The Snowflake

Tonight I was sitting in the living room examining the Christmas tree. We have a lot of lights and ornaments. As many a variety of ornaments, I think, as a tree can hold. Our tree has hand made ornaments, fine glass ornaments, cheesy toy ornaments and even a spaceship or two (okay ten).

But, the ornament that caught my eye was a cheap plastic snowflake covered in glitter. There are many just like it on the tree. I am sure that many years ago my mom bought them in a pack of 10 or 20 for less than a buck.

As I sat looking at this ornament I was taken back to a simpler time, at least for me it was simpler. It was back when I was in grade school and I took one of those ornaments to school and taped it to my desk. I wanted to decorate my desk for Christmas and that ornament was one I could take without mom getting worried about it getting lost or broken.

For me it was a time before holiday performances and concerts to attend. Before the family was so busy that planning the Christmas gathering was an act of congress. And maybe I was shielded from it, but before saying “Merry Christmas” was something that you had to be concerned about offending someone.

I have been greatly bothered this year by how the “magic” of Christmas seems to have disappeared. I know that I have changed and my life has gotten more complicated. I have things in my life now that I have never had before. There are things I thank God for everyday and things that I ask God to help change everyday.

I wonder if I have changed so much that I no longer see the “magic” of Christmas as I saw as a child. I wonder if in all my studies, growing up and growing more cynical with life has changed me to the point that I am no longer able to experience Christmas as I did as a child.

As I was writing this I was reminded again of one of the most amazing newspaper columns ever written. Veteran newsman Francis Pharcellus Church wrote it for the September 21, 1897 edition of New York’s Sun publication. It has become known around the world as “Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.” I would encourage you to read the whole column, but I want to quote the part that means the most to me:

“Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world. You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.”

Christmas is all about the unseeable. Science tells us that each individual snowflake is different, but we cannot see that with the naked eye. God created each of us as individuals different from each other, just as He created each individual snowflake different from another.

I know that sometimes I have gotten so busy that I forget to notice the beauty of God’s creation. There is a great diversity that exists in all created things. But sometimes because of life it becomes unseeable. I forget why we do all the things we do at this time of year.

I wonder if maybe the “magic” of Christmas is lost on me because I have forgotten it. Maybe the “magic” of Christmas is nothing external but it is an internal unseeable thing. That maybe the most important thing about Christmas is not all the gifts, parties, concerts, church services and whatever else we find to cram into a few short weeks in December.

The most important thing about Christmas is remembering why we do all the crazy stuff. That in some far away land, a long time ago a baby was born. He was born in the most humble of circumstances and yet angels and a bright shining star announced His birth.

The heart of Christmas is that the most lowly and unlikely of places can become a holy space, that the most unlikely birth can change the world. That God who takes so much care to make no two snowflakes the same took time to save the world.

Confessions

The other night I was having a discussion with a friend about the topic of “confession,” specifically the differences between how the Catholic and Protestant churches handle confession. As a note of background, my friend is a Protestant, his wife is Catholic and I am a Protestant but have spent quite a bit of time studying the Catholic church and its practices.

In the Catholic church one goes to “confession.” In essence you go sit in a little booth, confess your sins to the priest, and he dispenses penance if necessary, then absolves you of your sins.

In the Protestant church one is admonished to confess one’s sins to God and if necessary share your “struggles” with a brother or sister in Christ, or your pastor for prayer and support.

These are two very different approaches.

The idea of confession comes from James 5:16: “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”

Confessing one’s sins is a very hard, personal thing. It is an admittance that one has failed in keeping God’s law. But, I think it does much more. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church # 1455:

“The confession (or disclosure) of sins, even from a simply human point of view, frees us and facilitates our reconciliation with others. Through such an admission man looks squarely at the sins he is guilty of, takes responsibility for them, and thereby opens himself again to God and to the communion of the Church in order to make a new future possible.”

I have heard many times throughout my life that someone who has a problem cannot deal with it until that person admits that there is a problem. What strength could one gain if one had the ability to go to someone, confess one’s sins, struggles and concerns and get prayer and support.

