Living Alive

As summer began, I encouraged my listeners (readers, church members, family & friends) to serve someone this summer. Volunteer in your neighborhood, church or community.

One place a number of you enjoy helping is Winchester’s CCAP (Congregational Community Action Project) which offers a handful of ways to help others:

http://ccapwinc.org/volunteer

I know that the recent recession & current unemployment circumstances are still affecting many local families.

I’ve thought, “where would Jesus be?” right here & now. Not likely in the AC comfort of a local church, but out with the people in need.

So, come on, let’s get going! 100 degrees or 92, what’s the big difference? Let’s serve someone in Jesus’ name this summer.

Evolution? Creation? Which is it?

I know you’ve often asked yourself: “Self, which came first, the chicken or the egg?”

Certainly, believers know that God made animals, according to the book of Genesis.  God made them as grown animals, it would seem (Gen. 1 & 2).  So, the chicken came first, right?

Well, science may have answered it for us. Through research and the wonders of modern technology… the Bible appears to be right afterall.

Research scientists in England have published findings that show the egg’s shell could only be formed inside a chicken. So, the chicken first! That’s the only possible way.

The proof is in the protein. Ovocledidin-17 to be precise.

Wait, you say? You’re right, I’m no biologist. I’m a pastor. So don’t take my word for it.

Click (or cluck) on: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/07/14/2010-07-14_which_came_first_the_chicken_or_the_egg_the_chicken_researchers_say.html

It’s a fascinating story. But for me, just one more example of how science, physics, particularly astrophysics, and the human genome project are all “proving” God as Creator.

America Bless God!

That’s the better point of view, for me, rather than the reverse.

I hope the 4th of July – particularly with it being on a Sunday – would call you to bless God’s name, to give thanks!

Thank God for our great freedom. Bless God for all His gifts! Thank God for this land of plenty!

I bless God that He has ordained America for a holy purpose. Now wait, that doesn’t mean that we Americans are all Christians, or that we live for God all too faithfully. Not at all. But I believe, as our history demonstrates, that God’s hand has been upon our land since its founding (even before).

America is still “one nation, under God.”

For that to continue, though, means you & I must remain “under” God.

Have you recently submitted to living your life “under” God’s authority, in God’s will?

May you do so today & especailly this holiday weekend. So, we may all say, “America Bless God” !!

Gospel-based, grace-guided coping skills are a must for living faithfully in today’s world.

I recently heard someone use this illustration about whitewater rafting – this is not my own (if you’re the author & demand credit, just email me & I’ll revise this to include your name – LOL).

Have you ever been on a whitewater rafting trip? Fun! Or maybe you thought, “Fear!”

Some people react to the rapids by hunkering down, holding on tight & tensing up. That’s only natural.

Most of the time on the river of life, there are whitewater rapids, rough places along the way. It’s not all smooth sailing.

What many of us don’t learn are other ways of riding life’s rapids. If all we’ve ever done, or all we’ve ever been taught, is to just “hold on tight” – we might find that we’re going through most of our days with tension, with a tight-grip and with no other response than to just ride-it-out-and-hope-for-the-best.

Listen, I’ve lived long enough to know that there’s a lot of whitewater out there. Best to “fear not” and learn to lean into it, to relax & ride better, trusting the Maker of Waters to guide me along.

Grace goes along… more gracefully. When we’re just tense, rigid, reactive, fearful and frustrated, we get worn out by the whitewater.

Let God guide you with grace. Release your tight grip on life with more prayer. Overcome fear with faith. Ride the rapids with more reading of the Scriptures. And go with the flow of the Holy Spirit!

Lightning strikes. You don’t know where or when. God knows.

To call a lightning strike “an act of God” may be an acceptable phrase for your homeowner’s insurance policy, but I don’t think it makes good theology.

Recently – you may have seen the pictures in the news – a 60’ statue of Jesus was struck by lightning, caught fire & burned to the ground.
An act of God? I don’t think so.

