Prayer Letter for July

This past month has been one of ups and downs. Thankyou for praying, I was encouraged at various times this month when I remembered that friends and family are praying for Refuge City Church and the struggles we face.

A few days ago I was in despiration; I was fasting and continually asking God to forgive me, because I was doubting how things were going. Doubt crept in because I was less than a week from moving and still had not found a buyer for my townhome. Knowing that strength comes from God, and then trusting God’s plan were big struggles these last couple weeks.

Tuesday morning I decided to list the townhome for rent on craigslist. I remember praying, “God if this is the direction I should go, make it evident and help me find comfort in renting my place.” Within the hour I had three people interested and by the end of the day seven people wanted to come by and check the place out. Wednesday three people came by and took an application with them, two were highly interested. This morning one dropped off the application and later accepted my offer for them to rent. The rent I will be receiving each month will cover my financial obligations in Charlotte and then still have a little to save for possible repairs. To God be the glory for the things He has done. The renters are a nice couple that will be getting married next year, please pray as I serve them the Gospel would come though in my interactions with them.

Last month I mentioned Amy Pope had an interview to nurse at Good Samaritan in Dayton. Within a matter of days she was offered the position. Scot has had a lot of interviews and might have found a job. Nothing official with Scot working yet but could possibly work out in a few days.

Mom and Dad are coming July 9^th to help me move. The van and my car depart for Dayton Monday morning. I so relieved that my financial obligations in Charlotte went down $800. I know there are still more mountains to climb, but I have been reminded that God is working in our midst. John and Amy Pope will be moving July 15^th.

Please pray for my friend Jeff. He had a triple by-pass done Tuesday and is starting recovery. Jeff has been experiencing pain but the doctors say things went well and look good.

John Pope and the teammembers of Refuge City Church would like me to try an raise funds to help John with the administrative and legistical needs of Refuge City Church. There is a small ammount in the budget for other staff members if the funds are raised. This ammount is small and would only cover a small part of my living expences. Please be praying as I send out letters in a couple days asking people to help support Refuge City Church financially by giving to the administrative needs, which would free me up to spend more serving and working for Refuge City Church.

Proverbs 3:5-7

When Did I Become So Smart

The rest of my life is probably going to be spent, puzzled; puzzled in understanding the mindset of the non-Christian, and the conclusions that it makes. In a conversation the other day a person was telling me that there is no way Jesus was a virgin, and while on that topic neither was Mary. This person’s thoughts did not end there, they also had perspectives on the bible and the stories within that were based only on their own thoughts. Despite asking why they might think that and discovering that it was only based on their thoughts, the stance was not abandoned. In school when an answer is given that does not correspond to that which is correct, the answer is false i.e. 2+2=4 not 5 no matter how much I want it to. Alistair Begg said it best, “As soon as we come to the moral theological biblical realm people take their brains out, and assume we now apply a different manor of thinking and logic to truth. You can’t do it, at least and discover it.” When did we become so smart that truth can be identified by that which we would like to believe? Are we allowing our own desires to lure and entice us? (see James 1 focus on 1:14-15)

Be Careful

It seems like every week I am hearing Evangelical churches using and referring to material that Rob Bell has put together. While the Nooma videos are very appealing and entertaining, should they be used when the videos could cause people to think, "this is cool" and like most of us do follow the cool things to areas we should not go?

Resistance and denial without second thought happens most of the time when I try to warn people about Rob Bell being an Open Theist. Most of those who deny this do not even know what the term Open Theist means, they only know that they like the videos and books he puts together, and there is noway something they like would be bad.

I am still researching for a term paper that I am writing for my seminary class, so I will try to share and explain what Open Theism is and why we as Christians should be aware of it. For more on Rob Bell and Open Theism click the link below and read the article, there are plenty of articles about this but I thought this one would be the easiest for you to read and understand.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/november/12.36.html?start=1

I cannot understand

I try my hardest to understand people, but sometimes I just want to call it like it is, and call them stupid. People would say that I am stupid for believing in God. The expounding of my stupidity would continue with the fact that I spend a lot of my time reading a book, the bible, that some people says is nothing but fiction. My stupidity doesn't end there, to these people, because I wake up every Sunday and waste a day "worshiping" with other believers to a God that they say cannot exist.

I am sorry but I find it stupid to consider humans smart enough to rule God out of the equasion of life. To rule God out you would have to first discredit the bible, which to someone who has done their homework and studies cannot be done. Then you must discredit the resurection of Jesus Christ, which if you look for truth and creditable sources cannot be disproven.

So many times people focus on the origin of life. They start with creation, I say why look that far back when these first two cannot be discredited. If Jesus cannot be discredited, by truth not personal agendas, then what is the point of agruing evolution vs creation?

Some Questions

One thing I would like to ask the greatest scientists of today is this: Where you there when the foundations of the earth were laid? Then how do you even think you know where to start explaining them? Why does the earth have the dimensions that it has? Why does the earth have an elliptical orbit rather then a circular one? What supports the earth and the life on it? Why does the sea stop at the shore? Why do clouds come in different sizes and shapes? Have you ever caused the sun to raise in the west? Have you ever been to the deepest depth of the oceans? Where does light come from and where does darkness go? Can you direct the movement of the stars? Can you change the seasons? Can you make it rain when a drought is upon the land? You are God's critic, but do you have the answers?

So I was paraphrasing Job 38 and 39, but the question still remains. If you are God's critic, do you have the answers? Science can take a gander at a few of these questions. Ones like the dimension of the earth and the elliptical orbit of this planet, they have a guess as to why that is. However, no one on earth can make the sun set in the east or rise in the west. No one can move a star from the path it is on.

Life is a confusing experience, and can throw you several curve balls along the way, but how do you face it? At the end of high school I found myself alone and frustrated. The friends that I thought would always be there were soon gone. The God that I had learned about during my childhood seemed weak. I drove a beat up car that did not run well, a mom that worried too much, and a father that worked a lot. Now I could have decided to turn my back on God and walk away from it all, it would have been easy and old friends were already on that path waiting for me to choose that, but there was one thing that stuck in my mind. If God is weak and they have all the answers, what are these answers?

A person's opinion is exactly that, an opinion, a view point that does not have to be true. Who is the one with the opinion, and who is the one telling me the truth? Good thing I am such a stubborn guy, or sifting through all the lies and misleading theories out there would have drove me crazy.

Anytime someone talks about evolution I have a hard time being patient and kind with them. Book after book that I have read on this topic it is like the evolutionary scientists are saying, 'If there is a God, He will prove it through our methods of scientific study.' When did we, humans, get smart enough to even begin to understand a God? Let me put it in their words, when did the minds on the human species become so in-tune to how the universe functions and the laws of the universe that we can say that, if there is a God our methods of science and studies will prove it. Just because I say we're not that smart, people call me dumb, narrow minded, uninformed, ignorant, and many other things.

Who do you trust?

One day I was half awake, not really paying attention to what was on the TV at the time when all the sudden a thought came to my mind. Who do you trust? The funny part is this thought came to me during college but I never let it sink in to my mind. C.J. Mahaney wrote "We let subjective impressions determine what we'll accept as objective fact." also "We let our feelings tell us what's true, instead of letting the truth transform our feelings."

During college I began to question what people were telling me. I began a process of evaluating whether they were telling me feelings or truth. I do not understand how people can say the bible does not speak truth. How can a person say the bible is untruthful but yet consider Roman history any better? It is by sneaky thinking, thinking that really does not explain away that which can be supported.

Evolutionists will ask how can you believe the God created the earth in six days then we have evidence that says something else. Really? Are you sure? Outside of hypothesized assupmtions concerning our origins the only support evolution has is by fossils. Now there are arguments about dating methods and how reliable they are, but if they were true wouldn't there be undeniable support for them? No one questions the process of mitosis or photosynthesis, because if they do the scientists just take them over to a microscope and tells them watch.

One question, amongst several, that no one can truthfully answer is this.....Did Jesus stay in the tomb? If He did then, He lied and is there for not capable of completing that which He spoke of. If His body was stolen then how come there is so much evedence contrary to that? If He was not dead on the cross, then how could three days be enough for Him to heal, and be walking with the poeple three days later? What I am saying is to even start the process of supporting that the Christian God is not real, you have to, aside from feelings, go after that which Christ did. It is almost pointless to come at a true believer in Christ from any other way.

