Trevor Noah, Racism, and Judas Iscariot

One thing that Trevor Noah said we should do with our oppressors is something that Jesus actually did with Judas Iscariot

In a recent op-ed for the New York Times, South African comedian and TV show host Trevor Noah wrote about his view of racism in the US, and not everyone was pleased with it. A recent BuzzFeed article stated that his recent comments "suggest a profound misunderstanding of the way racism works in America."

One argument was that it is wrong to think that people should “break bread” with those who have oppressed them. As a Christian I must ask not only what would Jesus do, but also what Jesus actually did in similar situations. We must remember that Judas’ betrayal came at no surprise to Jesus. Despite this knowledge, Jesus still continued to spend time with him (literally breaking bread with him), and even during the very act of betrayal called him “friend”. How do we apply this example to our own lives? The answer is simple, but not easy.

What we need to do is spend time with those who hold views that differ from ours. Doing this does not give credence to their views, but rather gives evidence of their value as a person (which is often the root cause of discrimination). As professed followers of Christ we should, well, follow His example in how He treated others, especially those who meant to do Him harm. He treated them with respect with the goal of eventually bringing them into a saving relationship with Him.

At the same time we must be realistic that this process will often be arduous and heart-breaking. This should not cause us to waver in our resolve to win others for Christ. Look what Jesus went through for us, shouldn't we at least give others the same chances He gives us?

Focusing Our Energies

We only have so much time and energy. As Christians only one area deserves the bulk of those resources.

If you follow this blog, you know that I am concerned about how Christians as individuals and the church at large should be relating to government. Last night as I was scrolling through my Twitter feed, I found an article retweeted by Univision's Jorge Ramos. Written by a South African Journalist, it talked about what the press can expect from a President Trump, and how they should deal with it. This got me thinking once again about my role a Christian in this upcoming presidency. What should I be concerned with, and what should I do?

The Benefit of Focus

 

As I mentioned in my previous post, doing something is much better than doing nothing, but we still need to be intelligent as to how we use our time and energy. Better to put a lot of energy into one area, than to spread yourself too thin. Think of it this way, if you take a sewing needle and push it into a piece of fabric, it doesn't take a lot of force to push it through. When we focus even a small amount of energy into a precise area it can be quite effective. As a parent of small children, I don't have a lot of time to spare, and I would venture a guess that many of you also have some committments that are non-negoitable. So that being said, in what area should we focus our energies?

Where Should We Focus?

 

For me there is only one area that should receive the bulk of my energy, and that is the building up of God's kingdom. Sadly, I have to clarify what I mean by that statement. I say "sadly" because many people are under the dangerous misconception that expanding God's kingdom involves greater political influence. Their goals are to put "Christian" politicans into office and pass laws that enforce their personal beliefs. The Biblical view of God's kingdom tends to be quite different.

The passage in the Scriptures commonly referred to as The Gospel Comission goes as follows,

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 NIV)

As a Christian, that is my mandate, and that should be the focal point of my energies. All other goals should either be secondary or non-existent. How do we put that thought into practice? The answer is simpler that you may think.

How Do We Put Our Focus Into Practice?

Jesus told His first disciples, and us, to make people followers of Him, and to teach others what He has taught them. The only way we can truly accomplish those goals for others is to accomplish those goals first for ourselves. To be a follower of Jesus, one must first know Who He is. Where did He focus His attention? What did He do with His time? While there are many good books about Jesus, the best is, of course, the Bible. Begin first with those parts of the Bible that focus on His life and expand from there. With much of the world now turning their attention to the story of His birth, there is no better time than now to start striving for that goal.

So what are you waiting for?

Now What?

A brief guide on what to do in a post-election America.

This past presidential election has highlighted many divides in the United States. Now that the election is over a growing realization is settling in that we have to still live with each other. I have been thinking quite a bit as to the pain I have seen displayed on Facebook, and I posted my thoughts there regarding that subject. I garnered many positive responses to that post, but positive online responses mean very little without concrete actions to accompany them. So with that in mind, I will share some actions that we need to take. These will be from a Christian perspective, but even those without this perspective will most likely find something helpful.

Pray

 

The Bible states that we should "Pray without ceasing." Without prayer even the most well-intentioned response can can easily go awry. If for no other reason prayer is beneficial because it causes us to slow down and let our minds process the flood of information and emotions that bombard us. We need to keep in mind that prayer is much more than listing our grievances. It should involve a great deal of listening to what God has to say to us. While we're at, we should also do a lot more listening to each other.

Listen

 

Some of my Facebook posts led to someone (with views different than mine) contacting me privately regarding my motivation for posting the articles/videos that I did. This led to a conversation in which we came to the agreement that a major problem was that many people simply talk past each other instead of attempting to see the world from the other persons/groups point of view. Listening doesn't mean that you have to compromise your views, it simply shows others the respect that you would like them to show to you. You might be surprised to discover causes that both of you agree should be defended.

