Last night was powerful. It was a night filled with worship, praise, education, emotion, and a lot of information was thrown at us in a very short period of time. What this blog post is designed to do is to help unpack a little bit of what we learned and saw last night at the Human Trafficking Event over at Central Pres. Please know that I'm here for you all to answer questions, voice concerns, and dialogue with you all no matter what. Here's what we can learn from last night.
1) Be careful wherever you are, and whoever you are.
Now, I will say this Chambersburg, PA is a fairly safe town. But, that's not to say there aren't risks here or wherever you go. The truth of the matter is that our world is broken and sinful and in desperate need of being saved by the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ. With that being said there are some very evil people in our world today, and we need to be as Jesus reminded us in Matthew 10:16, "Be as wise as serpents and innocent as doves." Our hope last night was not to scare anyone or make anyone become paranoid, but rather the goal was to raise awareness about how we as the body of Christ can both be extremely careful and protect ourselves and loved ones. The other goal was to dialogue and communicate how we as Christians can stand up against evil and speak truth and grace into every situation. So, we encourage you to dialogue with your young people, pay close attention to their friends, social media contacts, changes in behavior, etc. make sure you pray regularly for your young people, and finally make sure you're always prepared to show tough love when a certain situation or person doesn't seem right.
2) Become the voice to the voiceless.
The one question which swirling around in my mind a lot last night was, where is the church? If 27 million are enslaved the church needs to stand up and be a voice for the voiceless. I will say this, some of us may never come in contact with someone we know or see someone getting sold. Let's hope and pray that never happens to us or a loved one. But, there are lots of people in our community who don't have enough to eat. There are many people in Chambersburg who are homeless, uneducated, unemployed, and many people who aren't capable of speaking up for their basic needs or rights. You can be that voice. You can be the light in someone's darkness, one of the main ways/reasons why people willingly enter human trafficking situations is because they don't have enough money to provide for themselves or their family. You can help decrease the amount of people trafficked each year by being faithful in giving to your food bank, church, mission organizations, volunteering your time, and above all spending time in prayer.
3) Sex was created for marriage.
One of the big mistakes people can make is by using/engaging in sex outside of its intended purpose. This is something that is forgivable, but it can lead down a very slippery slope. If you take nothing else away take this incredible truth/lesson away that sex is an incredible gift if used in the right way and a potentially dangerous weapon to yourself if used in the wrong way. Many of our young people will have questions and other young people saying things to them that can both support and contradict the Bible, but one of the best lessons I've learned is that it's better to wait and as Erin (the youth director from Central reminded us last night) MODEST is HOTTEST!
It may be uncomfortable, but please don't shy away from discussing these things with your young people. They're looking for answers, and my hope is that they can find them through either their parents or their church. If you have any questions at all about last night or what was presented please don't hesitate to ask.
Monday, March 17, 2014
Thursday, March 13, 2014
#3 of Life's Deceptions: You Have to do God's Work
Life is already tiresome, exhausting enough, don't make life harder than you need to be. This is one of the more subtle deceptions that you will see in our world today, because what happens in this deception is it looks like you are doing something good, but in the end it can be damaging to both you and the person you're witnessing to.
Let me explain about this deception, many excellent people fall into this deception because they believe God's work needs to be done by them. We are as followers of Jesus Christ called to be like God. We're called to point people to God. But, we're not called to do God's work. Most specifically we as Christians and followers of Jesus aren't called to judge others or save others, that's what God does, has been doing long before we entered the picture, and will continue to do long after we leave the scene. So, the question remains what exactly are we as Christians called to do? What is the Christian life all about? Well, let's dive in!
Jesus in Matthew 7:1-2 states, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." I will say the beauty of this verse is there isn't any real grey area here. It is black and white. Our job is not to judge others, to make them feel bad about their sinfulness, or errors. But, our goal is to allow the Holy Spirit to work through us, speak through us, and draw people to become more like Jesus each and every day. There is a fine line to walk between not judging people and saying every single behavior is okay. Be very diligent about being in prayer and ask for wisdom when confronting someone who's behavior is sinful. Make sure always that you are encouraging people, pointing them to Jesus, praying for them, and above all doing our best to make sure their behavior is changed. Let me just make sure it is perfectly clear at the final judgment you won't be judging others on their sin, God will be. Your goal is to not to judge but rather to be faithful, and Jesus reminded us in Matthew 22 what we're called to be faithful to, "You should love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself." You don't have to do God's work, love God, love your neighbor, be faithful and committed to doing that, and the rest will fall into place.
