Moving on in Luke 12:32, God tells us not to be afraid (He refers to us as “little flock”) because it gives Him great happiness to give us the kingdom. In verse 33 He tells us to sell what we have and give to the poor because I can’t really store any treasures here on earth.
Like most of you, I have accumulated a great deal of things that have a fleeting value and an ever changing variable in regards to price. A signed baseball from a modern day Babe Ruth who broke all of the modern day home run records has a value of hundreds of dollars just a few years ago and is worth nothing today because we found out that he cheated in his home run quest. In fact, most of the sports memorabilia that I own would find its true value as kindling for our next camp fire.
I have a unique ability to buy high and sell low. I have several classic cars and trucks that just several years ago were at their peak (when I bought them) and today, the classic car market is “soft”, a euphemism for “nobody is buying”.
If you read the book of Acts, you will see that those early Christians did sell everything that they owned and turned it over to God and if it was possible to experience that fulfillment of scripture before my eyes, that would be so great.
The reality of the world that I live in is, “it is my stuff and you can’t have it”. Less than 6% of all Christians believe in tithing, believing like I believed most of my life, “it’s my money and no money grubbing preacher is going to get it”. In the old testament book of Malachi 3:10, bring your tithes to my storehouse so that there will be food in my temple and I will open the doors and windows of heaven and pour out a blessing so huge that you won’t be able to contain it. Then He says to test Him on this.
I have included a portion of an article that you can read for yourself on the internet at the following web address: Http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0IBX/is_6_10/ai_n6152883.
The article details the loss of worldly possessions through the eyes of a young girl who along with her family live through the devastation caused by a flood in their home town in Texas.
I've lived my whole life in Venus, a tiny town in Texas. Growing up, I always thought of my house as the safest, warmest place. My family had a large four-bedroom mobile home. It was big enough but cozy. My sister and I had our own bedrooms, and we had four dogs.
But the thing I loved most about my house was my room. It was just me. My walls were covered with a porcelain doll collection, sunflowers, a yellow VW beetle poster and tons of family photos.
Then last April 23, my world fell apart. My family's nightmare began when my parents and my 2-year-old nephew came to see me play French horn at a school concert honoring troops in Iraq. Midway through the show, an announcement was made: "It's reported that there will be hail and high winds. If you'd like, you're welcome to go." But everybody stayed to watch the show.
LONG RIDE HOME
After the concert, the storm was so intense my dad had to pull over halfway home. It felt like the winds would blow our van over. After we hit four detours, we were very worried. My mom said, "My house is gone--I know it!"
I said, "Mom, you're scaring me! You're blowing this way out of proportion." Just down the road from our house, a police car appeared. Then, we saw something huge in the road ... and realized it was our neighbor's house! I felt sick. Their entire house was a block away from where it had been! As we got out of the car, a neighbor drove by and said, "There's nothing there!" My mom fell to her knees, bawling. My dad tried to comfort her, but she was devastated.
We called my sister, who was out with her boyfriend. Luckily, she was safe. But we had left the dogs on the porch. My mom told me to stay in the car while she and my dad looked for the dogs. All I could see were downed power lines and my dad's 18-wheeler. I thought, "This must be someone else's truck," because my dad parks his truck next to our house. Then it hit me--everything was gone, even our house!
I wished I were dreaming and started to cry. But then I thought, "This isn't the time to fall apart." So I pulled myself together and tried to be strong. I sat in the van in disbelief, my nephew asleep in my arms. My dad returned and handed me a porcelain doll he'd found in a field. I cried like crazy. I was happy to get my doll back but, at the same time, I realized how much we'd lost.
It took over an hour for my mom to find the dogs, all in different fields. I was so happy when Beanie, my favorite, greeted me. That night, we slept in my dad's truck. We were just grateful to have somewhere to stay.
A STARK REALITY
I woke up praying it had all been a nightmare. But then I looked out the window and knew it was real. Red Cross and Salvation Army workers were handing out food and water. I learned that, thankfully, no one had died in the storm. And of all my friends, I was the only one who lost her house.
My uncle searched for our belongings, and found one salvageable item--our American flag. He and my mom believe our lives were spared because we had honored our troops that night. We flew the flag from our clothesline pole, the only thing left standing.
After three days, I went back to school. Everyone was so nice; one friend even gave me a shirt. That shirt will always be special to me. We only had the clothes we'd worn the night of the storm, so we got $400 from the Red Cross. We felt guilty taking it, but it was helpful. People constantly offered to give us things, but my mom hates handouts. We replaced just the essentials, like kitchen supplies, linens and a TV.
"HOME" AGAIN
We took up temporary residence in a one-room trailer. That was so hard, especially because all our dogs had to sleep inside since there was no fence.
We were totally appreciative to have a roof over our heads, but everyone was stressed. After three long months, our insurance money finally came through. We bought another house that we put in the same spot. The new house was great; it just wasn't home. Our old house was full of irreplaceable memories.
One thing I missed most was the feather pillow my grandmother gave me before she died. I couldn't sleep on any other pillow, and I was so upset. But my mom found it in a faraway field, and I swear it was a miracle. I truly believe I got the pillow back because my grandmother is watching over me.
WEATHERING THE STORM
The hardest part wasn't the loss of my things or even the house; it was watching my mom fall apart. That scared me, because it felt like my world had ended. She's always been so strong, and I thought she could survive anything. My sister moved to Arizona after the storm, so I decided to take over for my mom--cooking, cleaning, taking care of my nephew--to give her time to heal.
