Theology

March 29, 2015  by

Gentle Mastery

“If Jesus rode down your street and pride stood in the way of your praise, would you lay it down before Him?” – from today’s sermon

To say Jesus thought outside the box would be the understatement of two millennia.

He needs a donkey. Does He dial 1-800-IDONKEY? Oh no. He sends two disciples to gently seize one. “It’s OK,” He tells them. “If anyone asks you about it, just tell them the Master needs it.”

Jesus never said that following Him would never involve awkward situations. But He certainly anticipated the potential awkwardness and gave them a ready-and abundantly true-answer. After all, He was the Master, and by gum, He needed a donkey!

This is the paradox: Jesus is Master of all, yet He comes gently.

He comes with an open heart, seeking those with open hearts. He could claim all; He could charge into our lives with all the force of a Roman potentate, seizing authority.

Instead, He comes peacefully, on a donkey, inviting us to share in the peace and joy which only He can offer.

As the preacher shared this morning about the people of that time: “They didn’t know what kind of Messiah was coming, but they knew what kind of Messiah they wanted.”

Perhaps I pictured a God who would take over my life by force; perhaps it’s tempting to ignore Christ’s gentle invitation because so many other vain things cry louder and tug harder.

Then may my false expectations be swept up into this true One-this one who rides gently on a donkey, glorifying His Father at every step, ushering in salvation to His people.

Pride, fear-whatever it is that’s keeping you and me on the outskirts of this crowd-let’s throw it away. Let’s take our cloaks, let’s take our throats, let’s offer everything to our Master!!

These thoughts were set in motion by today’s Palm Sunday sermon. As you left church this morning, did any insights from your service start nurdling around in your subconscious?

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March 28, 2015  by

Seamless Reality

When Christ was being crucified, the soldiers at His feet were bartering over his clothes. Picture the scene: you’re wheezing, you feel your life ebbing out of you, and the words you hear below you are, “Aww, come on now–don’t be such a pig–throw the dice again.”

A prostitute reduces a man to a loaf of bread; your executioners reduce you to a suit of clothes.

One of those articles of clothing always piqued my interest: it was a seamless undergarment. My fascination grew as I learned that the technology to weave such a garment had only lately been discovered. The fact that Jesus owned this helps confirm the date He walked the Earth.

But this garment has other reasons for making me stop and consider.

I see it as a symbol.

You see, the longer I live, the more I realize how seamless Christ’s reality is. We often talk about being “one with nature.” By that we mean embedding ourselves in a haunting forest, losing ourselves in a gorgeous sunset, or restoring our sense of wonder by watching waves crash on a desolate shore.

But all of these experiences point us to a deeper oneness–a oneness with our Creator God. He offers not only salvation, not only purpose, not only peace–He offers Himself. He Himself is the path through which all of these means of grace enter our lives.

If we accept Him, as we accept a suitor, we accept His daily presence. We welcome Him to know us and we long to know Him.

It’s how love begins to make sense. Paul spoke about longing for the Philippians with the affection of Christ Jesus. This verse, like so many I’ve read but never heard explained, took me aback. “The affection of Christ Jesus” what is this?

Then I thought of those times when my heart would inexplicably be filled with a sloshing, overflowing kind of love. I don’t just mean the warm fuzzies when a certain sweetheart’s name is mentioned. I mean when you’re a camp counselor and you’re utterly exhausted, but as you lay on your bunk trying to fall asleep, your heart expands like the Grinch’s just a few degrees because God is pouring so much stinkin’ love into it that your poor, cramped heart has to expand in order to fit it all. Of course, it’s a losing battle. Your heart can’t possibly contain that much love. The love God gives you come spilling out, pouring into the lives of those around you.

It’s so obvious to you that this wasn’t love that you manufactured that you have to laugh. It’s because God gave you the new wineskins of a new heart that there’s any way your heart isn’t bursting within you. He knew what He was doing when He gave you that new heart, that heart of flesh instead of stone.

He’s the source of all love. He enables us not only to reach out in love to those who are inherently lovable–the 4-year-old singing a ditty to herself as she does a jigsaw puzzle or the grandfather who wants to tell you a funny story–He equips us to offer love to those who are inherently unlovable–the sullen, pimply teenager who publicly insults us or the frenemy who’s gotten just close enough to us to betray our secrets.

I used to be afraid to love because I was so afraid of losing what I loved. As a child, I would sometimes wake up in a panic, thinking that my parents may have died in the night. When I was able to surrender them to Christ, I found peace in loving them. I didn’t claw after them, demanding that God let us live the exact same timeframe on earth so that I would never need to live without them. Instead, I gave them to God. I knew He loved them more deeply and more closely than I ever could. It was by His grace that I could love them, and I prayed that He would help me love them as He did.

I used to be afraid of having a crush. After all, if I had even the inkling of romantic love in my heart, wasn’t that taking away my love for my Savior? I saw love as a zero sum game: that any love allotted to one person in my life inherently limited my love for another. I thought I was applying Scripture well to think that because Paul warned that while a single woman could pursue God wholeheartedly, a married woman had to stop to please her husband, I shouldn’t even desire to be in a relationship with a guy.

But what I’ve been learning is that all my love–from my love for a cat to my love for my sister–can draw me closer to God. God does not sit in Heaven peevish because “in addition” to loving Him, I also love my best friend. Godly love–true love–enhances my love of Christ. I see every good thing in my life as a gift from Him. He is the true love sung of in the Twelve Days of Christmas. He is pouring down gifts of love into my life, wooing my heart to His.

It wasn’t until recently that I started understanding how it was possible to grow in your love with Christ. I thought you just loved Him wholeheartedly and that was the end of it. But if my heart expands, I’m able to love Him more. And when I love Him more, I begin to realize how much love He has been showing me all along.

For years, I’ve had the verses, “Daughter of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and by the does of the field: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.” (Song of Solomon 2:6). I always thought of it exclusively in reference to the romantic love between a man and a woman. Essentially, I interpreted it to mean that I shouldn’t try to force romantic love to grow; I should wait for God to plant it in the heart of the one I was supposed to love as a husband and in my own heart.

But recently I’ve started to see that this holds true for Christ’s relationship with me, too. One of the most beautiful love stories I’ve ever read is the story of Emma. Here you have this headstrong, impulsive girl who often thoughtlessly insults people or meddles in their affairs. But a close family friend is always helping her see how she should change, gently correcting her and inviting her to show more love to those around her. Her response is often indignant. What right does he have to correct her? Why can’t he just mind his own business?

As the story unfolds, we realize why he can’t just leave her alone. While he is a family friend who has the entire family’s best interest at heart, Emma–foolish, impulsive Emma–has captured his heart. He does not force his love on her; even though for years he’s known that he loved her. He does not speak of it, until she is ready. Until she invites her love and is mature enough to begin to understand it.

I see this in Christ’s love for me. When I was a child, the main way He expressed His love for me was by correcting me. And oh brother, there were plenty of things to correct! At times I grew indignant over His treatment of me: why couldn’t He just let me be who I was? Why must He always be trying to change me?

