Advocate for the Outcast

Happy (Belated) Valentine's Day

2011-02-15T07:25:00.003-06:00

I intended to post this yesterday, but with everything going on between school and Mandy's grandfather, I couldn't focus enough to write. But, now that the dust has settled a little, I want to mention this...

Valentine's Day has meant a lot of different things for me over the years. At first it was a reminder of my single status. Then it became an excuse to buy stuff for the current girlfriend. Finally, it was a chance to show my wife just how much I love her. But I think the thing that is most important about Valentine's Day happened 32 years ago.

On February 14, 1979, Kevin and Debbie Lovelace married. There were some who were excited about it, some who weren't sure, but most importantly, there was a God who had His hand on this young couple and had a plan for them.

Seven years later, Kevin and Debbie had a daughter. They taught her above all else to love the Lord, and raised her with a tender heart for others. She grew in knowledge, she grew in love, and she grew in favor with the Lord. That little girl grew up to be an amazing, beautiful woman, and she has been the greatest blessing God could ever give me on this earth.

"When God made you, he must have been thinking about me."

Happy Valentine's Day Mandy, and Happy Anniversary Mr. Kevin and Mrs. Debbie.

Keep Soaring,

B

Are stay-at-home wives lazy?

2010-09-01T16:40:00.004-05:00

I had a conversation with someone the other day, who will remain nameless in case any of my readers know them. It ventured to several different topics, but this particular part grated on me:

"So where does your wife work?"

"She's staying at home right now."

"Well, where does she plan to work?"

"She's doing the stay-at-home wife thing."

"Well, yeah for now, but...I mean...what does she do all day?"

Let me explain to you what my wife does all day:

I get up at 6 AM and feed the dogs their morning meal. Mandy is asleep next to me. I get in the shower. By the time I get out of the shower, Mandy's gone. I put on some pants and a shirt and walk into the kitchen for breakfast, where Mandy is packing my lunch for the day. She usually puts in a sandwich, bag of chips, a coke, and some sort of cookie or candy bar or something. (That's about three things more than what would be in there if I packed it.) I leave for work, teach until lunch time, and then eat that lunch, where I find a note that she somehow slipped into my lunch box without me knowing. I call her to thank her for the note, and if I happen to catch her at home, and not driving to Greenville to cash our church check or going to Walmart because we ran out of milk again, she's normally in the middle of ironing clothes or washing dishes (for those of you who know her, its true. She washes dishes now.) By the time I get home, the floors are all vacuumed, the bed is made, most of the dishes are clean, and even if the house isn't completely cleaned, its leagues closer than it was when I woke up this morning. Supper is usually around 5 or 6, and it is usually something Mandy has made from one of her cookbooks or recipes. And even if it isn't, its from one of those dinner in a box meals that you still have to mix together and cook yourself. We sit down and eat, and almost the second the last morsel of food leaves my plate, she picks it up and carries it to the sink, where she'll wash it later. Then, we both sit down and watch whatever TV show comes on for that day that we like, and spend the rest of the evening engrossed in whatever project we have for the week.

So yeah, my wife is a stay at home wife, and she does quite a bit all day. And the cool thing is, when we start to have children, they're going to have a Mom whose home when they get home from school, one who can come get them if they get sick, and who will never have to miss a ballgame, school play, or music recital because they have too much to do at the office or got scheduled to work the wrong shift.

Now don't get me wrong--I don't think there is anything wrong with a woman who wants to pursue a career and excel at it. My mom was a school teacher for most of my life, and she was good at it. She got her Masters Degree in Education, and is now a very successful ECE teacher at her school. The only time she ever took a day off was when someone in the family was sick. But you know what? She hardly ever missed a ballgame or a band performance or fencing tournament or a Boy Scout family night or church drama performance. At the end of the day, when the dust settled, she was a wife and a mother, and that is what mattered most to her. And I was blessed for it.

So I suppose there are two points to this post: (1) Don't assume that stay-at-home wives and mothers are just being lazy--the world would be a better place if more women put their families over their careers--and (2) if you are a working woman with a husband and children, remember that the most important job you have is being Wife and Mom. What good is a high profile portfolio if it cost you sharing your life with your family?

And men, all this goes just as much for us as it does for the ladies.

Now, if you'll excuse me, Supper is ready. It was cooked by my loving wife, who actually does quite a lot all day.

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

Keep Soaring,

B

God is bigger than the boogie man...

2010-08-14T22:33:00.002-05:00

Please understand, I have nothing against Veggie Tales. I think they are an amazing and fun tool to use in teaching children the truths of Scripture. And while that statement is true, I don't think it accurately describes what I'm trying to say here. But, at 10:30 at night on a Saturday night when I have a half written sermon in front of me and writer's block is hitting me hard, its the best title I could come up with.

So, rather than try to push these thoughts aside for another day, I'll let them flow here in hopes that the Scripture God has given me for tomorrow will become more illuminated.

It has become very apparent in my mind just how little I comprehend the awesomeness of God. Granted, that is probably the most cliche statement a Christian could make, but often what makes cliches cliche is that they are so true. I've mentioned on here before about how Christ coming to earth was like a mighty warrior stepping down to fight a war against an evil that had overtaken His beloved. And while most of us will acknowledge that, I wonder how many of us truly live like that.