Even though it's been over a year, my mom hasn't fully recovered. So I guess my biggest loss has been the loss of my childhood. But the "best" thing that has come from losing everything is that I'm more independent and know I can survive anything. I have to admit that, for a while, I was really angry that I had to take on so many adult responsibilities. But as every day passes, my family is getting back to normal and I'm learning to be "the kid" once again.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Money, Money, Money... OOPS!
As we read Luke 12:27, Jesus gives us the example of the lilies of the field and when they are in bloom, they are beautiful and if God cares so much about the flowers of this world think how much he cares about us who are made in His image. God’s word is so contrary to the world that we live in as every newspaper, television broadcast, radio show or internet headline tell us to worry, worry, worry and worry some more. There is only one reason that the mass media does this, it sells their advertising sponsors soap, insurance, beer, diet pills etc... Because we are like sheep and easily scared into living a fearful life, these people have figured out the perfect formula for getting and keeping our attention. As we move forward to verse 31, we are told by God, that if we make the kingdom of God our first priority in this life, we will be given all that we need from day to day.
The only problem that we have with this fact is, our definition of what we need and what God says that we need is usually different. I think that I need a house, job, a certain amount of money per month, three square meals per day, the NFL on Sunday and someone to mow my lawn and maintain my pool. God, on the other hand, may want me to go and work with an orphanage in a foreign country and have none of the above. His promise is that He gives me what I need to make the kingdom of God my first priority in life and to live my life for Him.
I once heard a sermon that used the example of the eagle to illustrate how God works to free us and do His work. The momma eagle will start to dismantle the nest a little bit each day when she realizes that her young are ready to go out into the world. Faced with the destruction of the only cozy home that they have ever known, the young bird makes the leap for independence as the last of the nest is torn apart by the mother.
There is another example that I heard one time, regarding the relationship between a shepherd and his flock. It seems that if a lamb keeps wandering off and away from the flock, the shepherd will sometimes break the leg of that lamb, causing it to be more dependent on the shepherd for it’s safety. I have always been interested in this kind of Shepherd reference because God calls us His flock and tells us He is our shepherd.
There will be those of you who will read this and scoff at that sentiment, thinking to yourself, “no one takes care of me, but me”. There is nothing wrong with self reliance, but in the world that we live in now, too many people have worked their whole life accumulating in an earthly retirement plan or investment program and wake up in the morning to find that it’s value has declined drastically.
What you can count on is the advertiser’s spokesperson to be right there telling you how bad everything is and that you have no hope. God tells us to read His word, work for His kingdom and have hope, because He is in charge.
I found this newspaper article and it kind of sums up this part of Luke regarding the subject matter that we are talking about.
NEW YORK (Reuters) – As financial workers suffer through tumultuous times on Wall Street, some are turning to an old source of solace: religion.
Religious leaders said attendance was up at lunchtime meetings in New York's financial district last week, with many more people in business attire than usual.
That is hardly surprising, said Reverend Mark Bozzuti-Jones of Trinity Church Wall Street, given that people don't know if their employers will survive from one day to the next.
"The economic financial crisis is a reminder that we cannot put our faith in riches, that we cannot put our faith in money," Bozzuti-Jones said in his sermon at lunchtime on Friday, which he devoted to coping with the financial crisis.
A handful of men in suits and ties and women in business attire were among dozens of people at the Episcopal church, which was hit by debris from the World Trade Center collapse on September 11, 2001.
The church, which normally attracts tourists and a few financial workers, experienced an upturn in visitors this week, Bozzuti-Jones said. In the past few days he had requests for help to pay rent from those who had lost their jobs.
"People are just sitting there, praying or crying and definitely exhausted. There has definitely been an increase in the number of people who have come in," he said in his office after the service.
The church was putting on special workshops and seminars over the next few weeks including "Coping with stress in an uncertain time" and "Navigating career transitions."
Just a few blocks away, St. Peter's Church has seen "a slight uptick in attendance among people in suits," said Father Peter Madigan. St. Peter's, a Catholic church, displays a cross found in the rubble of September 11.
"In the past couple of days there was high anxiety and trepidation," Madigan said. "The situation we are faced with today by economic standards is very much unknown, uncharted territory and faith helps us deal with those situations."
The Wall Street Synagogue is opening its doors nightly starting this week to accommodate Wall Street people. But rather than a rush of people last week, Rabbi Meyer Hager said he has noticed a change in his regular worshippers.
"I can see it on the faces of certain people who come here who are regular people -- some work for AIG and other large banking houses -- I can see the expression of strained concern," he said.
He noted that the synagogue was founded in 1929, the year of the Wall Street crash.
A mosque located in the financial district about a mile from Wall Street did not return a call seeking comment.
Lou Janicek, who works as a financial adviser on Wall Street, said he had not considered attending a religious service, but said Wall Street would benefit if people applied the same morals they learned in church to the workplace.
"What you do at work matters as much as whether you regularly attend church or the synagogue or whatever," said Janicek, who was brought up as a Christian. "If you are an accountant or you find yourself in an unethical situation, you can't just stand by and let it happen -- then you have another Enron.
The only problem that we have with this fact is, our definition of what we need and what God says that we need is usually different. I think that I need a house, job, a certain amount of money per month, three square meals per day, the NFL on Sunday and someone to mow my lawn and maintain my pool. God, on the other hand, may want me to go and work with an orphanage in a foreign country and have none of the above. His promise is that He gives me what I need to make the kingdom of God my first priority in life and to live my life for Him.
I once heard a sermon that used the example of the eagle to illustrate how God works to free us and do His work. The momma eagle will start to dismantle the nest a little bit each day when she realizes that her young are ready to go out into the world. Faced with the destruction of the only cozy home that they have ever known, the young bird makes the leap for independence as the last of the nest is torn apart by the mother.