But the reason was the same as why Mr. Knightley couldn’t simply turn away from Emma and leave her to her own devices: He loved me.

Jesus could see through the gangliness of my growing soul to see who I could be.

His expressed His love for me mainly as correction until that day when I turned to Him and said, “I think I love you.”

Those words were enough for Him to show me how, from the earliest moment when my name had appeared in His mind, He had loved me.

Frankly, His passion for me unnerved me. How could a man so good, so pure, so holy love a creature like me? I was more comfortable with him being on a plane above me, correcting my stupidity from a distance. If I kept my distance, I might not ruin or contaminate Him.

But He desired a close relationship with me–the chance to share our deepest thoughts with one another.

Those verses from the Song of Solomon were for us: He did not offer this love to me until I was ready to understand it.

This love of His for me has changed who I am. I had been surrendering to fears right and left–fears about career, about family, about relationships. Adulthood seemed to usher me into isolation: as a child, I was told what to do. As a young adult, I could often ask others for advice and follow it. But here, as an adult, I was expected to be self directed, confident, sure. But I was anything of those things. I longed to have someone I could talk things over with–someone who was not on the outside of my life, but who I was living it with side-by-side.

I wanted to know and to be known.

At the same time, I realized that this desire went so much deeper than the desire for a boyfriend or even an earthly husband. I knew myself well enough to know that my analytical brain could pick any person to pieces and find that the absolute love I wanted to offer would shrink from them at some point or another. I also knew that my flaws, my sin patterns, my selfishness would at some point alienate me from even the most loving of men.

I needed a relationship so solid, so unflinching that every other relationship in my life could be based upon it.

So many apologetics talks are based on scientific or historical evidence. But the deepest evidence I found for Christ was my desire to love someone who was perfect, someone who was all powerful, someone I could worship unflinchingly and talk to incessantly.

Once I discovered the One my soul loves, there is no going back.

The verse that more than any other revealed to me that this Man existed and He longed to love me as I longed to love Him was: “Perfect love casts out all fear.”

I didn’t know what it meant, but it kept drawing me to it like a techie to an Apple demo. What did it mean? Why did I feel this inner thrill just trying to understand it?

I started seeing that my fear often hinged on being known. A favorite song I’d once heard on the radio asked, essentially, “Would you love me if you really knew me?” It was dishonest to not reveal to someone who you really were, but the fear was that if you actually showed him your inner soul, he would reject you because of what he found.

But here was a river of hope: God might actually love me–in spite of knowing me.

I thought I had to hide all the junk in my life before someone could ever look at me. But I shrank from this approach because I loved honesty. I longed to be completely honest with someone: to not feel as if they were only accepting me because they saw the parlor of my life instead of the storage unit overflowing with useless junk. I knew I needed help, I longed to be in a close relationship, but I also instinctively shrank from being in a closer relationship if that meant I would hurt the other person.

Glimmers of hope started appearing in my life. I started seeing that those who truly loved me often loved me in spite of myself–in spite of my inherent unloveliness. When I fell, hit my head, and developed a terrific shiner, my family and friends didn’t shy away from me because I looked like an inverse panda bear. They loved me anyway.

When I struck out in angry words against my mother, saying things I meant only in the heat of selfishness and arrogance, she forgave me.

If these precious people could love me in spite of myself, perhaps God could, too. If these people could truly know me–know my weirdness, my past, my insecurities–and yet love me, perhaps the One who knew all could also love me.

I started seeing that the only thing keeping me from walking more closely with Christ was my own dwarfed soul–dwarfed by my love for sin.

If I could surrender my mess to Him, if I could trust that He would accept me, if I could turn my focus from my own shortcomings to His abundance–I could love Him.

In the most bizarre set of circumstances I’ve ever experienced, Jesus gives me the love to love Him.

I can’t love Him on my own, even though I desire to. My stupid soul can’t comprehend Him. But my desire to be in a relationship with Him is enough. He supplies every lack in me. Just as in Michelangelo’s painting, His strong and loving hand stretches toward my limp and languid one. But the sign of life in me–my ability to turn my eyes toward Him–He can see the welcome that is here and rushes to greet it.

Every love story I’ve ever heard has become the story of Christ’s love for me.

Most gloriously of all, I am not the only one who can experience this love.

In the most fantastically ironic truth of all time, Christ offers Himself in this pure and selfless way to each person who has ever lived and ever will live.

He offers to know you–and to love you. To see through the cloud of doubt, pain, and regret to who you really are. That is the person He loves: not just the person you wish you were, not just the person you thought you could be–but the person He is helping you to be.

This is love.

This is Christ.

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March 28, 2015  by

Confessions of a Control Freak

I didn’t even know I was a control freak until I met Jesus.

I thought I was a pretty laid-back, easygoing gal.

But then Jesus asked me to do something I thought was bizarre. And I ignored Him, because I didn’t want to, I thought it was weird, and I thought it wouldn’t be “balanced.”

You see, I was worshipping at the altar of balance.

What that amounted to was that if Jesus asked me to do something that jived with my view of what life should be, I’d obey. If not, I’d either outright tell Him no or else shelve it on my burgeoning bookshelf of good intentions–which amounted to the same thing.

But He kept inviting me into a deeper relationship with Him. He kept bringing people into my life who had some kind of supernatural ability to minister to others, create, love, and honor Him.

“I want that,” I kept saying. “I really want that.” But it seemed like an impossible goal, like a 2nd grader wanting to lead a mission to Mars over recess.

So, I sought balance. Maybe I couldn’t be a great follower of God, but at least I’d be a balanced one. I tried making all kinds of goals for myself and being all systematic about meeting them.

But I kept coming up short, forgetting why I’d even set out to do these things. And I kept getting the same thing: a yearning for something more.

Knowing my need for messages to be spelled out in words, God gave those words to my friend to share with me. In a 2-hour conversation that drove my worship of balance up the wall, my friend Juanesa asked me if I was obeying God. She had shared about how God was giving her dramatic plays to write down and perform; the words were pouring out of her. Her belief was that if we obey God, He will continue giving us that gift. But if we don’t use it, He’ll give it to someone else.

Her words started a fresh train of thought in my mind, a train that ran on fuel from many conversations with many people, confusion, dysfunction, purpose–a train that ultimately helped me see that the most basic cry of my heart isn’t for balance–it’s for obedience.

As long as I worshipped balance, I was at the center of my life.

If I was willing to obey God wholeheartedly, balance would no longer be my god: He would.

He prepared my heart for this. For as long as I can remember, I’ve longed for someone in my life who I can turn to for advice on any topic and who gives me the correct answer every time. They don’t shrug off my question as unimportant or stroke their chin and say, “Hmmm… I’ve never thought about that.”

Think about what happens when Jesus is asked about taxes when He’s standing in the temple courts. He doesn’t say, “Oh dear…. I think that may violate separation of church and state.”Oh no: He’s ready with an answer: He’s already thought through this one to the depth where mountains grow from.