Seriously, ask yourself. When was the last time you were faced with something terrifying or scary or completely out of your control, and your response was, "Whew, I am so glad God is bigger than this." To be honest, that isn't my reaction. My reaction is to immediately start making plans. In the face of trouble, I have to analyze and find out (1) how to get out if, (2) how I got into it in the first place, and (3) how I can make sure I never get into it again. And only when things are going utterly haywire do I ever stop to consider that maybe the God I worship could handle it.

But the truth is, God really is bigger than the boogie man...and the economy...and cancer...and even the unknown. So, the next time something I can't handle comes for me, instead of worrying about the fact that I can't handle it, I'll remember these words in Psalms:

"I look up toward the hill. From where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth." --Psalm 121:1-2

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

Keep Soaring,

B

Kingdom Minded...

2010-08-01T08:22:00.002-05:00

I haven't blogged in quite some time. I honestly thought that the move out to Sulphur Springs would give me more time to post, but instead I simply find more things to fill my time up with. Still, despite the lack of presence on this blog, I have been working at Union Baptist Church, trying to get a vision of where God wants us to move toward. I'd ask that you pray for us as we continually seek His will in where he wants to lead us in reaching out to this community.

There's been something on my heart lately that I want to share with you. I've been very convicted lately of being Kingdom minded. I think sometimes I get so caught up with membership rolls on our church that I forget that's not the point. As a follower of Christ, I'm called to swell the membership of the Book of Life, not the membership of any particular church.

I notice it when I invest in someone's life, try to lead them to Christ, and then get jealous when they decide to go to another church. I almost feel as though I've been taken advantage of. I'm the one that shared Christ with them. I'm the one that counseled them and led them to a saving knowledge of Christ. Shouldn't my church be the one that gets the credit? But that mindset isn't biblical or godly. I think it shows that sometimes I mistake this gathering of people every Sunday morning as my church and not God's church. If I lead someone to Christ, and they find a place where they can mature spiritually, then I should rejoice in that, whether or not that means another warm body on the pews on Sunday.

So I ask that you follow me as I try to rework how I view things. I don't want to be church minded. I want to be kingdom minded.

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

Keep Soaring,

B

Looking back and smiling....

2010-04-27T16:01:00.002-05:00

A few things before I get into the meat of this post. For those of you who haven't heard yet, I have recently been called to be pastor at Union Baptist Church in Sulphur Springs, TX. It's an exciting and scary time as I take on the calling God has given me for the first time and try to be the shepherd that He's been molding me into all these years. I realize I have a lot to learn, but I can't wait to start learning it.

Now that I've given you some background, here's what I wanted to post on:

I was looking through some old posts and found one that I wrote last November. (For those of you interested, you can read it here.) I remember writing that post, feeling the confusion and the uncertainty, and making myself get up and keep going simply because I didn't know what else to do. Back then, it seemed I had so much weight on my shoulders driving me into the ground, and there was no hope of ever getting any relief from it.

But I take stock of where I am today, and I see how far God has brought me. I've finally gotten a position at a church--and even a church where the people are eager to work for the Lord. Mandy is finally able to quit her job and get the break she's been needing for months now. I'm closer to the LORD now that I ever have been in my life. The life that I dreamed of when I first moved out here...it's sitting right in front of me, waiting for me to take those first few steps into it.

I've heard it preached all my life that endurance is important, and as my life verse says, "Those who wait on the LORD will find new strength" (Isaiah 40:31). But I never really understood it until today, when I looked back on how hard this past year has been, and see the blessing that I am surrounded in now. When the LORD promises that He'll get us through anything, He means it. It may not always be on our time table, but it is always perfect timing.

So I stand here now with renewed strength, renewed zeal, and a sense of purpose. I realize that taking on this new position will come with its own problems, and being on the mountaintop just means that a valley is coming up next. But I don't fear what may be coming, because I can see what God has already pulled me through. He is faithful, and gracious, and might to save. I may have had to trudge through muck for a while, but right now....I'm flying. :-)

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

Keep Soaring,

B

God Answers prayer...

2010-03-17T17:57:00.003-05:00

I woke up this morning to Pastor Steve playing another voicemail message from Tim. This time when he called, he gave us his address and phone number. We were able to talk with him and encourage him, and it seemed to lift his spirits a little. He won't be able to attend services tonight because of his work schedule, but he will be coming to a prayer breakfast tomorrow. Praise God that we have the chance to minister to Tim and encourage him in his walk with the Lord.

Both Pastor Steve and I have reflected that this entire revival might have been just so we could meet Tim. Praise God that He chose to use us to touch lives.

Keep Soaring,

B

Threatened Suicide Please Pray!!!!!

2010-03-16T18:30:00.002-05:00

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST!!! I'm currently in CO preaching a revival, and my host pastor just received a voicemail from a guy named Tim that got one of our flyers. From the wording of the message, it sounds like he's planning on committing suicide. He didn't leave an address, so we don't know where he is, and his number didn't show up on Pastor Steve's caller ID. Please pray that God does a miraculous work in Tim's life.

Keep Soaring,

B

This is for you...

2010-02-16T23:08:00.003-06:00

I think I know who this is for, but I could be wrong. Please understand, I'm not one of those people that sits in trance and suddenly gets some sort of mystic word from God. Truth be told, I think a great deal of that is hogwash--not all of it, but a great deal of it. But the truth is this is burning in me, and it would be wrong for me to not say it. So, good or bad, here it goes. And if you feel like this is speaking to you, it probably is...

I know you're mad. I was for a long time too. Things just don't make sense anymore, it seems like. People who should be happy are sad, laughs we should be sharing are gone, and people we would give anything to see again are gone forever. Things just aren't turning out the way we've been promised our whole lives. "Follow God and everything will be happy." Bull. We followed God with everything we are, and bad things still happened to us.

