Daily Bread

The next line of the Lord's Prayer is this: Give us this day, our daily bread.

As many of us know (and for those of you that don't) this is a call back to the time when Israel wondered the desert for 40 years.  Each day, God would provide them with mana - which could be made into bread: hence DAILY bread.

In the Lord's Prayer, we say this.

But what do we mean?

Remember, Jesus also once said that man doesn't live by bread alone.  So, are we praying for our daily bread?  True bread?  Or spiritual bread?  Or what kind of bread?

I've heard it preached both ways...and that's exactly what I think it's supposed to be: both.

We are not only praying for our spiritual daily bread...that which we spiritually will live on, but also that we trust God will provide for us.

Exactly how?  That's up to God - that's what we are to trust him with.

But instead of asking God how, we should be asking ourselves if we ARE trusting God to give us our daily bread -whichever we may need daily.

Just today I put some money into my savings account - you know, for the future.  Of course, this means that in the future, should I need it, I am trusting that my BANK will provide me with this money.  But in reality: what might I need this money for?

Certainly I'm not putting it in the bank, under a savings account in MY name, for the poor.  That wasn't the reason for the account.  No, it was for ME.

I put away that money for when I need it.  But what might I need it for?  Car tires?  House payment? In other words: things of this world?

Will I use ANY of this money for someone who is in true need?

I don't know.  I would like to say, YES!  But at the moment, I really don't know.

But I know what I SHOULD do.

So am I really trusting God to give me my daily bread?  In any form?

If I am honest with myself, I have to say no.

No.  I make plans, just in case.  Even spiritually.  If God doesn't come through (as I believe he should) then I have my back up plans - just in case.

Money wise - I truly don't believe God will come through with what I need - after all, I NEED my movies and my car, and my house, and my....and the list goes on.  But do I really need them?

Does anyone?

What are we really praying for here?  Needs or wants?

Do we trust God to provide - however he deems fit, and with what he deems needed?

I don't know that I honestly say that I am.

But I do know that I want to.

And that takes quite a leap of faith - to trust God at his word.

So maybe I will try and change this part of the prayer.  Instead of praying for my daily bread, I will pray for accepting my daily bread.  Because, when it comes down to it -that exactly what I DON'T do - accept my daily bread.

I always want more...for just in case....

The Lord's Prayer - Part One (B)

In reading back, I noticed I failed to point out another, very key, piece to our prayer as well.

The FIRST WORDS!

Duh!

"Our Father..."

Very key words.

They are not, "Our God" or "Our master" or "Our Leader" or "Our Judge" or "Our Supervisor" or "Our Spiritual Police Officer" or "Our ANYTHING."

"Our Father."

Just those words denote something special, something different.  A Father.  A GOD as a FATHER.  This could be a whole different post (and maybe should be) as to what this truly means for us as believers.

A GOD as a FATHER.

No, A GOD as OUR FATHER.

I think this needs to be look at in more depth...

The Lord's Prayer - Part One

In our look at prayer, we are going to take a look at The Lord's Prayer.

However, we will go through this slow and easy.

Remember, we are trying to answer: what exactly IS prayer? What's it for?  What's it look like?

To find out we are looking at the prayer that Jesus gave us as a model: The Lord's Prayer.

It starts: Our Father, who art in heaven...hallowed be thy name...thy kingdom come, thy will be done...on earth as it is in heaven.

For the moment we will start there.

What have we said so far?

For one, we addressed who we are praying to: God.

But then we say, "thy kingdom come, thy will be done."

No doubt, at least in this case, we are admitting that God's kingdom IS coming, and his ultimate will, WILL BE done.

That's a pretty heavy admission!  Humbling too!

Not OUR will, not OUR kingdom - but God's...and it's coming!

Where?

On Earth - as it IS in Heaven.

I have always glossed over this part in the prayer, just rambled it off in order to get through the prayer.  However, now, I realize how heavy of a statement this is, and right at the BEGINNING!

We haven't prayed for anything yet - all we have done is ACKNOWLEDGE what is going to happen...someday.

So the question is: what does this mean in regards to OUR prayers?

I would take it to mean that somewhere (perhaps the beginning) we are to acknowledge that God's will, no matter what, when all is said and done WILL BE done.

And we should take A LOT of comfort in that.

A LOT.

The first part of our prayer is GREAT NEWS!

God will be done!

Seriously, what IS prayer?

Given what my family has recently gone through, I have done a lot of praying.

Now, that isn't to say I don't pray everyday; I do!  But during the time of my father's illness, I prayed more than I usually did.  Heck, I think some days I was in nothing BUT prayer, just to get through the day!

Now that my father has passed, and things are "relatively" getting back to normal - or as I tell my clients: there is no normal, only average.

But back to prayer.

At first, I was praying that my Dad would be healed.  That he would gain his strength, be able to have surgery, and get to have him with us for a few more years.  Eventually, my prayers were not so....grand.  They were down to the point of just asking that my Dad have a good night sleep.

As the days passed, after Dad died...I continued to pray...but I didn't know exactly what to pray for.

After all, God knows what's going on.  I'm not telling him anything new.  I'm not giving him any information that he isn't privy to.

Given this, I reverted back to what I do in real times of stress and worry: I pray the prayer Jesus taught us.

"Our Father, who art in heaven..."

You know the rest.

I figure, if Jesus said to pray it - there must be a reason!

But what is that reason?

What is the reason for prayer in the first place?

I know we are supposed to - but why?  Because God wants to hear a bunch of us complain about our lives and ask for help?

I hope not!

I'm sure he'll hear any prayer that we offer to him, but is that truly the purpose?

According to the words of the Lord's prayer that doesn't seem to be the case.

I have heard other teachers say that the Lord's prayer isn't so much a word-by-word prayer we should say, but a guide to prayer.

I believe this to be true - however, I don't see a problem with the word-by-word part.  If it was good enough for Jesus, it should be good enough for me! And it usually is.

But what is the breakdown of the prayer?  How is it a guide?

I don't exactly know, I have forgotten the sermons I listened to that spoke about it, but I have some ideas of my own.

In the next post I'll take a look at the first part of the prayer.

"Our Father, who art in Heaven.....on earth as it is in Heaven."

If you have any ideas, or opinions or beliefs, or input on how you pray, please share!

Religion and Sci-Fi

If you are a sci-fi (even horror) fan, you might have noticed that sometimes Sci-fi and religion seem to highlight each other - or at least, have similarities.

Why?

Well, if you are interested, there's a great interview, regarding the book Religion and Science Fiction can be found HERE!

I highly recommend reading the interview.  Myself, I will be on the hunt for the book!

God vs. Disease

Last post I looked at the challenge: why doesn't God grow back limbs?

If you would like to read it, it's right below this one!

In this post, I will dive into the world of diseases.

Unlike the last post, this one is very personal...my father passed away in September of mesothelioma.

Did I pray he would be healed?  Yes.
Did I pray for a miracle?  You bet.
Then why didn't God answer?  Good question.

In short: I don't know.

But, I'm not here to provide a short answer.  I'm not here to provide ANY answer, because, like I said, I don't know.

However, I can give a few opinions and thoughts...so that's what I'll do.

When we ask the questions: why didn't God heal (insert name here)?  We are really asking this:  How come other people get healed but I don't? Or how come bad people get healed and my Dad didn't?

See, we are really asking why one thing (us, or our loved one got healed) didn't happen over another (someone ELSE getting healed).

For some reason, WE think we know who SHOULD and SHOULDN'T be healed.  In a way, by asking such a question we are making ourselves better judges than God.

But let's back up.

Some days I am jealous of the folks in the Bible.  They seem to have all these miracles, and conversations with God and Jesus, and well....crap, I can completely understand their faith in that context!

That's about all I'm jealous of, though.

Now, I like camping, and roughing it from time to time, but I doubt my cushioned butt would last very long back in those days.

That and I don't speak ANY of the languages that were prominent then...so, that would be an issue too.

Today, though, to see a miracle is...well, a MIRACLE!

Some folks claim to have seen one, or two...For me, like a ghost - I have never seen a miracle.  At least on par with healings and such.

So now we can come back to our question: why do some people see and get miracles and other people do not?

I wish I knew.

That's faith.

Faith is, in part, knowing that why we DON'T know, there IS a reason.

Faith to know, that in spite of never seeing a miracle or experiencing a miracle...I shall not be jealous of those who have.

For one - like the events of our daily lives, there is much going on that we don't know that ends up effecting our day...like the Butterfly Effect.  Someones spilled coffee on their way out the door to work, leads to them rear-ending us on their way home from work.  In between those two events, numerous, perhaps COUNTLESS events take place.

