The Casper Chronicles

James and The Tongue

2009-03-30T21:24:00.001-07:00

Two weeks ago, my pastor - Matt Guerino - wrapped up our study on James and spent some time talking about controlling the tongue and how hurtful our words can be to others. It all too often happens that my mind immediately goes down another path. In this case, I started thinking about withholding praise which is a similar, but significantly different issue with the tongue. As he talked, I realized that I had become significantly self-absorbed over the last few months. Work has been incredibly busy and with two young girls in school and dance classes, it has been busy at home as well. As a result, it occurred to me that there is one particular person at work from whom I have withheld praise that was due to him. After Sunday, I made sure that I communicated to him how much I appreciated his work, and made sure to include specifics. Lesson learned, I prepared to move on.

The interesting thing about God is that he doesn't include me in the heavenly conference calls about when I'm done learning something. Every once in awhile, I'd like to connect in and hear what they have in store for me, and maybe even give some input on what I'd like to learn next. For now, I just have to wait until the fun happens to realize what they have in store for me.

This weekend, we were in Seattle to visit family and for Kari-Ann to attend a ministry conference, but on Saturday night, I was able to attend the 40th birthday party of a friend I've known for almost 15 years. After the amazing food and yummy cake, his wife asked us all to tell where we met Rick and what he means to us. There were others there who had known him longer than I, and several who had met him in the last few years, but the comments had common threads:

Those who knew him during his single years loved his shiny red sports car.
Even as an introvert, he opened his house up to a significant number of people. He was a significant reason that there was a community of believers in our single adults group, and his willingness to open up his house to others continues to this day. His authenticity, openness, and incredible home theatre system drew people together.
Rick had a profound impact on our lives. I'm sure we could have gone on for hours, and it was obvious that his love of God and his love of others had significant ripple effects on those around him. Although I didn't mention it at the party, he had influenced who I was during a time when I was just learning to be comfortable in my own skin. He was a friend who demonstrated maturity and integrity. And when my oldest brother died, he was one of the few people I turned to for support.

For me, the best part of the night was watching his friends give praise where it was due. We had the opportunity to express our gratitude for his friendship and everyone took advantage of it. More than one of us choked up as we told stories that were sometimes humorous, sometimes serious, and always full of appreciation. During the party, I realized during the comments that I don't think I'd ever shared with Rick before how much I truly appreciated his friendship.

So, since God obviously isn't through with teaching me about exhorting others, I've decided to put a list together of those people who have had an impact on my life. The list is long, so I estimate that it will take several months to work through. I'll start with my wife and daughters, the rest of my family, and move on to others like several of my pastors (Matt, Glenn, and Bill), co-workers, teachers (Dr. Stoops, Jess Cooper, and Dr. Kowalski), and a multitude of friends (Andrew and Shalee, Joel, Orrin, Jesse, Brian, Bryon, and more than I can possible list here.) While I work my way through this list, my exhortation to you is to let those around you know not only that you appreciate them, but why.

Winter Wonderland

2008-12-21T16:44:00.001-08:00

Before it started snowing today, we'd already measured 9 inches of snow at our house. The freezing rain added another quarter inch of ice to the top of the snow. It is now snowing again and has added another inch of snow on top of the ice. Most of the time, you have to travel, plan, or wait patiently for the perfect picture. We lucked out since these were outside of our house. In addition to just enjoying the beauty of winter snow, we've also been having a lot of fun playing outside. As you can see, the girls have had a blast even though we've been stuck at home.

Our back yard gate

A Frozen Rose

Fallen Rose (This rose snagged my sweatshirt as I walked past. It landed on the ice with three petals chipping off.)

Ice on a Fence

Driveway Sledding

Moonlight Sledding (Adults Only)

Book Notes: The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel

2008-12-20T10:18:00.001-08:00

I recently finished reading The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel. (Does six weeks ago count as recent?) I'd heard of the book before reading it, and mentally classified it as a book that could be used for evangelism. I'd since forgotten about it until it came up in a conversation with Andrew - one of my good friends. Sometime after Easter, he offered to lend me his copy of the book. I have to thank him for lending it to me since it was one of the best books I've read in recent memory. I was honestly surprised in how much my faith was strengthened in reading the book. I've been a believer in Jesus for as long as I can remember. I can remember sitting in the kitchen with my dad when I was in first grade as he explained what communion was and then took it with me. I've been reading the Bible and learning about God for over 30 years and I found that reading Mr. Strobel's book was not only easy to read, but I found that my faith was strengthened.

I'd recommend it to any believer no matter how long they've believed in Jesus. You'll find your faith strengthened and be awed by how God has protected His word through the generations. I'd highly recommend it for anyone struggling in their faith or for someone who is wondering what this Christianity thing is all about. Rather than try capture all of the contents of the book here, I want to post Strobel's "So What?" questions that he came up with on the day he chose to believe in Jesus. I found them powerful and hope you will to:

If Jesus is the Son of God, his teachings are more than just good ideas from a wise teacher; they are divine insights on which I can confidently build my life.
If Jesus sets the standard for morality, I can now have an unwavering foundation for my choices and decisions, rather than basing them on the ever-shifting sands of expediency and self-centeredness.
If Jesus did rise from the dead, he's still alive today and available for me to encounter on a personal basis.
If Jesus conquered death, he can open the door of eternal life for me, too.
If Jesus has divine power, he has the supernatural ability to guide me and help me and transform me as I follow him.
If Jesus personally knows the pain of loss and suffering, he can comfort and encourage me in the midst of the turbulence that he himself warned is inevitable in a world corrupted by sin.
If Jesus loves me as he says, he has my best interests at heart. That means I have nothing to lose and everything to gain by committing myself to him and his purposes.
If Jesus is who he claims to be (and remember, no leader of any other major religion has even pretended to be God), as my Creator he rightfully deserves my allegiance, obedience, and worship.

The questions are important, but the answers are backed by evidence. Evidence that you'll find in The Case for Christ and in the resources Mr. Strobel refers you to.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-24T21:31:00.001-08:00

I've been thinking a lot about Thanksgiving over the past several months. Usually, it sneaks up on me, but over the past few months, I've been constantly reminded of how much I have been blessed. I could write for days about my amazing wife, my wonderful family, my really cool friends, and even some pretty outstanding co-workers, but most of all, I'd have to write about how God has worked in our lives to provide us with blessings and opportunities to bless others.

It hasn't come without difficulties. Although we've been able to help others in need, our hearts have been broken by the pain and sadness in so many around us. We've seen divorce, custody battles, chronic illness, kids with cancer, job loss, and more pain than I care to recount. Through all of the heart wrenching sadness, we've seen God work in our lives as we've allowed Him to use us, but more importantly, we've seen the impact of His love on those around us.

This may sound strange, but through it all, I've been reminded of Abraham Lincoln. In the middle of the Civil War, one of the best Presidents in U.S. history issued the first in an unbroken chain of Thanksgiving Day proclamations. Although the schools teach us about the first Thanksgiving Day dinner with the Pilgrims, our Thanksgiving Day holiday was originally issued by Abraham Lincoln. His words from 1863 are as true today as they were then, and as we approach Thanksgiving, I wanted to share them with you.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle, or the ship; the axe had enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years, with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the city of Washington, this third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the independence of the United States the eighty-eighth.

A. Lincoln

Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours.

Basic Bible Doctrines - Session 5

2008-11-24T20:48:00.001-08:00

Satanology or the doctrine of Satan is properly a part of Angelology since Satan is a fallen angel. It is that part that deals specifically with the ruler of the fallen angels or demons (Matt. 25:42; Rev. 12:7-9). The career of Satan, which extends from the dateless past, before man's creation (Job. 38:7), to eternity future, is inclusive in the Bible and forms a major and an important doctrine of the Word of God.

1 Peter 5:8-9 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith …

Satan is not just an evil, impersonal influence, but a very real creature, a fallen angel with supernatural powers. He is also not the keeper of hell. The lake of fire was prepared for him and his angels. Furthermore, it is not the devil who confines people to hell or Hades. It is God who sends men there and later to the lake of fire to join Satan and the demon hosts (Matt. 25:41; Rev. 20:11-15). To be effective against the enemy you must know your enemy so you can be prepared to effectively counter his attacks. For this reason alone, the doctrine of Satanology is a very important study.

Seven Old Testament books teach his existence (Genesis, 1 Chronicles, Job, Psalms, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Zechariah) and every New Testament writer refers to his reality and activity as a personal being. More importantly, Christ also affirmed the fact of Satan and his activity as a personal being in 25 of the 29 Gospel passages that speak of him.

The Nature of Satan

· He is a Creature: like all angels, Satan is a creature, created by Christ, the Creator of all things (John 1:1 with Psa. 148:1-5; Col. 1:16; Ezek. 28:13).

· He is a Spirit Being: Hebrews 1:14 describes angels as spirits and demons are called unclean spirits (Matt. 8:16; 12:45; Luke 7:21; 8:2; 11:26; Acts 19:12; Rev. 16:14). Further, the fact we are told that “we do not wrestle with flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12) also suggest that Satan and his demons are spirit beings. Finally, the fact that Paul describes them as invisible also shows they are spirit beings (Col. 1:16).

· He Has Limitations: Though extremely powerful, Satan is neither omnipotent, omniscient, nor omnipresent. He simply cannot be everywhere at once. Angels are not omnipotent, omniscient, or omnipresent. They cannot be everywhere at once and this is true of Satan. However, as the chief of his demons forces or as the “prince of the power of the air” (Eph 2:2), he is chief of a vast host of demons who are so numerous as to make Satan’s power and presence seem to be practically ubiquitous or everywhere at once (cf. Mark 5:9).

Because of this limitation, many references to Satan or the devil include his whole kingdom. The person of Satan does not personally tempt each of us for he simply cannot do that. He is only able to do so through his world system and demon hosts. In his appearance when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord (Job 1:6), in the temptation of Christ (Matt. 4:10f), and the entrance into Judas (Luke 22:3) we surely have clear references to the person of Satan himself, but in many other passages, Satan or the devil seems to stand for Satan’s kingdom (see Mark 3:23; 4:15; Luke 13:16; 1 Pet. 5:8-9; Jam. 4:7). The promise of Scripture is that “greater is He who is in us, than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

Read Ezekiel 28:11-19 (English Standard Version) - A Lament over the King of Tyre

11Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me: 12(A) "Son of man,(B) raise a lamentation over(C) the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord GOD:

"You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you. In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you. By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade you profaned your sanctuaries; so I brought fire out from your midst; it consumed you, and I turned you to ashes on the earth in the sight of all who saw you. All who know you among the peoples are appalled at you; you have come to a dreadful end and shall be no more forever."

Although there is some debate that this passage in Ezekiel refers to Satan, there is ample evidence to assume that it refers to something greater than the King of Tyre that was mentioned in the previous verses. If it is describing Satan, it describes his original state as the anointed cherub who was not only a created being, but created perfect. He enjoyed the highest position and honor in the presence of God. Because of his pride and aspirations to be like God, he became God’s chief adversary. After this, he is never again called by any of the prestigious titles. Instead, he is called by the terms that reflect his fallen character and hostility to God and men. We’ll look at those in a minute.

As with the rest of the angels, the time of his creation is not specified. If Ezekiel 28:13 refers to Satan and to the earthly Garden in Eden, then, of course, he had to have been created before God planted the Garden in Eden (Gen. 2:8).

Read Isaiah 14:12-17

"How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit. Those who see you will stare at you and ponder over you: 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, who made the world like a desert and overthrew its cities, who did not let his prisoners go home?'

In Isaiah, we see that before his fall, as the Day Star or the shining one. He is described as having great power (who shook kingdoms, etc.). We also see that eventually, he will be brought low. We also see that his sin was originally intended to be secret, but was openly known by God. His sin consisted of:

· His desire to share God’s abode – verse 13a. His rightful place was in the second heaven. While his duty was in the third heaven with God, his abode was not.