Defend Causes Not Candidates

 

Christianity has been done a great disservice by religious leaders that feel the need to promote one candidate or one political party over the other. Such pandering to political power causes many to think that Christians care primarily about winning elections instead of winning souls. I see no where in the Scriptures where Christians are told to aspire to political power. Doing so only corrupts both institutions, with Christianity taking the brunt of the damage. (Something I wrote about in previous posts.) Defending causes can be done in many ways, but the most obvious way is to . . .

Donate Time and Money

 

Your first priority should be your place of worship because let's face facts, the problems we face in this world cannot be solved by political means. Changes in attitudes come only through changes of the heart, and the best conduit of that change at least should be places of worship. If you discover that your religious leaders hold views that you believe to be wrong, talk with them. If you don't get satisfactory answers to your questions and concerns, prayerfully consider finding somewhere else to worship. However, don't give up on God altogether. The Devil often uses corrupt leaders to drive people away from God. Don't allow yourself to fall into that trap. There may also be other organizations that you're interested in supporting outside of your place of worship. You should support them as well with your time and money. If you can't support them in those ways, show your support online. Also, let's not forget another way to show your support is to . . .

Contact your Political Representatives

 

I put this one last for the reason I mentioned in the previous section, political action will only take you so far. However, that doesn't mean that you should totally neglect this avenue. Find out who your representatives are and contact them, and don't forget your local ones. The best way to get your message across is to go old school: telephone calls and snail mail. Electronic means of communication will generate an electronic response, often automatically. The higher level of interaction the greater the impact.

Whatever You Do, Do Something

We find ourselves at a key point in history, and our actions determine not only our future on this world, but also in the world to come. Regardless of your views of Jesus, one thing we can agree on is that He wasn't lazy. He went about doing good. For His professed followers to be spectators to this country's and this world's suffering does a disservice to the name of Christ, and should not be tolerated. So as you go about doing good, encourage others to do the same, and hopefully we can help bring an end to this suffering once and for all.

Fighting the Bad Fight

Christianity's ongoing battle with atheism and secularism is not only misguided, but also not what God intended for His church.

I recently heard a story about the evangelist Billy Graham. What piqued my interest was how almost overnight he transitioned from relative unknown to household name. One day he showed up to the tent where he was holding a series of meetings and discovered a gaggle of news reporters who were eagerly writing down everything he said. When he inquired as to what caused all this interest, he discovered that he had caught the eye of media mogul William Randolph Hearst, and the rest, as we say, is history. Mr. Hearst never divulged the reason for his interest in Graham, but the historian who was telling the story stated that it had a lot to do with current world events, namely the rise of communism as a world power.

You see, the Soviet Union had successfully test fired a nuclear bomb, and Mao Zedong had recently taken over China. Communism now posed a real threat to the American way of life, or at least that is how many perceived it. Atheism being one of the main tenets of Communism, a key way to fight against it was a revival of religion in the United States. Hearst most likely saw in Graham a person who could spearhead such a revival. This revival that Graham participated in came about in a large part as a means to counteract the perceived encroachment of atheistic communism. Religion (i.e. the Judeo-Christian belief system) was essentially a weapon meant to ward off those who would seek to undermine American ideals.

The popularity of "this Christianity as a weapon" concept has in a large part caused the downfall of true Biblical Christianity because it has made the religion popular again on a grand scale. Christianity was never meant to be popular. The Roman emperor Constantine's supposed conversion did more damage than all the persecution up to that point because by making Christianity popular it brought in a sense of entitlement. This sense of entitlement causes adherents to the religion to do whatever it takes to preserve their popularity, including countless atrocities committed in the name of God, but more subtly it causes Christians to be on the continual lookout for battles to fight as a means of promoting the Christian brand.

One can hardly escape hearing about some ideological battle that Christians are fighting: creation vs. evolution, the "War on Christmas", abortion, gay marriage, the list goes on and on, all the while neglecting Jesus' words and example to the contrary. A prime example is His declaration to "be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world." That's right, Jesus said that He has overcome the world, meaning that we don't have to, so why do we insist on trying to accomplish such a feat?

When Jesus was on the earth, His focus was on relieving people from religious oppression, not secular oppression, so why do His professed followers focus so much on the secular aspect? The simple answer is that it is easier to look out than to look within. Personal attacks are much easier to accomplish than personal growth because growth requires sacrifice, and sacrifice is uncomfortable. Despite the fact that Jesus sacrificed not only His comfort, but also His very life, we would rather give up as little as possible and attack those who threaten our comfortable way of life.

You can probably see where I'm going here. For multiple reasons, the professed followers of Christ have decided to go against His teachings and as a result are trying to compensate for the church's shortcomings by attacking those outside of the church; the very ones Jesus told us we should be trying to reach.

Now is high time for Christians to stop fighting the bad fight of unbelief and start fighting the good fight of faith, and see what wonders God will work in our lives and in the lives of others.

Ich Bin Adolf?

Adolf as a Child, Courtesy: wikipedia.com

Genocidal dictators aren't born, they're created, and they started out being a lot like you and me.