And it's always so much easier to be mad than hurt. It's easier to act like He doesn't exist than it is to kneel and cry out to Him and ask why. Suddenly we start to think things like, "What has He done for me? What good has he done in return for my devotion to Him?" And the whole "He lets you live" answer isn't good enough. With the pain that we've felt, it would almost be better to die. And He won't even give us that.

But the truth is, He didn't do this. We did. Adam and Eve did. Satan did. He didn't create death. He didn't create disease and decay. We did that when we skipped out on the best thing we could ever have: Him. And now, He wants more than anything to offer Himself to us again. As desperately as we want comfort and an end to this pain that we're trying to hide from, He wants to be that for us. How many times has He stretched out His hand just to watch us turn and walk away?

So one day I finally gave in. I looked right at Him and said that if He wanted me that badly, He could have me. I was tired of running, tired of trying to be stronger than something I can't even control. And then life happened. Life, that thing that I had forgotten all about. The pain never went away, but it got easier to deal with. I still cry sometimes, but I spend more time smiling--I mean really smiling, not pretending to smile for everybody else. And this world is still completely screwed up, but He's helping me get through it.

All that He did for me, He wants to do for you, too. He wants to answer your questions. He wants to ease the pain. He wants to be to you what you always thought He was: a good God. But He's not going to force Himself on you. If you want Him to do something in your life, you have to be willing to let Him. And that means you have to go back to Him. You have to trust Him.

Please understand, you don't have to change for Him. You don't have to be perfect. You don't even have to be good. He will take you as you are, with all the screw-ups you think you have. Flaws, faults, black fleece, bad habits--none of that matters right now. It's not your job to clean up for Him. It's His job to clean you up...and that includes the parts of you that are hurt and wounded. But He can't do any of that until you make Him what He is supposed to be: Lord of your life.

I know this sounds preachy, but it's who I am. I can't help it. And my words are true, I promise. I wouldn't lie to you--I hope you know that. If I really didn't think He was worth it, I wouldn't push you to Him. But I love you too much to let you live your life without knowing what it's like to be held by Him. He loves you, and I just needed to remind you of that.

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

Keep Soaring,

B

"Venice is Sinking" by Ross King

2010-02-16T09:26:00.002-06:00

A while back I said I would share a song with you and explain what the message of the song is and how it relates to Scripture. Since Ross King's music has been ministering to me a lot lately, I thought I'd share another one of my favorites with you.

"Venice is Sinking" is written from the point of view of a gondolier who takes tourists on rides down the water ridden streets of Venice. Throughout the whole song, he comments on how Venice is sinking deeper and deeper into its own sewer system, and yet no one ever does anything to solve the problem. They just put band-aid solutions on it, and while they stay afloat a little while longer, the problem only worsens.

Now I don't think Ross King is that concerned about the welfare of the city of Venice. Rather, I'd say this is an allegory to how too often we treat things that we deal with in our walk with Christ. Issues come up, problems arise, and rather than deal with the heart of the matter, we want to put band-aid solutions on it. We go to exciting churches with huge services to feel closer to God, but we don't take the time to study and meditate on His word and pray in earnest. We plan program after program after program to try and bring the people into the church, but do nothing to invest in their lives and show them the love of Christ that attracted the likes of Matthew, Zaccheus, and Mary Magdalene. We grit our teeth in frustration that we can't overcome a particular sin, and yet we make no changes in our daily habits to avoid temptation. Ross King's song is a warning that one day band-aid solutions won't be enough. We can only raise our streets for so long before the water is too high to rise above.

Jesus, Matthew 5:30, tells us that if any part of us causes to sin, to cut it off. It's better to go into heaven with parts missing than to go to hell whole. Now, I don't think he was being literal--otherwise, we would all be missing hands and eyes--but I do think what he's saying is deal with the problem. If something holds you back from growing in Christ, get rid of it. Don't just raise your sidewalks. Deal with the problem.

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

Keep Soaring,

B

"Unplowed Ground" by Ross King...my thoughts...

2010-02-11T01:06:00.003-06:00

Okay. As promised, here is a breakdown on my opinions on Ross King's "Unplowed Ground." If you haven't heard the song, you can listen to it here.

The first thing that caught my attention was the description of the farmer in the first verse. He seemed to so accurately describe where my mood was--looking back on stronger days and feeling tired of the desert land my life seemed to be. I had become so drained, so tired of enduring and enduring and enduring that any desire to grow and develop my relationship with Christ had wilted.

The "word to Jeremiah" that "applies to me" can be found in Jeremiah 4:3--"Yes,the Lord has this to say to the people of Judah and Jerusalem: 'Like a farmer breaking up hard unplowed ground, you must break your rebellious will and make a new beginning; just as a farmer must clear away thorns lest the seed is wasted, you must get rid of the sin that is ruining your lives.'" It was a call to renewal, to remove the things from their lives that hindered their growth with God.

The chorus hit me especially hard, because anger was my pet sin that was keeping me down. I had become so disillusioned with my Seminary professors, and to an extent the church in general, that I couldn't bring myself to read the Bible or pray in earnest or go to church, even one that I usually enjoyed. Just like God called Israel to repent, he called me to repent of the anger I allowed to take hold of my heart.

The second verse didn't apply as much to my situation as the first, but I think it's still an important part of the song. The farmer in the second verse is completely opposite of the first. He isn't having a drought, but an overflow of abundance. Things are going great for him, and as a result, he loses sight of things, and becomes materialistic. "I see how fat I am, and I'm still wanting more."

