Jesus and Easter

Some of the sharpest, most bitter arguments the church has ever had have been about the meaning of the meal which Jesus shared with his friends the night before he died, and of the similar meals, his friends have shared ever since. In the sixteenth century, in particular, these arguments exploded in several directions as Christians accused one another of perverting or even undermining altogether the point and purpose of this meal.

That is tragic, of course, but the present passage indicates that we should not, after all, be surprised. The story of Jesus sharing the bread and the wine, in those four brief verses 26—29, is surrounded by the discussion of the betrayal that was about to happen (verses 14—16, 20—25) and the warning that all the disciples would abandon him, and that Peter, particularly, would deny him (verses 30—35). Perhaps it is always so.

Perhaps, whenever something truly and massively important is afoot, it becomes the place where attack is concentrated, where Jesus’ friends will be distracted by so many immediate muddles and concerns that they risk missing the glorious thing that stands quietly in the centre, the gleaming diamond in the middle of the rubbish-heap.

And diamond it is — with many facets, reflecting light all around. This meal, this Passover-with-a-difference, was the way Jesus chose to explain to his followers what his death was all about. They hadn’t understood what he’d said to them up to this point, but this meal, and their repeating of it thereafter, would soak it deep down into their imaginations. What you do, and particularly what you eat and drink, changes the way you think and feel. Jesus wanted them, and us, to know at a level much deeper than mere theory that his death was the true Passover, the time when God acted to rescue his people from slavery once and for all, and that we are not merely spectators but participants and beneficiaries. When we come to the table, as Paul said to the Corinthians, we truly share in his body and blood (1 Corinthians 10.16). We are shaped and formed, together and individually, as Passover-people, as rescued-from-slavery people, as dying- with-Jesus people.

For a community to be formed and shaped in that way is perhaps the most powerful thing that can happen to a group of people. Again, that’s why it’s so easy to distort it, to allow squabbles and muddles and even betrayals and denials to creep in and spoil it. Sometimes the church has made its sharing of this meal into such a wonderful work of art that everyone is thinking about how clever the art is rather than about how awesome Jesus is. Other Christians have over-reacted to this, and come to the meal, when they have to, almost casually or flippantly, like someone whisking through an art gallery with a cheerful comment about the pretty paintings. We all need, constantly, to find our way back into the heart and meaning of this meal. As Jesus makes clear in verse 29, this meal is the prelude to the coming of the kingdom — which must mean that Jesus himself, and Matthew in shaping his gospel the way he has, saw his death, interpreted in this Passover-fashion, as the final act of kingdom-bringing.

Certainly, that is the implication of 28.18. Jesus’ death is the final overthrow of the powers of darkness, which is why his resurrection then establishes him as the one who has all authority in heaven and on earth. However puzzled we may be (if all this is anywhere near the truth, we should hardly expect to understand such a huge and mysterious thing straight off), we are called to share the meal, to stay focused on Jesus as the rescuer, the kingdom-bringer, and so to encourage one another to be kingdom-people. To be Jesus-people.

TODAY
Help us, gracious Lord, to come to your table in gratitude and love, that we may be formed into your people and be strengthened in your service.

April 6, 2018April 25, 2021

Should I Do Yoga if I am a Christian?

Recently I’ve been on a spiritual journey that includes deep prayer, meditation, and mindfulness to help me to connect with God. At the same time, I’ve also been on the hunt for some low-impact stretching that could potentially help with chronic pain in a natural way.

Meditation and stretching. Put those two together and what do you get?

Yoga.

So, I’ve said I need to stretch. And I find that meditation brings me closer to God. These all naturally come together in the form of yoga. But, as a Christian, should I do yoga? Am I allowed? Will Jesus love me less?

Well, first, let’s see”¦what does the Bible say about the word “yoga”? Nothing. Zero. There’s no record of that word being used.

So now what do I do? Since the Bible doesn’t talk about yoga specifically, I have to use the brains God gave me to dig a bit deeper. Then I can determine how best to deal with this current cultural trend.

Let’s start with a few of the basics:

Yoga began as a spiritual disciple in Hindu which includes breath control, meditation, and static postures of the body. Some people who practice yoga are active Hindus or Buddhists. Many are not.
In the western world, yoga is a broad term that is often descriptive of people engaging in the physical body postures that encourage strength and stamina. Sometimes this is combined with meditation for mental strength, but not exclusively. Some yoga classes used sacred words such as “Om”, “Namaste”, and certain chants that hint to Buddhism and Hinduism. Other classes make no reference to the spiritual world at all and are simply a form of physical exercise. Yoga potures have Sanskrit names that have spiritual meanings. Many times these are replaced with English names that simply describe the form the body is taking. (For instance, “lotus” has become “criss-cross applesauce”.)

The word “yoga” in Sanskrit means “yoke” or “union with God”. God tells me to not worship another god, and I must obey.

So I know that yoga started as an ancient spiritual practice of another religion which should lead me to move forward with caution. But I also know that Jesus came to redeem all things.

Is it possible to engage in a moderated form of yoga that feeds our Christian souls, or should we avoid it altogether? Can we be aware of the potential pitfalls and dangers of the spiritual side of yoga and then practice it in a meaningful way with a Christian bent and attitude?

The famous American minister John Piper seems to think that we can’t. He says we should avoid yoga completely, citing it as antithetical to Christianity.

Don’t get me wrong, I think Piper has some good things to offer. But in this situation I tend to think that maybe he’s throwing the proverbial “baby out with the bathwater”.

Christians have often taken “secular” symbols or practices and re-stored them into something that is healthy and even God-glorifying. Take Christmas, for example. December 25, the day on which we now celebrate Jesus’ birth, was reclaimed from the pagans. That date was redeemed from a pagan holiday to a Christian celebration.

Jesus has come to redeem all things. Even pagan holidays. Possibly even stretching and meditation and breathing?

Over the ages, Christians have used wisdom and the discernment to choose what is right for them as individuals and as a Body of believers. To apply Jesus’ redemption to various non-Christian things.

“Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial.” 1 Corinthians 10:23

So I need to decide if yoga could be beneficial (or detrimental) to me. In my case, I truly believe God has given me the wisdom and discernment to be able to stretch and strengthen my body without accidentally worshipping a false god. I even believe that I can meditate and breathe while I simultaneously reflect and contemplate how incredible God is. All without slipping into the devil’s snare.

But I am aware that this may not be the case for all people.

Personally, think that I can apply the idea of a “yoke” or “union with God” in yoga to my relationship with Christ. But that doesn’t mean I’ll just sign up for any yoga class that is offered. I need to be wise and first ask questions about how spiritual a class is before taking it. For my own purposes, I tend to learn at home with videos, so there’s not much of a risk of me getting caught in an awkward situation. If something gets a little weird, I can just turn it off.

Holy Yoga is a practice that is gaining traction, offering the grounding of the Gospel while reframing the positive aspects of yoga in a Christian way.

“Holy Yoga embraces the essential elements of yoga: breath work, meditation and physical postures. In all of these elements, Christ is the focus of our intention and worship.”