I recently viewed a documentary on the beginning of World War II, which of course talked a great deal about Adolf Hitler, and a somewhat disturbing thought came to mind; Adolf was once a regular person. Curious as to whether the facts support this thought or not, I did a little research.

A Regular Person

According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Adolf was born into a middle-class Catholic family. He pursued a career as an artist despite his family's insistence that he join the army. After his parents died, he bounced around quite a bit, supporting himself with his art until eventually joining the army in World War I. Most importantly, up until the end of WWI, his racism was nothing extraordinary, keeping in line with much of the general public at that time.


A Single Step

At this point you may be asking yourself, "What does this have to do with me? I'm nothing like Hitler." Sure, almost nobody goes to bed a law-abiding, tolerant person, and then wakes up a hate-filled mass-murderer. It's a process that one goes through. As the saying goes, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Many times that single step is a step in the wrong direction.

Jesus stated in His famous Sermon on the Mount that thoughts have the same weight as actions because thoughts are that first step. One does not set out to murder without first nurturing hatred to a person or group of people. Young Adolf got caught up the wrong crowd that encouraged the negative parts of his character, and the rest, as they say, is history. Sadly, history has a way of repeating itself.

Swimming Against the Current

Even one with only a passing knowledge of current events can see that there is a lot of hatred going around. Aside from those atrocities that make the national and international news, people are being killed everyday simply because they are different. Beyond that, the world-wide web often becomes a forum for people to spew hate-filled diatribes against those who simply disagree with their views. With hatred such as this being so prevalent, it's easy to allow yourself to go with the flow. In order to not be changed by that hate, one must swim against the current of popular opinion, even when that popular opinion has seemingly good intentions.

No God Zones

In a must-read article on the British website the Telegraph, Cristina Odone voices her valid concern about the potential creation of "no God zones" in which no public religious display will be allowed because such display might provoke an attack. The discrimination would be for their own protection. She continues by pointing out those who have taken steps in the wrong direction.

Secularists once sought only a separation between Church and State; today they want to purge all signs of religion from all public space: the staff at Charlie Hebdo said they did not want to hear the bells of Notre Dame mourning their colleagues’ murders. Salman Rushdie weighed in, saying religion, as a "maedieval form of unreason", is the enemy.

Instead of simply religious extremists being the problem, religion itself becomes the problem, and it doesn't take much imagination to see where that mindset can take you.

The Right Path

Young Adolf took such a mindset to the next level and ended up being one of the most reviled people in history. He kept nurturing that hatred until it controlled him. There is no room for such hatred in the Christian, even in small amounts. So I challenge you to make the right choices, to choose the right path. Such a choice will be difficult, but remember this, you can do all things through Christ Who gives you strength.

Just A Game?

Courtesy blog.apimages.com

Why people, especially Christians, should rethink how they view sports.

They stood in stunned silence, some openly wept, while others cried silently. An elderly man comforted a small girl. Many who saw the event on television left the room in tears, unable to bear the sight. What had these people seen? A terrorist attack? A mass shooting? The assassination of a beloved dignitary? Sadly, none of the above. They witnessed the Brazilian football (soccer) team lose badly in the quarterfinals of the World Cup.

There was one picture of a woman that pushed me over the edge. Seen out of context one would have thought that she had received the news that her child had been brutally murdered. I thought that something is out of control here, something must be done. Therefore I decided to write this post because as the saying goes, better to light a candle than simply curse the darkness. The following are a few reasons why I think that people, especially Christians, should rethink how they view sports in general.

Loss of Perspective

I put this one at the top of the list because it provides a foundation for all the other issues. Sports easily becomes the highest priority in people's lives. So that if our favorite team or individual wins or loses, we win or lose. Everything else becomes less important then the game or match. Vince Lombardi, a famous coach of American football is quoted as saying, "Winning isn't everything. It's the only thing." Such an attitude goes completely against one of the primary tenets of Christianity (as well as Judaism) which is "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." God should be the primary focus in a person's life, anything that tries to take one's focus off of God should be avoided.

Waste of Time/Money


It's no secret that there is a lot of money in sports. CNBC reported that Brazil spent over 11 billion dollars (US) on its preparation for the latest World Cup. Sadly, such spending is not too far from normal. Alongside the massive spending of major organizations comes the individual spending of those who watch the games and/or buy sport-related merchandise. In a world with so much need on so many levels, can we honestly say that God is happy when we spend money on things that merely entertain ourselves?

Some may say that they don't spend any on sports. They don't buy merchandise, go to games, or even host game-watching parties, they simply watch the games for free. However, in so doing, they spend a much more valuable resource, time. Money spent can be earned back, but time spent is lost forever. Again, how can God be happy when we spend time on things that merely entertain ourselves?

Us versus Them

Finally, sports creates an "us vs. them" mindset with our favorite team being against your favorite team, and ultimately me against you. I've written on this mindset before (here and here), so I won't go into much detail other than to say that I have experienced this first hand both in person and via social media. What makes this worse is that all the people involved in the confrontations, taunting, and general unChristlike behavior I witnessed claimed to be followers of Christ. People already talk too much about the hypocrisy of Christians, do we really need to add fuel to the fire?

