Monday, March 30, 2009

The Answer to the Question....Well, my answer anyway...

A special thanks to all who prayed for my student last week. She was at school Friday unharmed and safe. Praise to God for His protection and hearing the prayers of His children.

I said I would talk more about this. To be honest, I'm not really very sure that I'm qualified to. I've wrestled with whether or not to approach this subject because of my own uncertainties concerning it. But, if nothing else, I feel I need to be honest with the people that read this. So here goes nothing...

People are always asking this, no matter how many answers we come up with. "Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?" Why do two loving people who want children so badly have to deal with a miscarriage? Why does a man who loves his family and loved by everyone have to be taken by cancer? Why is it that even those who do everything that they are supposed to do experience tragedy and heartache?

I won't be so arrogant as to say that I know why or that my answer should settle the matter once and for all. But what I can share with you are some thoughts that I have (at times) found comforting. I'll be honest, even saying I believe these things, I don't always act like I do. And in the midst of a tragedy, chances are these are the first things I'll forget. But they are things that, whether I actively take stock in them or not, are true.

First of all, when it comes to tragedy, I need to consider my perspective. When Job felt like he had enough misery and told God as much, God's response was "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?" (Job 38:4) Now, this is just Bransonology, but I like to think that God's tone here is not so much "How dare you speak to me like that" but more so "Oh Job, my son, You just don't see what I can see." Either way, the point is valid. God has a much more informed perspective on how the world works than we do, considering He created the world. So when God allows bad things to happen, it is because from where He sits, He understands that ultimately allowing this thing to happen will be better for everyone in the long run.

And we may never understand exactly how that works out. I'm reminded of the fable of a butterfly beating its wings and ultimately starting a tornado. The butterfly has no way of knowing how something as simple as beating its wings will eventually cause a cataclysmic storm that can destroy everything it touches. The butterfly may not even be near the storm when it occurs. But that doesn't change the magnitude of the effects of its beating wings. Likewise, we may never get why God allows what He does in this world. But that doesn't change the fact that He is doing it for our benefit. Remember, we're creation #1, His favorite, His masterpiece. Anything He does to us or allows to happen to us, whether pleasant or painful, is for our benefit.

This isn't even close to all I want to say about this topic, but I want to keep these posts down to a readable size. I'll talk more about his next time. Meanwhile, remember that we don't see what God sees, and if He allows something to happen, it is because the alternative would be so much worse.

Feel free to comment or ask questions. I'm always here.

Keep Soaring,

B

Friday, March 27, 2009

God is Good....

Just a quick update. The girl that had been reported missing came to school today. All is well. Praise the LORD.

More on this next week.

Keep Soaring,

B

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

A missing teenage girl...

I'm not sure how many confidentiality rules I'm about to break, but to be honest I don't really care.

I just found out that one of my Algebra II students never made it home from school yesterday. Her parents have no idea where she is. Neither do the police or the teachers. Please pray that they find her safe and unharmed.

Thanks to all for your prayers. If I learn anything more, I'll update.

Keep Soaring,

B

Monday, March 23, 2009

What your definition of "is" is...

Not that I enjoy reliving embarrassing moments in American History, but I'm sure we all remember the famous line Bill Clinton gave us when trying to avoid a question. He said, "It depends on what your definition of 'is' is." For reasons that I may never truly understand, I thought of this today. And it reminded me of a situation in the Bible where another person was trying to get by on a technicality.

A guy went up to Jesus and asked the big question, the same question that has started altar calls and invitations for centuries since, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus responds by quoting the ten commandments. And the man answers, "Got it covered. Been doin' that stuff since I was a kid." Jesus then says, "Okay great!! One more thing and you're set. Go sell everything you have, give it to the poor, and then follow me." At this point, the man suddenly has better things to do than worry about eternal life. As he leaves, Jesus says something pretty hard to swallow. "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven." (This can be found in Mark 10:17-31).

Now, when the man asked Jesus about what he had to do, Jesus didn't suddenly create the eleventh commandment. He was trying to show the rich young man that he had the wrong idea about how things work. The ten commandments, along with the rest of the law, weren't meant to be a checklist of "What I need to do to get into heaven." The law was meant to show us that we can't cut it on our own, that we need Christ in order to meet God's standard of perfection.

So what was the point of telling him to sell his stuff and give it up to the poor? Jesus was addressing the man's heart, and his heart was for his money. Technically, he kept the commandments, but he toed the line, maybe even crossed the line, when it came to his desire for wealth.

So, being a follower of Christ isn't about a list of do's and don't's. It's not a question what we can and can't do. Its an issue of the heart. We should ask ourselves, "Is the way I am living pointing me and others to Christ, or away from Him?" And we can't find an answer by checking on our church attendance, tithe contributions, abstaining from vices, or dedication to spiritual disciplines. Don't get me wrong; these things are important. But they aren't what defines how close we are to Christ.