That’s what I love about Jesus: He’s always thinking things through deeply. He’s not into flippant answers.

And because He is so fully convince of truth and because He is trained in eloquent wisdom, He, as the people said, “teaches with authority, not as the teachers of the law.”

I need someone I can obey wholeheartedly. I’ve seen gleamings of obeying my parents unto the Lord, but so often the answer they give me when I ask for specific direction is, “Ask God.” What? Whyy can’t you give me the answer? The point is, they are humble enough to know when I need a referral.

They, like Eli, recognize when a voice beside their own is the one crying to their young one’s heart.

Also, we long to say yes. It’s basic to our nature. We love it when we can say yes to a friend, yes to a parent, yes to an employer, when it’s something that both of us want and that we know is good. But we learn early on to distrust this desire, because so many times our desires lead us astray.

But what if there was Someone we could always say yes to? Someone who would never ask us to do something wrong, wicked, or even imprudent?

What if that person is Christ?

But if I had never learned to obey my parents, it would have been much more difficult to learn to obey God. Submit my will to another person’s when I’m overflowing with “good” ideas? Never! I want to be my own person, live as I see fit!

But if I’m 100% honest with myself, I freely admit that I don’t know how to be my own person. And I often nearly drown in my “good” ideas. What I need is a dispatcher who can see the whole city I’m patrolling and deploy me where the need is hottest. I need a creative director who can direct my passion, my training, my tools, and my willingness in the direction it needs to go. I need Someone who stands outside of time to help me use my time.

In short, I need Christ. No, scratch that. I NEEEEEEEEEEEEED Christ!!!!

As long as my focus was balance—as long as I brought gifts to the shrine of “blending in”–I was trying to be the one in control.

Now that I see that if I am willing to obey Christ with my entire heart, my entire soul, my entire strength, He can direct me to where I need to be and what I need to be doing.

Lest I think that I only need to listen for a mystical voice and disregard the flesh-and-blood people in my life, He’s also been showing me how incredibly He uses people to speak into the lives of others. It’s why we need the church. If we are to take on the image of Christ, if we are to become more like Him day by da, we need to open ourselves up to life audits by every other Christian around us. We need to be willing to be seen in 360. The area I feel most solid n is the area where I am often most vulnerable.

At the same time, I need to be investing myself in those around me, pointing them to this ardent lover of our souls.

All of this–listening to Christ’s voice while listening to the Godly counsel of others–is part and parcel of the divine process of sanctification. “Fit s for Heaven,” as the old song says.

The peace that’s come through this change is indescribable. Instead of constantly trying to be “true to myself,” I talk to God. My whole view of reality has changed. Instead of feverishly trying to assess which goals are most important, I turn to Him. I know that my understanding is so limited, so shaped by my experience, and so suggestible. I need Him. Not just in the “big” decisions, but in every decision. (After all, how do I even know what the “big” decisions are? I keep finding that His hierarchy and mine as such worlds apart!)

I listen to all the Godly voices in my life, while trying to find His voice so that He can take priority over everything else.

Yes, Lord–by every means possible–fit us for Heaven Help us to welcome your words of discipline. Help us to obey your words of instruction. Help us to long to be like you, to yearn to be with you.

It’s with you where our lives find our meaning, where our souls find deliverance.

Help us to listen.

And obey.

 

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March 26, 2015  by

Quicken Us

We all bear the stamp of our Creator God. Little wonder, then, that we each in our way create. This creative streak isn’t confined to fine arts and jazz, however. Some create jokes, some create welcoming spaces, some create peace.

I dare you to find a person who does not create something.

Even in the darkest recesses of a human soul, there is something being created, though it may be warped by the lack of light and dwarfed by the lack of nourishment.

As the Spirit of the Living God stirs within us, quickening us, may we create that which we were born to create—to live the lives we were intended to live—to love with the love He has given us.

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The very commonness of everyday things harbors the eternal marvel and silent mystery of God.

– Karl Rahner, Karl Rahner in Dialogue: Conversations and Interviews, 1965–1982

March 11, 2015  by

The Meaning of Meaning

What’s worth living for? That’s the question the Teacher takes up in his masterful book, Ecclesiastes.

Ever since a couple of friends and I decided to study this book together, ideas about it keep popping up in my life. One example is this song from Matthew West:

“The Motions”

This might hurt, it’s not safe
But I know that I’ve gotta make a change
I don’t care if I break
At least I’ll be feeling something

‘Cause just okay is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of life

I don’t wanna go through the motions
I don’t wanna go one more day
Without Your all consuming passion inside of me

I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking
What if I had given everything
Instead of going through the motions?

No regrets, not this time
I’m gonna let my heart defeat my mind
Let Your love make me whole
I think I’m finally feeling something

‘Cause just okay is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of this life

‘Cause I don’t wanna go through the motions
I don’t wanna go one more day
Without your all consuming passion inside of me

I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking
What if I had given everything
Instead of going through the motions?

Take me all the way
(Take me all the way)
Take me all the way
(‘Cause I don’t wanna go through the motions)

Take me all the way
(Lord, I’m finally feeling something real)
Take me all the way

I don’t wanna go through the motions
I don’t wanna go one more day
Without Your all consuming passion inside of me

I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking
What if I had given everything
Instead of going through the motions?

I don’t wanna go through the motions
I don’t wanna go one more day
Without Your all consuming passion inside of me

I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking
What if I had given everything
Instead of going through the motions?
Take me all the way
(Take me all the way)
Take me all the way
(I don’t wanna go, I don’t wanna go)

Take me all the way
(Through the motions)
Take me all the way

I don’t wanna go through the motions

I don’t know about you, but I have had seasons when I’ve struggled to live for what really matters.

The good news is that God knows I need to be constantly reminded of His truth, His purpose, His love, and His wisdom. His repeated commands to abide in Him are His way of helping me live.

Thank you, God.

Thank you for helping me live.

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“To please God… to be a real ingredient in the divine happiness… to be loved by God, not merely pitied, but delighted in as an artist delights in his work or a father in a son- it seems impossible, a weight or burden of glory which our thoughts can hardly sustain. But so it is.”

– C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

The real problem of the Christian life comes where people do not usually look for it. It comes the very moment you wake up each morning. All your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists simply in shoving them all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.

– C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

February 14, 2015  by

How Do You Live for God?

My cousin Carrie Otte recently wrote this essay. I was so blessed by it I wanted to share it with you. It’s not every day that you meet a high schooler with this much wisdom!

There are two ways to live your life: God’s way or the world’s way. In the book Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian had to make the important decision of starting his pilgrimage to the Celestial City. Just as he did, we will also have to make the life-changing decision of either living for God or living for the world. Can you live in the world and not be of the world? Let’s search the evidence and see which path you should choose.