I have had people in my life that I have felt comfortable sharing some things with, but not everything. I have been around too many well-meaning Christians who share something that was told them in confidence because “this person needs prayer.” Then it gets around, and finally the person is very hurt (and in some cases leaves the church) because something they thought they were sharing in confidence was not kept in confidence.

Because of this, the past few years I have been considering the idea of how the Catholics handle confession. One goes to a booth anonymously confesses to a priest who has sworn a solemn vow of secrecy, and receives absolution.

While I do believe that only God can forgive sins, I am wondering if there is not some value in this. I know that if I had someplace to go confess, get prayer and know that 1) my confession was secret, and 2) my confession was anonymous, I would go quite frequently.

Maybe my issue is lack of trust rather than needing a place to confess, because I do have brothers and sisters in Christ I can go to with some things, but I do not feel comfortable sharing everything.

At times I have even thought about going to a Catholic church for confession and telling the priest that I am a Protestant and just need to unburden my soul and receive prayer.

However, I think the deeper need is the need to confess. I do not want to give someone a laundry list of my sins so that I can go out and keep sinning, but I want to confess in a way that is like the Catechism says: “Through such an admission man looks squarely at the sins he is guilty of, takes responsibility for them, and thereby opens himself again to God and to the communion of the Church in order to make a new future possible” which is another way to say what James says: “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”

Pentecost

We are all familiar with the story of Pentecost from Acts chapter 2. The disciples were sitting together in the upper room praying and waiting as Jesus had instructed, when suddenly the Holy Spirit came down upon them and each one began to speak in “other tongues.”

Many times in church we get so caught up in the coming of the Holy Spirit and debating what “other tongues” means that we miss the true importance of the event.

Pentecost, 50 days after Easter, celebrates the birth of the Church. For the first time since creation, God created something new, not just another synagogue or temple for people who adhere to a specific set of beliefs. God created, using humans, the living Body of Christ.

Pentecost is a reminder to us that we are the Body of Christ. From Pentecost to rapture we are to be on this earth fulfilling the prophecy of Jesus in John 14:12, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.”

Pentecost is a reminder that we are the Body of Christ. We are Christ’s representatives on this earth. How we act is how people perceive Christ in the real world.

Are you fulfilling the prophecy of Jesus? Are you living your life as Christ’s representative?

Suffering

One of the most poignant questions that a person of faith can ask is, “How can a good, all-powerful God allow his creation to suffer?” Whether or not a person realizes it, there are three questions embedded within the original question of suffering. What is suffering? What is its purpose? What should be a Christian’s response to suffering? Without exploring these three questions it is difficult to gain a complete picture of suffering and why God allows it.^[i]

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, to suffer is “to feel pain or distress; sustain loss, injury, harm, or punishment.”^[ii] That is probably the most concise definition of suffering that can be written. However, as anyone who has experienced suffering will testify, true suffering cannot be described in words.

When looking at suffering it is important to look at its three main causes: nature (or natural forces), humanity, and supernatural forces^[iii].

Natural forces that cause suffering include anything from a tornado destroying a home to cancer destroying a life. One feels completely helpless at the mercy of forces that cannot be controlled. This can be the most torturous form of suffering because there appears to be no purpose or even a rational (or irrational) cause.

Some would say that one person’s inhumanity towards another causes the greatest suffering in the world. One person inflicts harm upon another, motivated by desperation or uncontrollable urges to selfishness or vengeance. This form of suffering taints human history going back to the time when Cain committed the first murder.^[iv]

The third cause of suffering--supernatural forces--includes God, Satan, angels and demons. The plagues that God brought down on Egypt^[v] caused suffering for a great number of Egyptians.^[vi] Satan, by deceiving Eve and causing her to lead Adam to sin, is the instigator of all suffering in human existence. The angels and demons merely carry out the commands of God or Satan respectively.

When looking at what suffering is, it is also necessary to understand where it originated. As previously mentioned, suffering exists as a result of sin entering into the world, which is seen in God’s judgment of Adam and Eve.

To the woman He said:
"I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception;
In pain you shall bring forth children;
Your desire shall be for your husband,
And he shall rule over you.”

Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’:

“Cursed is the ground for your sake;
In toil you shall eat of it
All the days of your life.
Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,
And you shall eat the herb of the field.
In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread
Till you return to the ground,
For out of it you were taken;
For dust you are,
And to dust you shall return.”^[vii]

It is clear that life was very different for Adam and Eve before sin entered into the world. Childbearing was not painful, but after they sinned, the woman was told that childbearing would be painful. The garden provided food for Adam and Eve, and they did not have to work for it, but after they sinned, God pronounced that they would have to work for their food.

If all suffering could be attributed to punishment for sin, we would never ask the “why” question. But, since suffering is so widespread and renders harm to innocents, it is hard to believe that it is only a punishment for sin.

The only way to respond to the “why” of suffering is to assume that God allows it because it serves a legitimate purpose in God’s eternal plan.^[viii] One can also infer that if suffering is allowed it serves a purpose beyond the pain it causes.

Some suffering can only be explained as a result of, or punishment for, sin. However, there are some positive explanations for the rest.

A certain amount of suffering can serve as a warning. Physical pain can be a sign of great warning. For example, if someone hits his or her thumb with a hammer, that person may keep hammering and cause horrific damage, if it were not for the physical pain caused by the first hit. Pain, while unpleasant, can serve as a warning of even more pain and suffering.

Suffering also serves as a warning against spiritual harm. In the Book of Joel we read of a locust plague that covered Judah and caused great devastation. God gave a message to Judah through the prophet Joel, saying that the coming Day of the Lord would cause the locust plague to seem as nothing, but if the people turned from their ways and returned to the Lord, he would bless them and not destroy them.^[ix]

James and Paul write that suffering also produces personal growth. James tells us to “count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.”^[x] Later he writes, “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”^[xi] In the same manner Paul tells us, “We also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.”^[xii] According to both of these great men of the Bible, suffering is a positive thing, producing positive character attributes worthy of the Christian lifestyle. Enduring suffering is a way to draw closer to God.

Finally, some suffering serves to accomplish a divine purpose. John tells the story of a blind man whom Jesus healed. When Jesus is asked why this man was born blind, he replies, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.”^[xiii] Suffering, in this instance, was used to bring glory to God.

In the Book of Job we see a vision of the heavens when Satan comes before God to accuse Job. He questions God, saying, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.”^[xiv]> God then allows Satan to cause a great deal of suffering in Job’s life to prove that Job serves God for more than just the blessings that God has given him. In the end, Job’s continued obedience to God defeats Satan and vindicates God’s righteousness.

Having explored what suffering is, where it came from and what the causes are, it is necessary to explore the final question: What should be a Christian’s response to suffering? A Christian’s response to suffering should always be to turn to God. As the author of Hebrews tells us, “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”^[xv]

and later,

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.^[xvi]

We are told to go to God--not a distant uncaring God, but one who has suffered as we do, one who understands what it means to suffer, one who will give us mercy and grace to help in our time of need.

In conclusion, the answer to the original question, “How can a good, all powerful God allow his creation to suffer?” may be best stated, “God allows suffering in order to change people (groups or individuals) in their relationship with Him.” We may not ever understand why we had to endure what we had to endure. We may never see the benefit. But, we can take comfort in the fact that God allowed it for a reason: either to change ourselves or to change those around us.

______________________

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[i] I am not saying the topic of suffering is easy even with these questions. I am merely stating that these questions may help the individual to explore the topic.

[ii] suffering. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved November 04, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/suffering

[iii] I concede that there may be some forms of suffering that may not fit into any category listed here. However, I feel that these three categories provide a “blanket” under which everything can at least tenuously be placed under one of the headings for the sake of this paper, especially when we do not fully understand the causes of certain forms of suffering.

[iv] Genesis 4

[v] Exodus 9 - 11

[vi] I am only commenting here that God was the instigator of the suffering. I am not commenting on God’s motives to inflict such suffering on the Egyptians.

[vii] Genesis 3:16-19 (NKJV)

[viii] The following is developed primarily from a course outline provided for Theology 507 at Multnomah Biblical Seminary, Fall 2005 by Dr. Daniel R. Lockwood.

