Faith Ramblings

Why Would God Allow...

2009-01-31T21:55:00.005-06:00

My daughter Zemira is at the cruising age. While it is a fun age it also comes with a lot of bumps and bruises. I don't like to see my baby get hurt and do whatever I can to prevent it from happening, but it still happens. Even though I do not like to see her get hurt there is something that happens when she does that makes my heart swell with pride and love.
If Toby is around he will stop whatever he is doing and rush to comfort her. It does not matter to him that I have already scooped her up and am comforting her. He wants to be a part of the comforting. He will pat her tenderly and talk soothingly to her and if that fails he will sing her favorite song ("I Like to Move It" from the Madagascar movies). Eventually, Zemira will stop crying and at least smile at her loving big brother.
There is a lot of pain in this world. I along with probably everybody have at one time uttered the words, "Why would God allow . . . (fill in your tragedy of choice)?". I don't have a satisfying answer to this age old question, but I do have some thoughts.
I am by no means the best father in the world, but even I want to prevent my daughter from getting hurt. God is the best father in the universe, so it stands to reason that God wants the same for his children. God does not like it when we get hurt. He does what he can to prevent us from getting hurt. But for whatever reason it still happens. We get hurt. Our family gets hurt, our friends get hurt, the world gets hurt.
Admittedly it is at this point that I usually begin to rant at God, showering him with "whys" and "where were yous" but seeing how Toby reacts to Zemira when she is in pain got me thinking. What if my response is the wrong one? God has yet to answer my anguished, angry why's. What if in his silence God is looking for my obedience? What if he is waiting for us to mourn with those who mourn? To comfort the broken hearted? When Zemira is hurt Toby does not turn to me and start angrily asking me why I let her get hurt, no he rushes in to comfort her.
What if instead of questioning God we did what my son does? What if we dropped whatever we were doing and rushed to comfort those who are hurting? What if we stepped in and comforted the hurting, easing their pain with tender touch and singing?
I think our Father's heart would swell with pride and love.

An Altar Call

2009-01-06T18:11:00.003-06:00

Toby and I have been studying the Civil War and subsequently slavery. This led to my son asking, "Does slavery still exist today?" Unfortunately the answer is "Yes."
This is hard for some people to believe. When I first brought this issue to the attention of some of my friends I was met with skepticism and disbelief. But slavery exists today, and denying it or excusing it away will do nothing to end it. Action is needed.
I read somewhere (probably Sojourner's magazine) that the altar call was started by abolitionist preachers. When people responded to Christ their faith was immediately put into action by signing up for the abolitionist movement.
Becoming a Christian also meant becoming an Abolitionist.
The same should be true today.
Become a modern day Abolitionist. Check out these resources and get involved:
Call + Response
IJM
Not for sale
Anti-slavery

Holy Community

2008-11-10T12:08:00.003-06:00

We need community. A lot of us do not want to admit it, but we do. We cannot live without it. Christians especially need community. Ours is a communal faith. Even our God is communal: Holy Spirit, Father, and Son. But somewhere along the line we got the idea that we should only commune with other believers that believe like we do, think like we do, vote like we do, the list goes on. There are of course historical and cultural reasons we do this. Catholics killing Protestants; Protestants returning the favor. Baptists teaching Charismatics are full of demons; Charismatics disdaining Baptists, again the list goes on.
Is this how God wants it? All of our various denominations huddled in our corners, whacking each other and fighting each other for the biggest attendance. Calling each other names and arguing over some random verse that probably doesn't matter all that much. I don't think so.
I know what you are thinking. You agree that God wants us to be one, after all Jesus prayed for our oneness, but you KNOW you are right about . . . whatever your pet issue is. I have my pet issues too (just read some of my past blogs). But is the issue you are so concerned about more important than loving your fellow Christian?
We do not have to throw out our beliefs and never talk about what we disagree about, but we do have to throw out our pride and our need to be right. That's a hard one for me because I like being right and I like the person I am disagreeing with to know that I am right. It's hard for me to let go of the debate, but God is more concerned with me (and you) being loving.
Love means that we are committed to living and working out our faith together. It means that when we disagree we do so civilly. We listen to each other. It means that despite our disagreements we stay in relationship with each other.
There will be times when God moves you from the church you are in, or even the denomination of which you are a part, but if it is God you will still find yourself loving the people you have left.
We need community, not just as individuals, but as churches. My church needs your church. The Baptists need the Charismatics, and vice-versa. We must reach out to each other. We must try to understand each other, but most of all we must love one another. Peace

Will God Judge You For Your Vote?

2008-11-08T13:58:00.007-06:00

I started to write this article in large part as a response to what Dutch Sheets wrote in response to the US electing Obama. (For the record I think Dutch is wrong on this one, but if history proves me wrong, I'll apologize. Any chance Dutch will do the same?) But as I wrote I realized how little I've done to end abortion in this nation, so this is more of a confession than anything else.

I have not done what God showed me to do years ago when I was praying about my role in ending abortion in America. Basically he showed me sitting on a bench outside of Planned Parenthood and praying. I have not done that. Oh, sure I've done it some, but not to the extent that God called for. For this I repent, and God willing I will pray more.