The path of living for the world will try to draw people, young and old, to vanity in how they should look: what size they should be or what they should wear. The world tries to make people believe that the world has everything they should desire, so they should live without limits while they are here. Young people are brainwashed from TV, radio, magazines, and books. Young people compare themselves to popular people who are what the world considers “perfect,” and if they compare themselves to them and they are different, they think that something is wrong. All that the people of this world care about is their outward appearance. Living for the world will not get you anywhere in life, but will get you stuck in a constant search for superficial perfection.

Living for the world will not get you anywhere in life, but will get you stuck in a constant search for superficial perfection.

The path of living for God is totally different. God wants His followers to spend their time on earth wisely because we do not know the hour that Jesus will return. In the Bible we learn that God focuses on our heart, so we should not try to draw the wrong kind of attention to ourselves. We should want to be noticed for our works for others and not for ourselves. Here is a list of things we can do to learn what God wants of us:

  1. Reading, memorizing, and meditating on God’s Word
  2. Praying, asking God to guide your path each day
  3. Seeking God’s will daily

Attending church and surrounding ourselves with godly people who will encourage us to walk with God will be beneficial for us when we have to make difficult decisions about our faith.

I believe that we can live in this world and not be of this world. Every day we make decisions that will affect our future. Many things we choose are temporary and will pass away, such as a big house, money, cars, etc. We need to put our faith in Jesus Christ because He is the one and only thing that will last forever.

Bibliography

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September 9, 2014  by

Free Food for Thought

I don’t know about you, but I like free stuff. And I like learning things.

Those are two good reasons to check out the 2014 Creation Evidence Expo! Scientists will share evidence that supports a Biblical Christian worldview, and will engage in Q&A with the audience. Whatever your views on creation/evolution, you are more than welcome to come and join the discussion!

To get a flavor for the event, check out these excerpts of talks by Dr. Jay Wile and other featured speakers:

(Incidentally, Dr. Wile and Ellen Parran are two of my favorite speakers. If you get a chance, I highly recommend you come hear them!).

The Expo is absolutely free and the talks will take place Saturday through Wednesday (9/13-9/17) at The Life Center of Southport (4002 E. Southport Rd., Indy). (Check out the full schedule for more details).

Last year was my first time going, but these Expos have been held every year since 2005. It is so exciting to see so many different members of the body of Christ gathering in one place!

Some of this year’s topics will be:

  • “Brilliant: Made in the Image of God”
  • “The Truth about Discrimination”
  • “Censored Science”
  • “Examining the Fossil Record”
  • “Current Creation News”
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August 3, 2014  by

Is It Really All About Me?

080314-me-americas-deadly-obsession-profileThere’s an epidemic sweeping across America–an epidemic of narcissism. Tonight, author, teacher, and radio host Peter Heck will begin a new six-part series about our deadly obsession with ourselves.

Each talk will begin at 6PM at Christian Life Fellowship (1009 Holiday Dr., Greentown, IN).

The topics will be:

August 3rd
ME: America… Obsessed with Me

August 10th
ME: Marriage… Adoring Me

August 17th
ME: Youth… Coddling Me

August 24th
ME: Society… Indulging Me

August 31st
ME: Culture… Worshipping Me

September 7th
ME: Jesus Christ… Killing Me

The series is free and open to the public. For more information, see www.peterheck.com/me/presentation.

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September 8, 2013  by

An Atheist’s Advice on Witnessing

Why should a Christian witness? This is how Penn Jillette, an ardent atheist, answered that question:

I don’t respect people who don’t proselytize. I don’t respect that at all. If you believe that there’s a Heaven and Hell, and people could be going to Hell, or not getting eternal life, or whatever, and you think that, well, it’s not really worth telling ’em this because it would make it socially awkward…

How much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize?
How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?

I mean, if I believed beyond a shadow of a doubt that a truck was going to hit you and you didn’t believe it–if that truck was bearing down on you, there’s a certain point where I tackle you.

And this is more important than that.”

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People today are trying to hang on to the dignity of man, but they do not know how to, because they have lost the truth that man is made in the image of God.
Francis Schaeffer, Escape from Reason

August 3, 2013  by

Why I Believe

I found my real dad. But only because He found me first.

I’d been told that I was a random assortment of molecules brought together for no known reason. I’d heard that it was pointless to look for meaning outside myself, and that I should stop expecting what mattered to me to matter to anyone else.

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April 4, 2013  by

Iron(ic) God

Kiss full of hate
Rooster accusing
Innocence only a shroud

Murderer walks
God-Man–He stumbles
Simon Doe shoulders the cross

Mocker assured
Angels suspended
Victory won by a worm

Skulls get to grin
Tomb only rented
Hearse traded in for a tux

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January 22, 2013  by

Touching the Face of God

On January 22, 2013, the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, I gathered with others in the Urbana-Champaign community to commemorate the human lives lost through abortion. In this opportunity to speak at the Community Ecumenical Pro-Life Prayer Vigil, I wanted to share hope. The prolife movement is alive and well because of young people like the ones I met at the University of Illinois.

“In the beginning, God…” (Genesis 1:1)

Why does Scripture open with these words? Because God is the center of reality: “…[I]n Him we live, and move, and have our being…” (Acts 17:28)

During creation, God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…” So God created man in His own image… male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:26–27)

God stamped His likeness upon us, and shared His divine being with us.

Because He “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life… the man became a living being.”

This is at the heart of the prolife movement. A person is alive and is human because he is made in the image of God. Humanity has nothing to do with age, ability to learn, or net worth.

The future of the prolife movement is bound up in our ability to communicate this to others.

And to speak to this generation, we need to know where it’s at.

When I was on campus, I invited medical students to attend a screening of the film Maafa 21. I sent this question out to the med school listserv: “What is the leading cause of death among African-Americans?” I listed several options to choose from: heart disease, cancer, stroke, or abortion.

The answer is abortion.

I thought that the students would challenge the fact that I would group abortion with the other causes of death, and say that a fetus isn’t really alive, or human.

The email sparked a lot of debate, but no one questioned the fact that unborn children are humans. They took exception to the fact that some children should be born.

One student wrote, “By ‘Planned Parenthood’s aggressive agenda against minorities’ do you mean showering them with condoms and birth control pills?”

Another student said, “Yes, black women have the highest rate of abortion in this country. But it is also true that hispanics and blacks are also much more likely to be below the poverty line…”

She continued, saying: “I grew up in DC, a city where minorities are the majority. I volunteered at planned parenthood, where primarily black nurses and black doctors cared for primarily black women. This is an opinion–but I don’t think they were trying to kill off their race. I think they were trying to provide sexual health care to a population that desperately needed it.”

It’s logical that this young woman would say this, because it’s what she’s very likely been taught throughout her life. The anti-life side has been much more shrewd about instituting “sex-ed” programs to convey their viewpoint and our educational establishment is dominated by worldviews such as secular humanism. They know how influential peers can be, which is why here in Champaign
Planned Parenthood has a program of “Peer educators”: highschoolers trained to convince other highschoolers of how great Planned Parenthood is.

