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Archive for the ‘Me & The World’ Category

TWITTERING ON THE DIVINE

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on August 27, 2012| 1 Comment »

Most people with an X/Twitter account know there are always ‘trending topics’ – subjects that attract thousands or even millions of tweets, often from around the world.

Those trending topics range from silly (Things I’m Scared Of, for example) to stargazing (when I wrote this, Dear Taylor Swift was trending; I’m not kidding) to the latest news items.

But recently, I was astonished to find Thanking God was trending. And not just for a few minutes, but for more than a day.

Just as interesting were the tweets on this subject. Some were amusing, such as thanking God for Justin Bieber. But others used the topic in startling ways.

One man wrote “There is nothing more selfish than the privileged thanking God while so many starve and die terrible deaths as their God does nothing.”

Then there was the person who typed “Thanking God for AIDS, hunger, and SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Some top managerial decisions there, man.”

These tweets address an age-old challenge for anyone who believes in a creator: if this creator is good, as many claim, why is humanity stalked by AIDS, hunger, SIDS, and ‘terrible deaths’ – and why has God apparently done nothing about it?

Before I address this, please know that people who claim they can fully, credibly answer these questions are bigger fools than TV bad-boy Charlie Sheen was in his worst moments. An ancient prophet addresses the mystery of these questions like this: “I [God] don’t think the way you think. The way you work isn’t the way I work.”

That said, is God really doing nothing about starvation? Aren’t governments, churches, aid groups, and others helping in poverty-stricken areas of the world? If you claim that’s not God at all, but just charitable people/institutions, can you prove it? Just as important, are YOU part of God’s work in this broken world?

As for terrible deaths, while I wouldn’t dream of trying to explain most of them, how about those committed by evil people? Does it really make sense to blame God when sick, twisted men in Norway (2011), Las Vegas (2017) and Nova Scotia (2020) use God’s gift of freewill to commit mass murder?

It’s these kinds of horrifying events that truly, truly test that gift.

Many people know there’s another such event: the death of Jesus of Nazareth, who they believe is the Son of God.

Jesus followers know He died to pay for the wrong things we’ve done and the right things we haven’t done. What if God prevented the Roman authorities of the day from carrying out that murder? Even Jesus knew it shouldn’t be stopped. He told His followers that He “didn’t come to be served but rather to serve and to give my life to liberate many people.”

So, is thanking God a waste of time (and X/Twitter space), or does it make sense? Post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

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CONSIDERING BLIND RELIGIOUS FAITH

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , on August 15, 2012| 15 Comments »

We live in a world that, in ways you and I can’t even discern, goes out of its way to discourage serious thinking.

That’s why even though I’m a man of faith, I admire many atheists; I know most of them have gone against our culture and actually thought, long and hard, about their beliefs.

That’s also why I was so interested in a July 2012 National Post interview with Justin Trottier. At the time, he was with the Centre for Inquiry, Canada’s most organized atheist group.

Trottier is a crusader against blind religious faith. And I’m 100 per cent with him. Only one example is needed to explain our shared position: blind religious faith was among the major reasons for the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

That said, beyond our obvious and dramatic differences, I want to highlight Trottier’s opposition to teaching religion to children. He told interviewer Charles Lewis that “robbing kids of critical faculties is a bad thing”.

From my vantage point, Trottier’s opinion sounds a lot like a characteristic of blind religious faith – in this case, believing there is no creator and teaching anyone otherwise is simply indoctrinating impressionable young minds.

In reading up on today’s best-known atheists (Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, the late Christopher Hitchens and Victor Stenger) I notice this militant absolutism is a common denominator.

Teaching faith to children simply gives them the opportunity to make up their own minds about what they do and don’t believe. How can I write this? Because I know that as soon as they are old enough to explore issues and weigh options, these young minds will be assaulted with an unending tsunami of images, events and opinions that are dead-set against faith.

Without any faith knowledge, the “fight” is over before it even begins. And if Trottier seeks to be a thoughtful and fair person, then I hope he will consider this incredible imbalance and change his stance.

What about you – are you a parent who’s unsure if there’s a God? Do you not know where you stand on the idea that not only is there a creator, but that He sent Jesus of Nazareth (who many people believe is His Son) to live, die and be resurrected for you and me?

Then set that aside for the sake of your offspring. Take them to church, let them hear about Jesus and allow them to make up their own minds. It’s a gift they deserve; a gift you won’t regret giving.

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WHAT’S YOUR “THING”?

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , on August 3, 2012| Leave a Comment »

After one of my blogs was posted online, I emailed friends to get some feedback (in case they wanted to read it). Here are two responses:

The first asked me to stop sending her links to these essays because anything related to God is “not my thing.”