So as I‘m making a decision about yoga (or anything in my life!), I need to ask if it creates a risk of becoming a detriment to my walk with Jesus. If so, then I absolutely shouldn’t do it! But if yoga can be practiced in a way that is healthy to my body and mind, while drawing me closer to Christ with mindfulness and meditation, then is it possible that even John Piper can’t argue with that?

April 4, 2018

Does Prayer Really Make a Difference?

If you and I were having coffee together, and I asked you, “Hey, how’s your prayer life?”, how would you respond?

I know for most followers of Jesus, myself included, prayer is one of those things that we know we should do, but struggle making it a regular practice throughout our daily life.

Like any relationship, communication with Jesus is vital if we actually want to grow closer to Him. So we commit to pray. We sit down in the morning with our coffee and Bible, and start praying. It feels awkward, and we start to stumble through different things to pray for. We look at the clock after we’ve prayed for everything we can think of, and three minutes have passed. We get discouraged, pull out our phone, and give in to the noise of social media rather than the calming presence of our Creator.

I don’t know if you can relate to this scenario, but it strikes close to home for me. We want to pray. But it feels awkward, boring, and we quickly run out of things to say. And then we wonder, does my praying even make a difference?

Theologian Dallas Willard wrote, “The idea that everything would happen exactly as it does regardless of whether we pray or not is a specter that haunts the minds of many who sincerely profess belief in God. It makes prayer psychologically impossible, replacing it with dead ritual at best.” If God is good, all knowing, and all powerful, why do we need to pray anyway? Since God is ultimately in control, everything is going to happen the way it’s going to happen…right?

While this is a common assumption for a lot of us, it is far from what Scripture says about prayer. One story in Exodus completely blows this assumption to smithereens. Let’s take a look at it.

The story is in Exodus 32, when God was talking with Moses. Verses 7-14 details their conversation. It says, “The Lord told Moses, ‘Quick! Go down the mountain! Your people whom you brought from the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. How quickly they have turned away from the way I commanded them to live! They have melted down gold and made a calf, and they have bowed down and sacrificed to it. They are saying, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.’’’¨’¨Then the Lord said, ‘I have seen how stubborn and rebellious these people are. Now leave me alone so my fierce anger can blaze against them, and I will destroy them. Then I will make you, Moses, into a great nation.’’¨’¨But Moses tried to pacify the Lord his God. ‘O Lord!’ he said. ‘Why are you so angry with your own people whom you brought from the land of Egypt with such great power and such a strong hand? Why let the Egyptians say, ‘Their God rescued them with the evil intention of slaughtering them in the mountains and wiping them from the face of the earth’? Turn away from your fierce anger. Change your mind about this terrible disaster you have threatened against your people! Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You bound yourself with an oath to them, saying, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven. And I will give them all of this land that I have promised to your descendants, and they will possess it forever.’’ So the Lord changed his mind about the terrible disaster he had threatened to bring on his people.”

Don’t miss what just happened…God was going to do one thing, Moses pleaded with Him to do something else, so God changed His mind. Do you realize that your prayers have the same power today that Moses’ prayer had?

Mark 11:24 says, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

God wants an active relationship with you, which means back and fourth conversation. We are to be active participants in this relationship, rather than mere bystanders just waiting to see what God will do. That means that we must pray, expecting God to listen and respond to our prayer.

Let me clarify, I’m not advocating for a health-and-wealth Gospel. Some teachers declare that if you just have enough faith and name what you want, it will be yours. This is not what I’m saying. Health-and-wealth teaching is dangerous and far from biblical truth.

What I am saying is, let’s raise our view of prayer. God wants to engage in conversation with us, and will act on our prayers. He is a Good Father who listens to His children.

1 John 5:14-15 says, “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”

April 4, 2018

Our Unchangeable God in an Ever-changing World

That God is unchangeable is foundational to the character of God. Because He is unchangeable, all His attributes are intact throughout all time. He will never lose any part of His nature. Each trait is present in every circumstance. For instance, in the midst of man’s great wickedness, God exercises justice and righteousness because God is holy. As He executes justice and righteousness, God remains love. “Remains” is the proper word to use here because God is love. He is not just loving, He is love. He is the very essence of love.

God is complete.

Exodus 3:14 says, “God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.'” Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

These verses tell us that God is complete. He doesn’t need further growth or improvement. He doesn’t need more expertise. He has already attained. He has already reached the finality of who He is. He is all-perfect and all-mature. He is capable of being God.

God is consistent.

In Malachi 3:6 God declares, “For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” In Lamentations 3: 22,23 Scriptures say, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

These verses tell us that God is never swayed into being somebody else. He remains who He is regardless of how we are before Him. He acts and behaves according to His nature and never in accordance with how favorable or unfavorable we look before Him. He gives blessing upon blessing not because man is good but because HE always is.

God is reliable.

Numbers 23:19 says, “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”

This verse tells us that God doesn’t speak thoughtlessly or on a whim. He is never impulsive. Backed by an eternity of experience and knowledge, all He speaks is certain and trustworthy. I can count on Him to make good on all that He says.

A popular quote says, “Change is the only constant thing in this world.” However, there’s an equally popular quote that says, “Some things never change.” These are conflicting statements, right? Because the only constant thing in this world is not a thing. It’s a person and it’s God.

Let’s look at Psalm 102 for a moment and see how it ends beautifully. It says these about our unchangeable God:

“In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
They will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded.
But you remain the same, and your years will never end.

God is constant. Best of all, He is our constant companion. He will never change and He will never leave.

April 3, 2018April 4, 2018

Ever-Present Troubles, Ever-Present God

“Omnipresence” is what theologians call the presence of God. He is everywhere at the same time, all the time. He has a universal, unbounded presence. There is never a place where He cannot be. There is no place and no person beyond His reach.

“God is ever at your side.”

I love the thought of God being everywhere. But what I love more is the thought that God is ever here. He is ever at my side. As God promised Joshua in Deut. 31:6, so does He promise us now that He goes before us. He will never leave us nor forsake us. Sin, stress, and sorrows may cause us to doubt or forget that promise. But, God will remind and assure us of His unfailing presence especially when we most need it.

“God is with you when you must face something alone.”

God is with me at all times and in all situations. Psalm 23 assures us that even when we face death, He will be there with us. We need not fear the experience. For the child of God, death is never an end. It is but a transition into an eternity with our Father in heaven.

“God is with you permanently.”

From King Saul’s life, we learn that the Spirit of God left when there was sin and disobedience. From Samson’s life, we learn that the Spirit of God left when there was self-will. God’s Spirit came and He went whenever there was godlessness. After the resurrection of Christ, this changed. Before he ascended back into heaven, Jesus left His disciples an assuring promise of His unfailing presence in the person of the Holy Spirit. In John 14:16, Jesus said, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever.” He promised power from on High and He promised that this Divine Enabler would be with us forever. Sadly, we grieve the Holy Spirit in our lives when we live in rebellion. But thankfully He stays with us, rebuking us of our sin and leading us back into the path of righteousness.

“God is forever close and accessible.”

