Left Behind

Almost every time I go on vacation I forget something I wanted to bring at home. Usually I forget soap, toothbrush, razor, those kinds of things, and no big deal I’ll just pick it up at the store in town. I went home to surprise my father for his 50th birthday and I forgot deodorant, and did not realize it until after my shower the next morning, my sister-in-law came to the rescue with my brothers spray stuff, it worked. All day, my pits, felt weird having this spray stuff my brother had and not my usual stuff under there. Every trip I have gone on since I have never forgot my deodorant, I learned from that experience.

Usually I learn from my mistakes, but sometimes I have to go through a struggle more then once to learn the lesson. There are some things in life you only get one shot at. The way you raise you children, you can make changes as you go, but you can never go back and erase a mistake. High school years, you can get your G.E.D., but you only get one shot to graduate with your friends. What happens after death, we all have things we “like to believe”, but how many are real?

Where do your choices stand? Are you only making the choices that piss people off, just to piss them off? Is your life all about you? What does your lifestyle say about you? What would your eulogy say? Will you be asking for a restart or rewind after you die, because you messed up?

One shot is all we have, to make the right choice. When we pass away, we’re done. That is why, what my parents taught me was not enough, cause I knew I had one shot. What other people told me was not enough, because I have one shot. Life is one thing I don’t want to leave unprepared. Life on this planet is a result of something, right? Whether it be by a supernatural or not, however you feel, life on this planet happened. Mom and dad’s teaching, some science teacher, a kid at school, a friend, was not enough to risk my one shot on.

Controlled Enviroment (Originally Written June 26, 2006)

Controlled Environment
June 26, 2006

Why place a tree in the garden when you know Adam & Eve will eventually eat it? In Genesis 1-3 we see the creation of man and the fall of man, in a spance of three chapters. Many people ask me this question, usually as an argument against creation or God’s omnipotence. However if the tree was never created then the fall may have never happened.

If the fall of man had never happened then everyone would know God and worship Him alone. If the fall never happened then this concept of free will would not exist. God would have created a controlled environment, where man had no choice but to acknowledge God’s existence and worship Him.

The last thing God created was Adam. Initially man was the only thing created without a companion. Later Adam was given a companion, made from his rib, no other part of creation can share that claim, only man’s companion was made using a part of the male. God was not finished until He had created the final touch, man.

God planted that tree in the garden because He wanted it there. God knew man was not going to obey. God wanted His creation to have the choice of following Him or not. If God wanted a controlled environment then He would have had it that way, but He wants us to choose to have a relationship with Him.

Oh My God... (Originally Written June 25, 2006)

Oh My God…
June 25, 2006

How many times a day do you hear the name of God said? During school my students would say that name a lot: “Oh my God.” “God you expect me to do all this.” “God!” “What in God’s name are you smoking?” and many other phrases are said by my students. When I hear those phrases, sometimes, I have to laugh. I probably laugh my hardest when I hear an atheist say those phrases.

Think about this—every time the name “God” is used it is an extreme emotion, thought, or something huge. God, as the bible defines Him, is beyond our ability to comprehend. God has three distinct parts: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, distinct not separate. God is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent; all knowing, all powerful, and all present. Often we try to define God through human abilities and thought, “because we were created in His image.” I find it funny that we twist the term image to mean same instead of likeness.

I could put on some football pads and a helmet and look like a football player, but that does not make me one. I could also grab a guitar and wear punk style clothes, and fix my hair up, but that does not make me a punk star. We usually call those people who dress like someone else posers. Posers are not the real deal, posers want to be like the real deal, but they lack the ability to be that. We wish we could be God, but we lack the ability to be Him.

I use to think the term, oh my God, was a bad thing. In the context people usually say “God” they are referring to something beyond comprehension, an extreme emotion, or thought.

At least people that use God’s name in a phrase have a small idea of what God means. If they have no idea of what God means then the phrase becomes meaningless. “Oh my God,” becomes “Oh my…I don’t know.” “What is God’s name are you saying?” becomes “What is, I don’t know whose name, are you saying?”

To me it’s not that people don’t have a concept of God, but yet they have not been able to define Him properly.

