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Posts Tagged ‘who is Jesus?’

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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GOD, BONE CANCER AND BEAUTY

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 9, 2024| 4 Comments »

As you read the meme above, are you nodding your head in agreement? It wouldn’t surprise me in the least. We all know that this world is awash in beauty and pain, love and grief, anger and joy.

The question that occurs to me is: why does British actor/writer/narrator/director/atheist Stephen Fry somehow conclude that this world’s enormous contrasts deny the existence of a creator? And does it lead you in the same direction?

My pastor friend Ross Carkner, who I showed the meme to, agrees that “beauty alone is not a testament to God’s existence.” But then he points out something that I believe is equally true: “God exists in the midst of the beauty and the ugliness.”

Here’s the thing: Jesus of Nazareth, who many people believe is the Son of God, never promised us a life free of bone cancer or acne or leukemia or bunions or even rap music (sorry; this old guy’s gotta have a moment of fun).

In fact, He told anyone willing to listen that “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows; but cheer up, for I have overcome the world.”

I’m sure you’re asking, just as I did when I first read this quote — from one of the four original-source biographies of Jesus’ physical life on Earth — what ‘overcoming the world’ means.

The website GotQuestions.org notes it’s multifaceted:

  • Jesus gives His followers peace to overcome our troubled hearts.
  • He gives His followers strength to turn away from the wrong things we’ve done and right things we’ve failed to do.
  • Jesus gives His followers ultimate victory over the evil spiritual forces that haunt this world and inspire wars, pandemics, pedophilia and so many other ills that plague humanity
  • He gives His followers a share in His victory over death, because after being crucified on false charges, He rose from the dead several days later (Please check out the ‘links to other sites’ tab to read all the evidence supporting Jesus’ resurrection).

All this gives me, and other Jesus followers, tremendous relief and endurance as we deal with life on this planet. In fact, I’ll go so far as to claim this God-fueled relief and endurance gives Jesus followers a source of power that the rest of the world doesn’t have.

If you’re not following Jesus, then do you have any hope to overcome the challenges of life? And if you’re not following Jesus, do you have any hope of life beyond 70+ years of eating, breathing, working and finally expiring?

I have that hope. I’ll go further and tell you I have supreme confidence, that Jesus gives to all His followers, for a good and joyous life beyond this existence — a life that leaves behind all the pain and exhaustion of what we so often experience now.

Do you want in on this blessing? Yes or no, post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

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CONSIDERING A PURE HEART & GOOD INTENTIONS

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 10, 2024| 7 Comments »

Ah, peace. We all want it and most of us think we don’t have nearly enough of it.

When I discovered this internet meme, three things immediately set my “spidey sense” tingling.

1. The creator of this meme believes the way to peace is good intentions and a pure heart. While lots of us have similar ideas about what makes up “good intentions”, I’m sure there are many points of divergence.

The ancient saying “the road to hell is paved with good intentions” is still around today because it’s true. Here’s just one sad, unfortunate example:

Dr. Spock, the author of a famous handbook on child rearing, recognized that babies throw up a lot and therefore recommended newborns be laid on their stomachs to sleep. Unknowingly, this would result in thousands of accidental smothering deaths. We now know that newborns should sleep on their backs until they can roll over for themselves.

An internet search will provide many more examples of good intentions gone horribly wrong. So I need to ask: Who defines what is good? And how good is good enough?

Let me offer a very radical, very out-of-the-box answer: the creator of time, space the universe and YOU defines what is good AND how good is good enough.

ChristianWeek.com suggests achieving goodness means being kind and decent, compassionate and generous, resourceful and studious, curious and concerned with addressing injustice.

As a follower of Jesus of Nazareth (who many people believe is the Son of God), I’m delighted that these characteristics can be agreed on by pretty much everyone.

Here’s the controversial part: Jesus followers like me believe being good is absolutely NOT good enough. In one of the original-source biographies of His physical time on Earth, Jesus said “you must be perfect, just as your Father in Heaven is perfect.” Oh boy. This isn’t looking good for me, you or anyone else on this planet.

