Conversation on a Plane

I'm not sure if I have mentioned it here on my blog, but 25 years after first attending college right out of high school, I have re-enrolled in college in pursuit of an Organizational Management - Christian Leadership degree.

The following is from a paper I submitted this week for my first class. The class is an overview of world views, and in the instructions we were to provide a response to the person sitting in the seat next to us on a plane ride. During the conversation, she had stated she was an atheist, and then proceeded to ask what you believed about God. We were to also compare and contrast her worldview with ours.

Because this paper was for a college course, and because the college requires I follow the APA Style of writing, this will not be in my "usual" writing style for this blog. Please forgive the "formality" of some of my responses. I was writing more for a good grade than to actually capture a true conversation with someone on a plane.

So, here is my response to an atheist asking, "Do you believe in God?" while I flew cross country on a plane (remember, this is a scenario, not an actual event).

I believe there is a God, but not just any god, I believe in the “One True God” described in the Bible. I have considered other options, having read the holy works of Islam, Judaism, Mormonism, and the Jehovah’s Witnesses. I have taken a tour of a Hindu Temple and a Shinto Shrine in Los Angeles, California. I have also read works by Friedrich Nietzsche, Karl Marx, and Bertrand Russell. In the end, I found the only worldview that is credible in all areas of consideration-scientific, ethical, historical, and spiritual-is the God of the Bible.
Now, I am sure you are thinking, “This guy is nuts,” but let me take a minute to explain why I feel so strongly about the God of the Bible.
As I said, I found Biblical Christianity to be true scientifically. I assume that as an atheist, you follow the naturalistic worldview. Naturalism affirms the importance of the physical world. (Phillips, Brown & Stonestreet, 2008, p. 67) However, Paul de Vries notes that the scientific method “cannot pretend to provide answers to the ultimate questions. At some point in every explanation of phenomena, the question why can no longer be answerable within science.” (Phillips et al. 2008, p. 69) Science holds strongly to the theory of evolution. However Dean Kenyon wrote in the forward to The Mystery of Life’s Origin, “The authors believe, and I now concur, that there is a fundamental flaw in all current theories of the chemical origins of life.” The Mystery of Life’s Origin (as cited in Strobel, 2000, p. 93) James Tour, a nanoscientist and  professor at Rice University said, “…the deeper and deeper I have probed into the awe-inspiring wonders of the molecular level [I see]: the fingerprints of an Intelligent Designer. Only a rookie who knows nothing about science would say science takes away from faith.” (Strobel, 2000, p. 111) So, science does not disprove God, it actually leads man towards God.
I found the God of the Bible to be ethical. Again, I am sure you are thinking, “This guy is nuts,” so let me explain. Yes, many people believe the Bible does condone slavery, mass murder, genocide, racism, and polygamy. However, taken in its entirety, these “socially unacceptable” actions were taken by people in direct violation to God’s commands. The Bible includes these stories to demonstrate that despite man’s flaws, God remains faithful and loving. It was man who sinned against God, not the other way around. And all throughout the Bible, we read of God reaching down to restore mankind to Himself.
Many people have tried to disprove the Bible using the historical record. However Albright writes that “archaeological and inscriptional data have established the historicity of innumerable passages and statements of the Old Testament.” Albright, 1938 (as cited in McDowell, 1999, p. 370) Additionally, when you consider the manuscripts of the Biblical text with manuscripts of other ancient texts, the Bible stands in a league of its own. There are currently 5,686 Greek manuscripts in existence today for the New Testament. The first copy of an original New Testament manuscript was made within 100 years of the original document. Compare that to the closest ancient manuscript, the Iliad (by Homer), which only has 643 copies in existence today, with the first copy having been created approximately 500 years after the original (Slick, 2013). So, archaeological and literary sources support the validity and accuracy of the Bible.
Proving the spiritual truthfulness of the Bible is the most difficult challenge. Naturalists have consistently struggled with the implications of their worldview as applied to certain facets of man’s nature. (Phillips et al. 2008, p. 71) So, naturalism does not have a strong defense of spirituality either. When it comes to spirituality, one could argue that a definitive truth does not exist. However, as I read through the Bible, I found a consistent theme. God loves humankind! He loves us so much that He desires to be in relationship with us. This is evident from the beginning of the Bible, where we read about God coming to walk with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:8) to the promise in Matthew 28 where Jesus says, “I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day, right up to the end of the age.” (The Message, v 20) In fact, God wanted to be in relationship with us so much, He felt sending His only son to die in order to pay the penalty of my sin, was not too great a price. Love like that has never been seen before, and will never be seen again. Even though spirituality is difficult to define, I believe God has sufficiently proven His desire to redeem humankind.
I hope I have shown you that the only worldview that is credible in all areas of consideration (scientific, ethical, historical, and spiritual) is the God of the Bible. Science leads us to God. The God of the Bible is a God of love, pursing humankind despite our continual rebellion against His laws. Historically, the evidence supporting the validity of the Bible’s history and the evidence supporting the accuracy of the text we hold in our hands today is overwhelming. Spiritually speaking, is not a God who loves us so much, no price was too high to pay for our redemption, proof? While I respect your right to not believe in God, I hope I have shown you there are many unanswered questions in your naturalistic worldview; these questions do have answers when you look to God.

