The Daily Stumbler

"Show Up, God!"

2018-11-03T16:06:00.000-06:00

When I was going through my deepest, darkest valley to date, I would often cry out to God in excruciating pain and searing anger, "Where are you, God?? I just need You to show up! JUST SHOW UP!"

That was my prayer for months. In my despair and pain and amidst my crisis of faith, I just wanted God to show me that He hadn't abandoned me. I wanted miraculous tangible proof that He was there and that He was actually Good. I seethed when the response seemed quiet and empty, despite my pleading.

In Matthew 25:34-46, Jesus tells a parable of the King who sorts the people before Him into two groups: those that helped Him when He was in need, and those who didn't. Once He had done His sorting and commended those on His right and condemned those on His left, each group was left confused. No one remembered ever seeing the King show up in their lives, much less asking them for help! How could this be??

The King responded: "...whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."

In reflecting on this parable recently, a question occurred to me, "Why couldn't the reverse also be true?"

While I had been demanding that my God-King SHOW UP, a flood of compassionate believers--His Children, His Body, His Dwelling, His Heart-Homes-- came knocking on my door. I had person after person after person bring me meals to nourish my body, give me hugs to soothe my suffering, and offer empathy as they listened to my pain and my anger and my confusion and wiped away my white-hot tears.

I didn't see it or understand it at the time, but God did show up. Over and over and over again. In fact, He never left. Because God doesn't just "Show Up", He abides. He dwells. He stays. And He mercifully blessed me with tangible love in the hands and arms of my brothers and sisters in Christ. God in them ministered to me. God in them.

"Do you not know that you yourselves are God's temple, and the Spirit of God dwells in you?"

(1 Corinthians 3:16)

Predestination: What is Our Destiny?

2018-08-23T20:29:00.000-06:00

The greatest mistake and heresy Christians commit is separating tiny tidbits of scripture from larger context. Sure, some verses make great motivational posters and are just so quotable… but using a verse separated from its larger context--the chapter, the book, the culture, the grand narrative of the whole bible-- has led to countless misunderstandings (at best) and abuses (at worst). We know, after all, that the Devil himself loves to use scripture to his advantage (see the temptation of Christ; Satan quotes the Psalms to try and get Jesus to jump off a building to “prove” Himself.) so we should take care before we choose to use a verse to prove our point to others!

The question we have to ask ourselves when we are quoting scriptures is this: Am I doing this to achieve something I want or am I doing this to achieve something God wants? And to answer that question we need to have a really good understanding of who God is and what He wants!

With all this in mind, I wanted to take a look at the idea of “predestination”. Here are the most commonly used verses in regards to predestination:

“he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will” (Ephesians 1:5)

“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” (Romans 8:29-30)

These verses on their own have led many people to interpret this to mean that, before time, God chose a few people to be saved and a few people to go to hell. Does that sit well with you? It certainly didn’t sit well with me… but who am I to argue with scripture? Right? WRONG. Again, context is everything! But before we dive into the larger context, let’s explore a few questions first.

From what you know about God and the rest of the Bible, does it make sense that God only chose an elite few to be saved?
What is the core trait of who God is?
What did God intend the world to be like from the beginning? (Think Eden. If Eden is our template what should a perfect world look like?)

These three questions are great questions to ask whenever we face strange or uncomfortable verses in the Bible. We always need to fit the ideas of a small verse into the larger context of a) The Biblical Narrative, b) The Character of God, and c) The Perfect World (Eden/Redemption).

So, let’s explore Predestination through these lenses.

In the larger context of the Bible, we know that God is not an elitist. In fact, he detests elitism! That is what the Pharisees were all about! “I follow the rules better than you, therefore God loves me and not you.” The same is true of many people who adhere to the idea of predestination: “I am a chosen one. You aren’t. God thinks I’m special.” We only need to look as far as the most quoted verse of the bible to debunk this idea of elitism: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, and whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17). That doesn’t sound like a chosen few, now does it? There’s a whole wide world out there!
Which brings us to our second question: Who is God at His core? God is love. God is grace. God is mercy. If you chose any of these as your answers, you’d quickly see the issue with the idea that God chose a few people from the beginning of time to be saved and a bunch of people from the beginning of time to burn in the fires of hell. That does not sound like a loving God to me. And it completely undermines the concept of grace-- this undeserving free gift of mercy extended to all. If we were chosen/predetermined as part of the “elite few”, then, on some level, there is no grace anymore, since we “deserved” to be saved because we were on some cosmic “it” list. In Ezekiel 33:11, it says “As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live.” Sounds like there’s a choice here for us…
Lastly, what did God intend from the beginning? If we were all predestined before the beginning of time to have some chosen and some not, then God should have created a world that reflected that… but God didn’t create a world with that dichotomy from the start. He created a perfect world from the start. But a perfect world with a choice. It seems that choice plays a major role in the destiny of humanity!

So now we must ask ourselves, what do these verses of predestination really mean then? The common understanding just doesn’t jive with the larger context of the Bible, the character of God, or the redemptive story. What are we to do with these verses then? Perhaps we’ve defined predestination wrong all along. Perhaps predestination isn’t the issue, but rather our understanding of it.

Predestination can either mean that God pre-destined our physical destination (i.e. Heaven or Hell), or it can mean that God pre-destined our spiritual destination (i.e. from cursed to blessed). God has always determined that we would look like Christ… and that opportunity is available to anyone who wants it. You see, once we choose grace, there is no other possible destination-- we will be transformed from cursed to blessed, from sinner to saint, from ruined to perfected, from selfish to selfless. We will become like Christ.

Now look back at those verses on predestination. Suddenly they become clearer with these new lenses on! Both of those verses link predestination with adoption into the family of God. If we “zoom out” a little further, the verses surrounding these ones make the link between predestination and spiritual transformation that much stronger:

Ephesians 1:4-6 “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.”

What were we chosen for? Heaven? Hell? No. We were chosen before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless. To be perfect in love. And he predestined us to be his children by lovingly giving up His Son so that we could freely get that gift of grace we needed in order to get to the spiritual destination He always intended for us. But the choice is always ours as to whether or not we accept that gift.

Romans 8 continues that theme, as God predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son. This is about spiritual destination! Not physical destination! Heaven isn’t some hot nightclub with a VIP list that mandates who’s “in” and who’s “out”. The Kingdom of Heaven is here and now and the doors have been flung wide open so that anyone who walks down the mainstreet called “Grace Way” will be transformed into a completely new person by the time they reach the throne room. God predetermined that your heart would be destined for perfection in love. Every person will be transformed from cursed enemy to adopted child and royal heir. It will happen. There’s no stopping it. No one will be rejected by God (but some will choose to reject God and deny themselves their destiny).

This is what scriptures were always meant to be! Life-giving! Not soul-crushing! It is truly Good News that God’s chosen destiny for all of us is LIFE and LOVE and ADOPTION and TRANSFORMATION! This sounds like the God I know and love. This sounds like the plan Jesus died for. This is what predestination is. We have our destiny laid out before us and we choose to move forward or not, as free agents with free will. We are not locked into a destiny void of choice, simply hopeless in our eternal destination. We are not members of an elite club of “chosen ones” that can look down our noses at the “riff raff unchosen sinners”, nor are we members of a cursed club of hopeless souls, doomed to an eternity in hell. No one is beyond the reach of God’s love. No one is “too far gone”. And no one is “elite”. But all will be made perfect in Christ. That is a predestined guarantee.

Painful Truths: Grappling with Grief

2018-06-29T15:49:00.000-06:00

The thing I hate most about grief is that it makes me selfish. I turn inward. I cradle my pain and hold it close, even though I detest it.

Pain reveals the worst parts of me. My fear. My jealousy. My anger. My bitterness.

People are quick to offer grace to me. They tell me that it’s “understandable”, but I hate that those parts of me exist. People have praised me for my honesty, but there are times where I desperately wish I had a poker face. My heart is on my sleeve because that’s where it’s been skewered— squirming helplessly out in the open, unable to hide. For better or for worse.

Sure, my compassion shows. My love. My joy. But that same heart is also incapable of hiding its anger, its hurt, its fear. The naked truth is that I end up hurting and disappointing people. And I resent myself all the more.

Pain reveals the darkest parts of me and forces me to confront it. Will I be consumed by my own darkness, or grapple with it?

My Creator is the only one who knows how to buff out those flaws and mend the broken pieces. He is the only one who knows what the perfect version of me is supposed to be. He is the only one who can restore me, because he carries the reference picture for my fully redeemed heart.

I’ve had trouble trusting and believing. Believe me, I’ve cried the same questions as the rest of humanity: “God, are you there? Do you love me like you claim to? How can you be Good and allow this to happen?”

God did not break the world. We did. God created perfection and we wanted more.

The only way God could give us the joy of experiencing Love is by giving us a dangerous gift: free will. God gave us His heart, let us hold it in our hands, and we chose to shatter it. And in His pain, God revealed His true nature: Mercy.

Since the very first day humans broke God’s heart, He has been busy making repairs-- making things right. Unlike me, He did not withdraw or lash out in His pain. He continued to pursue. He continued to love. He continued to forgive.

Blaming God for my suffering and questioning His love would be like a child shattering a precious vase and angrily blaming his parents for the fact that his fingers got sliced on the broken shards. But my Father is there. He rushes back in every time my anger subsides, and I finally let Him in close enough to bandage my wounds.

I am loved. And because I am loved, I am being transformed. This naked, broken heart will be mended. This pain is a process that has revealed my cracks and now I can let God get to work repairing them.

And someday, when this broken world slices me open again, I hope that a new truth is revealed: I am whole. I am restored. There is no more darkness in me left to reveal because God has replaced my heart with His own. And that heart only bleeds love and mercy.

Panic Attacks and Faith

2017-05-18T16:19:00.000-06:00

"Then he put his right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last."

-Revelation 1:17b

It starts small. Like first changes in the waves hitting shore when there's a storm brewing in the distance. It's almost indiscernible at first. I find myself feeling a bit irritable for no apparent reason. A bit withdrawn. A bit impatient. It's easy to shrug it off as a bit of stress or a bad day.