2. What is a pure heart? Ideapod.com has this definition: It doesn’t mean having any faults, but rather without any hidden intentions. It’s not about always being right or perfect, but rather doing your best to do the right thing.

This is all very, very laudable. I’m just not ready to say that me, you or anyone else has achieved it.

No matter how hard I work at it, there are times when I do NOT try my best to do the right thing. Despite my best efforts, there are occasions when I absolutely DO have hidden intentions. This means I fall short of Jesus’s standard for this life and the life to come. Can you, with complete honesty, claim you are pure-hearted?

3. What is the “end of the day”? The tone of the meme suggests it’s the end of life. If you believe there’s something beyond 70+ years on this planet, then the meme is ignoring that. Given the words of Jesus about Heaven and what’s required to get there, is that a good idea?

There’s a lot to ponder here. I suggest the best way to start is to investigate the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus. If He’s right and your eternal life is at stake, then nothing is more important than checking Him out.

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UNCONDITIONALLY LOVED AND VALUED

Posted in In The News, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 6, 2024| 4 Comments »

“You’ve got to be clear that you don’t want certain customers coming in.”

Chip Wilson, the founder of lifestyle clothing giant Lululemon, dropped those controversial words during a recent interview about the company’s direction since he departed in 2015.

This takes me back to 2013, when an Abercrombie & Fitch executive created a media storm by shamelessly declaring the clothing retailer tried to exclude anyone but “cool kids” from buying its products. (The controversy inspired me to write this: https://wp.me/p2wzRb-7o.)

Then, as now with Chip Wilson, the issue is all about ranking the value of people. That’s a constant, subtle focus of our culture, designed to make people feel special. The trouble is, it does so by downgrading certain types of what we might regard as less desirable people.

Most of us, and that includes ME, are guilty of this — often without even knowing it. And it’s been going on since the dawn of humanity. Jesus of Nazareth, who many people believe is the Son of God, often battled this mindset during His physical time on earth.

Jesus spent time with the rejects of his day — tax collectors for the hated Roman empire (which occupied ancient Israel, where Jesus lived), prostitutes, menstruating women, people with mental health issues and more.

Jesus did so for two reasons, and I believe those reasons apply to YOU and me:

  1. He wanted them to know they were unconditionally loved and valued, no matter what anyone said to them or behaved toward them.
  2. He wanted them to recognize they had missed the mark of who God created them to be, and it was possible to fix that by following Him.

Now transfer this list to YOU: Jesus wants YOU to know YOU are unconditionally loved and valued, with all your faults and with all the wrong things you’ve done (and the right things you’ve failed to do).

Second, YOU and me have missed the mark of who God created us to be. We’ve listened to our culture’s siren call and, more often than not, made meaningless things (money, toys, vacations, trophy spouses, sexual pleasure) our focus, all the while living as if we have no Creator. In other words, at the urging of the world around us, we have made ourselves God.

Upon realizing this, I opened my mind and heart to Jesus. I’m glad to tell you that He entered my life and is making me more generous and less self-centred, more loving and less insecure, more contented and less angry. The list continues, but you get it. And the work won’t end until this life is finished and my life in Heaven starts.

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

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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 GOAT HERDING TO ARTFUL WRITING

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 7, 2023| 5 Comments »

Maybe you’ve heard about this criticism often made by atheists about the Christian Bible: it was written by people who were simply too primitive and ignorant to understand life and this world. And maybe you agree with these critics.

