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Posts Tagged ‘church’

WHAT IF I TOLD YOU……

Posted in It's Not About 'Religion', tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 12, 2015| 27 Comments »

religiousWhat if I told you that I’m a serious man of faith who thoroughly, enthusiastically AGREES with this graphic?

Posted on an Internet atheism community, the message is probably aimed at followers of Jesus of Nazareth (who many people believe is the Son of God).

That said, I certainly don’t take any offence. Being “religious” no more makes a person “good” than going into MacDonald’s makes one a Big Mac.

In fact, I’ll go further and write that being “religious” is far more likely to make a person arrogant, petty, self-righteous and overwhelmingly judgmental.

Such characteristics should not be found in a devoted follower of Jesus. Indeed, one of his earliest followers wrote this:

“But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity.

“We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.”

Compassion? A conviction that all of God’s creations (no matter how warped or broken they might be) are special? There’s precious little room for that in a person who’s busy being self-righteous and judgmental.

Let me be clear: Jesus followers are a long, long way from anything approaching “perfect”. There are still moments when I find myself spending more time opposing people and positions than supporting their right to free speech.

But that’s okay. Like it or not, all Jesus followers are a work in progress. If we’re serious about this journey with the Son of God, we strive to:

  • Regularly attend church (a hospital for sinners, NOT a museum of saints)
  • Read the original source documents about Jesus’s life on earth (which gives us insights on who God is, why He sent His Son and how we can live our lives like Jesus)
  • Give to charity, because as Jesus tells anyone willing to listen, “Give to others, and you will receive. You will be given much. It will be poured into your hands—more than you can hold … The way you give to others is the way God will give to you.”
  • Practise humility and humbleness, because Jesus tells His followers, “For those who make themselves great will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be made great.”
  • Tell others about how following Jesus has changed our lives for the better and can do the same for them. Why? Because He clearly instructs his followers to “go everywhere in the world. Tell the Good News (about God and eternal life in Heaven) to everyone.”

That’s why I’m writing this essay for YOU to read. I want you to experience the same positive life change as me. I want you to know, like I know, that God loves YOU passionately and offers YOU the gift of His Son.

Interested? Yes or no, post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

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YOUR PIVOTAL MOMENT

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 27, 2015| 8 Comments »

Jennifer Fulwiler atheism ChristianityFor life-long atheist Jennifer Fulwiler, the pivotal moment came when she held her first child for the first time.

“I looked down and thought ‘what is this baby’?” she recalled in a YouTube video. “From a pure atheist, materialist perspective, he is a collection of randomly evolved chemical reactions.

“I realized if that’s true, then all the love I feel for him is nothing more than chemical reactions in my brain. I looked down at him and I realized, ‘that’s not true’. It’s not the truth.”

Jennifer went on to research the world’s major faiths, but considered Christianity not worth the bother. Then her husband suggested she investigate Christianity because one of its most significant claims — that Jesus of Nazareth is God in the flesh — would be easy to disprove if it wasn’t true.

So she did. Jennifer discovered a world of deeply intellectual thinkers (like Thomas Aquinas and Augustine of Hippo) who were also serious Jesus followers.

Men like them made such a compelling, reason-based case for the life, death and resurrection of Christ that, in Jennifer’s words, “I started to think something world-changing happened in first-century Palestine.”

Jennifer realized that atheists “don’t have the lock on reason that I thought. Christians had all the knowledge of science, but they have the total picture of the human experience — love and triumph and hope. Christians could articulate that in a way that atheists couldn’t.”

The result of all this is Jennifer went from denying there is a creator, to becoming a serious follower of the man who many people believe is the Son of God.

Why do all this? Let me make it clear that following Jesus can be hard, especially when most of the world (sometimes including your family and friends) doesn’t follow Him and you can be mocked or even disowned for your beliefs.

As far as I’m concerned, the upside more than compensates. When I decided to follow Jesus, little things immediately changed (I stopped cursing and swearing) and bigger things followed (my wife and I have a firm commitment to donate regularly to charities and to our church).

In other words, like me, you’ll get a new perspective on life. The holy grails of our culture — gaining power and prestige, buying a bigger house, going on expensive cruises, having the latest iPhone — will start to look shallow and pointless.

You’ll start living for the approval of your creator, who the Bible says “loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in his Son would not be lost, but have eternal life.”

And as you start living for God and start attending a church regularly, you’ll be surrounded by others who are also in the midst of being transformed by following Jesus.

