1 Kings 19:42-44) even though he declared rain was coming (1 Kings 18:1).  

I wondered because I was praying that there would be "an unprecedented move of God" - why do we have to pray it?  God is capable of doing this on his own.  But I realized that even though God can do so on his own it is for our benefit that we are included in God's work.  By praying, we have a whole lot to gain - faith, passion and boldness.  Why do you think God wants us to pray?

10 Personal Growth Questions via Perry Noble Answered

In spending time with the Lord today, I decided I would go through Perry Noble's 10 Personal Growth Questions I found via my pastor's Twitter post.

1. Am I reading my Bible for information or transformation? (James 1:22-25) There have been times when I have caught myself reading the Bible just for the information.  I confess, this happens mostly when I prepare for a sermon or a workshop I am doing.  But my small group and the discussions we have force me to be in a place to allow transformation.  They hold me accountable, even if at times indirectly.
2. Am I allowing people or circumstances to steal the joy that Jesus promised to me?  (John 10:10) More recently, this has been true.  I have let people and circumstances get the better of my emotions and my joy that I should have through Jesus.  I have allowed frustration to turn into distrust and cloud my judgment and conduct.  I need to see the best in people and pray that the Spirit enables me to extend grace and forgiveness readily.
3. Is there anything in my life that God is consistently dealing with that I am trying to ignore?  (Ezekiel 14:1-5) There are many answers to this question as I believe being refined is a life time achievement so that there will be constantly things God will bring up in my life to deal with.  One current one is a prideful attitude.  Although it can be said pride relates to all sin, the issue I'm wrestling with is just pure pride.  How do I look?  Do people know I am a somebody?  What can I do to "matter" in the eyes of this world?  I try to ignore it by writing it off as something noble or "for the Lord", but, recently, have been convicted as just plain ol' pride.  
4. Who are the people in my life that God has placed around me for the purpose of me sharing Christ with them and/or inviting them to church?  (II Corinthians 5:16-21) Recently, God has been placing the poor in the downtown core in my life as I interact with them more day to day, week to week.  I have been able to learn a couple of names and I hope to continue the relationship that leads to Christ.  
5. Is there anyone I need to apologize to?  (Ephesians 4:25-27) Not that I know of right now.  This may change before this post ends. <update: yes, there is!  Just found out via email>
6. Is there anyone I need to forgive? (Ephesians 4:32) Not at the moment.  However, my thing has always been can I truly forgive someone who doesn't think they need forgiving?  Jesus paid for the sins of all, but forgiveness is only there if the sinner realizes they need it and the experiences the forgiveness as their heart is transformed by Christ.  Those who reject it, don't experience the forgiveness because they are not forgiven.  I believe this is the same for human relationships.  I still have to wrestle this thought through - can I truly forgive someone who does not recognize that they have wronged me or disagrees that they have wronged me?  There is no one currently in the scenario I described - but I need to wrestle through this thought more to be ready when the scenario becomes a personal reality.
7. Is there a sin I need to confess to others and ask for help? (James 5:16) There has been sins I have already confessed and have asked help from others, but do I have unconfessed sin? 
8. Am I fully utilizing the gifts and abilities that God has blessed me with…or am I simply choosing to waste my life?  (I Peter 4:10) With the current opportunities and responsibilities at church and with work, I believe I am using the gifts and abilities that God has blessed me with. 
9. Do I know more lines from the movies that I love than verse from the Bible that I read? (Psalm 119:11) Considering that I am horrible with my memory of lines or verses, this will be a poor comparison.  However, I can say with confidence I know my Bible more than a movie, even if that movie is based on a book (i.e. Lord of the Rings). 
10. Is there anything going on in my life privately that, if it became public, would cause me and/or the body of Christ to be embarrassed? (I John 1:9, James 5:16) Nothing I can think of.  This doesn't mean I don't have sin (i.e. in regards to what I shared above).  

Didn't realize that these questions can be quite personal.  Now to follow up on action points resulting from these questions.

About two things...

As I return from 2 and a half months of work related travel, I have decided to focus writing on two things related to work: ministering to the poor and Operations focused on increasing capacity for sharing Christ.