There is another example that I heard one time, regarding the relationship between a shepherd and his flock. It seems that if a lamb keeps wandering off and away from the flock, the shepherd will sometimes break the leg of that lamb, causing it to be more dependent on the shepherd for it’s safety. I have always been interested in this kind of Shepherd reference because God calls us His flock and tells us He is our shepherd.
There will be those of you who will read this and scoff at that sentiment, thinking to yourself, “no one takes care of me, but me”. There is nothing wrong with self reliance, but in the world that we live in now, too many people have worked their whole life accumulating in an earthly retirement plan or investment program and wake up in the morning to find that it’s value has declined drastically.
What you can count on is the advertiser’s spokesperson to be right there telling you how bad everything is and that you have no hope. God tells us to read His word, work for His kingdom and have hope, because He is in charge.
I found this newspaper article and it kind of sums up this part of Luke regarding the subject matter that we are talking about.
NEW YORK (Reuters) – As financial workers suffer through tumultuous times on Wall Street, some are turning to an old source of solace: religion.
Religious leaders said attendance was up at lunchtime meetings in New York's financial district last week, with many more people in business attire than usual.
That is hardly surprising, said Reverend Mark Bozzuti-Jones of Trinity Church Wall Street, given that people don't know if their employers will survive from one day to the next.
"The economic financial crisis is a reminder that we cannot put our faith in riches, that we cannot put our faith in money," Bozzuti-Jones said in his sermon at lunchtime on Friday, which he devoted to coping with the financial crisis.
A handful of men in suits and ties and women in business attire were among dozens of people at the Episcopal church, which was hit by debris from the World Trade Center collapse on September 11, 2001.
The church, which normally attracts tourists and a few financial workers, experienced an upturn in visitors this week, Bozzuti-Jones said. In the past few days he had requests for help to pay rent from those who had lost their jobs.
"People are just sitting there, praying or crying and definitely exhausted. There has definitely been an increase in the number of people who have come in," he said in his office after the service.
The church was putting on special workshops and seminars over the next few weeks including "Coping with stress in an uncertain time" and "Navigating career transitions."
Just a few blocks away, St. Peter's Church has seen "a slight uptick in attendance among people in suits," said Father Peter Madigan. St. Peter's, a Catholic church, displays a cross found in the rubble of September 11.
"In the past couple of days there was high anxiety and trepidation," Madigan said. "The situation we are faced with today by economic standards is very much unknown, uncharted territory and faith helps us deal with those situations."
The Wall Street Synagogue is opening its doors nightly starting this week to accommodate Wall Street people. But rather than a rush of people last week, Rabbi Meyer Hager said he has noticed a change in his regular worshippers.
"I can see it on the faces of certain people who come here who are regular people -- some work for AIG and other large banking houses -- I can see the expression of strained concern," he said.
He noted that the synagogue was founded in 1929, the year of the Wall Street crash.
A mosque located in the financial district about a mile from Wall Street did not return a call seeking comment.
Lou Janicek, who works as a financial adviser on Wall Street, said he had not considered attending a religious service, but said Wall Street would benefit if people applied the same morals they learned in church to the workplace.
"What you do at work matters as much as whether you regularly attend church or the synagogue or whatever," said Janicek, who was brought up as a Christian. "If you are an accountant or you find yourself in an unethical situation, you can't just stand by and let it happen -- then you have another Enron.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Money, Peaks and Valleys
Moving on to Luke12:22, Jesus turned to the apostles and again spoke of worldly possessions. He told them, and us, not to worry about what to wear each and what to eat, for life consists of far more than food and clothing. He then pointed out that if we used the birds of the air as an example, none of them are wanting for food or water, as their Creator cares for them without their asking for anything. Jesus tells us further that He is certain that the Father loves us more than the birds, so why not let Him take care of us? In verses 25 and 26 of this same chapter, Jesus asks the question, “does all of your worrying add a single moment to your life?” and then “if it does no good to worry over the little things, then why worry about the big things?
Wow, could it be that simple? This is where non believers and enemies of God attack our faith by pointing out that Christians are mindless dunderheads that are told to sit around and do nothing, living on faith and not being practical in regards to life. I am sure that many religious organizations and groups have built their faction of religious faith quite literally on these words of Jesus Christ.
Whenever I bridge this part of Luke in conversation with someone, I use the example of my dogs. We have three dogs, Sam, Handsome and Cinderella. The great thing about these dogs is that they do not worry if their will be food in their bowl at night, they expect it to be there. None of them worry about whether the mortgage is going to be paid on time, they expect that their favorite sleeping spot will be there, no matter what. When any of the family comes home at the end of the day, they are greeted with respect, humbleness (except Cinderella) and submission. They are always happy to see us, giving us total affection and are never in a bad mood. It is for this reason that I believe that God created my dogs so that He could give me a living example on how I could live up to this part of scripture. When I really think about it, why didn’t God just create dogs instead of putting up with my groaning and complaining? If I approached God like my dogs approach me, God would certainly be pleased with me.
In 1st Timothy 5:8, God tells us that if we do not work and provide for our family that we are worse than a person who does not believe in God at all. So, how do we balance between trusting God and not worrying and incurring God’s wrath for being lazy? The simple answer is to do, whatever you do to make a living, for God and His kingdom and ask Him to show you how to do what needs to be done.
Life is made up of peaks and valleys. When you are at the peak, enjoy the view, remember it and praise God for it. When you are in the valley, go through it, don’t camp there. And above all, work on being more like your dog.