Finally, when this life is over, you’ll have real and solid hope that you won’t become nothing more than rancid worm food. You’ll become a citizen of Heaven.

Interested? Yes or no, post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

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CELEBRATING LIFE, NOT DEATH

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 2, 2014| 2 Comments »

lifeMaybe that’s your impression of Jesus followers. Maybe you think they’re fixated on death.

Hey, there’s another one of their churches with a cross on it that they claim Jesus died on.

Every time one of those people gets on TV or radio or the internet, they’re talk about Jesus dying. Man, that’s getting old.

Yes, in the culture we all live in, the idea of a divine son of God (that’s who many people believe Jesus is) being sacrificed for the moral crimes of humanity is downright offensive.

We’re all doing just fine, right? We haven’t ran over anyone with our car or robbed a bank or given anyone AIDS, so what’s the problem?

This is where it gets controversial. And this is why serious Jesus followers appear to “celebrate” death.

People who are genuine about following Jesus know that there’s a lot more to “doing fine” than avoiding prison or causing death. Those are just the big-ticket, headline-grabbing wrongs.

How about greed? How big a TV do we actually need?  Another iPad? Wasn’t the last one good enough? Hang on, a double garage and a big driveway just isn’t enough for your boat AND your trailer AND your three vehicles? Uh, didn’t you just go on a cruise last year?

How about a lack of generosity? Why don’t those people take care of themselves? I’m not giving to poverty in Haiti — there’s poverty right here in North America!! (Uh, there’s a GIGANTIC difference between poverty here and poverty there.)

How about living your life as if God doesn’t exist? Genuine Jesus followers believe the words of one of the original source documents of His life, that “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”. Furthermore, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, sadness, crying, or pain” (communicated to us through an ancient prophet).

So, if you give these words any credibility, then those quotes above indicate that God does, indeed, care about YOU and deeply wants to be part of YOUR life. So is it wrong to live like He doesn’t exist? I would say yes.

Now consider Jesus followers’ supposed “fixation” with death. What it’s really about — that this atheist graphic conveniently ignores — is that for those who believe in and truly follow Jesus, His sacrificial death erases all the bad things we’ve done and all the good things we’ve failed to do. For those who follow Jesus seriously, God sees us like He sees His Son: pure, without the slightest imperfection.

So the “fixation” is really about the results of Jesus’ death. It’s about something else, too. Serious Jesus followers believe the ancient documents when they say that Jesus came back to life just a few days later — and in doing so, wiped out the permanence of death for all who believe in Him.

So, in fact, what’s happening is opposite to the graphic. Genuine Jesus followers are celebrating LIFE. And it’s a life that’s available to EVERYONE, no matter who they are, no matter what they’ve done (or not done).

Does this make sense? Yes or no, post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

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THE HOUSE OF HYPOCRITES

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 5, 2014| 4 Comments »

House of hypocritsIf you’ve spent much time on this planet, then I’m pretty you’ve had the misfortune of encountering the kind of people described in this graphic.

I certainly have. It was even worse for a friend: her husband left her and, as a result, hypocrites at her church turned their backs on her to the point where she stopped attending.

This is the kind of rude, arrogant judgementalism, especially on things that  aren’t important, that stops many people from following Jesus of Nazareth (who many believe is God’s Son). And Jesus is dead-set against it. He told the religious leaders of his day that “You load people down with rules and regulations, nearly breaking their backs, but never lift even a finger to help.”

Now, before we go any further, it’s time I came clean and declared I’m a hypocrite. There have been times when I’ve said one thing and done something entirely different (just check with my very patient and forgiving wife).

While I’m at it, I think it’s safe to write that every church on this planet can be called “The House of Hypocrites” because they’re filled with people like me. Sometimes, without even realizing it until later, we grab our gavels, pound our desks and pompously declare others guilty of the very wrongs we’ve committed.

Does that make church an ludicrous time-waster? Not at all. The key thing is to understand this: “The church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints.” Those are the words of longtime newspaper advice columnist Abigail Van Buren (better known as ‘Dear Abby’) and they make absolute sense.

I go to church because there, I can learn from other, more mature Jesus followers how to identify and turn away from hypocritical behaviour and be the person God knows I can be.

Because I’m judgmental, I go to church so I can learn the truth of my faith: the only person who can truly be judgmental is Jesus. Serious Jesus followers acknowledge that He never committed a single sin. That makes Him alone worthy of holding the gavel of judgment.