[ix] Joel 2

[x] James 1:2-3

[xi] James 1:12

[xii] Romans 5:3-4

[xiii] John 9:3

[xiv] Job 1:9-10

[xv] Hebrews 2:18

[xvi] Hebrews 4:14-16

Struggling With Prayer

For Christmas I received as a present a hand held labyrinth.   I have been a fan of the labyrinth for years.  Walking the path almost takes one out of the real world and into a place of walking solely with God.

To the uninitiated a labyrinth may seem a bit strange.  Just walking around a maze that has no exit.  The experience is so much more than that.

According to Wikipedia “Labyrinths can be thought of as symbolic forms of pilgrimage; people can walk the path, ascending toward salvation or enlightenment. Many people could not afford to travel to holy sites and lands, so labyrinths and prayer substituted for such travel.  Many newly made labyrinths exist today, in churches and parks. Labyrinths are used by modern mystics to help achieve a contemplative state. Walking among the turnings, one loses track of direction and of the outside world, and thus quiets his mind.”

I use it as a way to calm my mind enter the presence of God without distraction.  Using the stylus and tracing the pattern I am able to block all the distractions from around me and focus on God.  It has become almost a daily ritual as I seek God.

It has become a journey to me.  I enter the labyrinth with God, and as we walk towards the center, we talk about general things, leaving the world behind.  When we reach the center, we stop as far away from the world as we can get and discuss the serious matters we need to discuss.  Once we finish we walk back out from the center and conclude our discussion as we reach the world once again.

I realize this may sound very mystical, but I am a very visual person.  It helps me in my prayer life to visualize God with me, walking and talking.

I do not know what works for you.  But I would encourage you, that if you are having a struggle in your prayer life, try the labyrinth.  It helped me refocus my prayer life, it may help you.

Community

As most of you know I sing in a semi-professional choir. I have been singing in choirs since I was in high school. One of the most interesting things about a choir, is that it is one of the only groups I am a part of where every member has to give 100%.

If just one person is slacking it can (and most often does) affect the whole choir. If one person if off by a quarter of a beat, they will come in early or hold the note too long and dramatically alter the performance. Every member has to be giving their best and not holding back.

Contrary to popular opinion it takes hard work, skill, dedication and a lot of time to produce a good choral performance.

I wonder what life would be like if in every situation I found myself I applied the same dedication and commitment I do in choir. How would that affect my relationships, my job, my church, my life? How would it affect those around me?

Just think if everyone everywhere gave 100% no matter what situation they were in. Even if it was a situation they did not particularly like or want to have to deal with...say a meeting at work or a struggling relationship.

What if I took the attitude I have in choir (if I'm not giving 100% it dramatically affects the whole) to the rest of my life? I would like to think that it would produce as positive results in life as it does in choir. But, I think that for it to work like that everyone everywhere would have to have a common goal and take the same approach.

Practically I'm not sure it could work in society as a whole because of so many diverse opinions about what a common goal should be. But the church is another story.

The church is a place where Christians come to proclaim the greatness of God, fellowship with other believers and reach out into their communities with the good news of the Gospel. The church has a common goal and a common purpose. What if everyone in the church gave 100% to the common goal instead of (as is often times the case) treating church as if were something that can be done half-heartedly.

I think if everyone in the church took the attitude I have in choir (if I'm not giving 100% it dramatically affects the whole) then we would see a dramatically different church. We would not see a fractured church filled with problems. We would see a church that, even when it had problems, would have people coming together in love to solve it, instead of pointing fingers.

We would see a church that positively affectes its communities for good and fulfills its God given purpose.

Down is Up

One of my favorite sci-fi books of all time is Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. It's about children at a military academy on a space station training to be the next great military geniuses that defeat the attacking alien race. As part of their training they play a game in the battle room that can best be described as a game of laser tag in a zero gravity environment.

The object of the game is to get from your territory through the other team's territory and through their entrance to the battle room. One of the most important things that new recruits are taught is that once they enter the battle room "down is up". When looking into the room it appears that the enemy's gate is below you. But once you step into the zero gravity environment of the battle room what direction you are going becomes relative. You are no longer going 'down' to get to the enemy's entrance you are going 'up'.