Think About It

I hope this post has gotten you thinking. What we see and do ultimately affects who we are. Do we really need to spend so much time, energy, etc. on sports? I'll let you come to your own conclusion on the matter. I hope that you come to the right one and start living a life less influenced by the sporting world.

The Worries of This Life

Courtesy of cupofjoe.tv

The worries of this life don't have to be obstacles to spiritual growth.

"The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful."  Matthew 13:22

In the well-known (at least among Christians) parable of the sower. Jesus stated a number of different types of ground that the seed fell upon and what happened to the seed as a result of falling on that ground. The portion of the parable regarding the seed falling on the thorny ground came to my mind recently, and I remembered a valuable lesson as a result.

Recently I have found myself in a situation that you may find familiar. Inspiration comes, and a mode of perceived spiritual growth begins, only to be interrupted by complaining children, bills to be paid, messes to clean up, etc. These mundane, everyday tasks were inhibiting my spiritual growth, or were they?

The realization came that the worries of this life don't have to choke one's spiritual life. In fact, these interruptions can be a means of enhancing spirituality if one simply approaches them not as interruptions, but as opportunities to improve your spiritual life (in my case by attending to them without griping and complaining). The worries of this life weren't the problem, I was because I approached them from the wrong perspective.

So keep this in mind as you go about your day, and feel free to leave a comment in the comment section.

[Devotional] The Joy of Giving

Here's another one of those devotionals that I first mentioned in my previous post.  Be blessed.

The Joy of Giving
by Mary Southerland

Today’s Truth

2 Corinthians 9:7 (NCV): "Each one should give as you have decided in your heart to give. You should not be sad when you give, and you should not give because you feel forced to give. God loves the person who gives happily."

Friend to Friend

One of my favorite authors, Richard Foster, writes, "Giving with glad and generous hearts has a way of routing out the tough old miser within us. Even the poor need to know that they can give. Just the very act of letting go of money, or some other treasure, does something within us. It destroys the demon greed." God loves to see us give for no other reason than the joy of giving.

The true story is told of a self-made millionaire who had lived in New York City his entire life. Born and raised in a ghetto, he worked hard and achieved much. Anyone who knew this man would testify to the fact that he was generous--to a fault, some would say. One year, the man was disturbed by an attitude of selfishness and greed that seemed to pervade the Christmas holiday season and everyone around him. Not one to condemn, the millionaire decided that since he had been given so much, it was up to him to do his part in combating greed and came up with an unusual plan. Wearing a disguise, this man stuffed his pockets with $100 dollar bills and set out for a walk on the streets of New York City. When he saw someone in need, he whipped out one of the bills, pressed it into that person's hands and with a "Merry Christmas," made his way down the street. "It was the most wonderful part of my holiday season," the man reported, and he has been doing it every since.

God is much more interested in our motive for giving than in the gift itself. If that motive is tainted with greed, the gift simply does not count. A powerful way to guard against greed is to choose joy over greed. Giving with joy is Kingdom giving! Before you give, ask yourself, "What’s in it for me?" If the answer is "nothing," then go ahead and give the gift.

When our children were in middle school, we owned what I affectionately called a "Mini-Gym." It was a set of bar bells, a weight lifting bench and a few free weights. Both Jered and Danna loved their "gym" and used it almost every day. When Christmas rolled around, we learned that two of their good friends, Jeff and Jeremy, were not going to have much of a Christmas because their dad had lost his job. Jered came up with a plan. "Mom," he said, "Danna and I have talked about it. We think that Jeff and Jeremy would love to have the gym. But we don’t want them to know we gave it to them, because they might be embarrassed. What do you think?" I thought I was in the presence of two joyful givers and quickly joined them in their plan.

A few days before Christmas, Jered and I took the gym apart and loaded it in our car while Danna found a huge red bow. Together, we made a sign that read, "Merry Christmas! We love you!" Danna blew up balloons while Jered dug out some Christmas lights. We enlisted the help of a neighbor who had a key to our friend’s house and joined in the fun by agreeing to find out when the coast was clear, unlocking the back door and letting us in. At the designated time, off we went, laughing and singing Christmas carols. We parked down the street until the neighbor called, giggling, to let us know she was all set. Once we were inside, we raced to assemble the gym, post the sign, tie the balloons and tape the lights to the front door, leading our friends to their Christmas surprise on the back porch. We then high-tailed it home as if the FBI was hot on our trail! The neighbor reported that just minutes after the boys returned, she heard shouting and "whooping and hollering." The joy of that Christmas still lingers today. Greed doesn’t hold a candle to joyful giving!

