Blog Posts

What is the Big deal?

1/29/2022

Prior to enrolling a Christian University to earn my Bachelors in Bible and Preaching, I had an understanding that there are many theological topics that are highly debated in the church. Some of the topics of debate are over Calvin's view of salvation (soteriology) and eschatology, specifically the topic of the Pretribulation Rapture narrative. Other topics include baptism, which translation to read and anything other than the KJV is considered evil, the role of women in the church whether they can be ministers or not, and the issue of divorce and remarriage. After I graduated I found out that the list I provided is barely the tip of the iceberg. Christians argue over so many things.

One topic I do find to be important is the issue of creation. Well, to better put this in perspective is dealing with atheist on the subject. With the influence of men such as Richard Dawkins, Neil Tyson deGrasse, Lawrence Krauss, Stephen Hawkins, Victor Stenger, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, and Daniel Dennett, to name just a few of the most well known atheist, there should be some level of debate to defend the faith. Their influence has been a primary cause for so many young people leaving the church. Liberal Universities in general have been the breading grounds for this exodus from the church.

However, the troubling debate ground is found among Christians. I am speaking of biblically sound, faithful men and women of God. Their argument stems around whether the earth is young or old. I am lead to ask what is the point? How does this type of debate edify one another? How does this support the Kingdom of God? How is this relevant to the gospel message? I ask these question when they dive into the Scriptures, specifically when the address the topic of the flood. I have my views and I will share them but first, what is the big deal of whether the earth is old or young? I like what the Scriptures say, "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of the law." (Deut. 29:29). Can anyone know everything there is to know? I don't think so. Mysteries are wonderful, they keep us humble.

Now, my view about the flood, my believe is the flood was regional. I state this on the idea that the biblical author knew only so much of the world. His understanding of the geography was limited and wrote according to that knowledge.  Some claim that it was global based on the notion that the world was one large land mass that divided after the flood, referencing Genesis 10:25. The word for land or earth in Hebrew means just that but could it also mean people rather than geographical identity? I like to think so for Genesis 10 is a pretext to Genesis 11. What I mean is, Genesis 11 goes into detail as what happened in Genesis 10, the people were divided due God's actions at the Tower of Babel. Peleg was born during that time.

My second reason is the topic of giants. Genesis 6: 1-4 tells us that the Sons of God, divine beings, married the daughters of man and had children known as the Nephilim. According to other ancient Hebrew text such as The Book of Enoch, the Nephilim were giants. The author of Genesis 6 says, "The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and afterword." Afterword of what? The flood of course. Genesis 6 leads into the flood narrative and Noah's preparation. Therefore, all the giants did not die by the flood.

However, some scholars believe that Noah was a Nephilim himself. I have trouble with this notion. Noah was regarded as a righteous man. The Nephilim was not fully divine nor fully human. According to The Book of Enoch they were vile, murderous, evil beings. They were cabalistic and ravaged the land. They were commanded to fight one another to the death while their parents watched. Evidently, not all of them were there for this event.

We find that Israel had to fight these beings in 2 Samuel 21 (1 Chronical 20 repeats this narrative). Lets not forget the fight between David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17. Another know giants was King Og, who was remnant of the Rephaim, who were believed to be giants as well. King Og had a bed that was nine cubits long and four cubits wide. A cubit was roughly an inch and a half, give or take. So King Og was near nine foot tall. Goliath was well over 6 foot tall, perhaps 7 plus.

So knowing that these beings survived the flood leads me to believe that the the flood was not global. However, that is what I believe and not everyone will nor has to agree with me. I can see how this can connect to the gospel in regards to why Jesus came. He not only came to deal with what happened in the Garden (Genesis 3) but to deal with what happened in Genesis 6: 1-4, as well as the events of Genesis 11. Regardless on what I believe, the point is how do I deal with this knowledge

Knowing is half the battle. Communicating that knowledge is power when that knowledge is used to build rather than destroy. When someone uses their knowledge to put another person down, to degrade them and insult, that knowledge is being abused. A fool hates knowledge. A wise and prudent man knows how to guard knowledge, they know not to cast their pearls before swine.

Let's not forget what Paul said about correction, "So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will." (2 Timothy 2: 22-26). When knowledge causes division think about the purpose of that knowledge and be willing to consider what the other person has to present. When traditions and presuppositions keep you from learning you have already allowed pride to enter your life.