Only recently have I become concerned over what the women getting abortions are going through or what drove them to get abortions.

Even with this new found compassion I have yet to do anything that would positively effect these women's lives and give them a realistic alternative to abortion.

I have become cynical that God will actually do anything to end abortion in this land.

I have not been arrested for sidewalk counseling mostly because I have never sidewalk counseled.

Nor have I been arrested for protesting the killing of Iraqis.

Nor have I let my concern over the war drive me to actually do anything about it.

Nor have I prayed as hard and long as I should for the blessing of God to be poured out on the enemies of the United States of America.

I have been more concerned with fitting in and not rocking the boat than I have with speaking and doing what God has called me to.

I have, alot of times, chosen TV over God.

I have often responded to others out of fear or anger or annoyance and not in love. This includes those I disagree with politically and theologically.

I have also done numerous more things that I should not have done and have not done numerous more things that I should have done.

Of all these I repent and pray that God will give me the grace to live as he wants me to live.

I however, do not repent of the way I voted. First of all, I live in Illinois does anyone seriously think my one vote was going to change the outcome of the election in Illinois? Maybe if the presidential election was based on popular vote my one vote could have tipped the scales (but I doubt it).
Secondly, I don't think God is going to judge me for one vote. He is much more likely to judge me based on how I live the rest of the year.

The main problem that I see in the words given by Dutch Sheets and others is that they place too much emphasis on our political leaders and not enough on us. They told us to vote for Bush. Is the US really any more godly as a result? Have we made progress in making abortion illegal? Do we have more compassion for our neighbors? For our enemies? Does voting for someone who is pro-life negate the fact that he supports the killing of Iraqis? Or are our unborn more precious to God than the lives of boys and girls, men and women living in Iraq? Does voting for Obama mean that all the other things we do to defeat abortion mean nothing? Does a vote for McCain and Sarah Palin mean we are off the hook the rest of the year? Is how we voted more important than why we voted? If I am a racist and I voted for McCain does that mean I escape God's judgment?

Another problem with these words is it turns Obama and those who support him and those who did not support McCain into enemies rather than brothers and sisters. I do not agree with Dutch Sheets on his political stance, but I do not think he is evil. But he seems ready to judge me as such without really understanding why I voted the way I did.

To summarize (for those of you who want to skip everything else I wrote above): God is not going to judge me or any one else for how we voted. God will judge us based on how we live out our lives. I have lots to repent about.

Hope For Our Future

2008-11-05T12:33:00.004-06:00

I did not vote for Barack Obama (I didn't vote for McCain either -- some day Green Party, some day), but I feel the weight of this historic day just the same. I think what made it hit home for me was seeing Jesse Jackson with tears streaming down his face. I wish that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. could have been standing there with him. I think of my own dear mother (a white woman) who bravely spoke up for African Americans at her all white high school and who endured her family's rejection to marry my Puerto Rican father. I think of my African American daughter Zemira whose first memories will include an African American president. This is a momentous occassion and a cause for celebration whether you voted for Obama or not. Can't you feel the generations of slaves rejoicing that America has finally gotten to this point? Can't you feel the satisfaction of reaching up into the tree the civil rights movement planted all those years ago and tasting this fruit? I can.
Is racism over? Certainly not, we still have a long way to go, but this election is a step in the right direction. This election was and is about more than just the issues of our day. It was and is about the spiritual state of our nation. It was and is about spiritual reconciliation. This is huge. I hope my white friends (especially my white Christian friends) realize how huge it is. When injustice is tangibly overthrown, when things that have blocked the blessings of God are removed, then justice and God's blessing can flow. This nation sinned terribly -- enslaving, torturing, raping, and killing other people, children of God, because of the color of their skin. Worse than that the American church participated in many of these sins. When revival broke out on Azuza street many Christians spoke out against it, not because of strange things happening, or miracles occurring, but because white and black people were worshiping together. Even today our congregations remain largely segregated. This should not be. The election of Barack Obama as president gives me hope that our nation can change. It gives me hope that our churches can change to become places where God pours out His Spirit on brothers and sisters of every color. It gives me hope for our future.

Christians, Truth, and Obama

2008-08-06T11:17:00.004-05:00

I have had it with all the lies circulating about Barrak Obama. I, as all Americans, expect mud to fly during an election season, but enough is enough! Obama is not Muslim. He does not refuse to say the pledge of allegiance, he does not mock the Bible. Do the people who start and those who perpetuate these lies think it is godly to do so? It's not.
If you are going to vote against Obama, let it be because you disagree with his policies, not because of some stupid internet lie! (Grrr!)
As Christians we should be truthful, let alone loving, so before you send out another factless email about how Obama will destroy "Christian" America think, "Is this loving? Is it even true?"

But What If . . .

2008-07-17T15:08:00.003-05:00

Every one who is against the use of violence has been asked this question, "What if someone was attacking your family/friend/wife/husband/church/etc.? What would you do?" I'd like to rework it a bit and ask it this way, What if your child was attacking your wife? What would you do? Would you resort to violence ? Would you kill him? Or would you think of some other way to stop the attack?