Some people do not want to accept the supernatural things happen, because they do not happen as they want them too. It's almost like there is a conclusion that God can't be real because there is pain in this world, creation was not done in a way that scientist could figure it out, and things like that.

We are acustomed to having it our way. Restraunts bend over backwards to prepare food exactly the way you want. Car companies try to build you either a inexpensive vehicle, comfortable, reliable, sporty, luxury, and put all the little add on's that people want, just so you'll buy their product. Whenever we think up an idea for something that would benefit our lives, we either run to the store and buy it or someone envents it. Our only aparent limitation is our mind. Our limitations are much more then that, feelings play such a role on how we think and act. So who can be trusted?

Many believe that it is us humans, at least the ones we label as smart, that can be trusted. How do we know that it is those that we call smart are actually the ones who are smart? Is a person smart just because they can memorize a bunch of information? Is a person smart because they are a great idea generator? Is a person smart because they can invent things? If we can't even determin who is smart without being bias, how can we even begin to support our conclusions about the Christian God not being real.

This is all still running around in my mond so it might be hard to understand.

And You Think I Am Crazy

There is kind of a running joke amongst my family members, that I am the weird one. The joke reached its highest when my brothers married their wives. You see dad married my mom when he was 21. My older brother married his wife when he was 21. And as you might have guessed it, my little brother married at 21. This left a lot of room for jokes pertaining to my weirdness.
Teenagers all the time question me about my status. When you tell them that you are single, and have been for years, they look at you like you are the craziest person they have ever seen. I had one kid asks me if I was slow, uhhhhh not to my knowledge, I think I'm pretty smart.
What I think is funny is most people think that someone that has been single as long as I have, is like a starving man searching for a meal. The thing is I am not starving, at least not for what people think I should.

What is the most important thing in your life? Who is the most important in your life? Well as most marriage counselors would say, it should not be you. Nope I'm not number one, if I was I would not be in Charlotte, sorry I love my family and would rather be around them, if it was not for my first and most important person in my life.

Each day is a struggle for me, my desire longs to go home, while God calls me to stay. God did something that is hard for the average person to understand. When I was 17 I accepted His calling on my life. At that point I knew God called me away from my hometown. I did not want to follow through with His plan because it seemed so hard.

I moved to Louisville KY as a first step. Immediately I did not feel as if God was calling me to sink my roots in, in Louisville. I began seeking out a better understanding of where He was taking me, but I did not like His answer. He was calling me even farther from my family, and on top of that separating me from my friends. Echoing in my head were these words that we find in the bible, "not my will but Yours be done."

The first year in Charlotte was the hardest. There were few nights in the beginning that I did not cry myself to bed. I missed my family and now friends. Still I remember thinking, "not my will but Yours be done." Being friendless was nothing new to me, this had happened twice before when friends chose paths I did not want to follow on, but this time I was in it without the support I was use to having.

Shortening the story a bit I found myself at a new church to Charlotte, Mosaic, and started leading a small group. Each week my small group meets is unlike any pervious week, but I would not change it for anything, even moving back home. Time and time again I tell the guys in me group that they are so insightful. Every week they hit me with insight that I had never thought or heard before.

I believe God has allowed me after the many years that it took to get here, ten but who is counting, to have a for-taste of what He is doing. I have no doubt that God has something amazing in store, He does for everyone of His children, I just have to trust Him fully and obey.
But what does all this have to do with being single? Good question, but if you want to know when my lifestyle of singleness will end, I don't know, ask Him. I will admit it, I am tired of being single, but what will its end cost me. I will never let that personal desire of mine override His purpose.

Never having a girl that I was truly interested in ever, makes this even harder for me. I have no idea of how opening myself to a woman, no matter who she is, will affect me. So I am not about to chase after any girl that comes along. Sorry but she will have to go through Him first, and God will have to confirm it.

One thing that cracks me up, is people, they make assumptions about my interests in people they know or, if it is a girl, herself. So far everyone is batting 0 for........I lost track around 50. Give it a break, I will peruse this if God tells me to, but until then I will keep chuckling at your assumptions. Gosh you all crack me up

But would I be crazy if I did not put God first? I think so, what do you think?

What does it mean to be a Christian? How might you recognize a Christian? (Dave Graham)

The question: What does it mean to be a Christian? Was discussed but only for a short while in Donald Miller’s book “Searching For God Knows What.” However the book chose not to examine this question that deeply. The book points out that most of us Christians, do not know how to biblically answer this question. We say things like: born again, focused elsewhere, a person that is a part of a church, read their bible, and other things that do pertain to the Christian life, but do not separate us from what someone from another religion would say. So my question is: What makes a Christian different and unique, and how might we and others notice that?

What makes a Christian unique? Erwin Lutzer says it is the fact that we have a sinless savior.1 He speaks of a time when he was at a conference where many different religions had booths setup. He went around to the booths asking some basic questions. His search was for a savior that was not a part of our predicament.

Every religion has a basis on good and evil. Most religions have a system of good and bad things we do that it is impossible for us to follow them all, thus needing someone to help us out of our sinful predicament. Each religion could not point to a sinless savior, each except one. Jesus did not sin. Jesus was not a part of our predicament; therefore He can save us from it.

A Christian is a person who accepts this sinless savior, Jesus, and what He did on the cross. Christians believe that Jesus died as the propitiation for our sins. He died so that we, Christians, would no longer live under the law of sin and death. Romans 6:1-14 explains this more. The reason Christ died was so Christians could have a relationship with God. God has always been about the relationship with us since the beginning.

Adam and Eve walked with Him in the garden. In Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve sinned God was sad that the relationship was now changed. Some people struggle with this story because they say, why God made Adam and Eve in a way that they would sin. I’m glad you asked, because Paul answers this question of sin in Romans 7:7-25 then back in 6:15-23.

The key is faith in Christ Galatians 2:15-21 specifically looking at verse 16, “yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.”

No matter how much we would like to believe that basically good people go to Heaven, they don’t. I would like to believe that I have ten thousand dollars in the bank saved up for school. I can believe this with all the passion that I have, and make documents to look like statements from my bank, but does that make it actually so. The bank would see through my lies and would not recognize or allow me to withdraw that ten thousand I “would like to think” I have in there. Romans 9:30-33 and Galatians 2:15-3:9 Salvation is based on faith alone, apart from works.

Does this mean a Christian can do whatever they want so long as they have faith in the resurrection of Christ? No, a Christian is different after salvation then they were before. When a person comes to Christ through faith the Holy Spirit enters into their soul, changing their soul. Jesus presents this to the disciples before His ascension, Luke 24:49, Acts 1:4-5. Paul talks about this difference between our sinful bodies and our souls post salvation, Romans 8:1-11. Romans 8:5 say this, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.”(ESV)

How might we and other notice the difference in a Christian verse a non-Christian? Romans 12:9-21, describes some of the marks of a true Christian. Genuine love, hold fast to what is good, love on another, serve the Lord, pray, contribute, rejoice, weep, do not overcome evil with evil, and other things as well, but these are just a few things we might notice in a Christians life. These things here are how a Christian might act, but what is at the heart of these actions, a person carrying out commands or a reflection of whom they are and the spirit that is within them?

Jesus said a tree is known by its fruit, Matthew 12:33, well what is the fruit of the spirit? Galatians 5:22-26, verse 25 says, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” How do we walk by the spirit?

Christ said to His followers, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” Luke 9:23-24 ESV. This is shortly after Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ, and Jesus in telling the disciples once again about the purpose He came to fulfill. Just like most of Jesus’ ministry the disciples do not full understand what Jesus meant by this statement until after His death and resurrection.

This reminds me of a saying we hear very often, “When the goin’ gets tough, the tough get goin’.” Why must a Christian or anyone go through pain? Many of us do not look forward to the next hurdle or obstacle we will need to overcome, but how do we meet that time? This is where many non-Christians have trouble understanding those who call themselves Christians. In college I knew a Christian who struggled with drunkenness, and lived with another Christian and a non-Christian who was curious about the Christian faith. This non-Christian roommate said something one night to the drunken Christian’s face that I will never forget what was meant by his words. I do not remember the exact words but it was something like this, “Doesn’t your book tell you not to do this?!?!” By your book he meant the bible, how do I know that, well he pointed right at it when the question was expressed. Non-Christians for the most-part know the things we Christians should not do, and when we appear no different from them, they question the authenticity of our faith.