The second, from my old buddy Jim Mason (a former newspaper editor in Stouffville, Ontario), went like this:

“What has intrigued me are the number of people who have never believed. Period. Tell them you were just at church and there are no questions, just dismissals. Not to sound high and mighty, but I truly wonder what floats their boat … money? Power? Toys?”

My goodness; it almost sounds like these two people, who have never met, were emailing each other rather than me. The “exchange” certainly got me thinking.

If spirituality is not your thing, then what is? Because, whether we realize it or not, I believe every one of us has a “thing” – something we are passionate about, something we’re willing to spend time, resources, and emotion pursuing.

So, are you focused on money, power, or toys? All these things are certainly cherished in our culture, but if you die wealthy, are you better than those who leave this earth with just a few loonies? Will you have a more fulfilling and laudable life with millions of dollars, a fancy job title and an eye-popping home theatre system?

This reminds me of something Jesus told his followers: “What kind of deal is it to get everything you want, but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?”

Some might shake their heads at wealth and power and declare their “thing” is family, friends, and relationships. All these things are good, but what if they’re limited to nights at the pub, uncomfortable Christmas dinners, or cruise ship vacations? Doesn’t that get a little old after awhile?

Others might not say so, but their “thing” may be sex. Consider reruns of the TV sitcom Two and a Half Men. One of the main characters, played by Charlie Sheen, was a sex and party-obsessed bachelor.

At first, it’s easy to think Charlie Sheen’s character was smarter and cooler than his cheapskate, fussy, down-on-his-luck brother.  But in the end, the show made it clear that Charlie’s lifestyle was breathtakingly superficial and you feel just as sorry for him.

Extreme sports? Xbox? Wii? These are fun “things”, but how fulfilling are they in the end? My hobby is landscape photography, but no matter how wonderful some of my pictures might be, what can I do with them after putting them on my web page or collecting laudatory comments on the Flickr photo sharing site? Even if I were to get a publishing contract, would having a few coffee-table books be ultimately satisfying?

The point to all of this is simple:

  • children grow up and leave
  • marriages often end
  • spouses die
  • friends can (and often do) move or drift away
  • big-screen TVs need replacing
  • sexual attractiveness slips away
  • most books go out of print
  • you can’t do extreme sports forever
  • one day you’ll have to give up your fancy job title
  • you’ll get bored with Xbox and Wii

So what’s left to be your “thing”? What – or who – won’t change with the passage of time? What can you and I commit to, and have that commitment returned, for our entire lives? Could it be God?

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WHAT’S WITH THIS “WORSHIP” THING?

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 25, 2012| Leave a Comment »

What’s with this “worship” thing?

I used to ask that question when I passed by churches and the sign referred to Sunday “worship services”. Or, if I was at a service and the musicians started playing “worship songs”.

I just couldn’t figure it out. Why would the creator and master of time, space and the universe need us to worship Him? Does that mean He has a universe-sized ego that requires stroking? Really?? If that’s the case, why? I mean, it’s not like he has a lot of competition from other gods, right?

I used to ask my Jesus-following friends about this, but never received a credible answer. And those questions were among the things that kept me from having a relationship with God and Jesus. I associate monumental egos with Adolf Hitler, Osama Bin Laden and torture killers like Paul Bernardo. So if that was part of God’s makeup, then I wanted nothing to do with Him.

I’m not sure when that changed, but as someone with a deep and life-long passion for music, it had to do with hearing songs by amazing spiritual artists such as Russ Taff and Whiteheart, both popular in the 1980s and ’90s. In a literate and talented way, these folks presented a very different picture of God than the one I grew up. And that picture sure didn’t fit with an egomaniac.

So I started to worship. THEN I understood and that took me to a deeper place with Jesus (who many people believe is the son of God).

Here’s the deal: think of your relationship with your spouse/significant other as a micro-version of your relationship with God. When you express love for your spouse/significant other, that opens the door for them to return the favour.

That’s how it is with God. When I stand in church, or at a concert, and tell Jesus how much I love Him, I’m lowering the drawbridge to my heart and soul to receive that love back. And guess what? That’s exactly what happens.

Until we make that love offering – to our spouses/significant others AND to God – we just aren’t in the right emotional and spiritual place to receive it back. But when we do, it’s an incredible bargain because we receive far more than what we ‘put out’. At least that’s my experience.

What do you think…does this put the notion of worshipping God into an understandable and – more importantly – credible place for you?

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HERE TODAY, HERE FOREVER

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , on July 20, 2012| 5 Comments »

Some days I’m simply struck by the disposable, here-today-gone-tomorrow nature of life in North America.

A cellphone manufacturer has recently been in the news; it’s in trouble because a new version of its phone won’t be ready for another six months. Meanwhile, the company’s latest phone is less than two years old.

