In just about a month we'll be having a change of administrations in the United States. I have to admit a sense of curiosity about where the Obama Administration will lead us over the next 4 years. Personally, I think Obama will be just another politician and whatever philosophy he has will play second fiddle to his desire to keep power and be reelected. Of course there are others who hope Obama will be a messiah type figure who can save America, bringing us out of the despair of the Bush years and into a time of hope. Good luck to that.
There are also those who actually think Obama is the anti-christ. Some, fortunately not most, in Christian circles think that the stars are alligned correctly and now is the sure time for the apocolypse to begin. Throughout the ages Christians have often said that we are living in the "end times." The conditions of the world being so bad that Jesus must be set to return soon. Interestingly enough Christians always point to an anti-Christ figure arriving on the scene (in this case Obama) who will charm and deceive the world, and this will set the stage for the "great tribulation" period which will result in all sorts of bad things to occur.
Pretty strong assumptions then to make if you think Obama is the anti-Christ. I got a question? Whenever you wish to know something about a particular subject that is of great importance, who do you go to for help? Could it be someone with expertise? I find it distressing that so many people who use the bible to gather information about the future too often try to interpret obscure things without first looking at things are are plain and clear. Take the anti-Christ concept for instance. Did you know that in the new testament the bible only uses the word anti-Christ twice and it is used in the present tense and in the plural. Does this not make it plain that God is telling His people that in the first century many anti-Christs are present and working to attack and deceive God and His church. This is the plain meaning of the text and is it not advisable to interpret texts in the most logical way?
So what does this mean about an anti-Christ person. Does an actual person exists who is greatly powerful and influential that will exert great destruction on the church in the future? I take it that this is a reference to the book of "Revelation" and the "Beast" figure that is spoken of within its pages; one that makes reference to his number being 666. All kinds of things are mentioned in this ominous book; wars, earthquakes, terror, death, persecution. And I do believe Revelation does speak of a particular person who is a type of anti-Christ. However there is one problem with equating Obama with this person. The Beast of Revelation, at least in the plain meaning of the text, is speaking of an event that takes place shortly after John is exiled to the island of Patmos. The events that take place during that time (which is a future event, at least in the sense that it is in the future from the perspective of John) speaks about events that happened to Christians right up until the destruction of the Jewish temple in 70 a.d. In fact, a prominent Jewish eyewitness historian "Josephus" writes clearly about that time and it is right in line with how the book of Revelation documents it. And you know who was a central figure during that time to delighted in persecuting and killing Christians? That was Nero whose name in ancient Hebrew spelling placed into Hebrew gematria; converting letters into numbers is 666.
Am I certain that the anti-Christ was Nero? No, but it sure is a heck of a lot more plausible than Barrack Obama and other past figures like Stalin, Hitler, Hussein, or whoever else might dawn of future horizons.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Explaining Terms To The Atheist
There has been much news reporting about the case in Washington state where the governor has permitted some document from atheists that has been placed next to the Nativity scene. There has been much protest and outrage from Christians about this and some have suggested that the governor is permitting "hate speech" directed at people of faith and Christians in particular. There are references in this document about religion being superstitious, enslaving and dulling minds, and a host of others that are outraging Christians during this advent season.
I could easily put my two cents in on what I think about the winter solstice atheist document and whether it belongs next to the nativity on government property, but I have something else on my mind. On a talk show a woman representing "The Freedom From Religion Foundation" said that her organization is not about hating anyone but she is just against Christianity, a religion she said and I don't have her exact quote but it was something close to this: Man is a depraved sinner who is in need of redemption and anyone unwilling to Jesus Christ as Savior then will be doomed to hell.
That quote struck me because it was theological and accurate and as I heard this woman say it I could see she didn't like the idea at all. So I have been thinking about just how to explain that quote and define all its heavy terms; depraved, sinner, redemption, savior, hell. This is a tall order and I realize that there is a strong probability that whatever she hears will not make her pleased in the slightest. Still she deserves an answer. And I think it is a just as important to acknowledge that in a world where we wish things would be much better and we could all somehow find a way to get along, the message of Christianity would seem like a sure fire way to piss many folks off.
I'm not sure where to go with this and I think I would tell anyone who defined Christianity in those terms that, yes, it is true. But I would go further on and ask them how do they define those terms and what makes the content of those terms so offensive. But perhaps exploring too much may not be beneficial. Can we instead sit and share coffee or a beer and just get to know each other. Though our thinking may be drastically different on the matter of faith, we still share much in common as human beings.
I could easily put my two cents in on what I think about the winter solstice atheist document and whether it belongs next to the nativity on government property, but I have something else on my mind. On a talk show a woman representing "The Freedom From Religion Foundation" said that her organization is not about hating anyone but she is just against Christianity, a religion she said and I don't have her exact quote but it was something close to this: Man is a depraved sinner who is in need of redemption and anyone unwilling to Jesus Christ as Savior then will be doomed to hell.