Many years I struggled with this. The application of faith that overcomes the desires of the body, this is how you might recognize a Christian, a true Christian. Romans 6:1-14, 8:12-17, 12:1-2, 14:1-23, 1 Corinthians 10:23- 33, Galatians 3:10-14 these are just a few verses about the struggle that Christians face between the soul and the body. Just because a Christian is saved they will still sin from time to time, but the Christian, the true Christian fights hard against the desires of their body in a desire that the spirit within might shine through these bodies we have, so that others might catch a glimpse of God.

1. Southern Evangelical Seminary “National Apologetics Conference” 2006 Erwin Lutzer “7 Reasons You Can Trust the Bible” 11/10/2006

Can God Be Seen? Can God Be Seen In The Lives Of His People?

When the question of seeing God was first presented to me I was in high school and my classmates were teasing me, because they said I had faith in a God that cannot be seen. In college this question came up in a different manner. Professors spoke their theories to disprove the existence of a God, and the thought of ever seeing or knowing Him could never be accomplished. Then again in these few years that have passed since college a different light has come on the question. Now when this question is presented it is to put a limit on God. The question is now presented as, “God does not care about us, and that is why we do not see Him, He does not care.” There is an answer to this question, but the answer is not necessarily easy to understand. There are two types of people to consider when answering this question; those who are believers in Christ that accept His gift of salvation and those who deny what Christ did.

What I mean by, those who are believers in Christ that accept His gift of salvation is defined by my answer to the question; what does it mean to be a Christian? The other type of person is a wide scope of people. People of the Islamic faith would say that they have seen God or heard from God. Islamic followers and Christians would say we worship the same God. I do not agree with either one of their points of view. The Islamic God is very different from the Christian God, and the Jewish God is different from these two beliefs also. So one must ask is there a difference in the God that people of these faiths say they see? Then there is the question of do we actually see God or is the image that we think we physically see actually a result of our imagination?

When Muhammad was first receiving his messages he asked his wife whether she thought these messages were from God or not. Muhammad’s wife convinced him that they were of God. How could there be any doubt whether God had spoken to you or not? Moses did not question the origin of the words God spoke to him. Moses might have doubted their ability to come true, but Moses never questions their origin. The same is true for Elijah, Paul, and many other prophets and teachers in the bible felt the same way about the words spoken to them by God. The difference is in who was speaking to them. To that I turn to the testimony of my pastor, Naeem.

My pastor, Naeem, tells a story of a night hen he saw the glory of Christ. He was alone in bed, puts his book down and notices the room begins to get dark. Soon after something grabs his shoulders, drags him, and pins him to his pillow. At first he tries to make sure he is awake and realizes he is. Suddenly the door opens and what he identifies as a demon walks in. All the sudden everything disappears, and he is free to move. He runs over to his brother’s room to find some understanding to that which he has just experienced. After a long conversation with his brother, his brother explains that Jesus is the only one that has power over demons. Naeem prays for protection and dependency on Jesus to get him through this. He goes back into his room and starts to read the book of John. In terror he says to Jesus that if anything happens to him that night it is His fault. He begins to shake and is afraid to open his eyes, but he finally does. In front of his face he sees a presence in the room that communicates that this presence is Jesus. He becomes overwhelmed by His presence and all the sudden falls to sleep. This transformed his life in to a path that leads him to be my pastor. I have never had an experience like Naeem’s, but that does not mean they are not real. There still is the question, can we see all Him today? Can we have an experience similar to Naeem’s?

Some would say that you can see God in His creation. Now this perplexes me because do you actually see God or do you see the effects or workmanship of God? Science has tried for years to put together evidence to discredit Creation. Every time I look at more of their supposed answers to the questions for evolution I only come up with more questions, I never seem to find a deductive explanation for how evolution could have developed different chemicals into D.N.A.. There are other examples of things that I struggle with evolution making any type of creditable sense. However when I look at how we got here through the lens of creation, everything makes much more sense. It amazes me sometimes when I think about the complexity of just my eyes, and their ability to transmit images to my brain. This intricacy paints an amazing picture for life, and leaves me staring at the workmanship of an amazing God.

Many of us made things at school to bring home to our parents when we were in school; I still make things for them to this day. One year I wrote some short poems for my mom. I put some pictures together around the poems and gave them to my mom for her birthday. I surprised her at work, because I was leaving on a weekend trip, she cried as she read the poems and gave me a hug. To this day, four years later, she still has this gift, and it is not hidden in a box, but out on their kitchen counter for all to see. Does my mom see me when she looks at those poems and pictures, no; she sees the affection of a loving son.

Creation to me is the affection of a loving God. God created the earth, sun, moon, animals, and everything around us for us to enjoy and notice how much he loves us. We may not notice the fingerprint of God on creation, but that does not mean it isn’t there.

My dad had this to say when I asked him this question, “Your question is a good one and makes someone search and think. This is my answer. God walked in the garden with Adam. He appeared off and on to a few throughout the Old Testament. He told His followers if you've seen Me you have seen the Father. How many times has God been seen after the writings of the New Testament? Today God does not live in the temple built by man. Through the Holy Sprit He lives in the hearts of men and women. God is love, GOD IS IS IS LOVE and HE IS SEEN as we love one another. As we put off the old man of strife, anger, pride, and selfishness. He is seen as He has freed us from that so that we can be like Him. He is seen not like in the Old Testament to us but now he is seen in and through us as we show patients, kindness, rejoice in the truth, bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, and endures all things. And He is not seen as we are arrogant, jealous, brag, provoke, rejoice in unrighteousness, and take account wrong suffered. My answer although I might have missed a few passages is that GOD showed Himself to us in the Old Testament as He lived in the holy of holy we've made. And now in the New Testament He shows Himself through us today as HE LIVES LIVES LIVES in the holy of holy He has made.”1 My dad likes to repeat words for emphasis, sometimes I get him talking and I cannot get all of what he is saying down. He makes a good point about how God might be seen in the lives of His people.

But sometimes life can be so busy that we forget to take the time to focus on God, to sit back and realize that He is there. I was reminded of the song “In The Secret” the other night while talking with my small group guys. Examine the words, because a part of the answer to this question is in their meaning.

In the secret,
In the quiet place
in the stillness you are there
In the secret in the quite hour I wait, only for you
Cause I want to know you more

In the secret
In the quite place
In the stillness you are there
In the secret in the quiet hour I wait
Because I want to know you more

Chorus
I want to know you
I want to hear your voice
I want to know you more
I want to touch you
I want to see your face
I want to know you more

I am reaching for the highest goals
That I might receive the prize
Pressing onward
Pushing every hindrance aside
Out of my way
Cause I want to know you moreChorus x2in the secret in the quite place
in the stillness you are there

Chorus x2

A true Christian is viewed as a weirdo for a good reason. Through the life of a true Christian we see glimpses of God. When they consider others better then themselves, show kindness to a neighbor, when we push aside this I’m better then everyone else attitude and let love come out, there is God. At weddings they quote 1 Corinthians 13 a lot, but there is more to it then love applying to marriage. Jesus was asked what is the greatest commandment, Matthew 22:36-40 "Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the Law of Moses?" Jesus replied, "'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments."” (NLT)

To answer the question, “Can God be seen?” yes, but not necessarily in the way we feel we should see Him. Jesus says this, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29 (ESV) Are we looking to God to incase all that He is into a single thing that we could see? That is ridiculous, God cannot pull all that He is into one visual thing for our eyes to see. There is so much that God is that we cannot see with our eyes. So we must then say that yes we can see parts or glimpses of God, but we cannot see all that He is.

1 John 4:12 “No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.” A skeptic’s bible that I was looking at about this verse called it an absurdity.3 There is the question that if no one has seen God then who did Moses, Noah, Enoch, and others in the Old Testament see? The answer is within the passage, and some is further explained by other resources. Within the passage we see that people may see the love of God in us, now this love does not make us God, but a reflection of the love God has for us. An example of the Spirit that is within us. Here is what John MacArthur says about this verse, “Nobody can see God loving since His is invisible. Jesus no longer is in the world to manifest the love of God. The only demonstration of God’s love in this age is the church. That testimony is critical (John 13:35; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20). John’s argument in verse 7-12 can be summed up as: love originated in God, was manifested in His Son, and demonstrated in His people.”4

No one can fully see God, to do so would be to see the invisible encompassed in love, with a little wrath for those who oppose Him. God is a holy loving God, and who could see all that He is? I only hope that people see God in me and in my church, for that is where they can catch a glimpse of Him, unless they have an encounter like my pastor’s.