But then the storm intensifies. The waves crest and crash with increasing violence. It becomes apparent that the storm is coming. And the fear sets in.

I've been through this storm before. And I don't want to go through it again.

But it's like running into the stormy seas and trying to hold back the frothing waves with brute strength alone. And it's never enough. The ocean of fear drives forward in its merciless march.

The first icy wave crashes over me and, as I sputter and choke at the initial shock, panic sets in. My lungs seem to shrink within me, unable to capture the air. My heart seems to take their place within my chest cavity, as it swells and strains against its cage-- its ticking beats become frantic and frenzied. I try desperately to regain my footing on the shifting sands beneath me. But I am kept off balance as wave after wave crashes over me, until I'm knocked down and swept out to sea. Helpless. Out of control. Drowning.

I withdraw to find a place to hide while I drown. I back myself into a tiny place. A dark place. A safe place. I find refuge in a closet. Or a bathroom stall. Or corner. I push my back against something solid and reach out for the walls around me.

I close my eyes and I sob. I sputter. I gasp. I choke. The white-hot lightning of shame flashes across my mind, while the thunder of self-loathing shouts its derision in reply.

"I hate this person!"

"I don't want to be this person!"

"What a disgusting and pitiful creature you are!"

"You're weak and sniveling and incompetent!"

"How could anyone possibly love you? You're a mess!"

"You're a sad excuse for a mother/friend/wife/daughter/employee"

"You. Are. Disgusting."

"Disgusting!"

And I ride out the storm until the waves subside and leave me washed up on some familiar shore. I am left exhausted and broken. A shell. A corpse. But the relief of being left cold and numb on the ground is a welcome alternative to the unrelenting terror of the storm.

And so I lay there.

I teach myself to breathe again. I resuscitate my broken body and help my heart regain its rhythm.

I put all the broken pieces back together and hope no one sees the cracks as I return to the world and try to pretend to be whole again.

...and this is often where I think this story ends. In those dark moments I feel alone and worthless and hopeless. But the truth is, I am not alone. It is in these times my God carries me. It is in these times I am brought to prayer. It is in these times that I rely on the Father God who loves me so very much. And I realize that it's up to Him to mend those fractures in my heart and mind. I might think I'm feebly gathering the broken pieces of myself together, but it is He who holds me in His hands. It is He who not only holds me together, but continues the work of healing and repairing and renewing and redeeming-- sealing those cracks and making them disappear.

It is He who carries all the stormy seas in a teacup and has complete control over the tempest in my mind. And, as often as I have begged Him to speak "Peace, be still!" to my anxiety--to bring an instant and miraculous halt to the spiraling of my mind-- I know that He is still in control even when my circumstances don't make me feel that way.

I am loved by God. I am His. He is mine. He is in control.

Let's "Be Real" For a Minute...

2017-02-27T19:39:00.000-07:00

"...put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."

-Ephesians 4:22b-24

I am often at war with myself--- with my thoughts, my emotions, my actions. I'm very open about this ongoing battle (hence this blog dedicated to my many "Stumblings"...), but sometimes I worry that I'm trapping myself in this identity and excusing myself from growing---that I'm confusing my sinful attitudes with my core identity.

My generation glorifies "realness." We scrunch up our noses in contempt of those we deem "fake." While this attitude is rooted in a healthy desire to break down the walls of hypocrisy, sometimes I fear that it inadvertently encourages perpetual immaturity. We cry out for acceptance, but refuse to grow. We have a "take it or leave it" approach to our relationships and expect others to silently put up with us as we are or get out of our lives---with no room for humbly accepting rebuke or challenge--which results in us surrounding ourselves with like-minded "comfortable" individuals who enable us to remain as we are.

In its healthy and true form, being "real" involves confessing our shortcomings/sins and repenting of them. What does that mean? That means we acknowledge our unhealthy attitudes and we commit to change and growth. We hand them over to God and pursue Him instead. We become more like Jesus in accordance to our identity as children of God. The outcome: a more selfless and loving attitude.

In its unhealthy and debilitating form, being "real" stops short of repentance. We have no problem confessing our shortcomings, but we neglect any responsibility for them.We use "I am" statements to fuse our attitudinal shortcomings with our core identity in an attempt to exempt ourselves from growing or changing. "I am anti-social/introverted", therefore I don't have to try to reach out and love others (they should come to me!). "I am passionate" therefore I should be excused for acting angrily or rudely (people should agree with me anyway!). "I am smart" therefore I am right (and I have nothing to learn from others!). Most of us have our core list of "I ams"--- the attitudes we hold so closely and so tightly that we get defensive or fearful if anyone even comes close to suggesting we change or grow in those areas. We shrug and declare "it's just who I am." The outcome: a more selfish and isolating attitude.

We always have a responsibility to our actions. We can choose to be joyful, loving, patient, and gracious even when we don't feel like it. Choosing an outward action that doesn't necessarily match our inward feelings is not "being fake/hypocritical", it's maturity. Choosing an outward action that doesn't match what we say we believe is hypocrisy. And perhaps many of us "real" people are bigger hypocrites than we care to admit, because we fail to discern the difference between our feelings and our beliefs.

A hard truth I've come to grapple with is the fact that if I'm feeling defensive (which I often do), I'm acting out of fear and pride, and not the selfless love I've been called to. There is absolutely nothing for a child of God to feel defensive about. We are either being accused of something untrue and, by the grace of God, our lives can stand in testament to that and He will justify us, or we are being confronted with truth and have an opportunity to humbly repent and grow. Either way, there is no place for defensiveness among God's children. As we have been instructed to "...do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, 'children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.' Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life." (Philippians 2:14-16a--- the whole chapter of Philippians 2 is actually a great reminder...)

When we boil it all down, there is actually very little we can fuse so tightly to our identities that we can honestly say "This is just who I am, there's no changing that!": I am a child of God. He has given me unique gifts to lovingly and selflessly share with this world for His glory. That's it. Even the "gifts" can change! My giftings are not my identity. My position as a child of God is who I am. Made in His image and being transformed to match the character of Christ Jesus. That is my core "I am", my identity. All my other "labels" hang on that central identity. I am a woman, a daughter, a sister, a mother, a wife, a professional, a Canadian, a (fill in the blank)-- but I am a Christ-follower, a Christian first. A Christian woman. A Christian wife. A Christian Canadian. And that core should radically affect all other areas, not the other way around.

Jesus may have met people where they were at, but that doesn't mean he let them stay where they were at. An encounter with Jesus was as challenging as it was amazing. It was life-altering. It required a commitment to growth and maturation. And while no one who encountered Jesus was instantly perfected, they were instantly transformed.

God,

Give me the strength and courage to let go of the broken pieces of my sin and insecurities and exchange them for the wholeness of my identity in Christ. Transform me, Father. Bolster my faith so that I can be bold in my true identity as your daughter.

Amen.

I've Got This Under Control....?

2016-08-23T21:25:00.002-06:00

I like to think I’m in control. I carefully organize, plan, and plot my personal and professional life in incremented goals and self-imposed deadlines to give myself the illusion of order in the chaos of life.

And all too often that illusion comes crashing down.

Today I found out that I am NOT pregnant. Again. Back when I thought I had control over something as simple as my own fertility choices, I planned on having four kids. I dreamed of having those four adorable little munchkins 1-2 years apart so that I could start around 23 and be done by the time I was 30. Instead, here I am, years later, with one beautiful $12,000 IVF baby and thousands of additional dollars spent in my attempts to have more. This past year alone I’ve spent MONTHS plagued by hormone-induced insanity in my pursuit of children. I’ve had two cancelled IVF cycles (due to my dysfunctional uterus), one embryo that didn’t survive its Ice Age, and two failed IVF cycles--thanks to embryos that chose not to stick, despite being given every opportunity of making themselves at home in an eager, medication-prepared uterus.

That’s three children that didn’t come to be. Three sparks of life that failed to ignite. Three dreams shattered. I had already figured out what day they’d be due. I guessed their sex (2 of them were boys, and 1 a girl). I had begun to think of names and plan on how I was going to announce my pregnancy and how I was going to introduce them to their big sister. Plans. Goals. Dreams. Control.

And what do I do when I feel out of control? My anxiety ramps up. My temper flares on a short fuse. I try to find someone to blame for the chaos my life has become-- the meaninglessness of my suffering, the unfairness of it all. I cry, complain, and snarl at God… how could He possibly be in control? And if He is, how can He possibly be Good?

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7)

Like a tantruming, entitled toddler, I throw myself onto the ground and scream in my Father’s face. How dare he defy my will? How dare he claim to know what’s best for me? How dare He?! Does He even love me anymore? Does He even care?

“Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity...No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.” (Romans 8:35, 37-39)

Just like a young child who is convinced that what they want is good and they deserve to have it on their timeline, without understanding the love and good intentions of their parents, so too do I fall back into spiritual immaturity and demand my wants on my timeline and misunderstand God’s plan for me.

Control and anxiety have become indicators of pride in my life. I become self-focused and self-centered. I take my eyes off of God and aim for a different prize. I become consumed by my desire to accomplish my goals and attain my desires---and God or other people better not get in my way.

I recently came across a quote by C.S. Lewis that said, “Humility is not about thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.” By that definition, I am one of the least-humble people in the world. Pride isn’t always about loud boasting. It can also be about quiet self-absorption. I am so easily consumed by how I feel, what I want, and what others must be thinking of me, that there is often very little room left for thinking about God or the needs of others.

And I’m supposed to be leading ministry??

I often hesitate to tell anyone my struggles now that I am in charge of Family & Children’s Ministry at my church. I feel pressure to be perfect. To have it all together. To be a “prime example” of Christian living to those I lead. And yet, by attempting to control my image and attempting to put up a facade of “Christian perfection”, I fall far short of God’s standard of “perfection.” I take my eyes off of Him. I shift my care away from others and begin to only care about how I’m being perceived.

Control is a false comfort. We cannot control anything. We are utterly powerless in this life. God is the only one who can control anything, and yet we refuse to trust Him. We doubt either his competence or his goodness. We face tough times in the chaos of life and we begin to question whether God truly cares.