Is it any wonder that so many students believe what they are taught?

I quickly found how unpopular my viewpoint was. Of the emails that came through, only one other student spoke up in support of the unborn.

But that student gave me so much hope.

Meg

The fact that a medical student from here at the U of I was a passionate spokesperson for the unborn made me rejoice. Meg helped restart the Christian Medical Association chapter on this campus. Today she unashamedly speaks about the sanctity of life and takes a public stand against Obamacare.

Even though there is intense pressure to conform on the issue of abortion, I have hope for my generation because I have met valiant prolife advocates all over this campus.

Students like Meg carry the image of our Heavenly Father wherever they go.

You’ve heard about some of the incredibly passionate prolife young people who are active on a national scale—people like Lila Rose with Live Action and James O’Keefe with the Veritas Project. But I want to take a few minutes and share with you what I’ve seen right here on our campus.

Jane

There are currently 1061 Registered Student Organizations here at the University of Illinois. Very few tackle the issue of abortion, but one that does is Illini Collegians for Life, a group affiliated with Students for Life of Illinois.

I got to know a student named Jane at Quad Day, when many of the thousand organizations try to reach new students. Our Illini Collegians for Life booth was directly next to a pro-abortion group. They were loudly promoting their “safe sex” freebies, and it was super uncomfortable being right next to them!

One especially vocal young woman decided to leave her booth and come over to ours. She pointed to some of the literature on our table and loudly proclaimed she didn’t believe fetuses looked like that. Jane didn’t shout back. She just calmly showed her a brochure on fetal development with actual photos of babies as they grew.

The change in the woman was phenomenal. She’d come over to our table to start a shouting match, but Jane’s gentleness was something she couldn’t fight with.

Chris

College can be an intense time of change, and many students are won over by the Leftist climate. A student named Chris actually went in the opposite direction. Chris came to the U of I believing that abortion was acceptable, but by doing independent reading and thinking, he realized he was on the wrong side.

He became ardently prolife. He testified before the Illinois Student Senate on prolife resolutions and during one 40 Days for Life campaign here in Champaign, he signed up to go to the clinic every day.

John-Paul

I’m sure that many of you have heard about or know John-Paul. He was active on campus while he was studying engineering at the U of I, and when he graduated he founded Students for Life of Illinois. He is intensely active in lobbying for prolife legislation, providing resources for prolife campus groups across the state, and organizing statewide events to make abortion unthinkable. Like John-Paul says, life is good.

He taught me an incredible amount about what it means to be prolife. He taught me that abortion affects people of all ages. The babies aborted in 1973 would be celebrating their 40th birthday this year if they had lived. So I’ve lost teachers because of abortion. The babies aborted in 1983 would be turning 30 this year. So I’ve lost classmates to abortion. The children who would have been born in 1993 would be hitting 20 this year. I’ve lost students to abortion.

But during these 40 years under Roe v. Wade, many prolife young people have also been born.

Jerry

Young people like Jerry. Jerry is extremely prolife and extremely political. He worked with Living Alternatives locally so they could provide free pregnancy tests inside the Student Union.

He also campaigned hard for prolife candidates. You need someone to go door to door? Ask Jerry. You need to know how prolife a candidate is? Ask Jerry. His enthusiasm is so infectious I think it’s something viral. And his willingness to jump into challenging situations is legendary.

There’s definitely times when you shouldn’t go into battle alone.

Another Student

Each year the University sponsors an event called “Sex Out Loud.” I avoided it like the plague, until one year when I was invited to help with a booth. The booth was sponsored by a Newman group highlighting chastity and emphasizing the Theology of the Body. The event was held in the Illini Union, and was surprisingly poorly attended. Most of the people were the ones working for groups offering stuff like anonymous sex. Some poor students were required by their professors to go to every booth and get a signature proving they’d been there. Our booth was the only one offering anything besides “if it feels good, do it.” But that was our drawing point. We were so different we stuck out like a sore thumb!

People came up wondering what in the world we were about. The student I was working with quoted from a movie where Cameron Diaz tells Tom Cruise, “Don’t you know that when you sleep with someone, your body makes a promise whether you do or not!” He was able to ask students thoughtprovoking questions that challenged what society considers “normal.”

Folks from every booth were also given the chance to speak to the entire gathering. This other student did that, giving a concise description of God’s plan for sexuality.

Diana

Another student I met and got to know well was Diana. Diana obtained her Ph.D. here at the university, and is pursing a career in academia. Her mother worried that if she betrayed her prolife sympathies at this early stage, it might hurt her chances.

But what Diana decided was that to hold back when she would speak would change who she was. And she wasn’t willing to be silent when she would speak. She was one of a handful of students that testified before the Illinois Student Senate when they were considering options to diversify their healthcare options. She eloquently pointed out that many gynecological needs are not covered by the student health insurance plan because only a very few students ever need them.

This was only one way that she lived out her prolife beliefs. Her research focus was influenced by her beliefs about human embryonic stem cell research.

Stephanie

Diana is not the only young woman who’s broken out of the world’s mold for women. Because of the media attention given to women such as Sandra Fluke, it’s easy to think that all single women in school are die-hard abortion fans. But they’re not. Even though it can be intimidating to voice an opposing viewpoint, one of my friends, Stephanie, wrote a class assignment on Feminists for Life. This group advocates for a new definition of feminism, a feminism that values women that are born and those that are unborn.

These are just some of the students I have met here on the U of I campus. There’s many others, too, like:

Mike

Mike, who organized busfulls of students from several campuses to attend March for Life, and

Lazaro

Lazaro, who set up a prolife flash mob on the Quad.

 

The reason I have hope is because I know students from this campus who recognize the deep definition of dignity, which stems from our Creator God.

Their lives bear His image—the likeness of God.

in Ethics / Theology 0 comments
June 22, 2012  by

Did the Founding Fathers Care about the Unborn?

The following was originally published on the Howard County Right to Life blog.

On January 22, 2012, community members from across Howard County gathered at the courthouse in Kokomo, Indiana to remember the unborn children claimed by abortion. Mr. Bill Federer, a historian, author, and President of Amerisearch, spoke about the Christian roots of our nation and the God-given mandate to care for all humans.

Mr. Federer began with a look at the changes in America over the last three decades: “I look at the Scriptures: Deuteronomy 28. It says, ‘These are the blessings if a nation hearkens to the voice of the Lord. They will be a lender and not a debtor. And these are the curses if a nation does not hearken to the voice of the Lord: they will be a debtor and a stranger amongst them will rise up and be their ruler.’

“Do you realize in the last thirty years America has gone from the largest creditor nation to the largest debtor nation? We are the most in-debt nation in world history. So, ladies and gentlemen, we’re on the judgement side of the page.

“What has happened in the last thirty years? Well, we have aborted millions of children. And the same thing that God told Cain [applies today]: ‘Your brother Abel’s innocent blood cries out from the ground.’ There’s a cry that’s going up to Heaven and I believe that what’s staying the hand of judgement is us: is you and me, here.”