Greed is never satisfied and never at rest. There is always something more to be gained and someone else to outdo. Take sheep, for example. Sheep are dumb enough to eat until they are sick. They simply do not know when to stop. A heart that is filled with greed behaves the same way. I am afraid our heart motives are all too frequently self-serving when it comes to giving. Our pride is at stake, so we give to impress others. Perhaps, we give out of fear and guilt, hoping to buy God's forgiveness from our sin. People are watching, so we give in order to gain their approval. What is the solution? Giving! Giving is a powerfully effective deterrent to greed when we give for no other reason than the joy of giving.

Proverbs 11:24-25: "Some people give much but get back even more. Others don’t give what they should and end up poor. Whoever gives to others will get richer; those who help others will themselves be helped."

I once read an article that described three types of givers. The first kind of giver is the "flint." To get anything out of a flint, you have to hammer it, and even then, you only get chips and sparks. A second kind of giver is the "sponge." You have to squeeze it and the more pressure you use, the more you will get. The third kind of giver is the honeycomb. It just overflows. What kind of giver are you? Experience the joy of Christmas when you experience the joy of giving. Merry Christmas!

Let's Pray

Father, thank You for all You have given me. Help me to be the kind of giver that points people to You. I choose against my pride or any wrong motive for giving Christmas gifts this year. I choose to keep my eyes on You and my glance on the world. I love you! In Jesus' name, amen.

Now It's Your Turn

We make a living by what we get out of life, but we make a life by what we give and how we give it. Beecher wrote, "No man can tell whether he is rich or poor by turning to his ledger. The heart makes a man rich. He is rich or poor according to what he is, not according to what he has." How do these words relate to your life this Christmas?

Take inventory of your "stuff." Make an actual list. Then set aside a time of prayer and solitude during which you give each one to God.

Consider giving an anonymous gift and recruit your family to help.

An Unbalanced Diet

Courtesy darrfalls.blogspot.com

We miss out on a lot if our spiritual diet is unbalanced.

I recently had a conversation with my wife about social media and it got me thinking.  Depending on what friends one has on Facebook you can read a lot of different things.  For example, my friends list and the pages I like tend to be religious in nature and therefore my news feed tends to contain mainly religious items: Bible verses, quotations from religious authors, and of course, religious memes.  One could get a lot of religious/inspirational reading done by going through my feed.  Which is all well and good, but if all your religious/inspirational reading is done on places such as facebook and twitter, then we would miss out on a lot.  We could also end up suffering the consequences like Rehoboam.

Rehoboam's Folly

You may not know who Rehoboam was, but I'm pretty sure you've heard of his father, Solomon.  Rehoboam became king of Israel after his father's death.  Long story short, Rehoboam took the advice from only the people he chose, and he chose the wrong people.  As a result, he lost the allegiance of eleven of the twelve tribes, and divided the kingdom.  While we may not suffer such dramatic consequences as he did, we suffer just the same.  We suffer from spiritual malnutrition.

Spiritual Malnutrition

When we get our spiritual insight primarily from facebook posts, twitter feeds, etc., we snack instead of eating meals. When we snack, we seldom get full, or the nutrition we need.  Leaving us empty and poorly equipped for proper spiritual growth. What we need are full meals.

Keeping with the food analogy when we rely upon other people for our spiritual nutrition, it is similar to eating processed food.  Sure it may taste good, but processed food is nutritionally unbalanced; often containing excess of one ingredient or another.  What we read/eat may contain too much law or not enough love, or they may be tainted with artificial ingredients (human opinions).  The best way to manage our spiritual diet is the same as the best way  to manage our physical diet.  Prepare it ourselves with a variety of natural ingredients.

The Best Diet

The best spiritual diet comes straight from the Bible.  The more we study it, the more widely we read it, the better off we will be.  Take time to read the entire Bible.  I know that may sound intimidating because of the size of the book, but as the saying goes, the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.  Many Bible reading plans exist that enable the reader to read the entire Bible in one year, often with only reading about 15-20 minutes a day.  Why read the entire Bible?  By doing so, it allows us to make the connections between the parts of the Bible.  To read only one part of the Bible is like eating only one kind of food, making us malnourished.

Your Part

I've given you enough to chew on for now (pun intended).   Now go and try it for yourself. 

Unfinished Business

Courtesy wikipedia.com

There is nothing wrong with leaving a task unfinished.

This post continues along a similar theme as my last one in which I paused to consider accomplishing small tasks in favor of large ones.  Today I'm taking it one step further in asking you to consider accomplishing no task.  That's right, I'm talking about giving up.

A long time ago, I came across a book about Michelangelo.  My favorite sculpture has to be the one picture above in which Mary cradles a recently crucified Jesus on her lap.  I marveled at how the folds and wrinkles in the fabric looked like actual folds and wrinkles in fabric and not in marble.  Then further along in the book I discovered something else altogether.  A collection of photographs of his many unfinished sculptures.  Yes, even someone as talented as Michelangelo gave up on a project once in awhile.

Michelangelo could have thought about all the time that he put into those sculptures, and finished them in order not to let that time go to waste, but he did not think that way.  The sculptures didn't go the way he wanted so he gave up on them and moved on to something else.  We can get a lot more accomplished if we follow a similar route.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about giving up every time a project gets challenging.  However, I'm sure if we took a long, honest look at the projects we currently have on our "Unfinished Business" list, some of them could be erased with no real loss to our quality of life.