He’s There When I Need Him

During my freshman year of college I was trying to find some new friends. I worked at Meijer as a cashier and usually as a lead cashier. At least a month went by where I was hanging out with some of the baggers on Saturday nights. Some of the boyfriends broke up with their girlfriends near the end of that month. On night I got a call from one of the girls that had just broke up with her boyfriend. Her brother had just been in a bad accident, one of those types people are surprised you survive. She was upset but also thankful that her brother was okay. Her and her parents were going to go to church that Sunday. I asked her, what made this Sunday any different then last week? “We need to go to thank God for protecting my brother.” She said.

I’ve seen families go through hard times. Before the hard time comes the parents are absorbed in their own world. The children are doing whatever they can get away with. Sundays go by and no one goes to church. When tragedy, hard times, or divorce seems to be on the horizon most turn to God. How do we expect God to be happy with our one Sunday appearance, instead of a relationship?

In the beginning we have two ideas of how the earth began. One being evolution, even though with each passing year scientists uncover or discover new results that make evolution harder and harder to support. Then there is creation, God created everything and lastly creates man. In the garden of Eden God walks and talks with man. God becomes upset when man chooses not to follow Him.

In Exodus we see God deliver His people out of slavery. Moses goes up on top of a mountain to receive God’s plan for the tabernacle. When Moses comes down he finds the Israelites worshipping idols. God is jealous and only wants us to worship Him. If God wanted us to worship anything else He wouldn’t be God. By worshipping something else we are worshipping the created instead of the creator. Exodus 33:28 3.000 people die because they chose not to be on the Lord’s side.

Bench warmers and Sunday show-ups are not what God wants. Constantly in the bible we see God desiring to be with His people. This is a big reason why Jesus came to Earth. John Piper expounds on this in his book “Desiring God” and “The Pleasures of God.”
“You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about His relationship with you.” Exodus 34:14 NLT God is jealous about His relationship with us. In a some what familiar way there’s a man, James that is jealous about his relationship with me. James works hard to provide me with the things I need. While I was a child James held me in his hands and would hold me tightly. It was wonderful when he would be at my soccer games, band performances, or other things I did. Anytime James was at those things I tried a little harder. I paid more attention to the ball on the field and put my best effort to make sure, as the goalie, the ball did not go past. Every count I was on it, playing my best and hitting every position on the marching field. All that just so maybe I could hear James say, “I’m proud of you.” The thing I noticed was that playing my best was not what made James the proudest; it was the choices I made.

Before my senior year of high school, I began to wonder if I had ever invited Jesus to come into my heart. When I was 6 years old I repeated the prayer and was dunked under water, but now I was wondering if that decision was to please my parents or my personal choice. I made the choice to go forward again and pray the prayer from my heart this time, because I wanted to. A month later I was baptized again and that day I saw a tear in James’ eye, my father that is. Afterward my dad, James, came up and gave me the biggest hug ever. My dad is proud of me every time I choose to follow God’s will, and abandon what the world tells me.

Yes James, my dad, desires time with me, but more so he desires that I spend time with God. Since moving eight hours away from home it has made it difficult to spend time with my father, but he rejoices over my decision to obey God’s call for my life.

Just like my father, God cares about us. Just like my father thinks of me everyday, God thinks of us every minute of everyday. God is jealous because He cares, and wants a relationship, with us.

Direct Hate Towards The Deceiver

Originally Written (June 11, 2006)

Friday night after a day of relaxing, and hanging out with some people from church, I came home expecting a party, but it was actually quiet. I grabbed my sunflower seeds and water and headed to the patio to chill. While chewing on my seed and sipping on my water people started to join me on the patio. A roommate of mine showed up with two of his buddies and the neighbor girls joined me on the patio. After awhile a gay man and three girls came over. The girls with him looked like they could have been my students, middle schoolers. At first I thought it was weird to see girls so young with a bunch of college students. Soon after their arrival the man with them and one of the girls started to ask if someone could go buy the girls some beer. With this comment I now assumed the gay man was under 21. The guy started saying, “Come on, I’m sure one of them would give a blow job to anyone who buys them beer.” I remained silent during this time of searching for a buyer. After everyone had turned them down the girl turned to the only person of the patio without a beer, me, and proposes her question to me. At first I was silent, trying to think through how I wanted to word my response. The only thing I could say was, “No.” and with that I stood up and walked away.