You are called not to judge, and you are also called not to save people. Saving people is God's job, and only God is strong enough to save people from their sins. However, the amazing part is we as human beings do have a role in the matter. We as Christians know the instructions and the way to salvation our job is to hand and tell people where to find it. It would be like if someone handed you a treasure map to the most glorious, beautiful, and satisfying treasure ever. The treasure was vast enough to be for everyone, you didn't put the treasure there, but you know how to find it, and you know where to show others where it is. That's your goal in God's salvific activity, show people where to find it. It's up to them ultimately, but if God has anything to do with it they will enjoy the immense satisfaction of this treasure. I'm reminded of the parable of the sower for this, and the sower's job is not to make the seed grow or take root, all the sower is responsible for is to sow the seed. Be faithful in loving people, encouraging people, and sowing the seed that's your job. Leave the rest up to God.
Let me explain about this deception, many excellent people fall into this deception because they believe God's work needs to be done by them. We are as followers of Jesus Christ called to be like God. We're called to point people to God. But, we're not called to do God's work. Most specifically we as Christians and followers of Jesus aren't called to judge others or save others, that's what God does, has been doing long before we entered the picture, and will continue to do long after we leave the scene. So, the question remains what exactly are we as Christians called to do? What is the Christian life all about? Well, let's dive in!
Jesus in Matthew 7:1-2 states, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." I will say the beauty of this verse is there isn't any real grey area here. It is black and white. Our job is not to judge others, to make them feel bad about their sinfulness, or errors. But, our goal is to allow the Holy Spirit to work through us, speak through us, and draw people to become more like Jesus each and every day. There is a fine line to walk between not judging people and saying every single behavior is okay. Be very diligent about being in prayer and ask for wisdom when confronting someone who's behavior is sinful. Make sure always that you are encouraging people, pointing them to Jesus, praying for them, and above all doing our best to make sure their behavior is changed. Let me just make sure it is perfectly clear at the final judgment you won't be judging others on their sin, God will be. Your goal is to not to judge but rather to be faithful, and Jesus reminded us in Matthew 22 what we're called to be faithful to, "You should love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself." You don't have to do God's work, love God, love your neighbor, be faithful and committed to doing that, and the rest will fall into place.
You are called not to judge, and you are also called not to save people. Saving people is God's job, and only God is strong enough to save people from their sins. However, the amazing part is we as human beings do have a role in the matter. We as Christians know the instructions and the way to salvation our job is to hand and tell people where to find it. It would be like if someone handed you a treasure map to the most glorious, beautiful, and satisfying treasure ever. The treasure was vast enough to be for everyone, you didn't put the treasure there, but you know how to find it, and you know where to show others where it is. That's your goal in God's salvific activity, show people where to find it. It's up to them ultimately, but if God has anything to do with it they will enjoy the immense satisfaction of this treasure. I'm reminded of the parable of the sower for this, and the sower's job is not to make the seed grow or take root, all the sower is responsible for is to sow the seed. Be faithful in loving people, encouraging people, and sowing the seed that's your job. Leave the rest up to God.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
On Life's Great Deceptions #2: You are the Lead in the Story.
If you did not get a chance to read my first post, on life's great deceptions, I would encourage you to do so. Because, I firmly believe that many of us live under the false notion that we will always have more time. That post in a way, sets up a lot of what I'm hoping to do with this series of posts.
As we dive in, let me be perfectly clear. Life is filled with many truths but also many deceptions. Most of the deceptions that we see in our society are very subtle deceptions, if lies were big, bold, and glaring the truth of the matter would be that no one in their right mind would believe them. So, that's what our journey is all about, we want to look at some big deceptions our society has led us to believe.
