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Posts Tagged ‘Christianity blog’

“THIS IS NOT A FULFILLING LIFE”

Posted in In The News, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 19, 2025| 3 Comments »

I’m not a huge golf fan but this headline, in Canada’s National Post, grabbed my attention because in our culture, professional athletes are supposed to obsess over their careers.

So what gives with American golfer Scott Scheffler, who’s currently the top-ranked player in the world?

“I’m not here to inspire someone to be the best player in the world because what’s the point?,” he told reporters, who must have been thoroughly gobsmacked at hearing this heresy. “This is not a fulfilling life.”

What?? How can this be? Did Scheffler get hit in the head with a golf ball? Did someone whack him with a putter? There must be some explanation for this wonky, ridiculous thinking.

And there is. Consider Scheffler’s answer to a question about his reading habits: “I have a devotional book on my iPad. I have another book which I’m reading that’s definitely not a golf book. It’s another spiritual book. My Bible is pretty much it.”

Ah. There it is. Scheffler is some kind or religious nut, right? And yet you’re reading this blog because somewhere in your mind and heart, you’re open to spirituality – and maybe even to Jesus of Nazareth, who many people believe is the Son of God.

Despite Scheffler’s astounding success — the article says the 29-year-old Texan “has taken over the sport as the most dominant player since Tiger Woods” — he has found himself grounded in a way most of us can only dream about.

Among the many things Jesus told anyone willing to listen is this: “What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?”

Scheffler appears to understand this very well. And maybe this understanding has contributed to his success.

There’s something for me and you to learn from this. Whatever we’re pursuing, is it worth damaging our health, our emotional well-being or our relationships? NO. Especially when it’s all temporary. Our 70 or 80 years on this planet are nothing but a blip compared to what’s coming next.

Scheffler seems to comprehend what’s coming next. That’s why he’s placed his faith and trust in Jesus, because anyone who does so will spend a glorious eternity in the presence of their creator.

This is how it works: Jesus told his listeners, “You must be perfect, just as your Father in Heaven is perfect.” So there it is; when this life ends, you’ll need to be perfect to get past the bouncer at the ‘pearly gates’.

Well, that’s a problem, isn’t it? Since no one can ever get close to perfection, how can even one of us get to Heaven?

The answer is Jesus. When He allowed Himself to be arrested on false charges, convicted and put to death, Jesus paid the penalty for every wrong thing done by His followers, and every right thing we’ve failed to do.

After that, God saw — and continues to see — His Son’s followers just as He sees Jesus: perfect in every way.

Just as important, when people like YOU invite Jesus to be your Lord and Saviour, He comes into your heart IMMEDIATELY and begins making you more like the person God created you to be.

Are you interested? Yes or no, post your comment below and let’s have a conversation.

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FROM SLAVES TO DIVINE PARTNERS

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 8, 2025| 3 Comments »

Oh, boy. There is a lot to unpack in this atheist meme, so if you’re wondering if the viewpoint expressed here has any accuracy, stick around. It’ll be worth your while.

  • Followers of Jesus of Nazareth — who many people believe is the Son of God — have come to understand who He is and who they are. In response to that, people like me have made conscious decisions to make Jesus our Lord, our Saviour and our best friend.
    Nowhere is slavery involved in any way, shape or form.
    My pastor friend, Ross Carkner, explains it so well: “A slave is someone who is forced to obey another … Christians are people who of their own volition surrender their will in favour of following … specifically following Jesus.”
        • As followers of Jesus, God works in and through us to bring physical and spiritual aid to a world that even the most optimistic person must admit isn’t doing very well.
          Are we doing a good job as junior partners in God’s work? Quite often, NO. And that certainly applies to me. Jesus followers often misrepresent God. We often let our selfish and petty insecurities get in the way of what He’s doing . But in the end, that doesn’t matter.
          “God’s plan for us [and the world] never changes, so there is no plan B,” writes pastor Chris Norland. In fact, God can and often does use our failures to further His work.
            • So what does this mean for the charge that God wishing evil or harm to others and being malicious? If point number two isn’t convincing, let’s go back to Ross: “There is no one in all of history who has, with any real and lasting credibility, ever made a case for the historical Jesus being malevolent.”
              Ah, but wait, you say: the meme doesn’t even mention Jesus! Ross’s response: “Since the existence of Jesus was expressly understood as God in the flesh …. to refer to God as malevolent is not only a misreading of the Bible, it is reflecting our own brokenness as we deal with the enormous challenges of living in this hurting world.”
              In other words, the meme’s creator is blaming his/her own failures, and the failures of this struggling world, on God. Where’s the credible evidence to support this claim? There simply isn’t any. NONE.