In the Old Covenant, only the high priest had exclusive access to a special section within the tabernacle, the Holy of Holies, where God’s presence dwelt. At the death of Christ on the cross, the veil that secluded the Holy of Holies tore apart. With that was a divine message that Christ has removed the barrier of separation. With that was a declaration that Christ has bridged us to the Father. From that time, man can be redeemed and could go into the very presence of God.

This is probably one of the greatest privileges ever afforded to the child of God. No longer do we have to depend on another person to make requests and communications with God on our behalf. We can directly enjoy communion with God, speak our hearts out to Him, and thru the Spirit, hear His heart reach out to us.

Our God is everywhere and our God is ever here. May this encouraging thought empower us to live confident lives today.

April 3, 2018

What Does the Bible Say About Friendship?

The Bible gives helpful insight about friends and friendship. Here are some truths we can glean from Scriptures:

1. Stronger friendships are those bonded by faith.

“I am a friend to all who fear you, to all who follow your precepts.” (Psalm 119:63)

We can be a friend to all, both to unbelievers and believers like us. But by spiritual design, we can discover the closest of friendships with those who hold the same faith and passion for God like we do. They are more spiritually keen on encouraging and restoring us in times of spiritual lowness. They know better how to give correction and reminders when we lose our way.

2. Gossipers are rarely good friends.

“A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.” (Proverbs 16:28)

We trust that our closest friends do not speak about us to others and with right friends, that’s quite always true. It is rare though for one to be a habitual gossiper and yet at the same time be a true friend that can keep the confidence and secrets of other friends.

3. Hot-tempered friends are likely to get you in trouble and can even influence you to become hot-tempered too.

“Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared.” (Proverbs 22:24, 25)

“Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 1 Corinthians 15:33)

Have you ever gotten in trouble on account of your friend? If yes, then you know from experience what these passages speak about. More so, a short fuse is easy to catch. You spend a lot of time with an impatient person and sooner or later, you become impatient yourself. So is being with an angry person.

4. Right friendships help you grow and improve.

“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17)

“Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.”

(Proverbs 27:5-6)

C.S. Lewis believed that “The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are.” A thing demonstrated is easily caught. If you want stimulation then be with people who can stir your heart and mind toward higher knowledge and better pursuits. Treasure and spend more time with those that prod you towards improvement. Aim for friendships that build you up and not tear you down.

5. Good friends are qualified to be brutally frank.

“Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted.” (Proverbs 20:5,6)

“Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.” (Proverbs 27:9)

Oscar Wilde said, “True friends stab you in the front.” It is wrong to think that an argument is a sign of poor friendship. True friends should have the freedom to speak freely with one another. Open yourself to correction and opposition from your closest friends. You need honest views and insights that can help you make decisions and needed changes in your life.

Proverbs 12:26 says, “The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.” It is true that the people you choose to be with can either bring out the best or worst in you. We should remain friendly and accessible to all men so that we can reach people with the love of Christ. We should also be selective as to whom we spend more intimate moments with for these are the very people who will have an influence in the shaping of our hearts and minds.

April 2, 2018November 13, 2018

Why the Resurrection of Jesus Matters in the 21st Century

On Easter morning, thousands of people put on their nicest dresses, ties, and hairstyles and went to a Church gathering. Many had big meals with family, and continue to celebrate all day long. As you go to these celebrations and church services, you may be asking, why does Easter really matter? Why does the Church celebrate something that happened 2000 years ago? Does it still matter today, in the 21^st century? And if so, what does it have to do with me?

If you are asking these questions, I’m so glad you’re here. Let me tell you, if you believe the message of Easter, which is the resurrection of Jesus Christ, your life will be completely altered forever. So with that, let’s look at why Easter is important.

The entire Bible tells one big, continuous story that points to Jesus. In Genesis, we read about God creating everything; the earth, space, oceans, land, plants, and animals, night and day”¦and the peak of His creation, man and woman. God created us in His image, and He created us to live in relationship with Him.

However, we decided to rebel against God. This tore us from being in a perfect relationship with Him and set us up for a life of pain and death.

Despite our rebellion, God had a plan to restore a relationship with us and to make everything right again. In Genesis 3, God promises to one day send Someone to defeat sin and death, and save His people. In Genesis 3:15, God said to the devil, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

This foreshadowing of Jesus’ coming continues throughout the Old Testament. God makes a promise to a man named Abraham, that He will make a great nation of his family, and one day, this promised savior would come from his family line. This family became the nation of Israel.

The rest of the Old Testament shows how God pursues Israel, despite their constant rebellion against Him. Then, we come to the book of Matthew. A virgin became pregnant and named the baby Jesus. This baby was fully God and fully man. He lived a sinless life and modeled what true life looks like. He spent the majority of his first 30 years of life as a carpenter. He then became a Jewish rabbi and began to disciple 12 apprentices. He spent the next three years of his life preaching, teaching, performing miracles, and healing people.

Jesus’ message was scandalous. The religious leaders and government officials were threatened by Him. They devised a plan to have Him killed. He was stripped, beaten, and then hung on a cross to die. He was put in a tomb, and His followers mourned. Was He not who He said He was? Was He not the One promised in Genesis that would save us?

Three days passed, and all hope seemed lost. A few of the women who followed Jesus went to the tomb where His body lay, but they were shocked to find the stone rolled away, and an empty tomb. Instead, there were two angels there to greet them. The women fell to the floor, terrified and confused.

Luke 24:5-8 says, “And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was till in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.’”

Jesus paid the price for our sin, conquered sin and death, and now reigns victoriously! He promised that He would one day come back to Earth, to ultimately restore all things. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right-hand of the Father, where He will be until He returns to Earth again.

That is what we celebrate on Easter. If you trust in Jesus and follow Him, you will have eternal life in Jesus. He invites you into His Kingdom, and that life starts as soon as you turn to Him. When you enter the Kingdom of God, His Spirit comes inside you and helps you to walk in intimacy with Him, and newness of life. Romans 8:11 says, “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”

This life that Jesus offers isn’t easy. It’s messy, scandalous, and different than anything the world has to offer. It is the only way to a life that offers true life, satisfaction, and joy.

In John 16:33, Jesus said, “I have said these things to you, that you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

I don’t know what you’re facing today, but Jesus promised we would face tribulation in this world. It could be a lost job, a scary diagnosis, family strife, an unplanned pregnancy, fill-in-the-blank”¦No matter what you’re going through, cling to Jesus as your hope! He has overcome the world and is bigger than anything you can face in this life!

So as your Easter festivities wind down and you go back to your daily life, I challenge you to look to Jesus. If you have not yet turned to Him and begun walking in the life He offers, would you consider it? He is so much better than anything this world can give you. He loves you and is eagerly waiting for you to call out to Him.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20

April 2, 2018November 13, 2018

What Does It Mean to Have a Sound Mind?

God says we do not have a spirit of fear. God gave us power instead, He gave us love, and He gave us a sound mind and all of these promises will work in the middle of the chaos and in the utmost impossible situations.