· His desire to control heaven’s hosts – verse 13b. Job 38:7 shows us that the stars may be a reference to angels as does Rev 12:3-9.

· His desire to control God’s chosen people – verse 13c. He wanted to rule together with or instead of the Messiah. The terms “mountain”, “congregation”, or “assembly” and “sides of the North” probably refer to “government”.

· His desire for the glory which belongs to God alone – verse 14a. The term “heights” or “heavenlies” may well be a reference to the proper abode of angels, and the term “clouds” is often associated with the divine presence and glory – the shekinah. Ex 24:15-18.

· His desire for the power and authority of the Most High – verse 14b. This title of God indicates that Satan’s desire was to be “possessor of heaven and earth,” Gen 14:19-22. His sin was wanting to be like God. This is one of the major clues that he has always been a master counterfeiter. His sin was not only the rejection of God’s will, but also the substituting of something else of his own design in its place.

The nature of Satan’s character and work in opposition to God is clearly seen in the temptation he placed before Adam and Eve. He tempted them to act independently of God that they might become like God knowing good and evil. Man wants to leave his proper abode as a creature and become like a god. The source of this is found in the temptation of the serpent, identified in the New Testament as the devil (2 Cor. 11:3; Rev. 12:9, 11)

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Specific Names Applied to Satan

We find out a lot about the character and personality of Satan simply by looking at the names used to describe him in the Bible.

Lucifer, Son of the Morning (Isa. 14:12)

These two names mean “morning star or shining one and son of the dawn (Isa. 14:12). The Hebrew word for Lucifer (KJV translation) is helel, literally “the shining one.” It comes from a Hebrew form, halal. Significantly, the form has two meaning: (1) it means “to shine,” or it can mean, depending on the context, (2) “to boast or praise.” Ironically, as the shining one he got his eyes off the Lord, the source of his brilliance, became proud and boastful instead of full of praise to God’s glory. This name draws our attention to his pre-fall condition and to the nature of the cause of his fall—pride.

Satan (Job 1:6-9; Matt. 4:10)

The title “Satan” occurs 53 times in 47 verses in the Bible. The Greek word is satanas and the Hebrew is satan. The primary idea is ‘adversary, one who withstands.’ It points to Satan as the opponent of God, of believers, and all that is right and good. We should note, however, that Satan often appears as an angel of light promising what is supposed to be good (Gen. 3:1f; 2 Cor 11:14), but it is only a sham to further aid him in his work as the arch enemy and adversary in opposition to God and what is truly good.

The Devil (Matt. 4:1, 5, 9; Eph. 4:27; Rev. 12:9; 20:2)

“Devil” is the Greek word diabollos which means “slanderer, defamer.” This accentuates his goal and work to impugn the character of God. This is clearly spelled out in 1 Peter 5:8 where he is called “our adversary.”

The Serpent (Rev. 12:9)

This name for Satan looks back to the account in Genesis 3 and the temptation in the Garden. It is designed to remind us of his crafty deception and guile (cf. 2 Cor. 11:2; Rev. 12:9).

The Evil One (John 17:15; 1 John 5:9)

In these two passages, Satan is described of as “the evil one.” The Greek adjective, ponhros, means “wicked, evil, bad, base, worthless, vicious, degenerate.” In both passages it has the article and in either case it may be either masculine, “the evil one,” or neuter, “the wickedness or evil.”

The Dragon (Rev. 12:7)

In this passage Satan is called “the dragon.” The Greek word is drakwn and refers to a “hideous monster, a dragon, or large serpent.” This word stresses the cruel, vicious, and blood thirsty character and power of Satan. This name is especially related to his end-time character and world system when God removes all restraints and allows him to go his natural way, to become what he naturally is.

The Prince or Ruler (John 12:31)

Some translations have “prince” and others “ruler” as in John 12:31. The Greek literally means, “the ruler of this world system.” This points to Satan as the head and energy behind the arrangements of things as they are in the world today in their opposition against God, His plan, and people.

The God of This World or Age (2 Cor. 4:4)

Satan is called, the god of this world which may emphasize Satan’s rulership over this final period or economy which is so marked by a growing increase in apostasy, deception, and moral decay.

The Prince of the Power of the Air (Eph. 2:2a)

This designation points to Satan as the head of the demonic hosts (Eph. 2:2) which includes all the fallen angelic beings who operate night and day in our immediate atmosphere filling the world with Satan’s propaganda, deception, viewpoint, doubts and temptations.

The Accuser of the Brethren (Rev. 12:10)

While some might list this as simply one of the characterizations of Satan, it is so much a part of his behavior, it seems fitting to list it under his names. The Accuser is a fitting title because night and day he is at work accusing believers when they sin.

The Tempter (Matt. 4:3; 1 Thess. 3:5)

· The Actuality: In the above two passages, Satan is specifically called “the Tempter.” Again, while we might simply list this among his characterizations, it seems fitting to see this as a name for the devil. This title reveals him in another of his primary activities as seen from the very beginning with Eve in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3).

· His Agents: In two of the classic passages on his work of temptation, we see Satan personally involved (Gen. 3; and Matt. 4), but we must remember that as a creature, Satan is not omnipresent. Thus, in passages like, 1 Thessalonians 3:5 and 1 Corinthians 7:5, the references to Satan simply point him out as the ultimate source, but he must rely on the following agents to carry out his temptation: (1) his network of demons, (2) the world system which lies under his control (1 John 5:19), (3) carnal or ignorant Christians he is able to use as he did Peter (Matt. 16:22-23), (4) unbelievers under his influence or domination (Luke 22:1-6; Eph. 2:2; Rev. 13).

· His Avenues of Temptation: In 1 John 2:16, we find the three primary avenues of his temptation are:

o the lusts of the flesh

o lust of the eyes

o the pride of life (1 John 2:16).

· The Applied Process Satan Uses: As with Eve in Genesis 3, Satan uses the mind and emotions to get people to make negative choices against God. Temptation itself is never sin. Though we can be foolish and set ourselves up for temptation (cf. Prov. 7:6-10), it is our response to temptation that leads to sin (see Prov. 4:23; 2 Cor. 10:5; Phil. 4:8; Jam 1:12-15).

· The Armor of the Believer: (1) Resist the devil by drawing near and putting on the full armor of God (Jam. 4:7; 1 Pet. 5:9; Eph. 6:13f), (2) Run or flee temptation; avoid unnecessary places or conditions (2 Tim. l2:22; Prov. 5:8; 7:6-10; Gen. 39:1-12), (3) Render marital rights in marriage (1 Cor. 7:1f), (4) Renewal of the mind or a Word-filled life. The Lord Jesus is naturally the perfect example of how God’s Word enables us to meet temptation head on and cause Satan to flee (Matt. 4:1-11).

Belial (2 Cor 6:15)

This name means “worthless” or “hopeless ruin.” In 2 Corinthians, Paul uses it as a name for Satan as the epitome of worthlessness, hopeless ruin and the source of all idolatry and religion which is also hopeless or futile.

Beelzebul (Matt. 12:24; Mark 3:22)

There are three possible spellings of this word and each has a different meaning:

1. Beelzebul means “lord of the dung,” a name of reproach.

2. Beelzebub means “lord of the flies.” Either one of these are names of reproach and are names of uncleanness applied to Satan, the prince of the demons and uncleanness.

3. Beelzeboul, means, “the lord of the dwelling.” This would identify Satan as the god of unclean spirit of demon possession. Some believe this spelling and meaning fits better with Matthew 10:25 and 12:29. This spelling also has the best manuscript evidence behind it. Note that Matthew, Mark, and Luke all define Beelzeboul as the prince of demons. So this names epitomizes Satan as the leader of the demon hosts and the cause of the demon possession.

Abaddon, Apollyon (Rev 9:11)

Abaddon is the Greek form and Apollyon is the Hebrew equivalent. These words mean ‘destroyer,’ ‘destruction.’ The name connects Satan as the head over the demons of the abyss and their work of destruction that will occur when he is given the key to the abyss in the Tribulation and releases these demon hordes on the people of the earth.

The Work of Satan

Satan’s work is to attempt to short-circuit the plan of God. He has attempted to do so throughout history in a variety of ways. A primary example of this is his temptation of Christ in Matthew 4:1-11 where he attempted to thwart the Messianic purpose by inducing Christ to accomplish the divinely intended ends by Satanically inspired means. In relation to men, we see that:

· For the unsaved

o He blinds their minds to the gospel

o Snatches away the truth

o Uses men to advance false religions

o Places evil in their hearts.

· For believers

o He attacks Christians at every point in their faith

o He seeks to destroy fellowship with an unforgiving spirit

o He leads into sin

o He seeks to corrupt the thought life

o He hinders God’s servants in their service for Him

o He accuses believers to the Father

· For Israel – He seeks to destroy her with various forms of anti-Semitism

In relation to God, I find it very interesting that he is God’s enemy, but we find that Satan is used of God to accomplish His purposes. (1 Cor 5:5, 2 Cor 12:7, and the book of Job)

Given Satan’s power, that he hates believers, and that he controls a host of fallen angels, what is our defense against him. In my mind, this is probably the most important part of this study.

· We should never treat him lightly. Jude 8-10

· We should realize our position in Christ. Ephesians 1:3; 6:10-12

· We should realize the indwelling presence of Christ. 1 John 4:4, 2 Cor 2:14

· We should realize that Satan is a defeated foe. John 16:11

· We should put on the whole armor of God. Ephesians 6:10-18

· We should resist the devil. James 4:7

· We should be alert. 1 Peter 5:8

· We should give him no place. Ephesians 4:27

· We should be aware of his ways. 2 Cor 2:11

· We should properly employ the Word of God. Matt 4:1-11, Luke 4:1-13

Very briefly, I want to touch on the fact that Satan’s current domain is the world and that he has usurped authority here that should have fallen to man. As a result, he is the ruler of this world system and although God will assert His will and has overcome it in Christ, this world system hates both the Christian and his God. As a result, we can expect attacks from it. We are to have no love or friendship for the system or things of the world and we are to not conform ourselves to this age. Instead, we are to be escapees and victors over the world through faith. In addition, we are sent as ambassadors to the world as Christ was sent of the Father.

The world is not something that can be fixed up. God calls us to be separate from the world, but to testify to it of His grace. In the end, this world system will pass away and will one day be mastered by Christ. At the beginning, Satan was cast out of Heaven as his abode, he was judged at the cross, he will be judged in the middle and end of the tribulation, and as his final and eternal judgment, he will be cast into the Lake of Fire. His end should be a warning and an encouragement to us as we walk through this life with Christ.

Basic Bible Doctrines - Session 4

2008-11-15T20:40:00.001-08:00

Randy taught the last two classes which closed out the Trinity with God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. This closed out Theology Proper. I'll try to get his notes to post here, especially since I missed this last week and would love to read his thoughts on the Holy Spirit. This week, we'll be studying Angelology. Next week, we'll take on Satanology.

Throughout the class, Randy and I have both commented on and received comments on how much we have to fit into each class. This week, we're going to try something different. Rather than open up the fire hose and blast you with everything you ever wanted to know about angels, I'm going to give a short intro on the basic theological things we should know about angels. We'll then ask the questions, "Why does the study of angels matter to us today? and "How does knowing more about angels help us with our faith and daily life?" Finally, we'll walk through some specific examples of angels in the Bible and talk about at least one controversial passage.

The fact that God has created a realm of personal beings other than mankind is a fitting topic for systematic theological studies for it naturally broadens our understanding of God, of what He is doing, and how He works in the universe.

Every reference to angels is incidental to some other topic. They are not discussed by themselves. God’s revelation never aims at informing us regarding the nature of angels. When they are mentioned, it is always in order to inform us further about God, what he does, and how he does it. As we study angels, we need to keep three things in mind:

The mention of angels is inclusive in Scripture. In the NASB translation these angels are referred to 196 times, 103 times in the Old Testament and 93 times in the New Testament.
These references are scattered throughout the Bible being found in at least 34 books from the very earliest books (whether Job or Genesis) to the last book of the Bible (Revelation).
Finally, there are numerous references to angels by the Lord Jesus, who is declared to be the Creator of all things, which includes the angelic beings. Paul wrote, “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities (a reference to angels)—all things have been created by Him and for Him.”

