just what U mean when U say "Awesome"

I hang round young peeps a lot and one response they often have to something (anything) is "that's awesome". Sometimes they'll even capitalize it for emphasis. Urban online dictionary says "awesome" is an overused adjective to denote something is "cool" or even "great" and it loses its meaning and becomes lame because the noun it gets associated with is just ordinary to most observers, such as "awesome pizza".

Interestingly, the word "awesome" has been around a long time. It was even used by Samson's mother hundreds of years before Christ was born. However, it was not a cultural common slang word thrown around to say something is "cool". It had a special meaning and used sparingly because of the noun it was describing.

"So the woman came and told her husband, saying, 'a man of God came to me and His countenance was like the Angel of God, very awesome to me".  Judges 13:6a

Here Jesus Himself visits a woman barren and without hope of child. He claims she will conceive and bear a child. A child that will be ordained to deliver the people from bondage. I would say this was a pretty big deal, not just cool, not just great pizza.

Maybe we should reserve the word "awesome" for things happening in our life that are orchestrated by God, not us. It is indeed awesome that God moves in our lives for His pleasure. (Philippians 2: 13)

making sense of the "1%"

Much has been said in the recent political campaigns about the "1%". The reference is to the portion of the country that is well off, especially financially. While some have disdain for the well off and others believe that its those who are well off that drive our economy, the fact is no one does not really want to ultimately be in the top "1%". The human desire to do well and be happy is basic in all peeps. There's a debate in how that should occur between personal responsibility and entitlement, but everyone wants well being.

The issue debated is not that peeps do not want to be well off, its what is the source of well being. Yet, the debate on where well being originates is not a political one. The carnal mind assumes we get well by extracting from the world around us what it has to offer to meet our needs. Those that are successful at exchanging something for what they want then tend to be deemed well off.

In the parable of the lepers (Luke 17) ten lepers are healed or cleansed of their disease only by responding to Jesus' command. Yet, one leper who was cleansed returned to Jesus in gratitude and thanksgiving for he knew it was Jesus who not only cleansed him of his disease but also made him well. Being well is not just taking care of difficult circumstances, its receiving by faith the well being given only to us in Grace by Jesus.

Martin Luther says it like this, "God receives none but those who are forsaken, restore health to none but those who are sick, gives sight to none but the blind, and life to none but the dead. He does not give saintliness to any but sinners, nor wisdom to any but fools. In short He has mercy on none but the wretched and gives grace to none but those who are in disgrace."

The top "1%" (metaphoric for the well off) are ultimately those who through faith understand that the well being of our soul is solely a gift to us as we look to and receive provisions and privileges of the Heavenlies and not from the world around us.

Just saying ....