1. E-mail sent to me December 7, 2006
2. Andy Park Copyright 1995 Mercy Vineyard Publishing
3. http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/
4. The John MacArthur Study Bible

Bought With Blood

I don’t know why but I find myself going to the movies twice a month. I was somewhat interested in the movie Blood Diamond, but I am not a Leonardo Dicaprio fan, so I considered not seeing the movie. Last night I just wanted to go see a movie, so I went. Several people were offended by the senseless killing that is predominant in the first half of the movie. One of my friends left halfway through, because he was offended by the bloodshed. Eight to ten other left before my friend, but I found myself compelled to stay. A guy that I am starting to get to know from church was with me, and I did not want to leave him.

The people that left early missed the best parts that I have never seen captured the same way as this movie did. At the beginning of the movie Solomon, a father of two daughters and a son, is separated from his wife and children when the rebellious R.U.F. attack their town. Solomon is forced to work in the R.U.F. diamond mines. He stumbles on the biggest diamond that most people will ever see, an estimated 100 krt. Solomon chooses to risk his life and hide the diamond. So he fakes the need to go to the restroom and attempts to bury the diamond while he is away from the mine. The leader of the R.U.F. forces sneaks up on Solomon and demands that he give the diamond to him. Just when Solomon is about to die for trying to steal a diamond the mine is attacked by the government. Solomon finds a spot alone and buries the diamond just before he is captured.

Leonardo’s character, Danny Archer, meets Solomon in prison and hears that Solomon supposedly knows where a big diamond is buried. Danny Archer manages a deal to get him and later Solomon out of jail. Solomon agrees to give the diamond to Danny as long as he leads him back to his family. Danny agrees and along their journey they come upon a school, and most of the children there have been injured as a result of the civil war. Danny has a conversation with the school teacher about the hostility that is happening. Danny makes a statement suggesting that man is inherently bad, and will choose the path of destruction instinctively. The teacher sways Danny’s opinion to that of, we are all people, we choose to do good or evil. Those that choose to do good will inherit heaven when they die, and the opposite to those who do evil.

Meanwhile Solomon’s son, Dia, is captured by the R.U.F. and converted to a soldier. After traveling through one mess after another Solomon finds is son in a village captured by the R.U.F.. Solomon seeks in and tries to get his son to leave with him, but his son’s mind has been changes. Dia refuses to go with his father shouting at him to take his hands off. Dia’s comrades quickly come to his aid pointing guns at Solomon. The leader of the R.U.F. recognizes Solomon and spares his life only to show them to the diamond.

The camp is attacked by a Colonel and his army, which Danny calls in and promises to split the money from the sell of the diamond to him. While attempting to unbury the diamond Danny and Solomon realize that these men are not being honest, and by surprise kill them. Leaving only Solomon, Dia, and Danny at the spot where the diamond was buried. Solomon finds the diamond only to look up and see his son, Dia, pointing a gun at him and Danny. Once Danny notices what his son is doing he begins to weep, and cry out to his son to put the gun down. Solomon with tears in his eyes says, “I know they made you do horrible things, but that does not matter. You are my son and I love you, no matter what you have done. Now please put down the gun.” I’ll get back to this but what about what that teacher said.

“We are all people; we choose to do good or evil. Those that choose to do good will inherit heaven when they die, and the opposite to those who do evil.” His is not the only person I have heard say this. Many people that I meet say this and they like to believe that it is true, but the statement lie on the fact that there is a law advocate that made a heaven and hell, and allows us to make up the rules as far as what is good and what is bad. Well my God is not only a law advocate, but the law giver, and only He decides what is good and bad. He does tell us how to inherit heaven, and we cannot inherit heaven by good works. Romans 5:12-21; 6:18 Says that all men are sinful, unless they turn to Christ for forgiveness and the Holy Spirit enters them. Later Paul writes that the only way to heaven is through faith in Christ, and nothing else that we may do no matter how “good” we think we are, Romans 7:1-6.

We like to think there are many ways to God, but is that really true. Every time I hear someone talk as if God is Pluralistic, that God is skitzo and cannot make up His mind how to get His people to heaven. The Pluralistic view of God makes Him look like he wants there to be many ways to heaven because a focused narrow path would make Him unloving and unable to comprehend on such a narrow path. So God must meet us where we are, because He messed up when He created us?

Well God does meet us where we are. Romans 5:6 “When we were utterly helpless, Christ died for us sinners.” (NLT) Good meets us as sinners, another translation says, “…Christ dies for the ungodly.” (ESV) Christ was not a part of our predicament, sinners. We all will admit it, when we are honest, that we all do bad things, we all sin. How could the Buddha provide a way when he himself was no different then we are. What about Muhammad the supposed messenger that is considered by some better then Jesus? Muhammad sinned, and asked his wife who she thought these visions came from, God or Satan. At the center of all these religions we find a person who is no different from you and me, but they have the right path to heaven? Christ was the only sinless savior you will find. Christ was the only savior to fulfill numerous prophecies in His lifetime, not to mention that some of these prophecies were made some thousand years before He came. So you mean to tell me that all religions are “basically” the same? It seems to me that Christianity is different then the rest.

Think about this Solomon is watching his son point a gun at him and the man that lead him back to his son and family. The whole movie Solomon only wants his family back. Earlier Solomon found his wife and two daughters in a refugee camp, without his son, Dia. Solomon clings to the fence between him and the women he loves and shouts, “Where is my son!! Where is my boy!!?” Solomon goes out to find his son, and when he does his son is pointing a gun at him.

We are not so different from Solomon’s son. We too have found ourselves cut off from our family, our Father. We find ourselves trapped in evil and sinful desires. We find ourselves pointing the gun at God and screaming, “I don’t love you! I want you dead! You speak lies!” I myself found the words, “If this is all you are, I want nothing of You!” screaming from my prayers and thoughts towards God. Christ, similar to Danny Archer, lead the father to us, and throughout all our screaming and hostility towards God we find Him weeping, waiting for us to put down the gun, the haters, and let him in.

Dia wrestles with either listen to his father or believe what the R.U.F. told him. Solomon keeps on saying, “You are my son, and I don’t care about what you did. Please put done the gun.” Dia slowly lowers the gun, and as soon as he does Solomon embraces him and we see both father and son weeping on each others shoulders. We must make a choice, believe the crap that tainted minds tell us or listen to our heavenly Father and put down the gun.

Used Potential

Most people are familiar with the former NBA player Michael Jordan. What an amazing talent he had. Michael not only had the skill to play the game well, but entertain the crowd too. Jordan was even on a cartoon show with Bo Jackson and Wayne Gretzky; I used to watch it on Saturday mornings.

People had mixed emotions when Jordan tried to do baseball and basketball. Jordan’s major talent was basketball and baseball was not. People only watched the games he played in because they were already White Sox fans or because of Jordan’s popularity as a basketball player. Many enjoyed seeing Jordan play basketball at his full ability.

Would we enjoy seeing a person wasting their abilities, skills, and not living up to their potential? What if Jordan never went back to basketball back then and only played baseball? What if George Washington did not want to lead? What if Joe Montana liked basketball more then football? What if a mother does not care for her child?

On 7-14-2006 I talked about gifts my Grandma had made for me, and left the statement that the only thing I would value more then the quilt and needle point is a quilt or something like it from my mom. My mom is a very talented seamstress, she made shorts for me when I was little, ran a craft business, hemmed dresses, made bridesmaid dresses, sewed flags for drill teams, taught my third grade class how to hand sew a basic quilt, made Cabbage Patch Dolls for many kids including my brothers and myself, a king size quilt for her and my dads bed, and much more.

All that talent and skill that she has makes for an amazing potential to make something that would be a work of art. How would I feel if my mom did not use those abilities and skill, and when making a quilt for her son that lives eight hours away, only put together a quick and easy quilt, for a person of her talent? What if she only used a few basic fabrics that required minimal effort to cut and place together? Any quilt would be appreciated, but one would be a quilt my mom made and the other would be a work of art to be enjoyed and shared with others.

Not only did my mom make a quilt using her abilities, but did some quilt work she had never tried before, had my dad help her with part of it, and another lady she knows to put the final touches on it. She put so many different fabrics in the quilt I cannot count them all, and they all go together very well. At least five different patch designs including; the bear paw and log cabin, and she did a new kind of quilting so she could use fabric to create a patch that was to scale, thanks to dad, of the house I lived in from 1988-2003, and my parents still live there today.