Wow, could it be that simple? This is where non believers and enemies of God attack our faith by pointing out that Christians are mindless dunderheads that are told to sit around and do nothing, living on faith and not being practical in regards to life. I am sure that many religious organizations and groups have built their faction of religious faith quite literally on these words of Jesus Christ.
Whenever I bridge this part of Luke in conversation with someone, I use the example of my dogs. We have three dogs, Sam, Handsome and Cinderella. The great thing about these dogs is that they do not worry if their will be food in their bowl at night, they expect it to be there. None of them worry about whether the mortgage is going to be paid on time, they expect that their favorite sleeping spot will be there, no matter what. When any of the family comes home at the end of the day, they are greeted with respect, humbleness (except Cinderella) and submission. They are always happy to see us, giving us total affection and are never in a bad mood. It is for this reason that I believe that God created my dogs so that He could give me a living example on how I could live up to this part of scripture. When I really think about it, why didn’t God just create dogs instead of putting up with my groaning and complaining? If I approached God like my dogs approach me, God would certainly be pleased with me.
In 1st Timothy 5:8, God tells us that if we do not work and provide for our family that we are worse than a person who does not believe in God at all. So, how do we balance between trusting God and not worrying and incurring God’s wrath for being lazy? The simple answer is to do, whatever you do to make a living, for God and His kingdom and ask Him to show you how to do what needs to be done.
Life is made up of peaks and valleys. When you are at the peak, enjoy the view, remember it and praise God for it. When you are in the valley, go through it, don’t camp there. And above all, work on being more like your dog.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
"For Richer or For Poorer"
In Luke 12:13, a man calls out to Jesus, asking Him to force his brother to share their family inheritance with him. Jesus responds by telling the man to not be greedy for what he doesn’t have.
In this case, the person shouting, must be the younger son in a family where his brother is the oldest son who inherited their father’s estate. Tradition, at that time, would probably have dictated that the oldest son would inherit the majority of the assets of the estate and much of the responsibility of paying outstanding debts and the future management of the estate assets.
The point of recording this exchange was obviously not to rehash inheritance customs in biblical times but instead an opportunity to record (one more time) the personal view of Jesus regarding money and possessions.
Of all the messages that we have received from Jesus in the new testament, this simple message of how we should not want for things that we do not have, is universally ignored.
In Luke 12:16 Jesus gives an example of where we are now in regards to greed and accumulation. He speaks of a rich man who had barns that were full of his crops to the point of overflowing. When the man sat back and looked at his good fortune he surmised that the thing to do at that point was to build bigger barns and to sit back, reflect on his good fortune and eat, drink and be merry.
At this point, God asked the man if he were to die that very night, who would get his riches? Jesus then went on to say that a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth and not have a rich relationship with God.
I have heard people use these words to tell me that Jesus has a problem with His followers accumulating money in their life. In fact, what He does say is, it’s fine to have those possessions, just don’t let them be the focus of your life. How happy we are is gauged by our family relationships between us and our spouse, children etc... A person who has a lot of material wealth and is generous in helping others with that wealth, stands a pretty good chance at being a happy person.
If we study the lives of people like JC Penney, Henry Heinz and other extremely wealthy people who loved God and their fellow man, you will find that they were very prosperous and happy people who left legacies that have promoted the word of God to this day.
Penney named his first business as “The Golden Rule”, meaning that all he did in business was going to be done according to God’s rules. He was an excellent employer who inspired multiple business owners in the art of Godly employee management. Heinz left a legacy of dedicated missionary work in Japan and other parts of Asia as he founded bible based Sunday schools for children in the early 1900's.
If God works through us (and He does) then He needs to put assets in the hands of believers so that we can act as the body of Christ and help bring God’s word to a lost and dying world. God tells us in His word, that before He can trust us with a lot, He will trust us with a little.
When my clock radio went off this morning, I was greeted with the news that maybe 1,000 banks were going to fail soon. In addition to that news, the announcer went on to say that the stock market was set to lose 5% of it’s value in one day and that 10,000 people were set to lose their jobs in the city of New York alone.
The fact of the matter is that He was God yesterday, when things were good and He is God today when things are bad. God does not love poor people more than rich people or the other way around. On this subject, I would like to share two sayings that I heard long ago and each of them apply to this situation. They are:
“ It is the same sun that melts wax and hardens clay” and “If the sun shined everyday, we would all live in a desert”
In this case, the person shouting, must be the younger son in a family where his brother is the oldest son who inherited their father’s estate. Tradition, at that time, would probably have dictated that the oldest son would inherit the majority of the assets of the estate and much of the responsibility of paying outstanding debts and the future management of the estate assets.
The point of recording this exchange was obviously not to rehash inheritance customs in biblical times but instead an opportunity to record (one more time) the personal view of Jesus regarding money and possessions.
Of all the messages that we have received from Jesus in the new testament, this simple message of how we should not want for things that we do not have, is universally ignored.
In Luke 12:16 Jesus gives an example of where we are now in regards to greed and accumulation. He speaks of a rich man who had barns that were full of his crops to the point of overflowing. When the man sat back and looked at his good fortune he surmised that the thing to do at that point was to build bigger barns and to sit back, reflect on his good fortune and eat, drink and be merry.
At this point, God asked the man if he were to die that very night, who would get his riches? Jesus then went on to say that a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth and not have a rich relationship with God.
I have heard people use these words to tell me that Jesus has a problem with His followers accumulating money in their life. In fact, what He does say is, it’s fine to have those possessions, just don’t let them be the focus of your life. How happy we are is gauged by our family relationships between us and our spouse, children etc... A person who has a lot of material wealth and is generous in helping others with that wealth, stands a pretty good chance at being a happy person.
