When our Lord said that we should consider the lilies of the field or the birds of the air, he was talking about contentment. In America particularly, this lesson is long since forgotten for most. We think we must worry about the next day, or next phase, or next step in our lives. God commanded us to be shrewd as doves, we say.

In this, however, is a warning. Does it strike anyone as strange that our incessant worrying seems easy and appears to mimic the world? Should not the phrase “for the pagans run after these things,” give us pause. What is the Lord’s next statement? “And your heavenly father knows you need them all.”

Where the ascetics got things wrong is they assumed man had no need of food or clothing. The problem isn’t that they’re unnecessary, the problem is our brains are too small to worry about everything.

This is not an attack on diligence or wisdom, but a rehabilitation of contentment. Jesus said to focus first on the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you. Our call is to be content in everything except our relationship with God. In our relationship with God we must constantly seek to be more and more like him.

When Jesus gives a command it is for our benefit, and this is no exception. It is not a call to wear a celise and self-flagellate while wearing burlap. It is an acknowledgement that we are too frail to worry about everything, and it was Christ’s intent to unburden us from the world’s way of thinking.

Seek God, make wise decisions, and bear with cheerful endurance your hardships. This exemplifies what soon to be renowned philosopher C. McLaughlin calls the “freedom of constraint.” Accept this gift from Christ, you are free from sin, be free from worry. Trust God, fear him, and live in peace.

God Bless

                The Bible has its heroes, and it can be startling how often that modern Christians fail to resemble them. At the top of the list is Christ himself, God in man, who Christians are called not merely to emulate but to be in truth.

                This miracle is made possible by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Yet, many Christians refuse to acknowledge or even ignore this very fact.

                Another Biblical hero (but of necessarily less importance, infinitely so in fact) is King David. King David is given one of the Bible’s highest compliments “a man after God’s heart.” Yet as we look at the character of King David who is he.

                He is humble before God, both in his asking for forgiveness and his world view. Of the hundred and fifty psalms a startling amount are ascribed to David. Songs for every sort of occasion, songs for battle (Ps 18), and songs crying for help (Ps 23). Yet even deeper than the song is David’s heart that longed to create for the glory of his creator.

                Modern European-American society often misses this fact in its obsession with leisure. Where is the ancient idea that leisure exists for work? Where is the longing for study and intellectual development? Where is the desire to create?
                The Navajos historically have had the same drive. There is a saying that the poorest Navajo is the one with no songs. The emphasis is not on experience, but on creation. Beautiful sand-paintings created in hours are wiped away in a moment. This beauty is created for creation’s sake. When will Christian’s create for their creator’s sake again?

                When will Christian artists stop being the minority and become the majority. God’s gifts are given for his glory not for personal gain. All things are to be received with thanksgiving. Christians, create and create boldly, remember who gave you your gifts. Remember that God’s glory and not financial gain are our motivators. You cannot serve both God and money.

I’ve had the good fortune to be alive for twenty four years, many people have had such good fortune but many do not. Since the odds of reaching twenty four appear to be about fifty-fifty (depending on where you live) it seems only fair for brief reflections.

I came to the conclusion some time ago that Christianity, Kung Fu, and really all forms of artistry have one thing in commong: the quest for perfection. Christians find perfection in the perfect blood of Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, we are commanded to live “above reproach” in all that we do.

I think most Christians don’t understand the implications of this, or strive to attain it (I didn’t for a long time), but this really means one thing: try to be perfect. Now, I know that’s impossible. Only God is perfect and a Christian’s perfection is the result of the grace of Jesus Christ. Sometimes we use that as an excuse to stop trying. “I’m already saved, I’m a fallen being, I’m going to mess up.”

It’s true, odds are you will mess up. You don’t have to though, or it wouldn’t be a command. What am I getting at? Christians tend to roll through life being content to look like the world, and they miss a golden opportunity.

What if every Christian tried to be perfect, not just from sin, but from everything. What if you looked at every memo, every swept floor, every bit of art as an act of worship to God. What if you looked at everything through the lens of: I am perfect in God’s eyes, I will attempt to make everything I do perfect in the world’s eyes as well. Then, when you receive glory, give it back to Christ.