But the truth is, He does. It is no mistake that the bible says “Do not be afraid” more times than any other phrase. He knows that we are easily shaken by our fragile, powerless, mortal condition. He knows that we falter in our trust. (Uh, hello?... Peter nearly drowned himself after suddenly doubting the Guy walking on water in front of him...if there was ever someone to have reason to trust 100% of the time, you'd think it would be a disciple in the middle of witnessing a miracle!)

But His promises remain: He is with us. He will not leave us. He will not stop loving us. He is in control. He is eternally Great & Good, despite what our broken World would have us believe. We are challenged to persevere and grow. We are challenged to give our foolish sense of control over to God. We are challenged to believe God’s promises even when we don’t feel like it. We are encouraged to keep going and come out of our trials stronger than we went in.

I will persevere. I will be humble in the face of personal pain or chaos, because of the Spirit of God working in me. The love Jesus has already shown me is enough to motivate and sustain me. I will choose to believe that God is with me, even when times are tough.

Because “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”

Spiritual Consumerism: What's in it for Me?

2016-08-05T15:50:00.000-06:00

Consumerism is what drives the success of our Western society. It is the very foundation of our economic structure. Everything hinges on the buying and selling of goods and services. Advertisers spend millions upon millions of dollars in an effort to convince you that their product is something you want--- no need! We are urged, manipulated, and coerced into thinking that particular products will set us apart from the crowd and make us feel better about ourselves. We are courted and seduced by the beckoning flattery that consumerism promises. We are told that it is all about us, our pleasure, our reputation, our attractiveness, our happiness. We are told that we can be made whole by satisfying our desires and feeding our egos-- we deserve it.

And it’s all a lie.

At its core, capitalistic consumerism is benign. Any society depends on the trade of goods & services to be successful and healthy. However, this benign industrial innovation has mutated over time to become a malignant attitudinal cancer in our world. It’s infected our hearts and minds. It has carefully groomed and nurtured a dark part of our souls that has been there since the Fall of Creation: It’s convinced us that how we feel at any given moment is the utmost priority.

My biggest struggle in life is this: to get over my desperate, overwhelming, all-consuming desire to be… comfortable. I want to be emotionally, physically, relationally, financially, psychologically, and spiritually comfortable. I’ve bought into the lie that I deserve to be comfortable. I deserve to live a life that is safe, pleasant, and relatively easy. I deserve … happiness. The serpent coils around this ripe fruit and invites me to take and eat, because this is how I’ll be made whole.

I’ve bought into the lie time and time again.

It is surprising how prevalent this attitude is among believers, isn’t it? We have the very Word of God set before us--- the Word that blatantly contradicts everything that has to do with any sort of entitlement--- and yet, we continue to believe the lie… that “we deserve”…

Entitlement grasped for forbidden fruit, because we deserved to be like God.

Entitlement raised up the stone that murdered Abel, because Cain deserved to have his sacrifice accepted.

Entitlement jeered at the Son of God--it beat and whipped him, it demanded his death-- because we deserved a Saviour that fit our expectations. We deserved Someone better than a humble carpenter! We deserved to feel like good people and not have to come face-to-face with our sinfulness!

(Oh, thank God He chose not to give us what we actually “deserve!”)

Entitlement culture continues to pervade our daily lives, including the church! How often have we criticized a worship service because we just didn’t “feel” into it? We’re entitled to have an emotional experience! We’re entitled to hear music we like!

Or perhaps we’ve jumped from church to church because we weren’t “getting anything” out of the service? Because we deserve to be spiritually fed? (Or is that "spoon-fed"?)

We’ve turned our backs on serving others because it doesn’t “feel” right. We’ve refused to give because it was difficult. We didn’t speak the Truth in Love because we were afraid of damaging our reputation or losing friends. We live a double life of going through the “Good Christian” motions on Sunday, while living a life of hedonistic selfishness the rest of the week--- because we deserve to have fun! We deserve to be happy! We deserve pleasure and comfort and appreciation and respect and excitement and entertainment… right?

“Don’t be naive. There are difficult times ahead. As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, dog-eat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God. They’ll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes they’re animals. Stay clear of these people…
I can’t impress this on you too strongly. God is looking over your shoulder. Christ himself is the Judge, with the final say on everyone, living and dead. He is about to break into the open with his rule, so proclaim the Message with intensity; keep on your watch. Challenge, warn, and urge your people. Don’t ever quit. Just keep it simple.
You’re going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food—catchy opinions that tickle their fancy. They’ll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages. But you—keep your eye on what you’re doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God’s servant.” (2 Tim 3:1-5, 4:1-5, MSG)

Hmm. Looks like God saw this coming...

The default approach to life for our selfish, sinful hearts is to ask, “What’s in it for me?” It takes incredible effort to continually shift our perspective back to, “What’s in it for God-- and how can I help?” We feel apathetic, uninterested, stressed out, burnt out, and cynical because we’re looking at the world through self-focused lenses--- “how are we feeling about this?” We are loving, peaceful, joyful, patient, selfless, kind, generous, gracious, and faith-filled when we are looking at the world through God-focused lenses---”how is He feeling about this?”

The shift in our lives happens when we recognize the truth of what we really, truly, “deserve” in this life--- nothing. In fact, worse than nothing! We deserved to be “scrapped” as the defective, ungrateful, broken creation we chose to become! But God looks upon his foolish, naive, entitled creatures and extends His hand with an offer to restore us, redeem us, and transform us into His precious children! When we can begin to comprehend that--- even some small fraction of what that means-- our outlook is transformed! What joy! What privilege! What amazing love!

Suddenly church ceases to be about what we “get out of it”, and becomes a place to worship and to practice selfless living. Suddenly people cease to be obstacles/annoyances and begin to be precious image-bearers of God. Suddenly life’s hardships become a spiritual fitness bootcamp where we can exercise our faith “muscles” and grow stronger. Suddenly life’s goodness ceases to be taken for granted as what we “deserved” all along, and becomes precious blessings and gifts from a Good Father.

"Whoever loves the life they have now will lose it. But whoever is willing to give up their life in this world will keep it. They will have eternal life."

(John 12:25 ERV)

God, my Father,

Help me to see the world through your eyes. Help me to see where you’re working and how I can help. Please forgive me for my warped attitude and for placing my own comfort ahead of my love for You. Help me to grow. Help me to become more like Christ. Refine my heart, so that I can live for you instead of for me. Keep me encouraged in Your work, rather than consumed by mine.

Proverbial Wisdom 2

2015-05-20T13:34:00.001-06:00

"Then you will understand what is right and just

and fair—every good path.

For wisdom will enter your heart,

and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
11
Discretion will protect you,

and understanding will guard you."

-Proverbs 2:9-11

The title of Proverbs 2, at least in my version, is "The Moral Benefits of Wisdom." Chapter 3 (which we will look at tomorrow) is titled "Further Benefits of Wisdom" and then Chapter 4 is titled "Wisdom is Supreme."

I don't know about you, but I think Solomon is trying to tell us something here....

You wouldn't think that Wisdom needs such a pushy sales pitch. After all, when we hear the word "Wise" it generally conjures up warm fuzzy feelings of hoary-bearded grandpas and wide-eyed owls. Wisdom is generally a respected ideal. However, I've come to realize that I haven't always actually valued wisdom. I've valued being smart. Being right.

Smart is loud. Wisdom is quiet. Smart is proud. Wisdom is humble. Smart seeks to be right. Wisdom just seeks to understand.

This is such a tough one for me. As an academic, it's become intertwined with my sense of identity. It's so difficult to turn off the knee-jerk reaction to be "right" and flip the switch to "understand." Understanding takes time. It takes patience. It takes a willingness to give up what I want in exchange for accepting what's best.

My husband and I jokingly call our cell phones our "argument solvers." We get into meaningless little spats over facts and inevitably, someone pulls out the smartphone and googles the answer to settle the matter. In the age of the internet, it's easy to find the "right" answer. Or even justification for what you believe is right. But google has yet to reduce wisdom to 1's and 0's in a search engine.

True wisdom comes from God alone. Time to be a patient seeker of wisdom, rather than a snappy know-it-all.

God, Grace, and Good-Deeds

2014-01-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, dear Stumblers, but I often find it difficult to strike a balance between a works-based faith and a grace-only faith. Obviously the extremes (tinged with selfishness) aren't healthy, with a works-based faith that teaches that we need to do good things to make God happy, and a grace-only faith that teaches God forgives all and we don't have to do anything special to make him happy.

Essentially, the downfall on either side is when people try to separate their lives from God's power. A works-based person may become anxiety-driven as they try to attain perfection on their own. A grace-based person may become apathetic or cavalier in their relationship with God, figuring they can continue in their sinful ways and not need to change because "God forgives all."

I've always been a perfectionist. My relationship with God has been riddled with anxiety as I try so hard to be good and do good things, but never feel like I'm doing enough. I feel guilty and shameful. I feel distant from God. I wonder why God doesn't seem to care about me when I'm trying so very hard!

My pastor recently shared a very interesting cycle of faith. He defined what true grace-based faith is and what it was supposed to look like. Take a look:

("Cycle of Grace" credit to Trevor Hudson & Jerry Haas)

A healthy faith starts with "Acceptance". It starts with knowing that God loves and forgives us and accepts us through Christ. We didn't deserve it. We didn't earn it. But God freely gave it. This knowledge strengthens and sustains us in our faith. Once we gain confidence in the knowledge that God freely accepts us to be his children, we find meaning and significance. Our purpose becomes known as we learn what it means to be a child of God (or, more specifically, to be like Christ) and, in that purpose, we find a place to take action, so good works and improvement are a natural result. Our achievements, given freely, out of love for our Father, remind us once again of his love and free acceptance of us---and so the cycle continues.

A works-based faith is backwards. It begins with "Achievements." It works (or rather, doesn't work) on the basis that we need to do good things in order to gain significance in God's eyes. Once we do enough good things and find our meaning through our own good works, we attempt to gain strength from our own accomplishments. We find ourselves believing we will gain God's acceptance only if we do something impressive! When we don't find acceptance, we feel guilty and inadequate, so we try to do more good things---and so the cycle continues.