That quote struck me because it was theological and accurate and as I heard this woman say it I could see she didn't like the idea at all. So I have been thinking about just how to explain that quote and define all its heavy terms; depraved, sinner, redemption, savior, hell. This is a tall order and I realize that there is a strong probability that whatever she hears will not make her pleased in the slightest. Still she deserves an answer. And I think it is a just as important to acknowledge that in a world where we wish things would be much better and we could all somehow find a way to get along, the message of Christianity would seem like a sure fire way to piss many folks off.
I'm not sure where to go with this and I think I would tell anyone who defined Christianity in those terms that, yes, it is true. But I would go further on and ask them how do they define those terms and what makes the content of those terms so offensive. But perhaps exploring too much may not be beneficial. Can we instead sit and share coffee or a beer and just get to know each other. Though our thinking may be drastically different on the matter of faith, we still share much in common as human beings.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Sex And The Fall
For those who believe in the biblical fall, I'm speaking of the fruit incident of Adam and Eve in the garden, I can't imagine anything more affected by the fall than human sexuality. I'm putting this on my blog because I find there is a big barrier when discussing Christ and the church to skeptics and that is the barrier of human sexuality; perhaps the biggest being homosexuality and orthodox Christianity's position on the matter.
Perhaps some of this tension is that many in religious circles seem to have a fetish with anything outside the norm of human sexuality and are quick to throw the bombs regarding anything that the bible prohibits regarding sexual behavior. I can't say that it is wrong to mention that the scriptures equate homosexual practice with being an abomination, I just wonder if it is wise to throw George Foreman knockout punches so early in "the cultural war" so to speak. If we are thoughtful people isn't it wise to see how people may get to a particular place in their lives before we go around telling them to do the "turn or burn" thing.
Over the years I've had some pretty open discussions with some of my male friends regarding sex. One of the big things we have in common is how guys find it so hot when they see attractive women doing the lesbian tango. We are all well versed in biblical protocol of what is acceptable human sexual practice yet we all get a rise so to speak when we imagine this sexual practice.
I'll even go a little further. We know from data that many women themselves have fantasies about sex with women, and these are not confined to those who are outside Christian circles, they are "redeemed" church folk who have had their minds renewed and know the goodness and mercies of God. And while many men won't talk about it, and since I put myself on the line with this "Faith Unfiltered" idea, I can get caught up in homoerotic fantasies now and again. Heck there are some studs on the "Men's Fitness" magazine covers, no?
What is my point? Well, more than anything, it's just that sex is a complicated thing. And since God has left us here in a fallen world and since even His own people have not near reached the perfected state of holiness, sex is going to manifest itself in many unique, perverse ways. Certainly we should not encourage or somehow endorse a practice that goes against what God says is clearly wrong, still we have to treat sex (in all fairness) the way we treat so many other of our human frailties and sins.
Sin does exist that is for sure. But people's propensity for particular sins is complex. We need to show care and patience for those in a particular lifestyle that they don't want to hear is bad for them. We do need to speak truth in love but we need to realize that life is so often based on an economic model rather than an ethical one; meaning people do things that work. It may not be helpful long term but many of us (both believer and unbeliever only see the here and now). People who are in need of a love relationship (even if sin has screw them up to the proper understanding of what that means) will enter a relationship whether it is appropriate of not. People see something as certainly better than nothing.
In the arena of pornography (something Christians may identify better than homosexuality) when times get tough in a marriage and for whatever reason the sex becomes dry and predictable, the right thing to do (the ethical model) would be to turn to God and see Him out and pray for wisdom to turn the marriage around. Surely though there are many who maybe turn to the billion dollar porn industry to spice up a marriage and even get a woman to perhaps have an orgasm where she hasn't had one before (an economic fix).
The bible is something that we who believe in it should never fear to use with our friends who know little if any of it's extraordinary riches. But used in the wrong way, with the wrong attitude, and most importantly with little compassion to the complexities that sin and our culture bring to those outside those of the Household of Faith is like a boxer out throwing bombs when he hasn't established a jab.
Perhaps some of this tension is that many in religious circles seem to have a fetish with anything outside the norm of human sexuality and are quick to throw the bombs regarding anything that the bible prohibits regarding sexual behavior. I can't say that it is wrong to mention that the scriptures equate homosexual practice with being an abomination, I just wonder if it is wise to throw George Foreman knockout punches so early in "the cultural war" so to speak. If we are thoughtful people isn't it wise to see how people may get to a particular place in their lives before we go around telling them to do the "turn or burn" thing.
Over the years I've had some pretty open discussions with some of my male friends regarding sex. One of the big things we have in common is how guys find it so hot when they see attractive women doing the lesbian tango. We are all well versed in biblical protocol of what is acceptable human sexual practice yet we all get a rise so to speak when we imagine this sexual practice.
I'll even go a little further. We know from data that many women themselves have fantasies about sex with women, and these are not confined to those who are outside Christian circles, they are "redeemed" church folk who have had their minds renewed and know the goodness and mercies of God. And while many men won't talk about it, and since I put myself on the line with this "Faith Unfiltered" idea, I can get caught up in homoerotic fantasies now and again. Heck there are some studs on the "Men's Fitness" magazine covers, no?
What is my point? Well, more than anything, it's just that sex is a complicated thing. And since God has left us here in a fallen world and since even His own people have not near reached the perfected state of holiness, sex is going to manifest itself in many unique, perverse ways. Certainly we should not encourage or somehow endorse a practice that goes against what God says is clearly wrong, still we have to treat sex (in all fairness) the way we treat so many other of our human frailties and sins.