Let's face facts.  We only have a finite amount of time and ability to accomplish what we want/need to accomplish.  By giving up on some of the unfinished business in our lives it makes space to focus on other tasks and relationships.  The most important of these of course being our relationship with God.  We can rest from our unfinished business knowing that He always finishes what He starts, and what He finishes are always masterpieces.

Take it Easy

Courtesy rushtheiceberg.com

Sometimes the harder we try, the less we get done.

I decided recently that I wanted to get back to posting regularly on this blog.  I started writing, but kept getting stuck.  I got frustrated because I would start writing, but was getting nothing but unfinished drafts.  Then I figured out a solution to my problem.

I was reading a post on one of the blogs that I follow, and was struck by its sheer simplicity.  I realized that I was trying so hard to get things just right that I wasn't getting anything accomplished.  To use a baseball analogy, I was trying too hard to hit a home run, and kept striking out.

This principle can be applied to many things in life.  In our striving for excellence, we often think that excellence equals perfection which causes us undue stress.  That stress gets in the way of us accomplishing anything (esp. if its a task that involves creative thinking), and nothing gets done.  So while its good  to swing for fences, sometimes we need to relax and focus on simply hitting the ball.

A Matter of Life and Death

Courtesy aviancaflight52.com

Sometimes saying the right thing can make a difference between life and death.

On January 25, 1980 Avianca Flight 52 crashed into Cove Neck, Long Island because it ran out of fuel after a series of delays related to the weather.  One of the main reasons the flight ran out of fuel was that in its communication with the air traffic controllers the Avianca crew used the word "priority" instead of  "emergency".  The air traffic controllers had no idea as to the seriousness of the situation, and the airliner crashed into the countryside killing 73 of the 158 people on board.

Words Matter

This situation came to mind when I was thinking about how the words we use not only can make concept easier or more difficult to understand, but also can affect the way we live our lives.  I'm referring mainly to words that have similar, but not exactly the same, meanings.  Regarding the explanation of concepts, the word difficult is better than hard because hard has a broad set of definitions while difficult has a more narrow set.  In regards to how a word can affect the way in which we live our lives if we view problems as challenges then it frames the situation in a more positive light.

Spinning Until We're Sick

When typing that last sentence I couldn't help but think about what are commonly referred to as "spin doctors".  A spin doctor's job involves putting things into a more positive light than they truly are to help maintain the public image of a person or corporation.  I'm not talking about becoming like that where like a little child on a playground merry-go-round we want to spin faster and faster until we can't see straight and ultimately fall flat on our face (or worse yet, vomit, then fall).  I would classify such language as a euphemism where we make things sound nicer than reality.  What I am encouraging people to do is instead of making things seem better than they are, simply don't make them worse.

Making Canyons out of Culverts

Let's face facts, life on this earth can be quite discouraging.  To simply gloss over reality is not only annoying to most people, but also can be dangerous to our well-being because if everything is sunshine and rainbows then we won't seek help for the various situations in which we find ourselves.  In addition, "seeing the bright side of things" can be too much to ask of many people.  So as a first step, let's simply not to make things seem worse than they need to be.  However, as you probably expect, there is much more to it than that.

Speaking Faith

The 19th century Christian author E.G. White once wrote the following words.

"Take the word of Christ as your assurance. Has He not invited you to come unto Him? Never allow yourself to talk in a hopeless, discouraged way. If you do you will lose much. By looking at appearances and complaining when difficulties and pressure come, you give evidence of a sickly, enfeebled faith. Talk and act as if your faith was invincible. The Lord is rich in resources; He owns the world. Look heavenward in faith. Look to Him who has light and power and efficiency."  Christ's Object Lessons pg. 146

 "By the exercise of living faith you can separate from everything that is not in accordance with the mind of God, and thus bring heaven into your life here below. Doing this, you will have sunshine at every step. When the enemy seeks to enshroud the soul with darkness, sing faith and talk faith, and you will find that you have sung and talked yourself into the light"  Counsels to Parents, Teachers and Students pg. 233

That second quotation hit me especially hard (in a good way).  If we sing and talk faith, we can sing and talk ourselves out of the darkness and into the light, or from death unto life.  So let's make our words agents of life for ourselves and for all who will listen to us.

Uncommon Company

Courtesy frederickcountymd.gov

When working for a common goal, you may find yourself in uncommon company.

My wife and I recently decided to stay at home and watch a movie together (something we hadn't done for awhile), and we decided, via a coin-flip, to watch the movie Big Miracle.  Now for those of you who are unfamiliar with the movie, it involves the plight of a family of Gray Whales trapped by the ever-increasing arctic ice.  This true story highlights how people, and nations, who were normally at odds with each other came together to help these stranded animals.  One exchange in the movie that stands out is when a Greenpeace volunteer and an oil-drilling executive who were both helping the whales each confess that the other person was not so easy to hate as they used to be.