My sister is an artist and a sketcher. She’s an artist because she’s dedicated to perfecting a craft, she’s a sketcher because she does sketching. One of my favorite memories was flipping through her sketchbook and seeing page after page of hands. She spent hours drawing the same set of hands again and again and again. She wanted them to be perfect. She understood what “above reproach” meant.

Above reproach doesn’t mean wihtout criticism it means not allowing any basis for criticism. We will never attain this, but in seeking it we will become more and more reliant on God, and we will understand how amazing his perfect grace is.

Attack everything in your life in a way that mimics Christ, not just your overtly religious practices. Cook breakfast, try art, encourage, and work towards that perfection that you received for free from God. When you make a mistake, laugh at your frailty, thank God for his mercy, and attack with renewed vigor.

God gave us the precious gift of salvation, the least we can do is honor him because of it.

There is a trend I’ve noticed in the Christian Walk for those that become Christian’s early in life. If your parents pour into your faith (or someone does), you tend to trend upwards in your faith and get closer and closer to God. Then something happens and your faith can drop off entirely.

Some people never get beyond this point and some do. For some people, God reaches in and plucks them from that low point and they start on a new hill and it feels like walking the same path but fully awake. That was my experience anyway.

I’m hit by the fact as life goes on of how necessary, how vital, the Bible is. Most people subconsciously compare everything they experience with whatever they fill their life in. For a lot of people it’s the shows they watch on television. I’ve learned that if you focus on God’s word, everything starts getting compared to what you see. Every sin, every broken moment, every bit of joy. It all gets lined up against the foundation of scripture and, slowly, the way you think begins to change.

After reading through the Bible in a year twice (going on my third year), I’m starting to feel the same feeling you get on a good long walk. Aches come to the surface as I remember all the foolish things I’ve said or thought or felt. Yet they’re good aches now, because I know to avoid these pits. At the same time, I know many more aches are yet to come and I can’t wait to finally get home, but not for awhile most likely. In the meantime, I’ll walk with God as long as it takes.

Last night I stood on a dark evening around a fire pit at one of Hume Lake’s “victory circles.” Tall pines crowded around we few men who were left at the end of the evening. As the faint coals settled down a rock was skipped across the surface sending an eruption of sparks skyward toward the stars.

C.S. Lewis aptly stated that we were never meant to be satisfied here. Our home is eternity either with God or without him. For many of us that means days spent in dissatisfaction. Everything about our lives is frustrated with time. Still, for so many Christians as time wears on hope draws closer.

If God meant eternity to be home, it should be welcomed. What could be more joyous for the Christian than to spend an eternity worshipping God with those who love him as we do. Each of us wonderfully unique, each of us fulfilling distinct purposes, each of us lovingly crafted by a holy savior to glorify him. It is the glimmer of hope at the end of things that God will gather all unto himself and we will be together again. From the friends who make the journey over years and years to the newborn Christians who stands and declares his repentance to God. A face I have never seen, but will one day recognize before God.

Solomon aptly stated that “the end of the thing is better than its beginning.” For everything that is temporal is made to end and everything that is eternal is burdened by that. Ecclesiastes VII 8.

So now early in November I’m beginning a study of the book of John. I like John a lot because the narrative seems a lot less stilted and very real. The portrayal of each of the figures, including Jesus, seem real instead of wooden. Because I enjoyed the first chapter so much I’ll give my literary impression of what’s going on.

First you have John (the gospel gets right to the point) and he’s out preaching. Some religious leaders send servants to John who is out doing his thing. They ask him “Are you the messiah?” he says “no.” They ask, “Are you Elijah?” and he says “no.” They ask “are you the prophet?” and he says “no.” You can almost feel an awkward pause as they ask “Who are you then?” John simply replies that he is the messenger spoken about in Isaiah, he is there to proclaim God’s messiah. The servants than ask why he’s baptizing people if he’s not Elijah, the Christ, or a Prophet. John responds, “Look, I’m just baptizing with water. Someone higher than me is coming and he’ll baptize people with the Holy Spirit.”

The next verses have Jesus coming to the river and John proclaims that this is the messiah; he says he saw the spirit descend on Jesus like a dove and heard God proclaim that Jesus was his son.