In recent years, it seems like we've been bombarded with angelmania. Representations of them have been prominent on TV, in literature, music, and even in the stores as we start shopping for Christmas. In some cases, they take a far more prominent role in Christmas decorations than our savior does. So, let's see what the Bible says about Angels. There is a lot of additional information on http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=712, but I've condensed information from it and from other sources for the class.

Angels are spiritual beings created by God to serve Him, though created higher than man. Some, the good angels, have remained obedient to Him and carry out His will, while others, fallen angels, disobeyed, fell from their holy position, and now stand in active opposition to the work and plan of God. The root work in both Hebrew and Greek means "messenger" and describes one who executes the purpose and will of the one whom they serve.

The Origin and Nature

We know angels were created before the creation of the world. From the book of Job we are told that they were present when the earth was created (Job 38:4-7). Scripture specifically states that Christ, as the one who created all things, is the creator of angels (John 1:1-3 with Col 1:16).

Angels were created simultaneously as a company, a countless host of myriads (Col 1:16; Neh 9:6). They are not subject to death or any form of extinction and they do not propagate or multiply themselves as with humans. Fallen angels will be judged in the future and permanently confined to the lake of fire (Matt 25:41; 1 Cor 6:4; 2 Pet 2:4; Jude 6), but there is never any mention of the death of angels (see Luke 20:36). With that said, they are an innumerable host. (Job 38:7; Neh 9:6; Ps 148:2, 5; Heb 12:22; Dan 7:10; Matt 26:53; Rev 5:11; with Matt 22:28-30; Luke 20:20-36).

Though at times they have revealed themselves in the form of human bodies (angelophanies) as in Genesis 18:3, they are described as “spirits” in Hebrews 1:14. This suggests they do not have material bodies as humans do.

Since they are spirit beings, they are usually not seen, unless God gives the ability to see them or unless they manifest themselves. When angels have been seen as recorded in Scripture, they were often mistaken as men because they were manifested in a man-like appearance (Gen. 18:2, 16, 22; 19:1, 5, 10, 12, 15, 16; Judg. 13:6; Mark 16:5; Luke 24:4). Sometimes, they appear in a way that either manifests God’s glory (Luke 2:9; 9:26) or in some form of brilliant apparel (Matt. 28:3; John 20:12; Acts 1:10 with Ezek. 1:13; Dan. 10:6). Consistently, they have appeared as real men, never as ghosts, or as winged animals (Gen. 18:2; Mark 16:3; Luke 24:4).

The Division of Angels—Good and Evil

While all the angels were originally created holy and without sin, there was a rebellion by Satan, who, being lifted up by his own beauty, rebelled and sought to exalt himself above God. In his rebellion, he took with him one-third of the angels (Rev. 12:4). This rebellion and fall is probably described for us in Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:15. As is clear from Revelation 12:7 and many other passages, the leader of these fallen angels, or demons as they are also called, is Satan (Matt. 12:25-27).

The Organization of Angels

While the Bible’s revelation on the organization of angels is limited, it says enough to show us there does seem to be organization in the angelic world. They appear to be organized into various ranks and orders and positions. This is suggested by the fact Michael is called the Archangel or chief angel (Jude 9). Then, in Daniel 10:13 he is called one of the chief princes. Other ranks and orders are suggested by the terms used of angels in Ephesians 3:10; 6:12, and 1 Peter 3:22.

The Scriptures speak of the “assembly” and “council” of the angels (Ps. 89:5, 7), of their organization for battle (Rev. 12:7), and of a king over the demon-locusts (9:11). They are also given governmental classifications which indicate organization and ranking (Eph. 3:10, good angels; and 6:12, evil angels). Unquestionably God has organized the elect angels and Satan has organized the evil angels.

A very important practical point emerges from this. Angels are organized; demons are organized; yet Christians, individually and in groups, often feel that it is unnecessary that they be organized. This is especially true when it comes to fighting evil. Believers sometimes feel that they can “go it alone” or expect victory without any prior, organized preparation and discipline. It is also true when it comes to promoting good. Believers sometimes miss the best because they do not plan and organize their good works.

The Classifications of Angels

Angels who are prominent individuals.

Michael (Dan. 10:13; 12:1; Jude 9). The name Michael means “who is like God?” and identifies the only one classified as an archangel in Scripture. Michael is the defender of Israel who will wage war on behalf of Israel against Satan and his hordes in the Tribulation (Rev. 12:7–9). Michael also disputed with Satan about the body of Moses, but Michael refrained from judgment, leaving that to God (Jude 9). Jehovah’s Witnesses and some Christians identify Michael as Christ; this view, however, would suggest Christ has less authority than Satan, which is untenable.
Gabriel (Dan. 9:21; Luke 1:26). His name means “man of God” or “God is strong.” “Gabriel seems to be God’s special messenger of His kingdom program in each of the four times he appears in the Bible record … He reveals and interprets God’s purpose and program concerning Messiah and His kingdom to the prophets and people of Israel.” In a highly significant passage, Gabriel explained the events of the seventy weeks for Israel (Dan. 9:21–27). In Luke 1:26–27 Gabriel told Mary that the One born to her would be great and rule on the throne of David. In Daniel 8:15–16 Gabriel explained to Daniel the succeeding kingdoms of Medo-Persia and Greece as well as the untimely death of Alexander the Great. Gabriel also announced the birth of John the Baptist to Zacharias (Luke 1:11–20).
Lucifer (Isa. 14:12) means “shining one” or “star of the morning.” He may have been the wisest and most beautiful of all God’s created beings who was originally placed in a position of authority over the cherubim surrounding the throne of God.

Angels who are divine attendants.

Cherubim are “of the highest order or class, created with indescribable powers and beauty … Their main purpose and activity might be summarized in this way: they are proclaimers and protectors of God’s glorious presence, His sovereignty, and His holiness.” They stood guard at the gate of the Garden of Eden, preventing sinful man from entering (Gen. 3:24); were the golden figures covering the mercy seat above the ark in the Holy of Holies (Exod. 25:17–22); and attended the glory of God in Ezekiel’s vision (Ezek. 1). Cherubim had an extraordinary appearance with four faces—that of a man, lion, ox, and eagle. They had four wings and feet like a calf, gleaming like burnished bronze. In Ezekiel 1 they attended the glory of God preparatory for judgment. In Ezek 28:14-16, we find that Satan was a cherub.
Seraphim, meaning “burning ones,” are pictured surrounding the throne of God in Isaiah 6:2. They are described as each having six wings. In their threefold proclamation, “holy, holy, holy” (Isa. 6:3), it means “to recognize God as extremely, perfectly holy. Therefore, they praise and proclaim the perfect holiness of God. The seraphim also express the holiness of God in that they proclaim that man must be cleansed of sin’s moral defilement before he can stand before God and serve Him.”

The Ministry of Angels

The most basic characteristic of the good angels is seen in the way they are described in Hebrews 1:14 as ministering spirits and in the accounts of their many and varied activities of ministry as described in Scripture. Essentially, they function as priestly messengers (leitourgika pneumatata) in the temple-universe of God. From the account of their activities in the Bible, their service can be summarized as that of

The worship of God (Isa. 6:3; Rev. 4:8)
As messengers of God (Dan. 9:22; Luke 1:11, 26; 2:9; Rev. 1:1)
As soldiers in spiritual combat (Dan. 10:13f; Rev. 12:7)
As ministers to God’s people (Heb. 1:14). Their ministry falls into several different relationships:

In Relation to Man:

They are above the sphere of man (Ps 8:4-5; Hebrews 2:7)
They rejoice over the salvation of man (Luke 15:10)
Eventually they will be judged by the saints (1 Cor 6:3).

Mankind is “lower than the angels” (Heb 2:7).

Angels have greater wisdom than man (2 Sam 14:20), yet it is limited (Matt 24:36).
Angels have greater power than man (Matt 28:2; Acts 5:19; 2 Pet 2:11), yet they are limited in power (Dan 10:13).

Angels, however, have limitations compared to man.

Angels are not created in the image of God, therefore, they do not share in man’s redemption in Christ.
At the end of the age, redeemed man will be exalted above angels (1 Cor 6:3).
Angels serve men as ministering spirits (Heb. 1:14) sent forth to serve the saints regardless of their high position and power.

Today believers are experientially lower than the angels, yet positionally higher because of their union in Christ (Eph 1:20-22; with Eph 2:4-6 and Heb 2:9). Christians share Christ’s seat at God’s right hand. One day, however, believers will be both positionally and experientially higher and will judge angels (1 Cor 6:3).

In Relation to God: In their service to God, they are seen as

Attendants around His throne, waiting to serve Him and do His bidding (Ps. 103:20; Isa. 6:1f; Job 1:6; 2:1; Rev. 5:11; 8:1f)
Worshippers in praise of Him (Isa. 6:3; Ps. 148:1-2; Heb. 1:6; Rev. 5:12)
As observers who rejoice over what He does (Job 38:6-7; Luke 2:12-13; 15:10)
As soldiers in battle with Satan (Rev. 12:7)
As instruments of His judgments (Rev. 7:1; 8:2).

In Relation to the Nations: In relation to the nation of Israel, Michael, the archangel, seems to have a very important ministry as their guardian (Dan. 10:13, 21; 12:1; Jude 9). In relation to other nations, they watch over rulers and nations (Dan. 4:17) and seek to influence their human leaders (Dan. 10:21; 11:1). In the Tribulation they will be the agents God uses to pour out His judgments (see Rev. 8-9 and 16).

In Relation to Christ: with the plan of God centering in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, they naturally perform many services for the Savior.

In relation to His birth, they predicted it (Matt. 1:20; Luke 1:26-28) and then announced his birth (Luke 2:8-15). An angel warned Joseph to take Mary and the baby Jesus and flee into Egypt (Matt. 2:13-15), and an angel directed the family to return to Israel after Herod died (vv. 19-21).
In relation to His suffering, angels ministered to Him after His temptation (4:11), in His stress in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:43), and Jesus said He could have called a legion of angels who stood ready to come to His defense if He so desired (Matt. 26:53).
In relation to His resurrection, an angel rolled away the stone from the tomb (28:1-2), angels announced His resurrection to the women on Easter morning (vv. 5-6; Luke 24:5-7), and angels were present at His ascension and gave instruction to the disciples (Acts 1:10-11).
In relation to His coming again, the voice of the archangel will be heard at the translation of the church (1 Thess. 4:16), they will accompany Him in His glorious return to earth (Matt. 25:31; 2 Thess. 1:7) and they will separate the wheat from the tares at Christ’s second coming (Matt. 13:39-40).

In Relation to the Unrighteous: Angels not only announce and inflict judgment (Gen. 19:13; Rev. 14:6-7; Acts 12:23; Rev. 16:1), but they will separate the righteous from the unrighteous (Matt. 13:39-40).

In Relation to the Church: Hebrews 1:14 describes their ministry as “ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation.” In this, however, Scripture points to a number of specific ministries: they bring answers to prayer (Acts 12:5-10), they help in bringing people to the Savior (Acts 8:26; 10:3), they may encourage in times of danger (Acts 27:23-24), and they care for God’s people at the time of death (Luke 16:22).

In Relation to New Epochs: Ryrie points out that angels appear to be unusually active when God institutes a new epoch in the sweep of history. For example:

A. They Joined in Praise When the Earth Was Created (Job 38:6-7)

B. They Were Involved in the Giving of the Mosaic Law (Gal. 3:19; Heb. 2:2)

C. They Were Active at the First Advent of Christ (Matt. 1:20; 4:11)

D. They Were Active During the Early Years of the Church (Acts 8:26; 10:3, 7; 12:11)

E. They Will Be Involved in Events Surrounding the Second Advent of Christ (Matt. 25:31; 1 Thes. 4:1)

The Watchfulness of Angels

A number of passages speak of the angels as observers. The Bible teaches us that angels are spectators of God’s activities in the world and that they are especially keen on observing the unfolding of His plan of redemption. Since a number of passages specifically address the fact angels are spectators of what God does, let's look at what they are watching. (Job 38:7; Luke 15:10; 1 Cor. 4:9; 11:10; Eph. 3:10; Tim. 3:16; 1 Pet. 1:12).