But there’s good news here: One of the original-source biographies of Jesus’s physical life on Earth tells us “God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending His Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again.”

Once I decided to believe that Jesus is God’s gift to me and I should accept that gift, God started the process of making me “right again”. He can do the same for you, too. Just accept His gift and see what happens next.

Agree? Disagree? Post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

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WOMEN: SECOND CLASS CITIZENS IN CHRISTIANITY?

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 22, 2014| 10 Comments »

Bible hates women? 3.14Maybe you’ve heard someone talk along these lines. Maybe you’ve thought it yourself. But it is true?

I could blather on about how Christianity upholds women in a way that its critics simply don’t want to acknowledge. But why listen to me when you can read it from women who publicly acknowledge their faith in Jesus of Nazareth (who many people believe is the son of God)?

I emailed this graphic, originally published on an atheist Internet community, to several women who follow Jesus. Here is a sample of their responses:

Jerri Menges:
God chose a woman to bring the Saviour of man into the world. In the Bible, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, not only because He loved Lazarus, but because He loved Mary and Martha (the sisters of Lazarus). He saw their hurt and He was compassionate for them, too.

In the Bible, I find my true worth: God knows who I am, He loves me just as I am, He even has plans for me, good plans.

Consider this: when God made Adam, He saw that Adam needed a helper, so he made woman (Eve). Man, His crown creation wasn’t complete. He needed a helper.

Margie Stevenson:
Google women of the Bible and read on!  God gave many women important gifts, talents and abilities to work for His good.

In my opinion, a women’s value to Christ is no different than a man’s value, at least not in how much we are valued. God made each of us, loves each of us and created two sexes for a very specific reason.

A woman’s value to Christ is that she complements a man….and therefore, completes the picture of God’s people on earth.  She is a child of God….this fact is the same for men and women, as different as we are.

Amber Anderson Skrabek:
The Bible advises men to appreciate and value their wives:

Proverbs 31:26: She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
Proverbs 31:31: Honour her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise.

Given the time the Bible was written, it is not surprising that there are comparatively few women mentioned. However, there are several examples of strong, Godly women who are highlighted and their inclusion is not accidental.

One needs only to look at the story of Mary Magdalene to see how Jesus valued women.

In Jesus’ time … Jews and Romans saw women as “lesser” beings, but Jesus did not. Mary Magdalene was an early and devoted follower of Christ. She is mentioned several times as a prominent disciple, and she remained faithful to Jesus even as he was crucified.

When Jesus was taken down from the cross, it was Mary and other women, all devoted followers of Christ, who attended to his body. It was these women, and not a man, who were the first witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection.

Again, none of this was accidental. Jesus chose these women to be his witnesses and rewarded their faithfulness.

So what do you think? Male or female, do these words persuade you to rethink your position on Jesus of Nazareth? Yes or no, post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

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‘THE THREAT OF ETERNAL TORTURE’

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 22, 2014| 26 Comments »

Eternal Damnation 2.14You know what? I agree with this graphic, which I found on an internet atheism community.

Sadly, there are people of faith who try to be “good” because of the threat of eternal damnation. I kinda feel sorry for them; they must feel pressured, hounded and even miserable.

That said, does this mean they are really “bad” people who are just trying to avoid being separated from God for eternity? Perhaps.

But let’s move on to the vast, vast majority of those who follow Jesus of Nazareth (who many people believe is God’s divine Son). For them, this graphic is as wrong as a snowstorm in July.

Indeed, for me and pretty much every Jesus follower I know, the threat of “eternal damnation” has nothing to do with our desire to be a “good person”. (And what qualifies as good? I address it in The Problem With ‘Good’: http://wp.me/p2wzRb-7j).

The want to be a good person comes because:

  • God wants us to be good
  • God has put his spirit inside us to help us be good
  • God wants to work through us to make this broken world a better place – and we’re not much use to Him when we’re only trying to be good to avoid “eternal torture”.
  • God offers everyone the gift of Jesus to guide us with His words, His sacrifice on a Roman cross (to make up for all the bad things we’ve done and the good things we’ve failed to do), and His resurrection. Jesus followers have accepted that gift, so we want to be worthy of all that we believe Jesus has done for us.

Here’s the thing: God offers everyone, including YOU, that gift of Jesus. All you have to do is accept it. Simply pray that you’re sorry for how you’ve fallen short of what God wants for you and, from now on, you want to accept Jesus as your lord and saviour – the man whose sacrifice makes up for how you’ve fallen short. Welcome that gift into your life.