One more thought before I leave. In addition to "writing for a grade" I was also limited to writing a 1-2 page response. As usual, I went over the assigned page number, ending at about 2-1/2 pages of text. Unfortunately, the page limitation required me to be more brief in some of my responses than I would have liked. Maybe some day I will "flesh out" this conversation through multiple blog posts here at the 10:10 muse ...

Anyhow, I'd love to hear your feedback and thoughts. Post below to join in on the conversation.

Love God, Love People

The phrase, "Love God, love people" has been showing up virtually everywhere I look of late. It is the primary topic of the Love Does book by Bob Goff. It was the main topic of the sermon this past week at SoAcres Church. And it pervades some of the daily devotional and blog pages I read.

Not that I want to "jump on a bandwagon" for jumping sake, but when the message is so vital as "Love God, love people," who am I to miss out on an opportunity? Besides, if this message is coming at me so frequently, it means God wants me to learn it AND act on its message.

So, what does Love God, love people look like?

That, my friends, is the hardest part of the entire message. Loving God is the easiest part of the task. He loves me, and proved it by coming to earth to be like me in order to save me. While there are many, many people in the world who refuse to accept the overwhelming evidence supporting the validity of the Bible; the truth is, God came to earth to provide a path of redemption for His beloved children.

So, if this evidence is so overwhelming, why do people miss it? How are people still refuting, in their minds at least, the story of love God shares through His word? Why do people simply choose not to believe?

It all comes down to one thing. People are blinded. In I Corinthians 2:10-13, Paul writes: 

"The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along. Who ever knows what you're thinking and planning except you yourself? The same with God—except that he not only knows what he's thinking, but he lets us in on it. God offers a full report on the gifts of life and salvation that he is giving us. We don't have to rely on the world's guesses and opinions. We didn't learn this by reading books or going to school; we learned it from God, who taught us person-to-person through Jesus, and we're passing it on to you in the same firsthand, personal way." (The Message)

People are not able to understand God without the working of the Holy Spirit. However, for some reason that is far too deep for me to cover here in today's blog post, God only shares the Holy Spirit with those who have first accepted Him. Time and time again throughout scriptures the Spirit of God descends on those who have already accepted Him.

So how does a world blinded to the truths of God have hope? Through the love of the people who have accepted God's gift of grace. 

When we accept God's freely given gift of salvation, we are covered in God's grace. And because so much has been forgiven, our hearts long to share with those around us, especially those we love the most, just what God has done in our lives.

However, just like the new car wears down, just like last year's electronics are forgotten and placed on a shelf, just like our shoes and clothes wear out; so does our love for God. Unless we renew it every day.

I love my iPhone. I was a "hater" when the iPhone first came out. And when I finally went to the world of "smart phones," I started with a Samsung product, followed by a Blackberry product. It wasn't until four years after the iPhone was on the market that I finally purchased one.

And now I can't imagine what took me so long.

I use it every day, so many times every day in fact, I can't even guess at how much usage I get from my iPhone. It has become a part of me, and if I lost it or broke it, I would immediately go out and replace it.

That is how God should be in our life. If you connected with God as often each day as you connect with your smart phone, what would your life look like to those around you?

I mentioned Bob Goff at the beginning of this post. Bob is an infectious guy. In a comment I read about him, someone said he must drink a lot of energy drinks prior to going on stage because he has so much excitement when he speaks. If you want a better understanding, look at Bob's profile picture on Twitter.

