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.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Stupid Things I've Done - A Prophetic Word
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.
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.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Bombs Don't Hug
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.
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.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Not Everything You Get Through Email Is True
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.
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
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.
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.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Black and White In a Gray World
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.
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.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
A Faith Like That
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.
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.
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