You'll notice that the backwards, works-first cycle is exhausting and self-defeating! We've already been told that "...it is by grace (we) have been saved, through faith...not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9), but for some reason we have a difficult time actually believing that! In this world where everyone has to prove themselves and everyone has something to prove, being freely accepted just doesn't seem to compute!

Some well-meaning people once asked Jesus: "'What must we do to do the works God requires?' (and) Jesus answered, 'The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.'” (John 6:28-29). That's it. The only "work" God requires us to take is to believe in Christ. After that, he expects us to hand over the reigns and let him work through us and in us.

I believe the confusion arises from the fact that the bible also says "faith without deeds is dead." (James 2:26). This is where the push comes in. This is where the apathetic grace-reliant Christians get a kick in the butt. You see, the cycle does not stop at "Sustaining Strength" or "Significance." To stop there is to stop the cycle and to stunt spiritual growth. We are not to simply bask in God's acceptance of us--to nonchalantly continue our business without any regard for what our Significance truly is in relation to that grace. Faith without deeds is dead, because the cycle has obviously stalled! If we know who we are as a result of our acceptance, we will become more like Christ... and someone who is Christlike will not pass up an opportunity to show love to others or to shut down sin in their own life!

The key difference here is that the good deeds and works are a result of a spiritual transformation. They are the result of us allowing God to reign in our life and take control. They are not the result of a personal drive for perfection. They are not attempts to gain recognition from God, rather they are God's attempts to make us like Him. They are acts of obedience to spiritual leading, not acts of personal ambition.

This is why we are called to be in close relationship with God at all times. To pray with out ceasing. To study his Word. We need to make sure we don't grind the cycle into reverse by changing our focus from loving God for His acceptance, to trying to impress God with our own actions. We also need to make sure we don't stall a healthy cycle by pausing too long to merely "bask" --to take God's acceptance for granted. We are called to understand God, love him, and grow.

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

-Matthew 22:37-40

Evangelist-- Bringer of Good News?

2014-01-25T20:44:00.001-07:00

What do you think of when you hear the word “Evangelist” or “Evangelism”? I don’t know about you, but I used to have a pretty skewed understanding of what those words meant. I’m not sure if my misunderstanding was just my limited life experience, but those words used to conjure up images of bible-thumping “fire-and-brimstone” preachers. Even my own attempts at “evangelism” as a teenager were actually more like an insurance sales pitch: We’re bad people. Jesus died so that God will let us into Heaven when we die. We just need to say the “magic words” and try to follow the rules and then we have a ticket to eternal bliss after we leave this sorry planet, instead of going to hell.

All of this is a far cry from the “messenger of Good News”, that an “Evangelist” is supposed to be. We need to decide what the “good news” actually is. Is the “good news” that life on this planet is depressing and meaningless, and that death is even more painful if we don’t get our ticket stamped? Or is the Good News that Heaven came to earth. That God became human. That God wants an actual relationship with each and every one of us?

Jesus is the good news. Jesus didn’t just come to stamp admission tickets into heaven. Jesus came to give us the opportunity to have a personal and intimate relationship with God himself. Jesus gives us the gift of forgiveness. The gift of redemption. He gives us the gift of friendship and love. He gives us the gifts of Heaven now. Being a Christian doesn’t mean enduring a meaningless life in hopes of getting into Heaven someday. Being a Christian means befriending Christ and pursuing a loving relationship with God so that he can establish the Kingdom of Heaven through us.

Evangelism isn’t some kind of religious sales pitch. Evangelists are children of God that are so in love with their Savior that they just can’t help but bubble over with excitement when they talk to others about this amazing relationship. This isn’t some cosmic numbers game with God and the Devil competing for souls! This is a loving God who refuses to force himself on anyone, but freely offers choice. This is a God who humbled himself and became human so that he could pursue us and relate to us.

And THIS is GOOD NEWS!

BOLD

2013-11-25T16:07:00.000-07:00

Today's message is brought to you by:

Acts 4

This passage immediately brought me back to a favourite camp song that I sang many times in my youth. You can check out this video, or just read the lyrics below:

Be bold, be strong

For the Lord your God is with you.

Be bold, be strong,

For the Lord your God is with you.
I am not afraid,

I am not dismayed,

Because I'm walking in faith and victory,

Come on and walk in faith and victory,

For the Lord your God is with you.

I often find that songs that seem to be the simplest, actually have some profound truths hidden behind a catchy tune. Those lyrics have power! Our Lord God is with us! We do not have to be afraid, or timid, or embarrassed, or ashamed, or doubtful. We are walking in FAITH and VICTORY! Our God, our Jesus, is with us! The greatest battles have already been won! We have truth on our side! We have life on our side!

Fear and timidity are the by-products of doubt. We’ve all been there. Or at least I know I have. We need to remember that we worship a LIVING God! That our Savior rose from the dead and is WITH US! We are called to BE BOLD for our God! Be STRONG in times of difficulty so that doubt doesn’t get its icy grip on our hearts.

Jesus died and ROSE AGAIN. He died and then defeated death by rising once more, forevermore. Our Jesus did not abandon us to fight the despair and evil of this world on our own. He lives in us and walks with us daily. When you have the spirit of the LIVING GOD actually dwelling within your very being, how can we not be BOLD and STRONG??

Fill us to the brim, Holy Spirit, so we can be BOLD! So that we can exude God’s power and Christ's love!

An Extraordinary Ordinary

2013-11-06T16:08:00.000-07:00

“They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God...”-Acts 2:46-47

Photo credit: Static.Guim

This may seem obvious to some, but I often find myself forgetting that the Bible is a highlights reel, not an exhaustive historical account spanning millennia. I have, on more than one occasion, found myself a little depressed at how “ordinary” my faith life is and has been. I often feel like God isn’t doing a whole lot in my life or through me, because I’m just “going with the flow” of daily routine.

Occasionally the Bible gives snippets of “ordinary”, such as the early believers hanging out and eating together, and I find myself wishing for more of these glimpses into the ordinary life of Bible heroes. Like, what did Jesus do on his days off? He was in ministry for three years--that’s almost 1100 days---but the Bible only recounts a few sermons and miracles. While John says, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, ...even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written." I still think that Jesus had to have had some “ordinary” days in his ministry. Quiet days with his disciples, or days of journeying from point A to point B.

Even if Jesus didn’t take a single day off in his 3 years of ministry, what about his 30 years of life prior to ministry?? This is an area that definitely has me curious. What was Jesus like as a child, teenager, and young man? What was his day-to-day life like? I would wager a guess that his pre-ministry life was pretty ordinary and routine. However, I’m sure we can all agree that his life and faith was still anything but ordinary.

Jesus was in active miraculous ministry for approximately 10% of his life on earth (and within that 10% we don’t know how much time was spent doing something extraordinary---take out time sleeping, eating, and “off” days and that number probably drops to 5%). His pre-ministry years were a blessing. Comfortable routine and uneventful ordinary are the times of preparation. We learn skills and grow into faithful people who can be effective when we are called by God for those extraordinary moments of miraculous wonder.

These are the things I have to try to remember when I am antsy to do “big things” for God and when I feel like “ordinary” life isn't enough. I fall into the trap of thinking that my day-to-day life is a waste of time and that I’m not doing anything worthwhile if I’m not out there actively preaching or some other extraordinary reflection of faith. I forget that ordinary days are necessary to prepare for extraordinary days, because extraordinary days are also extremely difficult days. Just look at the sacrifices the heroes of the Bible had to make in order to be considered extraordinary in their faith: Abraham had to be willing to kill his only son (that he had waited nearly 100 years for!). Noah had to be willing to spend an incredible amount of time and money looking crazy to his peers. David had to be willing to die facing a giant. Jesus and his disciples had to be willing to give all their time, energy, and--eventually--their lives. Extraordinary faith requires painful sacrifice.

We live in an age of celebrity. An age where doing something amazing gets you fame and fortune. Perhaps my desire for the extraordinary is really a naive and selfish desire for recognition--by God and by others. Instead of trying to be extraordinary, I should be looking for the everyday “extraordinary ordinary” that God has made possible. The extraordinary facts that follow me daily are:

-I am an adopted child of God!

-I have had all my impossible sin-debts paid for because God’s only Son died for me

-Death has been conquered by that Son who rose again---I will never die! I do not have to fear death!

-I have the honour and opportunity to have a personal, intimate, one-on-one relationship with the God of the Universe. Yep, that’s right… I can talk directly to him anytime I want. We can have a conversation.

-I have the very Spirit of God living in me. This means that God can transform me and direct me and maybe---just maybe---do extraordinary things through me.

Photo credit: Eaglewings Ministries

A day in Christ is never ordinary. We live a life that, through faith, is an extraordinary ordinary. Our purpose isn’t to try and make our lives/faith extraordinary for God. Our job is to be on the lookout for the extraordinary things God is doing everyday and join Him there, in whatever way He enables us. This means we might be in the cheering crowd simply praising God for what He’s doing, or it might mean we’re thrown into the middle of the game as a key player that God is going to use to score a touchdown. Running onto the field to try and make ourselves extraordinary is not only unhelpful, we’re in for a serious reality check and a lesson in humility when the Coach kicks us off to the sidelines and tells us to get out His way.

We have an extraordinary God and He is the only one who can do amazing things. He has told us outright, “If you remain in me, and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). Our job is simple: remain in Him, follow His direction and amazing things will happen. Try to do it on our own and we’ll end up worse than ordinary---we’ll end up a nuisance.

Photo Credit: Deanna Shrodes

God,

I’m ready to stop trying so hard. It was really exhausting anyway. Open my eyes and help me to see the extraordinary things that you are doing all around me every day, and allow me to join You in whatever way You see fit. I can be a cheering fan in the stands, a janitor cleaning up after others, or a key player in the game, it’s up to You. Help me to see the importance and honour in each of these roles and to resist the temptation to force myself into a role that I’m not ready for and You don’t intend for me.

Thank you, Father, for the “highlight reel” You’ve already created in my own life. Don’t let me forget those highlights in my ordinary or low times.

Praying in and through Christ,

Amen.