This is such an example of how she has lived her life, so far. Sure we have our days that frustrate us, but everyday she loves people. She spent most of my childhood working on something that affected either my brothers’ lives or mine, in a good manor. She does the same for people that let her, but some people are so self centered they do not want to let anyone help them. But what if my mom did not care for others and only for herself? I don’t want to even think of how that would affect my life and especially childhood.

Are you that kind of person that would let someone like my mom helps you out? Are you the kind of person that would verbally attack a person, like my mom, who just wants to help out? Are we humble enough to realize that there is no way we can do everything on our own?

Would this Proverb be true for your perspective of God, “When they cry for help, I will not answer? Though they anxiously search for me, they will not find me. For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the Lord. They rejected my advice and paid no attention when I corrected them.”(Proverbs 1:28-30)? Would this Proverb be more true, “Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures.”(Proverbs 2”3-4)? Also Proverbs 3, 4, 5, 6… the wise listen to correction, rely on others when they need help, the wise are humble.

Like mom’s quilt she made me, God made something to show His love for us. God created the stars, sun, sky, water, land, light, darkness, seasons, rain, animals, and much more with such creativity and beauty. Also God created us, His last touch in His creation; He was not finished creating until man and woman were created. Just as my mom loves me, I would never notice it until I take the time to get my focus off myself and focus on how she shows that to me.

God showed His love for us from the beginning. God was with Adam & Eve in the garden, told Noah how to build an ark, told Moses how to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt, separated the waters for the Israelites to cross a river/sea not once but twice, fought with the Israelites in their battles, provided a avenue for Ester to be in a position to save the Jews, most importantly the cross. God did not have to send Christ to the cross but He did as an example of His love. Just like the quilt, creation is just another “neat” thing if you don’t take the time to appreciate and see what God did.

Christmas At What Cost?

Honestly Christmas is a struggle for me. There is then struggle of picking out presents for so many people, and trying to pick one you think they will like and use. There is the traveling; sometimes I do not look forward to the 20+ hours of driving that I do, by myself, over the Christmas time. When I do get to my destination there is usually tons of people that want me to come visit them, and I get frustrated when I don't make it to all of them. Then there are the questions, the update questions, and I don't mind these questions, except the single? question. It's like some people think you cannot be happy being single. Some people don't realize that when it comes to that part of my life I am slow, and the constant questions and pushing of the topic, I perceive as "we know what is best for you."

The thing that bothers me the most about this season is the perfunctory ness of the season. How many things do we do around Christmas out of habit? How many of these "things" bring us joy and not arguments during this season? I guess I had my thoughts together better earlier this month when I wrote the following in my personal journal.

12-17-2006

Sometimes I still get confused about Christmas. I guess the hustle and bustle is what gets to me. I go to the malls several times each Christmas season to try and understand it. Each time I go to the mall I see another thing that puzzles me.

Santa always seems to be a big attraction at the malls; after all he brings the presents. Reindeer, presents, animals of the forest, and in the middle a man in a white beard and a red suit. Okay he's got the cute animals and all the appeal that one might need to attract children to him. Sometimes I even see him handing out candy to the children, but no matter how many times I go by Santa's spot in the mall I never see a kid, other then the youth, that are ecstatic about seeing him. Often I notice children that want their mom and dad, not the man in the red suit. So what's the point of Santa? According to the times I have watched the kids' interactions with him; it's not for the kids.

Have you ever watched a married couple shop for their kids, its crazy? The dad will find a toy that he feels is the perfect gift only to have his wife kill his joy, by saying, "No, what were you thinking?" or something of that nature. Or there's the mom waiting in line to check-out and the line is not moving fast enough for her.

Then there is the big one for me. All the time I have been told that Christmas is not about the presents. I agree on that, but after one Christmas I am convinced otherwise. One year I had been trying to get enough money to buy Christmas presents. I picked up shifts at work, and worked a lot of overtime. Still I did not have enough money to buy presents. I was asked by someone, "What'd you get me?" I responded shamefully, "Nothing." Immediately they interjected, "Well I got you something!" That night the joy I once had for Christmas died, and I went to a superstore, used my cash reserve, and bought Christmas presents.

So around Christmas I get confused, and usually withdrawn. (I apologize if you were hurt by these actions during this time) I wonder at what cost Christmas dies. I would dismiss the tree, Santa, gifts, and decorations if I would not be considered a Scrooge for doing so, which I did this year and it was great not worrying about getting decorations up, I had more time to focus on my personal studies. Christmas is not about this stuff, the decorations and all, but we have to not let it push its way in to pervert the reason for the season.

Time and time again I try to get people to talk to me about what God is doing in there lives, I realize that at times this is personal, but there are some people I know that Christmas is the only time the crack open their bible, and this is only to read the Christmas story. I still do not grasp love God displayed on Christmas for His people. What amazing love to send a Son to be born in a stable that would later die for the sins of those who would accept this gift? The Son dies so that I might enjoy a relationship with His Father.

I guess some people that call themselves Christians will never indulge themselves in the joy of a relationship with God. Realize that Christmas is not once a year, but everyday we find joy in the gift given at the first Christmas, and I don't mean what the Shepards' might have brought or the Wise men brought, but what God gave, His Son.

Legal, Who Cares?

There was always a competition between my brothers and me while we were kids and maybe still today. I felt like the dummy of the group, because my grades were always lower in school. My little brother was always on the honor role and getting the bumper sticker for mom to put on her car, when with my best efforts I never came close. At times I still feel like the wimp of the three, after all their married and I'm not. My brothers live within fifteen minutes of my parents, and I live eight hours away. So at times I wonder why my parents love us all the same.

My parents acknowledged good behaviors, so I found myself comparing my good behaviors to theirs, in a never ending battle to receive more good acknowledgements then my brothers. So in one hand I had my bad behaviors, and the other the good, then another set of hands weighing my brothers' good and bad behaviors. Each day I spent weighing the good and bad, always hoping that mine were heavier on the good side then they were.

In our stages of life my brothers each made different decisions. I would compare myself to them on this level too. Surely mom and dad loved me more because…but maybe their love is not based on my performance but instead an unconditional love, a love that Paul tells us about in 1 Corinthians 13. Later I came to realize this was the way my parents loved us, and not by this comparison system based on performance.

God is the same way, loving unconditionally. Many Christians would say this but how many live it? In life is our relationship with God based on how our life is going? A series of ups and downs, good days and bad days, it is all a matter of how we are "feeling" that day. Then we get this assumption that God is the same way, changing His view of us and/or His love for us.

We set up this system of comparing our good deeds to our bad deeds. This process is commonly called Legalism. We weight in our deeds, and feel that we have God's approval, and love, so long as our good deeds out weigh our bad ones. The only problem with this kind of thinking is that it is totally unbiblical.

If this legalism system were the way God is then we would see it expressed, throughout the bible, or at some point. Throughout the bible we see God acting totally different from this system.
Ultimately if we accept this system, we deny why Christ died on the cross. Christ died to wash away our sin, so that we may have a relationship with God. If God was concerned with our goods deed outweighing the bad, why ever send Christ to wash the bad away? If God only cared for those whose good deeds outweighed the bad, then why did Christ walk and heal the sinful?

Mom and dad do not weight my good behaviors and bad behaviors; instead they focus on one thing loving. It does not matter how many times I have disobeyed them, they still love us. God does not care about the "good" we do, but instead what is in our hearts. After all that's why Christ came, to show that God does not operate by this Legalism system.

Who's King

“Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.” 1 Samuel 8:5b Why does Israel want to be like all the other nations? The other nations loose to the Israelites in battle, so long as they follow God’s commands. Why by like the guys that loose in battle? Why request that a king, a man, judge them? Isn’t God supposed to be our judge? God is constant and will judge by the same rules every time. A man changes his focus, had mood swings, and spurts of anger. Why have a man judge you? Do we still live like that today? I would say we do.

The Popes and priests of the Catholic religion, as I see it, function as the kings of the Old Testament. At confession the priest tells the confessor what they must do to make things right with God. You must do… who are they to judge what the person must do to be right with God.

Even a pastor, at times, can act as kings. Have you ever had a pastor tell you your going to hell? Who are they to judge? Some people only communicate with God through their pastor, that’s not what he is there for.