Like the bumper sticker says: Shit Happens.

How does this relate to diseases?

After all, my spilled coffee didn't lead my Dad to dying from mesothelioma.

No, but asbestos did.

Somewhere along the line, my Dad was exposed to enough asbestos to eventually take his life.  This is such a variable in his life, we can't even pinpoint where or how...and to even continue to try is fruitless, and a waste of time.

But why didn't God heal him?

Like in the real world, in the spiritual world there is more going on that we know of.

Too out there for you?

Huh, you accept God, but not other spiritual entities?  Even Jesus believed in them...if they were real enough for him...I rest my case.

Did Satan cause my Dad to die?

No, life did.  Life as we know know it, that is...not how it's supposed to be.

This is NOT the world God created...we messed it up.  And without going into a rant about the fall, we'll just have to agree - the fall was NOT a good thing.

Sin, evil, you name it abounds! (for now)

The "bad" that we see happen is only the harvest that we have sown...it's the fruit of our labor.  Now, certainly we can't all take "blame" for diseases, but we certainly can take enough blame to go around.  Not every disease is just a random even - there are causes.  Smoking can give you lung cancer - so if you smoke (like I did) you run that risk...can we really blame anyone/anything else?

And can we really get mad at God for not healing us or a loved one then?

And what does it say that we are mad at God because he "failed" to heal us in THIS life, while promising a better one in the NEXT.

Should we wish for death?  Of course not, and to think it is missing the point...

What about my Dad...wasn't he a victim?

Maybe he was, maybe he was completely innocent and did nothing to "deserve" his illness.

What does that mean?

It's only a reflection of the world we have created.  Fairness doesn't inherently exist.

Shit happens. (sorry Mom!)

If my faith then tells me that my father is with my Father...what does it say about me if I were to be angry that my Dad is gone?

Honestly,  that I'm selfish.

I miss my Dad, more than I can express.  But if given the chance, would I "make" my Dad come back to live with me, in this world, rather than be with God?

How selfish is that!?

I know my Dad loves me, and I will see him again WITH GOD.  But to get mad at God for not healing my Dad when there is so much more going on here and in the spiritual world - it just goes to show how short sighted I am.

While I hesitate to say it was God's will and God had a reason to take my Dad the way he did, I do know one thing:  God's will CAN come out of it.

Having faith in God isn't that he will show up and rescue us at the last minute, or that he will stop the tide of trouble...but that if we truly have faith IN HIM that we will get through it, and good CAN and WILL come out of it.

It's not what happens to us in life that matters, it's how we act AFTER.

We will experience all the world has to offer, even us Christians - it offered Jesus no less.  But what matters, what counts, is what do we do when it does...

My Dad is gone...from here.

I can't call him.  I can't hug him.  I can't work on the house with him....

But I can love him.
I can still learn from him.
I can talked to him.

I can still feel him.

And while I still feel the pain of his death...I can't help but think of other people, other boys who grew to be men that didn't have a father.  Especially a father like mine.

For 34 years I was blessed to be protected, loved, cherished, sacrificed for, by this man...in a way, how dare I ask for more, or be mad that it "wasn't enough" when there are far more out there who never HAD or will HAVE what I did...

And I think Dad would remind me of that, if I ever got to selfish.

So why didn't God heal my Dad?

I don't know.

But I do know this: It's okay that I don't.

Why Doesn't God Grow Back Limbs?

One form of recreation I have is listening to debates between atheists and Christians.

During such a debate, the atheist brought up miracles - rather, lack thereof - as disproof of God.  His main contention?  God must have something against people who lose their limbs.  After all, if God can heal a diseased person, why couldn't he just grow back a limb?  Especially one lost to war or other tragedy?

At first thought, it does seem to be a valid question...and a tough one to counter at that.  What is a limb compared to a disease?  Certainly he can do it, right?  After all he is all powerful!

Not to mention all the publicity God would get if someone actually DID have their arm grown back!  Think about it, an Iraq war vet who lost his/her leg via IED and glory of glories their leg grew back, thanks be to God!!!

So, why not then?

Seems reasonable doesn't it?  It did to the atheist.

Perhaps that's the problem though.  It "seems" reasonable.

Clearly we aren't the plum bob for reason, as humans.  Many bad things have been done in the name of "seemed reasonable at the time."

Do we truly think we are more reasoned than God?  Do we honestly think that if it were truly reasonable to do such a thing, God wouldn't?  Sure, at times we think we are more reasonable than God - we try to outsmart him with our reason.  Yet at the end of the day, if we are honest, we know better - reason isn't our strong suit.

So why might God not grow back a limb?  Especially one of a veteran. They would deserve it, right?

Let's get the deserve out of the way.  We deserve NOTHING.  None of us.  And no, not the vet.  Though while they may have served our country - are they any better than any of us who didn't?  Why would a vet be anymore important that a child who lost their leg?  And is that child any more important or special that the pastor who, too, lost their arm?

See where this is going?  We can all make a case for who would "deserve" this special healing.  However, none of us are truly deserving of anything, including the Grace that is given to us.  So what do we value more?  A leg, or Grace?

And that's the crux of the issue.

It doesn't come down to what God can/can't, will/won't do - it's our VALUE.

We VALUE the human BODY more than we should.  Take a look at the newsstand, or watch TV for five minutes, or checkout all the diet/fitness books at the store, or the porn industry - we are obsessed with our bodies.  To the point that we evidently see that someone without a leg, arm, all four limbs as such a less person we want God to "fix" them.

And that's the truth.  We honestly don't value human BEINGS as much as we do human BODIES.

We feel bad because someone doesn't have a leg...yet couldn't care less if they have something to eat, a good home to go to, a loving family, or just a friend...

The truth is: we want God to "fix" them so we don't have to be reminded about how obsessed we are with our BODIES.

Yet we are asking God help us in our obsession?

And a loving God would do as such?

If WE truly loved, honored, cherished, treasured the person - it won't matter what part/s of their body is missing or not working correctly.

Rather than seeing them as someone God could fix.

Is that how YOU would like to be looked at?

On Anger

If we are to be truly honest with ourselves about our feelings, we must admit how selfish they are.

Especially anger.

While we might believe anger can serve a cause for good, most times it's not; it's for us.

Oddly, anger is one of those selfish feelings that does more harm to us than others - depending on the severity of our anger and our subsequent actions.

But for the moment let's keep anger within the confines of ourselves.

It serves no purpose.

Anger is not a feeling hope for, search out - in some cases we do - or wake up in the morning wishing to be angry at some point during our day.

Rather, anger comes upon us.  It "happens" or someone "makes" us angry.  And more and more these days, there are more and more ways we "become" angry.

"Don't make me angry," pre-Hulk would say.  "You won't like me when I'm angry."

Take a quick look around at the bookstore - there are rows and rows of books on how to "beat" stress and "anger."  Why is that?  With all these books shouldn't we be making progress?  Shouldn't there be less books?

Why haven't we figured out how NOT to be angry?

Perhaps because we aren't looking at the right cause of our anger: ourselves.

Of course, a book that blames US for OUR problems might not be a best seller - even if we know it's true, we don't want to hear it.

But it IS true.  Whether we like it our not, we are the cause of most of our problems in life and the anger that follows.

Think of the last time you were angry at someone - most likely they didn't something (big or small) that YOU didn't want/like them to do.

Have you ever gotten angry at someone for ALL WAYS doing what you want them to?  Though I could see how that might be annoying - however that just proves my point as well.

Anger, for us, all ways involves OUR expectations of someone or a situation.  When it doesn't go the way WE want, we chose to get angry.

That's right, we CHOSE to be angry.

Think back to that last time you were angry at someone.  You chose to be angry at them, because you could have NOT been angry at them.  But that's not how you wanted to feel.  You wanted TO BE angry - as if your anger was some form of punishment.  You wanted them to know you were angry.  Why?

Is our anger at someone THAT MUCH of a punishment?


Clearly not as evident by people who know us still "make" us angry...Our wrath is not so fearful.

But why else do we, should we, get angry?  For what purpose might anger serve?  Be useful for? Can it be the "gift" Rage Against the Machine says it is?

What things are good to be angry at?  Is there people that DO deserve our anger?

Injustice?

Sure, I suppose.  But are we angry at the perpetrators of "injustice" or the act itself?  For if we are angry AT the perpetrators, are we not just being selfish again - they aren't measuring up to our expectations of them.

Can we be angry at "something" like injustice?  How do we know when we see it?  When it makes us angry?