Consumed

2013-09-30T08:18:00.001-06:00

Today's Passage: Hebrews 13:1-6

Photo credit: Radiofreethinker

This past week in my Social Studies 9 class, I was discussing “Consumerism” with my students. I showed them the textbook chapter of how our economy depends on people buying and selling goods and services, and how consuming goods affects people’s identity and quality of life. But then I also went outside of the textbook and had them look at the disadvantages of a consumerist society.

In this world, especially in our North American society, our worth as individuals and as citizens hinges on what and how much we buy. We cram our driveways with motorized toys. We pack our closets with clothes to fit every event, style, and mood. We pile the debt high in hopes of finding happiness and fulfillment at the top of that mountain… only to realize we’ve become slaves to our money, rather than masters of it. We are shamed into piling that mountain ever higher in the quest for the latest and greatest--to fit in.

I can throw the same facts to you as I had my students consider: life satisfaction survey statistics show that happiness levels have been steadily dropping since the consumerist shift in the 1950s, 6 months after making our purchases we use less than 1% of the products we've bought, and we work more hours as a society now than we have since the age of feudalism (no doubt to pay for all those purchases that end up forgotten or trashed within 6 months).

Photo credit: akingslife.com

What has our love of “stuff” cost us? Beyond money, it’s cost us relationships. It has cost us time. We’ve given up the increasing joy of loving God and loving others in exchange for the ever decreasing joy of junk.

Now, I’m not saying owning nice things is sinful or bad. God has never said that having money or spending money is wrong… but he has repeatedly warned us against the love of money, the love of material things, and has told us to be disciplined with what we dedicate our time and resources to. Anyone can fall into the trap of loving of money… you don’t have to be rich to have the insatiable desire for more!

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”

-Hebrews 13:5

We can be content with what we have because we have something that renders everything else negligible. Big or small, rich or poor, plentiful or scant—we have God who has promised a close relationship with us that he will never walk away from. That is truly priceless.

Jesus’ sacrifice was so that we could have an intimate relationship with the God of the Universe who, for whatever reason, has chosen to fall madly in love with us. In return we have been asked to do two things: Love Him back and Love Others. If anything is getting in the way of that--- siphoning our love, time, energy, or resources--- we need to reflect on our priorities.

Jesus chose to build a kingdom of love. A kingdom of relationships and of selfless sacrifice. He could have built a kingdom of towering walls, jewels, and riches. But he chose love.

May we follow his example and choose the same.

Hope

2013-08-10T15:53:00.000-06:00

Honesty time: I've been struggling with the idea of "hope" for the past 20 months. To me, "hope" sometimes seems cruel. A person can look forward to something so much that they essentially expect it to happen, and when it doesn't, it can feel like your heart has been ripped out and trampled on the ground.

Photo credit: http://savegoodness.com

Hope is simultaneously encouraged and discouraged in our society. We're urged to be positive and have hopes. But we're cautioned against "getting our hopes up" or "offering false hope."

The Bible mentions hope a lot. Almost two hundred times! Most of us know the verse in 1 Corinthians 13:13 that names the three things---above all others---that will endure: Love, Faith, and.... Hope. So why does it feel like hope doesn't endure? Why does it feel like it would, in fact, be easier to let go of hope? After all, you can't be disappointed if you don't have any expectations.

I found another verse about hope that I very closely related to:

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life"

-Proverbs 13:12 (NIV)

Oh, how heartsick I have been these past 20 months in the quest to conceive a child! For you it might not be a child... perhaps it is freedom from illness, a promotion, escape from debt, a full recovery, a repaired relationship... whatever the case may be, we are united in our fervent prayers for fulfilled hope, the spark of anticipation when we think maybe, just maybe, it's going to happen for us, and then... the downturn into despair when we realize what we had hoped for didn't happen the way we wanted.

But does the Bible promise that every hope we have will be fulfilled? I've had a great many hopes fulfilled---the hope for success, the hope for a husband, the hope for a healed marriage, the hope for stability/security... but it only ever seems like the hope at hand is the only one that matters, and I quickly forget the "tree of life" I already have planted!

Of the nearly two hundred references to hope in the bible, I quickly came to the realization that the hope God promises fully and completely is that we have Salvation through Christ and that we are loved dearly by Him. We have hope that, no matter how terribly this life treats us, we have an eternity to make up for it in His care. We have hope that, no matter how many times our hopes for other things--noble things!--are dashed, He does actually love us passionately and that His plans and timing truly are for our best, no matter how unlikely that may seem in our time of despair.

The true tragedy isn't when our hopes in this life aren't fulfilled... the true tragedy is when we abandon our hope in God. Instead of running to the source of wisdom, love, and goodness, we are sometimes tempted to retreat into our own little shell of despair. And what happens? More despair. True hopelessness.

Sometimes God defers or denies the things we hope for. But we have one Great Hope that we know will endure and be fulfilled---the hope that God is who He says He is, and that He does what He says He will do. When we cling to that Great Hope we will find renewed strength and our soul will take wings. Our mortal hopes may be in line with God's glorious plan, and He may fulfill them for us now or in the future. Or, our mortal hopes may not be in line with His plan and He may steer us in a different direction. The redirection may be painful and may not make sense for a very long time, but the Great Hope promises it will all make sense someday.

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

-Jeremiah 29:11-13

God. Hears. Us. Dear Stumbler---He hears us! He is not ignoring us. When we run to the Great Hope and seek the Source of that Hope, we will find our Father. We will find Him and we will know Him. And the key to happiness and peace despite all life's disappointments? Trust. Trusting that God's words are true. That He has a plan, and that it is a good plan.

"Why so downcast, oh my soul? Put your hope in God!"

-Psalm 42, 43

Let us not fuel despair by turning away from the source of Hope. Let us not shake our fists in anger at the Father who sees the Big Picture and knows exactly how we're supposed to fit in to that glorious work of art. Let us cling to the Great Hope that endures and that is guaranteed to be fulfilled, rather than chasing after the mortal hopes that fail.

Photo credit: http://www.backinskinnyjeans.com/

"...those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles..."

Isaiah 40:31

Shedding of Blood = Forgiveness?!

2013-08-02T16:07:00.001-06:00

When I prepare for these messages, I will pray that God’s words be spoken and not my own. I find passages within scripture that stand out to me. Sometimes I see those scriptures in a new light, and sometimes questions linger. One portion of today’s message, in Hebrews 9, that I had lingering questions on was in verse 22 “Without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness of sins.”

Photo credit: http://lifeverlaasting.blogspot.ca/2012/04/crucifixion-jesus-crucifixion-from.html

(The above link also has an interesting article about the crucifixion from a medical perspective)

This is a verse that immediately tweaked the question “Why?” Why couldn’t God have done it any other way? Why does it have to be this way? I searched through commentaries and other sermons online and I found a particularly moving sermon delivered by Reverend Charles Spurgeon in 1857. I wanted to share some portions with you.

First, he begins his sermon by telling a story of three “fools”. The first fool is a soldier, wounded in battle, who—instead of asking if the wound is fatal or if the doctor has the means to heal him—asks by what sword and by which soldier he was wounded. The second fool is a ship captain who, in the midst of a fierce storm as gone into his quarters to ponder from where this storm came, rather than steering his ship to safety. The third fool is a regular person, sick and wounded with sin in the midst of the storm of Almighty vengeance, who---instead of asking how he can be saved—he is ponders what the origin of evil is.

Spurgeon goes on to address the very question I had. He says: “But some men will say that God's way of saving men, by shedding of blood, is a cruel way, an unjust way, an unkind way; and all kinds of things they will say of it….If you have any faults to find with your Maker, fight your battles out with him at last. But take heed before you throw the gauntlet down; it will go ill with a worm when he fighteth with his Maker, and it will go ill with you when you contend with him. The doctrine of atonement when rightly understood and faithfully received, is delightful, for it exhibits boundless love, immeasurable goodness, and infinite truth; but to unbelievers it will always be a hated doctrine.”

“O sinner, are there tears in your eyes? Look through them. Do you see that man in the garden? That man sweats drops of blood for you. Do you see that man on the cross? That man was nailed there for you. Oh! if I could be nailed on a cross this morning for you all, I know what you would do: you would fall down and kiss my feet, and weep that I should have to die for you. But sinner, lost sinner, Jesus died for you—for you… he died for no one in vain.”

At communion, we have emblems representing the body and blood of our Savior. We are asking the wrong question if we wonder why it had to be this way. Why Salvation is in Christ alone and through his bloodshed. The right thing for the saved to say is thank you. The right question for the lost is how is it that I can be saved?

I find myself too often getting caught up on the confusing “whys” in my faith, rather than accepting that there are things I will never know or understand---the only important thing I need to know at this point as that Christ died so that I could be forgiven and made right with God. And that is worth being thankful for.

Rest in Peace: Not Just for the Dead

2013-05-18T12:44:00.000-06:00

Rest is something so elusive in today’s society. People pay thousands of dollars to go on vacations or get massages. Sleeping pills are among the top most-abused drugs in the country. We long for the weekend, but often fail to find rest there as we’ve packed our schedule with things to do, chores to complete, and people to see. Our society is traveling along at the speed of light and we are weary, depressed, and anxious people because of it.

Photo Credit: http://www.jcsnotebook.org/rest-in-god/

Hebrews 4 reminds us that even the God of the Universe, the All-Powerful, the Almighty took a day to rest and urges us to enter into rest with Him. However, many of us misinterpret what “rest” is and what it looks like. Some of us see rest as falling into bed at the end of a long day to try and squeeze in a few hours of sleep before we get up to begin the routine again. Some of us view rest as procrastination---holding off on the things that require effort until we absolutely have no choice but to face them. Still others view rest as escaping into some form of entertainment—a good book, a video game, a social media site. However, all of these things leave us unfulfilled and weary.

All of this reminded me of another passage. I remember our Savior’s words when he said “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). It seems to me that true rest requires a choice and an action on our part. We must first go to Jesus. We must go to him, quiet ourselves, and trade our burdens, worries, and concerns for the lighter load he offers. He asks that we listen to him and learn from him and promises that he is gentle and humble-hearted. In this we will find rest for our very souls. We may be able to recharge our physical bodies in a variety of ways, but our spirits will wither and buckle under the heavy loads this world places upon us unless we remember to rest in Christ.