Why do I say all this, because God wants to be our King. God is to be the judge, not a man. Pastors bring us together, and encourage us to keep progressing in our relationship with God. But we so often choose the easier, defiantly not the best, way of letting God into our lives.

If you only let a pastor or priest teach you everything you need or should know about God, at the most that is an hour a week. That’s 52 hours a year. The rest of the week we hear what everyone else says about God. We spend approximately two hours a day, fourteen hours a wee, 730 hours a year. That is a conservative estimate, not accounting for the hours of TV we watch with their views. So which view is influencing us more?

I spend at least 730 hours a year hearing others views about God. A thousand might be a more realistic estimate. How easy it might be to let others sway my view? But I spend a minimum of two hours a day focused on God. Also I talk to fellow Christians about what they are learning and going through a minimum of one hour a day. I spend ten hours on Sunday in the presence of some amazing fellow Christians. That’s a minimum of 730 hours of personal time a year. 365 talking with Christians, and 520 on Sundays communing with them. That’s a total of 1615 hours a year focusing on God. This is one way how I stay constant in my view of God. 1615 outweighs the time I spend around people that would try to down play my view of God. But this time means nothing if God is not my King.

Israel went through many kings, some followed God, and some did not. No king followed God like David did. Many times David is called, “A man after God’s own heart.” David’s will was that of the father. There was a relationship there between God and David. Solomon let his desire for women get in-between him and God. There were many kings like Omri, who made idols to worship gods.

Why do so many people want a physical representation of what God looks like? Why do so many images of God or gods look like us? Zeus looks like he could be my Grandpa. Why did they desire a golden cow, or a statue of a fat man, an elephant with human hands and other stuff, or a god for everything like the Egyptians had? Why do we elevate a pastor to the level of a king?

So many of us want God to be like us, so we feel like we could be His equal. We see ourselves as the masters of everything we see. We study, study, and study more so that nothing would be impossible for us to do. Cancer is a big problem now-a-days, and we want to cure every kind of cancer. Space we see no boundaries. We are currently trying to get ready to send a group to Mars, because space has no boundaries except our own thinking. In our view there is nothing we cannot do; we just have to figure out how to do it. And we get this thought that God is just farther down the line of intellectual development then us, but this is not true.

God is not just more intellectual then us, He is more then we could ever be. We are not His equals we are His creation, and yet He desires to be our king. God gets jealous every time we let things come in-between us and Him. In Deuteronomy it says that God is jealous about His relationship with us.

Through out 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, and 2 Chronicles we see this common phrase when a king chooses to not follow God, “…did what was evil in the Lord’s sight.” Those same kings “provoked” God’s anger. Why did God get angry when these things happened, because they let something come in-between them and Him.

Pastors and Priest, sometimes, are held to the level of the O.T. Kings. Just like the O.T. kings these pastors and priest will mess up. I am studying to be a minister, and even though I don’t want to admit it, I will mess up at some point. The Catholic Church has had to face the problem of priest doing things they shouldn’t. Pastor’s let things come in and damage their personal relationships with God, and the church acts as if they are surprised that the pastor or priest cannot live a sinless life.

What one person will not mess up, God. That is why He wants to be our king. Another man should not be the one telling you what God has to say to you all the time. We get this perception that God is so big and amazing that our mind could never fathom Him or commune with Him, but we let another person do it of the perception that they will tell us all we need to know.
You can talk with God. You can understand some things about God. You can rely on Him to guide you through life. He is not so big and distant that only our priests and pastors can communicate with Him. Ultimately there can only be one king, one that permeates through your life, to provide you with guidance. The choice is friends, parents, siblings, a grandparent, a pastor, a priest, the pope, or a perfect all knowing and all loving God, the choice is yours.

The Best Times

In life there are things that happen that we are not fond of. I hated the first years of college, not having a single friend and the feeling of life being out of control. I was upset when my aunt was having difficulties getting pregnant, and when she did miscarrying. I hated it most of all when my best friend was going through some tuff times and there was nothing I could do but pray.

Many times I am asked how I can believe in a God that allows bad things to happen. Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? How can God, if He exists allow bad things to happen? While they seem to be great questions at first, they rely of God’s existence to define themselves.

Good and bad, why do we call them good and bad? Good relies on our perception of what is good. Likewise bad relies on the person’s definition of bad. If there is no God then who is the moral law giver? Moral law is the set of morals we live by, like do not kill, don’t steal, and the laws that govern our countries. If there is no God then who is the moral law giver, man? If the moral law giver is man, then how do we determine what is bad and what is good? Take a vote and see? If there is no moral law giver then there is no way of defining good and bad. To admit there is no God is to say there is no moral law giver, and therefore no good or bad.

At the heart of the question is the distaste for bad. No one smiles when they walk out from work and sees a flat tire. We don’t rejoice when the person behind us rear ends us at a red light. Then again is bad really that bad.

To that I turn to Malcolm Muggeridge; “Contrary to what might be expected, I look back on experiences that at the time seemed especially desolating and painful, with particular satisfaction. Indeed, I can say with complete truthfulness that everything I have learned in my seventy-five years in this world, everything that has truly enhanced and enlightened my existence, has been through affliction and not through happiness, whether pursued or attained. In other words, if it ever were to be possible to eliminate affliction from our earthly existence by means of some drug or other medical mumbo jumbo…the result would not be to make delectable, but to make it too banal or trivial to be endurable. This of course is what the cross signifies, and it is the cross more than anything else, that has called me inexorably to Christ.”

Much like Malcolm, the times I really disliked at first really enhanced my life. The hardship my friend went through enhanced our friendship. Closeness between friends is established the strongest when the friends go through some rough times. Seeing my aunt go through those rough times when she and my uncle were trying so hard to have a kid, made me appreciate life more, and cherish the people around a lot more. The lonely times at the beginning of college made me appreciate not only friends, my parents and brothers, my family, but also God more. I may not enjoy the “bad” times when I am going through them, but these times enhance and make me enjoy life more.

A New Pair Of Shoes

      It was a crazy day when mom took my bothers and I to get new shoes. Mom wanted us to get a pair that would hold up, which usually was the dorkiest pair in the store. Mom would not have cared if we got three of the same shoe, but brothers cannot have the same shoes as each other, that’s just not cool. So we would argue over who would get what pair of shoes. Mom always had to push on the toe, squeeze the sides, and bend the shoe to examine the style to see if it would hold up. It was almost a science for mom; she had her list of things she did not want to see on the shoe. If the toe was not right, we were forbidden to get the shoe. If the sides were not made just right, we could not get the shoe. If the price was over $25, we could not get the shoe.

      It was so much easier once I started buying my own shoes. I could buy whatever shoe my money could afford. My first pair of shoes that I got on my own was pair of Doc Martin’s. I always wanted a pair and now I could get them, so I did. Many of my friends talked about how comfortable they are and how long they last, so I had to get a pair.

      When I got my pair of Doc Martin’s the shoe was not as comfortable as my friends made it out to be. The bottom was flat and had a leather like surface to it, so my foot slid while I was wearing the shoe. It was hard to walk in too. The leather did not like to move, and often felt stiff to bend.

      After a month of wearing the Doc’s they became so comfortable. They were more comfortable then my friends made them out to be. The bottom had molded to my foot, the sides bent with ease, my foot still moved in the shoe, but now it felt comfortable instead of weird.

      Getting new shoes, when I need them, is still kind of crazy, but I sometimes don’t want to do it. A friend of mine at church was taping down some cords this Sunday, and had on a pair of shoes similar to a pair I once had. I asked him if they were comfortable, he said he loved them and they were the most comfortable pair he owned. The shoes looked funny though, with a crack across the bottom and a partial hole in the other. He kept them because they were comfortable, not because they were in perfect condition.

      I do not like buying new shoes because they cost money. To me it is a dumb way to spend money. My shoe collection is bigger then when I was a kid, but is no where near what we see on the show Cribs. Every shoe I have has a purpose, whether it is work, playing a sport, chillin’, or working out, they each have a purpose and are used regularly. Why put money into a shoe I will wear less then the months in a year?

      Everyday I see people talk as if God were a pair of shoes. There when I need Him, “when I want God I’ll let Him know.” At times He is uncomfortable, “I can’t talk about God with them, they’ll make fun of me.” Worn out, “Yeah I did the church/God thing when I was a kid.” Mom’s choice not theirs, “Mom made me go as a kid, now that I don’t live with her, I don’t go.”