Are people ever helped by anger?

Have you ever been thanked for your anger?

Do we fill books with quotes of anger because they are so valuable?

Should we honor anger?

What good can anger bring to the world?

Or maybe anger is not what it seems. There's a feeling, for sure, that things in the world AREN'T the way they are SUPPOSED to be.  We all feel it.  But we can't put our finger on it.  We can't even fully express it.  Anger then becomes a substitute.

I believe that while we say anger pushes us to action - it doesn't.

Does it push us to protest or to protect?

To screaming or soothing?

To hurting back or helping more?

Sparking riots or building communities?

What purpose does anger serve?

I'm not sure I know anymore...if I ever did.

Guest Post!

It's been some time since my last post.  For good reason...which we might get to later on.

However...I will be guest posting over at The Schires Five which (full disclosure) is my sister's blog - which if you take a look around is full of interesting little tid bits from cooking, being frugal, to faith and family!  Check it out and check out my guest post this Thursday!

Take Care.

Who Is To Blame?

We blame.  We blame A LOT.  We blame the ref for a bad call, traffic for making us late, the Democrats for ruining the economy - or wait is the Republicans? Maybe it's both.  We blame the terrorists, we blame the fundamentalists, we blame the atheist, the Christian, the Muslim, the guy down the street who's lawn is always a mess, those people - you know the ones - can't trust them, we blame the mortgage company because WE didn't read the fine print, we blame the kids at McDonald's earning minimum wage for having to wait TWO MINUTES before we could stuff our face with grease and fat, heck we blame McDonald's for making us fat, we blame eggs for our heart attacks and Phillip Morris for our lung cancer,  we blame our boss when we are fired, blame the homeless for decreasing our home value, blame the rich that we don't have money to buy groceries, blame the bleeding heart liberals because our taxes are too high, blame the homosexuals for ruining OUR family values, we blame those wacky Christians that Adam and Steve can't get married, we blame...boy do we blame.  Kid gets hurt?  Who's to blame!  I get sick, it's got to be someone else's fault!  Blame!

Sadly, if we made a list of everything and everyone we blamed for what went on in our lives, well heck, we might just about blame everything and EVERYONE!

Why do we blame?  Because we can.  Especially here in America.  We are a blaming society.  One only has to listen to any given conversation at any given time to hear someone or something get blamed for...(insert problem here).  Heck, we blame others for NOT stopping us from doing something stupid.  Have you ever said, "Why didn't you stop me?"  Yeah, that's called blame.

We blame because it's easy.  9/11? Terrorist of course! See?  Easy.

We blame because we don't want to take responsibility, or think we might have some part in the problem.

In short, we don't want to take the time to understand why something happened the way it did, or why someone acted the way they did.  We want to blame, then we want JUSTICE!  That is, unless someone blames us for something, then we want mercy and understanding.

God is not free from our blame either.  How often have we dug our own holes, so deep we pray for help to get out of it.  And when said help doesn't come, we blame God that we are still in the hole.  After all, he has the power to help us, so it only stands to reason that he should, right?

There is a saying, "When you point a finger at someone, there are three pointing back at you."

Jesus said something similar, "Remove the plank from your own eye, before you help someone remove their speck."

Plank and speck...quite a difference isn't there?

That's the other reason, maybe the main reason we blame...if we didn't, we might have to remember our planks.  And we don't want to do that.

Do we really get to blame?  That is a question we should ask too.  Are we in any position to blame?  To point a finger, to point out a fault, to find a reason to punish in the name of justice?

What does Jesus say?

Something we don't want to hear: Love your enemy.

Say What? (or in those ATT commercials Say Butt?)

Love. Your. Enemy.

Okay, but what does that have to do with blame?

Well, nothing, because if we are loving someone we can't blame them can we?  If we are truly loving someone, and they do something that might hurt us, do we get to blame them for our pain?

Doesn't appear so.

After all, does Jesus point his finger at you and blame you for his crucifixion?

Oh, we know we are to blame, there's no doubt about that...but we aren't blamed.  Jesus, God, the Holy Spirit don't blame us...oddly, Jesus willingly took the punishment (blameLESS as he was) that we deserved, and didn't even want a thank you...only for us to do the same "take up your cross daily."

Love understands, it doesn't, it never blames.

"That which we understand, we can't blame." Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe.

If we truly love, then we strive to understand.  Love our enemies, means not only to pray for them, but to understand them.  Do we understand why we were attacked on 9/11?  I don't truly think we do.  I don't truly think we want to either, because as unpopular as it might be to say: we might not want to discover that we might have some blame to share.

So, who is to blame?

All of us.  All that is wrong in the world, all the hurt, the suffering, the you-name-it...we are all to blame.  We all in some form or another by what we do or don't do have contributed to it.

And if we are all to blame...well then, perhaps we can put down our fingers, start working on our planks and maybe, just maybe, get some real love spreading through the world.

Sometimes you have nothing to say...

It's been awhile since I have posted.  As I was thinking about what topic to post on, I realized that I didn't really have one for now.

And that's okay.

Sure being a blog, people like to comeback to read something new.  For me, however, this is an outlet.  And as such, not always do I have something to blog about.  Perhaps, I'm too busy or too tired...or more recently, dealing with a family health issue.

Whatever the reason, I could kick myself for not posting, but I won't.  I will still post.  I'll get back into the swing of things...just not today.

And that's okay.

Book Review - "The Cost of Discipleship" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

I have read many quotes by Bonhoeffer, and many people have quoted him and spoke of his amazing life.

A true disciple of Jesus if there was one in our modern age.  I highly recommend just finding out about the man, let alone reading "The Cost of Discipleship."

TCD is a challenging book.  Not because it's hard to read, or understand, but because it does just that - it's challenges.

If you've ever admitted that you "fall short" of the glory of God this book will show you more.

Yes, at times you will feel "guilty" and "convicted" but at the same time, you get a clearer, more direct, more honest look at your own walk with Christ - and how much we are not only falling short with God, but ourselves!

With Jesus, yes, we have great responsibility, but what a responsibility it is!  Truly, the cost of discipleship is high, but the rewards are even higher (and I'm not just talking about heaven).

Bonhoeffer doesn't pull any punches and gives insight to the Sermon on the Mount that perhaps you might not have heard - I know I hadn't.

It's a quick read, but don't let that fool you, it's a deep one as well.

This was the first book, or any writings for that matter, by Bonhoeffer I have read - I will certainly read more!

Billy Graham in Quotes - A Review

Where does one start?

If you've read or have heard Dr. Graham before you know the way he has with words. This book highlight, perhaps, the best of what Dr. Graham has had to say in his long life as an evangelist.

In the book, Dr. Graham is quoted on a wide variety of topics such as: Sin, Salvation, the world, Jesus, young people, family, evil, money, and a whole lot more!

What you read is straight-from-the-heart, no-holds-barred, and uncompromising. Billy says what he means, means what he says for sure.

To quote: "If we are at peace with this world, it may be because we have sold out to it and compromised with it." - From the chapter Billy Graham on compromise.

My only complaint, if you could even call it that, is the structure of the book itself. More to the point, how the chapters are ordered. Perhaps I've ready way to many Christian books, but it is odd to find Jesus in the middle of the book, rather than at the end. Or maybe not!

One thing is for sure, I can say this isn't a book you would regret taking the time to read. It will both inspire and challenge you, for which you will be all the more better because of it.

And as always: I have received this book free for my review through Booksneeze. In no way was my review influenced by the author or publisher of this book. For more information please visit: Booksneeze.com

Ministry Today - the magazine

First, did you even know there was a magazine called "Ministry Today?"

You can check them out HERE!

But let me back up a second...

I am a sucker for kids selling stuff.  Maybe because I had to sell ads and wreaths growing up and hated every second of it - I am NOT a salesman.  Whatever the reason, if I answer the door - you'll probably make a sale!

The long/short of it: I subscribed to Ministry Today...as I was starting (still working on) my ministry and thought maybe this mag could help.

My thoughts?

It's just another magazine.

Articles to sell ads.

The cover looks no different than what you'd expect for any other magazine - a list of articles promising the latest fad or "technique" to do __________ (whatever you are looking to do).

Really?

Sure the "content" is different, yet the style and execution is exactly the same.  My current issue states the following on the cover:  "Discover IHOP-KC'S Strategy for: Keeping platform ministry pure, spirit-led children's ministry, fasting more effectively...

What?

Fasting more effectively?

How is that different than when Men's Health has an article on: More effective push-ups?

I hate to be cynical (okay, maybe I don't) but what the he(xx)?