If we study the lives of people like JC Penney, Henry Heinz and other extremely wealthy people who loved God and their fellow man, you will find that they were very prosperous and happy people who left legacies that have promoted the word of God to this day.
Penney named his first business as “The Golden Rule”, meaning that all he did in business was going to be done according to God’s rules. He was an excellent employer who inspired multiple business owners in the art of Godly employee management. Heinz left a legacy of dedicated missionary work in Japan and other parts of Asia as he founded bible based Sunday schools for children in the early 1900's.
If God works through us (and He does) then He needs to put assets in the hands of believers so that we can act as the body of Christ and help bring God’s word to a lost and dying world. God tells us in His word, that before He can trust us with a lot, He will trust us with a little.
When my clock radio went off this morning, I was greeted with the news that maybe 1,000 banks were going to fail soon. In addition to that news, the announcer went on to say that the stock market was set to lose 5% of it’s value in one day and that 10,000 people were set to lose their jobs in the city of New York alone.
The fact of the matter is that He was God yesterday, when things were good and He is God today when things are bad. God does not love poor people more than rich people or the other way around. On this subject, I would like to share two sayings that I heard long ago and each of them apply to this situation. They are:
“ It is the same sun that melts wax and hardens clay” and “If the sun shined everyday, we would all live in a desert”
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Storm Clouds On The Horizon
Moving on in Luke 12:11, Jesus tells us that when we as Christians are brought before the courts and the powers that be, that we are to allow the Holy Spirit to do the talking. I guess that means that we should remain silent and let the Holy Spirit speak to us and to tell us what to say.
During a lunch yesterday with a business associate that I had just met. We discussed many things regarding the business we are going to do and after lunch we engaged in general conversation that covered politics and culture. In that conversation, remarks about evangelical Christians and how they had a negative effect on the political scene and current election process.
I never felt threatened by her comments and I could tell that this nice lady wouldn’t do anything to harm me or my family, if she knew I was one of those very people that he was speaking about. I sensed that she was frustrated by a group of people who she considered divisive and judgmental. I ascertained those impressions because of her comments made throughout the conversation.
Just conversation, right? I believe that she was and is empowered to say these things publicly because of the political vitriol that is rampant in American politics today. Like no other time in history are Christians being set up for social and legal backlash.
I went a website of an organization known as the National Alliance Against Christian Discrimination, located at http://naacd.com/index.htm on the web. This website listed sixteen different organizations that they consider to be anti Christian. I think that if you go to their web sites and read what they are about, you may agree with them, at least on some of them. I encourage people of faith to investigate for themselves and instead of writing a synopsis on each group, I encourage you to see for yourselves as I have included the group’s official website address.
They are as follows:
American Atheists
Home: http://www.atheists.org/
American Civil Liberties Union
Home: http://aclu.org
American Humanist Association
Home: http://www.americanhumanist.org/
American Library Association
Home: http://www.ala.org
Americans United for the Separation of Church and State
Home: http://au.org
Anti-Defamation League
Home: http://www.adl.org
Freedom From Religion Foundation (Freethinkers)
Home: http://www.infidels.org/index.shtml
Gays and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)
Home :http://www.glaad.org
Human Rights Campaign
Home: http://www.hrc.org/
The Interfaith Alliance
Home: http://www.tialliance.org
National Abortion and Reproductive Rights League (NARAL)
Home: http://www.naral.org/index2.asp
National Education Association
Home: http://www.nea.org
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Home: http://www.ngltf.org
National Organization for Women (NOW)
Home: http://www.now.org
People for the American Way
Home: http://pfaw.org
Planned Parenthood
Home : http://www.plannedparenthood.org
In Luke 12:11-12, Jesus doesn’t tell us to listen to the Holy Spirit if we get hauled in, He tells us that this is inevitable and to be prepared for it. When it happens we have to pay attention, and listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit.
To outsiders, this may look like a negative view of the future. Many Christian churches teach that this has already happened in church history and that Christ was speaking to early believers. To the evangelical, bible believing Christian like me, we believe that this act of oppression will be necessary before Jesus comes back to claim His church.
In John 12:24, Jesus tells us, that in order for a seed to bring forth much fruit, it is a law of nature that the seed must fall to the ground and die. There are two things in this world that get better by stepping on them, a Persian rug and Christ’s church.
Bring it world.
During a lunch yesterday with a business associate that I had just met. We discussed many things regarding the business we are going to do and after lunch we engaged in general conversation that covered politics and culture. In that conversation, remarks about evangelical Christians and how they had a negative effect on the political scene and current election process.
I never felt threatened by her comments and I could tell that this nice lady wouldn’t do anything to harm me or my family, if she knew I was one of those very people that he was speaking about. I sensed that she was frustrated by a group of people who she considered divisive and judgmental. I ascertained those impressions because of her comments made throughout the conversation.
Just conversation, right? I believe that she was and is empowered to say these things publicly because of the political vitriol that is rampant in American politics today. Like no other time in history are Christians being set up for social and legal backlash.
I went a website of an organization known as the National Alliance Against Christian Discrimination, located at http://naacd.com/index.htm on the web. This website listed sixteen different organizations that they consider to be anti Christian. I think that if you go to their web sites and read what they are about, you may agree with them, at least on some of them. I encourage people of faith to investigate for themselves and instead of writing a synopsis on each group, I encourage you to see for yourselves as I have included the group’s official website address.