Looking for Stevie Wonder

2008-07-17T14:13:00.008-05:00

Every year around the fourth of July Chicago has an event called "The Taste of Chicago". There is basically food and music. Usually I avoid it because I hate crowds (no, really I HATE crowds), but this year Stevie Wonder was playing. Stevie Wonder! For free! For that I would endure traffic and crowds.
My mother was visiting so she, my baby, and I loaded into the mini-van and headed for Chicago. The traffic and crowds were as expected, but we plowed our way through to the concert area. It took us about half an hour to walk three blocks, but we persevered. We were even early. Unfortunately, we were also at the wrong place. By the time we got to the right place the concert was in full swing and it was packed. Disappointing, yes, but I thought, we can still enjoy it.
So we set about to find someplace to enjoy the concert. All we could see of Stevie was the top of his head displayed on a big screen up front. That wasn't too bad, what was bad is that we couldn't hear him. The music was not loud enough and people were talking. Talking instead of listening to Stevie! Why, I thought, do people come to a concert and talk? If you want to talk, stay home or go to some other part of the taste. After a while we gave up and left. Faint traces of, "Don't you worry 'bout a thing . . ." teasing us as we walked away.
That Sunday I was at church. The music in my church is always loud enough, or more accurately, "Ouch! My ears are bleeding, please turn it down!" And I could see the people on stage clearly on our screens. The problem is, the music is not what I came to hear. The people on stage are not who I came to see. I came to hear God, to meet with Jesus. I found myself thinking about the Stevie Wonder concert and how frustrated I was that I couldn't hear him because of the other noises around. I felt the same frustrations as I stood in the church. I wanted everyone to just stop talking and singing and playing for just a little while so I could hear the one I came to hear.
Why have we become so afraid of silence? We can't even seem to endure ten minutes of no one talking or singing during worship. I think we are missing something by our constant need for noise. How can we expect people to grow and mature if we do not allow them time to learn how to hear God? Maybe once or twice a month we should do church like the early Quakers did and just sit still and be quiet until God moves.

Jesus for President and Abortion

2008-07-04T15:19:00.005-05:00

I was recently reading the book Jesus for President and was startled to see the authors make a statement I often hear from abortion supporters. The statement is basically, "If you are not willing to adopt, you shouldn't speak out against abortion." I think I understand their intent in making this statement. We who are pro-life should be compassionate toward women in difficult situations, and we should be part of the solution. If this is what is meant by the statement, I agree. However, I find the statement itself to be rather, well . . . stupid.
I mean no disrespect to the authors, who seem very intelligent, or to anyone else who has uttered this phrase. But having a lack of people willing to adopt newborn children is not a problem. So, even if a pro-lifer is unwilling to adopt, it is likely they know someone who is willing.
But there is a greater problem with this statement than just not knowing the current U.S. adoption scene. This statement also also seeks to silence those who can't adopt either because of age or for financial or for other reasons. Inability to solve, or help solve a problem shouldn't preclude one from speaking out about it. Everyone should be free to speak out about injustice, whether five or fifty, whether rich or poor.
And finally, the statement does nothing to address the real problems of abortion, for the unborn child, or for the mother.

Logic, what logic?

2008-04-23T19:06:00.003-05:00

I recently wrote a post that mentioned the movie Expelled. I have since seen the movie and highly recommend it. I have also been reading some comments made by others about the movie. There are the "Ben Stein is a loser" comments, the "Intelligent Design (ID) is not a science" comments, and the "let me explain basic science to you" comments, the sad thing is none of these comments comment intelligently on the movie. Why? The main reason is that most of the commentators have not even seen the movie, some even refuse to go to see it. The irony is that in doing this they help to prove the movie's point.
I found a similar problem on an atheist website I encountered. The atheist claimed to have studied the Bible which led him to become an atheist. After just a casual perusal of his comments it was painfully obvious that not only had he not studied the Bible, he'd barely managed to read it. When I suggested he look at different versions, or read some commentaries he refused.
What has happened to logic? What has happened to the spirit of inquiry? The same people that accuse Christians of being deluded and afraid of the truth, refuse to even hear an argument that might prove their beliefs wrong. This isn't pursuit of truth or scientific. It's stupid. As in lacking any form of intelligence.
Don't get me wrong there are intelligent people who are atheists and/or evolutionists. I do not agree with them, or their conclusions, but at least they have taken the time to look at the evidence. But these types seem to be becoming increasingly rare.
So, here is a challenge. If you believe in evolution, go see Expelled or read Bones of Contention by Lubenow. Actually try to know about and understand something before you claim to know it is wrong.

My Little Activist

2008-03-28T13:19:00.006-05:00

I am a reluctant activist. I'd much rather hole up in my room and pray for change than actually take any actions to see it come to pass, especially if that action = confrontation. But as I have mentioned in other posts, God won't let me. (An English major aside: how did we get won't from will not? And does anybody ever say Cannot you? We say, "can't you" all the time, so why not "cannot you"? Sorry, back to the point). And now neither will my son.

It started out innocently enough. We were reading a book about Puerto Rico. Among other things it mentioned how Puerto Ricans can vote in the primary, but not the national presidential election. So, we talked about the difference between the two. Which led to talking about the candidates. Which led Toby to ask me who I am going to vote for. Which led me to say, "I don't know yet, because I agree with the candidates on some issues and not on others." Which led Toby to ask, "What issues?" I gave him some examples, one of which was abortion. Which led him to ask (repeatedly) "Why don't we write them a letter?"