The next day John sees Jesus again and says “There’s the lamb of God.” Immediately, two of John’s disciples leave him and follow Jesus instead. I like this image because at this point John has done his job, he proclaimed Christ. These two disciples got it; John was who they needed to follow until they met the Messiah, after that following John would be pointless. One of them, Andrew, goes and gets his brother and says “hey we found the Messiah.” Simon comes to Jesus and Jesus gives him his nickname of “Peter.”

The next day Jesus calls Phillip, who lived in the same town as Andrew and Peter. Philip goes home and gets his brother, his brother is skeptical, but Philip convinces him to come along and at least check things out. When Nathanael, Philip’s brother, is seen by Jesus, Jesus goes “here’s a guy with no deceit in his life.” Nathanael asks “how do you know me?” Jesus replies, “Before your bother got you, you were sitting under a fig tree, I saw you there.” Nathanael immediately proclaims Jesus’s divinity. I love Jesus’s response; he goes “Really? You believe because I saw you under a fig tree. Come with me, you’ll see a lot cooler stuff than that.”

I don’t have a lot to comment on this other than the immense pleasure I took in reading this chapter.

These posts are out of order I know. This one is from almost a month ago instead of yesterday:

I was reading the story of Manasseh in 2 Chronicles 33 and I have to admit, this is one of the few times when a story in the Bible really hit me in a bittersweet way. Manasseh became king when his father Hezekiah died at the age of twelve. He undid everything good his father had done and led the people of Israel astray. He burned his son, he consorted with mediums and necromancers, he was involved in worshiping Baal and Asherim, and he even put an idol in the house of God.

God got Manasseh’s attention in a personal way. The Assyrians came and took everything including him to Assyria. It says they led him with hooks and chains. While he was there he called on God and God restored him. Manasseh humbled himself and was able to return home.

Once he was there he tried to make amends for all his past evil. He destroyed all the idols he had made. He destroyed the high places; he removed the idols from the house of God. He even tried to get the people to follow God.  It was too late, the people kept following their own way and Manasseh lived until age seventy-seven seeing his people worship other gods. He died having burned his own children and realizing his sin. He got to see his people lost. His son Ammon ascended to the throne and undid all the good that Manasseh had tried to do after his repentance.

God is merciful and God is just. Just because we repent of our sin and come back to God does not mean all the damage we caused will be undone. Our hearts should break for those who are so lost and do so much evil, God is angry with them. Even if they repent and ask forgiveness, they will be saved because God is good, but they will bear the burden of seeing the results of their actions.

I can’t think of any other way to end this but to say God is good, in him we all should place our hope and our trust.

My recent foray into studying the book of Daniel has given me a heightened interest in eschatology. I plan on recounting some of my thoughts here, but first some things warrant mentioning.

-          Even Daniel did not fully understand these things. The Bible tells us at the end of Daniel 7 that they disturbed him deeply, but he kept the matters in his heart. I don’t think we, as Christians, can ever hope to fully understand (or even begin to understand) prophecy unless God gives us understanding. To that end spend some time in prayer before you begin reading, I always find that I never learn much of anything without asking God for knowledge.

-          Special care must be taken to try not to bring in any outside material. I know it is tempting, especially in a Christian society so pervaded by materials on the rapture and tribulation to draw inferences from something “we think we heard.” This is a focus on the words of the Bible. If your conclusions on the end times are based on scripture or has strong scriptural evidence then it can be considered.

Let’s begin: Our journey begins in Daniel 7. Daniel has a vision a year after Belshazzar takes power where he sees a sea shaken by winds from heaven. Out of that turbulent sea four animals come out.

The first is like a lion and has wings; it loses the wings and gains the mind of a man. The second is a bear that is already devouring flesh and is told to do so still. The third is a four headed leopard with four wings and it is given dominion.

The last is a beast that has little description other than being terrible and having ten horns. From those a little horn comes and displaces three of the ten horns. This little horn has eyes and a mouth and we are told that it is “speaking great things.” (v.

That is the setting; next we see seats put out and the “Ancient of Days” (God for those of you who are unsure). Takes his seat, we get a brief description of him and his dominance and we learn that this is a court and God is taking a seat in judgment.

The last beast is then killed and burned. The other three lose their power but are allowed to stay alive for awhile. Then the “son of man” (should be a familiar term for those of you who have read the gospels) takes rulership and his kingdom lasts forever.