Although this blog does not reflect the opinions of any organizations I am affiliated with, I will write about what I am personally learning or struggling through. I came back from one of the more enjoyable and thought provoking conferences in a long time and I have a lot to ponder about. Forefront in my mind: Gospel Proclamation and Gospel Demonstration.

Relationships

Relationships are a big thing because we are a relational type of people. Just take a quick look at your Facebook news feed - there is a fascination when someone proclaims that they are in a relationship or when their status changes to "single". Comments pour in of congratulations or sympathy...

But what is beyond establishing a relationship? How does one get to know another person?

I came across a nugget today while reading. When describing his relationship with a person that is suppose to be a close friend, he compared it to another one saying,

"Your father got along just fine didn't he? He did what was right and treated people fairly, and things went well with him. He stuck up for the down and out and things went well... Isn't this what it means to know me?"

Could this be the missing link to many failed relationships? They say opposites attract - that can be true. But to further a relationship and to go deeper is the key to understand the other person's character by living it out?

Our friends who share the love of food, amongst other things =D

Voting Online

I like voting online. I did it and it was neat to do it in the comfort of my own home. I enjoy the fact that I can research the candidates online, know their platforms, and vote with some knowledge of their views (to tell you the truth, I didn't know anything about the School Board candidates and if I went to vote in person, I would have declined). I'm grateful, at least, to know what candidates wrote online about themselves and what they would like to do if elected into power.

I don't know about the integrity of the system in place, but I think it is the right step forward and is a way to fight against voter apathy. Technology and culture has shaped us to be bit more "lazier" by making things available online - why not engage citizens to vote my making it online?

What I got in the mail

I'm not usually one to write about politics as I don't follow elections as closely as others do. I do follow them and try to learn the different platforms and research a bit about the candidates who run in my riding. So when I receive mailings about platform policies and info pamphlets, I try to spend some time to read them.

The Conservative candidate sent a pretty slick looking info card and it starts promising with short, informative blurbs about himself. Although there are no platform type of promises on it, the card looks professional and the presentation gets high marks. The drawback is that he is trying way too hard to look cool in his pictures. It doesn't really work because a) he obviously has makeup on (and way too much at that) and b) his poses are too contrived (nobody stands like that). But, I must admit, these are not the most important things when you go vote for a person. I'm sure he looks and acts fine in real life.

On the same day, we received a general Liberal pamphlet that promotes Stephane Dion's Green Shift. It starts off with the following:

Dear Friends,
Today our planet faces the most serious environmental crisis in recorded human history. The global scientific community is agreed that climate change is caused by human activity and we much act now.

I had to do a double take on the last sentence - "we much act now." After chuckling and then laughing out loud, I wondered how this pamphlet got past the many proofreading editors in the Liberal campaign (well, I hope they have proofreaders for this kind of stuff). For, what I think, is a nationally distributed flyer, you would think that someone would have taken the time to fine-comb through the wordy text to make sure there were no mistakes (I can hear the jabs now, "He writes similar to how he speaks").

This is unfortunate and probably won't help Dion gain any more votes for the Liberal cause. Furthermore, the rest of the flyer is wordy, not attractive (printed in B&W and hardly any white space), and has no concrete explanation on how the Green Shift carbon tax works. They give two examples of how families can receive tax benefits from the carban tax, but does not give the exact calculation on how it arrives on those numbers. If you want, you have to go to their website for more information... which I did.

And to tell you the truth, it is quite confusing - on one hand you caculate what your tax benefit is for your family with a calculator provided ($650/year for our household), but it still does not give you the mathematics or the logic on how it arrived at the end number. When I clicked to get more info, it showed how the Green Shift carbon tax adds cost to a family. So what is it? A "benefit" or a cost? The extra info doesn't even talk about a "benefit" at all!

I don't think this Green Shift plan is going to go anywhere. If Dion is staking the whole election on this, we will see the Liberals go from Official Opposition to be the official laughing stalk of Election Canada 2008.