Sigh. I hate writing politicians. But Toby's logic prevailed and so I let him write a letter. He decided to write a letter to the mayor of our city about his recent decision to allow an abortion clinic in. He wrote a two sentence letter complete with an illustration to emphasize his point. We have yet to hear back from the Mayor.

But God has used Toby, and often uses Toby to get at my apathy, my cynicism. I drag my feet when it comes to being more proactive in politics and other areas because I do not think it will make a difference. But then I am confronted by Toby and God with, "why not try?"

In Brian McLaren's book Everything Must Change he relates a story about two women who helped to build a school. He says something that I need to take to heart, "As this mother and daughter told me their story . . . I realized that the simple action of one family, not a big NGO, not a huge government program, but a simple family project of neighborliness and humanity -- illustrated the kind of subversive faith and action that can stop the suicide machine and build, in its place, a better world." (McLaren p.279)

Cannot you see it? You, me, we can change the world. The Kingdom of God is here, Jesus is with us. "If God is with us, who can be against us?"

Stupid Faith

2008-03-25T15:09:00.009-05:00

As I was flipping through the channels last night I came across Larry King interviewing Lewis Black. Larry asked Lewis about his reaction to the comments made by Rev. Wright. One of the things that Lewis said in his reply was that he thought there were equally insane things being said in other churches, like the earth was created in six days. I found myself agreeing with him. From the prospective of most people saying the earth was created, let alone in six days, sounds insane. In fact a lot of what Christ taught sounds insane.

I do not like that. I like sounding sane and rational. I like being thought of as intelligent and reasonable. I have tried to "reason away" some of what Jesus said, "He didn't really mean..." but God's words have a way of burrowing into my heart and refusing to die no matter how I try to ignore them. So, I find myself believing insane things like the earth being created in six days.

Worse I find myself confronting war veterans with "Jesus told us to love our enemies" (have I mentioned I hate confrontation?), businessmen with, "Jesus does not like how some companies treat their employees." These teachings do not make sense. They leave us vulnerable, unsure, unsafe. Not in control (have I mentioned how I love being in control? I've only been drunk once in my life. I never got drunk again because I did not like being out of control).

They leave us right where God wants us, reliant on him. I barely have enough in me to love my friends, let alone my enemies. I like chocolate as much as the next guy and buy things without regard as to where they came from or who slaved to make them. I am perfectly content to plot revenge, to hold onto bitterness, to not forgive. It feels good.

But then there's Jesus. Standing there with that knowing look on his face. Suddenly I am reminded of something he said. That little crumb of a word starts irritating my heart. I try to ignore it, but it itches, it hurts. I try to scratch it away, but it just gets bigger and bigger and bigger, until I cannot ignore it any longer and I find myself capitulating to it. To Him.

One of my heroes, Eberhard Arnold, said, "To hear and read the words of Jesus is dangerous". He was right. Hearing Jesus words, actually hearing them and grasping the implications, is dangerous. It makes you believe and do stupid things.You might believe that God still speaks today. You might believe that he still answers prayer, that he still does miracles. You might find your friends and family saying, "He is out of his mind". You might believe that you should give up your life of wealth and privilege to live amongst the poor. You might believe people should not be made slaves and try to free them. You might believe killing your enemy will only plant the seeds of more hatred and violence. You might find yourself changing the world.

Stupid faith.

New Ben Stein Movie and Thoughts on Science

2008-03-17T15:53:00.007-05:00

I just saw a trailer for a documentary Ben Stein Expelled. The movie looks at the way scientist who question Darwinism are treated. It looks like it should be good, and hopefully it will get people thinking.

Imagine what could be accomplished if, instead of trying to throw God out of science, scientists in every field were tuned into what God was willing to show them about their area of study. Look at the accomplishments of one such man, George Washington Carver. He is quoted as saying, "When I was young, I said to God, God, tell me the mystery of the universe. But God answered, that knowledge is for me alone. So I said, God, tell me the mystery of the peanut. Then God said, well, George, that's more nearly your size."

He went on to discover 300 uses for the peanut, 118 from sweet potatoes, and several other discoveries from other plants. His work and research continues to influence work in botany today.

What might happen if scientists asked God similar questions today about renewable fuel or cures for diseases? Instead it seems some are more concerned with keeping God out of science because allowing him in would go against the theories they hold. This seems contrary to the very nature of what it means to be a scientist. One of the reasons science is important and exciting is because it encourages us to look closely at the world and think and rethink about what we see. If we start censoring this based on what someone concludes from looking, eventually we may stop looking and discovering.

Expand Your Vocabulary; Change the World

2008-03-10T17:55:00.008-05:00

Logophiles have a fun new way to help give rice to the poor. FreeRice.com donates rice to the needy around the world with every vocabulary question you get correct. My current high score is 42, but I'm working on reaching 50. What level can you get to? Click on the bowl of rice and find out. (see the sidebar).
Speaking of the sidebar, there is a new banner there that says "know love act". Clicking this will take you to blood:water mission. This organization works to "tangibly reduce the impact of the African HIV/AIDS pandemic, to promote clean blood and clean water in Africa, and to build equitable, sustainable and personal community links." Click on the link, learn more about them; hey maybe even donate some money.