Sin does exist that is for sure. But people's propensity for particular sins is complex. We need to show care and patience for those in a particular lifestyle that they don't want to hear is bad for them. We do need to speak truth in love but we need to realize that life is so often based on an economic model rather than an ethical one; meaning people do things that work. It may not be helpful long term but many of us (both believer and unbeliever only see the here and now). People who are in need of a love relationship (even if sin has screw them up to the proper understanding of what that means) will enter a relationship whether it is appropriate of not. People see something as certainly better than nothing.
In the arena of pornography (something Christians may identify better than homosexuality) when times get tough in a marriage and for whatever reason the sex becomes dry and predictable, the right thing to do (the ethical model) would be to turn to God and see Him out and pray for wisdom to turn the marriage around. Surely though there are many who maybe turn to the billion dollar porn industry to spice up a marriage and even get a woman to perhaps have an orgasm where she hasn't had one before (an economic fix).
The bible is something that we who believe in it should never fear to use with our friends who know little if any of it's extraordinary riches. But used in the wrong way, with the wrong attitude, and most importantly with little compassion to the complexities that sin and our culture bring to those outside those of the Household of Faith is like a boxer out throwing bombs when he hasn't established a jab.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Simple Things
Funny how feelings can change so much with just simple things. Life has been hard for me of late, and actually still is. In fact, all information from my previous post..."I don't know what to do" is still the same. And it stands to reason that when things are tough, your feelings would follow and also be down in the dumps. Just going about the everyday business of life is hard. But the last couple of days I have felt much better.
It all happened Tuesday evening at my son's high school football playoff game. I'd love to say they won (but they lost 31-20) and that they would be playing in the championship game this Sunday. But there was a turning point in the game that was exhilarating. Playing an undefeated team and being underdog doesn't relieve the pain of getting slaughtered in any sporting event. Well midway into the 3rd quarter my son and his high school team were losing 28-0 and it looked like it would only get worse. Then something happened. My son who is only a freshman and gets limited playing time was put into the game to return a kick. This was a big surprise since the coach had a policy of not putting freshmen in to return kicks (no matter how good or fast they are) because of previous examples of good freshmen fumbling kicks in the past, one in particular who made a crucial fumble in a playoff game.
But my son who had been lobbying furiously (he can be quite a pest) to the coaches to put him in got his wish when it was clear the normal returner had been having difficulty with a wrist injury and now with the score 28-0 how could things really get worse. That's when electricity happened. A kickoff to the 20 yard line went straight into Josh's hands. Seeing the line of traffic he found a crease (opening, in normal non football jargon) and burst straight into the open field cutting past a couple of defenders and going all 80 yards into the endzone. I can't tell you how exciting it was to see, just about 10 seconds of absolute thrill.
But what happened next was the real excitement. The run not only put our underdog Quakers on the scoreboard but also woke up the whole team from a slumber. A team that had been inept at best for over a half of football, had that deer in the headlights type of look (I have no idea what to do expression) suddenly came alive and showed great purpose. And sure enough it looked like the teams changed uniforms over the next quarter and a half. I would love to say that the story had a Hollywood ending but it didn't. Overcoming 28 points is a tall order for highschool kids. After getting the game back to 28-20, the Quakers missed a critical 4th down with 6 minutes to go and allowed the Tigers to move the ball from the 50 to the 7 yard line with 3 minutes to go. The defense did make a great stop on 3rd down making the Tigers have to kick a 24 yard field goal (no guarantee in high school football. A miss would have given our squad one last chance to launch one last drive to score and get the 2 point conversion and send the game into overtime. But it wasn't meant to be, the field goal was good and hence a 31-20 defeat.
I hate to talk about moral victories but this really was one. A team with only 3 seniors with a 5-4 record trading punches with a 9-0 team packed with loads of seniors. I left the game proud of my son obviously and looking forward to next year. More importantly it lifted my spirits knowing that things really can change even when you don't see how. I remember turning to another parent when the score was 28-0 and how we dreaded having to sit through what looked like what was about to turn into a nightmare (fumbles, penalties, interceptions, total disaster), suddenly turn around instantly because an improbable occurrence (my son getting into the game returning kicks which he told me would never happen) actually took place. These things happen in life and much more often than we realize. The God who loves us will do all kinds of wonderful things to help us through those times when "we just don't know what to do." And even those simple things like a high school football game can teach us that.
It all happened Tuesday evening at my son's high school football playoff game. I'd love to say they won (but they lost 31-20) and that they would be playing in the championship game this Sunday. But there was a turning point in the game that was exhilarating. Playing an undefeated team and being underdog doesn't relieve the pain of getting slaughtered in any sporting event. Well midway into the 3rd quarter my son and his high school team were losing 28-0 and it looked like it would only get worse. Then something happened. My son who is only a freshman and gets limited playing time was put into the game to return a kick. This was a big surprise since the coach had a policy of not putting freshmen in to return kicks (no matter how good or fast they are) because of previous examples of good freshmen fumbling kicks in the past, one in particular who made a crucial fumble in a playoff game.