As I thought about this film, I couldn't help but think about a story told by Carl Wilkens in his book I'm not leaving. (you can find my review for the book here).  He told the story of how a group of orphans fled their orphanage to avoid being murdered.  Wilkens discovered that when the children left they took only the clothes on their backs.  He then decided to go back and retrieve their personal items, and upon arriving he stumbled upon a group of armed men looting the orphanage.  After a very tense negotiation it was decided that the orphans should have their things, and the very men the orphans were running from helped Wilkens load the various items into a truck to be delivered to the children.  A surreal moment indeed, but an ideal illustration of what can happen when people work together for a common goal.

While you or I may not find ourselves in such extreme situations or in such unusual company, whenever we work on a project bigger than ourselves, we may find ourselves working with people with very different views than ours.  We should not allow these differences to derail our goals, but rather we should allow these differences to enhance both the project and ourselves.

Have you ever worked on a project that brought you in contact with uncommon company?  Feel free to share your story in the comment section.

[Book Review] Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

Courtesy bn.com

Every so often I read a book that really gets me thinking.  Man's Search for Meaning is one of those books.

For my birthday I received a gift card for a book store (yes, they still exist) and as I was perusing their website I discovered Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl.  The paperback version was quite affordable, so I ordered it along with some other books so that I would not have money left over on my card.  My wife, daughter and I recently went on a trip that involved a lot of flying, so I brought it along with some other books so that I could make good use of my time.  I ended up completing the entire book on that trip and highly recommend it.

Frankl, a Jewish psychiatrist who survived the concentration camps of WWII, describes in the first part of the book what goes through the head of those who found themselves on the wrong side of Hitler's final solution.  His personal involvement and active mind gives the reader a unique perspective of what happened on the inside.  He didn't seek to shock people with stories of brutality and violence, but rather showed how that one can maintain their humanity in such a dehumanizing situation.

The second part of the book dealt with his method of psychotherapy called logotherapy.  Merriam-Webster defines logotherapy in this way.

"a highly directive existential psychotherapy that emphasizes the importance of meaning in the patient's life especially as gained through spiritual values"

In contrast to the Freudian method which places most of the emphasis on what has happened in the past affects your present choices, Frankl focuses primarily on how one's present choices affect what happens in the future.  When reading this part I would recommend taking frequent breaks, or at least not reading it when you are tired (like I did) because some aspects of his therapy take some effort to process.

I would recommend this to anyone, especially to history buffs who want more than simply names and dates, and to those dealing with difficult situations.

Of Freedom and Squeaky Wheels

Photo courtesy peasandhappiness.com

Those who profess to follow Jesus should not be like those who do not, especially in regards to whining and complaining.

I had to run a quick errand last night and as I was doing so I turned on the car radio.  I tuned in part way through an interview with an Iranian man who talked about the various death threats he had received and how he was living in hiding in Germany.  It turned out this situation came as a result of a song he had written and performed.  Yes that's right, the Iranian officials were so offended by a song (that the artist stated was simply meant as satire) that they sought to kill the one who performed it.

This lack of freedom was especially contrasted to the abuse of freedom I saw yesterday where people cussed and complained ad naseum because the propositions and politicians that were passed and elected were not the ones who they wanted passed and elected.  Now I do not know the profession of those who had posted all this vitriol, but I sincerely hope that they were not professed followers of Jesus.

The prevalent philosophy in this world seems to be based on the old adage "The squeaky wheel gets the grease" which means that if we make enough noise (i.e. complain) we will eventually get what we want.  However, such a philosophy is in direct contradiction to the way Jesus lived His life when He was on this earth.  He took all sorts of abuse, but not once do you see Him muttering to Himself or venting to His disciples, "Those stupid blankety-blank Pharisees . . ."  If anyone had an excuse to complain it would have been Him because being God, He had the unusual position of always being right.  How much less room to we as flawed human beings to complain when people do not agree with us and our views.  Maybe they are right and we are wrong, or maybe both of us are wrong and the correct view is held by someone else.

So next time we are tempted to complain, maybe we should follow a not-so-old saying and check ourselves before we wreck ourselves.


Have you had an experience where complaining only made the situation worse?  Feel free to share your story in the comment section.

Finding Your True Voice

Courtesy wikimedis.org

Sometime we get so used to doing things one way that we fail to realize that it is the wrong way.

Not too long ago I was reading out loud too my wife when my infant daughter decided to make her contribution.  I had two choices: stop talking and wait, or talk louder.  I chose the latter, and in the process discovered something interesting.  For an unknown amount of time, I had been talking incorrectly.

Since I am not versed in the scientific terminology, I will do my best to describe what happened in laymen's terms. As many of you probably have noticed, when a person get stressed, their voice tends to get somewhat higher in pitch (that is a bass can sound like a tenor and so forth). By attempting to talk louder I relaxed the muscles in my throat and my true, and noticeably (at least to me) deeper voice came out.  This got me thinking, What other hidden habits do I need to change?