He then looked back at the U.S. during the days of slavery, when we were also under judgement. Abraham Lincoln in his Second Inaugural Address, said:

“Fondly we hope, fervently do we pray that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsmen’s 250 years of unrequited toil should be sunk and every drop of blood drawn by the lash shall be repaid by a drop of blood drawn by the sword, let it be said: The judgements of the Lord are altogether true and righteous.”

As Mr. Federer pointed out, “Here’s Lincoln. He had the audacity to connect the judgement of the war with the sin of slavery. Is anybody going to connect the dots today?”

History provides more than cautionary tales, however. Mr. Federer relates how President Lincoln lead a national day of fasting and praying, and three days later the course of the Civil War was staggeringly altered.

This course is open to us today: “You are here because you’re stirred in your heart to leave your nice, warm home and come here and stand in the cold because there’s something burning on the inside of you: a flame that’s strong that says I’ve got to do something for our country.”

“I was with Alan Keyes last week. We were talking about the Constitution and he explained that the judge that gave the Roe v. Wade decision said if it could ever be proved that the unborn are considered by our Constitution to be citizens, then this decision is void. And Alan Keyes says, ‘I found it. I found where the unborn are mentioned in our Constitution.’

“I said, ‘Wow! Where?'”

“He says, ‘In the Preamble. It says, “To secure the blessing of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, we establish this Constitution.”‘

“Posterity. What’s posterity? Well, those are your descendants that you’ll never meet. Well, if you’re going to care about these descendants that are generations in the future, you’re going to care about the ones that are just one generation in the future. You’re going to care about the ones that are right there in the womb about to be the next generation in the future. You’re going to care about the unborn.

“Our Founders sacrificed their prosperity for their posterity. They pledged their lives and their fortunes and their sacred honor for a generation yet unborn. Today our government is doing the opposite. We’re sacrificing our posterity for prosperity, saddling the unborn with an unpayable debt–besides killing the unborn.

“George Washington, in 1776, stands before his army and he says, “The fate of unborn millions now depends on the courage of this army. We have to resolve therefore to either conquer or die.”

Though the lives of heroes loom large above our mind’s eye, Mr. Federer reminded the crowd assembled that God has placed them here on earth at this time for a reason, and thought forward to the day when our lives are over and we’re listening to the heroes of the Bible tell their life stories.

“One by one, Gideon, the Apostle Paul, and Deborah–all of them [are going to tell their stories]–and then everybody’s going to look at you and say, ‘You: we haven’t heard from you yet! What did you do when it was your turn to be on earth? Tell us what was going on… all the courage and faith you had to stand against injustice and [stand] up for righteousness.’

“Y’know, I don’t want to squirm in my seat and say, ‘Uh, can you call on someone else for a minute and let me think about this?’

“No, I want to say, ‘Let me tell you what they were doing! They were killing babies, they were changing marriage, they were doing everything and I said I’m going to stand up. I don’t know all the stuff they know. I just have my little sling. I’m just going to let the Lord use me.’ Y’know, if anybody’s around when I die, I’ll tell them to put on my gravestone, ‘Not ability, but availability.’ Y’know, you make yourself available and the Lord’ll add the ability. So I look forward to the day that we’re all up there and you get to tell your story and we’ll remember together being here this day.”

For more information about the events at the rally, see this article by Splash!Kokomo. For more of Mr. Federer’s research into the history, see www.americanminute.com.

in Ethics / History / Politics / Sociology / Theology 0 comments
May 28, 2010  by

Armed and Dangerous: 2010 KASH Graduation Speech

On May 28, 2010 I was one of several homeschool alumni to address the Kokomo Area Schools at Home (KASH) graduates in Kokomo, Indiana. This was the speech I prepared.

Good evening! It’s great to be back in Kokomo. I want to extend a huge thank you to the KASH Leadership for inviting me to speak here tonight. Parents, graduates, family, and friends, it is an honor to celebrate with you!

Graduates,
the cap and gown you’re wearing tonight highlight your achievements, unite you with others in your graduating class, and make for some great graduation pictures.

Tonight in addition to your cap and gown I’m sure that many of you are also wearing…

  • A belt of truth
  • A breastplate of righteousness
  • Sandals of readiness
  • A shield of faith
  • A helmet of salvation
  • The sword of the Spirit

You’re wearing them because there’s a war happening tonight, and none of us are off-duty.

People are being imprisoned, and some are defecting to the Enemy. This war is taking place in the spiritual realm–possibly even in your mind right now. It’s the war of worldviews.

Let’s map the field of battle. It starts with a question:

What’s secular and what’s sacred?

I have a list of 10 subjects. If you would, please count the number that are secular:

  • Politics
  • History
  • Economics
  • Theology
  • Psychology
  • Sociology
  • Biology
  • Philosophy
  • Ethics
  • Law

OK. That’s the list. Were all 10 secular? No? Nine? Eight? Five? One?

If you said today that all ten of these subjects were sacred, I’d agree with you. I’ll tell you why:

“The earth is the Lord’s and all that’s in it.” (Psalm 24:1)

Everything–Politics, history, economics, theology–it’s all His.

God put it all under Jesus’ feet. In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to Him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to Him.” (Hebrews 2:6-8)

OK–so why then is there a war?

Right now the earth is being claimed by a tin-pot dicator named Satan. But Jesus Christ has a prior claim on this earth and everything in it. First, He created it. Then, He fought and died to save it from the sin we unleashed on it. Soon He’ll be coming back to claim it.

That raises a question. What’s Jesus waiting for?

Glad you asked. Consider 2 Peter 3:2-15.

“In the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.
They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” [Sound likes some good evolutionary theory!]

“But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” [AHA! That’s why He’s waiting–so people can repent!]

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.
Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.” [Another reminder of why we’re here.]

Jesus is patiently waiting for the final invasion because God in His mercy is allowing as many as possible to freely come to Him before the Last Judgment.

What’s our job?

As soldiers of Christ, we are reclaiming occupied ground, freeing captives from concentration camps, and inviting them to join us as we follow our Master. “

Here’s how Jesus put it:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)

OK–so why is there a battle?

Because Satan is claiming everything in this world as his. If we claim any ground as God’s, Satan goes into a howling frenzy.

Now, he’s shrewd. He plans his attacks systematically. Right now he’s sowing several myths into Christian circles.

Christians are stepping away from the truth and trying to compromise with the world. They’re questioning the accuracy of His Word, or the relevance of what He’s said. But the command we have from Scripture is: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2)

Myth #1: Being a Christian means dividing your brain in half.

The Truth: Being a Christian means devoting your whole self to Christ.

Satan tells us as Christians to distinguish between what’s sacred and secular. Sure, your Christian beliefs work in your Christian ghetto, with sacred topics, but when you move out into the world, you need to think with another part of your brain.