This is absolutely huge. Because our society is fueled with the message that you are the lead in the story. The story we are discussing here in this post is the story of your life and how it has unfolded and will continue to unfold in the future. Your life plays out like a story. There is a goal in your story. Your story has antagonists, difficulties, struggles, hardships, comforts, and of course it has joys as well. But, one thing is true for all of us reading this, you are not the main character or protagonist, God is.
I will fully admit I don't know everything, and there are many, many people in the world that are smarter than I am. But, I have seen in my brief time on this earth that people for the most part live their lives one of two ways, they either live life basing their goals, decisions, words, actions, and time on making themselves great and known or they either live life making someone or something else great and known.
So, my challenge to you in looking at this deception is to really and honestly ask yourself, "How do I want to live? Will life be all about me? Or will life be something more?" Because the reality is I've seen that living all for yourself and trying to make your name is an attractive way to live only in the short term, but in the long run it often leads us feeling empty and unsatisfied. Because, the danger about living all for you is that all your thoughts, goals, words, and actions are often geared to satisfying yourself and having yourself fulfilled. This is not me saying that you should avoid all things and areas of life that will leave you satisfied, what I'm saying is that they cannot be the most important thing in your life. There has to be something greater. Working in the church both now and in the past, growing up in the church, and being around a lot of people I've seen many people live all for themselves, and the sad reality is that they never got what they were looking for: lasting satisfaction. They wanted so badly to be the lead in their story, they did everything to make that happened, and for awhile they were, but at the end it left them empty and unsatisfied.
Probably the best Biblical example of someone so desperate to be the lead in their story comes in Matthew 19:16-22. This is the real life account of the rich, young man approaching Jesus and asking Him what must he do to inherit eternal life. All the physical tasks and commands the man had obeyed, but when Jesus asked the man to do something big, sell everything and give it all to the poor, the man went away sad and broken. Jesus essentially asked the man to resign/give-up being the lead in his story, and the man wasn't able to do so.
So, the question remains how to live? This is not necessarily an easy thing to communicate in a blog form, but we'll try. This won't be a 20 minute fix or anything like that, but I guarantee this will be one of the most worthwhile things you do. What we're saying here is that to live all for God, the first step is to change the way you think and what you view is most important in your life. For everyone how this process unfolds will be different, but there will be a few common threads throughout everyone's journey.
1) You won't be able to do it on your own. If you try just all by yourself to live a life that is focused on others, God, social justice, etc. you will fail every time. Because, the truth is you were never meant to live this life alone. Jesus promised in John 14 that a comforter was coming, the disciples were in awe at Pentecost, when they were able to speak every language, because the Holy Spirit is designed to guide, lead, and direct you. Without being connected to the Holy Spirit, your life transformation, shift in thinking, and your life in general will not work in the long run. You may be able to get by for awhile, and you may even make a difference. But, just as a cell phone, Kindle, or laptop you need to be plugged into to your power source to make it for the long haul or the marathon that is this life. Your relationship with God and the power God gives to you is your power source.
2) Difficulty will be present. Jesus promised us at the end of John 16 that in this world we will have trouble, but please don't stop there. Please don't base your entire theology, thinking, or life on the first part, because Jesus concludes the verse by saying that He has overcome the world. Know this that if trouble, heartache, betrayal, and even death didn't leave the Son of God alone, they will not leave you alone. So, what I would tell you is to prepare now for trouble. Prepare by being grateful every single day. Prepare by making sure your loved ones know how you feel about them. Prepare by being so in love with Jesus that no matter what happens your faith won't be shaken.
3) One of the driving forces in living a life that focuses on lifting God up above everything else, is investing in people. One of the common themes in the gospels is that Jesus lifts up people who are down, gives value to people who the world sees as valueless, and His ministry is not primarily focused on making people happy but a major portion of his ministry is focused on making broken people whole. Things can be replaced and often become obsolete. People forget award winners. Offices will one day be reassigned, and I'm not saying these things should be totally abandoned, but rather make sure that you fully know and understand that they cannot be the most important thing in your life. God is doing something incredible in this world, and being a supporting character in God's story is the most satisfying way to live. Invest in people, prepare for trouble, and never disconnect from your power source.
