November/December 2015
If God is no MORE God when circumstances around us are going well, He can be no LESS God when circumstances are going poorly.
September 2015
Within every structure there are simplicities and complexities. You don't need to master the complexities of everything in order to enjoy the simplicity of something. For example, understanding the dynamics of weight transfer and the intricacies of suspension movement and how it works as you barrel through the corner on a dirt track is complex. But one must not master that knowledge in order to enjoy the simpler act of driving a racecar. As long as you understand how to drive, and understand that you're trying to get to the checkered flag first, you can get in a racecar and enjoy it. As you gain experience, knowledge and you put effort into moving forward you will begin understanding the workings of the more complex aspects of the racing dynamic. Eventually you'll get even more enjoyment out of the simplicity of the activity (driving, going forward) by going through the trials and frustrations of learning the more complex (understanding the inner workings of the car). It will take time, there will be a lot of questions and there may be moments you want to give up, but in the end putting the time in is the only way to understand the process of getting to victory lane any better, and the only way to have a shot of getting there consistently. After all, there are dozens of other people trying to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Christianity is really no different. The simplicity of it is easy to grasp. We were separated from God’s family by sin through Adam and Eve’s choice, God wanted us back because He loves us, Jesus Christ died for our sins to reunite us with God - IF we accept Jesus’ sacrifice. It’s that easy to enjoy being reunited with our Father again after we die. Simple, and we don’t need to understand all the answers to doctrine and theology to enjoy it. Yet as we go further into the Christian experience questions will arise, moments will come that we don’t understand that will frustrate us. Like racing, we have powers trying to make sure that we don’t succeed. We may want to give up. It’s the complexities of it all. But much like racing, putting in the time is the only way to learn, the only way to get better. If you give up in either situation, you have no chance of growing or getting better.
Complexities will arise: questions, frustrations, hard moments. It is true in every structure. Don’t quit. And don’t let it keep you from enjoying the simplicities and truths in life.
June 2015
John 3:3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again."
I recently had the opportunity to witness the birth of my first child. It was an interesting experience filled with varying emotions. There was the initial excitement and adrenaline of rushing to the hospital as the process started. There was the next 12-13 hours of sitting and waiting for a change in my wife's condition. Time to think about the changes pending. A nervous, excited, curious, uncertain, tiring time. I watched as my wife had pain that would come and go, gradually getting worse. Then the reason that labor was given it's name began...time for my wife to push. It was excruciating pain for her, two hours that felt like it was not going to end. As I stood helplessly next to her trying to encourage her, wanting to ease her pain and being unable to, it was hard to see the purpose in it. It washard to believe this was part of a grand designer's plan. It was almost enough to wish we could go back in time and change our minds on having a baby, or simply give up. But then something amazing took place...new life. The child arrived. Amazing doesn't begin to describe it. Speechlessness, relief, amazement, the pain and frustration forgotten in a blink of an eye. Change is instantaneous. Was the pain worth it...the answer an unquestioned yes.
I'm not sure this is exactly what Jesus had in mind when he said you must be born again. He was speaking of a new you in mind and spirit in the here and now. Yet the parallel is striking. Following Jesus now encompasses all of those aspects: excitement, anticipation, trepidation, doubt, pain. For some people it can even get to the point where you wonder if it's really supposed to be this way, if it is all worth it. (After all, there is an enemy trying to convince us it isn’t.) But then, if you can persevere to the end and complete the labor process…relief, unbridled joy, new life. Change will be instantaneous. In the blink of an eye all of the pain of this life will be forgotten as you enter a new life with Him. Is it worth it? You have to decide for yourself…but my answer is an unquestioned yes.
April 2015
Is there anything wrong with anything?
It seems there is a lot in the news these days about homosexuality. We have already addressed this topic before here. If we look beyond the hype and headlines however, at the core of this issue is a much bigger topic, and one that affects not only this social issue but many other social issues including abortion, adultery, euthanasia and even some issues that we may not see in our lifetime but our children and their children certainly could.