I don't think it is artificial energy, I believe Bob is so connected to the Holy Spirit, he just exudes the energy of God.

And as Bob spills God all over the place, love is spilled. Because God is love.

Loving people is hard, but if we connect with God daily (that is why love God is listed first), God's love will spill out of us and we will love people.

Simply dialing a prayer in the morning, simply reading a devotional or passage of scripture in the morning, simply saying "grace" over our meals is not connecting with God. Well it is, but it is not sufficient for us to become covered in God's scent. The only way we can be covered in God is to roll around with Him, to really be in His presence.

So today, each time you grab your smart phone, take some time to also reach for God. And every day from now on as you reach for your phone, also reach for God. In a few days you will begin to "smell" like God.

And when you do, then God's love will leak out of you and onto others. And when you love people, they begin to understand who God is and how much He loves them.

Love God, love people.

I'd love to hear your thoughts. And I really want to hear your stories of how you grew in your love for God and how that love spilled out onto other people.

When Did We Stray from Our Mission?

My wife told me yesterday that the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) online version has added several words including: "selfie" and "phablet" ...

I really didn't have words when she told me this. After all, wasn't the dictionary created to "standardize speech?" Now, rather than providing a guideline for the language, the dictionary is simply doing its best to keep up with popular culture.

However, in doing a little research for this blog post, I found that my initial premise was wrong, but I'm still going to push forward, because I think these thoughts need to be explored. It turns out, the OED's focus is on current English.

The dictionary content in ODO focuses on current English and includes modern meanings and uses of words," he told ABC News. "It's not telling you what the language should be. It's all about how [words] are used. (Christian Purdy, the director of publicity for the Oxford University Press-USA)

So, my premise was wrong for the OED, they are following their mission. But as I said, there is some relevance in my thoughts today.

It seems that the Church has lost its focus. Initially, the church was established as a launching point, a place to come and be refreshed before stepping back into the fray. Early Christ followers literally gave up everything to become disciples.

Peter, James, and John left their family businesses.

Matthew left his profitable business.

Paul left his high place in society.

Many were shunned by family and friends.

Many gave their lives.

So "the gathering" became a place of encouragement, instruction, and hope. Then you returned to your workplace (if you hadn't been fired), to your community (if you hadn't been shunned), to your routine; not simply to exist, but to share the love of God with those around you.

Church was a launching point. It was where the battle plans were drawn. It was a hospital for those who needed life change. And everyone had a part in the plan.

I recently read a quote attributed to Martin Luther King, Jr. while he was in Birmingham Jail that is relevant:

"The early Christians rejoiced when they were deemed worth to suffer for what they believed. In those days the Church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the morals of society."

Today, it seems many churches have become just the opposite. They are intent on self perpetuation, not on an outward focus. They are still gathering places, but members only clubs; not a refuge for those who need the message of the gospel.

Fortunately, there are a growing number of churches who realize the need for change. It is like Jesus said in Revelation 2:4, "You have forsaken the love you had at first." (NIV)

Remember when you first came to salvation? You had so much joy, so much enthusiasm, and you couldn't contain yourself. You prayed and read your bible. You shared what God had done with anyone and everyone. You had been rescued, and the world needed to know of this saving grace.

We each need to return to our first love. We need to gather one day a week to celebrate the wins, to find encouragement despite the losses, and to be refreshed to step back into the fray.

We need to return to our mission: "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. (Matthew 28:19-20 NIV)

When did you stray from your mission? And how are you going to get yourself back on track? Share your thoughts below and let's encourage each other today!

Jesus Didn't Condemn the World - Why Do I?

I've been wrestling with something for the past few months ... maybe even longer, but it has truly become front and center recently.

As Christians, we so often cast a condemning net over the whole world.

This is so far removed from what Jesus did.

John 3:17 says, "God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again." (The Message)

Take a closer look at Jesus' actions while he was in the world, and you will see he went to places church people would never go. He sat and ate with sinners. He touched the unclean. He let the poor, marginalized, and abandoned come into his inner circle.

Jesus chose the common people, not the high-society people, as his core. It was through God's power, not man's power, the gospel became a world-changing force.

Yet we forget that in the modern church, I think.

We have elevated celebrity above Christ.

We have turned our back on sinners for the pursuit of larger buildings and bigger numbers. Many churches today only pursue other "Christians" not those who need it most.