They observed God’s creation and rejoiced (Ps. 38:7).
At seeing the birth of Christ, the angels rejoiced in praise to God (Luke 2:13-14)
They witnessed the entirety of Jesus’ life on earth (1 Tim. 3:16).
They observe God’s joy when a sinner repents (Luke 15:10).
Angels are keenly interested in man’s salvation in Christ and carefully observe God’s manifold wisdom in the unfolding of His redemptive plan (1 Pet. 1:12; Eph. 3:10).

Lessons From the Angels

A study of the angels, both good and bad, furnishes us with a number of lessons as to how we should live. In answering the questions, "Why does this matter to us today?", and "How does this impact our faith and daily life?", we learn the following lessons:

Satan and his fallen angels warn us against the evil nature and the dangers of rebellion in contrast with submission and obedience.
They are constantly seen in the activities of worshipful adoration of God and in humble service, totally submissive to the will of God. If angels, with all their strength, holiness, and knowledge of God are so committed, should they not be a motivation and an example to us? It was after Isaiah saw the holy seraphim in worship and humility (suggested by the covering of their feet) exalting the Lord, that he then saw and confessed his own sinfulness and became a willing servant. It was then, in answer to the Lord’s question, “Whom shall I send?” that the prophet said, “Here am I, send me” (see Isa. 6:1-8). Following the joyous news of Messiah’s birth, the experience of seeing Jesus in Bethlehem, and hearing the heavenly hosts of angels praising God, it was the shepherds who, following the example of the angels, went back “glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them” (Luke 2:20).

Before we move on to some interesting passages, does anyone have questions about specific attributes of the angels? We have several verses we could look at if we want to dive deeper into any of these categories. Ok, let's move on to look at a couple of interesting or controversial passages that concern angels.

Let's read through Genesis 6:1-13:

Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. Then the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years." The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
The LORD said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them." But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God. Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. Then God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth.

In their holy state, unfallen angels are called “sons of God”. In the NT, sons of God refers to believers, but every example of this usage in the OT refers to angels. In Genesis 6:2, we see that “sons of God” took wives from among the “daughters of men.” What are we to make of this? What was the real cause of the flood?

There are three main viewpoints that have been proposed.

Augustine first proposed that in this case, the "sons of God" refers to the sons of Seth since most of Chapter 5 detailed the lineage of Seth. "daughters of men" then refers to the women in the lineage of Cain. This view holds that the sin which brought the flood was the breaking down of the line of demarcation between the godly and the ungodly.

There is no mention of Angels up to this point in Genesis, and the preceding context seems to support this view as it points out the Godliness of Seth's line.
In their view, intermarriage between men and angels is impossible due to Matt 22:30
The result of the wedlock was nothing unusual since Nephilim are mentioned in Numbers 13:33, so how can it be said that they were destroyed in the flood?
According to verse 3, the judgment is upon men only. In their view, Jude 6 and 2 Peter 2:4 refer to prehistoric events.

The second hypothesis is that "sons of God" refers to a group of fallen angels marrying and impregnating women. This view holds that Satan was in this way attempting to pollute the line through which Christ was to come (Genesis 3:15) and that God sent the flood to destroy the creatures produced by this union.

Every time "sons of God" is used in the OT, it refers to angels.
There is no evidence that the term "daughters of men" should be limited to Cainites.
This view alone accounts for the sudden appearance of and enigmatic reference to the Nephilim (fallen ones, not giants.)
The occurrence in Numbers 13 does not mean that they survived the flood, nor that they are of the same type of union, but that there are those that could be thus described.
Matt 22:30 is not intended to prove anything other than the fact that with resurrection bodies, men will not procreate just as angels "in heaven" do not produce angelic offspring.
Jude 6-7 suggest that the sin of Soddom and Gomorrah was like that of the angels. The flesh that they lusted after was "strange flesh" and Genesis 19 indicates that this did include angels. No adequate explanation of the angels leaving their proper habitation can be given any other view.
2 Peter 2:4-5 refers to Tartarus as a special place of confinement for the angels who did the things there attributed to them and this view accounts for the need for such a place.
Augustine and his peers promoted the other view because the fallen angel view was too similar to the Greek mythology of the day. They were embarrassed by the story and wanted to explain the incident otherwise.

The third hypothesis has a small following, but is referred to as the "nobleman" hypothesis. This is a restatement of an ancient Jewish interpretation which holds that the "sons of god" refers to Cainite kings or nobles. In this view, the "daughters of men" are women in general and the sin for which the earth was judged was rampant polygamy.

When studying this over the last few months, I've come to the conclusion that the only hypothesis supported by Genesis, Jude, and 2 Peter is the hypothesis that "sons of God" refers to fallen angels. Throughout recorded history, man has fully participated in all of the acts in the other two hypothesis without significant retribution from God. When I've asked myself what would happen that was bad enough for God to destroy all human life on earth except for the line of Noah?

The Scriptures clearly indicate two groups of fallen angels, one consisting of those who have some freedom to carry out Satan’s plans, and the other who are confined. Of those who are confined, some are temporarily so, while others are permanently confined in Tartarus (2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6). The Greeks thought of Tartarus as a place of punishment lower than hades. Those temporarily confined are in the abyss (Luke 8:31; Rev. 9:1-3, 11), some apparently consigned there to await final judgment while others will be loosed to be active on the earth (vv. 1-3, 11, 14; 16:14).

Jude also speaks of an abode for angels:

Jude 1:6 And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day.

The Angel of the Lord

The second difficulty when talking about angels in the OT concerns the identity of “the angel of the Lord” as it is used in the Old Testament. A careful study of the many passages using this term suggests that this is no ordinary angel, but a Theophany, or better, a Christophany, a preincarnate appearance of Christ. The angel is identified as God, speaks as God, and claims to exercise the prerogatives of God. Still, in some passages He distinguishes Himself from Yahweh (Gen. 16:7-14; 21:17-18; 22:11-18; 31:11-13, Ex. 3:2; Judg. 2:1-4; 5:23; 6:11-22; 13:3-22; 2 Sam. 24:16; Zech. 1:12; 3:1; 12:8). That the Angel of the Lord is a Christophany is suggested by the fact a clear reference to “the Angel of the Lord” ceases after the incarnation. References to an angel of the Lord in Luke 1:11; and 2:8 and Acts 5:19 lack the Greek article which would suggest an ordinary angel.

RefTagger by Logos

2008-10-31T13:50:00.001-07:00

I just added RefTagger to my blog. It is a free tool by Logos Software that provides a hyperlink for any Bible reference inserted into a blog post. It also shows you the verse if you hover your mouse over the hyperlink. It should save some time in typing up any Bible related posts. If you blog and want it on your site you can get the tool at

http://www.logos.com/reftagger

Living a Car-Less Life Part 5

2008-10-31T12:26:00.001-07:00

It's been since August that I've posted on our decision to sell my car and have me ride my bike to work, and it has been four and a half months since we sold the car. Recently, several people have asked how it's going. It is interesting, but some of the conversations seem different that others. Here are two examples of conversations I've had recently. See if you can pick out the differences.

Conversation # 1

Friend: Hey Jerry.

Me: Hi

Friend: How's life riding the bike now that we're coming into Fall?

Conversation # 2

Friend: Hey Jerry

Me: Hi

Friend: How's life riding the bike ... snicker, snicker ... now that ... giggle, giggle ... the rain ... hehehe ... and cold .... hahaha ... have arrived? Guffaw, guffaw, guffaw

I can tell something is different in their approaches, but haven't been able to place it yet. Maybe it is in their body language. In either case, the answer is the same. There is a very good reason why I didn't ride my bike in to work today. :-D

In actuality, things are still going well. I'm enjoying the brisk air on my rides and other than today, the rain hasn't been much of a bother. To be fair, I had intended on only working an hour or two today as a result of working each of the last 11 days, and I decided to work those hours from home due to the rain.

I still think it is one of the best financial decisions we've made as a married couple, and the extra exercise certainly hasn't hurt me.

Dracula and The Garden of Eden

2008-10-31T11:15:00.001-07:00

I read the following blog post this morning connecting two thoughts that aren't normally associated with each other: Dracula and the banishment from the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3:22.

http://thepoint.breakpoint.org/2008/10/a-fate-worse-th.html

It seemed appropriate given that today is Halloween. I've never really considered what life would have been like had God not intervened and removed access to the Tree of Life from Adam and Eve, but the Dracula analogy is closer than anything I could come up with. Read for yourself and let me know what you think.

Composting

2008-10-20T19:36:00.001-07:00

Kari-Ann and I decided to try our hand at composting. Before someone goes all environmental on me, our decision had very little to do with the environment.

<soapbox> Yes, I live in the Pacific Northwest, and I think the environment is important, but the green community is way too aggressive in their evangelism of the environmental cause. I tend to resent them and their cause. At the same time, I love the natural beauty of the Northwest and do what I can to protect it for future generations. </soapbox>

We've had a garden in our backyard for the past two years and are planning on revising our garden next year which will most likely require us to buy more dirt. We also have several large trees in our cul-de-sac, and never have enough room in our yard waste bin for all of the leaves. In fact, last year, the leaves covered our entire cul-de-sac with a two inch covering of shades of orange and yellow. It was gorgeous, but it took three visits from our garbage company before all of the leaves disappeared.

Although the leaves are only beginning to change, we've already dumped some grass, coffee grounds, and apple peels (from making applesauce) into the composter. I'll use my leaf blower/vacuum to pick up the leaves and shred them. The combination of green and brown material should make a nice compost for our garden next year.

Of course, according to the manual, we should really have started our compost in the spring and placed it on our garden in the fall, but as usual we're going against the flow. Oh well, the compost is already heating up and the grass is turning into a nice mulch. It should be ready when we start to plant next year.

Basic Bible Doctrines - Session 3

2008-10-18T21:44:00.001-07:00

Last week, Randy talked answered the questions, “Can God be Known?”, and “What is God like?” This week, we’ll talk about the Doctrine of the Triunity of God and the attributes of God the Father.

Definition

What is the Triunity of God – more commonly known as the Trinity? While there is only one divine nature, there are three persons called the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They possess the same essence, but the distinction between them is real. By definition, a personality implies self-consciousness and self-determination.

Since the doctrine of the triunity of God is unique, we believe that it could not come from the thinking of man but exclusively by revelation from God. The key text for the doctrine is Matthew 28:18-19, “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "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." In this passage, the word “name” is singular, but there are three persons enumerated as being referred to by that singular term.

Common Errors

There are two common errors regarding this doctrine in the history of the church: Tritheism (the denial of the unity of God) and Modalism (the denial of the reality of the persons of the Godhead. A trinity of revelation rather than a trinity of persons.)

Scriptural Proof of the Doctrine

This doctrine was not fully revealed in the Old Testament, but certain preliminary indications are found there and it certainly leaves open the possibility of the specific revelation that we see in the New Testament. Direct scripture references where all three persons are mentioned together include such passages as Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19, 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, 2 Corinthians 13:14, and 1 Peter 1:2. Let’s read through a few scriptures that identify the main items to understand when talking about the triunity of God:

· There is a Divine Being, but one indivisible essence. (Deut. 6:4, James 2:19, John 10:30, Isa 45:5-6, 46:9) The term essence refers to God’s essential being or nature.

· In this one being there are three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Matthew 3:16-17 The whole undivided essence of God belongs to each of the three persons. . The emphasis in the Old Testament is Oneness. The emphasis in the New Testament is Distinctiveness.

· There is no subordination (of less importance; secondary) of the essential being of the three persons.