So let us make that choice today. Let us remind ourselves not only of Christ’s sacrifice, but his promises. Rest requires that we go to Him and choose his way over ours. Our weary souls will find the peace they long for only when they are brought back into communion with God, through Christ, and in the Holy Spirit.

Spend some time with the Peacegiver. Resting in Peace should not be limited to tombstones and obituaries.

Touched by an Angel or Adopted by God?

2013-04-20T11:14:00.000-06:00

...To which of the angels did God ever say,“You are my Son; today I have become your Father”?

Or again,“I will be his Father, and he will be my Son”?

And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,“Let all God’s angels worship him.”

In speaking of the angels he says,“He makes his angels spirits, and his servants flames of fire.”

But about the Son he says,“Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.”

--Hebrews 1:5-9 NIV

Photo Credit: Malleni-Stock, deviantart

We live in a society that seems to have no problem with angels. Angels are a pleasant thought to many people. We have poems about them. We have figurines of them. Some people have tattoos of them. In a society that often refuses to believe in God, we seem to readily accept angels in some degree. We like the idea of supernatural beings watching over us. Beings made of pure goodness that protect us from the bad things this world has to offer. Beings that are silent guardians and don’t try to meddle in our lives or our decisions.

Hebrews 1 makes a couple things very clear, however. First, angels are not the delicate creatures of beauty that Hallmark would have us believe. They are “flames of fire”. They are warriors. They were created to fight in the army of God. Occasionally their job may be to protect people, but their primary purpose is to protect God’s kingdom. They are strong servants of God and loyal to Him alone.

Next, and perhaps a more uncomfortable truth for our world to recognize, is that angels are inferior to Christ. Angels worship Jesus Christ, who is recognized as God and sitting on the throne of God. Jesus is our mighty King and commander of that elite warrior army of fiery angels.

So why is it easier to accept angels but not Christ? Because belief in angels comes with no obligations. We do not need to make any life changes to acknowledge an invisible, shiny force that makes us feel better when we’re scared. Angels become a magical force to serve our purposes (even though that is completely inaccurate in regards to the reality of angels). However, belief in Christ comes with huge implications for our lives. Christ is not a “force” to be used for our purposes. Christ is the mighty God King to which we need to alter our lives for his purposes.

However, this truth is only difficult to accept if you do not understand why. Jesus deserves to be commander, Lord, King and God of our lives because he paid an insurmountable debt for us. Innocent and holy he willingly gave up his life so that we could have every wrong and terrible thing we’ve done wiped out of the record books. He took on punishment so that we could have a privilege that not even the mighty angels get---adoption into God’s family. The honor of being a child of God.

So let us keep that in mind as we live our lives in Christ.

Living the Godly Life

2013-03-14T22:25:00.000-06:00

"His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble,and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
-2 Peter 1:3-11

Wow. I don't know about you but I found this passage to be amazing! It has so many deep truths packed into a few short verses! I'm pretty sure these verses appealed to me because the spoke comforting words to my perfectionist nature, as well as satisfied my "student" side by giving direct instructions. I just love it when the bible gets specific, and yet remains universally relevant through the ages!

1) God equips us to live a godly life.

This passage begins by stating that God enables us all to live a godly life when we are in intimate relationship with him. This should silence any legalistic whispers in your heart and mind! I don't know about you folks, but growing up I found myself emphasizing good works as a means to impress God. Living a works-based faith is tiresome, worrisome, and highly unsatisfying--and it's no wonder!-- a works-based faith will always end in failure!

However, a faith that starts with relationship will automatically end up in a godly life! Close relationship with God allows our hearts and actions to be changed miraculously because we allow God to have a direct impact on our lives. We don't have to try to live a "good life" because we have allowed God to have such an intimate role in our lives that our actions will automatically be good.

Think of it this way: In works-based faith I try to do good things because I want to "manipulate" God to love me. In love-based faith, I do good things because I love God so much!

2) Faith is built, step-by-step, with the end result being perfect LOVE

Love is a rare virtue in our world. I'm not talking about "Rom-Com" love or infatuation. I'm talking about love that sacrifices until it hurts, even for people who will never return the favor. The perfection of the Christian faith is to be like Christ, which is to love sacrificially. However, this passage points out that we do not spontaneously learn to love in this manner. There are stages of growth and maturity that we need to go through to get to the point where we can love and these stages will require effort.

a) Faith: -first comes the miracle we have been called to--belief in the grace God has offered us through Christ. However, we shouldn't stop here! After we recognize the truly amazing gift God has given to us by calling us to faith, it is now our job to continue to grow.
b) Goodness: -our actions should reflect our faith.
c) Knowledge: -our faith should be intelligent and informed. We shouldn't be drifting through life on "good feelings". Our faith has a legacy of wisdom and history, we should know the story (Bible) so that we can be assured of our place within that story.
d) Self-Control: -our faith, goodness, and knowledge should now enable us to see others as God sees them. We should be able to control our own impulses because we see the "big picture". We can be patient with people and circumstances.
e) Perseverance: -because of our patience, we can persevere through the tough times because we have hope in the end result.
f) Godliness: -persevering through tough times, with God at our side, increases our faith and understanding of God and his ways, enabling us to be more like him.
g) Mutual affection: -we are able to treat others with respect and kindness.
h) Love: -we are able to serve others without concern for ourselves.

I think that where we land in this process has a lot to do with where our relationship is with God. If I haven't put any effort into my relationship with my heavenly Father, sometimes all I am able to do is simply believe. However, the more I get to know Him, the more He enables me to reach the next "level" of faith. The key is we should not attempt to work on fostering these qualities in ourselves without God. We need to maintain and deepen our intimate relationship with Christ throughout the whole process, and it will be God who equips us, rather than our cheap counterfeit version.

3) Never Stumble Again

Well, I imagine it would be quite obvious to you all why this phrase stood out to me. The fact of the matter is, I get stuck trying too hard to "be good", that I forget to love God. I will never grow past a very weak faith and will always be tripping over myself and back into sin if I insist on creating my own faith separate from relationship with God. I need to stop trying to manipulate God into "liking" me and start getting to know Him and start falling madly in love with Him...everything else will fall into place if I can cultivate a deep and meaningful relationship with Him.

It's no wonder people fail to see the "appeal" of the Christian "religion"... so many Christians live their faith as a rule book of "To Dos" and "Do Not Dos." Instead, Christianity should be a vibrant, satisfying, and joyful personal relationship with the God of the Universe! What could possibly be more exciting that that?!

A Stumbler's Walk with Christ: A Personal Testimony

2013-03-04T13:22:00.001-07:00

“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” –Romans 10:9-10 (NIV)

I am fortunate and blessed to have a legacy of faith in my family. For as many generations as my family can remember, we have been Christians. There is a heritage in Christ. However, that’s not to say that my lineage hasn't had its share of non-believers. Every individual needs to make the choice for him or herself. Some choose to continue the legacy of faith, and some don’t. The important thing here is that Christianity isn't just a family tradition for me. Christianity is a hard-fought faith. My faith has been a journey for me and I have wrestled with difficulties and doubt along the way—which is how my blog developed its moniker!

I’ll be the first to admit that I am not perfect, nor do I have all the answers. However, in exploring my faith honestly and critically, I can resolutely and with peace of mind declare: Jesus is true. Jesus is the perfect Son of God who was killed and miraculously resurrected so that I (along with anyone else who acknowledges the truth) could be reunited with God.

However, being the emotional and academic person that I am, this declaration is not always an easy decision to stick to. Becoming a Christian is more than a momentary “conversion experience.” Being a Christian involves a daily (or even minute-by-minute) decision to put my own desires on the back-burner and bring God’s agenda to the front. It’s not easy, and I have had more than my fair share of screw-ups.

My earliest memories begin to surface as the age of five. I remember telling my mom one night at bedtime that I wanted to be a Christian. She guided me through a simple prayer…

Dear Jesus,

I believe you died for me and rose again. Forgive me for my sins. I want you to come into my heart.

Amen.

While many have prayed some variation of a “Sinner’s Prayer”, this moment was the beginning of a journey for me. In my early childhood I remember being frightened of not “really” being saved, and therefore repeated some variation of a Sinner’s Prayer over and over again throughout childhood and adolescence. For better or for worse, I was raised in a denomination that I now consider fairly legalistic—I feel like the emphasis was on rules and being saved from hell, rather than the emphasis being on grace and a relationship with God.

However, regardless of the pitfalls of some of the ideas I had growing up; the blessing comes in the fact that I had a good start. I was raised in a family of faith and in a caring church community. I am forever thankful for that early kick-start!

At age six I decided it was time to take the next step in my faith commitment—I decided to get baptized. For those unfamiliar with this ritual, this can seem a bit strange… however, this is the symbolic expression of a Christian’s commitment to their faith. It represents the death of selfish desires and the resurrection of righteousness in Christ. I know that’s a lot of “Christianese”, but suffice it to say that this was an important step in my journey. The timing of my baptism was unusual, however. I do not believe in infant baptism, and as such most people that grow up in a similar denomination wait until adulthood to get baptized. However, I was a tenacious and zealous child and as such I was able to demonstrate an understanding of baptism to my pastor that convinced him I was ready to take that step!

My tenacity of faith continued through my adolescence. I was a passionate child, and while I’m often nostalgic for that carefree heart-first faith, I know it sometimes got me into trouble. My legalistic knowledge of my faith led me to be pushy and judgmental when it came to “witnessing” to my friends. While my intentions may have been good, I’m afraid I went about advertising my faith in the wrong way.

Along the way I went to countless nights of Bible camps and many Christian youth conferences/retreats. Being a Christian was easy. Everything seemed black and white. Emotions ran on over-drive.

But one day, reality hit.

In August 2003, at the age of 16, I went to Ecuador for a year-long exchange trip. This trip affected me in many ways and, by no means the least of these effects, was the fact that this was my first taste of independence. This was my first experience of stepping outside the bubble of protection my parents had carefully constructed around me. I was on my own.