When was the last time your church went into the darkest places of your city to simply love people?

When was the last time your church generously offered of its resources to help those in need?

When was the last time you did any of those things?

If I want to be more like Christ, I need to do the things he did.

I can no longer boycott companies simply because they don't follow the "Christian" path, UNLESS they are proclaiming to be a Christian company.

So ABC company takes a stand on an issue that is in conflict with my position? Don't boycott them, that is how the world responds. If you want to respond like Jesus, start loving on the head of the company. Rather than sending them hate mail, send them letters of encouragement. Stand out and you will potentially be given the chance to influence them.

It was only after people hung out with Jesus that they were changed.

That same relationship transformation continued in the early church. The people wanted to be in relationship; with each other, and with those who were still on the outside.

Today's church has turned the process upside down. Rather than going, so many churches simply invite others to come and see.

Come and see? People only come and see when they have a relationship.

The people of Samaria only came to see this man at the well (John 4) because the woman who he had spent time with invited them.

People want to see Jesus. People need to see Jesus. However, condemning the world for being the world won't work. We need to follow in Jesus' footsteps; we need to show love, compassion, and be willing to touch those who the church won't.

Jesus didn't come to the world to condemn the world, but to save the world (John 3:17). And because Jesus came to save, we are able to take his message of love and acceptance into a world that needs him desperately.

Jesus didn't condemn the world, why do I?

Where is Your Focus?

We focused on Philippians 4 this morning in staff meeting, and it was a gentle reminder of where we need to keep our focus in life.

What struck me this morning was from verse 6 and 7:

Don't worry about anything, instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7 - NLT)

I like technology. Having the Bible available at my fingertips in several versions, has helped me understand things better in recent years. Being able to recall verses I memorized as a young kid (yes, I was THAT kid), but to now see them in a fresh light, helps me grow in my Christian walk.

I memorized this passage in the King James version of the Bible. I memorized most of the verses I know in the King James. It was the 1970's and most churches were still King James type churches. It amazes me how many still remain that way in the 20-teens ...

But reading this passage this morning in the New Living Translation made me take a closer look. While I'd memorized the passage, it had been some time since I'd focused on the passage.

Let's look at the end of verse 6: "Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done."

Nothing new here, it is after all important to thank God for all he has done. But it was what came next, verse 7, and how it tied to verse 6 that caught my attention this morning.

Verse 7 starts with, "THEN" ...

Then is an effect word. It denotes causality.

Causality (also referred to as causation) is the relation between an event (the cause) and a second event (the effect), where the second event is understood as a consequence of the first.

IF you (tell God what you need AND thank him for all he has done) - note this is a two part cause; THEN (you will experience God's peace).

Do you want peace in your life? To get peace, you need to tell God what you need (notice the word is NEED, not want) and thank him for all he has done.

Then, and only then, will you experience God's peace.

This isn't just any peace. This is "[peace] which exceeds anything we can understand."

I don't know about you, but I so often fall short in this category. I find my prayer time is telling God what I want, what I believe I need.

It is rarely telling him what I actually need (food, clothing, shelter, boldness in my faith).

And even more rare are the times I sit and thank him for everything he has done.

Sure, I'm grateful. I often utter "thank you Jesus" when something great happens. Especially if I prayed for it to happen.

But if I am honest here, I don't truly ask God daily for what I need and then thank him daily for his provisions.

I have a Twitter friend who frequently reminds people to make their gratitude list each night. I never have.

But I should close each day out thanking God for the things he has done that day.

And I should start each morning asking God for what I need and thanking him for all he has provided already.

Then, and only then, will I be able to daily live into the peace that is beyond anything I can imagine or understand.

Do you want that kind of peace?

Join me today in making sure each day starts and ends with time before God. And then come back here in a week, in a month, in a couple of months and share how you have found new peace!

Cleaned Up, or Broken

This has been a busy week for me. School started for my youngest son; he's a high school senior this year. While this wasn't officially the first week of school, it is still a new routine after the summer break, so that influenced my week.

Also, I had some gear issues at SoAcres (www.SoAcres.com) that had to be addressed this week. Additionally, we are gearing up for fall kickoff, so beyond the gear issues that occurred, I was also pretty much going through all of the systems to see what non obvious issues needed to be addressed.

And then I started college this week. Twenty-five years after first enrolling in college right out of high school, I've returned. This also added to my schedule.