· Subsistence and operation of the three persons of Divine Being has a definite order. This order is logical only and does not refer to priority of time or dignity.

o Father: Neither begotten by or proceeds from another. He is the source of all things. Creation is primarily related to the Father.

o Son: Eternally begotten. Brings all things to pass and is the agent of their being effected. Redemption is primarily related to the Son.

o Holy Spirit: Eternally proceeds from both the Father and Son. Makes all things known and applies them. Sanctification primarily relates to the Holy Spirit.

· The three persons of the Godhead are distinguished by personal properties. Generation is only true of the Father, Filiation is only true of the Son, and Procession is only true of the Holy Spirit.

· The doctrine of the trinity is inscrutable (not easily understood; mysterious; unfathomable) It can be apprehended but not comprehended by man.

Old Testament Indications of the Doctrine of the Triunity of God

Before we move on to more details about God the Father, let’s take a closer look at the Old Testament scriptures that allow for the Doctrine of the Trinity. As you’ve seen, we’ve spent most of our time reading New Testament scriptures as a proof case for this doctrine, but what happens when you talk with someone who is Jewish. Oftentimes, they will accuse you of trying to convert them to a pagan/pantheistic religion because they believe in one God, not three. They will often cite The Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4) – the national confession of Israel: “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!” The Jewish individual will not accept New Testament proof texts for the proof of the existence of God the Son, and as a result will reject Jesus as the Messiah. To accept him as God, they must believe that Messiah is God and that God is a Triune being. What proof can we offer from the Old Testament that allows for a doctrine of the Triunity of God? I believe the following items show that the doctrine of the Trinity actually originates in the Hebrew Scriptures and is merely developed and clarified in the New Testament.

The Plurality of the Godhead

Elohim as a Plural Noun

The Plural Noun Elohim – The word for God most commonly used in the O.T. is Elohim. It is generally agreed that it is a plural noun. It is used of God in Genesis 1:1 and is also used of false gods in Exodus 20:3 and Deuteronomy 13:2.
This doesn’t prove the trinity, but opens the door to a doctrine of plurality in the Godhead.
Some say this word had to be used since there isn’t a singular form of Elohim, but Eloah is the singular form and is used in Deuteronomy 32:15-17 and Habbakuk 3:3.
The singular form could have been used consistently, but it is found in only 250 places, but Elohim was used 2,500 times in the Old Testament. The greater use of the plural form argues in favor of the plurality of the Godhead.
Elohim Applied to Two Divine Personalities
There are situation in the Old Testament where the term Elohim is applied to two personalities in the same verse. One example is Psalm 45:6-7. Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of joy above Your fellows.
Hosea 1:7 contains another example.

YHVH (Yahweh/Jehovah) Applied to two Divine Personalities

The very name of God is applied to two personalities In the same verse. Genesis 19:24. Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven, and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.
Zechariah 8:9 provides a second example of Yahweh used of two personalities in the same verse.

Adonai – Another word for God in Hebrew is Adonai. It is translated as “Lord”. One example is Psalm 110:1. Whenever it is used of God, it is consistently plural, never in the singular form.
Plural Pronouns – Although singular pronouns are often used of God in the Old Testament, there are several instances of God speaking in the plural, including: Genesis 1:26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
The Unity of the Godhead – The Shema: Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!

The Shema is Israel’s great confessions. It is this verse that is used more than any other to affirm the fact that God is one and to reject the plurality of the Godhead.
In the Hebrew, “our God” is actually the word echad. A literal translation of would read “The LORD is our Gods…” The word echad does not mean an absolute one, but a compound one.
In Genesis 1:5, the combination of evening and morning comprise one [echad] day.
In Genesis 2:24, a man and woman come together in marriage and the two shall become one [echad] flesh.
In Ezra 2:64, we are told that the whole assembly was as one [echad], even though it was made up of several people.
Ezekiel 37:17 provides an example of two sticks becoming one.
There is a Hebrew word – yachid – that has the emphasis of “only one”.

In Dr. Fruchtenbaum’s book Messianic Christology, he goes on to discuss the appearances of the second (Angel of Jehovah) and third person (Spirit of God) of the trinity in the Old Testament, but the point of this discussion is that the Old Testament not only allows for the doctrine of the Trinity, but that the doctrine originates in the Old Testament and is clarified in the New Testament.

God the Father

Now that we’ve talked about the Trinity, let’s dive in a little deeper to see what we learn about God the Father in the scriptures. The first person of the Godhead is viewed in Scripture as Father from several different standpoints.

· He is seen to be the Father of all creation in that we have a common creator rather than in an intimate sense. (Acts 17:29, John 8:38-45, 1 Corithinians 8:6, Ephesians 3:14-15, Hebrews 12:9, and James 1:7)

· He is declared to be the Father of Israel in that they are uniquely His chosen people. (Ex 4:22, Deut 32:6)

· In a more intimate sense, He is the Father of believers in Christ. (Romans 8:15-16, Galatians 4:6, 1 John 3:1-2) In this sense, He is seen not only as the source of physical life, but of spiritual life as well.

· Finally, He is seen to be the Father of the divine Christ, the Son of God. (2 Corinthians 11:31, John 1:14-18, 5:17-26, 8:54, 14:12-13) This is an entirely different sense of the use of the word father. This refers to a metaphysical relationship between the first and second members of the Godhead.

As we saw earlier in the doctrine of the trinity, He is responsible for the generation of the Son and the spiration of the Holy Spirit. Please remember that all of the Godhead act in all of the external works of God, but that some works are more specifically identified with one person than another. The works of the First Person are particularly identified as the works of creation and providence, especially in the initiating phases. (1 Corinthians 8:6) He is the author and designer of the work of redemption, including election. (PS. 2:7-9, Isaiah 53:10, Ephesians 1:3-6)

Next week, Randy will be taking a deeper dive into the personalities and roles of God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

Sources: Systematic Theology in Outline Form" by Dr. Robert Cook and Messianic Christology by Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum

Basic Bible Doctrines Class Notes - Session 2

2008-10-04T16:29:00.001-07:00

Bibliology

As I stated last week, I am team teaching a class at my church on Basic Bible Doctrines. Last week, Randy started us off on Bibliology or Biblical Theology. According to www.wikipedia.com, Biblical theology is a discipline within Christian theology which studies the Bible from the perspective of understanding the progressive history of God revealing God's self to humanity following the Fall and throughout the Old Testament and New Testament. It particularly focuses on the epochs of the Old Testament in order to understand how each part of it ultimately points forward to fulfillment in the life mission of Jesus Christ.

Randy talked about the differences between General Revelation (Nature) and Specific Revelation (God revealing his character and attributes to man). We walked through several examples of how God speaks to man, and we read several verses on how the scripture impacts a reader. (Peace, Understanding, Encouragement, Wisdom, Knowledge unto Salvation, etc.)

This week, we'll walk through some of the technical aspects of Bibliology, but before we do, let's review a little and define some terms. There are four main aspects to this part of the study:

Specific Revelation - The Origin of Scripture. Specific Revelation is the act of God making known to men His divine person and divine truth that would otherwise be unknown. It is a communication of truth from God to man and makes the recipient wiser.
Inspiration - The Means of the Provision of Scripture. Inspiration is the transference of truth by divine influence into written language forms which others may understand. It preserves the reader from error in teaching and secures infallibility in teaching.
Inerrancy and Infallibility - The Resultant Character of Scripture. Inerrant means that the scriptures are exempt from the liability of mistake and are incapable of error. They are wholly true. Infallibility means that they are incapable of teaching deception. They are wholly trustworthy and reliable.
Illumination - The Reception of the Truth of Scripture. Enlightening work of the Holy Spirit where He shows the reader what is already there.

Inspiration

Let's talk briefly about Inspiration before moving on to the other three I's. We believe in the verbal, plenary view of inspiration. These are interesting sounding words, but aren't common in the English language. It means that God so directed the human authors of Scripture that without destroying their individuality, personal interest or literary style, His complete thought toward man was recorded without error in the words of the original manuscripts. There is this concept of "confluency" or the dual authorship of scripture. As such, the Bible is truly the Word of God having both infallible truth and divine authority, but it also recognizes that the Bible is truly the product of man. This two-fold authorship extends to every part of Scripture.

Have you ever heard someone talk about the writing style of Paul verses that of the author of Hebrews or the style of John? These authors had distinct personalities and writing styles that God used to communicate His complete thought to man.

There are several commands throughout scriptures to write the word of the Lord (Ex 17:14, 34:27; Num. 33:2, Isa. 8:1, 30:8; Jer. 25:13, etc.) There are also several passages where the human writer will begin his discussion with reference to God in the third person and continue in the first person without any apparent transition.

The most significant example of this confluence or the verbal plenary inspiration of scripture is in II Timothy 3:16:

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

A more literal translation of the Greek word "theopneustos" might read, "All scripture is the result of the breath of God." (God breathed). The emphasis is not on the origin of scripture, nor the method of inspiration, but on the character of Scripture, in that it takes on the quality of the creative breath of God. (Ps. 33:6; Gen 2:7; Job 33:4)

Inerrant and Infallible

If the scripture is the product of God's breathing, the result is that the character of the author - God - is transferred to the scripture. It must be of a quality in keeping with its originator. The scripture bears certain God-like characteristics: inerrancy, authority, and trustworthiness. Since II Timothy 3:16 states that this applies to all of scripture, then the result is that all of scripture is inerrant and infallible. Once again, we have to deal with two words that are not commonly used:

Inerrant - Not liable to prove false or mistaken. The Scriptures possess the quality of freedom from error. They are wholly true.
Infallible - The scriptures are incapable of teaching deception. They possess a faultless authority and as a result are wholly trustworthy and reliable.

Liberal theology says that because man is involved in the writing of the scripture, it can not be wholly inerrant and infallible. They then come up with several methods of determining which parts are inspired/inerrant/infallible, and which aren't. As conservatives, we believe that the entire original manuscripts (autographa) are inspired, inerrant, and infallible based on the dual authorship of the Bible where both God and man were involved in writing the entire scriptures. How do we as conservatives defend out claim? The primary method is through the witness of scripture itself:

John 3:33, Romans 3:4, and Titus 1:2 all tell us that God is true and cannot lie.
John 17:3 and I Thess. 1:9 speak of the "true God" emphasizing his genuineness.
Matt 5:17 -19 and John 10:33-36 both talk about the enduring character of Scripture and that it cannot be broken.
Matt 24:35 tells us that, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." That which is most stable in the minds of men will have its end, but His words will stand forever.

Something to think about: If God wished to give His people a series of letters like Paul's, He prepared Paul to write them, and the Paul He brought to the task was a Paul who would write just such letters. What if Paul's personality had been formed by God into precisely the personality it is, for the express purpose of communicating God's word with the coloring and flavor of the personality that God formed?

If the scripture is inerrant and infallible as we believe, what is the character of this Scripture?

The Scripture is Complete (Sufficient)

II Tim. 3:15-17 and John 20:30-31 indicate that what is written is sufficient. Scripture needs nothing else, like traditions, an unwritten word, or inner light. This does not mean that they contain every revelation which God has given to man, but rather that it is the only supernatural revelation that He now has for man and that it is sufficient in all questions of faith and practice.

The Scripture is Comprehensible

We do not need the aid of a church or a priesthood to comprehend the scriptures. We do need the Holy Spirit who is promised to every Christian. (I John 2:20-27) Many things are difficult to understand but all things essential to faith and practice are clearly revealed. (Ps. 19:7-8; 119:105; 130)

The Scripture is Living - Sometimes referred to as the Doctrine of Animation

This doesn't refer to any magical or mystical sense, but that it is living in conjunction with the work of the Holy Spirit. This living word of God has power to both the unsaved (To Save and To Judge) and the saved (To Sanctify, to Cleanse, to Perfect, and to Edify). (Hebrews 4:12; I Peter 1:23; John 6:63; John 5:24; John 17:17-19; I John 2:5; Acts 20:32)

The Scripture is Authoritative

We should regard every statement of Scripture as both inspired and authoritative, unless there is some hint in the context that the statement does not reflect the mind of God. For example, Satan's words to Eve in Gen 3:4-5 is recorded by inspiration, but it is not true. The same can be said of Peter's advice to Christ in Matt.. 16:22 and the declaration of Gamaliel to the counsel in Actus 5:38-39. These are scriptures that are "historically" authoritative, but not adhered to as a basis for faith and practice.