But my son who had been lobbying furiously (he can be quite a pest) to the coaches to put him in got his wish when it was clear the normal returner had been having difficulty with a wrist injury and now with the score 28-0 how could things really get worse. That's when electricity happened. A kickoff to the 20 yard line went straight into Josh's hands. Seeing the line of traffic he found a crease (opening, in normal non football jargon) and burst straight into the open field cutting past a couple of defenders and going all 80 yards into the endzone. I can't tell you how exciting it was to see, just about 10 seconds of absolute thrill.
But what happened next was the real excitement. The run not only put our underdog Quakers on the scoreboard but also woke up the whole team from a slumber. A team that had been inept at best for over a half of football, had that deer in the headlights type of look (I have no idea what to do expression) suddenly came alive and showed great purpose. And sure enough it looked like the teams changed uniforms over the next quarter and a half. I would love to say that the story had a Hollywood ending but it didn't. Overcoming 28 points is a tall order for highschool kids. After getting the game back to 28-20, the Quakers missed a critical 4th down with 6 minutes to go and allowed the Tigers to move the ball from the 50 to the 7 yard line with 3 minutes to go. The defense did make a great stop on 3rd down making the Tigers have to kick a 24 yard field goal (no guarantee in high school football. A miss would have given our squad one last chance to launch one last drive to score and get the 2 point conversion and send the game into overtime. But it wasn't meant to be, the field goal was good and hence a 31-20 defeat.
I hate to talk about moral victories but this really was one. A team with only 3 seniors with a 5-4 record trading punches with a 9-0 team packed with loads of seniors. I left the game proud of my son obviously and looking forward to next year. More importantly it lifted my spirits knowing that things really can change even when you don't see how. I remember turning to another parent when the score was 28-0 and how we dreaded having to sit through what looked like what was about to turn into a nightmare (fumbles, penalties, interceptions, total disaster), suddenly turn around instantly because an improbable occurrence (my son getting into the game returning kicks which he told me would never happen) actually took place. These things happen in life and much more often than we realize. The God who loves us will do all kinds of wonderful things to help us through those times when "we just don't know what to do." And even those simple things like a high school football game can teach us that.
Monday, December 1, 2008
I Don't Know What To Do
During the last couple of days I have been trying to count the ways that God Has been good to me. It's easy to complain when difficulties are right in front of your nose, but it is even easier to take for granted the ways God has provided to you time and time again. But even knowing that I have to say I still find it hard to trust in God when I can't see solutions right in front of me.
Watching "Hannah and Her Sisters" over the weekend made me laugh. I find Woody Allen movies so funny because as the saying goes, "It's funny cause it's true." I am not as obvious a nervous wreck as Allen characters are, but I always find myself worrying about even the most mundane of matters like being late for work. I worry about things that I have a great deal of control over, so you can imagine what I am like when I have no control or I just don't know what to do.
What is so unfortunate about this is that there is a long line of history that assures me there is no reason to worry. As the writer of 2nd Chronicles points out when he quotes Jehoshaphat who says, "O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not a God in heaven."? This is a reference of know God has helped His children throughout human history. He then speaks of how God has intervened time and time again to help His people who are the descendants of Abraham, His friend.
Examples of God's faithfulness are not just stories to read in the bible. They happen to me time and again yet when I am facing a difficult situation, (the worrying, Woody Allen type kinds that go on in my head....I dooooon't knoooow what to do!) I always seem to forget the fact that the God of my fathers has come through for me before. In fact it was not long along where financial times were so tight that we had the electricity turned off for 2 days cause we got way behind on some bills. Inflation, gas prices, other things were putting the cash flow right to the limit. In fact as I looked at options I only saw gloom and doom cause we kept robbing Peter to pay Paul on so many bills and it was just a matter of time when one of the cars would break down and we would have no way to pay for repairs. Then gas prices dropped quickly and dramatically. Along with this my company decided that I could work a 4 day work week instead of 5, saving me 70 miles in round trip a week. In no time my 220 dollars in gas per month (for my car alone) dropped to about 100. This couldn't have come at a better time and though financial times are very tough I do have some breathing room.
The last verse in 2nd Chronicles chapter 20 reads, "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you (ESV)." This may be one of the very best summaries of the life of the Christian. Lately things have been very difficult in my marriage. There are too many things that have just gone south between my wife and I and it seems we are always saying the wrong things to each other and I feel marriage is on so many levels just not worth it. It's so hard, I am at a lost to make things better, and I am very discouraged. Let me remember that my God, the God of my fathers, is a God who reigns in heaven. Though I may not know what to do, God is never without answers and always provides for His children. He has done it in the past and more importantly He will do it in the future. May I look forward to God's future rainbows when the skies above me are dark and dreary.
Watching "Hannah and Her Sisters" over the weekend made me laugh. I find Woody Allen movies so funny because as the saying goes, "It's funny cause it's true." I am not as obvious a nervous wreck as Allen characters are, but I always find myself worrying about even the most mundane of matters like being late for work. I worry about things that I have a great deal of control over, so you can imagine what I am like when I have no control or I just don't know what to do.