I started to become angry and extremely upset at what just happened. Usually I try to work through these frustrations on my own, but this time I had to call my dad. Sure it was late 11:45 PM, but he was just getting off work. I asked him what kind of parents have a child and do not watch out for them.

I remembered how when I was growing up mom and dad were in the know. They were in the know of what was going on in their child’s life. My parents knew the parents of my friends, the music I listened to, and they knew where I was. So this is why I asked my dad that question. He gave a response that made some sense to me, and then directed the conversation another way.

The next morning I told my pastor about what went on the previous night. My pastor was able to put in words what had been upsetting me the whole morning. “Direct that hate or anger towards its author.”

Many times growing up I was told, “Hate the sin love the sinner.” I understood this concept but had never faced things that really urked me until this past year.

The Gossip Gospel

Originally Written (June 10, 2006)

How many times has the bible been misquoted? Al Gore did perhaps the most laughable mis-quote I have ever heard. Al Gore before he ran for presidency in 2000 tried to appeal to the Christian voters by citing John 3:16, but Al Gore said John 16:3 as a reference thinking he said John 3:16. On a more serious note, I have net people that twist the words of Jesus to say what they want.

I was talking with a man that claims to be a Christian. He says that Jesus specifically told us, we do not need to go to church. I asked him what verses supported his view point. He responded with a, “It’s easy to find them, just read the gospels.” He asked if there was support for my view point, and I gave him several examples, but they were tossed aside.

Also a month ago at school I was eating with my lunch buddies, yes I call them buddies even though they are all women. They were talking about movies and how sometimes it is hard to know what is at the theaters. I said it was easy for me because my church meets in a theater. One of my co-workers said those kinds of churches upset her. She says if a church cannot afford a building to show reverence to God then they should not be a church. The conversation went on, but I basically asked her where she heard that or where in the bible supports her view. She just kept saying, “That’s what my priest tells me.”

The Bible is a book that many would say they know about, but most of this knowledge is by way of gossip. So many times the bible is mis-quotes, with what we think it says, so not only are Christians combating the corruption within but the mis-understanding of the bible as well.

You Tricked Me

Originally Written (June 7, 2006)

As a child there are many false stories told to you. My mom told me about Cinderella, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, Frosty, Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, and many more. My mother made one thing clear every time she told us about these characters; that we knew they were fictional and not real. We watched movies of Santa Clause and his elves, but we knew who the presents came from on Christmas morning. We knew who gave us our Easter baskets.
Mom and dad also made it clear that Jesus and God were not fiction characters. Every time they read out of the bible to me, my parents talked as if they were teaching history. This distinction of fictional and non-fictional helped me to combat the Abraham Maslow thoughts on God.

“Because science is severely deficient in details of origin, Maslow held that man had invented God as a kind of false bridge from one need to the next.” (Miller 30). Maslow later recanted this view of God. Many people however think this way. People start to wonder is Jesus real, is God real.

Fighting this battle makes it hard when Christians neglect their strongest evangelical tool, love. The Catholic Church is trying to combat the damage cause by ten thousand cases of sexual misconduct by the priest against children. Protestants have had their combatants also, with evangelism schemes. Many still remember the Fay or the Tilton shows. Also many non-Christians have a hard time realizing the Jehovah Witnesses and Mormons are different from Southern Baptist, Methodist, Baptist, Assembly of God, Nazarene, and many other protestant distinctions.

God is not something man invented to be a bridge. If God was invented then, who invented Him? If the answer is man then who invented man? This train of thought collapses on itself, because evolution is looking more and more impossible with every year that passes.
Only one religion is not a list of do’s and don’ts. Only one stands on the principle of grace and mercy, just those two alone, grace and mercy, amaze me.

Faith in a Book You Have Not Read

Originally Written (June 5, 2006)

Every fall when I was in youth group my youth minister took us on a fall retreat. The fall retreat during my sophomore year really impacted me, and all they said was one phrase. We traveled to the east side on Ohio to a cabin and camping area, I forget the name now. Just like every other event while I was a youth, I managed the sound system. Some students from the local Christian college where I grew up lead the bible studies and games. The bald guy in the group was talking about faith, some of which fueled my thoughts about “Why Believe Blindly?” During his talk he picked up a bible and asked a simple question that echoed in my ears for years, “Do you believe what this book says in true?” Everyone in the room replied, “YES!” “How many of you have ever read the whole book?” This time only two people out of thirty youth raised their hand, and one of those two was myself, but I was lying. So actually only one out of thirty, if he was not lying to, had read the whole bible.