That is exactly what we are given in terms of the actual content of the dream. Daniel, who is as disturbed as most people who read this asks a nearby person what this all means.

He is told that the beasts are Kings (note that) and at the end of days the saints will have the kingdom that the beasts had.

Daniel asks about the fourth beast and the horn that seemed to take center-stage. Note in verse 21 that the little horn fights the saints and wins! He rules over them and is given dominion over them until God comes back. This isn’t to say we as Christians shouldn’t fight for what we believe in, but it does raise the issue that the only time our victory is assured is when God grants it. (This is already common knowledge it seems, but still important to remember).

Moving on, Daniel learns that the fourth beast is a kingdom. I find this interesting especially since it was referred to a king earlier. This may seem like an unimportant distinction but the fate of a nation and the fate of a ruler are very different things. For purpose of argument I will say that the terms are interchangeable and that the four beasts can be considered nations.

This fourth kingdom destroys the planet and all other kingdoms. There is either a ruling council of ten or a dynasty of ten kings. However, we know at least some of these rulers coexist because the little horn overthrows three of them.

Then this little horn, who is a ruler, (further evidence that the beasts represent kingdoms) speaks out against God and wears down the saints. This man will want to change the law and the times. I want to refrain from bringing political ideology into the discussion, but I think it is important to note that the ruler will be trying to do things a new way. The Bible than says that the saints will be given into his hand. Again, be ready for this. There is nothing wrong with being politically active, but I think Christians shouldn’t fool themselves. At some point we lose and the only thing that keeps us from being completely overcome is God’s intervention.

The Bible than refers back to the court of the most high who will judge the fourth beast and destroy him. It says his kingdom will be given to the saints.

Final point on this vision in Daniel; I do not believe that this kingdom refers to heaven. This is the kingdom that was ruled by the fourth beast. I do not believe we can theologically assert that the fourth beast who blasphemes God will ever rule in the kingdom of heaven. To my mind this is evidence for a period of rulership here on earth given to the saints.

Now. I wanted to keep away from “established” theories on eschatology until I reached the end of the chapter. I think the kingdom referred to here is referencing the millennial reign of God’s people, at some point.

I also note here that I see no evidence of rapture or that God’s people are not present for this persecution, popularly termed “tribulation.”

As my studies in eschatology continue I will not hesitate to compare the scripture to existing theories, but support for the traditional view of pre-tribulation rapture and then the millennial reign, I just don’t see it here.

Another excerpt of a letter. The personal content has been removed and this is the actual Theological debate:

I think at the heart of your point about arguing is a question “why is the argument taking place?” This is everything. Most people argue because they know they’re right and someone else is wrong, they throw out their arguments in an attempt to prove their own superiority. Often these discussions are fruitless and benefit no one. I don’t like them and I certainly don’t want to be a part of them. However, the more important and certainly more profitable form of argument is the argument to enhance learning. When I enter an argument I’m entering it to learn. Whether or not the other person agrees makes no difference to me. It was an incontrovertible fact that people can be shown beyond a reasonable doubt that Jesus Christ is Lord and still turn aside out of stubbornness. Arguing with people to prove a point is a pointless waste of time. There never were days when raw argument won converts to Christ and I doubt there will ever be those days. Occasionally a theologian, like C.S. Lewis will say that he became a Christian because he “ran out of arguments,” but note that those were arguments with himself not with another person.

Christians, on a whole, seem to forget that they have nothing to do with someone else’s salvation. No matter how hard you try you cannot win a single convert unless God had already made up his mind to save them. All of us would be nothing more than rebellious blind fools but for the mercy of a loving creator. If you rely on your own strength to save someone you care about than this statement should fill you with unbearable fear. On the other hand, if you rely on God realizing that fear is a sin that statement should fill you with hope. Why should man’s salvation be in the hands of man? Why would we want such a responsibility? Our job is to do what God says. Sometimes that means preaching the gospel, sometimes that means making tents so we can live above reproach (speaking of the apostle Paul of course).

So what am I getting at? I believe that missionary work is vital and necessary if God has called someone to it. I believe that God does unfathomable good through it. I also believe that empathy and argument are both part of God’s desire for his people. The glory of God is to hide truth, and sometimes to find that truth we need to subject our own view to scrutiny. Not everyone is gifted with a silver tongue, but you don’t need one to listen, to ask, and to learn.