Miracle God

2008-03-04T11:50:00.001-06:00

I want to feel you like ‘lectricity
coursing through my body–
Half eyes whole,
tainted blood clean.
My mere wishes twisted into faith,
Or divine dictation scribbled onto my soul?
I’ve stumbled down this road before,
Circling my doubt, tripping on uncertainty,
Never knowing if I
squeeze just one more ounce of faith out–
will you be
coursing through my body like lightning?
Mute man singing,
Lame man running.
Is it me or America that you hate?
Leaving longing faithless, leaving prayers tattered.
Maybe if I were a better man,
Maybe if we had more faith,
Maybe if I prayed more,
Maybe if we sang longer, louder, stronger
Maybe then you’d be shivering down our spines,
Leaving our wheel chairs to dance alone.
Barren woman weaning,
Dead man leaping.
Does your silence mean you’re angry?
Or do your miracles fade in the light of our TV screens?
Should I head for Africa or Asia or Argentina
To feel you like the sea thundering through me,
To see you growing hands like magician’s scarves?
(I can’t afford the airfare)
Are our needs less tantalizing, are our dead less tragic?
Are their prayers more potent, are their pleas more pleasing?
Are there things we need to change so you will
Heal lame bodies,
cure cancerous souls?
Or are we those you’ve destined to always be grabbing,
but never reaching the goal?
I want to give up, to go back to not believing,
But even more
I want to feel you like ‘lectricity,
Coursing through my body,
To see you flood America with miracles
Like when you walked in Galilee,
Deaf man hearing,
blind man seeing,
diseased man dancing,
possessed man praising.
dead man raising,

You moving through me.

The Longing

2008-03-04T11:24:00.001-06:00

Your terrifying joy enraptures me with longing.
I need the hush of holiness exploding in me,
quieting my silence with your thundering song–
“Jesus” whispered like a butterfly’s wing
storming through my desert heart,
wetting, drenching, deluging all my tears
into diamonds of honest praise.

Read my name from the palm of your hand.
Or let me crouch there tracing holiness with my finger,
Drunk from the glorious sobriety of it all
I could fade into the lines of your finger,
Or be swept away with the angels in praise.

Walk over my skin, like the hills of Galilee,
my body heavy with your holiness.
Or camp in the cave of my heart and fade into its crevices,
Cracking my contempt into gratefulness.

I want to be washed away in the silence of your majesty
To be a wave in the endless sea of your praise,
To evaporate into you.

Stricken By God?

2008-03-02T17:02:00.002-06:00

A new book, Stricken By God? edited by Brad Jersak looks at the crucifixion and and challenges the typical western understanding of what was happening. For those looking for a book review, you won't find it here since I have not read the book. (I've promised myself that I am not starting another book until I have finished reading all the others I am reading: Dear Birth Mother, Everything Must Change, Dreaming With God, The Shack, Home Learning Year by Year, and Renegade's Magic). I have seen an interview with Mr. Jersak that piqued my curiosity. This led me to do a search where I found some interesting blogs about the Eastern Orthodox view point. (You can see them here, here, here, here and here).
I am still very much in the studying, learning, and questioning phase of contemplating this issue. For those of you who did not click the links to read or watch what this other idea of the atonement is about I will try to sum it up. Basically the western view is that Christ had to die to take the punishment for our sins. God's justice would not allow him to just forgive us, someone had to take the punishment. When Christ took that sin upon himself God had to look away because he cannot look at sin. The Eastern Orthodox view (really, read the stuff I've linked, they explain it better) is that Christ death was a part of the redemption of humankind. Jesus died to ransom us from the devil. Jesus' blood had to be shed so that we could unite with him (by drinking his blood, eating his body). This is very basic, but I think I have the general idea correct.
My main, "but what about..." is Romans 5:9-10 "Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! ¹⁰ For if, while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!" If anyone knows how the Eastern church would see this verse, I'd be happy to hear it.
I think the reason I find this so fascinating is that the Eastern Orthodox view point is so alien to me. Suddenly I'm seeing verses I thought I knew in a new light. That is exciting to me. I love it when God says, "Look at this, bet you did not notice that before!" The journey of grappling with unfamiliar ideas is tantalizing enough for me to overcome my fears of falling into "error" and allow God to draw me closer through the journey.
I want to encourage you to join the journey. Take time to read about what Christ did for you. Read view points from a different tradition or denomination than yours. Ask God to guide you in the journey and give you a deeper understanding of who he is.

