This post strikes deep for me. I must say this is one of the toughest posts for me to write. Because, the temptation to be dishonest runs deep within our society. It is easy to cheat on your taxes, lie when the cashier gives you too much change, take an extra sick day at work, lie to your family, be dishonest with your friends, etc. The list can go on and on and on. But, the question remains are we really committed to live out our faith? If the answer is yes, then being an honest person/person of integrity has to be a MAJOR priority in our lives. Proverbs 24:26 states,"An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips." John 9:24 states, "Give glory to God by telling the truth."
I hope through all of us learn not that we should be honest. I'm hoping by now through lessons from our parents, grandparents, Sunday school teachers, etc. That we all know we should be honest. What this post is designed to communicate is that honesty doesn't need to be something we follow when it's convenient, honesty needs to be something that our lives revolve around. We need to be intentional about holding each other accountable in moments of deception and untruth. Being honest is one of the greatest witnesses and testimonies that we as Christians can have to an unbelieving world.
In our current post modern world, where truth is under attack, where absolute truths are being debated/redefined/rewritten, we as the people of God need to stand up for what is right and true. I want you to understand that two truths need to be communicated and lived out in this generation. First, being that God loves sinners and has come to save them. We need to look past just having a church that appeals and welcomes people who look they have it all together. We need to reach out to the lost and broken, those who don't have a clue, the destitute, distraught, ashamed, sinful people, because that's exactly who Jesus reached out to in the Gospels and continues to reach out to today. Secondly, that we are called to be transformed in our walk with the Lord. The Bible isn't designed to give humans every single answer. It doesn't answer issues such as identity theft, cyber bulling, etc. The Bible's purpose isn't even for you to worship it, rather the purpose it serves is to transform you to look and act more like Jesus every single day. We as Christians need to understand that Christianity cannot be something we just do on Sunday morning. This is every part of our existence. One of the main ways we live out our faith is being honest and truthful all the time.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Monday, August 19, 2013
On the Cuckoo's Calling :)
Robert Gailbrath, aka J. K. Rowling, came out with her latest novel Cuckoo's Calling a few months back. Before I dive into a review on the book, let me start out by saying: it's nothing like Harry Potter. But, needless it is written a very thrilling, captivating way. One of the things I'm very intentional about in these reviews is telling you a synopsis, Christian perspective, but I don't want to ruin the plot or the ending for you. So, without further adieu, let's dive in!!!!
The Cuckoo's Calling is JK Rowling's second novel written for adults, the first novel being a Casual Vacancy. This novel centers around the mysterious death of supermodel Lula Landry as she fell out of her second story apartment window to her death on a cold January night. The police rule Lula's unfortunate death as a suicide, and the case is quickly dropped from there. However, that doesn't sit well with Lula's half-brother John Bristow. He believes that Lula was pushed, and that her death was in fact no accident. John Bristow is convinced that Lula was murdered. So, he sets out to hire a private detective Cormoran Strike. Strike a detective down on his luck and feeling a major financial pinch, reluctantly agrees to take the case. He even accidentally hires a secretary from a temp agency, Robin, even though he really can't afford to pay her much of anything. Strike and Robin set out to try and prove Bristow's assumption and as he begins to look at the major suspects: the troubled boyfriend, the angry film producer, the rapper who moved below her who had trouble with the law, and the jealous friend, Strike finds a case that is truly twisted, surprising, and down right dangerous. What they find will make your jaw drop!
That is a brief overview of the book. I will say I was glad I read it, but I don't know if I would read it again. The character development is good, but I don't know if I would say great. JK Rowling brings in some characters really quickly, and it leaves the reader asking where did they come from? She also could develop more characters which she mentions but doesn't give much time in the story such as Robin's fiancee, Strike's ex-lover, and even John Bristow's brother Charlie. But, overall I would say the quality of writing and the story is very good. It's a great page-turner, easy read, and I love hearing British terms for things such as a cell phone is called a mobile. The highlight is the end of the story, a truly great surprise ending:). Which won't be revealed here:) I would give it 3.5 stars out of five.