Later after the study was over everyone went back to the cabins, except me and the college leaders. They were goofing off and going over some sound things with me for the next event of the retreat, and I bulled the bald man aside. I asked him several questions about why he chose the bible study he had just presented, and many other questions relating to the topic he had just open my eyes to. I suddenly realized that many of us believe in a book we know very little about.

This fall my church, Mosaic, will be starting their small groups. For months I have been praying about if God wanted me to lead a group, and if so what would be the topic? God brought this story to my mind and after two months of prayer I know the answer to my question.

Christians cannot rely on the pastor, the priest, the pope, or any other person to tell them all they need to know about the bible and what God says to His people through His word. My grandfather says similar words to me every time I visit him.

What Version Are You Reading?

Originally Written (May 24, 2006)

This Past Friday I came home around 12:30AM and found a mild party going on at my apartment. I don’t mind the mild ones just the really loud ones, it is hard to fall asleep to those. After putting my stuff in my room I joined the group drinking on the front porch. They had their beers and I had my high quality H2O. I was interested in the conversation they were having, because they were talking about the bible and the flood a bit. I listened to their opinions, so I could understand their point of reference, and how to respond to them. One of them misquoted part of the bible, even though what he changed was minor I responded respectfully correcting what he said and asked him to continue. He responded, “What version of the bible are you reading?”

I did not respond with what I was thinking, “The Holy Bible, more specifically the NLT, ESV, NCV, NKJV, NIV, KJV, Holman Christian Standard, Complete Jewish, Message, and occasionally NASB.” I only said, “Any bible in Genesis 6 or & says that. If you like I have a bunch up stairs and can show you.”

He responded, “No that’s okay, but anyway…”

This is not the first time someone has asked me a question of this type. Sometimes I think when they say, “What version are you reading?” I should ask at some point, “What version are you reading?” Many people have their opinions of what the bible does and does not say.

Teachers in college ask for your opinion all the time, and I thought it was funny that they graded my opinion. They would say my conclusions did not match theirs so I was wrong.

Opinions without support are just that opinions, this is why I journal to get my opinions down so later when I find support I can plug it in. Anyway, how do we well people or correct people’s thinking about what the bible does say? How do we inform them that the words they think are in the bible are not actually there?

Why Believe Blindly?

Originally Written (May 23, 2006)

Where do we get this double standard of believing from? Many people that I have met, if not all, have this double standard of believing. Blind Faith or Blind Believing could be defined as trusting or believing without a reason or much support. Supported Faith and Supported Believing could be defined as trusting or believing with reason and/or support. Many people live with this double standard for what they hold to or put their faith in. Let me show you what I mean from two points of view.

Most people who grow up in the church go because it is a ritual. When they were growing up mom and dad always took them to church, and now they would feel bad if they did not go. These people believe blindly in the church, I’m not saying this is wrong, but we should not camp in this style of believing. These people turn around and ask the other religions to give reason and support for their beliefs, double standards for beliefs.

On the other hand there is the hedonist who pursues whatever makes them happy. They feel they should be allowed to do whatever they want. Usually this group bends or dismisses moral law. Some people that I have met with this style of thinking, believe whatever someone tells them that has an appeal to the, blind faith. These people turn around and demand religions to give support and reason for their beliefs.

I use to be like the first point of view, I believed because mom and dad said so. Later in Junior High and High School other beliefs started to come my way. Like I said back in “Domestication”, I received mild support for secular beliefs but no support for Christian beliefs. I did not want to hold this double standard for believing. Finally a minister helped get me on my path of getting to supported faith and supported believing.

No longer did I have this double standard of believing. Now whether you are a minister with a PHD or a person of the opposite nature, I ask for support. A Christian author says scripture is important, I say support it. John Piper very excellently supports scripture and many other points in “Desiring God.” A professor that I had in college started to ignore my hand in the air. I would ask, during and outside of class, for support to what he was saying about evolution. Sometimes he would give the same weak support our book gave, that had already been proven unreliable or incorrect.