But I trust you’re reading this now because you’re open to spirituality and open to exploring the credibility of a book that millions of people believe is the truth about God and Jesus of Nazareth, who they believe is the Son of God. So consider these points:

  1. The people who wrote the 60+ parts of the Bible were mostly NOT goat herders. Even as late as the 1600s, less than half of the world’s male population (and, like it or not, a vast majority of the Bible was written by males) could read or write. It’s quite safe to say that very, very few goat herders were among them.
  2. People who could read or write when the Bible was written were usually among the elites of their society. They were educated, usually well off and often nobility. One example? Most historians believe the man who wrote “The Gospel of Luke” — one of the four biographies of Jesus’s physical life on earth — was a physician. That’s a long, LONG way from goat herding.
  3. You would be surprised and amazed at how carefully most of the Bible was written. I listened to a podcast about one section, called Jonah (most famous for a man being swallowed by a giant fish) and was blown away by the writer’s techniques. Certain words were used repeatedly in that section to suggest a larger picture that the author knew people of his day would understand. In other words, this was sophisticated writing — not primitive scribblings of illiterate cave dwellers.
  4. Even among people who believe Jesus of Nazareth was NOT the Son of God, many still admire Him for the brilliance of His teachings. Many of those teachings, such as loving your enemies and doing good for them, continue to challenge us today. And guess what? Jesus thought enough of the Bible sections written before He arrived (the “Old Testament”) to quote from at least five of them. Look it up if you don’t believe me.

While you’re digesting all this, consider one more point: the criticisms made about the Bible are often used to avoid considering its main points: God LOVES you, me and everyone else on this planet — even though we ignore Him and repeatedly do wrong things and avoid doing right things. God wants to be part of our lives, starting RIGHT NOW and stretching into all eternity, so He can make us the people we were created to be. All that can happen when we decide to make His Son our Lord, Saviour and best friend.

What do you think? Post your comments 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 recently 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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MY TRUTH AND THE TRUTH

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 13, 2023| 4 Comments »

I did a quick Google search for the meaning of “truth”. This is what Dictionary.com says:

The true or actual state of a matter: He tried to find out the truth.

Conformity with fact or reality; verity: the truth of a statement.

A verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like: mathematical truths.

Given these definitions, does “my truth” make much sense? Let me provide you with some very extreme examples (just to make the point crystal clear) of what “my truth” meant for these people:

  • Osama Bin Laden’s truth involved blowing up the World Trade Center
  • Vladimir Putin’s truth meant invading a sovereign nation on the flimsiest, paper-thin excuses
  • Karla Homolka’s truth led her to enthusiastic participation with her husband in murdering at least three women, one of them being her younger sister.

Of course, most people would never dream of taking their truth to such extremes. But can you understand what happens when an important word is co-opted and twisted to suit current trends?

I believe there’s something else to consider. It’s the notion of multiple, contrasting “truths” existing at the same time, further denigrating the word.

Believe it or not, there’s a school of thought that says having sex with children is not always bad. I imagine those who believe that consider it to be their truth. So how can that be, given that most people know very well that pedophilia is horrifying and deeply damaging to children? How can these “truths” possibly exist simultaneously?

This leads me to what I believe is good news. Consider the words of Jesus of Nazareth, who many people believe is the Son of God. Jesus told the people who had faith in him, “If you keep on obeying what I have said, you truly are my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Jesus followers know there IS a universal truth, that has existed for thousands of years and continues to impact the lives of people who look to Him for strength, for forgiveness, for eternal life. Jesus spelled out that truth — much of it very difficult to accept in today’s culture — during His physical time on earth. A few examples:

Love your neighbour as yourself

Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you

If you judge others, you will be judged the same way. God will treat you the same way you treat others.

Don’t fight back against someone who wants to harm you. If they hit you on the right cheek, let them hit the other cheek too.

I am the way, the truth, and the life. The only way to the Father is through me.

As I wrote earlier, you may have trouble agreeing with Jesus on these points. But keep your mind open, because I believe no one knows the Truth better than Jesus. And it’s worth your consideration since, when all is said and done, Jesus is the way to a better life NOW and in the life to come.

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

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FROM RELIGION TO SOMETHING BETTER

Posted in It's Not About 'Religion', tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 15, 2023| 6 Comments »

The National Post headline said “Canadians’ faith in God is ‘decoupling’ from their attachment to religion“. Given that this is a spirituality blog, you might think I regard the survey results in this article as bad news.

You would be wrong.

Says the article, published in April 2023: According to a survey carried out for the Association for Canadian Studies, a curious demographic trend in Canada is that spiritual or religious belief has persisted despite the famously steep decline in church attendance and other formal religious observances.