Then, if you’re serious about what you’ve done, start reading original-source Jesus biographies (there are four, in total). Find a church and start attending. If that church doesn’t work for you, find another.

This process may seem tiresome, but it’s crucially important because when you’re surrounded by others who are serious about following Jesus, God can and will work through them to help YOU on your journey. And, just as cool, God can and will work through you to help them on their journeys.

Trust me, as someone who has been used by God for His mysterious, amazing purposes, there’s no feeling like it!

Does this make sense? Yes or no, post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

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THE CHALLENGE OF BEING TRUSTWORTHY

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 25, 2014| 6 Comments »

Trustworthy 1.14Darn it, I guess I’m untrustworthy.

That was my reaction when I saw this graphic posted on the Internet.

Time and time again, I’ve “cleared my conscience” of my immoral acts by asking for forgiveness from my “imaginary friend”.

And it’s worked, too. I’ve been forgiven and had my conscience cleared. But then again, I follow Jesus of Nazareth (who many people believe is the Son of God), so I’m certainly not operating under the cynical world view of whoever created this graphic.

For example, I don’t treat the act of asking for forgiveness as a ticket to do whatever I like and then effortlessly get off the hook later on.

Because I follow Jesus, I know that He gave up his life to make up for all the wrong things I’ve done and all the right things I’ve failed to do. That’s serious business. And that’s why I don’t take forgiveness lightly.

Every time I do something wrong or ignore opportunities to do something right, I’m showing contempt for Jesus’ enormous sacrifice. And every time I come to God with a humble and sad heart, asking for forgiveness, I’m saying what Jesus did matters. What Jesus did really does give me an opportunity to do things differently.

Compared to the cynicism of whoever created this graphic, that’s the key difference in how Jesus followers view forgiveness. In our better moments, we don’t see it as ending there. In fact, asking for and receiving forgiveness is only the start of the process.

If we’re serious about it, then we open our hearts and minds to becoming the kind of person God knows we can be. We ask for His help in becoming that person and we read the original-source Jesus biographies to learn more about who a follower of Jesus should be and how we can get there.

We also go to church services to be surrounded by others who, for the most part, are on the same journey. In this way, we become the prime people God works through, in His mysterious way – to make each of us more like Jesus.

Being more like Jesus means:

  • 
Being kinder to everyone.
  • Being honest about our shortcomings and honestly seeking forgiveness from God and from each other when we fall short.
  • Seeing everyone – and I mean EVERYONE – as being loved equally by God.
  • Understanding that our world is damaged and God wants to work through us to repair it.
  • Standing up for the oppressed, for the weak, for the poor, just as Jesus did (and continues to do).
  • Being trustworthy, to prove, over and over, that the creator of this graphic is simply wrong.

You can join me on this journey. You can open your heart to God, to His gift of Jesus, and then watch in amazement as God begins to change your life.

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

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ADVENTURES IN MISSING THE POINT

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 18, 2014| 19 Comments »

Missing The PointIs ‘sucking up’ really the only reason followers of Jesus of Nazareth (who many people believe is the Son of God) try to be good? I’m sure there are lots of people out there who believe that. And, sadly, I’m sure there are Jesus followers who do, in fact, live with this sentiment in mind.

I’m not one of them. And neither are most other people who know the truth of their faith. That’s why this graphic, found on an internet atheism community, so hugely misses the point — and that’s disappointing because the author is a shining star in the atheism world and probably knows the Bible inside and out. All that said….

I try to be good because I want to be the person God knows I can be. In fact, when I decided to follow Jesus (at age 42), I welcomed God’s holy spirit into my heart and mind to help me be a better person – because I simply couldn’t do it on my own.

I try to be good because, in one of the original source biographies of Jesus’ physical time on earth, He tells His followers “Anything you did for one of the least important of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me”.

I try to be good because, in a letter written by one of Jesus’s brothers, we’re told “Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?” In other words, I wouldn’t be much of a Jesus follower if my faith didn’t result in me at least attempting to do good.

I try to be good because one of Jesus’s earliest followers puts it this plain and simple: “God’s people should be bighearted and courteous”.

Finally, I try to be good because I believe Jesus was crucified to make up for the bad things I’ve done and the good things I’ve failed to do. Given His incredible sacrifice to wipe my slate clean with God, the least I can do to show my gratitude is try my best to get my act together.

Anyone who knows me also knows that I often fall short of being “good”. (Just ask my very patient wife.) But that’s why I follow Jesus. That’s why I attend church regularly, so God can use the pastor and other Jesus followers to encourage me and instruct me on being good.