This week I have faced yet another diagnosis, I have a heart defect and a couple of other heart/lung related issues on top of my over 10 autoimmune diseases. I can feel myself dragging behind, my spirit is saddened and deep down I am fighting the fear off with all of my might. As I ponder and research this new threat against my life, this new stronghold and life-altering thing, a spirit of fear has tried to grab hold of me this week but I can rest assure that not only has God not given me a spirit of fear, He has given me a spirit of sound mind and I do not have to own the negative thoughts coming my way.

The urban dictionary definition of “Sound Mind means; To be mentally calm and self-confident in your actions. 1 Timothy 1: 7 could be translated as:

“God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power and of love — He has given you a mind that has been delivered, rescued, protected, and brought into a place of safety, so that it is no longer affected by illogical, absurd thoughts.”

Stand Firm—You’re Not Alone

It is important to read the word of God daily so that your spirit and mind can build up protection. When you have the word of God inside of you it shows on the outside, as well as the inside, you begin to think differently. When you allow the Word of God to work in your mind, it protects and retrains your emotions.

Prepare for Battle

When you begin to take charge of your own thoughts and live your life for God, Satan will fight you. You will have to battle his lies and the confusion, you will have to discern what does and does not line up with the word of God. Believe me, this fight will not be an easy one. Stand on your faith and stand firmly on the word of God.

Don’t Give Up!

Ten years ago, my Dad taught me an amazing trick as I battled some of my deepest mental and spiritual battles. He told me to imagine that I was standing at the feet of Jesus with a box, take all the irrational thoughts and all those thoughts that were driving me crazy and put them in the box, then slide the box over to the feet of Jesus. He said when you do that, you no longer own those irrational thoughts, those thoughts and confusions now belong to Jesus, so, that’s what I did. I imagined that box and every time I had an irrational thought I ran to that box and put all my irrational thoughts in that box and kept pushing it over to Jesus.

To this day, as I fight autoimmune diseases and now heart defects and whatever else may come up next. I will continue to place all of my irrational thoughts, all of my worries in that box and slide it over to Jesus. Today, put your worries, fears, anxieties, and irrational thoughts in the box and slide the box over to Jesus. AMEN

April 1, 2018December 6, 2022

Where Have All the Fathers Gone?

As soon as Rhys heard the front door open, he jumped up and began shouting for joy, “Mom Daddy’s home, Daddy’s home!”. His heartbeat racing and his brown eyes shining excitedly, anticipating playtime with Daddy. A wide grin spread across Rhys’s face as Daddy acted like a big bear. Daddy quickly dropping down onto one knee so that he’d be at his son’s height to horse around the living room. Sadly this scene is becoming a rear sight to see.

Today let’s talk about the invisible dads, the ones who don’t marry Mummy, don’t support their kids and don’t hang around for the hugs, kisses and nappy changes. There are millions of them around the world, and their numbers are growing.

“Today, more than one in four births is to an unmarried mother, and more than one in 10 births is to a teenager. These numbers portend a future of fragile families. Once considered primarily a racial problem, fatherless homes have increased across a wide range of demographics over the last ten years.”

How have we come to the point where a child with two parents is the exception rather than the norm? It is time that we put the issue of fatherless families front and center on our national agenda.

So who’s the real problem here? And why should we care?

It is time to shift our attention to the issue of male responsibility, and to the indispensable role that fathers play in our society.

Firstly, it would be an oversimplification to assume that two parents are always better than one as there are many courageous and loving single moms and daddy’s who are able to balance the competing demands on their time and attention, to care and provide for their children alone.

However, contrary to the sentiments of our culture and though our society is only beginning to recognize it, the presence of fathers within the home is vital to the moral integrity of a society. The short-term effects are already far too evident as statistics reveal that the loss of fathers is reverberating throughout the world in the form of social pathologies ranging from teen pregnancy to drug abuse.

Fatherless children are five times more likely to be poor and twice as likely to drop out of school as children who live with both parents.

Boys, without proper male role models, look to other sources for the male bonding they need. In the inner cities that often entails gangs while in the suburbs it tends to be online.

“According to the latest statistics, the increase in the proportion of single-parent families accounted for about half of the overall increase in child poverty from 1979 through to 1987.”

The Scriptures warn us about the power of fatherhood, as well as the long-lasting impact that fatherhood has on us all. Exodus 20:4-6.” Fatherlessness is the most harmful demographic trend of this generation

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree

“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” could be both about habits/behavior and also looks. Have you ever thought about that? Do you often find yourself reacting to a situation the way your father did? or scarier yet…do you ever see your mannerisms in your son? The footprint of a father leaves a permanent mark on the soul of a child.

Fatherhood is under assault

We hear a lot about the war on women…but it is the war on Dads that is causing the greatest damage in the world today. It’s not hard to find. If you watch any popular sitcom on television today, you’ll likely notice that fathers are typically portrayed as childish, irresponsible, lazy, incompetent and stupid.

The doofus dad stereotype isn’t new. There’s Fred Flinstone, and even Charlie Brown’s monotone parents. But according to Tierny, the consistency of these new portrayals has slowly created a new norm opposed to what being a father used to mean.

Dads make a difference. Dads can be heroes – if only we give them the chance. We remain optimistic that family still has more influence than media.

We all need another hero

Fathers are representatives of God on earth; as our heavenly father is the giver of life so also are the earthly father’s givers of life. Malachi 4:6 says “And he will turn, the hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”

God understands the importance of a father’s love and cares towards their children and He has set the standard by being the first example of a loving father.

“The SARRI report quotes research which found that “the presence of a father can contribute to cognitive development, intellectual functioning, and school achievement. Children growing up without fathers are more likely to experience emotional disturbances and depression.”

“Girls who grow up with their fathers are more likely to have higher self-esteem, lower levels of risky sexual behaviour, and fewer difficulties in forming and maintaining romantic relationships later in life. They have less likelihood of having an early pregnancy, bearing children outside marriage, marrying early, or getting divorced.”

A father’s touch

The first thing, therefore, that a father can do for his children is to love their mother. Another part of a father’s task is that of a protector for his family. But, Daddy also has another task in the home, which is to combine tenderness with strength, and to model the combination so consistently that the children regard the combination as natural.

Our kids must come to know naturally both that dad’s standards protect them, and that his love makes them strong.

Where have all the fathers gone?

Our courts do not value fatherhood as much as motherhood. In 2015 it is still the case that mothers and fathers do not have equal rights

And herein lies the problem. Our expectation of the role a separated father should play in his children’s lives is so low, that when half of dads who win “access” to their kids can’t even sleep under the same roof as their offspring, academics declare this to be an overwhelming success. One of the fruits of the feminist movement many claim is the idea that a woman is more responsible as a parent than the father is.

“He is not my Dad…he is just someone you sleep with!” How many mothers have felt the sting of those words? That is why God hates divorce. We should too.

Our culture has put asunder things which God has joined together—things such as tenderness and strength. It is the job of the father to put them back together again.

Fatherhood, like Motherhood has is its own rewards – as most dads have found. Sadly, for the others, the invisible ones, it is a gift foolishly squandered.