He’s convinced many of us that most of the world is his, and there’s only a few areas of life–the church, theology–that our Christian beliefs have any relevance. We’ve accepted the boundaries he’s artificially set for us because it makes life easier. If we stray into psychology, biology, or history, we often feel the need to genuflect to the ideas of men like Sigmund Freud, Charles Darwin, or Karl Marx.
What’s interesting, though, is that if you follow this model, it’s easy to begin to believe there’s no area where your Christian beliefs actually apply.

Evolution is a prime example. You may wonder why so many Christians are so vocal in their opposition to evolution. One reason is that it’s the foundation for every worldview except Biblical Christianity and Islam. (Islam, as you know, has its own flaws!).

Christian ideas are often ridiculed by popular icons, and no one likes to feel alienated. Satan can reinforce our reluctance to apply our Christianity to all parts of our life by confronting us with this type of opposition:

  • If we say biology is God’s? (He cries “evolution!”)
  • Sociology is God’s? (He cries “same-sex marriage!”)
  • Ethics is God’s? (He cries “if it feels good, do it!”)
  • Law is God’s? (He cries “everything’s relative!”)
  • and so it goes.

The movement of much of the church to regard life as “sacred” or “secular” has had profound effects.

In many ways the church is morally and ethically indistinguishable from the rest of the world.

How did this happen? We gave that ground over to Satan and found ourselves taken captive.

What have we been taken captive by? Hollow philosophies.
Sure, there’s some slight differences in the lies Satan tells different groups of people (that’s why there’s five major unchristian worldviews), but what they all share is a rejection of the absolute Truth of Scripture. And when they reject the Truth of Scripture they’re rejecting the Word-Made-Flesh–Jesus Christ.

Here are the five major worldviews beside Biblical Christianity:

  • Cosmic humanism (also called “New Age”) includes things like Hinduism and Bahai;
  • secular humanism is what many atheists believe; their catchphrase is “Man is the measure of all things”;
  • Marxism-Leninism is another atheist favorite, and its adherents are socialists/communists who believe it is necessary to change the world;
  • postmodernism (the worldivew other than Christianity that we’re probably the most familiar with: it’s pop psychology, “If you feel good, do it,” there is no absolute truth); and
  • Islam (the beliefs of Muslims recorded in the Quran).

2,000 years ago the church at Colosse was facing the same dilemma, of people falling away from Christ. Paul didn’t want them to be deceived by “fine-sounding arguments,” so he wrote to them with these words:

“…[J]ust as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.” (Colossians 2:2-10)

What’s he saying? Jesus has already won–this is no time to be taken prisoner!!

Myth #2: Some portions of Scripture can’t be trusted.

The Truth: Scripture stands or falls as a unit.

The first recorded words out of Satan’s mouth were “Did God really say…?” And he’s still at it. He’s injecting doubt about core Christian beliefs of into many people’s lives.

If I as a Christian try to reconcile Christianity and evolution, something is going to have to give. You see, Scripture is written as a unit, and there’s an incredible number crosslinks in the book. If I decide to reject or explain away one part of Scripture, it’ll often require me to reject another part that crossreferences the original.

For example, if I decide to reject the literal creation week, I’ll need to rethink the fourth commandment, because it says the week we live out now is seven days because the first week was seven days.

If I reject the idea that death came through sin, it doesn’t make much sense to believe I need to be forgiven of my sin in order to have life.

If I decide to reject the idea of a literal First Adam, it doesn’t make much sense to believe in a literal Second Adam.

If I decide to reject the idea that “God created them male and female” and created marriage as just between one man and one woman, it doesn’t make much sense to think of Jesus coming back for a pure Bride in His church.

If I reject the idea of Jonah being swallowed by a fish for three days, it doesn’t make much sense to believe in a man who said that He’d give the sign of Jonah.
If I reject the idea that worldwide judgment once came through a flood, it doesn’t make much sense to believe God when He says there’ll be a second worldwide judgment by fire.

Talk of judgment brings us to the next myth:

Myth #3: Being a Christian means avoiding offense.

The Truth: Being a Christian means believing and living out Truth.

Let’s be honest: the concept of absolute truth is offensive.

Our culture is into custom everything.
Can’t I custom-fit my reality?
What’s true for me isn’t necessarily true for you?

We’re told that tolerance is the ultimate virtue. And the way that term is being used, it doesn’t mean “OK, so I know I’m right, but I’ll tolerate you even though you’re wrong.” It’s saying “There is no right answer. There is no ultimate, absolute truth. So your handle on reality is just as right (or just as wrong) as mine.”

Then comes Christ, with His ultimate truth claims. “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father except through me.” Ouch! “He who has the Son has life; He who does not have the Son does not have life.” Yikes! He’s so brutally honest!

Yes–because He knows the stakes involved. Christianity is a description of reality, and thus a description of Christ. So as postmodernism questions whether reality is knowable, it’s also questioning whether Christ is knowable.

If we go on believing that so much of this earth is “secular,” we’ve been conditioned to believe that delving into science or philosophy will cause us to separate from God.

But if we’re walking with Christ, it’s possible to see His reflection in all of these areas.

He brings continuity to the whole.

He was there at the beginning, shaping the world.
He’s here now, walking with us as our Savior and friend.
He will wrap up the world at the end of time.

Recognize then, that the current questioning of the truth of Scripture isn’t a personal attack on you or me. It’s a personal attack on Jesus Christ himself.

How can we avoid controversy when it’s controversial to say:

  • That God exists?
  • That there’s a difference between males and females? (For example, you are “just male,” or “just female,” not both?)
  • That marriage is a relationship between one (uno) man and one (uno) woman?)
  • That there’s a final exam at the end of life?

If you make it your goal to avoid controversy, I recommend that you take a vow of silence.

But remember–to God, nothing is controversial.

Myth #4: Being a Christian means going with the flow.

The Truth: Being a Christian means standing up for Christ.

Of course, as you fight the good fight, Satan’s going to pay attention. He can try to stop you by stealing your identity, either through success or failure.

You may find opposition from non-believers and other Christians.

But when the Holy Spirit asks you to take a stand, do it.

Often when we read the Bible, it’s easy to take it for granted that the hero’s going to make the right choice. But at the time, they didn’t know how the story was going to play out.

Think how different it would have been if Daniel had said: “Oh king, live forever. Can I play the zither while I bow to your idol?”

If Joshua had said: “As for me and my house, we’re gonna play it safe.”

If Noah had said: “God, I did a focus group with the neighbors and they’re all against the ark idea. Sorry, pal.”

If the Israeli midwives had said, “Pharaoh, sure we’ll help you. We’re making plans to start a Planned Parenthood in Goshen right now.

Because they didn’t say these things, but stood with God, they became heroes of the faith. Sometimes others were standing with them, but often they made individual decisions.

Our belief system is not about how we work our way to betterment (nirvana, etc.), but about how we rely on Christ for our very existence. When we come to Him, He gives us our identity. He defines us.