What is so unfortunate about this is that there is a long line of history that assures me there is no reason to worry. As the writer of 2nd Chronicles points out when he quotes Jehoshaphat who says, "O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not a God in heaven."? This is a reference of know God has helped His children throughout human history. He then speaks of how God has intervened time and time again to help His people who are the descendants of Abraham, His friend.
Examples of God's faithfulness are not just stories to read in the bible. They happen to me time and again yet when I am facing a difficult situation, (the worrying, Woody Allen type kinds that go on in my head....I dooooon't knoooow what to do!) I always seem to forget the fact that the God of my fathers has come through for me before. In fact it was not long along where financial times were so tight that we had the electricity turned off for 2 days cause we got way behind on some bills. Inflation, gas prices, other things were putting the cash flow right to the limit. In fact as I looked at options I only saw gloom and doom cause we kept robbing Peter to pay Paul on so many bills and it was just a matter of time when one of the cars would break down and we would have no way to pay for repairs. Then gas prices dropped quickly and dramatically. Along with this my company decided that I could work a 4 day work week instead of 5, saving me 70 miles in round trip a week. In no time my 220 dollars in gas per month (for my car alone) dropped to about 100. This couldn't have come at a better time and though financial times are very tough I do have some breathing room.
The last verse in 2nd Chronicles chapter 20 reads, "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you (ESV)." This may be one of the very best summaries of the life of the Christian. Lately things have been very difficult in my marriage. There are too many things that have just gone south between my wife and I and it seems we are always saying the wrong things to each other and I feel marriage is on so many levels just not worth it. It's so hard, I am at a lost to make things better, and I am very discouraged. Let me remember that my God, the God of my fathers, is a God who reigns in heaven. Though I may not know what to do, God is never without answers and always provides for His children. He has done it in the past and more importantly He will do it in the future. May I look forward to God's future rainbows when the skies above me are dark and dreary.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Busy For a Bit
Working in the food business will make me busy right up till Thanksgiving. Therefore I will be on sabbatical (nice word) for a bit so I will have fresh ideas when I return to this blog. Hope everyone stops to consider the source of all their blessings. Even when times seem tough there is always so much to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Wednesday At Rick's
One of the things I look forward t0 is going out Wednesday night with friends from church. We have our normal hangout, Rick's Roadhouse, which has fine barbeque and pitchers of beer for 9 bucks. It's a good time and it's much needed to get us through humpday so to speak. The stress of everyday life takes a toll on all of us and getting out for a simple pleasure like a night at the tavern brings much needed relief.
What occurred to me yesterday was just how much I appreciate being served. Even though our server has a job and is getting paid, it still is nice how he looks out for us and makes sure our evening is a pleasant experience. For the past few weeks we have had the same guy serving us. I am trying to remember his name, I think he told us, but it escapes me right now. The servers wear nametags but they have these cool nicknames on them rather than who they actually are. That's fine, and it does give me an excuse for not recalling a name since I don't get a visual reminder of who he is each time he brings us some additional peanuts or another pitcher of "Lucky Cat."
Well, last night I thought of how easy it is to take for granted the simple things in life that give us pleasure. And more specifically I thought of how God uses people on so many levels to bring us even the most mundane, simple pleasures in this often abrupt and sometimes even hostile world. This is when I became convicted of how little I pay attention to people who enter my world. Somehow I have decided (and I'm probably not the only one guilty of this) that they are just incidental creatures who pop into my visual lens from time to time, and then somehow vanish into thin air. They exist for a moment to fill my needs and then when they exit, well, then they no longer exist.
But you know what? Those same people I have concluded are out there to serve me, well, these same folks are unique valuable creatures, created in the image of God. Not only that, but God, in the person of Jesus Christ, came to serve these very people. Christ labored tirelessly to develop relationships and minister to the same people who I each week take advantage of to meet my needs. This is a convicting thing and one that leads me to ponder the importance of prayer. Too often I think we treat prayer the same way we talk about staying in touch or "I'll write" when we know of a friend who is moving away. Sure we mean well, and we intend to, but do we really follow up? I know of the value of prayer, at least in theory, but too often I find myself guilty of practical atheism. While I say that I can't cultivate a really concerned heart for my neighbor, co-worker, boss, bartender...whoever I have regular contact with, do I really go to God earnestly and ask Him to give me a desire, an urgency to know and care about the needs of others? If God is really great and I don't seek Him out diligently in order for Him to change me into a more sensitive loving servant to bring glory to Him, aren't I somehow saying I really don't believe you can change me God?
One question that was asked by our server last night was this. Where do you guys come from each week? We told him we came from church. I then asked him does he go to church and when was the last time he went to church? After confessing that the last time he went was years ago after the death of a grandparent, I felt an uncomfortable uneasiness in the pit of my stomach.
And now as I finish this blog I really understand the debth of that uneasiness. Do I really care about the man who serves me beer each week? Can I follow up like Jesus and show him the value of his earthy existence and the future of his soul apart from a relationship with Christ? Many other questions cross my mind, but the most important was is this. Will I play lip service and dismiss him with a "I'll pray for him and about this matter" yet ignor the debth, responsibility, labor, and humility that requires.