Then I look through magazines for photographers and runners (both are passions for me). They are filled with advertisements and articles about the latest cameras and shoes.

I’m amazed at how many cameras one manufacturer can put on the market and how the entire idea is to make you feel ashamed to leave the house with that outdated two-year-old waste of materials.

Running shoes? Manufacturers “update” their product lines every six months. Sometimes, that means little more than changing the colour of the trim. Nevertheless, that’s apparently worth articles and ads to subtly tell you to get with it and swap your hideous current shoes for something that’s sure to be infinitely better.

All this makes me long for something permanent (besides death, taxes and government deficits, that is) and something that doesn’t have a ‘best before’ date.

Is it out there? Yes it is.

People like me, who follow Jesus of Nazareth (who many believe is the Son of God), get a great deal of strength and peace in this excerpt, from an ancient Jesus follower: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.”

The Jesus that His followers believed in and followed a thousand years ago – because they knew He loved them enough to sacrifice himself for their wrongdoings – is not only still around, He’s still loving you, me and everyone else today.

That Jesus is still knocking at the door to our hearts, asking to come in, be our best friend, strengthen us for the hard times and show us how to be the person He wants us to be.

Looking for evidence? Consider this excerpt, from one of Jesus’ earliest followers: “God wants everyone to be saved and to fully understand the truth”.

He wanted that 2,000 years ago (when this quote was written) and, 2,000 years from now, He’ll still want it.

I don’t know about you, but I find that incredibly comforting. No matter what you’ve done (or not done), no matter how you’ve treated family members and work colleagues (or been mistreated by them), no matter what temptations you’ve given in to.

Jesus’ offer of a new life now – and an eternal life when your body gives out – still stands. No strings attached. All you have to do is hear Him knocking and open the door.

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THE BASIC FLAW OF DOUBT

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 11, 2012| 13 Comments »

Canadian politician/author/inventor/journalist/broadcaster Charles Templeton was a mostly brilliant jack-of-all-trades. But I’ve left one “occupation” out because it’s poignant and sad and, perhaps, telling the story can help us thoughtfully consider our lives.

Templeton (1915-2001) was also a gifted evangelist who was once on par with Billy Graham–considered by many to be the world’s greatest speaker on following Jesus of Nazareth. In fact, they travelled the continent together as a team.

Templeton hosted a weekly TV show in the United States, regularly preached at massive crusades and, during the 1950s, was a towering leader in the North American church.

But Templeton also had nagging doubts about Jesus – doubts which eventually led him to become an agnostic (someone who simply doesn’t know if there is a God) and walk away from the ministry.

I used to listen to Templeton every morning on Toronto’s CKEY radio. So once I discovered his past, Templeton’s story intrigued me to the point of writing a Calgary Herald review of his 1996 book Farewell To God: My Reasons for Rejecting the Christian Faith.

What that book left out was an incident from when he was struggling with his faith. Templeton had what can only be called a mystical experience, where he “saw” God and Jesus weeping for the sins, wars, and hatreds of humanity. As he wrote in another book, his anecdotal memoir:

“When I became conscious of my surroundings again, I was lying on the wet grass, convulsed by sobs. I had been outside myself and didn’t know for how long. Later, I couldn’t sleep and trembled as though with a fever at the thought that I had caught a glimpse through the veil.”

Templeton tried to repeat the experience, which is bizarre because how would one go about “creating” such an extraordinary event? When he couldn’t, Templeton researched mystical experiences until concluding they were not unusual, and in his words, “of no special significance. Mystical experience has added no insight to our knowledge of God or to Christian doctrine.”

Not unusual? Of no special significance?? People all over this planet would love to have the sort of mystical experience that was bestowed on Templeton, regardless of belief level. Indeed, Mother Teresa spent most of her adult life praying (in vain) to experience God this way. And what “authority” declared mystical experiences are irrelevant unless they add to our knowledge of God?

I find myself profoundly saddened that Templeton found ways to write off one of the most incredible moments any human being can ever pray to experience. The way I see it, God did, indeed, let him glimpse through the veil and see things most of us can never hope to see. God went out of his way for Templeton. And Templeton still walked away from a life of faith.

So what can we take away from this? In his book Your God Is Too Safe, Canadian author Mark Buchanan puts it this way: “Here lies the basic flaw of all doubt: it can never really be satisfied. No evidence is ever, fully, finally enough. Doubt wants always to consume, never to consummate.”

Before I decided to follow Jesus of Nazareth (whom many people believe is the Son of God), Buchanan’s words were a perfect description for me. At some point, I had to reconcile myself with not getting all the answers to my questions. Once I did that, the doors opened to a transformational chapter in my life – a transformation that won’t be finished until this life is done.

Can you set aside your nagging questions and trust in someone bigger than yourself? Or are you staring at the possibility of Charles Templeton’s fate? Post a comment and let me know.