If all that wasn't enough, I also did some integration work in the evenings three nights this week. After working at SoAcres all day, I went to another church here in town and helped install their new video and audio system.

All in all, a very busy week.

But I was able to find a few minutes beyond my "required' reading to check out some of the blogs I follow regularly. And the following statement stood out on one blog:

"The church went from being a cleaned up, homeschooling kind of church to being a church with a lot of broken people" (Nicholas McDonald quoting Dr. Rosaria Butterfield).

Dr. Butterfield wasn't a Christ follower. She was however befriended by a pastor and his family while living in a lifestyle many in today's church not only condemn, they openly and aggressively attack those living in that lifestyle.

Unfortunately, the result has been many, many people who Jesus loves have been turned off by the Church.

It took time and a loving relationship, but Dr. Butterfield finally came to church. And the preceding comment was made after Dr. Butterfield developed a relationship with people inside the church.

People who admitted to Dr. Butterfield, "... it was easier for them to be disgusted with a person like me than to pray for me ..." (ibid.).

Isn't that the sad commentary on today's church? We find it so easy to attack and condemn people. To be disgusted with those with whom we don't agree.

We do it to those outside the church.

But we also do it to those inside the church; but those who are inside a different church than our church.

We have walked so far from the path Jesus demonstrated while here on earth. I believe that if Jesus came back to earth today, he would have the same things to say about many of the churches and people inside them he said about the Jewish religious leaders in his day.

"White washed tombs." (Matthew 23:27)

"Hypocrites." (Matthew 6;2, 5, 16)

"Brood of vipers." (Matthew 12:34)

Jesus only had harsh things to say to those who claimed to follow God. He had loving things to say to those who needed God.

Now, just because Jesus only said loving things, doesn't mean he didn't speak the truth. It also doesn't mean the things he said were easy to hear.

The rich young ruler walked away very sad because he could not do what Jesus said he needed to do in order to follow. (Mark 10:21, 22)

Contrast that to the woman who was living a sinful life, she anointed Jesus' feet with perfume. (Luke 7:36-38)

So the question for each of us today is are we cleaned up, the equivalent of white-washed tombs; or are we broken?

Broken people have had much forgiven, so they show gratefulness. They want others to know and feel this great forgiveness. The woman at the well, she immediately went back into the city full of people from whom she was hiding to share the good news. But she also invited them to come meet this man who, "told me everything I did." (John 4:39)

Truth, spoken in love, leads to forgiveness. Forgiveness leads to us wanting to share it with the world.

Let's remember that we have had much forgiven. We are all sinners saved by grace. As we live into that forgiveness, we will share love with others; others who need forgiveness too.

Through our brokenness, God is able to provide healing to the world.

Stop living a cleaned up lifestyle today and live into the redemption of a broken vessel now redeemed and filled with God's love.

God Doesn't Need Me

Like so many people today, I am on Twitter. You can follow me at Twitter.com/gtkconsulting. Today's post came from a Tweet I read recently.

A pastor of a mega-church Tweeted: "God doesn't need me. He wants me, He loves me. This is far better!"

It is humbling to consider the God of the universe wants to be in relationship with me. He loves me so much, no price was too great for my redemption.

From the beginning of the Bible, all the way through to the end, we read how God pursues people. Most of the people He pursues in the pages of the Bible wind up doing or witnessing great things.

God pursued Abram, while he still lived in Ur. Abram becomes Abraham, father of nations.

God pursued Moses while he was in the desert. Moses becomes the deliverer of Israel.

God pursued David while he was a young boy tending sheep. David becomes the greatest King of Israel.

God pursued Jonah as he ran the opposite direction. Jonah is the instrument God uses to save an entire city from destruction.

God, as Jesus, pursued 12 men and a handful of other people while on earth. Those men and women began a revolution that rages on today.

God pursued Saul as he marched to destroy the young church. Saul became Paul and took the gospel to the nations.

God still pursues people today.

God didn't need any of those people. Had any of them refused, God's plan would have continued, but in a different form. God wanted each of those people to be His partners. He loved them, and He loves us, so much, He brought them along into greatness.

I wonder how many times my fear and my pride get in the way of me experiencing the greatness God has intended for my life. How many times do I forget that because of His great love, God paid the ultimate price, His son, for my redemption.

Not because He needed me. It was because He wanted me.

And yes, that indeed is far better!