The Hardest Questions Result In the Best Answers

2008-03-02T15:48:00.005-06:00

Today my six year-old said to me, "Ya know sometimes I wonder if God is real. I mean how do I know the Bible is true, I wasn't there,"? I think that if he had asked me this a few years ago I would have immediately launched into reasons to believe. But I did not. Maybe it's because I've gotten used to saying, "I don't know" to his constant questions (usually about science. Thank God his aunt is a chemist!). Or maybe its because I'm in a season of questioning too (Thanks in a large part to Brad Jersak's new book Stricken By God). Whatever the reason I found these scary words coming out of my mouth, "Why don't you ask God to show you he is real?"
Scary for me because of all the what ifs that go through every parents head. "What if he stops believing in God? What if he asks for something so outrageous and God doesn't answer? or what if God does? What if he becomes convinced that another religion is true?" Scary because with those words I gave up control of my son's belief. Without really meaning to, I gave it up to God. He is the one who has to show himself real to Toby. Toby is the one who has to respond. God is the one who has to keep him.
Scary, because with those words my trust in God is put to the test. Do I trust him enough to take Toby on the journey of faith, wherever it may lead? No matter how scary it looks to me? Or how close it skirts to the edge of unbelief?
Years ago some friends and I spent time studying the Bible. We called ourselves "the heresy boys" because we looked at issues that are often (some rightly so) considered heretical. We studied the Bible to seriously look at issues like reincarnation and whether or not hell is transitory. We did not always come to the same conclusions, but, at least for me, the questions led to a closer more secure walk with God.
God is not afraid of the hard questions. He does not shy away from, "If you are loving how can you allow rape, murder, disease?" or "Or why did you call for genocide in the Old Testament?" Or "Where were you when . . ." These questions are scary to us because we are afraid of what the answer might be. What if God doesn't answer? So, we don't ask, or we do and supply a trite answer. But I think God wants us to ask. Not so he can answer all our questions, but so that he can reveal himself to us. He is not afraid of where these questions may lead us, because he is able to keep us. Not only is he able, he is faithful to do so.

Stupid Things I've Done - A Prophetic Word

2008-02-28T16:19:00.000-06:00

I know this will be hard for some of you to believe, but I've done some stupid things in my life. Allow me to share one of those things with you.
A while ago our bathtub faucet needed fixing. Being the frugal (all right, cheap) person I am I decided to fix it myself. I searched the web for the problem I was having (it was hard to pull open and push closed) and found instructions. Step one of course is to turn off the water. The water valves under the sink do not turn off the water for the tub, so I called my association to ask where the turn off valve was. They told me it was in the front of the building and would turn the water off for all the units, not just mine. I would have to get the city to come and turn it off and I would also have to notify my neighbors of when and for how long the water would be off. Since it was 8 PM I realized that it was not going to get done that night. So, I decided to just look at the faucet to see if there was anything I could do without turning the water off. In my perusal of the web I had found that the stickiness was probably caused by a cartridge that needed to be replaced. I took off the plastic cover of the faucet and used pliers to turn the water on and off. I could not see a "cartridge". Then I saw it. And pulled it out.
WOOOOSH! A torrent of water slammed me in the face. Water is spraying everywhere, the floor, the ceiling, the walls out the door. Pictures are being knocked off the wall. I am drenched. The bathtub is rapidly overflowing. I am desperately trying to force the faucet back into the pipe. Finally after several tries, I do, but then I realize that I can not find the piece that holds it in place (it has been lost in the mayhem). I'm doomed to sit forever holding the faucet in place or to let the water spray everywhere until the entire house is underwater. I prayed, I cursed, I slipped and the faucet shot out of the pipe again. I forced it back in. My arms were getting tired. I realized I needed help.
My wife was at work. The phone was downstairs. The nearest help was my six year old son who was asleep in his room across the hall. I yelled and yelled and yelled. Finally I let go of the faucet and ran into his room and shook him awake. When he saw what had happened he laughed. He later described it as "chaos everywhere".
He helped me look for the missing piece, we could not find it. Finally I jerry-rigged something to hold it in place. I told my son to stay in the bathroom and to yell for me if it came out again. I went downstairs cringing as I saw the soaked ceiling, water pouring out of the light fixture, and the flooded floor. I grabbed the phone and quickly called an all night plumber.
After laughing heartily at me, he graciously told me how to fix the problem, and in the process I discovered the water shut off valve. After a quick change my son and I rushed off to Home Depot to get what we needed to fix the faucet. They did not have it. As we got back home my wife was pulling into the garage. "Wait till you see!" my son yelled before I had a chance to even turn off the van.
Guys, you know your wife loves you when she walks into the kind of disaster my wife saw that day and you live to tell about it.
My wife will tell you that she is not prophetic, but she was that day. She continued to love me despite the damage I had done to the house. She helped me clean the mess I had made and put up with the lack of water that night and the next day. She did not yell at me or tell me how stupid or evil I was. She was very much like God, who when we sin does not condemn us, but cleanses us and forgives us.
Her response is a response the church desperately needs to learn. We have seen many church leaders get caught in sin. This in itself is sad, but the response of the church is tragic. Instead of standing in love with these people, we have often turned our backs on them and even cast them out of our churches. Instead we should be helping them to clean up the mess, loving them even though they did great damage. Staying in relationship with them even though we have to suffer because of their sin. The church cannot grow and mature if we do not learn to work out the problems and difficulties that come about when someone in the body sins. We cannot grow in love if we reject those who sin. We are told to gently restore those who sin (Galatians 6). It's time we started doing this.