A new beginning

1/22/2022

Wow, some time has gone by sense I last wrote anything. Well things about to change and much has already changed in the past few years.

The last time I wrote my wife and I were starting, literally taking the first steps, to owning property and placing a house on that said property. Two years later we have finally moved into our own home. This has been an adventure from clearing land to get it ready to place the house to moving in this past September.

In the mean time I have had a few job changes. I was a Chaplain at Cabell Huntington Hospital then a Chaplain for a residential drug rehabilitation center and now I work for an organization that visits drug rehabs and incarceration centers teaching basic life still to help men and women transition back into society to be productive member of their community. I teach skills like how to seek jobs and manage their finances and seek additional job training and education. I facility classes to help them seek safe relationships as to not slide into but to decided if what they are getting into is a healthy choice. These lessons also include how to communicate effectively with their boyfriend/ girlfriend, spouse and children and children's other parent, what ever the situation may be. Bottom line I can be seen as a life coach.

Our family has gone through some changes as well. Our son enlisted in the Army. He shipped out to Ft. Sill, OK for BCT and AIT to become a 13B, Cannon Crewmember. He is now stationed at Ft. Wainwright, Alaska. Our son has found his place and is doing well. This last Christmas he surprised us by coming home earlier than he first told us and stayed several days. His visit was quite the experience.

Another addition to the changes our life we have gone through one of the most exciting and joyous moments anyone of our age can experience is the birth of our first grandchild. Never thought that I would be call pawpaw. Nana is over joyed beyond imagination. I am sure many out there can witness to this testimony as to how true this is.

Finally, another change we are currently going through is what my wife has gone through with her job. Courtney has been with Kings Daughters for over twenty-two years and half of that she has been the Social Work Manager. Her job is tough and demanding. I don't know of any other job in the country that is as demanding as her job. My wife isn't afraid to work and seeks various way to improve her at her job and herself. Currently she is a Clinical Social Worker (CSW) and has been seeking ways to gain her Licensed Clinical Social Worker license (LCSW). She has also been seeking how to share her work load with someone who may one day step into her spot say she were to retire or move onto another organization to work. Well she was offered a job at another hospital and as soon as her director heard of the news and contacted my wife about her choice wheels were spinning to find ways to keep my wife at King's Daughters. Her director spoke to her superiors and reached out to Courtney on what conditions could be made to retain her. Courtney set the conditions and within a week my wife was promoted to Director of Social Work and has a Manager under her that will take over her spot sharing in the work load.

I am reminded of the parable Jesus tells of the three servants who were given talents to invest. Two invested in their talents and were rewarded with more due to their faithfulness upon the return of the Master. Courtney is a faithful servant of the Lord and has been rewarded accordingly. I can see the Lord moving in our lives.

One of my goals this year, I don't contribute to resolutions, is to be faithful with my web page and continue to write. I hope to see more viewers come and gain something that may edify their life.

Division

5/5/2019

If you keep up with the news and what is going on in our country lately you most likely should know the name Candace Owens and you should by now know how many Hollywood celebrities have come out to voice their objection for President Trump. Last March Candace posted a video on Prager University telling celebrities no one cares what they think. In a Q&A with students at a College campus a student attempted to call her out for supporting Kanye West’s comments about President Trump. Candace corrected the student by stating that Kanye expressed his support for the President that was unlike other celebrities who attack anyone for supporting the President by using labels like bigots, homophobes, sexist, racist, and many others along with declaring that everyone should be thinking as they think.

Our country is divided. People possess strong political and social views on both sides of the issues. This isn’t anything new for our nation. Before the birth of our nation people were divided on many different issues. However, due to the development of technology and the availability for information to go from point “A” to point “B” in a matter of seconds what people believe and support can be expressed to the world faster.

The Church is divided as well. This should not be a surprise. The church has been divided since the very start when James and John’s mother asked Jesus for her two boys to sit on his right and left side at the throne. The other disciples were not very happy with their request. Today the division of the church has gone to a deeper level. What is worse is there are people in the church who will make outlandish claims and accusations towards one another for not believing as they do. That is the truth. I have been accused of not being a Christian for not believing in the pretribulation rapture narrative. People are divided by what translation of Scripture we should read, on the issue of baptism, the style of music that should be sung in church, how people should dress for worship, whether women should or shouldn’t be preaching, and many others. To disagree is one thing but to falsely accuse others or to insult them for their views isn’t Christ like.