The real question that needs answered is this: Is there anything wrong with anything? If the answer is no, you are saying that all behaviors at all times are acceptable. If someone steals your money, that’s okay. If someone hurts your family, that’s okay. You would likely agree that this is not true; therefore your answer to the question is yes. If that is the case, you must have a baseline to use to determine when something is wrong.
Let’s say you suspect you have a problem with your suspension on your racecar. You take a shock and have it placed on the dynamometer. There are set specifications the manufacturer has to determine if the shock is still operating properly. If the shock operates outside the normal range you know it is bad. If it does not you know you have to look elsewhere, perhaps at the torsion bars or springs for your problem. However if there were not a set range of specifications to stay within on the dyno, or they were constantly changing, there would be no way to determine if the shock was working properly or not.
The problem is most people want that baseline in life to be relative, that way it can change when they feel like it. Eventually however this leads to confusion about what is right and wrong. For example right now almost everyone would agree that pedophilia is wrong. But what happens when the day comes where pedophiles feel they should be recognized as a people group and that they have rights not to be discriminated against under the law? It may sound absurd to you but it was only 50 or 60 years ago that homosexuality was viewed in the light that pedophilia is now. People today like to use buzzwords like we've “matured” or “evolved” past those ideas from a generation or two ago. What happens when we “mature” or “evolve” as a society past the things that you think are acceptable for you or your children? What baselines are you going to use to stand on when society is on the path to changing beyond what you feel is acceptable behavior? When everything is relative, eventually all rules will come down to personal preference and the majority is going to decide. And the reality is there won't be any rules at all.
The fact is you need something solid and unchanging if you're going to have a society with any kind of stability. God knew this, that's why he gave us the rules or ‘baselines’ that he did. They were not to hinder us and they weren’t to keep us from enjoying life; quite the contrary they were to give us standards to live by so we could enjoy life…especially life with each other. We invite you to discover this joy today, through the Truth that is Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 13:8 - Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
March 2015
The heart of the message that Jesus brought to the world is simple. Trust in Him and His sacrifice for you, receive eternal life. Then go love your neighbor as yourself. These statements do not take a masters degree in Theology to understand. The simplicity of God’s desire for us to choose to believe and be with Him is one of the most beautifully astounding things that Christianity offers. And yet when we move beyond the simplicity of the plan of restoration of our relationship with God, there is almost a difficulty about the next steps that can’t be ignored. It is similar to when someone decides to get into racing.
Before jumping in, people may do some research to see what chassis to buy, what engine is best or what shocks are hot at the time. But normally they buy in with a simple excitement and an anticipation that comes with being on the track. They just want to be part of the action; and it is easy enough to become a driver or team member. Truth be told though, the getting on the track isn’t generally the hard part. The hard part comes as you try to move forward each and every week; as you scratch and claw your way toward that elusive victory lane. That’s when all of the difficulties you couldn’t see from the stands on a Friday night come into focus. The hours you spend in the shop on maintenance and repair every week. The research time you spend on suspension, engine, gearing, and tire combinations. The painfully slow accumulation of knowledge you can only gain by experience. At times you have revelations and you do well and it is fun. Other times there are hardships or bad nights and it is frustrating. But either way you are learning. In the end all of the experiences work together for the total picture that becomes your knowledge, your stories, and your career. And whether you visit victory lane hundreds of times or zero times the only way to have any inkling of what it takes to get there is to go through the good and the bad, making better decisions as you gain more knowledge and not giving up when it gets difficult. It is only after you have gone through the race, not before, that you can understand what was learned and why.
The Christian life is similar to that. No matter what you are going through, don’t quit. Experience is how you learn and get better, both good and bad. Victory lane is waiting, but remember you have to finish the race to win it.