I think it was Joshua Harris that said that purity is a direction to walk in, not a line to be toed. I would say its the same with our relationship to Christ. We're not good Christians because we meet certain criteria or bad Christians because we don't. But its more about whether or not we're willing to get rid of anything, even good things, to get closer to Christ. If listening to secular music doesn't affect you're spiritual walk, then don't throw away all your Nickelback CDs and spend lots of money on Third Day music. If your activeness in church events has you neglecting your time with God and your time with your family, then its time to cut back on how much you're volunteering. Don't ask "Am I doing enough?" because the answer will always be no. Instead, ask "am I heading in the right direction?" And if you are, then God will work out all the other stuff in time.

As always, feel free to comment or ask questions. I'm always here.

Keep Soaring,

B

Monday, March 16, 2009

Everything is pointless and then you die...

So did I get your attention with the title? I hope so. :-) I've been waiting a long time to hear from the LORD exactly what I needed to share next. I had planned on speaking about Sundays, but something just didn't seem quite right about it. And then this weekend happened, where I spent practically the entire weekend in front of a computer screen playing video games. And suddenly, and I hate to admit it, to my own concivtion, I had what I needed to share. (Btw, video games are addictive....even the cheap $10 ones with puzzles that shouldn't be so hard to solve but are.)

Have you ever noticed how all throughout life we trade one pursuit for the other? We spend most of our childhood struggling to get the grades we need to graduate high school. Then, much like the game of life, we either go straight into the workforce or go to college and then to the workforce, but ultimately its about finding a career that will support you. Then it becomes all about advancing in that career so that you can work less for more money. Then it becomes about having enough stuff to be comfortable enough because of all the money you're making. And then once you've finally achieved the ultimate comfort, and you have everything you ever wanted, you do one of two things. You either wait until you die, or you find something else you don't have that you want and chase it.

I don't know about you, but all that seems extremely depressing. I can either look forward to a life filled with endless pursuits that I'll never ultimately achieve, or I can look forward to sitting and waiting to die. This is where some people pipe in and say, "But its not the destination, its the journey." I say to that, BULL!! What point is there in pursuing something if you never get it? If I pursue my wife and never obtain her heart, then why bother pursuing at all? If I spend my life working to get to the top only to be disappointed when I get there, then why go to the top at all? If I buy all the possessions that I could ever want, and at the end of the day become bored with them and want more, then why bother getting the stuff to start with? Is there anything in life I can pursue that once I achieve it, I will be truly content and happy and not want anything beyond it?

Thankfully, yes. A very rich and wise man named Solomon, thousands of years ago, ran an experiment. He decided, since he was so rich, that he would deny himself nothing. He increased his wealth to unimaginable gain, he built building after building in his name so that he would be remembered, he married woman after woman and had even more concubines so that he was never bored with his sex life, and he even was a king, so he knew the joys of being at the top of the totem pole. And after all that, after living a life of luxury and indulgence, do you know what he said mattered the most? "Fear God and keep his commandments" (Ecclesiastes 12:13). That's it. Of all that you can do with life, the only thing that will ever bring you joy and contentment that will not leave once you have achieved it is to fear God and keep his commandments.

So, when people talk about God being "the center of your life," and how you should "love nothing more than you love God, not even your family," and when asked why that answer is "because God is God and He said so," it goes deeper than that. God is not some needy co-dependent clingy person that constantly needs reassurance. And He is not a self-centered glory hog who wants to be the center of attention all the time. Remember, we're God's favorite creation, and ultimately He wants the best for us. And He knows that the only way we are ever going to have a happiness that lasts and does not pass with time is to be completely focused on Him. So when He says, "Focus on me. Do what I say. Love me and only me. Forsake everything else," He's saying that because He knows He is the only thing that can provide the contentment that you're seeking.

And btw, I find that when I love God more, its a cascade effect. The more I love God, the more His love fills me, so the more I love my wife and my family and my friends and my job and my life and even my dog Samson. So really, the best way to love anybody is to love God first, and then His love will overflow into the other areas of your life.

Feel free to comment or ask questions. I'm always here.

Keep Soaring,

B

PS: A special thanks to Bro. Clifton for your "Thoughts on blogging" post...I feel better about letting so much time slip between my posts. And a most sincere apology to my wife....video games are my Achilles heel.

Friday, March 6, 2009

A lesson in physical science...

When I was in high school, my physics teacher Mr. Ironsmith was known for two things (at least that I can remember): being a very hard teacher and telling great jokes. I remember one lesson where he was describing to us the concept of density. He put in front of him two bricks wrapped in construction paper. He passed one brick around so that everyone could feel how heavy it was, meanwhile explaining how density is based on mass and volume. The brick was pretty heavy. Once everyone had inspected the first brick, he took the second one, and with all his might, threw it at us. We cringed and jumped to get out of the way, but there wasn't a need. The brick fell to the ground without so much as a thud, because it was made out of nothing but construction paper and styrofoam. Even though they both looked heavy, on the inside one was much lighter than the other.