Division in the church is dangerous. Paul warns against division numerous times in his letters (Romans 16:17; 1 Corinthians 1: 10; 3: 1-4; 11:17-19; 12:25; Galatians 5: 19-21; Titus 3:10). Division in the church was so terrible that he had to address the church of Corinth as children rather than mature Christians. Division is a trait of the immature. The root of division is pride because people do not want to be wrong about what they believe and anyone who challenges their views is a threat and makes them feel uncomfortable.

So what causes such division today? The answer is traditions, presuppositions, and biblical illiteracy. People refuse to test what they believe and they cannot say why they believe what they believe without making reference to that is how they were raised or exposed to by those who are leading. Traditions and presuppositions make people feel safe and secure in what they believe. But when traditions and presuppositions in relation to one’s theology before the Scriptures much will be taken out of context. When conversing with people one may hear familiar clichés and metaphors they believe are from the Bible.

The trouble with this line of thinking is due to familiar cultural views one lives in. I tell people that if they wish to know more about the Bible they need to get out of the Bible. People need to learn cultural context in relation to the biblical authors. The Bible is a divine human document written by real people living at a real time dealing with real issues and wrote according to their world view and culture. I’m not saying we do not deal with similar issues today as they did then but when reading and studying the Scriptures we must begin with the authors point of view first.

The usual method of biblical discussion with others who possess a different view than our own is people tend to take a single text to defend their belief system. The Scriptures are not a collections of clever sayings. When we read any given letter from the Bible we are receiving a very small glimpse into their world. The Bible does not possess an exhaustive collection of works into a person’s world. When we read Paul’s epistle to the church in Corinth he is not dealing with everything the people are facing on a daily bases. If we want to learn more about the people and culture of Corinth we should look for a resource that is focused on dealing with that very topic. Better yet, discover multiple resources on the topic of the people and culture of Corinth. The same goes for any book/ letter we read from the Bible.

With a better view and understanding of the biblical context we are very well able to dismantle many of misconceptions and false understandings we have come to believe. We have to be willing to unlearn what we have learned and work through those difficult issues we have always believed were true. The body of Christ should be unified and that unity should be founded on the truth, not tradition and presuppositions. In addition just because someone does not agree with our theology and biblical understanding we should never attack and make false accusations against another brother or sister. Scripture tells us to, "flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.” (Timothy 2:22-26)

A New chapter

3/8/2019

Last night as my wife and I went to bed it was with a full but anxious heart. 21 months ago today we received a call at night that our 4 year old niece, whom we have not seen in almost two years, needed somewhere to live. We quickly flew into action not really understanding what we were heading into or what this was going to mean for our lives or for her's. I won’t sugar coat it...it’s been hard, very hard at times for all of us. There has been a lot of back and forth and uncertainty about where Casey will be. We had been to court multiple time over the course of time to consider whether or not she should return to her mother. Each time something had been brought to light that revealed that such action was not in the best interest of Casey.

Over the past 21 months not only did Casey need to learn to conform to the conditions she now lives in but we had to learn about her and what make her unique. She has been going through therapy to help her learn to cope with the issues she is facing on a daily bases. She is learning to express her emotions without losing self control and to share those feelings with others who can help her through life. Casey has been through a great amount of trauma through out her young life. As my wife and I were faced with these emotional events from Casey we questioned ourselves many times if we were capable of handling her.

Mind you Courtney and I are in our late 40's and almost empty nesters. We were looking forward to a new chapter in our life as our youngest one is about to graduate high school in a couple of years and head out in his own life. We were looking forward to the change that life would only be about us.

Each time we went to court we had mixed emotions. Due to circumstances that had been revealed prior to the court date we knew that Casey would not return to her mother. Other times we were expecting the judge to return the child to the mother but ended up hearing the contrary. In those moments we were looking forward to the ruling that the judge would return the child. Upon receiving the notice of the final court hearing Courtney and I began to have a change of heart. We did not want Casey to return to her mother. We know that Casey would not be afforded the opportunities to grow up in a healthy environment if she returned to her mother. Her mother has a history of neglect, is very immature, and has her priorities out of order. The mother is merely looking to survive daily. Her "Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs" are way out of order. She fails to follow state and court order and placing the child at constant risk. Prior to heading to court we were sure that the the judge was going to return the child to the mother and we dreaded such  an idea. The mother had checked off all the boxes but there was just one thing that kept her into trouble. The judge recognized that issue. My wife and I wondered what would happen if Casey did return to her mother, would be ever see her again, would we be a part of her life? This is not the first time Casey has been in our custody but this has been the longest. In her short life Casey has lived with us in this house longer than she has lived anywhere else.