They are as follows:
American Atheists
Home: http://www.atheists.org/
American Civil Liberties Union
Home: http://aclu.org
American Humanist Association
Home: http://www.americanhumanist.org/
American Library Association
Home: http://www.ala.org
Americans United for the Separation of Church and State
Home: http://au.org
Anti-Defamation League
Home: http://www.adl.org
Freedom From Religion Foundation (Freethinkers)
Home: http://www.infidels.org/index.shtml
Gays and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)
Home :http://www.glaad.org
Human Rights Campaign
Home: http://www.hrc.org/
The Interfaith Alliance
Home: http://www.tialliance.org
National Abortion and Reproductive Rights League (NARAL)
Home: http://www.naral.org/index2.asp
National Education Association
Home: http://www.nea.org
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Home: http://www.ngltf.org
National Organization for Women (NOW)
Home: http://www.now.org
People for the American Way
Home: http://pfaw.org
Planned Parenthood
Home : http://www.plannedparenthood.org
In Luke 12:11-12, Jesus doesn’t tell us to listen to the Holy Spirit if we get hauled in, He tells us that this is inevitable and to be prepared for it. When it happens we have to pay attention, and listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit.
To outsiders, this may look like a negative view of the future. Many Christian churches teach that this has already happened in church history and that Christ was speaking to early believers. To the evangelical, bible believing Christian like me, we believe that this act of oppression will be necessary before Jesus comes back to claim His church.
In John 12:24, Jesus tells us, that in order for a seed to bring forth much fruit, it is a law of nature that the seed must fall to the ground and die. There are two things in this world that get better by stepping on them, a Persian rug and Christ’s church.
Bring it world.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Are You In, Or Are You Out?
While researching for Luke 12:11, I came across an article on the internet regarding Christians in Egypt. You can go to the original article located at the New York Times website and read it in its entirety at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/11/world/africa/11egypt.html .
The article highlights are as follows:
CAIRO — Cairo’s highest civil court on Saturday ruled that 12 Christians who had converted to Islam could return to their original church, ending a bitter yearlong battle over identity and minority rights.
It was the second time in recent months that a court has upheld the rights of religious minorities, in a country that is 90 percent Muslim and where the distinction between civil law and religious principles is increasingly blurred.
The case involved Coptic Christians who had converted to Islam to obtain a divorce. The Coptic Orthodox Church does not allow dissolving a marriage. Islamic law, however, allows men to end a marriage easily.
For a time, Christians who converted in order to divorce were allowed by the courts to formally return to their original faith. But in recent years, as a more conservative sentiment has spread throughout the country and the government, the courts have not allowed converts to return to Christianity.
Hooray for religious freedoms in Egypt!!! Now you can legally be in two farcical religious situations at once.
The New York Times reported these facts to celebrate the growth of religious freedoms in the middle east. The sad part is that what they reported to believers like myself, that the religious hypocrisy that Jesus engaged is still alive and some of the players have done so, in His name.
I think of the aforementioned Luke 12:9 where Jesus tells us that we pay a price for denying Him on this earth and that price is His denial of us in heaven on judgement day.
The article highlights are as follows:
CAIRO — Cairo’s highest civil court on Saturday ruled that 12 Christians who had converted to Islam could return to their original church, ending a bitter yearlong battle over identity and minority rights.
It was the second time in recent months that a court has upheld the rights of religious minorities, in a country that is 90 percent Muslim and where the distinction between civil law and religious principles is increasingly blurred.
The case involved Coptic Christians who had converted to Islam to obtain a divorce. The Coptic Orthodox Church does not allow dissolving a marriage. Islamic law, however, allows men to end a marriage easily.
For a time, Christians who converted in order to divorce were allowed by the courts to formally return to their original faith. But in recent years, as a more conservative sentiment has spread throughout the country and the government, the courts have not allowed converts to return to Christianity.
Hooray for religious freedoms in Egypt!!! Now you can legally be in two farcical religious situations at once.
The New York Times reported these facts to celebrate the growth of religious freedoms in the middle east. The sad part is that what they reported to believers like myself, that the religious hypocrisy that Jesus engaged is still alive and some of the players have done so, in His name.
I think of the aforementioned Luke 12:9 where Jesus tells us that we pay a price for denying Him on this earth and that price is His denial of us in heaven on judgement day.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Secrets, Secrets, Secrets...
If you will allow me, I would like to revisit a previous post that I made regarding what Jesus tells us in Luke 12:2. If you will recall, He tells us that a time is coming where everything that is secret in our life will be revealed.
I had coffee the other morning with a friend of mine and he had some startling news in this regard. He told me that in the next couple of years, all of the encrypted information that is on the internet, will be revealed for all to see. The fact is that technology is moving very fast and what is safe and secure today will be viewable tomorrow. What this means is, that all of our monetary transactions, purchases, interests and contacts could be made available to be reviewed by anyone. With the amount of information that is available about our past histories, it could really be surprising how much information would be made available.
We watch famous people who are exposed every day and the consequences are devastating. The mayor of Detroit has all of his personal text messages revealed and he is convicted of perjury and is going to jail for it. A wealthy man, running for president one day and the next is forced to explain his actions when it is revealed that he impregnated a mistress while his wife is dying of cancer. No one wants their deepest secrets revealed and I can only imagine the panic that will take place if it is announced that all you have to do is type a name into your computer and learn every secret thing about the famous and the ordinary. Husbands, wives, children, friends, enemies and casual observers will dissect the lives of anyone they wish as others will do the same to them. The “Jerry Springer” show (on steroids) will come to life, as humanities deepest secrets are revealed.
If the indication of how many gossip magazines and papers are sold (millions I’m sure), then without a doubt the rush for salacious news will shut down the internet and Luke 12:2 will become a reality. All this time, we might have thought, how this passage could come true? We may have thought that it would be impossible for every secret to be revealed but it looks not only possible, leaving only the question, when?