If you start dividing your time into what you’ll spend on God and what He has no business touching, you’ll quickly find the “God-time” shrinking. You might even start begrudging Him the time He “takes” out of your life. You’ll see God as something external to your life, a God who waltzes in at inopportune moments and demands stuff, or reminds you of things you’d rather not think of.
That’s not–to use a buzzword–sustainable. It’s all or nothing with God. Either we turn our back on Him, or we give Him everything.

It’s not just the things we like about ourselves that He’s asking for.
It’s all of us.
Complete surrender.
A living sacrifice.

You may see pronounced attacks on your mind.

You may be amazed by the perverse or anti-God thought that sometimes erupt in your mind when you try to do God’s will. Recognize that your heart is deceitful, but God is more powerful than any temptation or emotion. He will help you take that thought captive.

Jesus knew His life and our lives wouldn’t be easy

He reminds us that the point isn’t popularity:
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” (John 15:18-19)

The words He shared with His disciples the night He was betrayed show an awesome mix of encouragement and warning: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart–I have overcome the world.”

So I invite you to continue putting on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (Ephesians 6:10-18)

in Politics / Science / Theology 0 comments
January 1, 2010  by

Bible Lessons for a PC Audience

Good morning, class! Today I’d like to tell you about six of our shining lights, six of the most important people you’ll ever hear about in this class, six people about whom you may of heard the most bold-faced lies!

David did not throw stones at a man named Goliath! He consulted his knowledgeable older brothers who were more acquainted with the situation. A detailed appraisal of the force his own party was up against quickly convinced him that a global economy is best served by getting beyond mere nationalistic concerns. He initiated peacetalks that culminated in a joyous resolution: the “ruler” of “Israel” (both terms were later recognized as hatespeech and were rejected by all in David’s party) rejected a show of arms. Instead, he fair-mindedly gave half of “his” land—including “his nation’s capital”—over to Goliath’s party of the Philistines.

Daniel was not thrown into a den of lions! Who told you that? He championed the rights of atheists to declare a “God-free month”! He even went so far as to show his open-mindedness by taking a break from his own Puritanical prayer schedule. At the end of the month, he was so free that he never went back! (And incidentally, his three best friends were never thrown into a fiery furnace! What bosh! The hottest thing they ever entered was a sauna! After showing their undying support for their king during a multimedia recognition extravaganza, his three friends initiated a “Do Ask, Do Tell” policy to report the minutest acts of insurrection directly to the king himself. Under their watch these plots decreased to the lowest levels of any recorded period. After their first experience at a public rally, they encouraged the king to hold them monthly. It’s never so easy to unite consciousness (and incidentally pick out dissenters) than in a crowd of 3,000!).

Joseph did not get thrown into prison! He started the first successful pluralistic Free Love initiative in recorded history! While others during his time were oppressed by a patriarchal society, Joseph saw the value of a matriarchal system! He even led the way for Freudian dream analysis!

Esther did not fear for her life! She realized the unique perspective that new generations enjoy, and rejected the right-wing-fundamentalist-extremist (Fascist!) views of her uncle. She recognized the unmerited preference that her people enjoyed, and was extremely supportive of Haman and his fellow freedom fighters. She was a frequent spokesperson in the Babylonian media, speaking out against the radical claims of Jews, and seeking to bring attention to the persecuted plight of Ammonites oppressed by Jews everywhere. While not directly attacking the biased account of Jews being a peace-loving, law-abiding people who had endured a vast history of suffering, she helped to popularize the understanding which we now know is true: that any injustice that a Jew receives at any time is amplified by 10,000 before it is repeated to anyone else. With her help, Babylonians came to see the truth — that Jews were indeed money-grubbing, self-promoting radicals who had no mercy for the people groups they displaced and oppressed. As a Jew herself, she also was widely successful in her public addresses to her people. She could speak directly to the Jews and tell them their own unflagging stubbornness was the reason for their conflict with the Ammonites! If they would only soften their cultural mores and show the proper amount of deference for those over them, they could coexist in peace! She was able to relieve their misguided fears that Haman and other Ammonites were planning a merciless ethnic cleansing campaign. (Anyone who tuned into the Babylonian Broadcasting Network knew that it was the Jews, not the Ammonites that were the aggressors!) Without her support, it is entirely possible that Ammonites would not have seen the kind of political and personal success that solidified their position in history and freed them from the bondage of Jewish oppression.

John the Baptist was not beheaded! He began an astonishingly progressive “Reinvent Marriage” campaign. Under his watch, couples in his city who best demonstrated The New Morality were profiled in the Jerusalem Times. Naturally, the first couple to be profiled were Herod and Herodias. During their interview, they were even able to mention the Interpretive Dance course that Herodias’ daughter was offering! Once they “came out,” many other creative couples were more than willing to share their story.

Moses did not wander in the desert for forty years! He didn’t threaten his nation’s Pharaoh with statements from “God.” Oh no! He recognized his place as subordinate to the government, and came to realize that his schizophrenic tendencies could best be dealt with through modern Egyptian medicine (he liked frog legs anyway). He happily labored in Egypt after realizing that his people were being given the best possible education they could ask for: a worker’s education! He organized labor committee meetings with ninety-nine representatives from Pharoah’s government, and one incredibly lucky Israeli worker-representative! These successful meetings proceeded for sixty-six and one half years! And they were even supported by dues from the workers themselves! He wisely recognized the usefulness of his people, and joined the People’s Educational Council. He also was instrumental on the People’s Propaganda—ahem—Informational Bureau. Under his direction this bureau accomplished what many thought impossible: the dwarfing of its early successes in the No Straw Is Good Policy and the Midwives for Birth Control (Before or After Birth) campaigns.

I haven’t the time to go on, as I would like to. I’d like to tell you the truth about Nehemiah—that he wasn’t threatened with hate mail! That he didn’t carry out obscure construction projects for hate mongers, but hosted town hall meetings where he encouraged his people to form religion-bridging relationships with their neighbors! I’d like to tell you about Jeremiah—who was not thrown into a well, but as chief advisor to the king, always reassured him that they would be victorious! Oh, and if only I could tell you about Elijah, who did not carry out mountain-top histrionics, but quite logically started a Foundation for Pagan Religious Expression—complete with its own piercing and tattoo parlor. Noah, Gideon, Jael, Joshua, Abigail, Naboth, Stephen, Paul, Jesus—so many stories, so little time. Right wingers will try to tell you that the most notable events in their lives were when they resisted. But I assure you: these people were most notable when they assented.

The abiding lessons in these people’s lives, children, is that it is always best to bend! Recite it with me: Best to Bend, Best to Bend. Exactly! Don’t stand when everyone else is kneeling! Don’t stand when everyone else is bowing! Bend means Blend. Say it again! Yes! Bend means Blend! As you can see from the examples of David, Daniel, Joseph, Esther, John-the-Baptist, and Moses, holding to antiquated “ideals” never gets your name recorded in history. Consistency is no virtue. Recognize those in authority, and obey them, no matter what!

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