In speaking on the gift of tongues I think you raise an excellent point, and my question would be: what do you value more: an overemphasis on the proper use of gifts that, at its worst, prevents them from being exercised, or an overemphasis on the allowance of gifts that, at its worst, allows them to be exercised improperly? My own convictions on tongues aside I don’t think the improper use of tongues is going to send anyone to hell. I also don’t believe that Christians are crippling themselves if they don’t want them practiced.

I actually attended another church this morning. The teaching was bible-focused and the worship seemed spirit-led. In addition the ages of the congregation were much closer than my own and this church was only three miles from my house. I still think I’ll attend the college group on Sunday nights as well as the Jr. High group on Wednesday (more on that later). I hate the drive, but I can’t place enough value on being around other believers.

I actually have a friend who lives an hour from campus, I go see him every few weeks. He and his wife are probably my closest friends in terms of relationship and distance. Unfortunately, that’s still quite a drive when I’m trying to network with people in the town at churches. Even without those friends though, God has been good about sustaining me and keeping me from feeling lonely. I stay busy; I get out in the evenings and go to coffee shops. This week I’m going to an improv comedy theater on Tuesday. I’ll have to let you know how it is.

The Jr. High group is where I’ve been choosing to minister lately. I was reading Isaiah and I’m struck at how much of an active hand believers are supposed to have at building God’s kingdom. They are called to clear roadways, build walls, call on God ceaselessly, and bring everyone back to the rebuilt kingdom. God really convicted me that I needed to get my hands dirty and keep in ministry even though I wasn’t at Hume Lake. I went the first week and they paired me up with a 60-year old ex-atheist academic. We had a group of about five kids and the topic was prayer. It’s amazing how much I missed it. I think that Christians need to realize that their spiritual life is the purpose of their existence and that everything else needs to support that. I’m not reading my Bible to survive law school (and thus allow skipping devotions for study), I’m going to law school so I can afford to study the Bible for the rest of my life. On that note, it is so important that I give God the first fruits of my time. The time when I’m most alert is when I should be spending time with God. Ministry is the same way, if I’m sacrificing ministry to work on a job I need to rearrange my priorities. (I believe the same thing would be true if I was raising a family. I have the job to support the family not the family to support the job). Too many people seem to forget this fact and that goes to a lot of the church’s problems.

Ah yes the doctrines of an eternal hell. I had a friend who believes that God would redeem Satan someday and he would enter paradise with God’s forgiveness. I just don’t believe this is true; angels have already gotten their chance. It is amazing when you read the prophets at the end of the Old Testament, just how much it can change your views of sin and how God views it. God doesn’t stop being angry at sin, he just directs it elsewhere. One word I’ve been trying to stamp out of my vocabulary is “hate” because for me I equate “hate” with desiring that particular object to exist in hell. If I really stop to think about it, I know that object probably does deserve it, but I certainly don’t want them to go there. The world is full of horrible people and we all deserve God’s wrath, but I think it should break our heart that the world is so dark and corrupt. The Bible talks about men of God living fearlessly and interceding for those who have no voice. All too often the view of the Christian man is the pasty white guy afraid of a conflict. What a travesty.

I think that the world is dark and dangerous and when it comes to our own lives we must submit to God, but I think that the world would at least have a more positive view of Christian men if they didn’t just feel bad about the mugging or the rape, but they would intercede for people who are victims when they see such things occurring. As a Christian our occupation is spiritual war, and this war is dangerous. It has consequences in the physical realm and the spiritual realm. We put on the armor of God, our equipment, and we go forth to do battle with spiritual forces and with the effects of those spiritual forces in the physical realm. As a Christian man we should beat our bodies and make them our slaves and train for combat. Not because we can increase our chances one bit of success, but because we honor God by being good soldiers. At the same time we have the opposite extremes of Christian men who do this and forget their duty to be loving, compassionate, sensitive, and sacrificial towards all others. They go on a macho he-man kick and forget the reason they were given their strength. Christian men and men in general need a wake up call. They need to prepare for battle and remember that they are called to emulate Christ who sacrificed himself to save others, loved all, and was never afraid to condemn sin while granting forgiveness to the sinner.