Its Contents are Genuine

This means that the individual books of the Bible are not forged or spurious. They were written by whom and when it is claimed.

Its Contents are Credible

The Scriptures are not corrupt as to text. This refers to the truthfulness of the records and the purity of the text.

Illumination

Finally, let's talk about the fourth I - Illumination. What we just looked at is the Character of Scripture. They are the defining qualities of Scripture. Illumination is what happens when we read the Scripture. It is that work of the Holy Spirit in which He makes clear, enlightens, and teaches the truth of a written revelation. It involves a supernatural awakening from within. (John 16:12-15; I Cor. 2:14-15) In the previous definition, we say that He shows the believer what is already there.

For example, when I'm in our closet picking out clothes, and Kari-Ann playfully shuts off the light and closes the door, I'm in the dark. Although there are a multitude of things in our closet, I am no longer able to easily discern what those items are. When she turns the light back on, the things that have always been there are now revealed. They have been illuminated and made clear.

There are at least two reasons why the Scriptures need to be illuminated:

The unsaved man is naturally in a state of spiritual blindness and death and cannot understand God's Word. (I Cor. 2:14)
The Christian man often tends to be controlled by the flesh rather than by the Holy Spirit, so there is a carnal blindness which needs to be overcome. (I Cor 3:1; Heb 5:12-14)

Closely tied to Illumination is interpretation. This is the responsibility of the believer. Although there may be many applications of a given passage, there can only be one interpretation. To be legitimate, any application must be related to the interpretation of the passage. This is currently being covered in Glenn's class on Hermeneutics.

Finally, to close out Bibliology, let's talk about Canon of Scripture. Once again, canon isn't a word we normally throw around in everyday English, and no, we aren't referring to the cannons on a pirate ship. In that most basic sense of the word, it means a measuring rod and has the sense a a rule or standard. When it is used of the scriptures, it refers to the sum total of the books which make up the Bible. The study of the canon of scripture is the study of how each book became recognized as true and as the authoritative standard of the church.

Originally, the canon was formed by the Holy Spirit at the time the books were written because they were inspired by God. It is the recognition of their authority that came later. The Old Testament canon is considered to have been closed about 400 B.C. The following tests were applied to determine canonicity of an OT book:

Was it written during the prophetic period - from Moses to Artaxerxes?
Was it from a man directed of God?
Did it have Christ's attestation? (Luke 24:44; Matt 23:35) (Law, Prophets, and Writings)
Is it scripture/God breathed? The test of inspiration.

For the NT books, the following tests were applied:

Was it authored by an apostle or one related to an apostle?
Was its content spiritual in character?
Did it agree with the OT?
Did it agree with the teachings of the apostles?
Did it have more or less universal reception by the Christian church? This relates to the witness of the Holy Spirit among the believers.
Did it give evidence of being inspired? Such evidence would be found in the intrinsic content of the book, by its moral effect upon readers, and by the historic testimony of the church.

Ok, that's the 10,000 foot view of Bibliology. We could spend weeks on each of these topics (revelation, inspiration, inerrancy, infallibility, illumination, interpretation, and the canon) but the goal of this class is to provide you with a basic understanding of doctrine. If you're further interested in this topic, I highly recommend The Case for Christ which goes a little deeper into some of the questions about the Bible, and gives additional references to explore.

Next, week, Randy is going to dive into the question of Can God be Known, and if so, What is God Like? I'll be in Seattle, but the following week, I'll be back to explore the Doctrine of the Triunity of God. Time permitting, we'll start looking at the character and person of God the Father.

Basic Bible Doctrines Class Notes - Session 1

2008-09-28T21:32:00.001-07:00

Once again I have the honor and privilege of teaching an adult education class at my church. My church has put together a set of curriculum that over a three year period will lead a Christian to a deeper understanding of their faith. The first class in the series is Basic Bible Doctrines - Part 1. I'll be team teaching with Randy Armstrong which will help reduce the amount of work required in putting together a class every Sunday. The notes below are for the first class in this series which is an overview of Systematic Theology.

For the remainder of this quarter, we’ll cover:

Origin of Scripture and the Inspiration of Scripture
Three I’s – Inerrancy, Infallibility, and Illumination
Can God be known? What is God like?
The Triunity of God – God the Father
God the Son
God the Holy Spirit
Missions
The Divine Decree
Angelology - Angels
Angelology – Satan
Anthropology – Man as a Creature of God
Anthropology – Man as a Sinner

Why is this class important? Why should we study doctrine or Systematic Theology?

The more we know about God and what the Bible says about Him, the better we are able to worship Him.
If we know what we believe, we are better able to give an answer for our faith.
What we believe provides the foundation for our worldview. If we know what God has revealed about Himself and His creation, our basic view of the world and our actions in it will be affected.
We are better able to share our faith. Why?
The doctrines of the Bible are the building material of the Christian faith.
An understanding of the doctrines is the a prerequisite to the practice of faith.

What is Systematic Theology?

Systematic Theology is the collecting, scientifically arranging, comparing, exhibiting, and defending of all facts from any and every source concerning God and the relations between God and the universe, especially as He has revealed Himself in His Word. It takes the Bible as a completed whole and endeavors to exhibit its total teaching in an orderly, systematic form.

Any approach to theological study is built on certain assumptions:

The existence of God.
The fact that God has revealed Himself to man
The fact that man, created in the image of God, is capable of appropriating and apprehending this diving truth. Comprehend and Understand

When approaching the study of the Theology, there are two main areas of disagreement within the church: The extent that the Bible is the basis of authority for God's revelation, and the approach to interpreting scripture.

The Bible as the Basis of Authority

When looking at the extent that the Bible is the basis of authority for God's revelation, some groups hold that church tradition and the teachings of church hierarchy have equal weight with scripture. The Roman Catholic church is one of the groups that put church tradition on equal weight with scripture. As Evangelicals, we believe that the Bible is sufficient (complete) and comprehensible as far as salvation and service are concerned. The Holy Spirit is held to be the author, witness, and expositor of scripture. All tradition, reason, and experience are placed in subjection to the Word of God. They have a place, but it must be in subordination to the Scriptures.

Two Approaches to Interpreting Scripture (Covenant Theology vs. Dispensationalism)

Covenant theology most often cites Biblical evidence is from Biblical covenants like the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants. As a result, God’s dealings with man are made to apply to the whole human race. Allegorical or subjective interpretation of scripture – especially prophecy – is used. This allows them to identify the Church and Israel as one. This leads to forced interpretations whereby the New Testament is superimposed upon the Old. Since the governing policy of Scripture is the covenant, the danger is to force all of God’s purposes into a soteriological (Salvation) or redempto-centric (Redemption) mold. Little consideration is given to the possibility that God could have a variety of sub-purposes leading to a grand all-comprehensive purpose greater even than the covenant itself. In essence, they focus on the trees instead of the forest, and have a man centric view of God's purposes throughout time and history rather than approaching the Bible from the perspective that everything in creation is for the Glory of God alone.

Dispesationalism is built upon four main principles:

Committed to a literal (historical-grammatical) interpretation of Scripture as an overall principle. (This allows for figures of speech. Faithful adherence to this principle lead to clear distinctions between Israel and the Church)
Committed to the progress of revelation. God revealed Himself and His purposes in stages that are distinguishable in scripture. We must read the text within its historical setting. All of the Bible is for me, but not all is addressed to me. This prevents us reading the New Testament back into the Old Testament, but allows for a basic unity of God’s unfolding plan.
A proper philosophy of history which consummates in a goal. Redemption focused.
It is committed to a unifying factor – Responsibility - which provides the central issue in each dispensation. It takes different forms in each period, but is always related to man’s response of faith which in turn presumes obedience to God’s revealed will and Word for that dispensation.

Results of the Covenant Theology and Dispensationalism approaches to Interpretation

Covenant theology - As a result of allegorical interpretation, Israel and the Church are identified as one (the Church replaces Israel.) This often leads to anti-Semitic statements or feelings by members of this group of believers. The ability to subjectively interpret scripture and read the NT into the OT creates the following distinct groups within Covenant Theology.

Covenant Premillinialists – Second coming of Christ happens before the Millennial Reign.
Covenant Postmillinialists – Second coming of Christ happens after the Millennial Reign.
Covenant Amillianialists – There is no Millennial Reign/We are currently in the Millennial Reign of Christ.

Dispensationalism – As a result of literal interpretation (OT Prophecies regarding the first coming were fulfilled literally, so we interpret prophecies regarding the second coming literally), the Church and Israel are distinct within the Bible in the characters of the Wife of Jehovah (Israel) and the Bride of Christ (Church). This form of interpretation requires a future for Israel that is distinct from Gentile believers. Since Dispensationalists interpret literally, all Dispensationalists are Premillinial. It also leads to a belief in a pre-tribulation rapture.

Sources: "Systematic Theology in Outline Form" by Dr. Robert Cook, "Israelology: The Missing Link in Systematic Theology", and "Messianic Christology" by Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum.

Atmosphere

2008-09-16T22:04:00.001-07:00

Say what you will about Vegas - and I've said plenty - they do know how to create atmosphere. Of course, with enough money, almost anything is possible.

The permanent Italian afternoon viewed from my lunch "patio" table and Canaletto. (Apologies for the blurriness.)

And the view from my 39th floor window.

With that said, I'll be glad to go home and not come back anytime soon.

Music and Memories

2008-09-15T11:47:00.001-07:00

I was struck again today about how much music and memories can affect me. Most of the time, I'm a steady guy. Although becoming a dad has affected it somewhat, tears don't stream forth with a sappy song, and I typically maintain my composure when watching a chick flick. Not today. In the space of 90 minutes, I was choked up once and brought to tears twice.

You see, today I was affected by music from my childhood. I fondly remember listening daily to my mom play the piano in our home, and the only thing I've remember her playing were songs of worship. Whether hymns or choruses, I would often finish my homework with her piano playing in the background. Where most people don't even recognize a hymn anymore, I can sing most of them by heart - typically in the shower. But today, the music from my childhood impacted me in an unexpected way.

Normally at 10am on a Sunday morning, I'm at church with my family, but Marissa has been sick this week, so I stayed home with her for the first part of church, and swapped with Kari-Ann so Roz and I could attend the second half of church. Marissa, Roz, and I were happily playing in the living room, when the girls decided we needed pets to go with their action figures. (Action figures is a guy word for playing Polly Pocket dolls with your daughters.) As a group, we trooped off to the playroom to find our pets. I believe Roz ended up with a cheetah and Marissa ended up with a Zebra. The window happened to be open in the playroom, and I could hear singing and piano playing coming from the neighbor's house.

In the next few seconds, I realized several things:

I knew the song, but couldn't recognize the words.
Our neighbor hold a church service in their house at 10am on Sundays.
I think the service is held in Korean or a similar language.

Almost involuntarily, I found myself singing along with them in English. The words I'd sung dozens of times in my life came to my lips, "... And He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am his own. And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known." Roz left the room soon after finding her cheetah, but Marissa stood transfixed by the music as I "participated" in their worship service. It always amazes me when I feel drawn closer to others that I barely know simply by knowing the love they share for my savior. It has happened in the oddest places all over the U.S. I was also choked up by the memories of my mom worshipping simply and easily on her piano in our home.