As we dive in, let me be perfectly clear. Life is filled with many truths but also many deceptions. Most of the deceptions that we see in our society are very subtle deceptions, if lies were big, bold, and glaring the truth of the matter would be that no one in their right mind would believe them. So, that's what our journey is all about, we want to look at some big deceptions our society has led us to believe.
This is absolutely huge. Because our society is fueled with the message that you are the lead in the story. The story we are discussing here in this post is the story of your life and how it has unfolded and will continue to unfold in the future. Your life plays out like a story. There is a goal in your story. Your story has antagonists, difficulties, struggles, hardships, comforts, and of course it has joys as well. But, one thing is true for all of us reading this, you are not the main character or protagonist, God is.
I will fully admit I don't know everything, and there are many, many people in the world that are smarter than I am. But, I have seen in my brief time on this earth that people for the most part live their lives one of two ways, they either live life basing their goals, decisions, words, actions, and time on making themselves great and known or they either live life making someone or something else great and known.
So, my challenge to you in looking at this deception is to really and honestly ask yourself, "How do I want to live? Will life be all about me? Or will life be something more?" Because the reality is I've seen that living all for yourself and trying to make your name is an attractive way to live only in the short term, but in the long run it often leads us feeling empty and unsatisfied. Because, the danger about living all for you is that all your thoughts, goals, words, and actions are often geared to satisfying yourself and having yourself fulfilled. This is not me saying that you should avoid all things and areas of life that will leave you satisfied, what I'm saying is that they cannot be the most important thing in your life. There has to be something greater. Working in the church both now and in the past, growing up in the church, and being around a lot of people I've seen many people live all for themselves, and the sad reality is that they never got what they were looking for: lasting satisfaction. They wanted so badly to be the lead in their story, they did everything to make that happened, and for awhile they were, but at the end it left them empty and unsatisfied.
Probably the best Biblical example of someone so desperate to be the lead in their story comes in Matthew 19:16-22. This is the real life account of the rich, young man approaching Jesus and asking Him what must he do to inherit eternal life. All the physical tasks and commands the man had obeyed, but when Jesus asked the man to do something big, sell everything and give it all to the poor, the man went away sad and broken. Jesus essentially asked the man to resign/give-up being the lead in his story, and the man wasn't able to do so.
So, the question remains how to live? This is not necessarily an easy thing to communicate in a blog form, but we'll try. This won't be a 20 minute fix or anything like that, but I guarantee this will be one of the most worthwhile things you do. What we're saying here is that to live all for God, the first step is to change the way you think and what you view is most important in your life. For everyone how this process unfolds will be different, but there will be a few common threads throughout everyone's journey.
1) You won't be able to do it on your own. If you try just all by yourself to live a life that is focused on others, God, social justice, etc. you will fail every time. Because, the truth is you were never meant to live this life alone. Jesus promised in John 14 that a comforter was coming, the disciples were in awe at Pentecost, when they were able to speak every language, because the Holy Spirit is designed to guide, lead, and direct you. Without being connected to the Holy Spirit, your life transformation, shift in thinking, and your life in general will not work in the long run. You may be able to get by for awhile, and you may even make a difference. But, just as a cell phone, Kindle, or laptop you need to be plugged into to your power source to make it for the long haul or the marathon that is this life. Your relationship with God and the power God gives to you is your power source.
2) Difficulty will be present. Jesus promised us at the end of John 16 that in this world we will have trouble, but please don't stop there. Please don't base your entire theology, thinking, or life on the first part, because Jesus concludes the verse by saying that He has overcome the world. Know this that if trouble, heartache, betrayal, and even death didn't leave the Son of God alone, they will not leave you alone. So, what I would tell you is to prepare now for trouble. Prepare by being grateful every single day. Prepare by making sure your loved ones know how you feel about them. Prepare by being so in love with Jesus that no matter what happens your faith won't be shaken.