1 Peter 3:15b-16a NCV “Always be ready to answer everyone who asks you to explain about the hope you have, but answer in a gentle way with respect.” Not only do I try to answer everyone who asks me to explain about the hope I have, but I also try to give others the tools/support for the hope they have. We should not demand support from others and not be able to give support for ourselves.

God & Women

Originally Written (May 10, 2006)

All my life until the spring of 2001 the only woman I had daily conversations with was my mom. Growing up in a house dominated by men, mom and the family dog were the only females in our house. For most my life and still I consider myself ignorant in the area of understanding women. One day I decided to call my specialist on women, two women that are honest with me and have no fear of the relationship changing. That’s because these women are married to my brothers.

So I called my experts, my sister-in-laws, and asked them some questions that I was confused about. Of course they laughed at me and acted like my questions were common sense, but to men this knowledge is not common. One question I asked they thought was so funny they repeated it for my brothers, to which they both said, “Good question.” But their wives thought we were just being funny, but we were serious.

God is even harder to understand then women. We call women complex and impossible to figure out, but who could ever understand the greatness of God. How can we hope to understand Him, if we never study or talk to Him?

There have been many philosophers and theologians that have expounded on God, but miss the mark by a mile. Why do they miss the mark? I have a hard time understanding women, because I have not spent enough time in their company to understand them. These thinkers do not understand God, because they have not spent enough time in His company to understand Him.

Several times I have asked people what they think about God. The most common response is, “He does not care about me.” They have this perspective that God is so huge and in our eyes busy to care about us. People also feel that God does not care when He does not answer their prayers.

We were created in God’s image; no other part of creation can claim this. In His image, does not mean that we are equals to Him, or that He is as limited as we are. We are limited by knowledge, time, and strength, but God is not. Long before we knew how the cell worked, He created it that way. He is not limited, we are.

Dazed And Confused

Originally Written (May 4, 2006)

How many times in life do we run into things and totally forget what we were thinking? There are several stories in the bible about becoming dazed and confused. I can only imagine what it was like to be an apostle, one of the twelve that followed the son of God around. How amazing that must have been to see the things Christ did; the miracles and other impossible things happen. Anytime they needed food, ran into trouble, or did not know what to do Jesus had it taken care of. All the sudden the apostles are being told that Jesus is going to die and one of them will betray Him. Then when what Jesus said was going to happen actually does, the apostles feel dazed and confused. Many fled the scene after Jesus was captured, but all were hiding, they did not know what was happening. If the apostles had just listened Christ told them exactly what was going on before it ever did. They were starting to loose focus of their purpose, God’s plan for their life.

Back in January, I started attending Mosaic Church. It was their official launch Sunday. I really enjoyed being there, and slowly plugged myself in. Finally I found some friends in this area, and finally I had found a church I really liked. Even though everything looked great, I was starting to loose focus of my purpose. I began thinking what it would be like to settle down here, have a wife and kids, and we would all go to Mosaic.

The other day while I was praying, God kind of shook me up and said, “Dave I have a different plan for you.” I suddenly realized I was starting to become dazed and confused, also domesticated. I am not saying that it is wrong to marry, have kids, and go to a church. What I am saying is that you are selling yourself short if you are not following God’s plan for your life. I don’t know if I will ever marry or have kids, I really do not care; if I ever marry and have kid, I only want to be where God wants me. Would living the American dream be nice? Sure, but if I have to give up God’s dream to achieve that, then no.

Over the past months I let this idea of settling down creep into my mind. I was part of a church I enjoyed. I was enjoying being surrounded by people my age and could call my friends. I was enjoying the moment.

God has a plan for me, and to settle for anything else would be selling myself short. God has plans for all His children, and to settle for anything else would be selling ourselves short. With God this purpose is not just a dream that God had for you, it is why He created you, it is your purpose.

Domestication

Originally Written (May 3, 2006)

Growing up I remember going to church every Sunday. On Sundays that dad worked and mom was sick my brothers and I would either ride with Grandma and Grandpa Graham or mom would drop us off then go home. Every year seemed the same. It seemed like every year was a copy of the previous one. The same lessons in Sunday school and some slight changes to the sermons. I hardly ever saw new people there, and everyone was always talking about how someone dressed, the latest news, and everything else. Even when I asked I never heard people talk about their quiet times, God’s awesome accomplishments in their lives, or anything of that nature. I guess I really started examining the church when I was in the youth group. On mission trips I hardly saw anyone, other then my youth minister, sharing their faith. Amongst my peers God was rarely a topic. For years I wondered why I saw all these things, and the only answer I could come up with was domestication.