            As you digest all this, consider these truths: no matter who you are or what you’ve done or not done, God LOVES YOU. God offers YOU the gift of His Son. If you accept that gift — Jesus’s life, sacrificial death and resurrection — then Jesus comes into your world and starts the life-long process of making you the person God created you to be.

            Just as important, ALL the bad things you’ve done and the good things you’ve failed to do will be wiped out. God will see only His Son’s perfection. And when this life ends, you’ll spend eternity in the presence of your maker. Sound good? Yes or no, post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.



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            FROM CHILDREN TO FAMILY MEMBERS

            Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 18, 2024| 1 Comment »

            British comedian and atheist Jimmy Carr asks a good question and, since you might be asking the same thing, I appreciate the opportunity to answer, .

            First of all, as a follower of Jesus of Nazareth (who many people believe is the Son of God), I believe God created every person who ever was, is and will be. So yes, we are His children.

            But there’s a difference between being His children and being in His family. And we are definitely NOT all in His family. You might ask, quite, rightly, why not?? Because it’s not an automatic thing. We’ve all separated ourselves from God’s family because of the wrong things we’ve done and the right things we’ve failed to do.

            In other words, we’ve put ourselves ahead of our creator. We’ve either declared He doesn’t exist, or we’ve forgotten about Him or we’ve made the shallow, ultimately meaningless priorities of this world our main focus.

            The results of this error are sadly obvious: broken families, addictions, crime, human trafficking and so much more. Jesus followers like me are not immune to this error; sometimes, I forget about God and mess up quite spectacularly. Just ask my very forgiving wife.

            So what’s the solution? How can we be adopted into God’s family? The answer is simple: follow Jesus. Read the four original-source biographies of His physical life on Earth (they’re simply called the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, named after their reputed authors). Investigate the claims Jesus makes about Himself and His Father.

            Once you do that, my hope and prayer is you’ll come to understand who God is, who you are and who Jesus is. Then, as you apologize for all the wrong things you’ve done and the right things you’ve failed to do, and pledge to make Jesus your priority, God will welcome you into His family. And that will change your life NOW and for all eternity.

            One of Jesus’s earliest and most influential followers, a missionary named Paul, put it this way: “You’re no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone.”

            Got questions? Things you don’t understand? Then keep searching. Or, email me (frankdmking@gmail.com) and I’ll do my imperfect best to help.

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            COMPETITION? WHAT COMPETITION?

            Posted in It's Not About 'Religion', tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 11, 2023| 5 Comments »

            Has this ever occurred to you – that “religion” (a nasty term I want nothing to do with) and science are in some sort of wrestling cage match – and science has religion in a choke-hold?

            That’s certainly the point of this meme, helpfully provided by an internet atheism community, and it suggests that “religion” doesn’t work. Guess what? I’m a man of faith and I absolutely agree.

            Religion is all about what Stephen Hawking called “authority,” along with following rules, looking good in front of others and judging people who don’t appear to have it all together. Yech. Sounds awful, doesn’t it?

            So let’s talk about faith/spirituality instead. And let’s wonder why on earth anyone would believe faith and science are competing. They absolutely are not because, as Hawking noted “there is a fundamental difference” between them.

            Consider this: science deals only with the natural world, while faith/spirituality overlaps significantly into the supernatural. So they have almost nothing in common. That’s why there are many spiritual thinkers in the fields of engineering, physics and astronomy, chemistry and biomedical sciences.

            (In fact, Wikipedia lists more than 60 scientific thinkers that follow Jesus of Nazareth, who many people believe is the Son of God. I wrote about some of them here: https://wp.me/p2wzRb-e9)

            I hope that by now, you are willing to consider that science and faith can and do get along quite nicely. That means YOU can still be science-oriented while exploring a life of faith. That’s certainly the case for me; I like science because it shows me how God does stuff. 🙂

            Like those 60 thinkers mentioned earlier, I follow Jesus because it makes the most sense and it helps me to understand this world and what I believe is the life to come. Now here’s the thing: Jesus told anyone willing to listen that in order to get the best of this life and the next life, “You must be perfect, just as your Father in Heaven is perfect.”