We were beside ourselves, afraid for Casey, praying that the Lord would intervene. Many people were subpoenaed for this hearing, including my wife. She went to work for half the day. As she headed to the court house she prayed that either the Holy Spirit would lead her in what she needed to say on the stand or that the Lord would take the cup from her. We arrived for court early and waited outside, the only one's who had a case that day. About 20 minutes of waiting we were called into the court room. Five minutes later the judged came out. There was no deliberation.

Yesterday some of our concerns were cleared and we have closer...the court has closed the case and my wife and I now have permanent custody. Casey’s mom can file a civil case to fight for custody and if that happens we will fight for what is best for Casey. So please pray for us to have strength and wisdom to raise Casey and most importantly pray for Casey...pray that God will protect her and work out what is best for her.

I am reminded of the text about what true religion is. Religion is not what a Christian believes but what a Christian does due to the relationship we have with Christ. "Religion that God the Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (James 1:27). Paul tells us that to put our religion into practice by caring for our own family (1 Timothy 5:4).

Some people may not agree with what happened by claiming we took a child from their mother. The mother is not related to us nor is she married to the child's father. I agree, any mother would find it devastating to have their child taken from them. However, when a parent cannot raise and care for their child properly, if a parent cannot place their child's needs before their own and puts their child at risk there is no other choice but to remove the child and place them where they can be taken care of and provided for in an appropriate manner. A mother who says they love their child wishes to raise their child but more importantly she should recognize that if they are unable to care for their child adequately they should place that child into appropriate care. Doing so does not mean that the mother does not love her child. Her choice to do so shows that the priority should be the child and what is best for them. Scripture also say anyone who does not provide for their immediate family is worse than an unbeliever (1 Timothy 5:8). Family should be taken care of and when we know that family is in need but fail to make an attempt to help them there is much to be accounted for, especially for a child.

Christians and social media

2/22/2019

I find value in the World Wide Web. For my field I can very easily find links and resources that cover any topic of my field of interest. There are so many views and opinions about things in the fields of theology, church history, and counseling. The value comes in being able to read the various views to help me come up with a view of my own. However, when I begin to voice my view I need to be ready for criticism. Some criticism is good, especially when that criticism is constructive criticism even if the person does not agree with my view. I have found some very beneficial conversations that have encouraged both myself and the one I am interacting with. Yet, there are those who feel that they have a right to voice their view in a manner that seem anything but Christ like.

Social media is the worse place to experience such criticism. I have had the pleasure to come across individuals who feel they need to make personal baseless attacks because I possess a different view of theology, namely eschatology, the study of the end times. If you have ventured through my page you can tell I am no fan of the ever popular theological view of the pre-tribulation rapture teaching. I am very adamant to voice my displeasure with the teaching. When I do I deal with the topic only and share Scripture to support my views. I will not address the individual personally no matter how wrong I believe they are. Another thing I will not do is share my credentials. I don’t believe I need to make it a priority to first advertise that I possess a Masters of Divinity from a Theological Seminary that supports the pre-tribulation rapture teaching. Why do I need to? Thought the degree has value to me I shouldn’t have to whip it out to lord my knowledge over others.

Yet, there are times I have to and I am left with no choice but to bring up my degree. I come across people who use terms like, “You need to read your Bible.” Or something to effect of, “Do you know….” and it is followed up with an assumption that I know nothing of the subject matter. Such attitude leads me to believe that these individuals wish to possess a level of knowledge and understanding that no one else can possess. Then when I reveal that I possess a M.Div. I usually get the common response of how I trust in my education and man for learning.

First off, the institution I received my M.Div. did not tell me what I need to believe in order to graduate. Second, when the individual is informed of my level of education I receive an out lashing of how I wasted my time and I should get my money back. When I receive these type of comments I will reply requesting them to provide Scripture to support their view and to offer their exegetical understanding of what the author is saying. More often than not they continue with their need to attack me personally going so far as to accuse me of not being a Christian and that I should repent for my views.

The problem with their accusation that I am not a Christian because I refuse to buy into the pre-tribulation rapture doctrine is eschatology has nothing to do with soteriology. Scripture in no way states that I must believe that Jesus will take the church from this world prior to a seven year tribulation period where the antichrist will reign offering the mark of the beast in order for people to buy and sale. I believe Jesus will return one day but not in the manner of the rapture narrative.