I had coffee the other morning with a friend of mine and he had some startling news in this regard. He told me that in the next couple of years, all of the encrypted information that is on the internet, will be revealed for all to see. The fact is that technology is moving very fast and what is safe and secure today will be viewable tomorrow. What this means is, that all of our monetary transactions, purchases, interests and contacts could be made available to be reviewed by anyone. With the amount of information that is available about our past histories, it could really be surprising how much information would be made available.
We watch famous people who are exposed every day and the consequences are devastating. The mayor of Detroit has all of his personal text messages revealed and he is convicted of perjury and is going to jail for it. A wealthy man, running for president one day and the next is forced to explain his actions when it is revealed that he impregnated a mistress while his wife is dying of cancer. No one wants their deepest secrets revealed and I can only imagine the panic that will take place if it is announced that all you have to do is type a name into your computer and learn every secret thing about the famous and the ordinary. Husbands, wives, children, friends, enemies and casual observers will dissect the lives of anyone they wish as others will do the same to them. The “Jerry Springer” show (on steroids) will come to life, as humanities deepest secrets are revealed.
If the indication of how many gossip magazines and papers are sold (millions I’m sure), then without a doubt the rush for salacious news will shut down the internet and Luke 12:2 will become a reality. All this time, we might have thought, how this passage could come true? We may have thought that it would be impossible for every secret to be revealed but it looks not only possible, leaving only the question, when?
Saturday, September 6, 2008
God... Me or We?
Chapter 12:8 of the book of Luke is the verse that stopped me in my tracks. I was rolling with my vaporous and changing reality about who God was when I heard my pastor quote this verse during an alter call. It was like I was called out and exposed. Here is Jesus telling me that if I acknowledge Him, here on earth, He will acknowledge me in heaven. After hearing this good news, I listened to the next warning that He gives, saying if I don’t acknowledge Him on this earth, he won’t acknowledge me in heaven. That shook me up!
The subsequent warning of how we can speak against the son of God and be forgiven while the same action (blasphemy) against the Holy Spirit, was unforgivable points out the importance of this member of the Holy Trinity.
Many people have no problem with the concept of God as the Father and Creator. Monotheistic theology dominates most of the world’s religions. Believing in the Trinity is a foundational belief that is limited to the faith in Christianity and an interesting passage in Genesis speaks of the plurality of who God is. In Genesis 2:26, the bible says, “And God said, let us make man in our image and after our likeness ...”
Now, there are many ways to determine if the bible is the true word of God or a book that was modified by many authors. People who deny the veracity of the bible (in the past, even myself) will tell you that it can’t be true because there were so many different authors and that the religious establishment changed the words to meet their beliefs. This passage in Genesis is proof that is not the case.
If the bible was not the correct word of God and was modified by man, this passage in Genesis would have been the first to go and it would have been rewritten to match the “one God” belief of the religious majority. The reason that it wasn’t changed is because God told man not to change what He said and the folks given the responsibility to maintain that holy word, took that order seriously. If we believe that the bible is the true word of God, then it is safe to say that God told us himself that he had more than one entity or personality in this passage.
In response to the question that we may have in regards to who the Holy Spirit is, I refer you to a website that has some pretty good answers to questions like this. The link to this site is offered here at http://www.everystudent.com/forum/hspirit.html . From this page you can go to the main page and explore the entire site as well as read this article in its entirety. You will also find some passages in the bible that point to who the Holy Spirit truly is.
Who is the Holy Spirit?
Q: "Who or what is the Holy Spirit? I've seen this name/phrase on your site in a few places."
our A: The Holy Spirit is a real person who came to reside within Jesus Christ's true followers after Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to heaven (Acts 2). Jesus told His apostles...
"I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." (John 14:16-18)
The Holy Spirit is not a vague, ethereal shadow, nor an impersonal force. He is a person equal in every way with God the Father and God the Son. He is considered to be the third member of the Godhead. Jesus said to His apostles...
"All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matt. 28:18-20)
God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And all the divine attributes ascribed to the Father and the Son are equally ascribed to the Holy Spirit. When a person becomes born again by believing and receiving Jesus Christ (John 1:12-13; John 3:3-21), God resides in that person through the Holy Spirit (1Cor. 3:16). The Holy Spirit has intellect (1Cor. 2:11), emotion (Rom. 15:30), and will (1Cor. 12:11).
A primary role of the Holy Spirit is that He bears "witness" of Jesus Christ (John 15:26, 16:14). He tells people's hearts about the truth of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit also acts as a Christian's teacher (1Cor. 2:9-14). He reveals God's will and God's truth to a Christian. Jesus told His disciples...
"The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you." (John 14:26)
"When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come." (John 16:13)
The Holy Spirit was given to live inside those who believe in Jesus, in order to produce God's character in the life of a believer. In a way that we cannot do on our own, the Holy Spirit will build into our lives love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). Rather than trying to be loving, patient, kind, God asks us to rely on Him to produce these qualities in our lives. Thus Christians are told to walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:25) and be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18). And the Holy Spirit empowers Christians to perform ministerial duties that promote spiritual growth among Christians (Rom. 12; 1Cor. 12; Eph. 4).
The Holy Spirit also performs a function for non-Christians as well. He convicts people's hearts of God's truth concerning how sinful we are -- needing God's forgiveness; how righteous Jesus is -- He died in our place, for our sins; and God's eventual judgment of the world and those who do not know Him (John 16:8-11). The Holy Spirit tugs on our hearts and minds, asking us to repent and turn to God for forgiveness and a new life.
The subsequent warning of how we can speak against the son of God and be forgiven while the same action (blasphemy) against the Holy Spirit, was unforgivable points out the importance of this member of the Holy Trinity.