The second chorus again calls for breaking up unplowed ground, this time in reference to Hosea 10:12. In this Scripture God again calls for Israel to break up its unplowed ground, and to sow righteousness rather than wickedness. Verse 13 seems to suggest a dependence on materials and man-made things rather than God.

I think too often we find ourselves here as well. When things are going well, we like to pat ourselves on the back and say what a good job we have done. We build monuments in our minds to our own greatness, and too easily forget the One who gave us that greatness to start with.

So the song, in summary, calls for us to break up unplowed ground, to do the things that lead to growth in Christ, and to get rid of everything that holds us back. And like Ross King observes at the end of this song, so I say to you, "It's time to seek the Lord."

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

Keep Soaring,

B

Clarity received....now moving forward....

2010-02-09T14:58:00.003-06:00

I have been meaning to write this post for a few days now, but between preparing for preaching last Sunday and going through surgery, having time to sit down and write has been little. But, now that I am in happy, though somewhat uncomfortable, recovery, I actually have time now.

Shortly after my last post, I sat down, fired up iTunes, and started a game of Mahjong, just to let my mind focus on something other than my circumstances for a while. "Unplowed Ground" by Ross King came up on the play list. The words struck my heart hard, and all too soon I found myself face down on the floor of my computer room crying out to God. After an extensive prayer time, and some scripture reading, God gave me the clarity I needed. To those of you who sent encouraging Facebook comments, messages, emails, phonecalls, prayers, etc etc etc....all of you. Thank you. The LORD used you to restore a man who was near to breaking point.

Since the song convicted me so much, and since my old pastor has started this on his blog, I thought it would be a good idea to share it with my readers and look into what the song is saying. I haven't completely finished my thoughts on it yet, so those will have to come later. But in the meantime, you can listen to the song here: http://new.music.yahoo.com/ross-king/tracks/unplowed-ground--183269587

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

Keep Soaring,

B

Not quite fitting in where everyone says I should...

2010-02-04T22:06:00.002-06:00

I started this blog as a ministry to reach out to people who have become disillusioned with Christianity because of something a church did. So naturally, I try to put my best foot forward when it comes to representing the body of Christ, to show the people what Christ is about, not what churches think Christ should be about.

I also said I wouldn't water down the truth, that I would be honest and open and real. Well, that's the tricky part, isn't it? Because sometimes, when I'm open and honest and real, I end up confirming what the people I'm trying to reach are afraid of. So which is more important: honesty or keeping up the image?

I'm sick of images. I'm sick of molds. I'm sick of trying to bring people to a body that refuses to bend to reach out. I have a blog that, while not private, is certainly less accessible than this one. I was tempted to unload all my frustrations on it. That way I can say what I'm feeling without ruining the image. But that wouldn't be honest, would it?

What it all boils down to is a class, one class in my Seminary education--which thus far has brought more heartache than illumination--and a difference of opinion with my professor.

The differences are many, but going into every one of them would take too long. They all boil down to this: he has a certain idea of what a minster should look like, a mold that in his eyes a minister should fit, one that he cites as the "higher standard" ministers are called to be held to. And I do not fit that mold.

So the moral dilemma I'm struggling with is how I should respond to this. Should I adjust my beliefs and ideals to fit this mold that I'm being presented with? He's the one with the Dr. in front of his name, the lifetime experience of preaching and ministry, and the one holding my grade in the palm of his hand. He certainly has been in this ministry thing longer than me, so he probably knows more about what works and what doesn't.

But his mold flies in the face of everything I stand for. Come to think of it, the existence of a mold period flies in the face of everything I stand for. I don't believe that God is so limited that he can only operate in a Baptist, non-mystical, expository sermon to draw people to him. Yes, there are a lot of benefits to those things, but that's not the only way God operates. At least that's what my experiences have taught me. So should I just accept that I don't fit that mold and find something else to do?

Getting out of the class would be easy. All it would take is one honest conversation with the man to tell exactly what I think about his "mold," (not a hateful conversation, mind you, just an honest one) and I would be told that my heart is not in the right place to effectively represent the Gospel in the field, and that perhaps I should drop the course, possibly even Seminary altogether. And you know, that is very tempting. I know my heart's not in the right place to do what he wants me to do. But whose heart needs changing--his or mine?

Maybe I am too "mystical" for a minister, but those mystic moments have brought more clarity to me than a thousand traditional Baptist invitations. Shoot, some of those mystic moments have been during traditional Baptist invitations. But what I need right now is clarity. Clarity to do what is right. Not what I want, and not what my professor wants, but what is right. And I'm just having a very difficult time recognizing what that is right now.

So those of you who hate church to start with, please believe me when I say this isn't how it's supposed to be. This isn't what God intended, and this isn't what Christ is about. God is good, people are messed up. But I promised I would be honest, and this is what's going on...

Those of you who pray, remember me. Things that I have stood by since I was 16 years old are being shaken, and I'm not sure what's going to be left when the earthquake stops. Pray that I get the clarity that I so desperately need right now, and then pray that I have the courage and boldness to act on what I learn from it, regardless of where it takes me.

Keep Soaring, even when it means more flapping than gliding,

B

Christ is not the president...

2010-01-14T18:21:00.003-06:00

I was thinking about citizenship today, specifically citizenship in America and citizenship in the kingdom of God, and a thought came to my mind.

Jesus Christ should not be like the president.