Should I be surprised by this type of behavior? No. I am reminded that when Jesus was here he did and said things that made the religious leaders accuse him of blasphemy and to be possessed with Beelzebul. I am finding that these people are very religious in their traditions. They have passion for the topic they are trying to defend but lack any type of compassion. I am reminded by what Paul said, “Let all that you do be done in love.” (1 Corinthians 16:14) I believe people can disagree about something but allow love to guide the conversation. Without love what is the point. Pride and arrogance removes love all together and I doubt the Holy Spirit is in that conversation, or with the one who is being rude, judgmental, arrogant, and religious.

A Transformed Life: Part 1

5/25/2017

Romans 12: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

            In Genesis we read that God created mankind in his image. As there are three parts to God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), there are three parts to mankind (Mind, Body, and Spirit). Here in Romans 12 Paul calls for transformation by pointing out the three areas of mankind and all three are interrelated and connect with one another. Due to this connection we are given a responsibility by which we are held to in order to live a productive life in our Lord. Sin has effected all three areas of our being and our life is a constant struggle to live according to the desires of our Lord.

            Paul starts off with, “present your bodies as living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.” Our bodies are more than merely flesh, blood, and bones but is the temple the Holy Spirit which dwells within. When we are first born our focus is to sleep, eat, and be loved. We have no strength in our bodies to take care of ourselves but as we begin to grow we begin to explore and learn of the world around us. This exploration and learning exposes us to many influences, good and bad. As children we are full of energy. Our parents can hardly keep up with us and keeping an eye on us to keep us from getting into trouble can be taxing on them. As teenagers we stay up late and sleep in late, we can eat just about anything except what is healthy for us, always complaining why our parents are forcing us to eat the things we will come to enjoy when we get older. Somewhere in our 30’s we begin to slow down and then in our 40’s we wish we had the energy we had 20 years ago.

            As a child and through my early 20’s I was lean and tall. After high school I went into the Army at 6’3” weighing 135 lbs. After my training my family could tell I had gained some muscles, my neck was thicker and shoulders broader and I could run two miles in just under 13 minutes. By early 2004 I was weighing 245 lbs. due to recovering from my injuries in Iraq. After my recovering I would go to the gym twice a day and by June I had lost 23 lbs. Now I am in my mid 40’s and pushing 290. This extra weight has caused me problems. I have high blood pressure, been tested for diabetes but have been found without, and my legs suffer a great deal of pain due to multiple surgeries in the military and my weight. I have also found myself getting tired easier but I continue to get up around 6 every morning and I do work hard. I enjoy to eat, especially red meat but I do like vegetables. I am not much of a sweats eater. My wife does make a few deserts that I highly enjoy; peach and apple dump cakes are my all-time favorites. I love peanut butter fudge, oatmeal raisin cookies (though I am picky about them), and maple nuts.

I know I need to lose weight, not just for myself but for my family as well.   However, such discipline is a horizontal focus. To take care of myself is also a lateral focus. God gave me this body and I believe I am called to care for what I have been given. Though my body is subject to the elements of this world by choice or not I know that sin has affected my physical form. In Genesis 2:15 we see that when God created man and placed him in the garden everything was provided for him, yet, man did have a responsibility, he was to work. Too often there is this idea that the garden was a place of no responsibility, complete relaxation, and a free life. My body needs to be “holy and acceptable to God.” How can I make my body holy and acceptable to God? How do I present my body as a living sacrifice? Through discipline. By eating right and exercising are personal responsibilities. I don’t smoke and I will have a drink from time to time but not very much. At home I care for my wife by doing various task that she does not need to think about such cutting the yard, fixing different things when the need arises, kill the spider in the bathroom, love her as Christ loves the church, be a spiritual leader, and so forth. I also care for my neighbor. I feed the hungry, visit the sick in the hospital, help out a brother in need, and other things. James calls these acts “true religion.” (James 1:27) So my body becomes the very tool by which God acts out in this world. I have to be mindful of my body and take it’s ques when it is sick or in pain. I need to rest but I also need to discipline myself to maintain a healthy condition.