April 1, 2018March 18, 2019

In Uncertain Times Christ’s Death and Resurrection Offer Comfort and Hope

Understanding what the resurrection of Christ means for us as Christians is key to living a vibrant life in this trouble-laden world. Believers are not meant to just get by with living. Jesus says He had come so that we might have life and have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)

The Resurrection Saint may not always be aware of powerful declarations that hold true in his life. Whatever the circumstance, these remain true:

“I am an overcomer.”

An overcomer is someone who prevails over opposition or debility.

An overcomer surmounts.

Christ did not say we would never fail. He did not promise that we would never face hardships. In fact, Scriptures assure us that in this world, we will have tribulation. We are also warned that those who pursue godly lives in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. From Paul’s life we know that there will be weaknesses we will keep struggling with. But Scriptures did say, “Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith”¦ because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

Jesus allowed himself to taste death for every man’s redemption but he did not stay dead. He resurrected his body as a sign of His sovereignty and superiority over all. This same Jesus is the author of our faith and He is power at work in our lives, bringing us to betterment and maturity day after day. (Philippians 4:13)

“I am becoming new.”

Some oppose the idea of adopting the symbolism of the Easter Egg into the Christian celebration of Resurrection Sunday. However, it is interesting to note that the Easter Egg can be an appropriate symbol for new life. We see a freshly hatched egg and we see hope birthed. We see fresh life coming into this world. We see an egg and we understand that we don’t see a finished product before us, rather, we see all the great prospects of what that life can be.

That is the very description of our new life in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that “anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. The old has gone and all things are becoming new.” This is tremendous truth and hope to you, the child of God. You are never stuck. You are never a hopeless cause. Things can always get better and they will. You are Spirit-empowered with great capacities for growth and this power is accessible to you at all times (Acts 1:8). You can’t undo the past but you can live a better life from today.

A song rendered by Sandy Patty, “In Heaven’s Eyes” is a wonderful reflection of how God looks upon us and see who we can be through His eyes of grace. The lyrics of the chorus go like these:

“In heaven’s eyes, there are no losers,

In heaven’s eyes, no hopeless cause.

Only people like you, with feelings like me,

Amazed by the grace we can find,

In Heaven’s Eyes.”

Are you losing hope today? Are you out of wind? Ponder the meaning of all that Christ has accomplished for you that Resurrection Sunday and stay encouraged in this life. Each time the enemy comes to steal your joy and your drive, just look back on the resurrection of Christ and let its significance lift your spirits. Remember your declarations and know that no lies of the enemy can change the fact that these declarations are forever true in Christ.

April 1, 2018

Shock the Culture – How millennials can (really) change the world

Shock the Culture â€” How millennials can (really) change the world

We all have opinions, and often they are shaped from an experience we may have had at one time or another. The day-to-day life of a believer is no different. Whether we are at work, school, or running errands, we run into people who challenge religion, the church, or Jesus himself. There is even a former presidential candidate who stated that Christians should not hold positions of influence within government. As such it’s becoming more and more common to be openly hostile to Jesus and His church in our culture today.

Why is that? Why do people feel it is acceptable to marginalize any group? Isn’t it widely accepted that people shouldn’t be judged by which group they belong to? While we can complain about the perception the world has of us we need to ask ourselves whether their perspective is the reality?

We’ve heard all of the common complaints against the church. We’re selfish, hypocrites, or we think we’re better than everyone else. Where do they get these ideas? Wouldn’t it be much nicer if they used the fruits of kindness to describe us?

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentlenesses and self-control. Against such things, there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23, NIV).

Believers sit on a fence, and we have our hearts firmly planted in the faith while our feet are planted in our day-to-day activities. Is this just a public relations issue or is it systemic throughout the Western Church? Regardless, there is a disconnection in the way we perceive ourselves, and the world perceives us. It is as if the word “Christian” is synonymous with “Hypocrite” in our society.

In his book “The Way Back: How Christians Blew Our Credibility and How We Get It Back” Phil Cooke lays out a fairly compelling argument that it is not a public relations issue, however, a real issue with us. While writing this book, Cooke conducted some research into the churches behaviors.

70% – 80% of Americans classify as Christian, however, attendance at church weekly is 20% of that number. Cooke states that American Pastors claim that regular attendance at church is 3 out of 8 weeks according to most pastors (19 Sunday’s in one year!)

Of the 20% that attend a service, 63% say that prayer is essential (which means 37% don’t think prayer is essential)

Of the 20%, only 10% give 10% of their earnings as tithing

Cooke states that all of the things non-Christians say about us are true. It’s as if we’re the fat guy at the gym who is lecturing everyone on health.

Our churches focus on baptism, tithing, and attendance. All of which are at all-time lows. Did Jesus focus on those things? Shouldn’t we aim to be more like him? How did Jesus walk? He stood up for the weak, the oppressed, and the sick. He healed the broken and rose people from the dead. You still sad that Chick-fil-a is closed after church?

It is true, God has time for murders, adulterers, and other sinners, however, he does not have time for a believer who knows what to do and doesn’t do it.

The mission

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.” (John 13:35, NIV)

The early church rose from nothing. No political power, money, education, or plans. How did the disciples go from being a fringe group to being the most influential forces in the world?

The disciples were committed. How many of us can say we’re even half committed to the great commission? They made a substantial impact on Roman culture by taking in the sick, outcast, and downtrodden. In Roman times infanticide was a major issue. People would dispose of their babies and wouldn’t even give their baby a name until they decided if they’d keep it. One of the major tactics the early church did was to take in these abandoned children. They created hospitals, orphanages, and universities. The Roman culture started to wonder who these people were and were drawn to the love they displayed.

Real world example

Going out of your way to help someone is a struggle with our busy lives today. However, I’d like to share with you a real story that we can all relate to.

Tara, a member of a local church reached out to the local church community for help through the ARISE app crowdservice tool. It is a tool that churches use to coordinate acts of kindness and to reach out to their local communities. Her mother (a believer who doesn’t really attend church) needed to move, and she didn’t have enough money to pay a moving company. She was just diagnosed with cancer and needed to move in with her other daughter. Within a matter of a day three people (all from different churches) said they’d help. The day was set and the move was happening.

Tara could not be there on moving day so her sister came. She is an atheist and was anti-church. She didn’t have luke-warm opinions, she had very warm opinions of the church and let’s just say they did not resemble Galatians 5:22-23.

The move went smooth and the van was packed up in no time. No one threw a bible in her face or tried to perform an exorcism on her. A few days later, Tara asked her sister how the move went and she was taken back that three random people would show up to help her mother like this. Tara said to her sister “you know that they were all Christians, right?” Tara’s sister reply was great, she said: “well, I like those Christians.”

Just a simple act of kindness can move mountains. Just imagine what would happen if we as a church reached out like this? We’re not saying we all need to become Mother Teresa, but if we actively took part in performing acts of kindness like this the perception of the church would change, just as it did in ancient Rome.

What are the ways we can shock the culture?

There are 450,000 kids in foster care system today. What a large number of kids, right? No, not when you realize that there are 350,000 churches in America. If one family in each church said they’d take one or two kids, the whole system would be wiped out in one year, then each year another family did it. If the church body supported the family thereafter to help care and love these kids, we would transform lives!