Let me explain. I am a citizen of the United States of America, and I do what a good citizen should do. I do my best to obey the laws. I try to stay educated on the issues facing our country. I vote in every election, and I pay my taxes. I know who my president is, I respect the office, and even if he does things that I don't like, I still respect the fact that he is my president and deserves my loyalty and support.

I am also a citizen of the kingdom of God, and I try to do what a good citizen does. I do my best to follow the Lord's commands. I try to stay educated about the Bible and the issues facing the Body of Christ. I participate in ministries that spread the Gospel, and I tithe at church. I know who my Lord is, I respect His authority, and even if he does things that I don't like, I still respect the fact that He is God and deserves my loyalty and devotion.

But that isn't good enough.

I don't talk to President Obama on a daily basis. I don't base my decisions on what he thinks is best. I don't seek his favor with my lifestyle and life choices. When I need guidance or wisdom, I don't go to him for these things. He is my president, but the relationship stops there.

That's not how it is with God. I should be talking to Him on a daily basis. I should base my decisions on what He thinks is best (or really knows to be best). I should seek His favor with my lifestyle and my life choices. When I need guidance or wisdom, He is the only one I should go to for these things. He is my God, and by His grace the relationship exists between Him and me.

I, for one, have been convicted of living my life as though I am a citizen of the kingdom, but not a child of God. I keep all the duties I should as a good Christian, but too often my relationship with Christ just isn't there. Being a follower of Christ is more than just performing duties. It's about knowing Him. I pray that we won't be like those Jesus spoke of who learned this lesson to late.

"On that day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons and domany powerful deeds?’Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Go away from me, you lawbreakers!'" --Matthew 7:22-23

It's not about how many good things we do or how many commandments we keep. It's about how well we know Christ, and how close our relationship is with him.

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

Keep Soaring,

B

New Year's Resolutions...

2010-01-05T11:44:00.003-06:00

It's another New Year, which means everyone is making resolutions to lose weight, quit smoking, exercise more, or in some other way live better than they did the year before. Sad to say that I'm no different, mostly because a doctor told me I have high-blood pressure. So, for the sake of my well-being, I have to embrace the cliche weight loss resolution.

But a verse of scripture came to my mind that has a different idea on what resolutions should be. I thought pf the text in 2 Chronicles where Solomon has completed the temple and invites God to make that temple His dwelling place. God answers, agrees, and tells Solomon this: "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14).

I think that if I really want to live better in 2010 than I did in 2009, losing weight won't do me much good. Regardless of how heavy I am, I am still chained to my flesh and to its sinful desires. No, if I really want to live better, I need to do something more than just lose a few pounds. I need to change my entire lifestyle. So, this year my resolution is to be humble, to pray, to seek God's face, and to turn from my wicked ways. I want to be a man whom God hears, and whose sins are forgiven, and who lives in land restored and sustained by God.

Rest assured, I am still going to lose weight, because my body is a temple for God and it should be treated as such (not to mention the health concerns involved). But something tells me that if I focus on my relationship with Christ and turn from my worldly passions, then this weight thing will work itself out.

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

Keep Soaring,

B

PS: Happy New Year!!!!

The Family....

2009-12-30T01:53:00.003-06:00

It amazes me how introspective music can make a man at 2:00 AM.

I was listening to "The Church" by Derek Webb. It is a very moving song about Christ's love for His bride, the church. In the song there is a line that sticks out in my mind. "If you love me, you will love the church."

Now, anyone who reads this blog will know I am the first to stand in line and say that the American church is sick. Most of the time, we're too busy bickering with each other to really make any headway in sharing the Gospel with anyone. And we're either too afraid to be labeled as judgmental, so we allow everything, wrong or not, and at the same time, we don't want to be labeled liberal, so we show everyone how angry we can get at the current government. For those outside looking in, we must look like a sad, pathetic, dysfunctional family.

But I've been convicted about something. As sad as the American church has become...it is still the church. And as angry as I get with some of the professors and students at Seminary who seem to have a "Baptist superiority complex," they are still brothers and sisters in Christ. I find that when I try to imitate Christ, I remember only Him turning over tables in the temple, and too easily forget him writing in the sand when he should be throwing stones. I remember only him yelling "Get thee behind me Satan!" and seem to forget a conversation about love and feeding sheep. In my zeal to reform and change the church, I have at some point lost my love for it. And that is not of God. Perfect or not, effective or not, it is still God's church.

So, for the believers who read this and are frustrated with the church, I understand how you feel. But remember, the church is made of people, and people are never perfect. Yes, we need to change the things that are broken, but its wrong to completely overlook what's not broken. The church is Christ's body. If it is sick, it's our job to heal it, not condemn it. So my challenge to you is to allow the Holy Spirit to transform your frustration to compassion, and your anger to grace. If we are of the Body, then we should love the Body, not judge it.

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

Keep Soaring,

B

Something cliche that really shouldn't be...

2009-12-16T10:33:00.002-06:00

My friend Sean has been posting devotions and songs leading up to Christmas, trying to remind us all of what Christmas means. He posted the song "O Come O Come Emanuel" by Rosie Thomas. Excellent sound, and it reminded me of something.

During this time of year, Christmas cards and decorations are so abundantly overflowing that we almost become desensitized to them. It's worse at Christian stores, because we look over tons and tons of "Remember the Reason for the Season" cards and decorations. Everyone seems intent on reminding us that Jesus is why Christmas is around, and Santa Claus is just a side show, that it tends to grate on my nerves a little. Don't get me wrong, I completely agree with the sentiment. I just get tired of hearing it over and over again.