Effective fasting?

Have we reduced following Christ to "effective fasting?"

Want to know how your music can "go beyond worship?"  (also in this edition)

I'm not sure what I expected, but I know it WASN'T this.

But before I get tooooooooo cynical, I take the words of Jesus to heart: Those who aren't against us, are for us.

So, while I may disagree with their methods (as I'm sure they would certainly disagree with mine) I leave it to God to decide.  If he is cool with it, than I will be as well - though I don't have to support them by renewing my subscription, which I won't.

Are nuggets of gold to be found?

I'm sure...in fact, I found an article written by a friend's pastor (which I gave him the issue).  If even for that fact, alone, the magazine is worth it.

When it all comes down to it - who am I to knock them down?

If this magazine might possibly influence the new Billy Graham, than I shall humbly step out of the way....

A humble thanks...

Last month IFC podcast hit 500 downloads!

Now, I don't have the software to show me who is downloading the podcast, but regardless - I am quite humbled.

That 500 people would subject themselves to one man rambling on about his faith...

...makes me wonder: don't they have anything better to do?!

So, I guess I should say thank you for listening, but then I ask myself: do I have anything worth listening to?

After all, I'm just a man working out his faith...I don't pretend to have anything to offer than my thoughts as they come to me.

If you have suffered through one of my podcasts (and are not my mom!) then I humbly thank you for at least your attention and hope that you could take away...something.

Chris

The God Delusion - A quick review.

I was planning to do a multi-part review of Richard Dawkins' book The God Delusion.  However, after further consideration, I have decided not to.

This blog, this ministry, I wish to focus on positive things.  And while someone might think tearing down TGD is good, it doesn't help.

Let's be honest, my review is not going to change any minds - much like the book failed to change mine.

For the book, I will say this: I was disappointed.  If it challenged ANYONE to seriously question their faith, I would wonder it's strength to begin with.

If you do wish to find a critique on this book can find many out there.  Mine, however, will not be one of them.

Chris

Book Review - The Final Summit by Andy Andrews

"This is mankind’s last chance. Centuries of greed, pride, and hate have sent humanity hurtling toward disaster, and far from its original purpose. There is only one solution that can reset the compass and right the ship, and it consists of only two words."


This is the premise of Andy Andrews' book The Final Summit. A very unique book. I haven't read something quite like it. The main character, David Ponder, is whisked away to presumably heaven to have a "final summit" other "travelers."

I'm not entirely certain what a traveler, but in they include various people from the past: Benjamin Franklin, Winston Churchill, etc. David Ponder, leads this group of travelers in the final summit to save mankind. Their answer can save mankind, if they can only discover what the answer is, and if they can do it in the time provided.

The answer?

Two words.

The Final Summit is filled with interesting historical events and "personal" accounts of such event from "those who were there" This Final Summit will keep you interested in discovering the answer. And while the answer may not be as “exciting” or “big” as you would expect, once you think about it, it starts to make sense.

(NOTE: I have received this book for free through Booksneeze.com.  The review is my own.  I did not recieve this book in return for a positive/negative review.  For more information visit Booksneeze.com)

The God Delusion - Part 2 - The God Hypothesis

The following is a post I submitted to richarddawkins.net so some of it is more geared to the followers of that sight. There I was told my input on the book would be appreciated.  We shall see!

Okay, for those of you who are ravenous here is my perspective. Like Dawkins I'm not much for labels, so rather than saying "Christian" I prefer to say I'm a follower of Jesus.


That being said, let's move on shall we? I know you are ready with your replies. So am I.

I'm skipping right up to Ch 2 - The God Hypothesis.

"The God of the OT is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully."

There's a mouthful.

Strong words from Dawkins who claims later that he's "not attacking any particular version of God or gods. I am attacking God, all gods, anything and everything supernatural, wherever and whenever they have been or will be invented."

Yet, most of his book, in arguments against “God” is against the “Christian” God – including Jesus. Yes, he takes small glimpses at other gods, but still his main focus is on the Christian God. But, then again, he really doesn’t as most of the “attacks” and arguments about God are really only pointed at religion – some of his arguments I agree with.

His opening statement in Ch. 2. However says TO ME two things, which I have pointed out. 1) A lack of understanding of the Bible (which is different than knowledge of). 2) or a purposeful misrepresentation of the Bible for argumentative purposes.

For point 1 it could be innocent lack of understanding from someone who doesn’t dive into the word to fully understand not only the “what’s” of the Bible, but the “why’s” “how’s” and “what’s really going on.”

By the sheer differences of denominations in church points out that this really is not so easy of a task.

Personally, I think if someone makes such a comment they should – if they truly want to be so critical – do a couple things.

1) Provide “proof” from the Bible. Verses, etc.

2) Read, look into, study, various critical analysis of the text that “proves” one’s assertions – such as Dawkins makes.



But Dawkins doesn’t even do step one. He just says it, as if he’s an authority of OT scholarship. Which he never states.

None of you would accept this type of characterization of Dawkins (or Darwin) without AT LEAST someone doing some quoting, or examples…

Though, his character sketch aligns (or influences) yours so no further, critical thinking, work is needed to be done on your (the readers) part.

Remember, Dawkins states that he hopes religious leaders become atheists at the end of his book – that’s a pretty tall order considering said leaders DO critically study the Bible.

Pretty much if I said “evolution is a false, delusional, pathetic, valueless means to describe life as we know it.”

You would AT LEAST want me to back up my argument. Or hint I’m about to do so.

Dawkins does try, later on to justify his statement – but we’ll get to that when he does.

As for attacking God – as of page 41 he hasn’t done so (outside of his statement). He only has attacked religion. He finally says this: “The deist God is certainly an improvement over the monster of the Bible.” And what about the other gods? He doesn’t say. Nor, again, does he even provide even a piece of evidence of this so-called-monster.

Not yet.

Dawkins also states that he doesn’t see any reason “theology” should be a subject at all.

I could see why he would think so.

Also on page 57 he asks the question: …by what criteria do we then decide which of religion’s moral values to accept?

By religion, he means the Bible. Yet, not an attack on God (any/all) just on religion.

But this argument again implies that 1) Dawkins is a Biblical scholar and understands all of what is going on in the Bible. 2) Given this “fact” there is no further need to look into those section of the Bible for possible further understanding. Or 3) again, deliberate misleading on Dawkins’ part.

I for one subscribe to point – 1. Just for clarification.

The rest of this chapter is more attacks on religion and not so much on God. I didn’t highlight, but a quick scan reveals no quotes from the Bible…nor attacks on any/all gods as he claimed.

I know you are probably chomping at the bit to tell me to “prove” my claims that Dawkins isn’t representing the Bible correction (for either stated reason).

I will…but not now. Dawkins doesn’t feel the need to “prove” his assertions at this point in the book, so I don’t feel the need to “prove” mine in this post.

I’ll just follow his lead.

However, that shouldn’t stop you from looking into yourself.

Next post: Argument’s For God’s Existence

Peace and Love

Chris

The God Delusion (a review) - Preface

Well, I might as well start at the beginning.  The Preface.

Dawkins states his book, "..is intended to raise consciousness - raise consciousness to the fact that to be an atheist is a realistic aspiration, and a brave and splendid one."

Interesting wording.  One can aspire to be an atheist?

But really, all the Preface does is allude to what will be "discussed" in the chapters ahead.  I put "discuss" in quotes because, well, it's not a discussion.  Anything he is against, doesn't get a true look - but, hey it's his book, he can do what he wants.

Dawkins does go on to say that "for atheism nearly always indicates a healthy independence of mind and, indeed, a healthy mind." and that he hopes religious leaders will be atheists at the end of the book.

Also in the premise, it becomes quite clear - Dawkins dislikes religion (of any, but mainly Christian).  And that yes, to believe in a deity, one is not only delusional, but as he stated, perhaps not one of sound mind.

The main point of the preface is that of pointing us to certain sections, if we were so inclined, rather than feeling that we had to read straight through.

Overall, nothing enlightening.

Peace and Love

Chris

New Podcast - I Prayed For Osama bin Laden

New podcast is up and ready!  Check it out Here!

Facing the Giant (or) Will Richard Dawkins Kill My Faith?

Today I picked up a copy of The God Delusion, by Richard Dawkins - a "god" among atheists.

I have seen him speak, heard him debate, and read his quotes, and I have glanced at this book, but I have never read it front to back.

Of his books available, I figured the one that dealt with God would be the one to start with.  And since I'm a firm believer that you aren't really sure what you believe, until it's been challenged, I figured I should challenge what I believe - what better way than facing the Giant?