Many people have no problem with the concept of God as the Father and Creator. Monotheistic theology dominates most of the world’s religions. Believing in the Trinity is a foundational belief that is limited to the faith in Christianity and an interesting passage in Genesis speaks of the plurality of who God is. In Genesis 2:26, the bible says, “And God said, let us make man in our image and after our likeness ...”
Now, there are many ways to determine if the bible is the true word of God or a book that was modified by many authors. People who deny the veracity of the bible (in the past, even myself) will tell you that it can’t be true because there were so many different authors and that the religious establishment changed the words to meet their beliefs. This passage in Genesis is proof that is not the case.
If the bible was not the correct word of God and was modified by man, this passage in Genesis would have been the first to go and it would have been rewritten to match the “one God” belief of the religious majority. The reason that it wasn’t changed is because God told man not to change what He said and the folks given the responsibility to maintain that holy word, took that order seriously. If we believe that the bible is the true word of God, then it is safe to say that God told us himself that he had more than one entity or personality in this passage.
In response to the question that we may have in regards to who the Holy Spirit is, I refer you to a website that has some pretty good answers to questions like this. The link to this site is offered here at http://www.everystudent.com/forum/hspirit.html . From this page you can go to the main page and explore the entire site as well as read this article in its entirety. You will also find some passages in the bible that point to who the Holy Spirit truly is.
Who is the Holy Spirit?
Q: "Who or what is the Holy Spirit? I've seen this name/phrase on your site in a few places."
our A: The Holy Spirit is a real person who came to reside within Jesus Christ's true followers after Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to heaven (Acts 2). Jesus told His apostles...
"I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." (John 14:16-18)
The Holy Spirit is not a vague, ethereal shadow, nor an impersonal force. He is a person equal in every way with God the Father and God the Son. He is considered to be the third member of the Godhead. Jesus said to His apostles...
"All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matt. 28:18-20)
God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And all the divine attributes ascribed to the Father and the Son are equally ascribed to the Holy Spirit. When a person becomes born again by believing and receiving Jesus Christ (John 1:12-13; John 3:3-21), God resides in that person through the Holy Spirit (1Cor. 3:16). The Holy Spirit has intellect (1Cor. 2:11), emotion (Rom. 15:30), and will (1Cor. 12:11).
A primary role of the Holy Spirit is that He bears "witness" of Jesus Christ (John 15:26, 16:14). He tells people's hearts about the truth of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit also acts as a Christian's teacher (1Cor. 2:9-14). He reveals God's will and God's truth to a Christian. Jesus told His disciples...
"The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you." (John 14:26)
"When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come." (John 16:13)
The Holy Spirit was given to live inside those who believe in Jesus, in order to produce God's character in the life of a believer. In a way that we cannot do on our own, the Holy Spirit will build into our lives love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). Rather than trying to be loving, patient, kind, God asks us to rely on Him to produce these qualities in our lives. Thus Christians are told to walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:25) and be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18). And the Holy Spirit empowers Christians to perform ministerial duties that promote spiritual growth among Christians (Rom. 12; 1Cor. 12; Eph. 4).
The Holy Spirit also performs a function for non-Christians as well. He convicts people's hearts of God's truth concerning how sinful we are -- needing God's forgiveness; how righteous Jesus is -- He died in our place, for our sins; and God's eventual judgment of the world and those who do not know Him (John 16:8-11). The Holy Spirit tugs on our hearts and minds, asking us to repent and turn to God for forgiveness and a new life.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
What Am I Worth?
As we continue in Luke 12:6, we are asked by the author to determine our standing and worth before God. I remember being in the front yard with a daughter of my neighbor and we both ran over to where a bird had fallen out of a tree and was lying on its back and breathing hard. I looked at the face of the child as she watched the bird die and how she looked up at me with a startled look, giggled and walked away. In her young mind, she saw little value in the life of that bird. I was shocked because I expected to see her to be sad and to ask me many questions related to the death of this fine feathered friend and how those questions would overlap into her young life. In my imagination I thought maybe that I would help her bury the body and somehow know in my heart that I helped a young person deal with the circle of life and the questions that come with it. But, none of that happened because the bird had no value to her.
I tell this story because this young girl is closer to the norm as Jesus talks about how common birds of the air that have little or no value to us, have great value to their creator. Jesus tells us that God does not forget one of them and finds value in them because He created them.
Jesus then tells us that God knows us so well that He even knows how many hairs that we have on our heads. When I think about that fact I realize the passage is less about the minutia of hair follicles and more about out the intimacy of our Creator.
When God tells us that He knows us intimately, it can make us uncomfortable. Having God in our hip pocket means that He must be with us all of the time and He must be paying attention to everything we do. That is not always convenient for us.
Lastly, Jesus tells us that even though God sees value in His smallest creations, we are the most important thing to Him. We know this to be true because God chose to live life on this earth as a man, not a bird.
I tell this story because this young girl is closer to the norm as Jesus talks about how common birds of the air that have little or no value to us, have great value to their creator. Jesus tells us that God does not forget one of them and finds value in them because He created them.
Jesus then tells us that God knows us so well that He even knows how many hairs that we have on our heads. When I think about that fact I realize the passage is less about the minutia of hair follicles and more about out the intimacy of our Creator.
When God tells us that He knows us intimately, it can make us uncomfortable. Having God in our hip pocket means that He must be with us all of the time and He must be paying attention to everything we do. That is not always convenient for us.
Lastly, Jesus tells us that even though God sees value in His smallest creations, we are the most important thing to Him. We know this to be true because God chose to live life on this earth as a man, not a bird.
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