In terms of a Christian world view, I would say the book had some major areas that Christians need to be aware of and take a look at. Surprisingly, the book was not very sexually explicit at all. It did mention a few cases of unmarried people living together, which in our day and time can be a very gray area for folks. My folks raised me to be against it, but that is not me saying if you live or have lived with a boyfriend/girlfriend or whomever you're a bad Christian. There are many things to consider if you are, but please note that the Bible is very clear about the dangers of sex outside of marriage. One of the main struggles I had with the book though was the language. There was a lot of profanity in the book, and that did bother me. I would say that is probably the main reason why I won't read it again. All of the profanity is unnecessary, and it goes against directly what Paul is telling us in Philippians 4 saying that we as Christians need to look for and cling to things that are pure, noble, trustworthy, true, holy, etc. If profanity bothers you in a book then this is not the book for you. I give it 2 out of 5 stars for my Christian/family friendly book.
The Cuckoo's Calling is JK Rowling's second novel written for adults, the first novel being a Casual Vacancy. This novel centers around the mysterious death of supermodel Lula Landry as she fell out of her second story apartment window to her death on a cold January night. The police rule Lula's unfortunate death as a suicide, and the case is quickly dropped from there. However, that doesn't sit well with Lula's half-brother John Bristow. He believes that Lula was pushed, and that her death was in fact no accident. John Bristow is convinced that Lula was murdered. So, he sets out to hire a private detective Cormoran Strike. Strike a detective down on his luck and feeling a major financial pinch, reluctantly agrees to take the case. He even accidentally hires a secretary from a temp agency, Robin, even though he really can't afford to pay her much of anything. Strike and Robin set out to try and prove Bristow's assumption and as he begins to look at the major suspects: the troubled boyfriend, the angry film producer, the rapper who moved below her who had trouble with the law, and the jealous friend, Strike finds a case that is truly twisted, surprising, and down right dangerous. What they find will make your jaw drop!
That is a brief overview of the book. I will say I was glad I read it, but I don't know if I would read it again. The character development is good, but I don't know if I would say great. JK Rowling brings in some characters really quickly, and it leaves the reader asking where did they come from? She also could develop more characters which she mentions but doesn't give much time in the story such as Robin's fiancee, Strike's ex-lover, and even John Bristow's brother Charlie. But, overall I would say the quality of writing and the story is very good. It's a great page-turner, easy read, and I love hearing British terms for things such as a cell phone is called a mobile. The highlight is the end of the story, a truly great surprise ending:). Which won't be revealed here:) I would give it 3.5 stars out of five.
In terms of a Christian world view, I would say the book had some major areas that Christians need to be aware of and take a look at. Surprisingly, the book was not very sexually explicit at all. It did mention a few cases of unmarried people living together, which in our day and time can be a very gray area for folks. My folks raised me to be against it, but that is not me saying if you live or have lived with a boyfriend/girlfriend or whomever you're a bad Christian. There are many things to consider if you are, but please note that the Bible is very clear about the dangers of sex outside of marriage. One of the main struggles I had with the book though was the language. There was a lot of profanity in the book, and that did bother me. I would say that is probably the main reason why I won't read it again. All of the profanity is unnecessary, and it goes against directly what Paul is telling us in Philippians 4 saying that we as Christians need to look for and cling to things that are pure, noble, trustworthy, true, holy, etc. If profanity bothers you in a book then this is not the book for you. I give it 2 out of 5 stars for my Christian/family friendly book.
Monday, August 12, 2013
The Sufficiency of the Gospel
This is a post that I am absolutely stoked to be writing. I know for a fact that this post needs to be written. Because in our modern day and times I see a lot of the church trying to do things to paraphrase Frank Sinatra, "Their way." There is a constant push to change the image of God to being someone who is your buddy, pal, jokester, and even at times wing-man. There is a push that tries to eliminate the wrath and judgement of God from our theology, conversation, and beliefs. To illustrate that point more clearly the leaders of a new hymnal committee for a mainline denomination church chose not to include the favorite hymn "In Christ Alone," because it included a line about the wrath of God. It worries me greatly that we as the church in the 21st century believe the gospel needs our help. I cringe a little when I see people trying to adapt the gospel and make it fit into popular culture by watering it down, tweaking what they don't like, or just ignoring things that make them uncomfortable. I say all of this to stress to you my readers: the gospel is absolutely fine on it's own. The good, saving message found in scripture doesn't need our help, our addition, our wisdom, to accomplish it's purpose. It just needs us to be faithful to it's original message and faithful in telling everyone about it.