This year was, simultaneously, one of the best and worst years of my life. I cried out to God in my homesickness and loneliness, and, for one of the only times in my life I was completely dependent on Him. As a result, my relationship with God was closer than it ever had been. God was the only one who understood the words I spoke for many months as I struggled to learn the language. He was the only one I could go to, and my utter dependence on him was rewarded by a rich, fulfilling and very real relationship. God was real and near. God spoke to my heart so loudly it was nearly audible.

Ah, but how quickly blessings and mini-miracles are forgotten when the distractions of life creep back in. This seems to be a theme in my life. I have been blessed with some acute close encounters with God. Mini-miracles that I know God had a direct hand in. In those moments I am on a mountaintop and my faith is made real and all doubts removed. However, it doesn't take long for the memory of those moments to fade and for life to pile on the distractions once more.

Another one of these “mini-miracles” happened in my marriage. My husband and I met in high school and were shopping for engagement rings before graduation. We married at the tender age of 19, in 2006. I have no regrets in how young we got married, but we had a great deal of maturing to do and we had forced ourselves to do so together—slowly and painfully.

In 2010, these growing pains reached a critical point. We were both incredibly selfish people and had said and done things to hurt one another along the way, and sparing the unnecessary details, our marriage reached a precarious tipping point. At that point, as I was staring over the cliff’s edge and seeing the death of my marriage looming before me, God took over. He gave me the words to say, patience and love like I’ve never experienced before, and a saturating peace that could only come from Him. God saved my marriage and transformed my husband and me in the process.

It was after the revitalization of my marriage that I made the decision to actively return to my faith. I truly believe God used that heartbreaking experience to strengthen my faith in Him. For years—our entire young marriage—my husband and I had been drifting in our faith and stagnating--we all but walked away entirely. However, after that restoration of our marriage we were drawn back to Him and He transformed our very hearts. My husband and I were both healed and delivered from some very damaging sins.

And yet… the joy of blessings is once again replaced by hopelessness and doubt…

Fast forward to the near-present you will find my husband and me struggling with unexplained infertility. We have been trying for over a year to conceive a child, to no avail. I find it tempting to slip back into despair and accuse God, rather than trust him. However, I have once again come back to a point where I am convinced that God is ready to perform another “mini-miracle” in my life. God has always used the most difficult circumstances of my life to draw me back to Him.

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” –Romans 5:3-5 (NLT)

^“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” –James 1:12(NIV)

Why do I believe in God, in Christ? Beyond all the “academic” reasons I've explored already, I believe in God because I have experienced him in very real ways. I have always felt a tugging at my heart in my darkest days, as though the Spirit within me is straining at the bars of my rib cage to drag me back to God. The Prodigal Son didn't recognize his need for his Father until he reached rock-bottom. A person doesn't appreciate water until he’s truly thirsting. A soul doesn't understand its need for God until it’s in turmoil.

I am growing. I am an imperfect person who struggles with anger, impatience, selfishness, and jealousy, but I feel God shaping me and teaching me to be a better person. No one can refute the relationship I know I have with God on a very real, very personal level. I have felt and seen God work in my life. God has brought me through life’s difficulties with a fortified soul. God is proving to me that he is faithful.

And because God is faithful, I have hope in dark times. I have purpose in suffering. I have meaning in life. I have an eternal future that starts today. I have joy because I know I’m forgiven for the times I mess up. I have peace in the promises to come.

Thank you, God.

*This personal testimony was the conclusion to the "Why Believe?" series

Disciples and Followers of Christ

2013-03-03T12:09:00.000-07:00

“Jesus said [to Thomas], ‘So, you believe because you’ve seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing.’” –John 20:29 (The Message)

In my opinion, some of the strongest evidence for the truth of Christ lies with his followers—both ancient and modern. First, we must consider Jesus’ hand-picked disciples and those who knew him while he was alive. After Jesus’ death, there would be no reason to be loyal. Some assert that his disciples faked Jesus’ resurrection. However, it is important to note that Pilate had already thought of this and had ordered that the tomb be guarded to avoid this from happening (Matthew 27).

Beyond that, however, we must also consider the cost of clinging to Christ’s miraculous resurrection and claim of divinity to his followers. Nearly all the disciples were tortured and killed for their beliefs. All early believers (and many still today) were persecuted mercilessly for their beliefs. Now, it just doesn't make any logical sense whatsoever for someone to stick to a lie on pain of torture and death. People suffer and die for truth, not for lies.

Consider how one writer explains this fact:

Let's use this analogy: Mr. X decides to invent a fantastic story in order to receive wealth and fame. The media goes hog wild and is willing to pay him for his story. But one day the government shows up at Mr. X's door, arrests him, tortures him, and threatens to kill him for his testimony. Chances are, a sane Mr. X would confess to the sham.

Scenario B: Mr. X decides to invent a fantastic story knowing he would be met with persecution, hardship, and death. Would a sane Mr. X go through with this plot? Probably not.

Scenario C: Mr. X, his family, his friends, and his coworkers all decide to invent a fantastic story knowing they would be tortured, imprisoned, and killed for their testimony. Does this seem plausible? Not remotely.

The early Christian witnesses had nothing to gain and everything to lose with their testimony- many losing their property, freedom, and even their lives. A sane person may be willing to die for something they believe to be true but no one would die for something they knew was a lie.

Unlike many religions where the core beliefs hinge on the subjective experience of one spiritual leader, Christianity and its events are corroborated by many historical documents and the testimony of many people. The New Testament provides journalistic evidence from many perspectives of the events that happened before and after Christ’s death.

We are fortunate that God is sympathetic to our tendency towards doubt! Jesus didn't just appear to one or two people after his resurrection. God made sure Christ’s resurrection could be independently verified by many different sources, not just one or two individuals.

Jesus appeared 12 times todifferent group sizes ranging from just one person to 500 people:

1) Mary Magdalene (Mark 16.9-11; John 20.11-18)

2) The other women at the tomb (Matthew 28.8-10)

3) Peter in Jerusalem (Luke 24.34; 1 Cor. 15.5)

4) The two travelers on the road (Mark 16.12,13)

5) Ten disciples behind closed doors (Mark 16.14; Luke 24.36-43; John 20.19-25)

6) All the disciples, with Thomas (excluding Judas Iscariot) (John 20.26-31; 1 Cor. 15.5)

7) Seven disciples while fishing (John 21.1-14)

8) Eleven disciples on the mountain (Matthew 28.16-20)

9) A crowd of 500 (1 Cor. 15.6)

10) Jesus' brother James (1 Cor. 15.7)

11) Those who watched Jesus ascend to heaven (Luke 24.44-49; Acts 1.3-8)

12) Paul (1 Cor. 15.8-9, Gal. 1.13-16, Acts 9.1-8, 22.9, all of chapters 22 and 26, 1 Cor. 15.10-20; Gal. 2.1-10)

I, personally, find Paul’s experience to be the most dramatic and convincing. Paul had absolutely no reason whatsoever to make up a story about Christ’s resurrection. For those unfamiliar with Paul’s story, let me just say this guy was anti-Christian. He made a great living hunting down and killing early Christians, until one day—dramatically—Jesus made an appearance (after his death) and told Paul to leave his followers alone. There is absolutely no reason why a person who is respected, supported, and well-compensated would suddenly turn around and follow the religion he’s been hell-bent on destroying! No reason unless, of course, he miraculously discovered beyond a shadow of a doubt that the religion he was persecuting was actually true!

Finally, you have the proliferation of this belief and the billions of people who claim Jesus is Lord, Son of God, Saviour of the world. Across time and culture, people are acknowledging with their hearts and minds that all of this makes sense and rings true. People give up their own lives in metaphorical and very literal ways to follow Jesus and all he stood for. People have made—and continue to make—costly sacrifices in the name of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Messiah, TRUTH.

To take this to a personal level, my next and final installment in my “Why Believe” series will be my personal testimony and the impact God and Christ have had on my life. I hope this journey through “Why Believe” has impacted you in some way. I hope that, as a believer, it has bolstered your faith and reassured you. I hope that, perhaps as an unbeliever or a doubter, that at very least this lays out where Christians are coming from in their faith; but more than that, I hope it has made you ponder your own beliefs and if this perhaps makes sense and sounds like a truth you’d like to pursue, please feel free to email me.

*This was part 6 of 7 in the "Why Believe?" series

Jesus: Fulfilled Prophesies

2013-03-02T15:34:00.003-07:00

“…Jesus said…’Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?’” –Matthew 26:52-54

Perhaps one of the most amazing aspects in exploring Christ’s validity and divinity is the revelation of the many, extremely specific prophecies that Jesus fulfilled. These were prophesies, or predictions, made hundreds—if not thousands—of years prior to Christ’s birth!

Consider this:

“… by using the modern science of probability in reference to eight prophecies, ‘we find that the chance that any man might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled... eight prophecies is 1 in 10¹⁷." That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. In order to help us comprehend this staggering probability, Stoner illustrates it by supposing that "we take 10¹⁷silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state two feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one. What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man."

Stoner considers 48 prophecies and says, "We find the chance that any one man fulfilled all 48 prophecies to be 1 in 10¹⁵⁷, or 1 in 10,00,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000.”

(Josh McDowell, Evidence that Demands a Verdict)

Throughout the Old Testament are many references to the promised Messiah. Jesus fulfills all of the prophesies. Some of these prophesies are explored in-depth here if you are interested in reading about them in detail (including some answers to skeptic questioning), however allow me to summarize the main points:

a. Lineage: Jesus fulfilled many prophesies in regards to his family tree and the declaration of his divinity. He was: the Son of God, Seed of Woman, descendent of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, from the tribe of Judah, of Jesse, of David, and born to a Virgin.

b. Geography: Jesus fulfilled many prophesies surrounding his birth and the places he would go.

c. Ministry: Jesus fulfilled specific prophesies concerning his ministry, including the fact that a Prophet proceeds him, his healing and parables, riding a donkey, being rejected by Jews and accepted by Gentiles

d. Betrayal: Jesus fulfilled extremely specific prophesies regarding his betrayal including the facts that he would be betrayed by friend and for 30 pieces of silver.

e. Suffering: Prophesies outlined that the Messiah would undergo suffering

f. Death: Prophesies outlined that the Messiah would die a horrific death, that his blood would be spilt.

g. Triumph: -Jesus' rising from the dead was foretold.

h. Timing: -Jesus’ life and death happened at a very specific, foretold time in history.