But then I heard this song, and it reminded me of something. Christmas isn't a birthday party (although "Happy Birthday Jesus" is a cute song). Jesus didn't come here to get wise men birthday presents and be cute and cuddly. He came here to die, that we might live. He came here to "ransom captive Israel." He's not a cute little baby that needs a birthday party. He's a hero coming to save his beloved, a warrior coming to conquer death...

A Savior coming to redeem His people....

When Isaiah pictured Christ, he didn't see a baby in a manger. He saw a warrior. Read his description:

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this."--Isaiah 9:6-7

So, I join in with my brothers and sisters in Christ who urge us all to "remember the reason for the season." God lowered himself to that of a man, that he might walk among us and save us from ourselves. He is the fulfillment of a promise to a desperate people yearning for freedom from bondage. He is the reason we have reason to celebrate. When you see the nativity scene, remember that the story of the Christ did not end in a manger. It only started there. And praise be to God, it didn't end at a cross either.

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

Keep Soaring,

B

Unplowed Ground...

2009-12-06T01:48:00.002-06:00

Too often I am a man of extremes, and when those extremes come, I forget who it is that guides me through them. Things become hard, and cry out for relief. And all the while God waits for me to turn to him, but for some reason, he is the last person I go to.

Likewise, when things are going well, I sit high and mighty on the happiness that I have found, smile a smile to all I see, and never bother to turn and acknowledge the God that gave me that happiness.

When times are difficult, the LORD should be the first place we run to you, and when things are happier and easier, he should be the first one we thank.

All this brought on by "Unplowed Ground" by Ross King:

It's drier here than ever I remember,
The fields that once were green and tall are now so bare.
And patience for relief has turned to anger
And joyous praise has been replaced by faithless prayer.

I used to love to tend these fields for hours
And even times of drought would only serve to spur me on.
But now it seems like years without a shower
And somehow my desire to grow has come and gone.

This was the word to Jeremiah, but I think it applies to me right about now...

Break up your unplowed ground, and turn your heart to Me again.
Lay all your idols down; come confess your sin.
I long to ease your pain and bring your fields to life once more,
But I will not send My rain until you make Me Lord.

A vineyard ripe with blessing now surrounds me,
And every harvest so much more than I hoped for.
But as the fruit increases all around me,
I see how fat I am and I'm still wanting more.

This was the word God gave Hosea, but I think it applies to me right about now...

Break up your unplowed ground, have you so soon forgotten Me?
I cannot watch you bow at the altar of prosperity.
I long to shower down and see our love affair restored.
So break up your unplowed ground; it's time to seek the Lord.

Habits turn to cycles turn to seasons,
And seasons turn to years before we know.
And we lay still alive but barely breathing,
And we whisper, "That's just the way it goes..." but the Lord says No.

Break up your unplowed ground and you will find a treasure.
Sell everything you own to buy what can't be measured.
I long to lay you down in richer fields than you have known.
So break up your unplowed ground and make this land your home.

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

Keep Soaring,

B

Far too long away...

2009-11-29T22:09:00.003-06:00

My most sincere apologies for my absence here. I could say it was because of the move, school, or just issues at home in general, but the truth is somewhere along the way I lost my zeal for what I was doing.

I wish I could say that my zeal is back, and that my heart strings reverberate with the same passion that led to the creation of this blog, but the truth is, I'm here now out of a sense of obligation and little bit of guilt. My life is peppered with unfinished projects that I have yet to finish. Novels are left half-written, graphic novels and comic books only sketched, and a head full of sermon series ideas without the least bit of notes to show for it. And here, now, with only two weeks of the semester left, rather than wanting to finish strong, I really just want to crawl in bed and go to sleep. My mind and heart just aren't in anything right now. The highlight of today has been running to Wendy's for some chicken nuggets and losing myself to a Denzel Washington crime movie. Greek quizzes are left unstudied for, the house still hasn't been cleaned from the holidays, and I lack the motivation to do anything about any of it.

But, if nothing else, I have this blog. And on the off chance that someone actually benefits from it, I find my fingers reaching for the keyboard again. Believe me, nothing would thrill me more than to just call it quits on all of it. Drop out of Seminary, get some mindless job at a factory or warehouse that pays enough to get the bills paid, forget about all my aspirations to be a writer and a graphic novelist, and let my life's ambition be to have a retirement that lets me sleep late and watch movies all day. But, something deep within me screams that that life is wrong, that that life is not what I was designed for. And despite my weariness of the way life in Fort Worth has turned out, despite the fact that all I want to do is throw away everything...I just can't .

So, even though I find myself quite comfortable in the muck and dust of the place that I've fallen into, I force myself to get up and start walking again. Not because of some noble desire to press on. Not because I'm supremely dedicated to the achievement of some grand purpose. No, none of that. I start walking again simply because I don't know how to do anything else. It's just the way God designed me. And for better or worse, it's who I am.

On a more positive note, we had a ton of family and a couple of friends come visit for the holidays. It was a much needed break from the monotony of life. I daresay the only reason I'm posting now is because I drew some joy out of seeing my parents and sisters and in-laws all under one roof, smiling. God knew what he was doing when He created holidays.

I promise to be more consistent with this blog as I was in the past. I can't promise daily updates, but I can promise that you'll hear from me again before the turn of the new year. In the meantime, pray that Mandy and I find some sense of stability here. Between her exhaustion from work, my frustration with school, and the lack of energy both of us are experiencing, this place isn't turning out to be quite the safe haven that we expected it to be. But despite that, it is where we are called to be. We just need a little help making it here.