It’s called crowd-service. It’s when large amounts of people chip in random acts of kindness to make a huge impact for Christ. The ARISE app is built for this: to show the world God’s love and grace. This is how we can change the public relations issues that the world has of Jesus and grow deeper in our relationship with Him.

Would another orphanage, hospital, or school shock our culture? Probably not, but would a new technology that upended the very core of the social safety net in western civilization? Absolutely, we use technology for money transfers, taking pictures, and many other things, why not to show the love of Jesus?

When people are in need they should turn to the church, not the government. We are here to love them. The roadmap is here: we are to love our God and love our neighbor. Let’s take that and apply it to these modern times.

Next Steps

Download the ARISE app today and get started. Ministry programs are great, but you need to take ownership of your own faith and love your neighbor yourself. Your pastor can’t love God for you. Bring what you have and remember what Jesus did with the fish and bread when he fed the multitudes. Are we different than the rest of society? What do I want to be? A complacent person who goes to the Sunday morning social club or a navy seal for Jesus? If your church isn’t pushing you to be active in your faith, then you need to find another church.

Together we can shock the culture in the same way that they did in the first century. What’s stopping us? Read their manifesto to learn more about this mission.

March 30, 2018January 15, 2024

So You Think You’ve Married the Wrong Person?

5 Truths about Godâ€™s Design for Sex in Marriage

When I saw Roger’s Facebook profile photo, my first reaction, if I’m honest, was that he wasn’t good-looking enough for me. Yet when he sent a message saying I was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, I gave into his invitation for dinner, she says in regret.

“According to a new survey of more than 1,600 divorcees, 49 percent admitted they were worried on their wedding day their relationship would break down, and two-thirds considered leaving their spouse-to-be at the altar.”

“A sixth said they hoped their partner would change after the wedding, while others said they got married in the hope that it would “all work out” in the end.”

Lord, I’m sorry! I married the wrong man. Please forgive me, she cries out in agonizing prayer.

No couple should expect bliss every day and most couples know that perfection is not on the cards. Nevertheless, there are couples who display such deep-seated incompatibility, such heightened rage and disappointment, that most people will conclude that something else is at play beyond the normal scratchiness: they appear to have married the wrong person.

How do such errors happen, in our enlightened, knowledge-rich times? To avoid becoming a “statistic,” try to internalize these 7 insights.

#1. You picked the wrong person because you expect him/her to change after you’re married.

Many Christians may assume that non-believers are more likely to marry the wrong person because they lack God’s guidance in finding their one true love. But not so fast. Unfortunately, the number of Christians divorcing is no lower than that of non-believers.

“Singles today (and most married couples too) are searching for super-spouses that simply don’t exist.”

Movie star Mickey Rooney said, “Marriage is like batting in baseball; when the right one comes along, you don’t want to let it go by.” It sounds good, until you realize that Mickey was married eight times. He must have had a lot of “good pitches” to swing at!

Mickey Rooney has what might be called the “needle in a haystack” view of picking a mate.

But you won’t find a “wrong needle” clause in the Bible that gives you an “out” if you conclude that your spouse isn’t right for you. Instead you’ll find in Malachi 2:15, “Do not break faith with the wife of your youth.”

Surprising to many, the Bible never tells us to find the one God has chosen. It tells us how to live with the person we have chosen. It’s easy to take our thoughts to the extreme when we’re so unhappy. But lets not forget that God says in the Bible says, “Come, let us reason together” (Isaiah 1:18). You didn’t marry a mind reader. Don’t fault him or her for that.

#2. You picked the wrong person because you focus more on chemistry than on character.

Many societies portray marriage as a temporary arrangement that can be adapted or forsaken at will. When first looking out for a partner, the requirements we come up with are coloured by a beautiful non-specific sentimental vagueness. All of us are crazy in very particular ways. All too many people say their vows without a real commitment to their spouse or to God.

Marriage is not primarily about finding the right spouse. It’s about being the right person. In his classic work, The Art of Loving, Erich Fromm declares, “To love somebody is not just a strong feeling—it is a decision, it is a judgment, it is a promise.

#3. You choose the wrong person because you do not share common life goals and priorities.

Biblically, a Christian should be looking to marry another believer who shares a similar commitment to following the Lord Jesus. Marriage to an unbeliever should be avoided (2 Corinthians 6:14). So, if a Christian marries a non-Christian, he or she may have indeed married the wrong person.

#4. You choose the wrong person because you got intimately involved too quickly.

“Do you know unmarried couples who attend church, have consensual sex, and may even live together? According to a recent study by the Barna Group,”

The Bible is filled with lots of info about sex, and believe it or not, God thinks it’s a great idea! And why shouldn’t He, He invented it and declared it to be “good.”

Many Christian couples also justify cohabitation with the rationalization that they are going to get married eventually. However, the Bible promotes complete abstinence before marriage. Sex between a husband and his wife is the only form of sexual relations of which God approves (Hebrews 13:4). Sex within marriage is pleasurable, and God designed it that way. God wants men and women to enjoy sexual activity within the confines of marriage.

If you believe Christ died on a cross for your sins and you are trusting in Christ alone for your salvation, Christ commands you to pick up your cross and follow him (Matt. 16:24). Sex outside of marriage is a sin, no matter how a person tries to interpret Scripture otherwise, and every Christian is called to obey God in this aspect of life. Jesus said.

Also consider this, if the Bible’s message on sex before marriage was obeyed, there would be far fewer sexually transmitted diseases, far fewer abortions, far fewer unwed mothers and unwanted pregnancies, and far fewer children growing up without both parents in their lives.

#5. You picked the wrong person because you didn’t put everything on the table.

Let’s start off with the big one. TRUST! When a spouse is persistently and relentlessly lying about dim-witted things, it causes worry and doubts to set up camp. The journey begins like this. A young man or woman identifies the person he or she wants to marry and begins the business of serious courtship. Time and money are no object. They have a worthy goal and are motivated, even if that means telling lies in the process.

“You look as beautiful today as the day I met you.” “Of course you don’t look fat in that.” “I’m not angry.” “I wasn’t looking at her, I was just noticing her boots.”

Legally, all you need for a wedding is a visit to the county clerk’s office, and whatever else your local government requires. Most weddings these days skip the garter toss; many skip the bridesmaids and groomsmen, and some even skip the flowers. But what matters most is that you tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

“If you tell the truth, it becomes part of your past, however, if you tell a lie, it becomes part of your future”. ~ Author Unknown”

Wow does that quote nails it, or what??!!

#6. You picked the wrong person because you use the relationship to escape from personal problems and unhappiness.

In many places in the world, a fantasy is promoted that marriage should meet all our needs—the emphasis being on meeting one’s own needs, not the needs of one’s spouse. However, people that are unhappy when single and expect marriage to fulfil their lives are greatly disappointed as their level of contentment will drop even lower when married. Unrealistic expectations are those demands you make of your spouse of which he or she is incapable of providing.

“When you’re single, you experience a range of contentment from low to high. However, when your married, that range becomes even wider in both directions. Greater contentment—or discontentment.”