Richard has admitted, that he's it out to "kill a religion" - Christianity.

So, can his book kill my faith?

I guess we shall see!

As I read through, and find something of interest, I will try and post it AND as usual, comments are welcomed (don't be afraid!)

Peace and Love

Chris

God and Genocide - is there any justification?

One argument that atheist bring up, and Christian's struggle with is the issue of God mandating the genocides of the Cannaanite people, and some other "laws" that seem to us to be, well barbaric (including slavery).

While I would love to be the one to address this issue, far smarter people have done so already.  The following link: God a Moral Monster? is an excellent article.

A must read, and a good read too!

Peace and Love

Chris

Praying for the enemy...

In a recent post on redletterchristians.org, someone had (a bit snidely) suggested that we not only pray for OBL, but also the people that are fighting and killing our troops.  Not only that, but to ask for God to bless them and comfort them.

I got to thinking - great idea!  It's easy to pray for the well-known, but what about those are in the mix and fighting it out everyday?  Should we not pray for them as well?

So, I did...

I prayed for everybody.  Our soldiers, theirs, even the poster who suggested we do it.

I have to say, it was one of more heartfelt prayers I have prayed recently.

I highly recommend it.

Name Our New Podcast!

Perhaps the last thing the world needs is another podcast, but since they are so dang easy to do, and put on the interweb...and dang it we like to talk, me and a couple buddies will be producing a new podcast ministry.

A couple things before you either jump up and down in excitement or dread.

Yes, this will be a "Christian" podcast...as the three of us are, and we will be discussing Christian issues.

However, we aren't going to be "nice" about it.

What does that mean?

Well,  we believe there is an unreached segment of people that kind of have the idea that Christians are boring, bland, and stuffy.

Three descriptions which don't fit us - at least we don't think so.

What our goal is, is quite simple: we want to show a more real, raw side of our faith.  Three men trying to follow Jesus as best we know how.

We aren't squeaky clean, nor are we going to pretend we are on this podcast.  We, in fact, will be as real as possible as we discuss topics, issues, and questions.

While we may tell you what we think, we won't try to tell you what to think.

A walk with Christ is a journey, and we wish to show you that journey in the most real fashion possible.

We aren't experts.  None of us are theologians.

We are just three men, trying to follow Christ.

Now...the only issue is: we haven't a name.

So, just because I can...I'm opening up a contest for a name based on the description above, or just a cool name if you come up with it.

Winning name will get a $25 Zazzle Gift Certificate. (Purchased by me, because we have no sponsors to do this)

I will put a deadline of May 31st.

To enter, just email me (Chris) at justoneministries@hotmail.com.

Simple as that.

Good luck!

Love Your Enemy? Including Osama bin Laden?

While fitting with our Western Culture idea of "justice" the picture to the left doesn't quite fit does it?

Yet, if one were to glance about at some Christian blogs recently, one might think this is the kind of Jesus we believe in.

Certainly looks tough, and perhaps a bit cool...certainly more manly than what we are used to...but is it correct?

With the murder of Osama bin Laden, many Christians are dang near rejoicing.  An evil man has been removed from the planet - and some speculate that he is in hell.

Maybe he is, maybe he isn't.  I'm not going to debate that here.

What I wish to bring up is the command Jesus gave us of "Love Your Enemy."

Now, post this (as I have) on some of those blogs and see what you get.  What you get is a laundry list of Bible verses (predominantly Old Testament) pointing out God's wrath and judgement and "destruction" of evil.  Can't argue with the fact those versus exist.

Yet, what does Jesus tell us?

Love Your Enemy.

As in my previous post, this brings up the question of authority.  Does Jesus have authority, or does the Bible.  One or the other has authority.

I'm going with Jesus on this one.

He says, despite what I would rather do, to love my enemy.  No wiggle room, no grey area...it's right there!  Love your enemy.

Now, I don't really care what you can bring to me in the way of "evidence" in the Bible that you might have found that shows that killing OBL was righteous...because, well, I'm going with Jesus on this one.

Take it up with him.  He gave a commandment - follow it, or don't...but don't try fool yourself: he meant what he said.

As a disciple we are to be like our teacher: Jesus.

How many people did Jesus kill?

In fact, he could have killed someone, and he would have been correct, just, and in his divine right to do so.  Yet, well, he didn't.

Of course, this is where you get a bunch of "what if" questions:  what if we didn't fight Hitler, etc.

Those questions, while they may seem to be a valid question, really are shallow in their context and cause us to rule out history and the relationship of cause and effect.

As for violence, sure it may remove a symptom (ie. OBL, Hitler) but it doesn't and NEVER HAS solved a problem.

Also, if ANYONE can find me a list Jesus gives us of all the exceptions to this rule are, I would love to see it.

It's clear, we are taking matters into our own hands...matters that if we were true to our faith, we would leave up to God.  God tells us to do just that.  Yet, we act as if we don't trust him.

Killing Osama bin Laden...

We call it justice...but does God?

Guess we won't know, we decided not to find out.

Book Review - Story Engineering by Larry Brooks

"From story concept to character development to scene construction and beyond, this blueprint for dynamic storytelling makes putting together a strong novel, memoir, or screenplay easier than ever."

Pretty strong words.

I have read many books on writing from technical to "organic."  While one can find a nugget of info among the many pages, most tend to be a waste of time.

Of the select few that don't waste your time: this is one of them.

I purposely selected this book, thinking that I might get to blast it for it's all talk - no show (as many "how-to's" on writing are), but I was taken by surprise.  Believe me, I wanted to be able to rip this book apart; thinking this was just another book geared toward taking money from your wallet with "vague" ideas, such as create great characters, rather than truly trying to help you.

I don't that chance.  Brooks has provided us writers, and hopefuls, with a valuable book.

Despite how you write (technical vs. organic) there is much to be learned from this book.  Brooks talks about six core competencies that EVERY writer needs to know and incorporate in their novel if they are looking to publish.

And while on a couple we might say, "Duh," it's more than knowing, and Brooks reveals - it's about application and execution of these competencies.

Some may balk at his "blueprint" for writing, claiming it stifles creativity, but as Brooks points out we all have a skeleton and similar make up (blueprint) yet we are all unique.  Thus it can be for a story.

I highly recommend this book as it goes beyond what you should write but how it needs to be written.

(I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.)

On What, or who's, Authority?

It has been an interesting week seeing the different responses "Christians" have been posting in regards to Osama Bin Laden's death.  I put the word in quotes because, well on the interweb it's a bit hard to tell who's being real and who's being funny.

Sadly, many of the comments I have read I truly believe to have come from "Christians."  Christians who are happy, and delighted, at the death of OBL.  Some even speculating it was God's will that he be killed.

Yet, the more I thought about it, the more I couldn't agree with them.

After all, Jesus said it bluntly:  Love your enemy.

I posted this myself.  And then came the shots.  No, not too many were mean, some had the notion I didn't have a firm grasp of Biblical teachings - which I will admit too always, until the day I die (shouldn't we all?)

What was amazing was all the "evidence" they pulled out from the Bible to show how killing your enemy was fine, if not justified.

At first glance, I would almost agree that they had a case.  Yet, that would only be true if not for one thing:  Jesus said, "Love your enemy."

There is no question there.  He does not go on to list exceptions to this rule.  He does not list certain circumstances in which killing one's enemy is okay, if not justified.

Three words, couldn't have been plainer.

He wasn't in the middle of a parable.

He was speaking the truth, he was speaking as one with authority.

Which begs two questions we each must answer: Who has the final authority.  The Bible, or Jesus?  And honestly, you can't follow both.

One MUST have more authority over the other.

Either Jesus has more over the Bible (regardless of what it might say) or does the Bible hover above Jesus and he must fit within the front and back covers?

The other question is this:  Did Jesus mean what he said?

Jesus gave NO indication that this was up for debate or that he was using hyperbole.  So he must have meant it, because if he didn't mean it, why would he say it?

He couldn't lie, he couldn't have steered us incorrectly, or he couldn't have been kidding...in fact he seem to go to some lengths to ensure that we understood "Love your enemy" was EXACTLY what he meant when he said it.

Now we may not like this little fact, this tid bit of information because as a culture (especially American) this does not fit well with our view of "justice."

THAT is another part of the problem.  Our brand of justice DOES NOT fit with God's...in fact there is more evidence of "justice" for God meaning giving and helping, than it does punishing.

For if we were truly more Christ-like, we most likely wouldn't have some of the issues now that we feel the need to "punish."