      God does seem worn out from time to time. We doubt our faith and ask is our faith in vain? Is there a reason for believing in God? We all face these questions, and let me say first of all there is no shame is asking these questions. I too, asked many of these questions. God seemed worn out to me when I first started college. I felt like God left me hang out to dry when my friends left and I was left there alone with no one. God felt worn out to me when I was in high school, conversations lacked any references to God.

      Many times in my past God has felt uncomfortable. School and work are hard places to bring up God. I often wondered if my classmates and co-workers would make fun of me, if I was to bring up God. At night after school or work I would go home with this shameful feeling inside, I could never figure out why that was. Each time the shameful feeling came up, I just blamed it on stress and the fact that I was single and desiring a relationship, all of these were excuses.

      Mom, dad, and hanging out with friends were the reasons why I went to church as a kid. God was a distant thing, I knew about Him, but did not care to know more. Every Sunday growing up I was at church. Most Sunday’s mom got us to church, dad sometimes had to work. Each Sunday, mom would wake my brothers and me up, and throughout the morning made sure we were getting ready for church. If one of us started goofing off, mom was quick to set us straight. But one day these reasons for church went away. After high school my friends left and I was left alone. Mom was annoying, and dad seemed too busy for me. All the reasons for going to church were gone.

      In high school and the beginning of college I tossed God around. I had the, “He there when I need Him,” thinking. God was the guy I went to church for, and the week time was for me. I rarely picked up my bible. I only prayed a meals and before tests. I only talked about God when it seemed like the cool thing to do.

      God was a pair of shoes to me for the longest time; worn out, my parents choice, uncomfortable, and only has a certain purpose. I was so wrong.

      Pride, oh yeah I did not want to admit I was the one with the problem the whole time. This is true for all of us. We have this box we want God to fit in, and if He does not fit, then oh well, let’s move on. In a friendship, do we toss our friends, our true friends, to the curb when they do not act the way we want them too? If you do, I bet you go through a lot of friends. Is God less then a friend? Is God that bad that we would not want Him as a friend? Why do we put these levels of intolerance toward God in our relationships with Him or lack of relationship with Him? Have we reduced Him to the value of a shoe?

You Forgot My Birthday

      This past Wednesday was my birthday, twenty-seven, that’s not old is it. Anyway the day started with an early wake-up call from my mom. She wanted to tell me happy birthday and assumed I would be up and on my way to school, however my school starts later this year, so I was asleep when she called. Of course once people at the school I work at found out it was my birthday, everyone started teasing me and wishing me a happy birthday. My best friend called me to say happy birthday, on his way to class. Another friend of mine left me an e-mail saying happy birthday. Finally I could get some things setup in my classroom, and as soon as I got really moving on getting things done mom called again, this time I picked up. We talked for thirty minutes and then I went to get some lunch. I ended up eating with a youth minister friend of mine, a good time as always. Then went back to school to get some more done. That night I had small group training, and found out it was another guy’s birthday as well. Afterward some of us went to IHOP for a late dinner/dessert. My older brother called me while I was there and later on my way home I called him back. The whole day went by and some people that usually call me did not. I did not get a happy birthday call, e-mail, or even a card from my dad, little brother, the nieces, or either sister-in-law.

      My immediate family members don’t send presents or even a card anymore. Grandma and Grandpa always send a card, so I know that will come on or around my birthday. My best friend knows what I like best and gave me a book he was reading and thought I might like. Another friend of mine gave me some books weeks before my birthday for my birthday, he could not wait to give them to me. There were some others who sent me cards, but not a single one from my immediate family.

      It is so easy to say that this lack of sending things to me or even calling me on my birthday is a reflection of how much they care about me. After all I never forget to call them on their birthdays. I live eight hours away from my family and miss them a lot, and usually do not get the chance to talk to them, so the birthday call is a long awaited call. My mom asked me this morning if I was upset about them not calling me. No I’m not upset just surprised. They have never forgotten to call me, so something must have come up for them to have forgotten.

      Can love or the amount a person cares be measured by meeting our expectations? I expect to get a call from at least my immediate family on my birthday, but do I let that hinder our relationship when they forget? Our best friends are expected to be there anytime we need them, are they really? Do we let that hinder our relationship?

      I know that my best friend is my best friend and I am his, but often when we talk our minds are elsewhere. He lives two hours away from me now and when I visit there are usually a lot of things going on. One time I went to visit him and spent two nights reading in his room, while he was at work.

      When we were old enough to drive mom and dad got my brothers and I a car. Not a brand new car but a used car. My older brother’s first car was a 1986 Chevy Citation, now there’s a cool car, yeah right. His second car was a 1987 Dodge Dakota, that’s a two door pick-up. My first car was a 1986 Ford Taurus, with only a radio no tape player. The second car was the hand-me-down of my mom, a 1989 Chevy Astro, the biggest mini-van on the market. My little brother got a 1994 Chevy Corsica, with only 12,000 mile on it. Even though my little brother got a way better car, my love for my parents did not change.

      God is ….. What is God to you? Is He a dad who gives you everything you want? Is your relationship with Him off and on again? Do we let that fact that God will not always do things that way we want, wedge between our love for Him. I will admit it I did that in college. I was angry and yelled at Him because I was frustrated that things were not going my way. But who am I to tell Him how to run things.

      Am I about to let the lack of a simple phone call or card wedge between my relationship with my brother, sister-in-laws, nieces, or even my father, NO. My love for them is not measured in things they do, but who they are. My father is my father, and I will not have another father like him. He is the guy that took me out fishing, tossed a ball with, wrestled on the carpet, beat the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game with, built model rockets with, and supports me, in his own way through life. My sister-in-laws are hilarious, they are the women of my life, a girl I can talk to about things, and treat like a sister. My nieces are the coolest and cutest little girls. To my nieces I am a Jungle Gym, a person to play house with, the guy that takes them to get donuts, and to one I am the Monkey Moose, that’s a nickname she gave me. Am I about to let anything come between our relationship, NO. I love them and they love me no matter what.

      Am I about to let the fact that God does not perform the way I want come between our relationship, NO. He is my comforter, strength, ear when I need to talk, He is everything I need, and everything He does is icing on the cake. He did not have to send His son to die for my sins, He could have chosen to forget about us and leave us to Satan to have, but He didn’t. He could have chosen to sit back after creation was completed, but He doesn’t. He could have wiped the world out, but let Noah build an ark to save it. There are many things God did not have to do but He did, and I am not about to let anything wedge between our relationship.

      A child who gets everything they want is called a……what? spoiled brat, right. If we do not except this behavior from children towards their parents, why do we accept this behavior toward God? It seems like a double standard to me. This concept amazes me that people can treat God like a rich dad who gives them everything they want, without reservation of what you really need.

      My dad did not forget my birthday I talked to him today and he said he left a voice mail on my phone. Maybe my phone was acting weird that dad, or maybe dad was lying, but which would you choose. I choose to trust my father over my phone; I know my phone has a history of messing up from time to time.

      My little brother did not forget either, he just sent his e-mail to an account I have not checked in years. So I have the choice either believe his story about not knowing the e-mail I have used for a year now, or he forgot and came up with a good excuse. I choose to believe he is telling the truth and had the wrong e-mail.

      With God the same thing is true we have a choice between what is true and what someone would have us believe as true. Some of us buy the lie, and some buy the truth. Some might say, your dad is lying to you and so is your brother, but I choose to believe their story. People will tell me God does not exist, I choose not to believe them based on what I know and have experienced with Him. Choose this day whom you will serve…

They Speak With Passion

      Everyone has something that they are passionate about. Most parents are passionate about their children. I try to call the grandparents every other month, and every time I call they always wonder how I am doing, and then they tell me about my Aunts, uncles, cousins, and every other relative, because they are passionate about Family.

      My mom has always been a crafter, at least since I was born. My mom has two areas to store her stuff. She has boxes and boxes of fabric, and when she was weaving baskets, she had a whole wall in the garage of reed. Now mom has expanded her craftiness to include scrap booking. My sister-in-law Jill I think was the one to get her started. Soon after the initial experience of scrap booking, mom started buying all kinds of cutting tools, punches, paper, and other stuff. Soon mom was calling my other sister-in-law April, her sisters, her mom, and even the nieces and granddaughters, to scrapbook with her.

      When it comes to crafting my mom wants everything to look perfect. When she made and altered the dresses for my older brothers wedding, she was very observant of every detail, and was not happy until everything looked great. She use to make drill team flags, and often the fabric would slip as she was sewing and cause the flag to not look right. She would rip the seems out and sew the flag again until they came out perfect.