I am saddened that this happened. I hope they’re going to be able to rebuild that Jesus statue soon.

People ask, “Why?” or “Did God do (allow) that?”

It’s kind of an interesting question. I don’t think God would intentionally destroy a statue of Jesus. It’s like, “why do tornadoes, or fires & floods, destroy church buildings, crosses?” Or children & people, for that matter. (see my earlier blog on “plane crashes” & God’s grace).

I believe that God knows where & when lightning will strike, but does not cause the lightning to strike. God has set the laws of the universe. These operate – as a result of God’s gracious acts of creation – freely. Similarly, you & I are given free will. So, evil, natural disasters and the like occur.

Jesus should be safe from lightning, we may think. Jesus is! But statues are not. Neither are we automatically “protected” from all harm because we are God’s children. If it’s storming, head indoors!

Trust God. Also, understand the universal laws at work in the world, and behave according.

Good to have friends, right? I have been reflecting on the story about Abby, who at 16 is attempting to sail around the world. [for more, goto abbysunderland.com]

Sound crazy to you? Well, her brother accomplished that feat successfully at 17. So, I suppose it’s sibling rivalry for one motivating factor!

Sure, I am thankful that she is all right. Although her boat is unsailable, in need of repair, and she has been rescued, I feel there may be a lesson for us all here. Not so much about parenting (“Don’t let your teen try to cross the country on a motorcycle … oh, neither let them sail around the world… alone!”).

The lesson may be more like this: “In the world today, especially ‘at sea’, stick together. Do not attempt life alone.”

Many people are going it alone, morally and spiritually, and are “at sea.” By that I mean, many are “adrift” or “lost” in a culture that seems to have lost its bearings.

We need one another. We need the collective spiritual guidance that friendship, especially Christian friendship provides.

Few organizations can provide friends & faith-companions like church. When we encounter life’s storms, there’s someone –close by- that we can reach out to.
I hope none of you ever experiences the kind of storm, and desperate “alone-ness” Abby must’ve experienced after that horrific storm at sea.

Stick close together. “Carry each other’s burdens”(Galatians 6:2). Don’t sail through life alone.

Worship Resources for June 2010: The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict, Ken Sande.

What if my relationship with God were more like my relationship with my dog? Wait, wait! Let me explain.

Each morning, regardless of how I feel, how much of a hurry I’m in, I feed my dog; I pet & coddle her, and I make time (10-15mins) to walk her.

Do you spend that much time with God? Reading God’s Word. Submitting your will to God in prayer.

God cares for you more than I care for my dog. Won’t you take time, each day, to walk with God?

What’s “Memorial Day” to you?

It’s the official start of summer tourist season. It’s just another day of from work. A lot of people travel.

All those are fine. But the real meaning is deeper.

“Freedom is not free.” That’s how I sum it up in my mind, remembering what Memorial Day is all about.

Freedom costs many lives, then & now. Many brave men & women have given the ultimate sacrifice of dying in order that I may live in freedom.

Freedom in Christ is something even greater to remember. We are free from the ultimate death, and given Eternal Life with God. Thank God for that too, this weekend.

My friends church, here in Stephens City, VA has this on the sign along the road: “Every Sunday is Memorial Sunday.”

It means, every Sunday we remember the death of Jesus – the One who gave the Ultimate Sacrifice – His life for yours. Jesus died our death so that we may live His life!

Recently a friend asked me, in response to a recent airline crash where several people survived: “some people are saying ‘God saved those survivors,’ but does that mean that God didn’t rescue the other 150 people?”

In a nutshell, this is a question like many have asked for millennia: “If God is good, then why is there evil & suffering?”
Christianity has offered numerous responses. Most commonly, it is explained (based upon the “fall” in Genesis 3, humankind’s willful disobedience of God’s commands), that the world, including human nature and nature itself, is in a state of disrepair. In short, when stuff goes wrong, it’s our fault (operator error not a “manufacturer’s defect” or “creator error”). God “allows” evil, suffering and natural disasters to occur. And God can intervene; God can work good things out of difficulty(Rom. 8:28).