When I started college a new pastor came to the church, and several staff members left and new ones came. A lot of members left too during this change. Very slowly I was watching my church change. Men started showing up not wearing a tie or jacket. Women put away the fancy hats and really nice dresses. I was glad, because I hated wearing a tie, it was uncomfortable. Where did churches get the idea that we had to wear our bests? Where did we get this thought that any man not wearing a tie was not fit to walk into a church on Sunday morning? I got an idea, Satan?

There is an old tail that goes… Satan wanted to come up with a plan for his minions to follow, so he called his three best demons in. Satan asked them if they had any ideas to combat God’s plan. The first demon jumps forward and with excitement says, “Let’s convince them that God does not exist.” Satan immediately droops him head laughing at what the demon had just said, then inbetween his chuckling Lucifer says, “You idiot, ‘tell them God does not exits,’ only the foolish would believe that lie.” The next demon pushes the first one aside and says, “I got a better idea for you. Let’s tell them God does exist, but He does not care about them.” Satan leans back in his chair and softly says, “Let’s tell them He, the creator, ‘does not care about them.’ Now why didn’t I think of that, oh I know because it is stupid, only the misinformed would believe that.” The last demon step forward timidly and softly mumbles, “There is no rush, you have plenty of time.” Satan erupts in anger, “What do you mean there is ‘no rush’, of course there is a rush. People are choosing to follow God at a faster rate then before.” The demon now more scared then before mutters, “I did not mean no rush for us, I meant for them. Tell the people there is no rush on deciding to follow God, they can do it tomorrow. And when tomorrow never comes, we got them. Not to mention they had no Godly impact on the world during their life.” Satan stands up and exclaims, “Brilliant, I knew one of you was smart.”
My church was changing from domestication to impactation (yeah I know that sounds weird). People left because they were not comfortable with the change. We have bought into the lie that we are to live quiet lives, have 2.5 kids, a pet, and stay married. As long as the kids turn out okay it’s all good. Voddie Baucham Jr. says that people think a good Christian home consists of a mom and dad who take their kids to church, and have perfunctory prayers before meals. As Voddie says, “the bar is much higher then that.” The church I grew up at is still changing towards having more of an impact on their community, but I say the bar is much higher.
I have never been at a church that went beyond what I already learned in my personal studies. Here is my question, if so many churches require a minister to have a seminary degree, then why don’t they teach beyond your basic Sunday school lesson? I am not saying the sermon or Sunday school needs to be some deep theological thing, but there should be places where those who want to go deeper, can. Many leadership teams that I have been a part of, ask their leaders to have a consistent quiet time, and how do they know if I am, honesty, because there has never been much accountability there.

For years I asked my ministers questions and for years they went unanswered. I would ask questions that I was asked everyday, but still no one would help me find the answer. Why? I don’t know any possible answer that makes sense. For ten years I asked questions and they all went unanswered, until my junior year of college, the winter of ’00-’01, a minister finally helped me find my answers. He did not answer my questions, but he did give me a list of books and things where I could find my answers. My life totally changed when I finally had answers to my questions.

1 Peter 3:15 says to be ready to give reason for the hope that is within you. Before I found my answers I only had your basic Sunday school answers. Afterward a person only has show a slight interest to get me started.

Growing up it never made sense why the church was the way it was. When churches start to grasp the real purpose, the Acts purpose, for the church then we will see a revival in our youth and nation. Until that time most of us are stuck in domestication.

Who am I to tell Him what to do? (Part 2)

Originally Written (March 13, 2006)

I've stood in front of dozens of men, who were all staring death in the face. Every single one of them begged for Gods help. After seeing all those pleas go unanswered I lost my faith.
Assault On Precinct 13
The Character Bishop

God should do things the way I want Him to, is our thinking. He should answer all the prayers I raise up to Him. Everything should work out awesome for me and other Christians as well. Where do we get this idea that we as moral, created beings have the right to stand in front of God and tell Him how to run His creation? We do not have the automatic right to stand in His presence. We do not have the automatic right as the created to tell the Creator what to do, and demand things be done our way.