Bombs Don't Hug

2007-12-19T21:53:00.000-06:00

War is never justifiable
Many Christians believe the war in Iraq is not only justifiable, but that it is just. Our soldiers freed a country from a tyrannical ruler who tortured and killed his people. Whether or not this will result in a better, freer Iraq has yet to be seen. But even if it does, it was sinful and wrong for us to invade Iraq. Nowhere in the Bible are Christians told to overthrow governments. Instead we are told to pray for people in authority. Why? So that we may live "peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness" (1 Timothy 2:1-2) Note that nowhere does it say we are supposed to go to war with them or kill them. Not even the really evil ones. (Remember this was written at a time when Christians were being fed to lions by their government).
I know this doesn't make any sense. Why pray when a gun will more readily take care of the problem? Praying is stupid. Unless of course God is really real and really does answer prayer. Then it makes all the sense in the world to obey what he has told us to do and pray.
Killing is never loving
I've heard people say they love the Iraqi soldiers, but still think it is necessary to fight and kill them. Killing someone is never loving. Jesus told us to love our enemies, to do good to those who harm us. Did he mean this? Stop and ask him. "Jesus, are we really supposed to love our enemies, even when we might end up dead if we do?" Stop and look, what is the Father doing? (We are to be like Jesus and Jesus only did what he saw the Father do). Is the Father killing Iraqis? Is Jesus? If not, why are we? When are we going to stop justifying sin?
And it is a sin. God, the Word made flesh, Jesus, commanded us to love our enemies, our neighbors as we do ourselves. Killing, torturing, bombing, shooting, someone is not loving them. No matter how you try to spin it so that you can sleep at night and pretend you are right with God, killing your enemy is a sin.

Not Everything You Get Through Email Is True

2007-11-15T01:20:00.000-06:00

Atheists are not trying to get T.D. Jakes or Touched By An Angel off the air. Einstein never confronted an atheist professor. New U.S. coins do not omit "in God we trust". These and other "critical" forwarded emails assault me ever so often and I'm tired of it. The truth about these issues can be easily checked in a few minutes at snopes.com or some other source. Take a minute and check it out.
Sometimes I wonder if the people sending these warnings out even read them at all. Or just have really bad memories since many of these false warnings have the same message with only small details being changed.
Lets not waste our time rallying people to oppose nonexistent threats when there are many real causes we should unite for.

Why Every Christian Should Read Harry Potter and The Golden Compass

2007-11-15T00:20:00.000-06:00

With the upcoming release of the Golden Compass movie based on the book by Philip Pullman my email has been flooded with warnings not to see this movie. I have also endured many warnings about Harry Potter and witchcraft. I am ambivalent about these warnings. On the one hand I agree with the people who warn that Pullman's work is anti-God and anti-church (it is) and that Rowling's series has witches and witches are evil (they are). On the other hand I was an English major and a former English teacher and a good book is a good book. It's hard for me to say don't read this book or that book when it is a really great read.
But these books being well crafted is not why I think every Christian should read them. I think every Christian should read them for these reasons:
1. Evangelism. Paul used the Greeks belief in many gods as an opening to share about Christ and the resurrection. Both series give excellent opportunities to talk with others about Christ. I don't mean saying, "God says, 'Harry should be killed!'" but using what the Potter series has to say about the power of love to talk about God's love. Or using what Pullman has to say about the evil of the church to talk about human evil and frailty verses God's goodness.
2. Greater is He who is in me than he that is in the world. We say this, but it seems at times we don't believe it. The message seems to be that if we or our children read these books (or see these movies) then they will be enticed into denying Christ and becoming Wiccans or atheists. But as Christians we are not called to ignore the arguments and reasonings of people who do not believe as we do, but to give an answer for the hope we have. We do not grow as Christians by avoiding things that challenge our beliefs.
3. If we are condemning magic in one book, we should condemn it in all. If Harry Potter is evil, then so are Gandalf and Aslan. We have not condemned The Lord of the Rings or Narnia because despite their use of wizards and mythical creatures and Greek gods, we recognize Christian themes and overtones in them. The same can be said of the Harry Potter series. Despite the use of witches there are Christian overtones to the book and moral lessons to be learned.
4. Our opinions and beliefs should be formed based on fact not on someone else's opinion or on rumor. I too often see Christians condemning something based on misinformation. If you are going to speak out against something find out for yourself if it is true. Don't just read an email or listen to a speaker and take it for granted what you read or hear is true.

Black and White In a Gray World

2007-11-14T23:38:00.000-06:00

In debates I've had with some of my friends I have often been accused of wanting black and white answers. My friends assert that things are a lot grayer in the real world. It is true that we live in a complicated world and that there are hardly ever cut and dry answers that fit every situation. But my friends have missed what I was actually asking them. I was not and am not asking for a black and white answer that fits every situation. What I am asking for is why they believe the way they do and can they support it with scripture.
As Christians the Bible is supposed to be one of our moral plumb lines. (The Holy Spirit and fellow believers being some others). So when we, as Christians, go against something that seems fairly black and white in scripture I have to ask why. I am not doing this just to debate some issue (though I do love a good debate), but to get us to really think about why we believe something.
I had a friend in college whose grandmother was convinced "cleanliness is next to godliness" was in the Bible. I think a lot of Christians have similar misconceptions about what God's word says. It bugs me when someone claims the Bible says something that it doesn't (often the same people who send those urban legend emails -- grrr.) If you believe in Christ then your beliefs and actions should match up with his and his match up with the scripture.
I am not saying that there is no room for a different understanding of how scripture should be interpreted or seen. Most Christians would agree that polygamy and slavery are wrong, but these are both treated as acceptable in the Bible, clearly God has opened our eyes to better understand the scripture in these areas. But seeing scripture in a new light is different than ignoring it all together.