3) One of the driving forces in living a life that focuses on lifting God up above everything else, is investing in people. One of the common themes in the gospels is that Jesus lifts up people who are down, gives value to people who the world sees as valueless, and His ministry is not primarily focused on making people happy but a major portion of his ministry is focused on making broken people whole. Things can be replaced and often become obsolete. People forget award winners. Offices will one day be reassigned, and I'm not saying these things should be totally abandoned, but rather make sure that you fully know and understand that they cannot be the most important thing in your life. God is doing something incredible in this world, and being a supporting character in God's story is the most satisfying way to live. Invest in people, prepare for trouble, and never disconnect from your power source.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
On Life's Great Deceptions: You'll Have More Time
I will say I am really excited about what this is all about and the future this series has. My goal from the get go is for people to engage in honest discussion, think deep thoughts about their own lives, and above all move closer to God. This series is designed to be a blessing, a source of wisdom, and a legacy that I'll pass down to my lovely daughter and by the will of God all her siblings. Life can be a very rewarding but also a very trying time. I hope these pieces of wisdom, perspective, and guidance will bless everyone who reads them.
Life's Great Deception Number One: You'll have more Time
One of the most transforming times in my life was when I served as a volunteer Hospice chaplain about three years ago. I will often refer to that experience and lessons learned in this series, but I wanted to draw your attention to that time in my life. I won't use any names or a lot of physical descriptions to describe anyone. But, I think this first idea will help put a lot into perspective.
I hope we as Christians and followers of Jesus Christ will be intentional about encouraging all to use effectively one of the best gifts we've ever been given: time. Now, I will say that the best gift of all is salvation, but one of the best gifts you've been given and you can give people is time.
Let me illustrate this with a great example of how our memories work. I am 27 years old. I can look back at my life and tell you about a few items, toys, new things I bought or was given. But, I could sit here and write for hours about great memories I've had during vacations, at Christmas time, playing sports, dating Lara, spending time with my family, slumber parties, and the list can go on and on. We strive all too often to acquire new things, but in reality what will really satisfy us is quality time with the people we love. Time is a gift, so please don't waste it.
Later on I'm going to expound on this thought, but a HUGE lie that society might not necessarily feed you, but a lie that you almost internally feel is that you'll always have more time. Don't believe you'll always more time to make a relationship right, tell loved ones how you'll feel, get right with God, live out your faith, tell a lost loved one about your relationship with Jesus, etc. Now, I will say often times there is more time, I don't want to cast gloom and doom with this post, but I want you to know that you shouldn't always count on the future, because it can be so unpredictable.
As someone with a lot of life ahead of you, my hope and perspective is that you see every day not as a drudge or burden. But, rather my hope is that you see every day as a gift. Christ came as He said John 10:10, "So that we could have life and life to the fullest." Don't wait to start living life, don't go to bed angry with anyone, and make sure you use this incredible gift.
Let me close by saying this, one of the most effective uses of your time is through prayer, scripture reading, worship, fellowship with other Christian, evangelism, and discipleship. I've never met a single person, in my short life that has said, "I've spent too much time in prayer and discipleship." Spending time with God and getting to know God is time well spent:). Let's strive together to live each and every day effectively and powerfully knowing that time is one of the best gifts we've been given and can give. Because we never really know of the time any of us has left.
Life's Great Deception Number One: You'll have more Time
One of the most transforming times in my life was when I served as a volunteer Hospice chaplain about three years ago. I will often refer to that experience and lessons learned in this series, but I wanted to draw your attention to that time in my life. I won't use any names or a lot of physical descriptions to describe anyone. But, I think this first idea will help put a lot into perspective.
I hope we as Christians and followers of Jesus Christ will be intentional about encouraging all to use effectively one of the best gifts we've ever been given: time. Now, I will say that the best gift of all is salvation, but one of the best gifts you've been given and you can give people is time.
Let me illustrate this with a great example of how our memories work. I am 27 years old. I can look back at my life and tell you about a few items, toys, new things I bought or was given. But, I could sit here and write for hours about great memories I've had during vacations, at Christmas time, playing sports, dating Lara, spending time with my family, slumber parties, and the list can go on and on. We strive all too often to acquire new things, but in reality what will really satisfy us is quality time with the people we love. Time is a gift, so please don't waste it.
Later on I'm going to expound on this thought, but a HUGE lie that society might not necessarily feed you, but a lie that you almost internally feel is that you'll always have more time. Don't believe you'll always more time to make a relationship right, tell loved ones how you'll feel, get right with God, live out your faith, tell a lost loved one about your relationship with Jesus, etc. Now, I will say often times there is more time, I don't want to cast gloom and doom with this post, but I want you to know that you shouldn't always count on the future, because it can be so unpredictable.