I'm not saying we chuck the Bible.  But when we read and study the Bible, we must keep in mind who has authority over what.

Jesus has the final word - hence we are Christians.

Now, if something in the Bible (seems to) contradict what Jesus taught, we MUST error on the side of Jesus and do some digging and study to find out if the contradiction truly exists.

Loving your enemy isn't easy.  Of course, Jesus never said it would be.  But it IS what he commands us to do, there is no question about that.

If we are to submit to him and his authority, we must submit to this command.  Regardless of what we FEEL should happen to our enemies.

Following Jesus isn't complicated, he does have a light yoke, but it is difficult - especially in this world.

Peace and Love,

Chris

New Podcast! - Don't Follow Jesus

Title almost speaks for itself...almost!

Don't Follow Jesus Podcast

Thoughts or questions please share them here.

In your Father's arms...

One of my favorite memories as a kid was water skiing with my dad around the lake.

What was special about it was it was before I could ski, so the only way the two of us could water ski was with him holding me in his arms - while holding the rope and maintaining balance.

Out there on the lake it was just the two of us skiing.

If we talked, I don't recall - we didn't need to, the moment was special enough.

If we ever fell, I don't remember.

If we did, it must not have ever bothered me because I remember it being such a thrill!

Sure it was "dangerous", sure I could have gotten hurt...but I had COMPLETE trust in my dad.  He was Dad, and I was in his arms - in his arms I truly believed no matter what, I would be okay.

If I hadn't have trusted Dad, I would have never had that the opportunity to ski with him like that.  I would have missed out on something special.

Can we say the same when it comes to God?  Do we trust him the same way?  Completely...willing to give complete control over to him?

I know I don't.  Not as often as I would like to.

God calls us into many situations that, at first glance, may appear "dangerous" or "scary."  We might get hurt: emotionally, financially (how we view money), spiritually (we might lose a deeply held belief), etc.

We may even "lose" something: friends, comfort, our perceived "safety", status, religion...

Yet, we must trust that despite what we see with OUR eyes, God is calling us into a special experience meant just for us to share with Him.

Sometimes I believe we know EXACTLY what God is calling us into, we just hope that he'll offer us something a bit more safe.

If we just hold out long enough.

Yet, it has been my experience that God is far more patient that us, and while he will offer us other experiences: they aren't necessarily "safer."

I trusted my Dad completely, and still do - God?  eh...that, I must admit, needs (quite) a bit of work.

But I am learning, and growing to trust God...and it only happens when we take that first leap of faith.  God's arms are waiting, ready to catch you and take you on an experience that you will never regret and never forget...you just need to JUMP!

And when God let's go of the rope and you both ski gently close to the dock, you'll never be the same..

"...Our daily bread."

When you pray the Lord's prayer and get to "give us this day, our daily bread" do you really believe that?  Are you really asking for ONLY your daily bread.

I haven't and I don't.

We certainly don't as a culture.  We are a culture of "more" rather than a culture of "enough."

We want more.  I want more.

I don't want my daily bread, I want my weekly bread, my monthly bread, yearly bread, enough bread that I can tuck some away, bread to fall back on, bread insurance to replace my bread if I lose my bread in a fire or if it's stolen, I'll even gamble some of my bread if it means that I might be able to win MORE bread, I'm jealous if others have more bread than I do, or if their bread smells better, or is better looking, or makes better sandwiches, I've left jobs I have loved to ones I tolerate for more bread, I even have a couple of cards that allow me to act AS IF I have bread - for a nominal interest charge, I trade my bread for junk, for crap, for stuff  that within a year after purchase I'll wonder why I bought it in the first place, I have a garage sale to sell said stuff for small amounts of bread so I can make room for more stuff that I buy with my bread, if someone asks me for bread sometimes I pretend I don't have any on me - they might use my bread to buy something I don't think they should have, after all...it's MY bread right?

Next time I pray "give us this day, our daily bread" I'm going to wonder: do I really mean it?

Book Review - Reggie

"Born as a result of a heart-wrenching decision made by his then sixteen-year-old mom, Reggie offers hope and inspiration to those who are stuck in the despair of their broken beginings and are crying out for help." - Back cover from Reggie

Reggie Dabbs’ book doesn’t read exactly like a zero to hero book. Surely, one could argue that being the result of a twenty dollar one-night-stand (as Reggie was) might be considered starting from zero. And for a moment in his life, Reggie DID consider himself just that.
But one day, Reggie realized that he wasn’t a zero. That he was a child of God and that despite what others may think, or how they saw him, he was loved.
Sounds simple, yet sadly that’s isn’t the case for many kids born into similar circumstances; or worse.
That knowledge of being loved, loved by Jesus kept Reggie on a path that now allows him to share this knowledge of love with the kids of the world.

As you read, you’ll find various cross roads for Reggie, to take a different road would have meant a different future - a different outcome. Reggie could have easily become another statistic: either counted among the dead, or imprisoned.
But Reggie didn’t. Reggie knew of his value, his TRUE value, because he knew his Creator. And through this book Reggie offers you the chance to learn about this love as well.

While geared more toward teens, Reggie is book for all who need to remember, that despite our past, our failures, our faults, we are loved by the one who created us.
 
(I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.)

A Look at Suffering - Part Ten - Putting It All Together

So what exactly does all this mean?

Well, for one it means that faith is tougher than we might have first thought - though we usually learn this an even harder way.

It also means that we are more important than we tend to give ourselves credit for.  Yes we are to be humble, and serve, and not put ourselves first, but that doesn't mean we don't have a battle to fight!

God wants, dare I say NEEDS, our help - okay, so in the end he doesn't, but he does ask for our participation.

As my Grandpa would say: participate, don't be part of the problem.

Sometimes by sitting out, or staying away, or letting go and letting God we are inadvertently being part of the problem.

We aren't meant to sit this one out.  We are in the game, we all have a role, a position to play.

Why is there suffering?

Because there are agents and people that are out to do evil - and succeed.

What can we do?  We can fight back.

Our weapons?

Prayer and love.

I know, not the weapons I would chose either, but in all honesty they ARE the most effective.  Perhaps not in the short run, but in the long run - in the run that counts - they are VERY effective.

They are the weapons Jesus used.  And if they are good enough for him...

We want to be Rambo and mow down the bad guys one-arming an M-60...maybe that's just me...But that's not what we are asked to do.  We are asked to do something much, much, MUCH more difficult - I think you know what that is.

And while this won't answer why anyone suffers for any specific reason, I hope that it gives you a bit broader perspective on God and why in general people suffer and how we can and do effect what happens in this world - maybe even the world to come.

Take care.

"You'll get 'em next time!"

It's baseball season once again.  And as proof that God's favorite sport is baseball I offer you this post.

There's an often said, though not so famous phrase said in baseball.  Most people if they've played baseball have heard it, often said it, though outside of the game you're not likely to hear it.

It's most often said when a batter strikes out.  As they make their way back to the dug out, one or two of their teammate will slap them on the back and say, "You'll get 'em next time!"

Unfortunately, because this phrase has been said so often, for soooo many years, it's lost it's luster a bit.  But let's buff it a little bit and take a look at it.

"You'll get 'em next time!"

What a fabulous phrase - and I don't call ANYTHING fabulous.

There are two great points in this phrase.

1) Next time.

Next time!  Yes, there is a next time!  I may have struck out at this at bat, but there will be a next time, a next at bat, another opportunity!

Oh, sure, it may not be in the given game i have struck out in.  Might not be in the next game, if I'm not in the roster, nor will for sure be in the same league or with the same team...but there will be a NEXT TIME!

2) You'll get 'em.

Said flippantly it doesn't mean anything, but if said with a true heart it tells the person, the batter - I know you are capable of more and I have faith that you will do better next time.  But it's not in a condemning way, but in an encouraging way!

You CAN do better, and I bet you WILL!

You CAN get a home run, or a double...I've seen you do it, I have faith you WILL get 'em! Next Time!

We do this, say this because we know they didn't MEAN to strike out and we have seen them do better and know that they WANT to do better and are just as disappointed, if not more so at themselves than we could ever be, so we try to help pick them up.  We don't want this strikeout to affect the rest of their game, they are a part of the team, we need them to be at their best, just like they need us to be!

We might even remind the hitter when they knocked the cover off the ball off the pitcher before and other times they came through at the plate.

One thing we don't do though, is yell and chastise them.  We don't scream at them saying, "How in the hell could you have done that!  You know we needed that hit!  What were you thinking?  Great, now I don't get to hit until next inning!  It's not like you haven't hit the ball before!  Did you even TRY to make contact?"