God wants to destroy you, not the physical you, but the selfish you. Jesus taught us that if we don’t die to our selfish nature, we will never be able to experience all the blessings that God wants to bestow on us. Well, if there was ever an institution designed to kill the selfish you, it’s marriage. In fact, it is virtually impossible to succeed at marriage if you don’t learn how to let the selfish part of you die.

#7. You picked the wrong person because you did not consult with God

“I don’t think I can do any better. He or she said, It may sound clich, but if you don’t respect and love yourself, it will be difficult to respect and love another person.”

Surely we aren’t destined to fail. So maybe we have misunderstood the will of God. I know that sounds simplistic. Many people claim that is the problem with their marriage. If they could go back and press rewind, if they knew back then what they know now, they would have made different decisions. But remember that God promises us that if we ask, He will give. And while asking, request that the Holy Spirit guide you as your Wonderful Counselor (Isaiah 9:6).

How can a person prevent getting married to the wrong person?

The truth is, a successful marriage is not the result of marrying the “right” person, feeling the “right”emotions, thinking the “right” thoughts, or even praying the “right” prayers,

Instead, keep your eyes wide open before marriage, half shut afterwards,” is good advice (Poor Richard’s Almanac, June 1738), but even more helpful is to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33).

March 29, 2018January 15, 2024

5 Truths about God’s Design for Sex in Marriage

Living in an over-sexualized culture, we hear messages about sex, wrong messages. These messages become more a part of us than God’s truth because we hear them repetitively and churches are scared to address sexuality.

For too long, I believed the world’s message about sex. That it’s a superficial, feel-good avenue to self-satisfaction. Wrong, partly. God did design sex to feel good!

But, there is more than that. He designed it for profound spiritual, physical, and emotional connection. It is just a shadow of things to come.

God’s design of sex is too amazing to keep silent about.

Here are five truths about God’s design of sex in marriage.

God designed sex to be bonding.

Not only spiritually bonding, but emotionally and physically. When the two become one flesh, biochemicals are released in our bodies like oxytocin and dopamine. Oxytocin, especially, is a bonding chemical. When I embraced this truth and started engaging in the marriage bed more, the tone of our marriage completely changed.

“This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh,” Genesis 2:24 (NIV).

God designed sex for both husband and wife to experience pleasure.

It’s an equal opportunity activity. Why else would there be a clitoris? It’s only function is for pleasure. The Song of Solomon is full of beautiful poetic language about the pleasures of physical love for both spouses.

If one spouse struggles with the ultimate moment, there are Christian resources available to help the couple understand how to achieve mutual enjoyment.

“The mandrakes send out their fragrance, and at our door is every delicacy, both new and old, that I have stored up for you, my beloved,” Song of Solomon 7:13 (NIV).

God designed sex so that we would know yearning.

Before you were married, you yearned for your fianc. Not only did you crave your fiance’s touch, you craved his/her presence and knowing him/her better. Even after years of marriage, it is good to remember this yearning. It mirrors how God desires us to yearn for him. I believe this is one reason he frequently uses the marriage as a symbol of his relationship with us throughout the Bible.

“Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us?” James 4:5 (NIV).

God designed the marriage bed to be a place to show the fruit of the Spirit.

Peace, patience, love, joy, gentleness, kindness, faithfulness, goodness, and self-control are the foundation of all Christian life, especially the marriage bed. All conflict surrounding the marriage bed can be managed through employing these key traits.

My own marriage endured a long season of mismatched sex drives. It was through these qualities and some wise communication tools that we overcame our conflict.

God designed sex as a powerful mystery.

Biblical stories of sex often confused me when I was young. There was some nasty stuff in the old testament, the rape of Dinah, Lot and his daughters, the men of Gibeah clammering for the male visitor, Leviticus 20. And yet, there is the beautiful Song of Solomon. The New Testament seemed to prefer celibacy, to be honest. As a teenager, I couldn’t understand why I liked thinking about sex if it was disgraceful and violent.

But, as an adult, I realized the stories were teaching me that sexual intimacy is powerful and mysterious. It’s OK not to have it all figured out, as long as you respect the power it holds to do good when it is aligned with God’s perfect design.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts,” Isaiah 55:8-9.

Final Thoughts

Don’t let the world’s message of cheap sex destroy the meaningful sex in your marriage. Sex may only be a small portion of the whole of your marriage. However, sex matters. It especially matters if one spouse is more interested than the other. When we ignore its power and importance in marriage, the relationship suffers.

Now, granted chronic health issues can affect sexual function and that’s a more complicated story.

March 29, 2018January 15, 2024

Can We Find God Through Nature?

What Does It Mean That God "Speaks" Through Creation?

The world began with a story. A spoken word made material through the creator of the universe.

The Lord is good to all people and his tender mercies are over all his works.

All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee. Psalm 145:9, 10.

We love to contemplate the character and love of God in His created works.

But what evidences has He given the children of men of His power, as well as of His parental love?

The vastness of the universe gives testimony to God as Creator. The Hubble telescope continues to reveal previously unknown galaxies. Our awesome universe simply astounds us. Under the night sky, King David of ancient Israel asked God:

“O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! .When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is a man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?”

“All thy works praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee” (Psalm 8:1, 3, 4; Psalm 145:10).

The Suitability For Life On Earth – An Example Of God’s Witness In Nature

The physical size of the earth is just right to support life as we know it.
The moon is just the right distance from earth. If it were much closer, tides which are now harmless, would completely submerge the continents twice a day.
The composition of the atmosphere is about 78 parts nitrogen and 21 parts oxygen, just perfect, as too much nitrogen in the atmosphere would slow down all functions of the body so that death would finally result.
The atmosphere of the earth also serves a protective blanket to shield us from deadly radiation.
Water is colorless, odorless and without taste, and yet no living thing can survive without it. Plants, animals and human beings consist mostly of water (about two-thirds of the human body is water).

This Is Not A Coincidence!

It is difficult to believe that all of these things are a series of fortunate coincidences.

To Enjoy Nature, Is To Enjoy God

The prevailing cosmological view during the Middle Ages in Europe was that the Earth was flat, instead of round. However, had our world been formed on a perfectly flat surface the tediousness, lack of variety, variation and the repetitiveness and uniformity would have fatigued the eye and wearied the senses and created a lack of interest, excitement, and eventually dreariness.

Instead, God has dressed our world with hills, valleys, and ranges of mountains. The rugged granite and mountains decorated with evergreens, and valleys with their softened beauty make the world a mirror of loveliness.

We can never be lonely while viewing the grand scenery of nature.

The snow-capped mountain heights, hills, and valleys should be to us as schools in which to study the character of God in His created works. The works of God which we may view in the ever-varying scenesshould teach us lessons of the skill and love of God and of His infinite power.

Those who study nature cannot be lonely. They love the quiet hours of meditation, for they feel that they are brought in close communion with God while tracing His power in His created works.

March 28, 2018November 13, 2018

Living Through Grief

Death. Most of us do not choose it for ourselves, much less for our loved ones. Both of my children died before me. Each year as I approach the anniversaries of their deaths, Pax in May 1982 and Catherine in April 2011, I walk a journey of remembrance.