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

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A ‘PLACEHOLDER’ GOD?

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 4, 2014| 17 Comments »

PlaceholderGod 11.13I wonder: do I lack courage or intellectual honesty?

It’s a question I asked myself after seeing this meme on an internet atheism community.

I can say for certain that there are all kinds of important questions that I can’t answer and, I suspect, no one else can, either. Questions about stuff in the Bible, for example. Or questions about why our world is shot through with disease, violence and inequality.

But if you remember where I found this piece of internet art, you can probably guess – as I did – that whoever created it doesn’t think “God” is an explanation for anything.

If your whole being is trusting in science, then maybe you hope it will eventually figure out everything. And we’ll be left with no creator.

I follow Jesus of Nazareth (who many people believe is the Son of God) and so that’s not my hope. In fact, I know it will never happen.

Let’s get one thing straight, however. I like science. I like it a lot, primarily because it’s one of the ways God shows us how He works. I have lots of moments where I’ll read about discovery in physics or astronomy and think “Ah, that’s how God did it. Cool!”.

That said, science will never answer the most basic of all questions: Why are we here? What happens to us when we die? And I’m fine with that.

These unanswered questions are important because they remind me that even after all I can find out about God from ancient texts and writers, I still know that He is a mystery. To put it another way, God is God. And I am NOT.

“Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.”

That’s from an ancient, God-inspired writer and it makes sense to me.

So how do you hear God’s voice? One way is to read original-source documents about the life of Jesus  and, when you encounter something you don’t understand (and trust me, you will), ask a knowledgeable Jesus follower. Or ask me (I’m no expert, but I can give it my best shot or direct you to where you can get a credible answer). Or visit a website like the Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry (http://carm.org/) and ask your question(s).

You can also start attending church. That’s where you’ll meet pastors and Jesus followers who will help you hear God’s voice.

Finally, you can pray. Prayer is a mystery (I wrote about that mystery here: http://wp.me/p2wzRb-9a), but it’s definitely worth doing, if for no other reason than Jesus, during his physical time on earth, prayed all the time.

Does all this make sense? Post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

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WRITING A NEW BOOK

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 26, 2013| 3 Comments »

JudgingA friend posted this meme on her Facebook wall and it caused such an immediate, gut-level reaction that I downloaded it for a blog.

Two things struck me:

1. There’s a sad and ugly truth to these words. In our culture, most of us DO judge a book by its cover. All the time. And I’m as guilty of it as anyone. It’s like biting my lip or tapping my pen on the desk; it happens without me even knowing it. Some examples:

  • “Wow nice colour combination – and I don’t even know fashion” is what I sarcastically thought when I spotted a certain co-worker one day. (As if that one outfit is all I need to know about them.)
  • When I saw (and heard) a neighbour back out of his garage I’ll think, “Rap? Really? You listen to that manure on purpose??” (As if all rap is awful and that’s the only music they ever have on the car stereo.)
  • I’ll be walking by a group of teens at the shopping mall, hear them chatting and the first thing that darts through my head is “You kids must be truly vacant to be talking about TV garbage like ‘The Bachelor’.” (As if liking this one reality program makes them entirely brain-dead.)

That’s me; Sir Judge-A-Lot. And the title is accurate, even though – like most of us – I’ve often been on the receiving end of the hammer blow of false, superficial judgement.

2. There’s a truth that’s absolutely counter to all of this. Stay with me while I spell it out.

An ancient prophet wrote these timeless words: “God doesn’t look at what people see. People judge by what is on the outside, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

The message? My creator (and yours) has gone past the cover of the Book Of Me and read every word inside. And His judgements are more accurate than the finest Supreme Court justice.

For many of us, this isn’t good news. We hope others won’t notice the bad things we’ve done and the good things we’ve failed to do. But how do we get away from the all-seeing eyes of God?

In a word, we don’t. But there is a solution and it comes from God Himself. It’s Jesus of Nazareth, who many people believe is His son. God offers Jesus as a gift to everyone, no matter how poor our track record.

All we have to do is accept the gift. Make Jesus your friend – your savior – and God no longer counts your bad behavior and malicious thoughts against you. He sees you as He sees Jesus – perfect, without a blemish – and starts writing a new book. You’ll be amazed at what happens as that new book begins to unfold.

So, do you want the all-seeing eyes of God to see YOU in a new way? Yes or no, post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

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