However God does want us to get to know Him, after all He is the only one who can fill this hole in us. We will never be able to discover and explain the depths of God; this is why He is so worthy of getting to know. If we settle for anything else we are selling ourselves short.

If we were to think that everything is matter and always follows the laws of science, then we have said that this is as good as it gets. When we die, that’s it there is nothing else. Existence on Earth looses value, and is only a response of energy and matter reacting. If everything is matter then we exist as that impossible scenario in science that put matter and energy together just right to produce life as we know it.

If we were to think that ultimate reality is impersonal oneness that is beyond all distinction, and life is about meeting goals to reach a better life, or Nirvana if you will, then existence loses value. To believe that this life is only to get to the next level, as Hindus and Buddhists believe, then this life is just one we are passing through. Eventually all will reach the highest level, because in this frame of thinking we will be re-incardinated.

Think of it this way; if God was small or simple enough for us to understand then He wouldn’t be big enough for us to worship. We should desire to know an infinite God, in whom our knowledge will never be entirely satiated. We as Christians should be longing to know God better and closer. We should desire God, for in this desire God finds pleasure, and our existence finds meaning.

It’s like a sermon I was listening to recently by Andy Stanley. Have you ever loved or cared about someone a lot, but they did not feel the same way about you? A father or mother that works to provide for their family and loves their children longs for the days they get to sit and chat with their children. Some of my best times with my Dad have not been on expensive trips or events, but the times we sit and drink coffee together, the days I call and just talk with him. I loved cooking in the kitchen with my mom, even though I usually messed something up. I loved, when I was young, sitting in their laps and just being there with them. When I go home to visit my parents know what I want every time I go, and that is just a hug, the kind of hug only they can give. A hug that says, “You matter to me. I love you soooo much. I think of you everyday of my life. You are always in my prayers. I am so glad to see you.” all that is said in their hug.

That is the kind of relationship God wants and longs for with us, His creation. He wants to hold you in His arms and tell you, “I love you. I created you. You matter to Me soooo much. I think of you everyday.” God longs for us to have a relationship with Him. But like so many families now a days we the created only want God to give-me, give-me, give-me, give-me, give-me, give-me, everything I ask of You. I should love God for who He is and not base that love on His performance in my life, by my standards.

Trinity Separat Or Distinct

Originally Written (March 3, 2006)

Are you saying that Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit function independently?According to Norman Geisler - President of Southern Evangellical Seminary

"That God is one, and only one, is the great cry of Judaism called the shema. It is based upon Deuteronomy 6:4--'The Lord our God, the Lord is one'--and was repeated by Jesus in the New Testament. When Jesus replied, 'The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear O Isreal, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength''(Mark 12:29 NKJV)

Jonathan Edwards writes in his "An Essay On The Trinity" and "Treatise on Grace"

"And this I suppose to be that blessed Trinity that we reas of in the Holy Scriptures. The Father is the deity subsisting in the prime, unoriginated and most absolute manner, or the deity in its direct existence. The Son is the deity generated by God's understanding, or having an idea of Himself and subsisting in that idea. The Holy Ghost is the deity subsisting in act, or having an idea of essence flowing out and breathed forth in God's infinite love to and delight in Himself. And I believe the whole Divine essence does truly and distinctly subsist both in the Divine idea and Divine love, and that each of them are properly distinct persons." "In other words, the Holy Spirit is the delight that the Father and the Son have in each other, and He carries in Himself so fully all the essence of the Father and the Son the He Himself stands forth as a thrid person in His own right."

Norman Geisler - President of Southern Evangellical Seminary - also writes:

"The oneness of God is opposed to the heresy called tritheism, which alleges that there are three separate beings in the Godhead. Monotheism asserts that there is only one Being who is God, not three beings. Hence, God's unity stands against the error of tritheism."

Please do not misunderstand the definition of distinct. Webster defines distinct as: "to the eye or mind as discrete, DISCRETE mean not being each and every one the same. DISTINCT indicates that something is distinguished by the mind or eye as being apart or different from others." Each part of the trinity is different from each other but are not separate, as tritheism might have it. God is all three at the same time, but some call the Father part of the trinity God, which is okay but do not think that Jesus or the Holy Spirit cannot be called God also, they are all equally God.