I've had some changes in my life the past few weeks that have made me think of this whole idea of "down is up" again. My life took a couple of turns that I didn't expect and actually thought that they might be a negative. But the more I look at it and pray about it, the more I see these changes as a good thing.

So I started thinking about how God works in all the great men and women of the Bible.

Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, falsely put into prison and then made second in command of all Egypt reporting only to Pharaoh.

Moses went from living in Pharaoh's court to herding sheep in the desert. Eventually becoming the leader that lead the Jewish people out of Egypt's slavery.

Ruth's husband died, she was living in a land stricken with famine. She returned to Israel with her mother-in-law and eventually found favor in Boaz's eyes. He married her, provided for her and her mother-in-law and because of this, Ruth, the Moabite woman, is in the lineage of Jesus.

Paul, who was once Saul, one of the greatest persecutor's of the church, became Paul the Apostle. As Paul he was beaten, shipped wrecked, thrown in prison and eventually killed for his faith. Yet this was the man who lead the evangelism of the Gentiles and wrote most of the New Testament.

These examples reminded me that God is not about doing things the way we expect Him to. Many times God does things completely opposite to what our plans would be. God does things to prepare us for the plan that He has for our lives. It may not always be easy, but the rewards are always worth it. And it helps to remember that with God sometimes "down is up".

Through a Mirror Darkly

I have been wondering lately if we laugh enough.

A few weeks ago I was at a friend's house playing games and I had a lot of fun. I think we all did, because we laughed a lot. In fact I "laughed until I cried" several times. I left that night feeling refreshed in a way that I had not felt in a long time.

The next day I still felt refreshed. That feeling has since faded and I have once again been worn down by life. The experience prompted me to go back and re-read a section of Telling The Truth: The Gospel as Comedy, Tragedy and Fairy Tale. I have read this book at least 8 - 10 times over the last four years.

In it the author tells us that it is the truth of life that preachers must preach. He says that preachers must "address themselves to the fullness of who we are and the emptiness too, the emptiness where grace and peace belong but mostly are not, because terrible as well as wonderful things have happened to us all."

What brought me back to the book this time was his discussion on laughter. He says that laughter and tears both come from the same place. That "emptiness where grace and peace belong but mostly are not." Tears are the response to that emptiness and laughter is the antidote to it.

I think that both laughter and tears have the same effect: leaving us feeling drained and refreshed at the same time. They provide a release to the stress, the pain and hardship of life. Both are necessary and important.

Tears, in a way, allow us to admit that life is tragic. Laughter, in a way, allows us to escape from the tragic - if only for a moment.

Laughter gives us hope, in those moments when God seems the most absent, that God can at any moment break through and do the miraculous that only God can do. Just as He did with Abraham and Sarah when he told them that they would have a child in their old age. Just as He did with the disciples when they thought all was lost, Jesus rose from the dead.

Be Still

I've been thinking about a lot of things lately. Pondering what direction I want my future ministry to take, what direction I want my life to take...what direction God wants to take my life.

I actually sat down to write about my thoughts on ministry. But as I thought about what I wanted to say, my mind took me in a completely different direction. The direction it took me was "stillness"

Being still, as anyone who knows me will attest, is not something I do well. I've always got this thing to do, or that place to go, or this person to meet, or a million other things that keep me running. And when I do get a "free evening" to myself, what do I do? I read a book on music history, I tinker on my computer - there is always something to be done.

And I wonder if that's really healthy (my friends tell me it's not). In seminary, one of my professors spent almost 4 weeks on the subject of a Sabbath rest. There was a lot involved in it, but the main focus was: resting in God. Taking a day, an evening, an hour to do nothing but rest in God.

I can honestly say that is something I do not do enough of. I rush through my devotions at times. I pray while driving - which makes it very difficult to focus on God. I'm now asking myself why. Is it because I have over committed myself, because of my inability to say 'no' or is it because I am scared of what God may have to show me.

In the stillness of resting in God am I afraid of hearing what God might actually want to say to me? How would it change me? How would it affect my plans for life, the ministry and everything?