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KARMA? NO THANKS

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 27, 2012| 42 Comments »

Do you believe in karma like the person who created this internet meme? Most people in our culture probably do, even if they don’t realize it. And that’s no surprise; a majority of us are brought up to understand that what we do (or don’t do) will be paid back.

In fact, I imagine many parents slip into teaching this kind of thing, if only as a desperate measure to keep little Johnny from running wild in the grocery store.

But the first thing I thought when I read that ‘billboard’ was “Yikes!” I don’t want to get what I deserve. And when it comes right down to it, I suspect you don’t, either.

Our culture may tell us we’re all OK people, but think about it:

  • Do you really give as much time/finances to charity as you should? I don’t.
  • Are you really, really committed to telling the truth? I like to think I am, but the truth is different, despite my best efforts.
  • When the name of someone you know comes up in conversation, do you jump in by revealing something negative about them? I’ve caught myself doing just that.
  • Do you fall short on doing all that you really can do for the environment? I plead guilty.
  • When you think carefully about your behaviour, do you find there are times when you’ve taken out your frustrations on others? I have.

I could go on, but I’m sure you’ve gotten the point. None of us are really as “good” as we should be. All of us regularly miss the mark on being the kind of person we could be.

So, do you want to get called on the carpet for all the bad things you’ve done – and all the good things you HAVEN’T done? I don’t. And that’s just one little reason why I decided to become follow Jesus of Nazareth, who many people believe is the Son of God.

Jesus followers believe this statement, found in one of the original source documents about Jesus’ life on Earth: “God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost, but have eternal life.”

In other words, when you believe that Jesus died to make up for all your screw-ups and when you decide to trust your life to him, there is no more karma. You no longer get what you deserve. You get way, WAY better.

In fact, not only can you get a sense of what one of Jesus’s original followers called a peace that goes beyond your ability to understand it, you also receive assurance that that when this life is over, you’ll spend eternity hanging out with Jesus.

This sounds like a fabulous offer. Do you agree? Post a comment and let’s start a conversation.

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LIVING IN MYSTERY

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 17, 2012| 4 Comments »

question_mark_blueWe live in mystery.

It’s not something people talk about much. But it’s as constant as the northern star and worthy of examination.

Some people like to talk about knowing God. And that is possible for people of faith, especially those who follow Jesus of Nazareth, who many people believe is the son of God. But the mystery remains.

An ancient wisdom writer puts it this way: “When I determined to load up on wisdom and examine everything taking place on earth, I realized that if you keep your eyes open day and night without even blinking, you’ll still never figure out the meaning of what God is doing on this earth. Search as hard as you like, you’re not going to make sense of it. No matter how smart you are, you won’t get to the bottom of it.”

When asked about the end of the world, Jesus told His followers, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

So there it is. Mystery, haunting us like it haunted the people of Jesus’ day.

For me, the mystery extends to something most of us don’t think about: what we eat.

I was a vegetarian for 20 years. It was due to ethical reasons and, when I made that choice in 1997, it was with a great deal of emotion and I opted to end any sort of conscious and intentional relationship with God.

But still, the mystery remained, confounding me like a concrete wall I could not climb over or see around. It dominated my psyche and, I’m sure, sometimes made me unpleasant to be around.

Finally, after five years of a face-to-face confrontation with this wall, the anger quietly gave way to a grey numbness. People who have known me for a long time can tell you I’m not a grey person and I don’t do numbness well, so I took the advice of a friend and turned away from the wall.

That turning away was in the form of prayers, spoken on a ski resort chair lift with a friend who follows Jesus.

They weren’t the anguished words of confession or a heartfelt cry of release. They were more like the opening salvo in contract negotiations, something along the lines of “let’s try to find a way to get along.”

In retrospect, it’s clear they were the words for which God was patiently waiting, because when we were next on the chair lift and my buddy asked how I felt, I replied, in a tone of utter astonishment, that I felt better.

The facts that influenced my becoming a vegetarian are as rock-hard real today as they were in 1997. But what happened that day in the Rocky Mountains, and has progressed to this, is I finally, finally let God be God.

That means I agreed to accept and become comfortable with the mystery of Him — the fact there are things we fragile, imperfect humans can never hope to understand during our time on planet Earth.

For many people, this isn’t easy to do. My own experience is glow-in-the-dark proof. But think of it this way: Would you really WANT to understand everything about our creator? He wouldn’t be much of a God then, would He?

Over the years, another friend has often had an email signature that said ‘Living in His mystery.’ For me, once the notion of living in God’s mystery became acceptable, I began to rejoice in it, to realize this is a vital part of taking a step of faith that makes this confession: God is God. And I am not.

What do you think? Does this make any sense? Post a comment below and let’s start a conversation.

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