Not much to comment on on this post, but if by some chance you have comments or questions, feel free to voice them. Now even more so than before, I'm always here.

Keep Soaring,

B

"Venice is sinking" by Ross King

2009-11-07T23:53:00.003-06:00

I came back to this song tonight. I can guarantee that our brother Ross King is not talking about Venice and water problems.

"Papa got the business back in 1953
He took it on when my grandfather drowned
35 years later it was passed along to me
Now I make the rounds
Wealthy and American is mostly who I take
Smile and tell the story for a price
You might be surprised how much a gondolier can make
Giving tourist rides
They float the waters, hear the history
They never have to fear what lies beneath
But as for me, I’m wondering quietly…

If Venice is sinking, how can we believe we’ll all be fine
If Venice is sinking, how can we believe we all stay dry
‘Cause I have been thinking, this water’s not worth drinking
so if Venice is sinking, then trouble’s on the rise

Centuries of living like the kings we should have been
And never having slaves to clean our mess
And still the water rises, so we raise the ground again

In our ignorance
Sometime they will ask about the garbage and the smell
‘Cause they don’t understand the way it works
To tell the truth it’s been so long that I can never tell
If it’s getting worse
We’re rich in romance and in poetry
But we have a sewer running in our streets
I wonder which will be our greater legacy

A city built on dreams, and a million giant beams
But reality, it seems is getting closer, and rising higher
And I still wonder"

Keep Soaring,

B

Funky Fresh Senior Adults...

2009-10-18T00:02:00.002-05:00

I promise to put something more serious up for an update later. In the meantime, here's something to make you smile... :-D

Now, I am always a big fan of engaging culture to reach the lost for Christ, but this....this is just plain funny. My hat's off to these fine elderly people. They have a courage I doubt I will ever have.

If you can't see the video, click here.

Keep Soaring,

B

What the church shoud look like....

2009-09-12T14:06:00.003-05:00

For all my cynicism about the American church, the events of the past couple of days have really made me shut up and pay attention...

I met a man named Lon Chea. He's from Cambodia and is a man of faith like none other. He was raised by his parents to be a Buddhist Monk, but didn't feel that was for him. He came to American, found faith in the LORD, and over the course of about 20 years led his family still in Cambodia to Christ. The last time he saw them was in 2003, and he told me that he feels a great burden on his heart to see them again. But his finances aren't enough to get him there. I promised I'd pray for him.

On Friday nights I attend a faith-based karate school called Christian Soldiers. During Bible study I mentioned Lon to the class and asked them to pray for him. The response I got was astounding. Almost immediately, two people got out their checkbooks and wrote checks totaling to $150. Then my instructor said he would bring a coffee can to class next week so that everyone would have a chance to contribute. One of the other students said, "Even if we don't raise enough to send him there, we could at least give him a headstart."

I was shocked speechless, and even when I tried to tell Mandy about it I started crying. This karate class came together and chose to help a man they had never met. They just saw a need and decided to show the love of Christ. It's amazing that this karate class is acting exactly how a New Testament church should act. No accounting committees, no budget requests, no check that has to be signed by 3 deacons or more. Just a body of believers meeting the needs of the people around them.

The American church in general may be falling by the wayside. But at least in Fort Worth, TX, there's a little group of karate students who believe God when he said feed the hungry and clothe the naked. Thank you, LORD, for letting me see this.

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

Keep Soaring,

B

Southcliff Baptist Church in review....

2009-08-30T16:54:00.002-05:00

Mandy and I visited Southcliff Baptist Church this morning. It had been recommended by two different couples of friends, so we though we'd give it a shot.

On a minor side note: It seems that having a coffee shop just outside the sanctuary where members can buy coffee is becoming increasingly popular in churches.

So Mandy and I walk in the front door, and once again, not more than a few seconds into the door, we're greeted by someone. Now this guy has a name tag on, so chances are this is what he's supposed to do. But still, it's nice that at least someone is looking out for new faces.

He led us over to a booth where we filled out info about ourselves. Mandy filled out the form while I spoke with the greeter. He found out we were from LA and mentioned that the senior pastor was also from there. Once our info was in, they handed us bag with all sorts of material in it about the church and what they do. We also got coupons for free coffee, which Mandy used to give herself a little caffeine boost.

The service itself wasn't all that dissimilar from a normal service. There was singing, a recorded baptism (the live one happened in the 9:20 service), and then a prayer time and then preaching. The pastor spoke on Faith Amnesia, how to not forget what God has done for you when things go bad. He used the text Mark 8:1-9. Not 100% sure the text he used related to what he was preaching, but then again I wasn't the one that studied the text, he was. (The problem with going to Seminary is that it teaches you to be very critical of what you hear. And though that can be a good thing at times, it can also get in the way and make you seem arrogant.) What he had to say was good, especially the part about building landmarks for ourselves to remember God's faithfulness, i.e. a journal or diary where one could record God's working in your life.

Afterward, our friend the greeter came back and took us up to the front to meet the pastor. Very nice guy, seems real easy to talk to. We talked seminary chat for a while, then said our goodbyes. Then the greeter told us that if we needed any help to call them, and if the LORD leads us somewhere else, then wonderful, and if not, they look forward to seeing us again. So no pressure on joining was the point he was trying to make, which I appreciated.