Many of those who have been bereaved of precious loved ones find themselves doing this. We replay conversations. We think about who said what, who did what, what happened next. We may remember the weather vividly or some other detail. The last time we shared a meal together is a precious memory.

Remembering in this way is a natural part of the human experience of loss, and we are reminded at Easter that this is also a normal part of our Christian experience.

We are beckoned onwards this week. We know what’s coming. We began on Sunday, a lovely sunny day as it happened, celebrating the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem. We’ve sat at his side at the table for the last meal with his followers, breaking bread and drinking wine in remembrance.

Evening falls, and we watch with him in the garden as he prays and weeps. We wait with bated breath for the arrival of Judas, the Betrayer. Our hearts are racing as we consider what happens next: Jesus is about to suffer. He will be ridiculed, questioned, accused; he will be stripped, beaten, crowned with thorns.

It is Good Friday now. We follow his faltering steps as he carries the cross. We are not alone. Crowds of grief-stricken women also follow, weeping and mourning.

Can it get worse? Yes, it can and it does. Jesus suffers the pain of crucifixion; the wooden beams are raised and he hangs there. Most of his friends have abandoned him. Still, his enemies mock him. There is agony, there is blood, and then there is death.

This journey of remembrance is painful yet it is one that is taken by many millions of Christians throughout the globe each year. Tears are shed as we dwell for a time on the sacrifice Jesus made in choosing to accept this cruel death.

Nobody tells the multitudes of mourning Christians to “move on” during Easter week. Nobody tells them, “stop your crying,” and expects them to “find closure” when the body of Jesus is laid in the tomb.

But so often that is the attitude of others towards a grieving spouse or partner or parent or child or sister or brother or friend. The Christian community does not always travel well with the mourners. There is usually sympathy for the person whose heart has been broken by loss, but the expression of that sympathy can be shallow. Often it simply does not acknowledge the depth of the pain of loss.

“She’s at peace, she’s with the Lord now.” (Yes, but she’s not here.)

“At least his suffering is over.” (But why did he need to suffer? Why didn’t God heal him?)

“It was God’s will.” (Really?!)

“Time heals all wounds.” (Nothing and no person can replace the person I’m missing.)

“Everything will be okay.” (How can it be? They’re gone!)

“Don’t you need to think about moving on soon?” (Moving where exactly?)

And the list of clichs and platitudes continues. We’ve all heard them, and most of us have probably said them at some point in time, in a well-intentioned effort to comfort the grief-stricken.

But would those have been our words of support if we had mingled in that crowd of grief-stricken women following Jesus to his death? Would they have been comforted?

Come Saturday, if we had found ourselves in the locked room with his disciples, would we have spoken those trite sayings? Would we have told Mary his mother, “time heals all wounds”? Would we have told John, “It’s time to move on”?

I don’t think so.

We now know that the days leading up to the big event – the procession, the supper, the betrayal, the trial, the crucifixion – were not the end of the story. The anguish and hopelessness was followed by Sunday. The sun rises. Jesus conquers death.

But on the way to that victorious moment, there were many tears.

As individual Christians grieving our personal losses, the message of Easter does give us hope, but it is simplistic and just plain untrue to think that this all we experience. We are living with the sad absence of our loved ones and that can be hard to bear.

I have hope that my children are at peace and that one day I will see them again, but I still miss them.

I imagine how Pax would have looked and behaved if he had reached his 4th birthday, his 10th, his teens. It is hard for me to conceive how different my life would be if he was here now, perhaps a parent himself, which would have meant I was a grandparent. He would be 39.

And I miss dear Catherine, with her generous heart, funny sense of humour and love of cooking, but also her struggles with bipolar disorder. I miss her phone calls, I miss our visits. I miss having a daughter to advise me on clothing styles. I miss long talkative walks. I miss being able to congratulate her on her latest attempts at work or study. I miss sharing a cup of coffee or a meal out.

Easter isn’t only the palm branches of celebration and the sunrise of hope. There is also a procession of tears. Being more honest about grief, acknowledging it, facing into it, is how I believe we can survive the losses in our lives, as well as support others who are walking through their own dark valleys. The Road of Grief – How Well Do We Travel with the Mourners?

March 27, 2018April 24, 2020

Can Rock Star Alice Cooper Really Be A Christian?

Thinking back to the rock celebrity from the 1970s, Alice Cooper, and your mind will probably conjure up images of a creepy long-haired guy with runny black eye makeup who plays with snakes. In an age when hard rock was associated with all things evil, Alice Cooper seemed to epitomise that genre. His style was macabre theatre and he played it up with all his might.

But it wasn’t always that way.

Raised as a pastor’s kid (and the grandson of an evangelist) Alice Cooper grew up in Detroit and Phoenix as Vincent Damon Furnier. He even served in the church as a pre-teen. But as a teen, Furnier wandered off from the church to begin his rock career, eventually adopting the band name “Alice Cooper” as his own. In many respects, he became a completely different person.

Inspired by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, and The Who, Cooper’s band jumped quickly into fame in the 1960s and 1970s with showmanship as well as musical talent. Drugs and alcohol came naturally along with the mix, while violent stage antics began to draw more and more attention. Glam-rock costumes, fake blood, torture of baby dolls, and even mock human executions became trademarks, leaving audiences wondering what could be next.

The effect was controversial in public, to say the least, while Cooper’s life was on a downward spiral in private. Hospitalising himself for alcohol addiction in the late 70s, he wasn’t able to kick his habit of illicit substance abuse. Barely able to remember recording some of his albums in the 80s, Cooper was so addicted that his wife filed for divorce (they then reconciled). He began acting in B-grade horror films as well as appearing as a dark personality in many other formats.

Since then, things have drastically changed again.

The faith of his childhood never went away and Cooper eventually hit rock bottom. He looked around himself and saw his drinking buddies, including Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix, realised they were dying before they were 30, and didn’t want the same for himself.

When he bottomed out, Cooper knew where to turn. He credits his full recovery to God.

Appearing as King Herod in NBC’s live version of Jesus Christ Superstar for Easter 2018, Alice Cooper’s dark experience likely allows him to identify with Herod’s dark side more than the average person.

Now 70 years old, Cooper declares that he and his wife are both Christians who read the bible and pray every day. Alice’s wife, Sheryl, also grew up as the child of a clergyman. The couple has remained faithful to each other throughout their 42-year marriage and are thankful that their three kids have never had any problems with alcohol or drugs.

Alice Cooper doesn’t consider himself to be particularly “religious” but he does go to church every Sunday. He also heads up a faith-based organisation in Phoenix, called Solid Rock, which ministers to teens in partnership with a local church.

Cooper says that Christianity is all about “dependence on Christ” and a “one-on-one relationship”. And he is adamant that there’s nothing in the bible that says he can’t be a Rock Star.

Check out these lyrics from Cleansed By Fire from the 1994 album “The Last Temptation”:

What about truth

What about life

What about glory

What about Christ

What about peace

What about love

What about faith in God above”¦.

You’re lost

And I’m found

And I’m Heaven Bound