Living Like We Live Forever

Intellectually we all know that we will die, but we do not really know it in the sense that the knowledge becomes a part of us. We do not really know it in the sense of living as though it were true. On the contrary, we tend to live as though our lives would go on forever."

Frederick Buechner

For some reason, society has a fascination with longevity and staying young. It baffles me at times because on one hand, I don't want to be here. I desire to be in heaven where things will be infinately better - but I know I'm called to be here; however short that may be.

But Buechner is right, we, as the human race, tend to live as though we live forever. I don't think we are blatant about it (i.e. we make statements like, "I live forever"), but we make life choices that assume that all that matters is in this world and that there is no life after that we invest in.

I recently came back from a visit that took me to various urban cities and was amazed at what people spend their money in. I find that I visit these places, need to prepare myself for the extravagance that hits me. Cars that cost more than my house; lavish eating; stores that sell clothes for hundreds of dollars... it makes me think I need these things myself. Whether it is just sinful coveting or thinking that I deserve it, I struggle in my mind with being materialistically content.

Secularlism and the Church

Here is a quote from a book I am reading...

"The church is safe from vicious persecution at the hands of the secularist, as educated people have finished with stake-burning circuses and torture racks. No martyr's blood is shed in the secular west. So long as the church knows her place and remains quietly at peace on her modern reservation. Let the babes pray and sing and read their Bibles, continuing steadfastly in their intellectual retardation; the church extinction will not come by sword or pillory, but by the quiet death of irrelevance. But let the church step off the reservation, let her penetrate once more the culture of the day and the ... face of secularism will change from a benign smile to a savage snarl."

R.C. Sproul et. al

A hard hitting quote!

Happy Father's Day

Today, as a Father's Day gift, I got a baby mobile from Deb. I wanted to get it for Abel, but we didn't get a chance to get it before he passed away. Thanks to my wife who took great lengths to get it! Go Flames Go!

Something About Mary

Day Two: Rome

Those who travel a lot know that adjusting to the time difference traveling East is a pain (especially compared to traveling West). But, besides being wide awake at 4:24 AM and figuring out how to get back to sleep, it was a full day of museums, picture taking, waiting in lines, eating gelatos and walking!

Deb taking a picture of a fountain within the Vatican museum courtyard. It was a feat to get pictures without people from tours getting in the way.

Unfortunately, some people are oblivious that they are standing in other people's photo shots. This made Deb upset (jokingly of course).

A lot of the more impressive artwork was on the ceilings. I can't imagine being a painter/sculptor on his back for days, weeks and months on end to do a painting or sculpture.

The Pantheon was my favourite site we visited that day. It was simply an amazing work of art and architecture. Right on top of the dome is an open hole that lets in the sole source of light (and also the rain). The structure is now used as a Catholic church and I caught several inscriptions making mention that the church is used to honour martyrs of the faith.

Ruins near the Memorial for the Unknown Italian Soldier and the Colosseum.

The Colosseum is also one of my favourite sites. From afar it was already magnificent.

Once inside, it was surreal. It was one part eerie as some say many Christians died here as martyrs and another part fascinating as we stepped on ground that had so much history.

Near the end of the day, we went back to the Vatican to visit St. Peter's Basilica (in the morning, there had been a flood of people outside waiting to get in). "Wow" was the word that kept popping to my mind as we moved throughout the church. It was extravagant, marvelous, and almost over-the-top beautiful.

A thing about Mary...

One thing that stood out during our visits to the various museums and artwork throughout Italy was the emphasis the Catholic church put on Mary. I always wondered why this was so I did a little research on this during one of the days we were resting from all the walking. I came across this article "Why Catholics Honor Mary". Although it wasn't a thorough explanation, I appreciate the author's attempt to defend why Catholics have this very high view of Mary. Here are a couple of my thoughts on the issue (there are more, but I'll touch on two):