This “decoupling” shows up everywhere from the strictest Abrahamic monotheisms [Christianity, Judaism and Islam] to more mystical and polytheistic faiths.

So why am I — a follower of Jesus of Nazareth, who many people believe is the Son of God — not depressed at this trend? Because I left behind the stone-hearted, negative, judgmentalism of “religion” a long time ago. And Jesus has no problem with that.

In one of the original-source biographies of His life, Jesus said this to anyone willing to listen: Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.

See? Jesus knew — and still knows — that religion causes nothing but spiritual and emotional fatigue for most people. These are the folks who keep striving, unsuccessfully, to be “good” enough, pray enough, sacrifice enough and give enough to satisfy sky-high standards. And if they believed they met those standards, then they would probably become just as arrogant and unforgiving as so many other religious people.

The solution is to skip religion and focus on Jesus – His remarkable teachings, gobsmacking miracles, horrifying death and incredible resurrection.

— With an open and inquiring mind, read the four original-source biographies of Jesus’ physical life on Earth. They’re simple called the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

— Ask Jesus followers about Him (including ME: fdking@hotmail.com)

— Go even more radical and ask God to open your heart and mind to what He’s trying to tell you about His Son.

Many people would advise you not to waste your time on this. But I’m confident that since you’re here and reading this, you somehow know that checking out Jesus is important.

I believe you’re on the right track because if you sincerely welcome Jesus into your heart, your mind and your life, He will start making you into the person God created you to be. That’s what’s He’s doing with me. And that process won’t end until this life is finished and I join Him in Heaven.

So what do you think? Post your comments below and let’s have a conversation. 🙂

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THIS IS WHAT MATTERS

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 11, 2023| 3 Comments »

I read it often online and it goes like this: “Even if this Jesus guy existed, why should I care about him? What difference could he possibly make in my life?”

Those are fair questions – in fact, before I decided to follow Jesus (who many people believe is the Son of God), those were MY questions. I examined Jesus’s existence here: https://wp.me/p2wzRb-g3. As for the rest, let me do my very imperfect best to answer.

If you sometimes struggle to find meaning, welcome to the club. I had a satisfying career, good friendships and no giant tragedies to scar me. I owned a house and car and had a romantic relationship. And yet…there was still an emptiness inside.

It’s hard to explain if you haven’t experienced it, but if you have, then you’ll understand that a cruise-control existence is NOT the path to happiness or satisfaction. At that point, I hope you become like me and look at this Jesus guy again. Especially if you’ve met a few Jesus followers and they seem to have a glow that can’t be dismissed as ignorant delusion.

Jesus told anyone willing to listen that “I am the way, the truth and the life“. He based that on the firm belief that He was (and is) God’s gift to a world desperate to find an unchanging truth and a sense of purpose. If you’re where I was at, then look into His claim with an open mind.

If you struggle to find forgiveness, you’re not alone. Many of us have done wrong things (or failed to do right things) that pester us like a fly in our ear. We’re able to continue our lives, but that nagging mosquito never leaves. In fact, there are times – when we allow ourselves to think about it – that we feel awful.

Are you’re tired of stuffing that emotion down, yet again, so you can keep shopping, working on your career, buying the newest iPhone and planning your next vacation? If your answer is yes, then investigate this Jesus guy. Talk to mature, respectful Jesus followers – ask questions and learn how they put Jesus at the centre of their days. And how that’s made a tremendous difference in their lives.

If you struggle with death, I can tell you right now that even some Jesus followers are with you. None of us has rock-solid proof that there’s something beyond 70+ years of eating, sleeping, working and wondering how rap/hip-hop ever became popular. 😉

That said, trusting in Jesus can provide you with confidence that there is more to come. And by following Him, that “more” is eternity in His presence where (as an ancient prophet wrote) “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, sadness, crying, or pain. All the old ways are gone.”

As you consider this broken, struggling world, doesn’t that seem like something you can believe with firm assurance? Yes or no, post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

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