            Oh, man. I’m absolutely nowhere near perfect (just ask my wife) and I can safely write that you aren’t either. So what’s the solution? It’s simple: follow Jesus. Declare Him, with serious sincerity, to be your Lord, your Saviour and your best friend. Then start reading about Him (there are four original-source biographies available that detail His physical time on earth) and connecting with other Jesus followers.

            If you do that, Jesus will come into your world and start the life-long process of making you more like the person God created you to be. And when this life ends, God will see you like He sees Jesus: perfect in every way. That means you’ll spend eternity with Him in Heaven.

            Sounds like a pretty good deal to me. Do you agree? Yes or no, click/tap the ‘share’ button below and let’s have a conversation.

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            FROM MARGARITAVILLE TO HEAVEN

            Posted in In The News, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 23, 2023| 5 Comments »

            I’ve been pondering the life of beloved singer/songwriter/entertainer/business mogul Jimmy Buffett, who died in September 2023 of skin cancer.

            Did you know he was a billionaire? Buffett parlayed his 30 albums and hit song “Margaritaville” into hotels, casinos, retirement communities, bestselling books and even his own brand of beer. He sold more than 20 million CDs and had legions of “parrothead” fans who loved the escapist beach life he espoused.

            As I appreciate his business saavy, and the pleasure Jimmy brought to millions of fans, two things occur to me:

            1. Did all that money make Buffett happier than the rest of us? That is the goal of our culture, right? And mountains of cash is supposed to be the way to achieve it, correct?
              His wealth and public approval certainly didn’t extend his life; Jimmy lived just a year longer than the average American male (76 versus the average of 75) and four years less than the average Canadian man.
            2. Did Buffett ever move beyond the lifestyle his songs, personal brand and concerts promoted? While it’s wonderful to find escapist pleasure listening to his songs or hanging out with other Parrotheads, all that is, in the end, temporary and superficial. Jimmy’s Wikipedia profile indicated who he supported politically and all his excellent charity work, but it also stated he did not participate in any faith.

            So what do you think? I believe there should come a time when we set aside temporary things and consider important, life-changing questions.

            Why am I here? What is the point of life? What happens when this life ends? Our culture discourages these subjects but, in the end, they matter far more than becoming rich or getting drunk at a concert.

            I explored those questions a few years ago. After much reading and many conversations with brave people, I decided to follow a guy named Jesus of Nazareth. Many people, including me, believe Jesus is the Son of God who came to this planet to show us how to live, then sacrifice His life to make up for all the wrong things we’ve done and all the right things we’ve failed to do.

            This is important because Jesus told anyone willing to listen that “You must be perfect, just as your Father in Heaven is perfect.” In other words, if you believe there’s a Heaven after this life ends, then your record MUST be unblemished, from start to finish, in order to get in and spend eternity with your creator.

            Since none of us can ever come close to that standard, the solution is to follow Jesus. Declare Him your Lord, your Saviour and your best friend. Then, when you’ve breathed your last, God will see you just like He sees Jesus: perfect in every way. Equally important, when you say yes to Jesus, He comes into your life RIGHT NOW and starts to make you more of the person God created you to be.

            Sound like a good deal? Yes or no, post your comment below and let’s have a conversation.

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            THE TRUTH OF ABSOLUTE TRUTH

            Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 13, 2021| 4 Comments »

            The statement in this meme, made by a Swiss-Austrian-American philosopher of science, is becoming increasingly popular in today’s culture. It’s a perfect fit with the “you have your truth, I have mine” approach to life.

            I must write, however, that popularity should never be a measuring stick of truth. Remember: Adolf Hitler was extremely popular for many years and Osama Bin Laden still has millions of fans. So does rap music (hey, this old white guy’s gotta have some fun). 😉

            Now consider this: is child pornography always wrong? I feel quite safe in believing that outside of a few very disturbed individuals, all of us would agree. So isn’t that an absolute truth?

            Here’s another one: genocide. Can you find anyone besides the occasional megalomaniac dictator and his lunatic followers who think genocide has its time and place?

            I believe slavery, racism and deliberately poisoning our air/land/water can be added to the list of universal wrongs.