I honestly do not know. I just know that I do not spend enough time resting in God. That I do not take time to put life on pause and just listen for God to speak to me.

Seeing God

Lately I have been asking myself a question as I am going to bed. That question is: Have I seen God today?

It was inspired oddly enough by the George Straight song “I Saw God Today.” The chorus, which is what really made me think goes:

I’ve been to church, I’ve read the book
I know he’s here but I don’t look
Near as often as I should .. yeah I know I should
His fingerprints are everywhere
I just slowed down to stop and stare
Opened my eyes and man I swear
I saw God today.

I have been asking myself this question because I think it fits well with what I believe. I believe that God is omnipresent, that He is present everywhere at the same time. I also believe that God takes an active role in the history of the universe.

So believing as I do, I think I should be able to everyday ask the question of myself and the answer be ‘yes.’ And if the answer is ‘no’ then I need to ask myself why. Ask myself did God not show Himself to me today or did I not see God in my life today.
Most of the time I can honestly say that it has been because I have not seen God, that I did not look for Him throughout my day.

I got up, grumpy because my alarm went off before I really wanted to get up. I went to work, a job I do not really enjoy, and spent my day counting the hours until I could go home. Finally I go home and I am home just long enough to eat before I have to go somewhere else to do something else. And when I do get home, I read for a few minutes and then go to bed.

Not much time in there for God or rather I did not take the time for God.

So my conclusion, which I think is becoming a theme here, is that I need to make sure that I am taking time for God. That I do not allow my everyday life to weigh me down so much that it distracts me from seeing God.

So I ask you: Have you seen God today?

Come What May - Take 2

I’ve been thinking about my Come What May entry for a while after a comment an agnostic friend gave me about that entry. I completely paraphrase and butcher the actual quote, but the essence of the comment was “the reason Christian’s dont turn to God is not that they don’t believe, it’s that God isn’t real to them in their everyday lives.”

Strangely enough I think he is right. We go to church on Sundays, mid-week if we have time. We might pick up and read our Bible’s during the week if we have time. In truth how many of us take time everyday, without exception, to spend time with God.

To “Practice the Presence of God” as Brother Lawrence would put it.

I began pondering how we as Christians can go about that. The most common is to set time aside everyday to read the Bible and pray. While it is a good and worthy exercise that I truly believe every Christian must be doing, in truth I have to admit, in my life that at times that becomes just another routine activity I do.

And with that thought in mind I picked up a book I purchased a while back and began thumbing through it. The book is Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun. It’s not a book that one sits down and reads cover to cover. It truly is a handbook that takes 3-5 pages per discipline and describes the discipline, gives scripture and advice on how to practice it. There are almost 70 disciples that it discusses.

While I may not try all of them, there are some that I have tried in the past and am looking at incorporating in to my spiritual life again. Some new ones I have found that seem to me that they would be beneficial.

The amazing thing is, every human is different. Not every discipline will work for every person. But God in His creativity has led men and women throughout the ages to create different ways of practicing His presence so that everyone would have the opportunity to experience the fullness of God in their lives.

So my encouragement to you would be to take time to learn God’s ‘unforced rhythms of grace.’ Take the time everyday to make God real to your everyday life. So that when the time comes you turn to Him first (and not last).

He Can't Be Serious

Earlier this week I was driving to work. I was driving the speed limit, minding my own business when I heard a very large engine rev up behind me. I looked in my review mirror only to see a large truck whip out, pass me on a double yellow, and continue to speed up the hill.

I will have to admit that when I reached the light at the top of the hill and found him stuck at a red light right in front of me I chuckled. Then I was even more amazed that when he got the chance he ran the red light and tore off down the road. I waited for my red light to turn green and continued on my way to work.

I laughed out loud when I got to work and realized that this guy in the truck was going to the lot right next to where I work and had beaten me by less than a minute.

He had blatantly broken quite a few traffic laws and put other people in danger only to get to his destination a few seconds sooner then he would have if he had obeyed the traffic laws.

I do not use this to show off how good of a driver I am and how reckless this other driver was. I have broken my fair share of traffic laws. But the way this guy was driving it was as if he did not take the traffic laws seriously. That he thought he could just do as he wanted to.