Have you suddenly noticed a bad habit that you were previously unaware of?  If so, please share in the comments section below.

[Video] Should Christians participate in Halloween?

I found this video a couple of days ago and thought I'd share it with you.  Whether you fully agree with the conclusion or not, I hope that it gets you thinking.

Stealth Christianity

Courtesy en.wikipedia.org

To some the very thought of an unseen Christian would cause extreme negative emotions.  If you feel that way, calm down, and read the benefits of such a believer.

Interest Leads to Questions

I have been fascinated with flight since I was young.  My second-grade science project was on how the design of airplanes' wings (called "airfoil") caused them to fly.  Naturally, such an interest only intensified at the thought of jet aircraft, especially those of the military variety.

Due to this interest, I recently watched part of a video touting the prowess of the F-22 Raptor (pictured above).  One of the main advantages of this aircraft comes from its stealth capabilities.  In short, stealth technology enables the pilot to detect the enemy's aircraft without the enemy detecting theirs.  After watching the video, a thought started rolling around in my head, "Is the thought of a 'stealth Christian' an oxymoron?"

An Incomplete Picture

As mentioned earlier, the very thought of a Christian who would purposely avoid detection would cause some people to get very upset.  They would probably quote Bible verses such as Matthew 5:14-15 about being a light and not hiding lamps under baskets, and Romans 1:16 about not being ashamed of the of the gospel.  However, such a view is incorrect because it is based off an incomplete picture of the purpose for being unseen.  Let me explain.

Unseen with a Purpose

People that hold the view that a stealth Christian avoids detection as a result of being afraid neglect Jesus' example.  Many times during His ministry Jesus told people to keep a secret.  One example can be found in Luke 5:13-14 where Jesus heals a man then instructs him not to tell anyone what had happened.  Jesus' reason for secrecy can be found in verse 15.  He didn't want people to crowd Him for physical healing, when they should be coming for spiritual healing as well, as found in the following account of Jesus and the paralyzed man.  Then the question remains how can we use this principle?

The Use of Stealth

The F-22 uses its stealth capabilities to take lives.  They're meant to get past the enemies defenses and killing them.  Stealth Christianity involves getting past a person's defenses and saving them through God's grace.  Stealth Christianity isn't about going around proclaiming your identity, it's about showing it through your life.  By living it people will often come to you.  However, it's not the only approach we can use.

Balanced Approach

Stealth Christianity involves getting entrance into people's lives, a "tip of the spear" to put one way.  Sometimes we need to be open about what we believe, and we must be sensitive to the Holy Spirit telling us when those times arise.  It all comes down to balance, and that only comes from God.


Can you think of other benefits of stealth Christianity?  Let us know in the comments section.

[Featured Post] I have an anger issue: I don’t get angry enough..

This featured post comes from Mark Brown's blog Journey Deeper Into God's Word.  Enjoy.

I have an anger issue: I don’t get angry enough..

Posted on 28 September 2011 by admin

Click the play button below to check out my latest time in the Word. I explore anger, what does it mean to be angry?  If you can’t see the video on email click here:  VIDEO



God bless,
Mark Brown


What kind of things get you angry?  Tell us your story in the comments section.

[Book Review] Watching the War

Sometimes the importance of a situation prevents us from taking a big picture look at it.  In his book Watching the War, David B. Smith takes a big picture look the most important situation in the universe.

David B. Smith follows in the footsteps of  C.S. Lewis in this unorthodox view of what many call "the great controversy" or "the story of redemption", which begins with the origin of sin, and ends with its ultimate destruction.  Watching the War portrays this saga primarily from the perspective of Malachon and Pershia, rulers of the fictional planet Senteria.  Aside from giving the author a base from which to tell a story, what purpose does this change in view serve?

Perspective Increases Awareness

While Smith reveals that his personal intention for this perspective is an attempt to get answers for his many questions, another benefit comes as the result of this change; awareness.  Changing our perspective often makes us aware of aspects that we had previously overlooked.  An example from the book comes from the story the fall of Adam and Eve.  In this book Malachon and Pershia travel with God to talk with Adam and Eve, and Pershia gives an impassioned plea that whatever they do, they should not eat the fruit.

More Than Simply a Story

In addition to creative storytelling, Smith takes frequent breaks from the narrative to further unpack some of the concepts that occur in the story.  He draws from a variety of sources (including C.S. Lewis)  to help the reader understand these complex concepts, but he readily admits that he doesn't have all the answers.  At one point, in an attempt to explain how one Man's death on a cross can save an entire planet, Smith states that one doesn't have to know how it works, one simply has to know that it does work.

Conclusion

Many Christians may not learn anything new from this book, but you will be reminded of many important concepts including the most important concept of all, that God loves you.  This book can be purchased for a very reasonable price, and along with the limited amounts of paper copies available (see link above), you can also purchase a Kindle edition.  So what are you waiting for?  Pick your copy today.

What to do you think about this approach to explaining complex subjects?  Tell us your view in the comment section.