“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.” G.K. Chesterton
If God is no MORE God when circumstances around us are going well, He can be no LESS God when circumstances are going poorly.
September 2015
Within every structure there are simplicities and complexities. You don't need to master the complexities of everything in order to enjoy the simplicity of something. For example, understanding the dynamics of weight transfer and the intricacies of suspension movement and how it works as you barrel through the corner on a dirt track is complex. But one must not master that knowledge in order to enjoy the simpler act of driving a racecar. As long as you understand how to drive, and understand that you're trying to get to the checkered flag first, you can get in a racecar and enjoy it. As you gain experience, knowledge and you put effort into moving forward you will begin understanding the workings of the more complex aspects of the racing dynamic. Eventually you'll get even more enjoyment out of the simplicity of the activity (driving, going forward) by going through the trials and frustrations of learning the more complex (understanding the inner workings of the car). It will take time, there will be a lot of questions and there may be moments you want to give up, but in the end putting the time in is the only way to understand the process of getting to victory lane any better, and the only way to have a shot of getting there consistently. After all, there are dozens of other people trying to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Christianity is really no different. The simplicity of it is easy to grasp. We were separated from God’s family by sin through Adam and Eve’s choice, God wanted us back because He loves us, Jesus Christ died for our sins to reunite us with God - IF we accept Jesus’ sacrifice. It’s that easy to enjoy being reunited with our Father again after we die. Simple, and we don’t need to understand all the answers to doctrine and theology to enjoy it. Yet as we go further into the Christian experience questions will arise, moments will come that we don’t understand that will frustrate us. Like racing, we have powers trying to make sure that we don’t succeed. We may want to give up. It’s the complexities of it all. But much like racing, putting in the time is the only way to learn, the only way to get better. If you give up in either situation, you have no chance of growing or getting better.
Complexities will arise: questions, frustrations, hard moments. It is true in every structure. Don’t quit. And don’t let it keep you from enjoying the simplicities and truths in life.
June 2015
John 3:3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again."
I recently had the opportunity to witness the birth of my first child. It was an interesting experience filled with varying emotions. There was the initial excitement and adrenaline of rushing to the hospital as the process started. There was the next 12-13 hours of sitting and waiting for a change in my wife's condition. Time to think about the changes pending. A nervous, excited, curious, uncertain, tiring time. I watched as my wife had pain that would come and go, gradually getting worse. Then the reason that labor was given it's name began...time for my wife to push. It was excruciating pain for her, two hours that felt like it was not going to end. As I stood helplessly next to her trying to encourage her, wanting to ease her pain and being unable to, it was hard to see the purpose in it. It washard to believe this was part of a grand designer's plan. It was almost enough to wish we could go back in time and change our minds on having a baby, or simply give up. But then something amazing took place...new life. The child arrived. Amazing doesn't begin to describe it. Speechlessness, relief, amazement, the pain and frustration forgotten in a blink of an eye. Change is instantaneous. Was the pain worth it...the answer an unquestioned yes.
I'm not sure this is exactly what Jesus had in mind when he said you must be born again. He was speaking of a new you in mind and spirit in the here and now. Yet the parallel is striking. Following Jesus now encompasses all of those aspects: excitement, anticipation, trepidation, doubt, pain. For some people it can even get to the point where you wonder if it's really supposed to be this way, if it is all worth it. (After all, there is an enemy trying to convince us it isn’t.) But then, if you can persevere to the end and complete the labor process…relief, unbridled joy, new life. Change will be instantaneous. In the blink of an eye all of the pain of this life will be forgotten as you enter a new life with Him. Is it worth it? You have to decide for yourself…but my answer is an unquestioned yes.
April 2015
Is there anything wrong with anything?
It seems there is a lot in the news these days about homosexuality. We have already addressed this topic before here. If we look beyond the hype and headlines however, at the core of this issue is a much bigger topic, and one that affects not only this social issue but many other social issues including abortion, adultery, euthanasia and even some issues that we may not see in our lifetime but our children and their children certainly could.