1. The author clarifies that Catholics don't worship Mary and that Jesus is the only Mediator between man and God the Father. However, he states that Catholics pray to Mary to intercede on their behalf to Jesus. I disagree with this - there is no biblical basis for this practice although the author tries to give examples from the Bible. The first is of Moses and Joshua praying to God for victories as Israel fights her enemies. He writes, "If Moses and [Joshua] could have such intercession before God, how much more powerful are the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary!" But this doesn't support his point and actually undermines it because Moses and Joshua prayed directly to God and not through anyone else. The second is that Jesus listened to Mary at his first miracle (turning water into wine). The author writes, "Does not this narrative of the wedding feast manifest the intercessory power of Mary with Jesus Christ, her Divine Son?" No, it doesn't. It does show that Jesus listened to his mother but it does not give an example of Mary's intercessory power or the fact that Christians should do the same. There are no examples or teachings by Christ on this. On the other hand, Jesus did teach a lot about prayer and demonstrated prayer to his disciples (Matthew 6:1-18; 9:35-38; John 17) that they should pray to God directly.
   
2. I do not know the significance of the Catholic view that Mary remained a virgin after giving birth to Jesus. Regardless of its significance, it is a view that is not supported by the Bible. In Luke 8:19-21 (parallel verses in Mark 3:31-35 and Matthew 12:46-50), Luke records that his mother and brothers were there to see him. The way the Greek was written is like this in English, "Arrived but to him the mother and the brothers of him and not they were able to meet together to him through the crowd." The word brothers, adelphos in Greek or ah in Hebrew, means a full male sibling with the same mother and father or a half-brother. Although it can also mean fellow countryman and the other meanings as listed by the author in the article, the way it was written in Greek clearly states the first meaning, his brothers of the same mother. As well, Matthew 1:25 states that Joseph did not know Mary (sexually) until Jesus was born and in Matthew 13:55, we have four of Jesus' brothers named. The view the author proposes can be correct, but not likely in light of these verses. Unless Catholics have other reasons why Joseph did not consummate the marriage after the birth of Christ, I think Joseph did take Mary to be mother of his children.
   

From what I saw in terms of art and the emphasis put on Mary, Mary is elevated to be on par with Jesus or, in some cases, higher than Jesus. I wonder if you asked the total population of Catholics who they pray to more often, if Mary would outpoll Jesus? Anyway, I'm sure there is a lot more information that I need to know before I can say I understand the basis behind why Catholics pray and, in some cases, worship Mary and do a proper critique, but at least this is a start.

Willow Creek Lesson and Rant

My friend, Stephen, and I were talking about Christian resources when we stumbled upon William Lane Craig's excellent website. In the site, we found an audio blog that responds to a recent research project that Willow Creek church did this past year. The findings were this: the plans and projects that Willow Creek invested in to get people to participate in were not raising up disciples for Christ. Instead, they found that people need to learn how to feed themselves and "aggressively" pursue basic spiritual disciplines. The site that talks about this more in depth can be found here.

What I read warmed my heart because it reinforces the ministry philosophy that I have been taught and that I hold onto as I serve God in my full time occupation and my service at church. However, I find many people hold onto Willow Creek's old philosophy - participation is all that is needed to be disciples of Christ. This is false. What this view leads to is a body of Christ who participates out of obligation to personal relationships (i.e. I am coming out due to social reasons and on strength of friendship) with no self responsibility of growing spiritually. This leads to a self centered approach to service and evaluation of "church" because they believe they need to be served or trained and is the obligation of the church or leaders to provide this service.

Warning: a rant. This is no way a rant on anyone or any conversations I had with people recently, but a response to this small, but visible movement in the body of Christ.

A more extreme version of these "participating" church members start to complain that all they get taught is milk (i.e. Hebrews 5-6) and that they want to be taught "solid food". This comes up often - too often - in my conversations with Christians. I have had 3 conversations on this subject in the last week alone. I believe that anyone requesting solid food in the spiritual sense is not ready for it. In the Hebrews case, it was not anyone who was learning that made this observation or even made the request - it was the teacher, the leader, (the author) who made this observation and brought this up as teaching. The author knew it was time for the group to move on and said so.

However, I find most people who make this observation on their own or request solid food teaching from others are those who are not yet ready to receive it. It is because they have not yet graduated from milk - the application of the basics of Christianity and obedience to commands that apply to all Christians.

More on this later as I read and study more of Hebrews 5-6. Any thoughts?