As someone with a lot of life ahead of you, my hope and perspective is that you see every day not as a drudge or burden. But, rather my hope is that you see every day as a gift. Christ came as He said John 10:10, "So that we could have life and life to the fullest." Don't wait to start living life, don't go to bed angry with anyone, and make sure you use this incredible gift.
Let me close by saying this, one of the most effective uses of your time is through prayer, scripture reading, worship, fellowship with other Christian, evangelism, and discipleship. I've never met a single person, in my short life that has said, "I've spent too much time in prayer and discipleship." Spending time with God and getting to know God is time well spent:). Let's strive together to live each and every day effectively and powerfully knowing that time is one of the best gifts we've been given and can give. Because we never really know of the time any of us has left.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
on the Debate between Bill Nye and Ken Ham
This past Tuesday brought together two great minds of our generation in a monumental debate. Ken Ham is the President and CEO of Answers in Genesis and founder of the Creation Museum debated one of the beloved TV personalities of my generation Bill Nye the Science Guy, or as he's referred to now: Bill Nye. The debate was over topic of Creation vs. Evolution. I hope you get the chance to watch or read about the debate online, because if nothing else I can guarantee you this, you will learn something. Let's dive into some of what happened in the debate.
1) It's not really important who won. I've been all over this great important Internet, and I've seen people who say Bill Nye won the debate, Ken Ham had good answers, and that the debate was a draw. The basic consensus I have, is that yes the debate and questions are interesting, but no one's mind was really changed about their basic beliefs. The debate has raged on for centuries about which is the correct theory: evolution or creation and the reality is both sides have moved little in the last 150 years as National Geographic has pointed out. I want to remind myself above all that we worship a God who is greater than a theory, greater than a scientist, and greater than everything we can see and know. God blows my mind, and I hope God blows yours as well. Both Creation and Evolution need to be looked and which side you fall on you need to accept it with faith, but the good news is you know and have a relationship with the God of your faith. Know that no matter what that won't be changed. Christianity won't be silenced over the outcome of the debate, and both issues need to be accepted with faith.
2) I believe in the Creation of the world by God. But, I will say that there are a lot of men and women who are way smarter than I am who support Evolution to explain humanity's origin. I also know men and women who are way smarter than me who support Creation as well. So, both theories do have merit. I believe the debate was done in good taste, and the overall tone of the debate was done in good taste, and I think everyone who tuned in to the debate learned something new. I think in Sunday's sermon Pastor Rick brought out a very interesting point, how are we caring for the world today? Will our good social mindedness, our desire to live out the command God gave to Adam to subdue the earth, and our desire to pass on a great place to live to the next generation will that drive us into making this world a better place? God is chiefly concerned about the world, I believe God said it was good, and the question I have is what are we doing to make it good?
3) Finally, thoughts are nice and simple. I think it is important to have these debates and discussions. Both Creation and Evolution need to be accepted by faith, but both views on the origin of humanity have consequences to your thinking and lifestyle. Finally, I don't think many minds will be changed by debates or discussion, however, it is important to show people who believe and think differently the same respect you desire to be shown. The final thought I have is that the beginning of the story is important, I believe in the Biblical narrative of Creation, but even the writer of Genesis didn't witness the event, or didn't capture it in its entirety. We may never know until we are face to face with Jesus in eternity. However, the climax of the story is HUGE, Jesus has come, our redemption has been paid, and that is the incredible news and truth of the Gospel. Live life changed by the grace of God every day!
1) It's not really important who won. I've been all over this great important Internet, and I've seen people who say Bill Nye won the debate, Ken Ham had good answers, and that the debate was a draw. The basic consensus I have, is that yes the debate and questions are interesting, but no one's mind was really changed about their basic beliefs. The debate has raged on for centuries about which is the correct theory: evolution or creation and the reality is both sides have moved little in the last 150 years as National Geographic has pointed out. I want to remind myself above all that we worship a God who is greater than a theory, greater than a scientist, and greater than everything we can see and know. God blows my mind, and I hope God blows yours as well. Both Creation and Evolution need to be looked and which side you fall on you need to accept it with faith, but the good news is you know and have a relationship with the God of your faith. Know that no matter what that won't be changed. Christianity won't be silenced over the outcome of the debate, and both issues need to be accepted with faith.