The real question that needs answered is this: Is there anything wrong with anything? If the answer is no, you are saying that all behaviors at all times are acceptable. If someone steals your money, that’s okay. If someone hurts your family, that’s okay. You would likely agree that this is not true; therefore your answer to the question is yes. If that is the case, you must have a baseline to use to determine when something is wrong.
Let’s say you suspect you have a problem with your suspension on your racecar. You take a shock and have it placed on the dynamometer. There are set specifications the manufacturer has to determine if the shock is still operating properly. If the shock operates outside the normal range you know it is bad. If it does not you know you have to look elsewhere, perhaps at the torsion bars or springs for your problem. However if there were not a set range of specifications to stay within on the dyno, or they were constantly changing, there would be no way to determine if the shock was working properly or not.
The problem is most people want that baseline in life to be relative, that way it can change when they feel like it. Eventually however this leads to confusion about what is right and wrong. For example right now almost everyone would agree that pedophilia is wrong. But what happens when the day comes where pedophiles feel they should be recognized as a people group and that they have rights not to be discriminated against under the law? It may sound absurd to you but it was only 50 or 60 years ago that homosexuality was viewed in the light that pedophilia is now. People today like to use buzzwords like we've “matured” or “evolved” past those ideas from a generation or two ago. What happens when we “mature” or “evolve” as a society past the things that you think are acceptable for you or your children? What baselines are you going to use to stand on when society is on the path to changing beyond what you feel is acceptable behavior? When everything is relative, eventually all rules will come down to personal preference and the majority is going to decide. And the reality is there won't be any rules at all.
The fact is you need something solid and unchanging if you're going to have a society with any kind of stability. God knew this, that's why he gave us the rules or ‘baselines’ that he did. They were not to hinder us and they weren’t to keep us from enjoying life; quite the contrary they were to give us standards to live by so we could enjoy life…especially life with each other. We invite you to discover this joy today, through the Truth that is Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 13:8 - Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
March 2015
The heart of the message that Jesus brought to the world is simple. Trust in Him and His sacrifice for you, receive eternal life. Then go love your neighbor as yourself. These statements do not take a masters degree in Theology to understand. The simplicity of God’s desire for us to choose to believe and be with Him is one of the most beautifully astounding things that Christianity offers. And yet when we move beyond the simplicity of the plan of restoration of our relationship with God, there is almost a difficulty about the next steps that can’t be ignored. It is similar to when someone decides to get into racing.
Before jumping in, people may do some research to see what chassis to buy, what engine is best or what shocks are hot at the time. But normally they buy in with a simple excitement and an anticipation that comes with being on the track. They just want to be part of the action; and it is easy enough to become a driver or team member. Truth be told though, the getting on the track isn’t generally the hard part. The hard part comes as you try to move forward each and every week; as you scratch and claw your way toward that elusive victory lane. That’s when all of the difficulties you couldn’t see from the stands on a Friday night come into focus. The hours you spend in the shop on maintenance and repair every week. The research time you spend on suspension, engine, gearing, and tire combinations. The painfully slow accumulation of knowledge you can only gain by experience. At times you have revelations and you do well and it is fun. Other times there are hardships or bad nights and it is frustrating. But either way you are learning. In the end all of the experiences work together for the total picture that becomes your knowledge, your stories, and your career. And whether you visit victory lane hundreds of times or zero times the only way to have any inkling of what it takes to get there is to go through the good and the bad, making better decisions as you gain more knowledge and not giving up when it gets difficult. It is only after you have gone through the race, not before, that you can understand what was learned and why.
The Christian life is similar to that. No matter what you are going through, don’t quit. Experience is how you learn and get better, both good and bad. Victory lane is waiting, but remember you have to finish the race to win it.
“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.” G.K. Chesterton