All things considered, even to the scientific, mathematical mind, the fact that Jesus fulfilled all of these predictions is astonishing! His life was a statistical impossibility that demanded Divine Intervention!

Just think about how often you're wrong when you call a coin toss. Your odds there are a reasonable 50/50 and the prediction you make is relatively simple! The prophesies surrounding Jesus are numerous and incredibly specific. Jesus was not some man who "slipped into" the role of Messiah. He was not some guy who gained followers through grandiose self-proclamations. Jesus was proclaimed to be Messiah by many, many people in many ways for many years preceding his death and resurrection. Jesus was foretold and a fulfillment of thousands of years' worth of Divinely inspired predictions. If that doesn't amaze you, I don't know what will!

*This was part 5 of 7 in the "Why Believe?" series

Jesus: Historicity

2013-03-01T17:30:00.000-07:00

“Virtually all modern scholars of antiquity agree that Jesus existed” –Wikipedia “Historicity of Jesus” 2013

“They were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ, as to a god, and bound themselves by a solemn oath, not to any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up; after which it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble to partake of food--but food of an ordinary and innocent kind” (Pliny, Roman Governor, 112 A.D.)

Before deciding if Jesus was and is the Son of God, part of the Trinity, the Savior, etc. we must first come to the conclusion that Jesus did, in fact, exist. There are many historical documents from many perspectives documenting and referencing Jesus. I, personally, find the evidence to be overwhelming.

Obviously, the most detailed documentation of Jesus and his life resides in the New Testament, but for those who do not accept this as "historical" in nature, there have been many non-Christian sources in the first few centuries that referenced or alluded to Jesus and his life.

A few examples include:

Cornelius Tacitus-Roman Governor in the first century

“Christus, the founder of [Christians] was put to death by Pontius Pilate…”

Lucian of Samosata: -second century satirist

Alludes to Jesus in his scornful writings

Flavius Josephus: -first century Jewish Historian

Many direct references to Jesus, his execution, and his followers

Suetonis: -first century Roman historian

“…the Jews are making constant disturbances at the instigation of Christus…”

(Source: Evidence that Demands a Verdict, McDowell, 1979)

Even those who did not believe Jesus was the Son of God still referred to him in their historical records. They referred to him as an existing person who had a significant impact on their society. Jesus is an extremely well-documented person, considering the fact that we are gathering evidence on someone who lived 2000 years ago! As Josh McDowell cites in his book Evidence that Demands a Verdict, "Some writers may toy with the fancy of a ‘Christ-myth,’ but they do not do so on the grounds of historical evidence. The historicity of Christ is as axiomatic for an unbiased historian as the historicity of Julius Caesar.” (F.F. Bruce, p.81)

Now, for the critics out there, obviously the contention often brought up is the credibility of the historical evidence. "True" history needs to be "unbiased" to be accepted as "fact." However, every single piece of history ever recorded would need to be dismissed under that definition! History is always the perspective of a biased person recording events as they see them. I always find it amazing at how short-sighted so many people are today. Perhaps it's due to the proliferation of video and its ability to allow everyone to have an artificial "first-hand" perspective on current day "history-in-the-making", but I find that many people are highly cynical of anything they didn't see for themselves. We even have relatively modern events that are being contested (i.e. the moon landing or, in some very controversial circles, even the Holocaust is being brought into question!)

Those trying to prove and disprove Jesus through the use of history may be doing so from a biased intention. Or, as one historian states: “All history [is]..a spiral of knowledge…[an] interaction between interpreter and source material. This is true whether the would-be historian is a Christian, writing about Jesus and Paul with some sort of prior commitment to them, or a non-Christian, writing about them with the expectation that they were misguided.” (Wright, The New Testament and the People of God, p.86)

The fact of the matter is, Jesus is as "provable" a person as any other historical figure. His story is corroborated by many sources. While “...we seldom, if ever, ‘know’ enough, in terms of positive indubitable proof, to give the kind of account we want to give of any period, incident or character from the past...” (Wright, Jesus, p.8), we can rest assured that Jesus is as historically authentic as any major personality recorded in the history books. Jesus' life and death is recorded from a variety of perspectives---from the "first-hand" accounts of his closest disciples to the scornful remarks of his enemies. We know that Jesus did, indeed, walk this earth. The big question that this evidence leads us to is: Was Jesus just an important historical figure, or was he really the Son of God?

*This was part 4 of 7 in the "Why Believe?" series

Truth: One Religion

2013-02-28T18:44:00.000-07:00

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” –John 14:6

After a person explores the basic question of “God or No God?”, the next logical step is to explore “What God do I believe in?” There is definitely no shortage of choices in our big, creative world! There are many world religions and quite a handful of significant religions with many followers. How then do we decide which religion is “right”?

First off, we need to acknowledge the existence of truth. We cannot simply say truth is subjective or that there is no absolute truth (an argument which, at its core, is self-defeating!). There are many religions and they often contradict each other. Buddhism is agnostic. Judaism and Islam deny Jesus’ divinity. Hinduism believes in millions of gods. Mormonism and Jehovah Witnesses deny the 3-in-1 Trinity and complete divinity of Christ. These religions cannot all be true. This is an innate impossibility. So then, a choice must be made. Which one do I believe is THE truth?

I believe Christianity is the right and true religion for many reasons, which I will be exploring in-depth in subsequent posts, so this post is merely an overview of what's to come. First, I believe Christianity is true because Jesus is an historically proven man. He existed. His life, execution, and the effects thereafter are corroborated outside of the bible in historical documents. We know he existed, which is a great first step towards truth.

Secondly, I believe Jesus not only existed but was, in fact, God—as he claimed—because he fulfilled many prophesies foretold long before he was even born. It is statistically impossible that Jesus fulfilled these prophesies to completion--or, in other words, a miracle. It could only be, in my opinion, a divinely orchestrated event.

I also believe in Jesus and Christianity because of the tenacity of his followers and their witness throughout history. Jesus’ life had many witnesses, and they had no reason to stick to a “made-up” story after his death…so they must have stuck to the truth--at a great personal cost to many of them!

Lastly, and most subjectively, I believe in Jesus and Christianity because of the effect it has had on my life. The mini-miracles performed in my life. The personal and real relationship I have with God and Christ. The last reason may be very personal, but I believe a personal relationship with God is the ultimate proving ground of faith.

Please stick with me as I dig into the details of each of these reasons!

*This was part 3 of 7 in the "Why Believe?" series.

The Basics: God or No God?

2013-02-27T15:49:00.002-07:00

“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”

–Psalm 14:1

Sooner or later, every person has to make one very basic, but profound, decision that will significantly impact his life’s path. Does he believe that the Universe has a Creator? Or does he believe that the Universe is random and organized itself by chance? While people on either side of this line think those on the other side are ridiculous and foolish, I decided I was firmly on the side of “Creator” rather than “Chance.”

Now, I’m not saying I don’t believe in science. I do not believe religion and science are mutually exclusive whatsoever! I would consider myself a very educated individual and over the course of my education I learned all kinds of amazing and wonderful scientific principles! However, when it comes down to beginnings everyone has their own form of faith. Some believe that some unknown catalyst caused everything to form from nothing. Some believe that, given enough time, nothingness becomes “somethingness”, and that chaos becomes order. I, however, believe that this world provides undeniable proof of intelligent design. I believe this universe began with a supernatural spark---Creation.

All I have to do to come to this conclusion is ponder the complexities of this universe. I do not believe in a Creator because I am uneducated or dull—but rather, it is because I am so deeply informed on the intricacies of life that I know in my heart, without a doubt, that our Universe required an Intelligent Inventor to design the world with purpose.

Similar examples have been used before, but I believe they are apt illustrations for this concept: imagine a watch and all its intricate parts. Imagine the little springs and coils, gears and knobs. Think about how carefully every teeny part needs to fit together perfectly in order for that watch to spring to life and count time with accuracy. Now, imagine that I've given you a bag filled all the necessary parts to make a watch and I told you to shake the bag vigorously until the parts happen to—by chance—fall into place perfectly and become a working watch. Impossible, you say? I think so! Even if I gave you the benefit of millions, or even trillions, of years to keep shaking that bag—I think you would be hard-pressed to get those pieces to fall together into the right spots by chance! And, furthermore, even if you did get those pieces to fall together by chance, we’re still missing a key detail—those watch parts were not formed from nothing! Those parts required the work of a skilled craftsman to create!

In my mind, it just makes sense that this world and Universe had Someone overseeing its design. The only way nothing becomes something is by supernatural means. If any of us traces our thoughts back far enough, we’ll come to realize that any belief system requires a leap of faith. I believe in a God I cannot see. Scientists believe in a catalyst they cannot prove that somehow turns nothing into something, and creatures into completely new creatures. Either way there is something inexplicable that requires belief despite a lack of proof.

What do you believe? Why?

**This was part 2 of 7 in the "Why Believe" series. I would encourage you to read the complete series!

Why Believe?

2013-02-26T08:54:00.000-07:00

^“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…”

1 Peter 3:15

Anyone faced with the question of why they believe what they believe would probably agree that, no matter what that belief is, providing an answer is no small task! I have often come face-to-face with this question over the years, and it hasn't always been posed by others. This is a question that everyone must answer for themselves at one point or another. A blind faith in anything will result in more than a few bumps and bruises along the way, and a “Stumbler” like myself has all too often relied on superficial belief rather than deeply rooted, educated faith.

Because this is such a big question, I believe it deserves a big answer and I hope you’ll bear with me as I try to explore this question in-depth and give it the detail it deserves. Over the next few days I will be answering this question in a few ways:

1) The Basics: God or No God?

2) Truth: One Religion

3) Jesus: Historicity

4) Jesus: Prophesies Fulfilled

5) Disciples and Followers

6) My Life

My hope is that you will consider these answers carefully for yourself. What do you believe in? Why? Are you willing to stake your life and eternity on your belief system?