2) I believe in the Creation of the world by God. But, I will say that there are a lot of men and women who are way smarter than I am who support Evolution to explain humanity's origin. I also know men and women who are way smarter than me who support Creation as well. So, both theories do have merit. I believe the debate was done in good taste, and the overall tone of the debate was done in good taste, and I think everyone who tuned in to the debate learned something new. I think in Sunday's sermon Pastor Rick brought out a very interesting point, how are we caring for the world today? Will our good social mindedness, our desire to live out the command God gave to Adam to subdue the earth, and our desire to pass on a great place to live to the next generation will that drive us into making this world a better place? God is chiefly concerned about the world, I believe God said it was good, and the question I have is what are we doing to make it good?
3) Finally, thoughts are nice and simple. I think it is important to have these debates and discussions. Both Creation and Evolution need to be accepted by faith, but both views on the origin of humanity have consequences to your thinking and lifestyle. Finally, I don't think many minds will be changed by debates or discussion, however, it is important to show people who believe and think differently the same respect you desire to be shown. The final thought I have is that the beginning of the story is important, I believe in the Biblical narrative of Creation, but even the writer of Genesis didn't witness the event, or didn't capture it in its entirety. We may never know until we are face to face with Jesus in eternity. However, the climax of the story is HUGE, Jesus has come, our redemption has been paid, and that is the incredible news and truth of the Gospel. Live life changed by the grace of God every day!
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
on Freedom
I will admit, I've gotten to the point in this blog where I'm not 100% certain what I've covered in the past, and what still needs to be covered. So, if I covered freedom awhile back, please give this fellow a little bit of grace and love. I will say that this issue is really important, and I think freedom is something that we as the body of Christ need to understand and get correct. Here's what I got for a Christian perspective on freedom.
1) The Bible is concerned with freedom. Now, let me say this it is not the Bible's first priority. I would say that freedom is not the Bible's number one concern, but it is a very important concern for Christians. Let me be perfectly clear here, total freedom is never the goal for anyone at any time. Because our world is a sinful place that is in need of desperate redemption. But, the goal however, is freedom to do good, to choose to say no to sin, to run to Christ, etc. Paul reminds us in Galatians 5:1, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Now, what Christ has done has freed humanity from the worst oppressor of all: sin. So, what Christ accomplished is that sin in your life no longer has the final word, you are free to walk away from sin, to begin caring about things and people other than yourself. You are not call to be free to such an extent that you are out of control or you are living however you want. You are called to be free from sin and the oppressive hold it can have on many people. The freedom we are discussing here is spiritual and to some extent physical freedom.
My advice: embrace the freedom. Let people know the change that has taken place in your life, live differently, speak more kindly, look for ways to give more, and pray for people that you normally wouldn't even consider praying for.
2) Oppression is never the answer, we must work hard for others to experience the freedom we have experienced. Freedom is something that is meant for all people to enjoy. The sad reality is many people don't know or aren't able to experience physical freedom like the rest of us. Let us take heart and commit to being people of change in our society as we desire to give so that others may be lifted up. Let's educate ourselves on the oppression of hunger, slavery, ignorance, and disease. Let's look for groups that support these causes, and let's be in prayer for those groups in their mission. Let's keep our ears and eyes open for ways we can be supportive and encouraging each other. Above let's never lose sight of the reality that we do all of this because Jesus loves us and we want to show His love to others.
1) The Bible is concerned with freedom. Now, let me say this it is not the Bible's first priority. I would say that freedom is not the Bible's number one concern, but it is a very important concern for Christians. Let me be perfectly clear here, total freedom is never the goal for anyone at any time. Because our world is a sinful place that is in need of desperate redemption. But, the goal however, is freedom to do good, to choose to say no to sin, to run to Christ, etc. Paul reminds us in Galatians 5:1, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Now, what Christ has done has freed humanity from the worst oppressor of all: sin. So, what Christ accomplished is that sin in your life no longer has the final word, you are free to walk away from sin, to begin caring about things and people other than yourself. You are not call to be free to such an extent that you are out of control or you are living however you want. You are called to be free from sin and the oppressive hold it can have on many people. The freedom we are discussing here is spiritual and to some extent physical freedom.