Eventually, we returned to our own little Polly World in our living room, and then Kari-Ann returned from church so that Roz and I could attend a service. I'm not sure what I was expecting at church. I know that my mind was filled with thoughts of my business trip to Vegas (I'm finishing this post up from Vegas), the upcoming Basic Bible Doctrines class I'm teaching at our church, and the general busy-ness of our lives. In the middle of the singing, our worship leader started playing the music for "Holy, Holy, Holy" on his guitar. Once again, my mind was flooded with thoughts of the many times I'd sung this amazing song. The first time I can remember singing it was in fourth grade. The music grabbed me, and the words impressed themselves on me. Merciful ... Mighty ... Cherubim and Seraphim falling down before thee ... Who wert, art, and ever more shalt be. The word picture is stunning. In my mind's eye, I see the Seraphim from Isaiah covering their feet and face out of reverence. I know the song by heart, so I closed my eyes, sang one of my favorite hymns, and focused on my merciful and mighty Lord. When the song ended, I realized I had tears in my eyes. Surprising, but under control ... I thought.

Two songs later and we are singing another song from my youth, "How wonderful, how marvelous and my song shall ever be. How wonderful, how marvelous is my savior's love for me." With eyes closed and hands raised, the words barely able to make it past my choked up vocal cords, I was reminded of how he proved his love for me by giving up His life so that I might have a relationship with God. By now, you won't be surprised that my cheeks were wet ... just in time for the Communion Service.

I can honestly say that I was surprised by today. I didn't feel particularly emotional. If anything, my mind was busy on the happenings of today and the upcoming trip. Out of nowhere, God used music to reach into my life. Pastor Matt reminded us today that worship is our heart's response to God's glory. His glory is then reflected in what we say or do.

God used music today to remind me of His glory. My heart, throat, and tear ducts responded. May the rest of my actions reflect an appropriate response to His glory.

Politics

2008-09-05T15:58:00.001-07:00

I ended up sitting through speeches from both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. I've long associated myself with the Republican party - sometimes apologetically - simply because it most closely resembles my moral, fiscal, and constitutional conservatism. Although there have been some significant Republican failures over the last 20 years, and as much as we have become the party that is known by what it is against than what it supports, I've found that the Democrats are so far away from my conservative beliefs that I would rarely be able to support a national candidate. (On occasion, I have voted for one or two local Democrats that actually represent the people, and may do so again this year.)

With that introduction, I haven't been particularly excited about this year's election. None of the Republican candidates resonated with me, and the Democratic choices were less than stellar.

After watching the conventions, I'm actually excited about voting for a conservative candidate again. His lifelong emphasis on service, his request for others to join him in serving their communities, his ability to reconcile with those who tortured him, and his call to work together as Americans was inspirational. I truly loved his comment after the protestor interrupted the speech, saying something like, "People are tired of hearing us yell at each other." I was inspired by his verbal commitment to do his part to reduce partisanship in Washington.

In all honesty, Obama was never really a choice for me since he stands for so many things that I find repugnant, but I wasn't necessarily thrilled with supporting the only other viable option. Now, I am. The next two months are going to be painful as we have to sit through commercials and commentary, but I've been pleasantly surprised that I found a candidate that I can support.

We're Back!

2008-09-04T20:14:00.001-07:00

After dropping the girls off at Grandmam's and GrandDad's House, Kari-Ann and I recently took a cruise to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. The girls had at least as much fun at their grandparents as we did on the cruise, but it was a much needed reconnecting time for Kari-Ann and I. It explains - partially - why I've been so quiet on the blog recently. Couple that with work being busier than ever, and I had little energy to write.

I have a few items I'll post over the next week or two, but this post is to share a few pictures of Ensenada and Cabo San Lucas. We came back relaxed, energized, and excited about our next 10 years together.

San Diego - Festival of Ships and Heritage Park B&B

Ensenada - Downtown and La Bufadora

Cabo San Lucas - Entrance to the Harbor, Lover's Beach, and Chileno Bay (Snorkeling)

The Cruise Ship (Carnival Elation)

Our 10th Anniversary

2008-08-08T16:43:00.001-07:00

Today, Kari-Ann and I celebrate our 10 year anniversary. For reasons I still don't completely understand, she decided to commit her life to mine, and I couldn't be happier. If you've ever asked us how we got together, we'll often tell the story in the best light to shock the listener. It might sound something like, she stalked me for 1.5 years before I gave in, or I stole her from my college roommate. Although the stories are true - sort of - I think the real story is much more interesting.

I remember talking with my dad about how he met mom several years before I met Kari-Ann. He told the story about sitting in a college classroom and looking up one day to see my mom walking in the room. He thought to himself, "She'll make someone a wonderful wife." As she's stood with him as pastor's wife, typically to small churches unable to support a full-time pastor, I know he feels that she has a been a wonderful wife for him.

Fast forward several years. I'd left home at 18 to attend Northwest College in Kirkland, Washington. After two years and a useless Associate of Arts degree, I needed some time away from school to figure out who I was. It took about three years - along with both of my long-term roommates getting married - for me to realize that I wanted to return to school and pursue a Business Management degree. So, I returned to Northwest and signed up for my first semester's classes. On my first day back, I sat down in a slightly uncomfortable wooden chair in my Macroeconomics class. I pulled out my notebook and pencil, settled myself, and looked up. In front of me was a tall, lovely, blond girl wearing a flowing dress with a matching hat. She was confident, carried herself with pride, and was drop dead gorgeous. Unbidden, the thought came to my mind, "She'll make someone a wonderful wife."

I found out that she was dating a guy on my floor in the dormitory, and although disappointed, I didn't follow up on my interest in her. In time, we became good friends, and as a group, we had breakfast together several times each week through the year and a half we spent at school together. She kept trying to hook me up with one of her friends and, as a result, she knew my schedule almost better than I did, which is where the stalking claim comes in.

At graduation, she was still dating the guy from my floor, but made sure to invite me to Salem to visit the Oregon Coast. I agreed, but didn't think much of it. Afterwards, I remember camping and rafting with my sister and whining to her about how there really aren't that many wonderful, Godly, available women there are out there. I remember being frustrated, but I'm pretty sure I whined a lot. During the college years, she'd met and liked Kari-Ann and kept pushing me to ask her out. I didn't, until after she finally broke up with him after a nasty argument.

She was living in Salem at the time, but he was a roommate in an apartment with me and we were all attending the wedding of a friend. When she broke up with him, he decided to immediately move home to Salem and stopped paying rent. I eventually contacted her and followed through on my commitment to visit her in Salem. It's hard to describe, but it was sort of like putting a fork in a light socket. I was energized all weekend. We saw the coast, watched Men in Black in the theatre, and had the best weekend I'd ever had. After I returned to Seattle, I asked her if I could visit again three weeks later.

When I came down three weeks later - almost exactly two years since I first saw her - we went to the Oregon State Fair. While riding The Zipper, I told her how much I enjoyed our friendship and that I had an interest in her that extended beyond dating. At the time, this was really going out on a huge limb for me. My heart was in my throat and I could barely put my thoughts together.

After several minutes of telling her what I felt, she hadn't jumped out of the ride, but she had yet to reply. When I prompted her for a reply, it went something like this. "Ditto." Ok, it went exactly like that.

It wasn't exactly what I was hoping for, but her facial expressions gave me enough hope to continue pursuing her. A year later, we were married, and I'm more in love with her today than ever before. What's interesting is that each of our families picked us for each other long before we realized that we were made for each other. It's entirely possible that arranged marriages don't deserve all of the bad press they've received. Hmmm...As the father of two girls, maybe...

On this, our 10th anniversary, I want to publicly proclaim that God has blessed me with the woman of my dreams. I've discovered that she is not only an incredibly loving wife sticking with me through some painful times, but she is also an amazing mother and friend. She has brought more joy and color to my life than I could have reasonably hoped for, and I am truly thankful for love, passion, and friendship.

Book Notes: Love is the Killer App by Tim Sanders

2008-07-24T23:15:00.001-07:00

I finished reading Love is the Killer App about two months ago. I've been carrying it around in my backpack to write up my notes, but it never seemed like the right time. Apparently, now is that time.

At the time of writing, Tim Sanders was the Chief Solutions Officer at Yahoo! Who knows where he is now that Microsoft and Yahoo! are having a tiff over who should own the search engine market. With that said, this isn't your normal management book/personal improvement drivel. It's a little outdated since he still talks about using a Palm Pilot (do they still make those), but the concepts are powerful. I caught myself comparing success and failure moments at various jobs in light of his recommendations, and I think he's right on ... with most of what he says.

Ok, so the title is interesting. Love is the Killer App. Catchy, but what does it mean? In the intro, he compares an intelligent and talented co-worker who was always ready for war - always hostile, always battle ready. To him, success meant that you crush the weak and disdain those who aren't as smart as you. You protect everything you know. When the co-worker asked Tim for advice, he told him to be a Lovecat, which means: Offer your wisdom freely, give away your address book to everyone who wants it, and always be human.

He spends the rest of the book talking about Knowledge, Network, and Compassion.

For knowledge, he recommends reading voraciously. Read constantly and try new and different subjects. He's a marketing guy, so most of his recommendations revolve around marketing. For me, they'll most likely be business management, technology, or Bible related. The fifty pages on why you should read more each day will challenge you to check out more books, not magazines, or (cough!) blogs. You must take notes and keep them in places that you can find them. In fact, this is why I started writing up my book notes for my blog. Of course, knowledge without a practical purpose is useless. You have to share that knowledge with others to be valuable to your company and increase your effectiveness.
Networking is all about sharing that knowledge with others and introducing people with common needs, goals, or ideas that will help each other. I was able to practice this recently since my company has been acquired twice. I was put in touch with someone in the mother company who needed help with a specific piece of technology. I brokered a conversation between him and two knowledge workers in my division. Together, they are architecting a solution that will be used internationally across the entire business unit. Each of the individuals benefits from the relationship, and both my boss and I received kudos for our initiative. As a result, the same individual has come to us asking for help on additional projects and we've been able to assist with solving a solution experienced in multiple locations. Knowledge plus network = valuable.
Compassion is the final piece. I once worked for a company where my manager expected me to call our wide area network vendor on a daily basis and "yell" at them regarding the trouble tickets that they hadn't closed in a timely manner. It didn't matter that the person answering the call had nothing to do with actually resolving the issue. He just wanted constant pressure placed on the company. Instead, Tim Sanders suggests that we always be human. The times I've been most effective at work and in my personal life have been when I allow my compassion to show. Where I genuinely care for someone and let them know it. At work, it is usually in the form of telling someone that I appreciate them, or telling others how talented the person is ... with specific examples. Compassion + Knowledge = Network.

Without realizing it, I'd been practicing many of these concepts over the last two years at my current employer. They've helped me successfully negotiate two major transitions. When I identified the situations where my actions and attitude fit within Tim's recommendations, I was successful at not only completing the task, but building relationships with my customers and peers.

Now that I've seen the results, I've been practicing his recommendations over the last few months and have seen significant results when I act like a lovecat. I've also had some failures when I slid back to the negativity of being a mad dog. If you're looking for an easy read that might just change your career, I'd recommend Love is the Killer App. It is highly engaging and challenging. If you need to borrow it, let me know. I might just buy you your own copy.

Living a Car-Less Life Part 4

2008-07-23T22:44:00.001-07:00

Up until this week, I've been riding my bike to and from work, but haven't ventured out much past that. I've had no reason to go anywhere else on my bike until this week. Kari-Ann and the girls went to visit my mother- and father-in-law for the week, so I've been on my own.

I haven't gone too far away from home, but I did make a stop at REI to buy fenders from Planet Bike since we're coming up on the rainy season. While I was there, I picked up a mirror for the bike handles, a reflective strap to hold my pants away from the chain and spent some time browsing.

Tonight I rode over to Whole Foods to pick up a surprise for my daughters and ended up eating dinner there. If you've never been to Whole Foods, it's quite an experience. They have an amazing bakery and a nice pizza deli, not to mention a few samples as I browsed the store. Yummy.

All-in-all, I'm not missing my car. I'm hoping that doesn't change when it starts to rain or get windy, but I've really enjoyed the fresh air, the exercise, and the monthly money back in our budget as we work through the Dave Ramsey's steps to Financial Peace. If you haven't read his book or taken his class, I highly recommend it.