            Paul describes this act as “your spiritual worship.” Here we learn that worship is much more than singing songs during Sunday service. In John 15:8 Jesus says, “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” The “by this” is to abide in Christ. As we abide in him we can do many things because of him and apart from him we can do nothing (v.5). Through our sacrifice we produce fruit that brings glory to the Father. In the end our deeds will judged by fire. Those things of value will remain and what is not of value will be burned away, leaving behind our reward. (1 Corinthians 3:10-15) By being spiritually disciplined we remain focused on what God has called us to do. His desires become our desires and we seek to do His will over our own will. The word of God become real in our life, prayer is meaningful, worship is encouraging, and our conversation is pure and holy. The idea of denying ourselves and taking up our cross daily brings more peace to our hearts even during times of tribulation, affliction, stress, anxiety, and depression.

            Our spiritual well-being does and will affect the other two areas of our life; our bodies and how we think. Paul gives us guidance on how we are to think. Philippians 4: 8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Being mindful of these and meditating on the different areas will lead us to living a healthy life. Paul also tells us that during out struggles we have strength in him to maintain a healthy way of thinking. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5) When our thoughts and focus are on the Lord the struggles, temptations, and tribulations in our life become more manageable. This does not mean that we will not face trouble or temptations in our life. This means that we will be able to handle them more productively and the stress will not bring us down. Recall what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

            To manage all three takes time and discipline. By working on various disciplines one day at a time they will become a normal part of our life. For the body we discipline ourselves by eating right, being active, getting just enough rest, know our limits, and think beyond ourselves. To be spiritually discipline we read God’s word, meditate on his work, study his word, pray, and apply this word to our life. These are just a few disciplines. To discipline our mind we remain focused on the Lord, change our way of thinking from the ways of this world to the ways of the Lord, and bring every thought to the obedience of the Lord. Finally, we cannot do this on our own. This is where discipleship is very important. Make yourself accountable to another Christian, go to them in your time of need when you are dealing with something that you need extra pray and support in.

What are you hungry for?

3/25/2017

For the past couple of weeks I have been dealing with what the doctor called type B flue. I don’t know what that really means but all I can say is that it didn’t feel like the flue. Usually when I get the flue I don’t want to do anything but sleep. I have no appetite, I have no energy. This flue I had little to no energy but I wanted to eat all the time. What made this worst is the doctor prescribed me a medication that made me hyper and increased my appetite.

As I was reading the Bible the other day I couldn’t help to think about how much I wanted to eat while I was sick. Then I thought, why do I not want to “eat” the word of God as much as I want to eat food. This thought took me back to John 6.

Jesus had fed four-thousand people the day before. The next day the people went looking for him and found him on the other side of the lake. He knew why they came, they wanted food. This caused Jesus to challenge them and opened the topic about himself, which they need to consume his body and blood to have eternal life. This teaching was too difficult for them to understand and many of them discontinued to follow him.

As Christians our desire should to come to a deeper personal relationship with Jesus. We are called to abide in him because he wants to abide in us (John 15). As we abide in him more we then become fruitful and this brings glory to the Father.

As I continued to think about our relationship with food today I couldn’t help to notice how covenant food is for us. Think about not even 60 years ago fast food restaurants were not as numerous as they are today. Even in the smallest towns you will find a McDonald’s and maybe a pizza place of some sort. With even the slightest feeling of hunger but not the willingness to prepare a meal for ourselves we can simply get up and run down the road to pick-up a #1 in the drive through. College students completely understand this behavior.

There was a time that anything a person desired to eat had to be grown and prepared right at home. There was not running to the store to get something quick. The time and energy that it took to grow a garden and livestock made eating a meal much more grateful.
Scripture tells us that the desire for the Lord’s word, his wisdom, his instruction is greater than gold and silver and costly jewels. Jesus compared the Kingdom of God to a man who was walking through a field and came upon a chest full of treasure. He then covers it, sales all he owns to make the money needed to purchase the field and does so.

I couldn’t help to think about how easy we can access information on any subject in the world yet thought do we know any more than we did. A common attitude is that if the information isn’t in 140 characters or less their attention has been lost. If they cannot watch it on Youtube then there is no interest.

For the Christian I have to ask, is this our attitude to God’s word? Are we really devoted to knowing the Lord or is his merely an idea that can be gained as information from google? To search for costly jewels, gold, and silver one needs to spend some considerable amount of time digging. We can’t simply skip our feet across the ground in hopes to find something of value. We really need to get into the dirt of the matter. Sometimes you have to use different tools to search for what it is you desire. Why can this not be the same attitude?