This thought, logically (probably only in my mind), led me to remember a sermon I heard a few weeks ago in which the preacher asked if we truly take the words of Christ serious.

Since then I have been pondering that thought. Do I take the words of Christ serious? Believing as I do, that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, do I take everything in there serious?

When I speed, when I do not fully stop at a stop sign am I doing as Romans 13:1 says and submitting my self to the governing authorities? That answer would be “no” because if I were truly submitting to the governing authorities I would be obeying the laws they have put in place.

You may say, you are a good person, you do not steal, do not murder, not out sleeping around. There again, we are not taking the words of Christ seriously enough.

Have we forgotten the words of Christ in Matthew 7:21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.”

I am fairly certain that I called someone a fool this week, I know for a fact that I have been mad at someone. According to Jesus this is no different than if I had murdered.

And moving right along let us not forget about Matthew 7:27-28 “You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

I do not think I really need to elaborate on this one, suffice to say: I am guilty.

Honestly, this is the easy stuff about what Jesus taught. It gets even harder. Matthew 25:31-46...let us read together, shall we?

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

That is very sobering. Let me think here: I have never visited anyone in prison, because they are hardened criminals and I am just a kid from the suburbs. What kind of impact can I have?

Homeless people on the street ask me for money and I ignore them, because I have been taught by society that if I give them money they will just use it for drugs. But, I do not offer to take them somewhere and buy them food.

Yes, I give my old clothes to ‘Goodwill’ but is that because I truly care and want to help the less fortunate or is it because I want rid of the junk. It is better than just throwing it away and...well...I get a tax write off.

And guess what? Because I did not do any of the above for my fellow humanity, I did not do it for Christ - which is the greater sin?

These are just a few samples of the teachings of Christ. What do we do with the really hard stuff like “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father, but through me” or “deny me before men and I will deny you before my Father”

And as I posted last week do we take the teachings of the power of Christ to care for us and protect and guide us seriously?

I am not writing all this to make everyone who reads it depressed. I am writing it in the hope that we will re-evaluate how we view the words and teachings of Christ. We claim to be Christians, we claim to believe the Bible. But, when it comes down to it, we really only do the easy stuff.

We really need to start taking the words and teachings of Christ as serious as He did, He suffered, died, went to hell and rose again...that is how serious He was. He was not alone either. The early followers of Christ took his teaching so seriously they were willing to die for them. Do I take them that serious? Do you?

Come What May

The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.

Those who know Your name will trust in You,
for You, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek You.

- Psalm 9:9-10

Sometimes I wonder if Christians actually believe these words (and the many other words of comfort in scripture). Stop and think about your life for a moment. Something bad happens, something way out of your control happens and what is the first thing you do? Do you run to God and cry out for help or do you look for human comfort, human wisdom for help and direction?

I know in my life God is not always the first place I turn. I comfort myself when I realize that I have not taken my situation to God with the excuses that God has given me wisdom to solve problems. God has placed people in my life that love and care about me and provide me comfort. But those are just excuses.

I say I believe the words of scripture. I tell people that God is a refuge in times of trouble, but do my actions bear witness to what I believe.

I think my actions may speak louder than my words when it comes to my faith. Because I can say I believe anything I want. But until I act out that belief in practical experience I wonder if I really believe.

So if my actions speak louder than my words then my actions say that I believe in my strength and my family and friend’s strength more than I do God’s. Because generally God is where I turn last. I turn to myself or family and friends first.

But I think I am in good company. Abraham, the father of faith, lied not once but twice to two different kings and said his wife was really his sister, instead of trusting in God’s protection. If the father of faith struggled with turning to God why should it be any different for me.

Maybe I really do believe what I say and it is just human nature to struggle in this manner. Maybe the struggle is what it is all about. Or just maybe the point is that no matter what life brings we learn to turn to God. Not because it is what we say we believe, not because it is what scripture tells us. But because through our own life experiences we learn that the wisdom and comfort God brings is far superior to anything a human can provide.

And like most people I have to learn things the hard way.