      If anyone was to ask my mom a question about any crafting suggestions she might have, be ready for an ear full. She enjoys crafting and making photo albums, and things like that. One time I was talking to her and asked how the scrap booking was going, about thirty minutes later I knew about all the cool scrap booking things she was using. She was really into the special cutting thing, which makes some jobs so easy, she will tease me for forgetting what it is called.

      Have you ever been in a conversation with someone where they are passionate about something that you don’t really have an interest in? My worship leader is passionate about guitars, and when he is able to play a nice one he is in another world. One night a guy that had been going to our church for about a month brought a nice guitar one Wednesday night. My worship lead was looking at every detail, and calling the other band members over to look at it. He started talking to me about the guitar, and in my mind I was trying to act interested but I really wasn’t. My mind kept wondering and honestly I cannot tell you anything about that guitar, except that it was a guitar; I forget even what color it was.

      I would bet Moses was passionate about the promise land. Moses got to talk with God, an experience that not that many people in the Old Testament got to do. In Deuteronomy Moses is reminding the Israelites about the law, and how to conduct themselves in once they cross the Jordan. The people already heard the law before in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, but Moses wanted to make sure the Israelites remembered the law. Why, because Moses was passionate about the Israelites and himself, having a relationship with God. Moses did not want anything to come between the Israelites and God, nothing that would hinder their relationship with their Creator. However some were not as passionate.

      Joshua 7, a man named Achan, tried to keep some of the dedicated things for himself. What was Achan thinking? It is obvious that he did not take Moses seriously, because Achan directly disobeyed instructions given to him. Did he think no one would notice? As a result of Achan’s disobedience, Israel looses its next battle.

      Throughout Joshua and Judges there are many many examples of people that were not passionate about their relationship with God. Judges that did whatever seemed right to them, idol worship, and many other things that Moses mentioned and emphasized to the Israelites as things that they should not do.

      Ravi Zacharias says in his book “Cries of the Heart”, when he was talking about philosophical debate, “Once again this is not to minimize philosophical debate but only to show its limitations and the ease at which the sophisticated can hide behind a mountain of words. Having dabbed in philosophy a fair bit and enjoyed it, I am never the less convinced that if one is quite adept in his or her discipline, he or she can almost ‘prove’ anything that one desires. There is no point in arguing with a person who is determined to explain everything away. Nothing good can come if the will is wrong.”

      Ravi and I are not saying that we should avoid people who are not passionate about the thing we are passionate about. Also I am not saying you should avoid talking with people, who believe differently from you, but such conversations can be traps, that are hard to get out of and you soon find yourself wondering how to get out.

      There is a system of things we as human all agree are wrong. We have laws that reflect most of these laws; don’t steal, don’t lie, do not hit others, and many more. I know someone is disagreeing with me out there, so let me ask you if I could do something, pop you on the mouth. Sounds stupid, right, but I bet you would not like it if I popped you one on the mouth. That is because no matter how much we may want to do something there are laws ingrained in us that we expect others to live by.

      If I were to ask three people what color my car was, I would probably get three different answers. One might say it is green, another dark green, and the last might say a metallic green. All of these answers would be correct when looking at my car. How ever if I were to ask who was the first president of the United States of America, the only correct answer would be George Washington.

      Human philosophy is like the question of my car color, it is a matter of perspective and usually boils down to life experience. There is also that common phrase, “That’s what I like to believe.” However philosophy is dependant on the person, and their mindset.

      If I were to pop you on the mouth you would say, that is an unacceptable behavior. If I were to ask who was the first president of the United States of America, the only correct answer is George Washington. But when I ask, which religion is the correct one, uh oh, we turn this question into a big philosophical discussion. Look at the facts, not the experience and changing art of philosophy.

      Is there any evidence outside of philosophy for any of these religions out there? Some, Buddhist have very weak evidence. The Buddhist got their beliefs from a man who died and 400 years later someone wrote down about him and his thinking. Hindus, uh if you can get a clear definition of what they believe, no, their religion is so scattered and without what could be called guidelines if would be hard to support any part of their religion without the use of philosophy. Jehovah Witness, Muslims, Mormons, Christian Scientist, and some others rely on one person who had a revelation that others did not share in the experience but bought into the idea, but once again other then the Muslims, no tangible evidence for their beliefs.

      The protestant Christian faith, yes there is a lot. Many civilizations outside of the Israelites wrote about the Exodus out of Egypt. Christ’s life on earth and His death, many people and civilizations outside of Israel wrote about. On a mountain in Turkey archeologists are trying to get permission to examine a mountain where people have supposedly found Noah’s ark. There is still more evidence outside of philosophy that supports the Christian faith.

      Passion and the things we enjoy can be funny at times. A serial killer may have a passion about killing people; does that make his desire to kill acceptable? A person who enjoys breaking the law, does not make it right to continue in his passion. A farmer who enjoys planting and harvesting, cannot just farm anywhere he likes. Passions can be both good and bad, philosophy can be correct and correct, it is a matter of experience. Is the philosophy you have adopted supportable or one man’s mind wondering?

I Can't Do All Things

You can do anything you put your mind to. Whatever you want to do, do it with all your effort and you will succeed. You can do all things. This is the thinking we feed our children, so we as adults feel like failures when we do not succeed.

When I was in middle school and beginning of high school, I participated in wrestling. I was not the best or the worst at the sport. My last two years in the sport all I wanted to do was get a metal in one of the tournaments. The closest I ever got was the semi-finals; I never got to the finals. I could not make it to the finals even for third place.

No matter now much effort I put into wrestling, I was always average. I felt like a failure every time I did not make it to the finals. No matter how hard I tried I could not make it.

Also when I was in school, D’s were not acceptable on my report card. I hated bringing the report card home. I always had lower grades then my little brother, and usually lower grades then my older brother. Every time I had a “D” it was like I had committed the biggest sin, and I was letting God down by not using the brain He gave me.

Spanish was so hard for me. I usually got a “D” in Spanish. Everyday I would go home and do all my Spanish homework, which usually took two hours. After finishing my homework I would go through my flashcards for another hour or so. No matter how hard I tried the highest grade I could get in Spanish class was a “C”.

I found out quick in life, I cannot do everything I want to do and succeed at it. I mean look at some of the people that try out for American Idol. They think they will be the next singer that we will enjoy listening to. Sure some we might enjoy listening to, if we need a laugh. Most people are reaching for a goal they will never reach.

“But the bible says in Philippians 4, that I can do all things.” Aren’t we forgetting the second part? Let me make my point another way: Adam and Eve wanted to be equals with God, Genesis 3, could they? Cain was angry with his brother and thought he could get away with murder, Genesis 4, did he? A group of people thought they could construct a great city that reaches to the sky, Genesis 11, did they? In Joshua a man named Acham tried to keep some things God forbid the Israelites to keep, Joshua 7, did succeed in his plan? All these questions answer with a big No.

The other side looks like this: Noah was told to build an enormous boat and get a bunch of animals on it, Genesis 6-9, did he succeed? Abraham is promised a son even though he is pretty old, Genesis 15 & 21, does this happen? Jacob seeks to make peace with his brother Esau, even though Jacob stole Esau’s blessing, Genesis 27 & 33, does Jacob succeed in repairing his relationship with his brother? Joseph is boastful about a dream he receives and is sold into slavery, Genesis 37 & 42-50, does his dream come true? Moses and Aaron are sent to deliver a large community of people out of slavery, Exodus 3-14, do they succeed? Moses is told to lead the Israelites to the promise land, Exodus 3 – Deuteronomy 34, does he succeed? All of those answer with a big Yes. But what makes these so different? God

When we peruse our own selfish ambitions, we sometimes will fail. When we peruse God given purpose, we succeed every time, so long as we keep our focus right.

Paul does say, “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” Where does Paul get his strength in Philippians 4:13, through Christ. So first of al to “do everything” you need strength through Christ. Paul is also at this point in prison, thanking the Philippians for their gifts to him. He is informing the Philippians that he does not have that much to his name, Philippians 4:11-12, but through Christ he receives the strength to do everything, God would have him do. In this instance one could assume that Paul is talking about struggles, and that we could over come any struggle because Christ will give us the strength. One could also say that Paul is talking about accomplishments in general. We can accomplish anything through Christ who gives us strength.