I am a sinner, too often a selfish man who forgets the great blessings God has given to me and continues to give me, morning by morning new mercies I see as the old hymn beautifully expresses. May this blog remain fresh in my mind and the love of Christ as well while more and more people cross my visual path each day. And when they exit, may I remember that they are still just as real and in need of God's love as when they may be serving me or meeting my needs.
What occurred to me yesterday was just how much I appreciate being served. Even though our server has a job and is getting paid, it still is nice how he looks out for us and makes sure our evening is a pleasant experience. For the past few weeks we have had the same guy serving us. I am trying to remember his name, I think he told us, but it escapes me right now. The servers wear nametags but they have these cool nicknames on them rather than who they actually are. That's fine, and it does give me an excuse for not recalling a name since I don't get a visual reminder of who he is each time he brings us some additional peanuts or another pitcher of "Lucky Cat."
Well, last night I thought of how easy it is to take for granted the simple things in life that give us pleasure. And more specifically I thought of how God uses people on so many levels to bring us even the most mundane, simple pleasures in this often abrupt and sometimes even hostile world. This is when I became convicted of how little I pay attention to people who enter my world. Somehow I have decided (and I'm probably not the only one guilty of this) that they are just incidental creatures who pop into my visual lens from time to time, and then somehow vanish into thin air. They exist for a moment to fill my needs and then when they exit, well, then they no longer exist.
But you know what? Those same people I have concluded are out there to serve me, well, these same folks are unique valuable creatures, created in the image of God. Not only that, but God, in the person of Jesus Christ, came to serve these very people. Christ labored tirelessly to develop relationships and minister to the same people who I each week take advantage of to meet my needs. This is a convicting thing and one that leads me to ponder the importance of prayer. Too often I think we treat prayer the same way we talk about staying in touch or "I'll write" when we know of a friend who is moving away. Sure we mean well, and we intend to, but do we really follow up? I know of the value of prayer, at least in theory, but too often I find myself guilty of practical atheism. While I say that I can't cultivate a really concerned heart for my neighbor, co-worker, boss, bartender...whoever I have regular contact with, do I really go to God earnestly and ask Him to give me a desire, an urgency to know and care about the needs of others? If God is really great and I don't seek Him out diligently in order for Him to change me into a more sensitive loving servant to bring glory to Him, aren't I somehow saying I really don't believe you can change me God?
One question that was asked by our server last night was this. Where do you guys come from each week? We told him we came from church. I then asked him does he go to church and when was the last time he went to church? After confessing that the last time he went was years ago after the death of a grandparent, I felt an uncomfortable uneasiness in the pit of my stomach.
And now as I finish this blog I really understand the debth of that uneasiness. Do I really care about the man who serves me beer each week? Can I follow up like Jesus and show him the value of his earthy existence and the future of his soul apart from a relationship with Christ? Many other questions cross my mind, but the most important was is this. Will I play lip service and dismiss him with a "I'll pray for him and about this matter" yet ignor the debth, responsibility, labor, and humility that requires.
I am a sinner, too often a selfish man who forgets the great blessings God has given to me and continues to give me, morning by morning new mercies I see as the old hymn beautifully expresses. May this blog remain fresh in my mind and the love of Christ as well while more and more people cross my visual path each day. And when they exit, may I remember that they are still just as real and in need of God's love as when they may be serving me or meeting my needs.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Vegetables and God
It's been a long day and I don't have much energy. The only thing crossing my mind is how hard it is to get my kids to eat their vegetables.I guess it's a common thing that lots of kids don't want to eat their vegetables. In fact I know of many parents who have the same old line regarding kids and their veggies. "How do you know you don't like them when you haven't tried them. " I'm not quite sure what it is with kids and their vegetables but they all have decided that they just don't like them.
And of course there is no use to try to reason with them about the benefits of eating their vegetables; nutrition, vitamins, etc. kids are just determined not to eat them. Plain and simple children will just be stubborn about it and it takes a patient and creative parent to turn kids around to the importance of them having them.
Stubborn is a common trait with kids and quite frankly it is equally common among adults. I bring this up because I think it is helpful when someone talks to me about something that may be to my benefit, yet I may be stubbornly opposed, that the person giving me the advice confesses to me that he too is stubborn and at least at one time was stubbornly opposed to the same thing that he is now trying to persuade me is to my benefit.
Talking about one's faith can be a difficult thing. And it stands to reason because hearing about faith and the idea of God is much like vegetables. People are like little children, but instead of saying, "yuck" they usually give the more mature "not interested." I bring this up because I want to put on the record that I at one time thought of God as just like vegetables. I had determined in my mind that I did not like God, did not need God, and I wished quite frankly that people who told me that I should try God, would "just shut up and leave me alone."
There is a funny thing though that separates God and vegetables. By me not eating vegetables, green beans and broccoli never got up from the plate and pursued me. They never told me that not only were they good for me but that they also loved me. They never told me that they would forgive me for being so stubborn and not eating them. In fact I was at war with vegetables just as I was at war with God wanting no part of either. Still while I was His enemy, Christ died for me. Vegetables can do no such thing.