            So there you have it. Five examples of absolute truth and it took me just a few minutes to mentally find them. I bet you can find several others.

            If you agree with me so far, then that means most of us strongly believe in a clear and unchanging morality. That leads to my next question: where did this morality come from?

            Some people claim morals are simply the result of evolution. But in his book Making Sense of God, Tim Keller notes it’s hard to imagine that noble and moral acts like self-sacrifice or service for someone “outside your family, tribe, or race could have been a trait that led to greater rates of survival.”

            I’m going to be bold & radical and declare that absolute truth comes from the creator of time, space, the universe and YOU. In other words, it comes from God.

            Now a step further: the originator of absolute truth and morals is perfect and, as the only being capable of sitting in judgment of humanity, that’s the standard He uses. I believe this because I follow Jesus of Nazareth (who many people believe is God’s Son) and Jesus tells anyone willing to listen that “you must be perfect, just as your Father in Heaven is perfect.”

            Well, that certainly creates a problem, doesn’t it? If you believe there’s life beyond the 70 or 80 years on this planet, how can you and I get in on that life when we’re so, SO far from being anywhere close to perfect?

            The answer is we can’t. Not on our own strength and efforts. We’ll always, ALWAYS fall short.

            But God solved this by offering Jesus as a gift to anyone willing to accept it. Jesus died to make up for ALL wrong things His followers have done and ALL the right things His followers have failed to do. So when this life ends and we go to meet God, all He will see in Jesus’s followers is perfection. And we’ll be let in the door to spend eternity with Him.

            Just as important, when you seriously and sincerely accept the gift of Jesus, you welcome Him to come into your life RIGHT NOW and start the lifelong process of making you more like the person God created you to be.

            Sound like a good deal? Yes or no, post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

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            FORGIVENESS AND THE SON OF SAM

            Posted in In The News, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 13, 2013| 15 Comments »

            DavidBerkowitzIf you’re over 40, you might get a chill as I resurrect a shadowy name from the 1970s: Son of Sam.

            This was the nickname David Berkowitz gave himself as he terrorized New York City, killing six people and wounding seven in 1976-77. In prison since then, he claimed during his trial that he was under the influence of a demon who possessed his neighbour’s dog.

            Berkowitz was in the news not too long ago, responding to a 2011 Fox News reporter’s inquiry to reveal he would no longer seek parole because his faith has already made him free.

            “I am not saying this jokingly,” he wrote. “Jesus Christ [who many people believe is the Son of God] has already forgiven and pardoned me, and I believe this. He has given me a whole new life, which I do not deserve. I am forever grateful for such forgiveness.”

            Before you begin protesting, Berkowitz has expressed remorse for his crimes, dating back to 2007 when he issued an apology on his website. He expressed remorse again in his Fox News letter, writing “I have deep regret and sorrow over my past criminal actions.”

            But that’s not the point of this essay. The point is more controversial. Has the Son of Sam been forgiven by Jesus? Has he been given “a whole new life”?

            The answer, if Berkowitz is sincere, is YES. If he came to believe that Jesus died to pay for his crimes, and as a result asked for the forgiveness Jesus made available to every person on this planet, then YES. If he’s committed himself to following Jesus, then YES.

            Isn’t this outrageous? That’s the scandal of God’s grace (unmerited favour) through Jesus. It isn’t just available to you and I for those times we exceeded the speed limit or lied to our supervisors or paid for some service under the table. It’s available for everything. For everyone, including the Son of Sam.

            Our culture may not consider this a good thing. But it is. In fact, I regard this grace as one of the things that most separates following Jesus from other faiths. And it is based on a complete lack of what some cultures call a “caste” system that ranks people’s value.

            When Paul, one of the earliest Jesus followers, wrote in a letter that “all of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory,” he didn’t include a footnote that singled out some people or groups as having sinned more (or less). That statement is the great equalizer for all humanity. See? No caste system.

            So, if you’re carrying around something that pesters you like a persistent backache, do what David Berkowitz has done: place your trust in Jesus, ask for forgiveness with complete sincerity, then receive it. And believe it, because that forgiveness is as real and enduring as death, taxes, and annoying reality TV shows.

            Even if you’re not burdened with guilt, give some consideration to this  faith that goes beyond our wavering ability to forgive. It provides permanent grace, an extraordinary gift to a broken world.

            What do you think? Post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

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