Allow me to go another direction with this, more towards teens. How much time do you spend on your devise, iPhone or Galaxy, Xbox or PlayStation 4? How important is it to you that your “friends” like your comments and post on Facebook, Snap Chat, or Instagram? What juicy gossip are you looking for on social media? How important is it for you to make it to the next level or make the next achievement on your games? Why not take that same amount of time and desire in those things and place them in coming to know Jesus, if you call yourself a Christian?

Let’s face the facts, we live in an easy access society today and we desire instant gratification for our desires. Maybe that is the reason relationships are merely superficial. Maybe that is why we do not really listen to people when they talk to us. Time means nothing to us, our hunger for things needs to be satisfied and when it is we forget what we purchased to gratify our appetite. If not what we got perhaps what it tasted like. Real relationships take time. Something worth investing in takes time. What we need to also realize is that is our hunger for what we want really of value or are we merely seeking to for a quick solution to our “problem”?

A Problem in the Church

3/19/2017

(An opinion piece)

            What’s going on with the church today? Watch the news or check out the social media page and you will find that there is a fight in our country for religious liberty. Why should there be a fight for religious liberty today? Doesn’t the United States Constitution afford the people in our nation to worship freely and prohibits the restriction of assembling together? How often are we seeing an atheist group rising up to fight against the use of the Bible being used in public school as a lesson tool? Let alone a class merely on the Bible as if there is an attempt to turn children into Christians through brainwashing.
            I recall back in the mid-70’s as I was in the first grade when my teacher would line us young students up for lunch. Before we walked out the class door we would recite, “God is good, God is great and thank him for our food. By his hands we all are fed, give us Lord our daily bread. Amen!” Not even after a decade went by that all of this came to a stop. Where did the church go? Today we see less Bibles in school but more are in the prison systems. There is something backwards with that picture.
            The church has not gone anywhere. The problem is what has not going on in the church and what has been substituted for Spirituality and Christian discipline. Bottom line, the church has become biblically illiterate. When I say biblically illiterate I include theology, biblical and church history, apologetics, hermeneutics, the biblical languages, and the true meaning and purpose of discipleship and evangelism. When I spend time with a Christian I can tell in a very short period of time that much of what they believe in is due to not what they have read in the Bible but what they have heard from the pulpit.
            I grew up believing in many theological ideas, bottle fed this things. I did not know any other way to think or believe about the Bible. Not till I was in my late teens and early adult age did I seriously start sitting down and getting into the Bible. I also picked up different books on Spirituality and Christian thought. As I continued to search I began to change much of what I was taught growing up. As I started to attend Christian college I find out that there were many people who thought as I do and many of them go as far back as the second and third century. I also found out that many of the ideas and thoughts I had come with names and titles.
            I wouldn’t consider myself to a very intellectual person. I am not a Ph.D. level thinker or writer but I cannot help to think, if a guy such as myself could come out of the traditional way of thinking as the church does then why are there not more people doing the same? I strongly believe people are too comfortable in their traditions and presuppositions to really care. And to object to their views will come with a strong criticism and insult. I have been called Pharisee and non-believer just to name a couple.
            All I know is that during the time Jesus was doing ministry the popular majority highly objected to the views and teachings of Jesus. He was going against the grain of tradition and teaching. He went back to the basics and brought them to light as they should have been seen. The Scribes and Pharisees were more concerned about their position in society than they were about obeying what God commanded and they used their knowledge to trap the people. Jesus accused the Pharisees that anyone who followed them were twice as likely to end up in hell as they were.
            I cannot help to wonder, has the church become very much the same as the Pharisees and Scribes of the first century? Church leaders have mandated that their theological views are more correct than others, placing their theology before the Scriptures to justify their teachings. Rather than teaching the church to be more Christlike and live in the world, the focus is to be more Calvin and fight against the Arminian heresy. The idea is to follow after the more popular teaching, especially when Hollywood can turn it into a movie. Congregants are less likely to go out to make disciples as they expect the senior pastor to do all the evangelism. Then turning discipleship into a simply 12 Sunday morning class that new believers must attend before they can be connected in the church. There is less focus on developing relationship and more time spent on developing programs. The youth view God and Jesus as an idea that favors their emotions rather than helping them grow into having a deeper meaningful relationship with Christ and how to share and defend their faith.
            The root to these problems, biblical illiteracy and all that goes along with it.

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