And of course there is no use to try to reason with them about the benefits of eating their vegetables; nutrition, vitamins, etc. kids are just determined not to eat them. Plain and simple children will just be stubborn about it and it takes a patient and creative parent to turn kids around to the importance of them having them.
Stubborn is a common trait with kids and quite frankly it is equally common among adults. I bring this up because I think it is helpful when someone talks to me about something that may be to my benefit, yet I may be stubbornly opposed, that the person giving me the advice confesses to me that he too is stubborn and at least at one time was stubbornly opposed to the same thing that he is now trying to persuade me is to my benefit.
Talking about one's faith can be a difficult thing. And it stands to reason because hearing about faith and the idea of God is much like vegetables. People are like little children, but instead of saying, "yuck" they usually give the more mature "not interested." I bring this up because I want to put on the record that I at one time thought of God as just like vegetables. I had determined in my mind that I did not like God, did not need God, and I wished quite frankly that people who told me that I should try God, would "just shut up and leave me alone."
There is a funny thing though that separates God and vegetables. By me not eating vegetables, green beans and broccoli never got up from the plate and pursued me. They never told me that not only were they good for me but that they also loved me. They never told me that they would forgive me for being so stubborn and not eating them. In fact I was at war with vegetables just as I was at war with God wanting no part of either. Still while I was His enemy, Christ died for me. Vegetables can do no such thing.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Why Johnnywbred?
Actually the name goes back a couple of years now. First a little background. I lived a pretty uneventful childhood. What I mean is that I flew under the radar. I never was directly rebellious and I didn't really stand out. I will say I was shy as a youngster and though I had friends I wasn't involved in lots of activities. Girls? Please I was scared to death of girls and looking back I really don't know why. I didn't even go out with a girl til college and my first real girlfriend was after college.
Back to the name thing. It stands for Johnny Whitebread, meaning plain and ordinary. More specifically though it is a reference to me going to a high school with 1200 students and only 3 of them being black or african-american. I basically had no social contact with black people for my youth having one side of the city being white and the other side being more mixed. Anyway what is the point? Little known to anyone and especially my mother (much to her displeasure) is that I was really infatuated with black women. It first started by watching Bernadette Stanis (Thelma) on "Good Times" and later watching the Saturday show "Solid Gold" which was a review of top 40 music. This show had a dancer named Darcel who was so "freaking hot" (Oops will this blog need a mature advisory tag) and she was way too much for a teenage boy. Still this is probably not such a big thing and I'm sure many teenage white boys had similar thngs going on in their overly testosterone filled minds.
But what makes me Johnnywbred is that I ended up marrying a black woman. Me, fly under the radar, afraid to make waves, actually doing something that is, I think most people would agree is a little out there. And you know where we met? Church. I met her not long after my first girlfriend Linda brought me to her church ( which ended up being cult-like and falling apart) and then after Linda and I parted ways I began looking for a new church. While this was going on I had a birthday and I received a card from my Christian grandmother who said she was praying for me to find a wife (I was 27 years old at this time). Within an hour of receiving that card I got a call from my now wife who was inviting me to this church event that weekend. I had just started visiting her church which was overwhelmingly white (as many churches here in New England are) and she was only one of 2 blacks attending ( the other being her brother who was an elder there). But not only that she, her roommate, and I were the only ones in the church who came from a different city. It was convenient for us to drive together and go to community groups together.
Though I always liked black ladies on a shall we say primal level, I never in a million years thought I would end up marrying a "sistah" So that's why I am Johnnywbred. And this the latest edition of "Faith Unfiltered."
Back to the name thing. It stands for Johnny Whitebread, meaning plain and ordinary. More specifically though it is a reference to me going to a high school with 1200 students and only 3 of them being black or african-american. I basically had no social contact with black people for my youth having one side of the city being white and the other side being more mixed. Anyway what is the point? Little known to anyone and especially my mother (much to her displeasure) is that I was really infatuated with black women. It first started by watching Bernadette Stanis (Thelma) on "Good Times" and later watching the Saturday show "Solid Gold" which was a review of top 40 music. This show had a dancer named Darcel who was so "freaking hot" (Oops will this blog need a mature advisory tag) and she was way too much for a teenage boy. Still this is probably not such a big thing and I'm sure many teenage white boys had similar thngs going on in their overly testosterone filled minds.
But what makes me Johnnywbred is that I ended up marrying a black woman. Me, fly under the radar, afraid to make waves, actually doing something that is, I think most people would agree is a little out there. And you know where we met? Church. I met her not long after my first girlfriend Linda brought me to her church ( which ended up being cult-like and falling apart) and then after Linda and I parted ways I began looking for a new church. While this was going on I had a birthday and I received a card from my Christian grandmother who said she was praying for me to find a wife (I was 27 years old at this time). Within an hour of receiving that card I got a call from my now wife who was inviting me to this church event that weekend. I had just started visiting her church which was overwhelmingly white (as many churches here in New England are) and she was only one of 2 blacks attending ( the other being her brother who was an elder there). But not only that she, her roommate, and I were the only ones in the church who came from a different city. It was convenient for us to drive together and go to community groups together.
Though I always liked black ladies on a shall we say primal level, I never in a million years thought I would end up marrying a "sistah" So that's why I am Johnnywbred. And this the latest edition of "Faith Unfiltered."