It works the same way with us when it comes to our actions. We seem preprogrammed to measure our progress towards being like Christ based on what we do--how many times we go to church, how much we drop in the offering plate, how many times we slip up and say things we shouldn't. And if we find ourselves not making the cut time after time again, we start to get this idea in our heads that says, "I'm just not cut out for this stuff. I'm not strong enough or good enough to be what I'm supposed to be." But the truth is, God isn't as much concerned with what we do as He is with where our hearts are. Regardless of whether we mess up once or a thousand times a day, we mess up. Nothing changes that. But what matters is our response to it. Is it repentance and dedication to get up and try again? Or is it to just sit and wallow in our defeat (or apathy) and not even bother trying next time?

C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity talks about the attitudes that, little by little, turn our souls toward heaven or hell. He says that there can be just as much malice in an act of hatred that tells a falsehood about a friend as there is in one that causes the bloodshed of thousands. I would take it a step further. I would go so far as to say that a man who kills a thousand people, if he is truly repentant and tries to turn from his ways, whether he is successful or not, is closer to Christ than a church going deacon who lies about his brother and has no intention of changing his heart. In God's eyes, the actions mean nothing; only the heart that at least attempts to make things right matters.

My point is this--when I find myself failing God again and again, instead of wallowing in defeat for the evil that is in my heart, I should let go of what has happened, pick myself up, and try again. And even if I fall a million more times, so long as I am truly repentant and give it my best the next time around, then I am still just as much walking towards Christ as I ever have been. Like David said in his psalm, "the sacrifices God desires are a humble spirit--O God, a humble and repentant heart you will not reject" (Psalm 51:17).

So if the reason you see yourself as an outcast is because you feel less than the others around you and you think you're a "bad person," let me fill you in on a secret. We're all bad people; that's why we need Jesus. You're no worse off than anyone else. And to be the "good person" that you think you need to be, all you have to do is be repentant and try to do better. God's grace takes care of the rest.

Feel free to comment or ask questions. I'm always here.

Keep Soaring,

B

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

"It's okay....I can take it..."

You'll have to forgive me, because the geek in me is really going to come out on this one...

I watch Heroes avidly. Rain or shine, good season or writer's strike, busy or not--my eyes will be glued to the TV every Monday night at 8 PM. Judge me how you will, but I cannot deny it. ;-)

I remember a particular episode when Claire--a teenage girl who discovers that she can heal incredibly fast, even to the point of growing back severed limbs--and her mother found themselves trapped by a man who could control people's bodies much like a puppeteer. The problem--he was also very very sadistic. He forces the women to sit at a table and play a game of Russian Roulette. Then Claire gets an idea. If she gets shot, she won't die. It will hurt like nothing else, but she won't die. So, when fate hands them a good card and Claire's mom gets the gun, Claire looks at her and says, "Its okay, Mom. It's okay."

I forget how the scene ends exactly (the good guys win of course), but I think it's a pretty good illustration of what we've been talking about. Let's recap (see previous posts if this is your first time here): God is loving and just, which puts Him in a precarious position, because we, his favorite creation, are all guilty of breaking His law. So, while it pains Him to do it, He has to punish us. But thankfully, God is God, and He had a better idea. He sent us Jesus.

Without getting too deep into theological discussions (unless you want to go there!!), Jesus came to us as God in the flesh, and lived a perfect life. He never did, said, thought, or otherwise committed anything that was even close to breaking God's standard. But despite all that, He still died a horrible death. He was wrongfully accused of trying to start a rebellion and nailed to a cross. After He died, He was buried in a tomb for three days. But on that third day, He came back from the dead and went back to Heaven where He came from.

I know it's a crazy sounding story, but its all true (check out The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel if you're skeptical). Here's what it means to us: Jesus was truly a righteous man, and the death He received was undeserved. That means that the punishment that was given to Him had no sin paired with it to be punished for. Compare that with us, who have sins to be punished, but so far God has stayed His hand and not delivered it yet. So what did God do? What a loving and just God would do--He took the punishment given to Jesus and applied it to our sins. So, basically, we're the ones who broke the law, but it was Jesus who got punished for it. This is extremely unfair for Jesus, but it works. Now, because of Him, God's need to punish us is taken care of. We're set free from the results of our own law-breaking actions.

There is only one catch. In order for all of this to work, you have to completely believe it. Here's what that looks like: You have to admit that you needed Jesus to come down and die in your place to start with. You have to understand that because Jesus died, now you don't have to. And you have to be willing to do things God's way from now on--because Jesus' death was not a get out of jail free card, it was a second chance to do things right.

Those are the basics of what 99% of all Christianity is based on--Jesus coming and dying in our place for things that we did. From here, I want to start discussing some of the things that you have questions about. This is where you get to share what you've experienced, and hopefully, with the Bible and a little wisdom from God, I can try and patch up some of the holes that have been left. Feel free to comment on what I've said already or ask questions about other topics. Anything goes. Email and comment boxes are ready.

Keep Soaring,

B