Paul has many great things to say about the gospel, unfortunately unless I wrote a 70 page blog post we wouldn't be able to do justice to all of the great things he has to say. However, here are a few things Paul does say about the gospel found in Romans 1:15-17, "15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.
Three things that I want to pull from these three verses. First, is found in vs. 15, Paul talks about how eager he is to preach the gospel. At the heart of our existence as Christians I hope our mindset becomes or is similar to that of Paul. We are eager and excited to tell people about the incredible saving news that God chose to save us by his grace and love rather than give us what our sins deserved. I can't think of any better, more exciting, or more amazing news than that. So, the question remains if the news is so great, if our God is so loving, and if our future is set, why are there so many SAD, SAD Christians?! I'm firmly convinced that living a life filled with the joy of the Lord is one of the most powerful witnesses and testimonies you can give. So, I just want to challenge you to take a good hard look at your life and understand the truth that your life preaches and tells a message. The way you act, how you speak, and how you live speaks volumes about who you are and what you believe.
Second thing to consider is found in vs. 16. I want to draw your attention to who Paul says has the power. The gospel's power is not found in our words, our charismatic presentation, our abilities, or anything to do with us. What makes the gospel so powerful and far reaching is that it's power is found in God and God alone. As you present the gospel please remember that the word of God is eternal, and the word of humans are only temporal. Be faithful in it's presentation. The reason why I say that is because it works. For over 2,000 years people have come to know the incredible truth that Jesus Christ saves sinners through his blood on the Cross. It saves old people, young people, rich people, and poor people. The Cross saves people of all different educations, backgrounds, races, and languages. It's the incredible universal message of truth, and I think we as the church don't need to change, tweak, or add to the message. We have to find creative, compelling ways to share this great message of truth!
Finally, the gospel must be accepted by faith. One of my modern heroes is Pastor Louie Giglio, states that the mystery is that if we can add it all up then there is no room for God. If you have all the answers in your life, then the truth is that God has no place. I've been alive for about 27 years, and I've seen a lot of people and come across a lot of stories and one of the biggest mistakes I've seen people make over the years is try and find every single answer to all of life's questions. The sad reality is that you'll never be able to do it, because you're not God. But, here is one answer which I hope you will understand and relish in all of your days: God is good and God does love you. If either of those statements were false the Cross would have never happened. Please know that the gospel and good news is sufficient to save people. It has done that very effectively for a very, very long period of time and will continue to do so in the future.
Paul has many great things to say about the gospel, unfortunately unless I wrote a 70 page blog post we wouldn't be able to do justice to all of the great things he has to say. However, here are a few things Paul does say about the gospel found in Romans 1:15-17, "15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,[a] just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith." (This is taken from Biblegateway)
Second thing to consider is found in vs. 16. I want to draw your attention to who Paul says has the power. The gospel's power is not found in our words, our charismatic presentation, our abilities, or anything to do with us. What makes the gospel so powerful and far reaching is that it's power is found in God and God alone. As you present the gospel please remember that the word of God is eternal, and the word of humans are only temporal. Be faithful in it's presentation. The reason why I say that is because it works. For over 2,000 years people have come to know the incredible truth that Jesus Christ saves sinners through his blood on the Cross. It saves old people, young people, rich people, and poor people. The Cross saves people of all different educations, backgrounds, races, and languages. It's the incredible universal message of truth, and I think we as the church don't need to change, tweak, or add to the message. We have to find creative, compelling ways to share this great message of truth!
Finally, the gospel must be accepted by faith. One of my modern heroes is Pastor Louie Giglio, states that the mystery is that if we can add it all up then there is no room for God. If you have all the answers in your life, then the truth is that God has no place. I've been alive for about 27 years, and I've seen a lot of people and come across a lot of stories and one of the biggest mistakes I've seen people make over the years is try and find every single answer to all of life's questions. The sad reality is that you'll never be able to do it, because you're not God. But, here is one answer which I hope you will understand and relish in all of your days: God is good and God does love you. If either of those statements were false the Cross would have never happened. Please know that the gospel and good news is sufficient to save people. It has done that very effectively for a very, very long period of time and will continue to do so in the future.
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