Book Notes: Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

2008-07-06T15:37:00.001-07:00

I'm planning on publishing notes from some of the non-fictions books I read. I want to be able to look back later and see what I was thinking and reading during a specific period of time. With that said, I'm only planning on leaving notes on the books I think are worth reading. This is my first post on in the book notes category, so here goes.

I was a business major in college, and although I didn't truly enjoy Accounting or Marketing, I loved my Economics classes. Not because of the math or theory, but because it could be used as a way to take small meaningless facts and aggregate those facts into a big picture that then contained meaning. I'm a big picture kind of guy - I can work with details, but aggregating many small things into a larger picture is one of my key strong suits - so I enjoy reading about others that do the same thing. Taking data and turning it into a big picture for the reader is what the authors of Freakonomics tried to do. The book is well written and the different discussions present a very interesting read.

I read about Freakonomics several months ago, and found it at a yard sale recently for $1. It was a little expensive for a yard sale book, but I think it was $1 well spent. Steven Levitt is an economist who looks at the entire world from a different viewpoint. His conclusions make sense, but it took a unique mindset to look at the data and quantify it. At its heart, economics is the study of incentives. Why do people do what they do? If you change the incentive related to someone's regular actions (i.e. charging a parent per minute for leaving a child late at a daycare center), will their corresponding actions change?

At the beginning of the book, the author makes the statement that economics is not about morality. If morality represents an ideal world, then economics represents the real world. The authors try to objectively look at the subjects without considering morality. It would have been very difficult to look into subjects like Roe v. Wade being a key factor to the significant drop of violent crime 20 years later, or comparing the Klu Klux Klan to real estate agents. As a result, some of their conclusions have not been well received by either the political right or left.

Many of the topics in the book were interesting, but I found the discussion on cheating to be insightful. The incentive for teachers to cheat for their students on the standardized tests that determined their raises was very high, so is the incentive for Sumo wrestlers to cheat in tournaments that determined the hierarchy of the Sumo wrestler organizations, as is the incentive for people to not pay for bagels when there is no one to watch them put the payment in a box.

Although the intent of the discussions on cheating was not to make a moral statement, I found that it made a very strong moral statement. We live in a world that isn't what it should be. When the incentive is high enough for someone to act in a dishonest way, people will follow the path of dishonesty. It is an individual decision for that person, but economic studies allow us to group these individual together into a study that shows people are willing to cheat about 13% of the time, depending on the weather, time of year, or the people involved in the study (executives cheat more than front-line employees).

God designed our world to work in a perfect way, but through man's rejection of God, the world does not work in a way that is honest and just. Even the most jaded of people are still surprised or shocked when someone dishonest is found out. The higher position the person holds, the more surprised we are. We want to trust that people are basically good, but using economic tools, Levitt and Dubner show that people are willing to cheat or engage in dishonesty if the incentive is high enough for them. In their statement that morals is how the world should be, and that economics is how the world is, we see the difference between a world infected with sin, and what the Bible describes as Shalom.

Shalom is a Hebrew world that signifies, "The Good Life". It means Peace, but not just the absence of war. It represents what the world and our lives should be like. According to Wikipedia, Shalom means Nothing missing, Nothing broken, wellbeing, and complete. It can refer to either peace between two entities, especially between man and God. Until Jesus comes again, we can continue to measure the sin in the world with economics, but once He returns, we will experience a true Shalom.

In all, I really enjoyed this book. I think the laymen who has no interest in economics would still find that it is an easy and interesting book to read. It may challenge your thinking or basic assumptions, but I think you'll find that you'll learn more about yourself and about how the world works by the time you are finished. If you are interested in reading Freakonomics, I'm happy to share my books. I have two people up next for Freakonomics, but am happy to pass it along when it is returned.

Living a Car-Less Life Part 3

2008-06-22T20:21:00.001-07:00

Before seeing Prince Caspian on Friday, I was happily pedaling my way to work when I was passed in a blinding flash by another biker. Up until that moment, I thought I had been moving along at a fast clip. When I arrived at the stoplight about 100 yards away, the biker was waiting for the light to turn green. It turns out I know him and work with him.

We started a conversation that continued until we arrived at work. During the conversation, I realized that Mark was a serious bicycle rider. Not only did he have the fancy spandex shorts with padding in the appropriate areas, his bike probably cost several times what mine did, he had one of those fancy mirrors on the side of his helmet, his shoes clicked into slots on his pedals to help transfer energy to the wheels, and he had a flashing light on his backpack to warn drivers that he was there.

I was modestly dressed for my 1.2 mile ride in jeans, a polo, and casual black shoes. I was obviously more of a casual rider and it showed in our conversation as he talked about the 7 to 10 mile ride he made most mornings and evenings.

I have to admit that I started to become green with envy by the time we were 20 yards past the stoplight ... and I've never wanted to be known as a biker. I don't know where this "gotta have it" attitude comes from, but at that moment, I wanted to be outfitted like all of the cool bike riders. The envy continued until we hit the next stoplight, and as we were talking, the last part of Psalm 73 started echoing in my ears.

"Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

At the time, it was more the strength in my legs that was failing - not to mention the soreness in my bottom after riding 25.8 miles during the week - but I had read Psalm 73 the day before and at that moment it hit me in the face. Why was I desiring something I obviously don't need for my 1.3 mile ride into work? Why did I envy someone who had something that I have never desired and had no use for?

What on earth is worth desiring except for God? The answer seems rhetorical, but Asaph - the author of the 73rd Psalm - answers that, "God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." What amazing perspective!

It might help to know that at the beginning of Psalm 73, Asaph says that his feet had almost slipped because he was envious of proud and prosperous people who were arrogant, evil, or wicked (depending on the translation). I'm happy to say that Mark - my fellow biker and great co-worker - is none of these things, but that still didn't stop my feet from almost slipping while talking with him, and having your feet slip while you're trying to pedal is a very dangerous thing.

(Writer's Note: Ok, so I do know where the "gotta' have it" lifestyle comes from. In a world where man has rejected God, it is our selfish desire to fill God's place in our life with anything new, shiny, or interesting. The problem is that stuff doesn't fulfill. We always need the next new, shiny, or interesting thing to distract ourselves from the fact that "things" have no purpose or meaning. In the "gotta have it world", there is nothing beyond the moment. In a world with God as your saviour, there is all eternity filled with The One who provides our lives with meaning and gives us a purpose. In the war between my own selfishness and God, I choose God.)

Prince Caspian

2008-06-22T10:32:00.001-07:00

Kari-Ann and I hired a babysitter and went to Prince Caspian on Friday night. Before I express my disappointment in the movie, I should say that I've read the Chronicles of Narnia series more times than I can count. I started reading them as a fourth grader and now read them to my oldest daughter on a regular basis. As a result, I have a deep love for the books and for C.S. Lewis's intentional allegory of the Christian faith. With that in mind, I went to the movie knowing that they had significantly changed the storyline, and was prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt.

In all, I didn't mind the changes in the storyline. I could see the reasons for the changing pieces of the storyline, like Trumpkin's capture by the Telmarines. My extreme disappointment in the movie was caused by them materially changing Peter's character. For those of you who aren't Narnia experts, Peter is the High King of Narnia - once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen of Narnia. He plays a major role in the story, so the impact of changing his character has a profound impact on the story.

In the movie, Peter is bitter about having lived in Narnia as an adult and then being forced to return to England as a child. When he is pulled back into Narnia, he gets into a power struggle with Caspian and when Aslan does not immediately show up, he puts himself forward as the only one who can save the situation. In the end, he supports Caspian as king, but for most of the movie, he plays a prideful and bitter young man.

In the book, Peter is not bitter. Although he is headstrong in the beginning when they are lost in the woods, and he doesn't listen to Lucy when she sees Aslan, he immediately tells Caspian that he is not there to replace Caspian, but to help put him in his place as King of Narnia. He never loses sight of his "purpose" in the book. He knows what is required of him and as a result, acts honorably, courageously, and accepts the place and role that Aslan has designed for him. As High King, his role is to look out for the best interests of the people of Narnia. He sets his pride aside in favor of the mission.

Maybe I'm being too critical of a movie, but Kari-Ann and I both walked away disappointed because they had changed a powerful positive role into a negative one. What did you think?

Living a Car-Less Life: Part 2

2008-06-18T12:03:00.001-07:00

On Sunday, my mother-in-law was kind enough to spend time with our girls while Kari-Ann and I trooped all over town to find a bike for me. Ok, so we used a bunch of gas to find the right bike - which seems to defeat the purpose of getting a bike. I get the irony, but now that I have a bike, I won't be driving for a few months. For the record, here is the car that I gave up:

It was a fun-to-drive Scion xA. Engineered by Toyota, it came standard with an MP3 port, a kickin' sound system, rear seats that fold down flat, and sound controls on the steering wheel. Of course, the primary point that most interested buyers were looking for was the 35 miles per gallon that these cute little cars get. Of course, the day before I sold it, I filled up the 11 gallon tank with $45 of gas. That became a pretty decent motivation to use the muscles God gave me to commute to work.

On Sunday, I purchased a Schwinn Midtown bike from Costco. It is the most comfortable bike I've ever had. The handlebars are high enough that my back doesn't hurt, and the seat extends high enough that my legs are not cramped. It comes with 21 gears, but I mainly use four gears on my trip to and from my house. In the three days I've been commuting on a bike, I've put in 5.2 miles per day since I'm riding home for lunch. The rides have been nice - if a little cool - and I've enjoyed the time to wind down from work.

In all, the experience has been rewarding. Our Highlander will be paid off as soon as Toyota receives the check, I have added fresh air and exercise to my daily routine, and we've reduced our monthly expenses by almost $600/month when you include car payments, insurance, gas, and maintenance. I still need to buy rain gear and fenders, but the ROI turns out to be about 12 days when you factor in the savings.

Ok, outside of the stuff listed above, I have to say that I'm having a blast. I forgot how much fun it is to ride a bike. When I was a kid, I used to ride my bike all the time. It gave me a sense of adventure every time I mounted up and hit the trail. There's nothing like the open air hitting my face as I push myself to the next objective. The sound of the wind creates a bubble around me so that it is just me and my thoughts for the 7 minute ride. As I'm riding, my childhood "adventures" keep coming back to me. I have to say that right now, I'm loving it. Ask me again when it starts raining.

Living a Car-Less Life - Part 1

2008-06-14T11:48:00.001-07:00

For the first time in my adult life, I don't own a car.

Ok, let me qualify that. I've been without a car twice before due to an accident, and we stilll have a vehicle that is Kari-Ann's primary driver. With that said, I have willingly chosen to sell the car that I called my own. It makes me a little squeamish just thinking about it. I have to say that taking this step didn't come without a lot of angst, but after debating for several months, we finally took the step of finding a buyer for my Scion xA.

Since we live a mile from where I work (Corillian, CheckFree, FiServ), it was something of a luxury to drive a new car everyday. With the rising gas prices - not to mention taking Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University (www.daveramsey.com) - we decided that it was one luxury we could live without ... for now.

So, for the next few months I will be walking to work, or riding my bike. Scratch that. My wife just sold my uncomfortable bike at the neighborhood garage sale this weekend. It looks like I'll be walking 2.3 miles every weekday. At least, I'll be walking until we find a more comfortable replacement for my two wheeled travel assistant.

I intend to blog about my experiences of living a car-less life over the next few months. I've already experienced a slight feeling of inadequacy in walking home from work and having my co-workers drive by in their shiny vehicles. I'm hoping that feeling will be lessened if I'm on a nice looking bicycle keeping up with traffic.

(Full disclosure: I have no intention of braving Oregon's winter rain and snow without some form of gasoline powered vehicle. I do however intend on paying cash when I do purchase that vehicle, but it will take a few months to acquire since we're using the proceeds from my vehicle sale to pay off Kari-Ann's car.)

Wish me luck!