Of course not...what good would come of that?

Yet, isn't this what we do with our walk with Jesus?

If not just ourselves, to others?  Even if it's just in our head?

I know I have...and still do from time to time.

I shake my head at someone and say, "why did they swing at that pitch?"  "Why did they do THAT?  Clearly that wasn't a good thing."

Sometimes, given the right mood, I might even go about pointing this out to them, and explaining where they went wrong and what they needed to have done and how they could have done it far better than they did because they clearly weren't paying attention or praying about it so God would want me to point these things out to them, I'm just holding them accountable for your actions because if I don't, they might not be aware of what they did wrong.

Is that what Jesus taught us to do?

No.

The job of the coach is to work with each player on what they are good at and what need practice on...WE on the other hand have quite a bit different job: we are to DO OUR BEST and to CHEER each other on and pick each other UP when we are down.

Jesus is our coach...let's let him do his job and let's focus on ours.

So let's start patting each other the back and say, "You'll get 'em next time!"

After all, isn't that what we'd want to hear ourselves when WE STRIKE OUT?

Yes.

So have faith, keep your head up, because I believe YOU WILL GET 'EM NEXT TIME!

A Look at Suffering - Part Nine - What Can We Do?

The Sea of Ambiguity, Boyd calls it.

Paul said it was like looking through a glass darkly...

In other words: we catch glimpses of what is going on, what is happening in the world and in the "world" around us.

Through the other posts, we have discovered that there is more going on than what we see...more than we could possibly know or understand.

Evil exists for many reasons...for many other, hidden, reasons God can't stop the evils from happening.  Nor can he stop the suffering.

Evil is easy to see when it happens to other people, suffering is harder to explain when it happens to you.

But we know it is NOT God's will that evil exists, and persists, nor suffering.

There is much at work, causing and effecting much of what goes on in the world, and whether we can point it our or not - we too, add to this confusion...especially when we stray off our path of following Jesus.

But, in the midst of all this confusion, ambiguity, and darkness is there anything we can do?  Do we even make a difference?

The answer is: YES.

And it's so simple, we overlook it more often than not.

Boyd puts it like this, "There is one more extremely important variable that conditions God's activity in any particular situation."

That variable is PRAYER.

When I first read this, I almost poo-pooed it right off.  Prayer?  Really?  I know I should pray and I do...but then I began to think...why should I pray?

Just to talk to God?  Tell him my wants and needs? (like new tires)  To learn His will for my life?

While they are good, they aren't IT as it comes to prayer.

Prayer has been touted as something that helps us, change us.

God doesn't need our prayers...we need do.

After all, would a truly all-powerful God need anything from us?  Most of us would answer: no.

But Boyd states that this, "variable is about the kind of world God decided to create."

In the previous posts, we only skimmed the surface as to what kind of world this is, the world He created.

Boyd continues, "Scripture teaches that God created a world in which he has significantly bound himself to the prayers of his people."

Jesus seems to agree to this point.  He does teach us a certain prayer: the Lord's Prayer.

In the Lord's Prayer we pray to God that his will be done "on Earth as it is in Heaven."

This would seem to imply, or only make sense, if God's will WAS NOT being done on a consistent basis.

Not only that, but as Boyd points out, Jesus wants us to pray as if God doesn't want to answer our prayers. (Luke 11:5-13; 18:1-8)

Obviously God wants to hear our prayers, but to command it, there must be a good reason...evidently, we might hold a bit more sway than we first thought.

But, we might then ask, why would God created such a world that prayers effect what he can/can't do?

Boyd explains it as this: "Prayer is simply the spiritual side of our morally responsible say-so."

In other words, what we can physically change through our actions (free will) we can spiritually effect as well through prayer.

Does that mean that all our prayers will be answered as we wish?

Of course not...in fact, the prayers God seems to answer seems again...arbitrary at best.

But why?

Why would, does, God answer one prayer over the other.  More to the point, why does God seem to answer flippant prayers by non-pious, non-church going folks, yet won't answer a heart felt, knee-bent, crying out prayer of say...me?

This is another unanswerable questions in terms of specifics.  In general,  it is because of all the other variables taking place...all the other prayers, the other people, the other angels, the other demon, the other you-name-it.

There is much going on in this cosmic war.

But through the authority of Jesus, we can and should have faith that prayer, ALL PRAYER moves God's will further along.

However, we may never see this either.

Perhaps our prayer WAS answered, just not in the way that we would like it to be answered, or expected it to be answered.

Again, specifically, for a certain situation we may - most likely won't - ever know.

But, for me, that is a hard pill to swallow.  Not because I don't believe it, but because I don't like it.

Yet, this is the world that God created.  A world full of risk...and love.  And reluctantly I would agree that it is worth the risk.

Boyd goes on to list 9 variables as it pertains to prayer.  I won't go into them, but I will list them.

1.  God's will.
2. Faith of the person being prayed FOR.
3. Faith of the PEOPLE praying for.
4. Persistence of prayer.
5. Number of people praying.
6. Human free will.
7. Angelic free will.
8. Number and strength of spirit agents.
9. Presence of sin.

Most of these, I'm guessing, you can immediately see how they might affect our prayers.  Others are a bit more complicated.

But we must always remember:  this sea of ambiguity that we are living in, this dark glass we look through is NOT completely because of our fallen world, but because our of FINITE knowledge.

That is: our knowledge while here on earth, does have limitations.

Perhaps on the other side, we'll get a clearer picture...at least, we can pray for that.

A Look at Suffering - Part Eight - A Look at Us...

Up 'til now, we've looked at God and his "role" in suffering in the world.  If you haven't read the previous posts, I suggest that you do - just so things are in context.

Through the previous posts we now know: that we know very little.  Very little about what is truly going on in the world.  Sure, we know it isn't how it's supposed to be, but we don't fully know why it is the way it is.

Nor do we fully know why God can stop some evils from happening and not others.

But we do know: Evil is NOT God's will.  And that we can trust God did what he could and that He CAN bring good out of evil.

What we have yet to look into is our role in suffering.

This isn't a fun one to look at.  We'd rather not admit that we do very little, in the grand scheme of things to alleviate the world of evil.  Nor, would we like to admit that we allow for it to exist and happen.

We hate that it happens...but what do we really do about it?

We point our finger at God and ask him why he doesn't do something about it.  Or we shrug our shoulders and say it's just "God's will."

There is a benefit to that: it relieves us of any and all responsibility.  Evil isn't our fault, it's only the fault of evil people.

But is that true?

Is that what Jesus taught us?

I would argue that our actions/inactions have much, much more to do with suffering than we would care to admit - even under duress!

After all, aren't we all good people?  We certainly like to think we are, and some people even tell us we are!  We don't condone evil, in fact we condemn it!  I shake my head at it when I see it on TV and say, "How awful."

I can hardly see any conceivable way that I  have anything remotely to do with the evils and tragedies in the world - especially the big ones, like genocide in Darfur...heck I'm waaaaaaay across the globe, right?

We might not like to, but we do have to admit it: we allow evil to exist and happen every day.  Our inactivity from doing good, strengthens evil.  When we turn a blind eye to injustice.  When we say, "That's someone else's problem."  When we chose not to help someone because they look like a drunk, or a druggie, or...

Heck, I can list twice as many reasons I "SHOULDN'T" help someone than why I "SHOULD."  Some days - more than I want to admit - the shouldn'ts win out.

But if we are truly followers of Jesus: there isn't anyone who falls under the "shouldn't".  Nobody doesn't deserve help.  There are no reasons not to help when you can.

Either we are all God's children, thus all one family, or we are not.

God didn't give us ANY wiggle room.

Cain asked, "Am I my brother's keeper?"

The answer is YES!

And we can't truly start to help people until we are honest with ourselves regarding the lack of LOVE we give and the amount of EVIL we allow.

Evil doesn't have to be grand, big, headline making tragedies...evil can, and is, a snide remark, a flip of a finger, a word said to hurt, a slap across the face...

No, we don't have to get down on ourselves - that helps no one - but let's not just shrug it off either.

As the saying goes, whenever you point a finger at someone (even God) there are three pointing back at you.

A Look at Suffering - Part Seven - Is God to Blame?

Putting together everything we've discussed in the previous posts we should be able to answer: no.

But, even still for me, it's hard to accept that God would allow evils to exist, let alone happen.  The murder of thousands, the murder of one child, the earthquake in Haiti...and the list goes on.  We all have our lists, personal and public of tragedies that have happened and we look to God and ask: why?!

So let's make it clear: God DOES NOT WILL any of these tragedies to occur.