Still, after the plane crashes, there is difficulty in our thinking. Our first assumption is usually this: death is the worst thing that can happen. As Christians, however, there is something worse than death: disobedience & disbelief. Willful disobedience is the way of human nature – ya don’t have to learn it; you’re born with this fallen nature, this natural instinct to have your way (have you ever had a baby or have you been a baby? Then you know about original sin first hand!)

Yes, hundreds died on that airplane; that’s tragic. Is death the worst thing that happened that day? Well, I wonder if a bigger question is: “How’d those people live? That is, were they believers in God, obedient to God? To die a human death is one thing. To die eternally is the worst. Life is not simply about “living long earthly lives, freed from as much suffering as possible.” Life is about living God’s way. So, “whether living or dying our life belongs to God.”

So, back to my friend’s question: Is it “God’s fault”? Yes & no. Sure, simply everything is connected to God; it’s His fault since He created everything. But I’m playing with words here: “fault” is not right at all. It’s grace. All creation – yes, even the parts I don’t like – are of God’s grace. It’s grace that we get to live at all.

“Why’d those innocent people have to die?” That’s a rather selfish question. No one has an inherent “right to life.” (Wait, wait – don’t go all secular-politics on me… yet. I belief in “right to life” in most cases.) But, hey – what did you or I do to deserve our lives? Did you earn your way into this world? I think life is a gift: first from God, secondly from your mother (sorry dads, ladies first – they work more than we do to give life anyway).

Here’s some comfort to draw to a close, somewhat, this way-too-simple statement on God’s goodness. When it comes to suffering, the Bible teaches that we do not suffer alone(1 Cor. 1:18); God suffers with us(Phil.3:10). This ever-present reality of God – even after the plane goes down – is given to us in person, in God’s own Son, by His suffering, death and resurrection (Matt. 27,28).

So, whenever we learn of tragedy, whenever we ask “why” or “where is God?” or “Why didn’t God do something?” Remember, God did something eternal in the Cross and God is present in your pain. Ultimately, God will work it for good. In fact, in light of so many tragedies and possible crashes in life, we are better able to learn how truly precious life is – how it truly is … a Gift.

Recently there’s been some dialogue & debate about whether to “spank” or “swat” with a paddle in public schools.

The issue is the need for discipline. What types of discipline are effective today? Would “paddling” help in any way? what do you think?

Well, the Bible does say, “spare the rod; spoil the child”(tho’ not verbatim, it’s found in Proverbs 13:24).

Jesus spoke of discipline differently. He did not advocate the Old Testament way of an “eye for an eye” response. “Turn the other cheek…” and “love your enemies” were part of his preaching.

But those were not directly pertaining to the daily chore of disciplining children.

Still, I don’t like the idea of physical blows for discipline in most situations. I think there are better methods.

And, at the same time, the issue really is about accountability: how do we (in our culture, our communities, schools, churches and homes) hold others accountable?

It’s tricky.

In my line of work, I have found accountability most challenging. Most people (regardless of their age) resist it, in many forms.

Most people believe (based upon actions, not their words) that the highest moral authority in this world is not the Bible, or God, but their own conscience.

Once we’ve accepted this as a people, certainly as individuals, then morality is very tricky to hold people to account for their actions.

Bring back the paddle? I’d say, “Bring back the Cross!” But wait, I don’t mean we should literally crucify people. No.

The Cross of Christ is the ultimate reminder of moral accountability. Jesus died for our sins. So, we are motivated best, as forgiven sinners, to live morally and hold one another accountable at the foot of the cross.

I don’t think policy, lawsuits or paddles can touch human nature. But the Cross of Jesus can. It alone has the power to transform.