Don't Same That Name

“Don’t say that name. Students you can write a paper about anything you wanta write about. Thank you very much teacher can we write about Jesus? No, you can’t write about Jesus. Well why? Because of the separation of church and state. Huh?? Yes, no papers about Jesus. Excuse me can I write about Zeus? Well of course you can write about Zeus. Oh, I guess the Greeks didn’t have a religion. Can I write about ancient Aztec beliefs? Of course you can write about ancient Aztec beliefs. Oh, I guess the Aztec’s they didn’t have a religion. Can I write about the beliefs of Native American peoples? Of course you can, that would be a splendid thing to do. I guess Native American peoples they didn’t have a religion. Can I write a paper about Gandhi? Course you can write a paper about Gandhi. Interesting, guess he didn’t have a religion either.”

Dr. Voddie Baucham Jr. – “Nothin’ But The Truth

So Who Am I To Tell Him How To Run Things? Part 1

Originally Written (Febuary 4, 2006)

"I've stood in front of dozens of men, who were all staring death in the face. Every single one of them begged for Gods help. After seeing all those pleas go unanswered I lost my faith."
Assault On Precinct 13
The Character Bishop

In Genesis 15 God promises Abram (later Abraham) a son of your own who will be your heir. Genesis 16 Abram’s wife does not believe she can have a child, and tells Abram to sleep with her servant. God once again tells, now Abraham, by this time next year your wife, now Sarah, will have a son. Sarah laughs in disbelief, but later in Genesis 21 gives birth to Isaac.
Abraham and Sarah

Numbers 14 we see the very people that saw the 7 plagues in Egypt begin to protest against Moses and Aaron. The very people that saw the waters separate so they could cross to safety began to plan to return to their Egyptian slavery. The end result is the only ones who will see the promise land are under 20; accept Caleb and Jephunneh they will also see the promise land.
The Freed Slaves From Egypt

John 20:24-29 Thomas says he will not believe Christ has risen from the dead unless he sees the marks on his hands and feet. Jesus says to Thomas, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Doubting Thomas

Tonight while watching Assault On Precinct 13 the line above stuck in my mind. Many times on MySpace I have come across people who doubt Gods existence because He does not work the way we want Him to. Those who saw God work and/or saw Him physically still doubted.

If God obeyed our orders I would not want to call Him God, but instead my special slave. There is nothing better, more worthy of praise, more worthy of worship, then God. If God were to worship anything other then Himself, shouldn’t we worship that? There is an old creed that says, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” John Piper rewords the creed this way, “The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever.” John Piper writes, “The chief end of God is to glorify God and enjoy Himself forever.”

God answers to Himself, not to us. Who am I to tell the creator how He should do things? Is God ignorant and I have to educate Him on what is best for me? How foolish am I to think that nothing bad will happen on earth? God is God and I am not. He created things that even our best scientists cannot figure out. God has been around forever, and created man. God knows my every thought. I will tell Him my requests, but my faith is not based on His performance in fulfilling those requests.

So who am I to tell Him how He should get things done?

Let Down Turned Around

Originally Written (November 4, 2005)

In about 30 minutes I will be boarding a flight home to see my dad and Family. We are celebrating Dad’s 50th birthday. Mom is flying me home as a surprise.

On another note I wanted to talk about the journey and challenge faced already in Charlotte. The finding an apartment, a church, and many other things that has happened, because the story reminds me, God is in control.

I came down this summer expecting to learn a lot on my internship, with the Cabarrus Baptist Association, but expectations were not met. I went to at least six different churches this summer to help with VBS; every teacher was weak in content and delivery to especially the youth. I found myself getting frustrated both at my internship and Cracker Barrel.

I was not making the money or the hours promised prior to being hired. Money was tight the whole time, and still is but not as bad. I was trying to find an apartment that was affordable and well located for me. I was not having any luck finding an apartment. They were either located poorly or wanted too large of a deposit.

During all this I kept saying to God, “When are you going to work this all out!” I wanted my requests answered now, not later. I called John Johnson to see if he could help me out. He gave me some suggestions, but one stuck out. John J. thought I could become a teacher. He had heard of a program for people with bachelors degrees can teach and work on getting their license the first couple years teaching. So I looked into it.

The next day I received a call from a principal wanting to interview me. A month and a half later I had my first day as a teacher in my own classroom.

Sure there are some things I would like solved right now, but I can wait for God’s time.