This is clear from the beginning of the Bible and quite a main point in Jesus' ministry.

The question we are still left with is "why?"

Boyd reminds us that, "Knowing...that freedom must be irrevocable and that a vast, unknowable complexity engulfs every event in history helps us understand in principal why God cannot do more in general.  But precisely because every event is engulfed in an unknowable complexity, we can never understand why God didn't do more in any particular circumstance."

So in short: the "why" may never be fully answered.  Even if it could be, it no doubt wouldn't be to our satisfaction.

Boyd continues, "Given our myopic vision we can only fix our eyes on Jesus and trust that God looks like Him...And when [evil] isn't prevented, we trust Him to bring good out of it."

This isn't to say it's easy.  At times, especially at times of tragedy, faith is difficult.

It's hard to believe that God CAN'T do something.  That God CAN'T prevent something, especially evil, from happening.  In that sense, isn't God to blame?

Again, the issue isn't truly about his power.  To say it bluntly: there ISN'T anything God CAN'T do, as it pertains to power, brute force, ability.

But there are things God can't do as it pertains to character.

The issue becomes, then, do we agree with God's plan of risk or not?  Do we agree with God that love, to be real and honest, must be a choice and not coerced?

We do.

Parents do it everyday...allowing their children a life of LOVE and RISK.  And as time goes on, more and more risk.

Do we hold parents culpable for everything their child does?  Especially the adult "children?"

Do YOU want to control every aspect of your child's life?  Most likely, because you want to keep them safe...yet, a life YOU control is no life FOR them - and we know this.  Moreover, we much prefer that our children have a life of their own...which means: risk.

Yet it is, perhaps, the most perfect example of LOVE.

How much MORE perfect, then, is God's love?

But how does this reflect his character?

We have faith that God will do everything he can, within the conditions he has created, to keep evil from happening...yet, knowing that God holds himself to these constraints means that we can trust him completely, because he DOES NOT act arbitrarily.

Would you trust a person that acted any way they wanted, at any time, just because they felt like it?  No, of course not.  We trust certain people because we have seen how they act in certain situations.  In other words, because we know that person has put restraints upon themselves on how they act.  We then can TRUST how that person will act in certain situations.

Is that not how we would like our relationship with God to be?  To know that we can count on God to act in accordance with His character as revealed to us through Jesus?

Unfortunately, given the complexity of the world, how God is "able" to operate is not so cut and dry.  But we can know, and have faith and trust, that God did not act arbitrarily but with perfect clarity and perfect character.

I don't like that, but I do accept it.  I don't like not KNOWING why...but I trust in God that He did everything He could to prevent it, and in no way did He WILL it.

And when there is significant doubt, and there will be, THAT is when we fix our eyes on Jesus and remember, that when we see Jesus we see God.

Book Review - A Conversation With God by Alton Gansky

A Conversation With God invites us to "Join in an engaging conversation with God, Jesus, and key Bible characters who answer questions."

Questions such as "God, how can we believe that you created us?" and "Why is there so much suffering?" and many others.

Most likely a question or two of your own are addressed.  But, depending on where you are in your journey of faith, it may or may not be the answer your are seeking.

A Conversation With God does not offer much, if anything new.  There are no new radical theological issue brought about.  The answers to such questions are ones you most likely have heard many times before, from various sources.

What Alton's book does offer, however, is a nice introduction into theological questions for the "new" believer or a "curious" thinker.

The book is put together well, easy to read and follow and the answers are helpful, though underdeveloped.  For someone moving into "deeper" areas of their faith, this book might not be right for you.  If, however, you think you are ready to face some questions you may have regarding the Bible and God and are looking for a place to test the waters - this is the perfect book for you.

(note: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own)

A Look at Suffering - Part Six - Why God CAN'T stop the pedophile...

(NOTE: please DO NOT base your theology upon the following.  I am just a regular Christian like you, trying to sort out issues of faith.  I CLAIM no authority over the Bible or God.  Any "answers" I may provide are NOT the basis for doctrine, but are solely my beliefs and opinions.  Any quotes I use by Boyd or other authors, I use as I best understand them.  Any miss use of the quotes are my fault, and should not reflect upon the original authors.)

I think it's time that we cut to the point.

Why is there suffering?

Or what we really want to know: Why doesn't God stop a pedophile from preying upon a child.

I use this example, because it's one I'm sure we all agree reflects the nature of evil.

The question still, even now, makes me pause for a moment and wonder...

Why would an ALL GOOD and LOVING God allow ONE SINGLE child to suffer in such a way?

Certainly and ALL POWERFUL God COULD stop it from happening...Dare I say, SHOULD stop it from happening.

And, there is evidence that He DOES stop it from happening...by why not all the time?

So, why does and ALL LOVING, ALL POWERFUL God allow such evil to occur?

(Before we even try to answer these questions, we must know this: there is no easy answer to them.  There is no cut-and-dry, this is why answer.  In fact, we may only generally know the answer, but will never specifically know.

But we MUST, MUST remember this:  it IS NOT God's will that this should happen.  We must NEVER lose our picture of who God is, as revealed to us through Jesus.  This can be, will be, tough...)

"What he can hardly begin to fathom, however, is the vast complexity of creation, a creation that includes an untold number of human and spiritual free agents whose decisions affect much that comes to pass." - Boyd.

In other words...there's more going on than just what we see or experience.

We must remember that God's goal is ultimately LOVE.  But in order for there to be true love, in all it's forms, there must be risk.  This risk is manifested by God granting us free will.

Not only us, but of spiritual agents as well - angels, demons.

We can choose God's way, or not.  We see evidence of both every day.  Those we could argue that more to the "not" side than the other.

As in the case of the child.

Now, think a moment, how much our hearts break when we hear such tragedies.  Especially when we couldn't do anything to stop it.

How much more must God's heart break; especially when He CAN.

But why doesn't he?

The short answer: He CAN'T.  Not always.

But not for reasons that we would think.

God "can't" not because He lacks the strength, or the power...make no mistake He does.

God "can't" because that's not the world he created.

God didn't create a world in which he can and does thwart free will as he sees fit.  God created a world that involved RISK and DANGER.  And yes, we become causalities of this.

But it's not God's fault, though God does take responsibility.

Boyd describes it more clearly this way, "God could have created a world in which his will is always done...however, a world in his will is possibly NOT done would have been ruled out....this means he would have ruled out a world where (true) love is possible."

He continues, "Conversely, if God decided to create a world where love IS possible, he thereby ruled out a world in which his will is ALWAYS done...he can't guarantee that his will is always done, not because he lacks power but because of the kind of world He created."

He can't do more than He does because the world HE CREATED prevents him from doing so.

To give it a more simplistic example: God CAN'T make a round triangle.  Doing so would make is a circle.  A triangle is a triangle because it ISN'T anything else - it's a triangle.

If God arbitrarily intervened at any time, anytime He wanted, He would be violating His world of free will...we would only be allowed to make decisions, we wouldn't be free to.

This wouldn't be a world of freely given love.

To intervene at will would change the world he created...thus it would NOT BE the world he created.

Isn't this a reflection of His lack of power?

By no means.

This is what Boyd calls the requirement of irrevocability. (say that ten times fast!)

"Love involves choice.  This means that God can't revoke agents' freedom when the act in unloving ways.  If God were to revoke our freedom...we wouldn't be truly free...He has to give [freedom] irrevocably.  God can't intervene to stop it.  He has to tolerate it.  Not because He lacks the power...but because this is what it means to give genuine freedom to agents."

BUUUUUUTTTTT!

This DOES NOT mean God can NEVER stop an agent from doing something.  However, me MUST and DOES stop short of coercion.  Persuasion, though, is fair game.

But, there's another but...Boyd says, "This...doesn't rule out other agents using their own freedom to prevent an agent's actions or from canceling the effects of that agent's decisions."

This irrevocable freedom that we, and other agents, are granted does not LIMIT God's power.

Boyd says, "God's power is not the issue.  The issue is the kind of world God decided to create and its logical implications."

What is at issue is, "WE don't know how much irrevocable freedom God has granted any individual and thus how much God HAS TO tolerate the ongoing effects of that individuals evil choices.  There is NO reason to think God gives the same amount of freedom to everyone or that the scope of this gift is fixed throughout a person's life...We can only know that to the extent that God has give free will, he can't revoke it."

This, however, does not answer the reason why any SPECIFIC evil occurs, only in general.  Thus, we must keep our focus on God and who he has revealed himself to us through Christ.  And when evil does occur we must trust in God and have faith that he will bring good out of it.