My advice: embrace the freedom. Let people know the change that has taken place in your life, live differently, speak more kindly, look for ways to give more, and pray for people that you normally wouldn't even consider praying for.
2) Oppression is never the answer, we must work hard for others to experience the freedom we have experienced. Freedom is something that is meant for all people to enjoy. The sad reality is many people don't know or aren't able to experience physical freedom like the rest of us. Let us take heart and commit to being people of change in our society as we desire to give so that others may be lifted up. Let's educate ourselves on the oppression of hunger, slavery, ignorance, and disease. Let's look for groups that support these causes, and let's be in prayer for those groups in their mission. Let's keep our ears and eyes open for ways we can be supportive and encouraging each other. Above let's never lose sight of the reality that we do all of this because Jesus loves us and we want to show His love to others.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
On Jobs (The movie about Steve Jobs)
Movie reviews are fun to blog about, I'm not going to lie. So, I usually am pretty amped to go see a movie or rent a movie to blog about. The new movie Jobs I will admit surprised me a great deal. This movie detailed the life and work of the late technology visionary: Steve Jobs. The movie showed the rise and fall of Apple computers under Jobs' leadership. The movie stars Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs and the rest of the cast are filled with people that you're sitting there saying, "I should know there name, I don't!"
The movie at times does feel slow moving, but the story is what grabbed me, and I will say it is a real, gritty look at both Jobs' troubles and triumphs with Apple Computers. The movie begins in the late 70s and we see a free spirited Jobs who is both brilliant but also hard to work with and uncompromising in his ideals and vision. The film does a great job of showing the early stages of Steve Jobs' and Steve Wozniak's vision with Apple and how the company grew from their garage into the billion dollar company it is today. The film is intentional showing just how power and success do indeed affect people in both positive and negative ways. It is very interesting to see the evolution that happens to Steve Jobs the more he dives into creating the Mac computer and the many other products that Apple computers has created.
It was very interesting to see the amount of time, energy, personal triumph, innovation, and also personal heartache that went into creating the computer we know it as today. I really enjoyed the movie, and I think most of us know the end of the story, so I will just go out and say it: the Mac computer gets invented as well as the Ipod :). The movie at its heart doesn't really excite or thrill the viewer, but one thing it does do is inform the viewer and allow you to dive deep in the human psyche and see just what success can do to a human being. I would recommend the movie especially to young kids in high school and college.
In terms of family friendliness the movie doesn't have a lot of questionable material. There are some incidents of strong language and drug use. I would grade it a 3 out of 5 stars in terms of family friendliness. In terms of overall quality of movie I would give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars in terms of family friendliness.
The movie at times does feel slow moving, but the story is what grabbed me, and I will say it is a real, gritty look at both Jobs' troubles and triumphs with Apple Computers. The movie begins in the late 70s and we see a free spirited Jobs who is both brilliant but also hard to work with and uncompromising in his ideals and vision. The film does a great job of showing the early stages of Steve Jobs' and Steve Wozniak's vision with Apple and how the company grew from their garage into the billion dollar company it is today. The film is intentional showing just how power and success do indeed affect people in both positive and negative ways. It is very interesting to see the evolution that happens to Steve Jobs the more he dives into creating the Mac computer and the many other products that Apple computers has created.
It was very interesting to see the amount of time, energy, personal triumph, innovation, and also personal heartache that went into creating the computer we know it as today. I really enjoyed the movie, and I think most of us know the end of the story, so I will just go out and say it: the Mac computer gets invented as well as the Ipod :). The movie at its heart doesn't really excite or thrill the viewer, but one thing it does do is inform the viewer and allow you to dive deep in the human psyche and see just what success can do to a human being. I would recommend the movie especially to young kids in high school and college.
In terms of family friendliness the movie doesn't have a lot of questionable material. There are some incidents of strong language and drug use. I would grade it a 3 out of 5 stars in terms of family friendliness. In terms of overall quality of movie I would give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars in terms of family friendliness.
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