A Faith Like That

2007-11-13T11:09:00.001-06:00

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. (Hebrews 11:13 NIV)

I love reading stories about faith, from Noah to Smith Wigglesworth to Heidi Baker. These stories are from different times and places but in all of these stories people put their faith in God and God shows up and does amazing things. The faith of these people is strong and alive and vibrant. These stories stir up my faith and encourage me to believe God for miracles and other amazing things to happen.
But there are other stories. Stories from my life and probably yours as well. Times when I was certain God was going to heal, full of faith he would deliver and . . . nothing. Stories of hundreds of years as slaves to the Egyptians. Stories of Mother Theresa not feeling God's presence.
There is a faith in these stories too. It may not look as bold and alive and vibrant as the faith in the stories where God shows up miraculously, but it is there. It is a faith that despite disappointment, despite doubt keeps smoldering. It is a faith that says, no matter what happens or does not happen I trust God. God is good. God is good even if my prayer is unanswered.
Some people have a problem with this. They say that if you have faith you will always be healed or see something miraculous happen. And while I agree that sometimes we give up too easily and need to be more proactive in exercising our faith, sometimes faith goes unanswered.
So, while I pray for miraculous things to happen and long to see amazing things, I think the faith I am more in need of is the faith that keeps a hold of God and his goodness even when it is not immediately answered.

That's Not Fair! or Grace

2007-10-28T16:36:00.000-05:00

Grace is one of those things that looks great in theory, but usually leaves me ranting at God in reality. Oh, sure, I love grace when it is directed at me. After all, I'm only human and I make lots of mistakes, so I need lots of grace. But sometimes I wish His grace was less available to others.
For example, there was a couple who were friends mine. I saw them starting to act a little cultish, so I confronted them. Rather than try to understand what I was saying, or work out our differences, or repent, they stopped returning my phone calls and refused to talk to me. My wife and I felt abandoned and wronged. We knew that God would punish them for their lack of love and their heresy. They would fail in their ministry objectives. They would lose money in their businesses. Instead they were successful and prosperous.
Needless to say I was angry at God. I wanted divine wrath for them, not divine grace. During this time I had a dream that the wife was in the hospital dying. In the dream I half heartedly prayed for her and she died. After she died God came to me and asked, "Is that punishment enough?" I woke up shaken.
Although I never would have said it out loud, in my heart I wanted them dead. That was the depth of my anger and hatred. But I wasn't just angry at them, I was angry at God. I was like the other son in the story of the prodigal son.
"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'" (Luke 15:28-30 TNIV)
I thought that by not punishing this couple God was saying that everything they did was okay with him. I wanted him to punish them so I could say, "See, I was right!" But God is not concerned with whether or not I am vindicated.
Grace is not fair. It covers people who live their whole lives sinless as well as those who sneak in at the last minute after a life time of sin. It covers those we love and jerks we don't. It covers you and it covers me. We have no choice about who God's grace covers. We do have the choice of whether or not we are going to join in on the grace party God is throwing, or if we are going to sit outside and grumble that the guest of honor should be punished.
Much grace!

Unanswered Prayer

2007-10-23T16:58:00.000-05:00

One of the things that has bugged me most of my Christian life has been how it seems like God more readily, more miraculously answers the prayers of those in other countries. About a year ago I was struggling with this more than usual and at the same time preparing prayer activities for my church. As I did I reread Isaiah 58. It hit me hard, especially verses six and seven.

⁶ "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

⁷ Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

What if the reason that a lot of our prayers go unanswered is not because of a lack of faith, or not saying the right words, or even because of what we typically view as sin in our lives, but because of our oppression of the poor and helpless?

Now most of us would not knowingly do any of these things, but what about the companies we buy from? Slave and near slave conditions occur throughout the world (yes, even here in the U.S.) and the fruits of this slave labor often end up on our tables. (http://www.ciw-online.org/index.html) Or on our backs.

Then there is the question of how our government deals with the world. It wages war that results in the death of innocent people. It uses sanctions that result in children dying. And these are just a few of the things we know about.

So, where do we fit in? If our shoes are made by a company that oppresses the poor (I'm talking to you Nike) then we are guilty by proxy. If our food is harvested by slaves then we are guilty of slavery. If our government kills innocent women and children and we do nothing to stop it we are guilty. And if we are guilty can we expect God to answer our prayers?

As Christians we must no longer be content to sing a few worship songs on Sunday and say that we are close to God. It is impossible to be close to God if we are not reaching out to and helping those he is near -- the broken hearted, the poor, the widow, the outcast, the foreigner (illegal or otherwise), the sick, the imprisoned. When we reach out to these that God has told us throughout scripture to reach out to, then we are close to God. When we stand up for the oppressed then our prayers are answered. When we love those God loves, then our lives and world is changed.