Sunday, November 16, 2008
The "Smoking Car"
It was not that long ago when my wife and I were going out with some friends to a restaurant. We had lost touch with these friends who we had gone to church with for quite some time; moving, marriages, changes in life had drifted us apart. It was nice getting together and I was looking forward to the evening.
Getting seated at our table one of our friends said isn't it nice now that all the restaurants our smoke free ( the state had recently passed a no-smoking ordinance in all restaurants.) This bugged the crap out of me and I commented that I didn't like it one bit. I brought up my libertarian leanings and the rights of a business owner to run his business any way he liked. My comment fell flat and I knew these guys weren't going to see things along these lines so I tried to put it behind me and enjoy the evening.
I pretty much did enjoy the meaning but the smoking thing got me to thinking about a train ride home from NYC back when I was in college. I had just visited my dad who took me to see a well known specialist in the field of depression which I was struggling with my junior year in college. Actually he was a psychiatrist but I think specialist is better cause I don't want you to think I'm a lunatic blogger who has no credibility. Riding the train home I noticed that the train seemed much more lively and even neighborly than ever before, and I've taken the trip from Penn Station to Providence quite a few times. I was sitting next to two Jamaican women and they were quite talkative and they tried to draw me into the conversation which was unusual to me. I chalked it up to them not being American, certainly not New Yorkers, and enjoyed the conversation.
About 20 minutes into the trip I noticed these ladies lighting up cigarettes, and looking around I noticed many others on the train also were lighting up. Never really noticing anyone smoking on previous train rides it dawned on me that I was in the "smoking car." And during this ride I got to hear some spiritual songs about Jesus, many people singing along and lots of laughing. The smoking car seemed like a fun place and there was real community in it unlike all the other sterile rides I have had on the train before.
Needless to say I got a soft spot for the smoking culture. I miss the fact that the lunch room at work no longer allows smoking. I remember with fondness trying to break through the cloud of smoke while eating a ham and cheese sandwich. Today smokers are second class citizens having often to go outside in subfreezing temperatures to sneek a puff. But to me, hanging with some marlboro folks in a cozy, laughing, singing smoking car of a train warms my heart. And if they were to be some background music at some restaurant where I was dining it wouldn't bother me at all.
Getting seated at our table one of our friends said isn't it nice now that all the restaurants our smoke free ( the state had recently passed a no-smoking ordinance in all restaurants.) This bugged the crap out of me and I commented that I didn't like it one bit. I brought up my libertarian leanings and the rights of a business owner to run his business any way he liked. My comment fell flat and I knew these guys weren't going to see things along these lines so I tried to put it behind me and enjoy the evening.
I pretty much did enjoy the meaning but the smoking thing got me to thinking about a train ride home from NYC back when I was in college. I had just visited my dad who took me to see a well known specialist in the field of depression which I was struggling with my junior year in college. Actually he was a psychiatrist but I think specialist is better cause I don't want you to think I'm a lunatic blogger who has no credibility. Riding the train home I noticed that the train seemed much more lively and even neighborly than ever before, and I've taken the trip from Penn Station to Providence quite a few times. I was sitting next to two Jamaican women and they were quite talkative and they tried to draw me into the conversation which was unusual to me. I chalked it up to them not being American, certainly not New Yorkers, and enjoyed the conversation.
About 20 minutes into the trip I noticed these ladies lighting up cigarettes, and looking around I noticed many others on the train also were lighting up. Never really noticing anyone smoking on previous train rides it dawned on me that I was in the "smoking car." And during this ride I got to hear some spiritual songs about Jesus, many people singing along and lots of laughing. The smoking car seemed like a fun place and there was real community in it unlike all the other sterile rides I have had on the train before.
Needless to say I got a soft spot for the smoking culture. I miss the fact that the lunch room at work no longer allows smoking. I remember with fondness trying to break through the cloud of smoke while eating a ham and cheese sandwich. Today smokers are second class citizens having often to go outside in subfreezing temperatures to sneek a puff. But to me, hanging with some marlboro folks in a cozy, laughing, singing smoking car of a train warms my heart. And if they were to be some background music at some restaurant where I was dining it wouldn't bother me at all.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Thoughts on Woody Allen
Okay here goes my first blog. I have no particular plan or long term objective other than trying to give some insight into the mind of one who identifies himself as a Christian. I know people have different perceptions of what a Christian is like, and that is fine. I just thought it might be helpful if I could give you some insight into one particular Christian (this being me) and letting down my guard so you can see the subtitles that go on in my head. We all have subtitles, you know the ones Woody Allen shows in his classic "Annie Hall." We all show one side of ourselves to others, (Hi Bill, nice to see you....boy that guy is a real jerk) yet this does not really show who we are (sometime for very good reasons..lol). But I think to give credibility to the reality of a person of the Christian faith, we do need to share our raw, authentic side to those who may not have any faith at all or one that we as Christians may not understand. I think this is a way to gain trust to those who struggle on this earthly journey, thinking inside in their own subtitles (boy, am I a freaking mess), that Christians too often are quite a mess. I hope to do this in a way that is encouraging and I hope my writing improves along the way
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