Looking through the material given to us, I did notice a few things that I appreciated. (1) Joining the church was fairly simple. You attend a new members class where they talk about what being a member means, and then if you agree and want to join, you simply sign a statement and you're a member. I've become kind of burned on the whole walk down the aisle thing, so that was a pleasant change. (2) They have a class specifically for married couples age 21-29. So that means we don't have to pick between going to class with college freshmen or to a class filled with couples that have three kids and a good ten years into their marriage. There is a class for people at our life stage. (3) In late September they have a dinner scheduled specifically for New Seminary students looking for a church home. These people realize that there is a ministry there and they're jumping on it.

So, all in all, a good visit this morning. Plus on the welcoming newcomers, classes offered, and membership guidelines. The only bad thing is that it is a big church, and I was really wanting to go smaller this time around. But once again, God did not speak to me and tell me that this is the church he wants us to serve at. If He does, I wouldn't be heartbroken, but I'm not feeling anything now.

Mandy did make the comment that Freedom Church in Fort Worth seemed less polished than this church, and that made them seem more real and genuine. I agree with her; the conversation at Freedom Church felt less forced. But Southcliff is a mega-church, where individually recognizing visitors may be impossible. So I can't fault the church for being practical in training greeters on what to say in order to catch everyone. Forced conversation or not, it was nice that someone made the effort to talk to us.

So, those are my experience of the morning. Feel free to comment or ask questions. I'm always here.

Keep Soaring,

B

A friendly debate...

2009-08-28T01:23:00.003-05:00

A buddy of mine named Tim had a few things to say about my last post, and nice conversation ensued about the different views of God's existence. The first part of the debate occured mostly on Facebook, so for for everyone's benefit I thought I'd post the entire discussion here.

***The following is a conversation resulting from a video I found on youtube called The Atheist. These comments were posted on Facebook.

Tim:
Branson,

This video is well made, well thought out, but it is also ridiculous. I appeals to an emotional, instead of an intellectual argument, like most religious arguments, and results in gaining no ground. The first point that is counter-intuitive is the premise, which has the main character becoming an atheist on emotional grounds. This is ... simply not the most common case. Most atheists do not believe in god because they have made argument after logical argument tearing down what has taken centuries construct: false hope, weak emotional strength, and disregard for fact. There are several arguments presented after the initial premise which again do nothing to argue actual facts. They present an emotional gap, and fill it with metaphor and poetry. Evil is the absence of good, like a donut? Seriously? God has morally sufficient reasons to allow suffering? Man's purpose is the knowledge of god? These arguments are not persuasive. Indeed, they are not even arguments.

Branson:
(1) I put this up for people who left God for emotional reasons, because believe it or not, most of the people I know that want nothing to do with God, Jesus, or anything church related, are that way because of an emotional reason. Not saying that's always the case or even mostly the case. That's just what I personally have been dealing with...
(2) If remaining on intellect alone is what it takes to have a civil conversation between a Christian and an atheist, then I am all for it. The problem is most of the time the atheist believes just as dogmatically in his "anti-faith" as the Christian does in his faith. In order to have that kind of conversation, the atheist would have to be as open-minded to the possibility that there may be a God as the Christian would that there may not be one. And sadly, that never happens. Ironically, for all his reliance on fact and science, at the end of the day, the atheist really only has "faith" that there is no God.

Tim:
I can accept you first point, as most of the 'athiest' you have probably come in contact with were just believers with angry doubts. On your second point I am truly sorry if you have been unable to have a civil conversation with an atheist, as I have had the same problem with Christians. I would have to completely disagree with your last point, as ...being an atheist means shedding all faith, including that which you may disagree with. It means basing your decisions on physical evidence and reasoned logic. As there is no evidence for god, there can be no reason to include him in your decisions. If you have some physical evidence for god, I would be pleased to see it, as would the rest of humanity. Only theists base their decisions not on fact, and anyone would be hard pressed to make such a comparison fairly.

Branson:
You're absolutely right....mankind is pressed for physical evidence of God. As a believer in Christ, I can show you the results of God's handiwork throughout all of creation. But at the end of the day, I can't introduce you to God so you can shake his hand. I can't let you see a snapshot of Him from my wallet. There is evidence of God's work, ...not evidence of Him. That's where, for the Christian, faith and personal experience take over and fill in the gaps. You can get close to seeing the existence of God on fact alone, but it takes a "leap of faith" (pardon the cliche phrase) to actually believe. The point I'm trying to make is that for someone who does not believe in a God, they have to do the same thing. A lack of evidence to support the existence of God does not mean that there is no God, only that God can't be--or is very difficult to be--proven. In order to prove there is no God, a man would have to investigate every occurrence, circumstance, and phenomenon in the entire universe throughout all of time and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is no way a supreme being commonly known as God could have possibly intervened in anyway. And mankind simply does not have the science or understanding to do such a thing. So, for a man to believe that there is no God, he has to look at the evidence presented and allow his faith to fill in the gaps, just like a Christian. So really, to have your decision on God based solely on fact, the best you could hope for in the "no God" direction in agnosticism.

The following is a continuation of the conversation above. All comments were posted on the blog site.

Tim:
Ok. So I'm going to post a few of your statements, and I'll try to tackle them one at a time. I'm just going to take them at random, since that's how they seemed to come out, but I do not want to belittle these, I only want to show why I disagree with them. So here we go...

1. "The problem is most of the time the atheist believes just as dogmatically in his 'anti-faith' as the Christian does in his faith." ... "Ironically, for all his reliance on fact and science, at the end of the day, the atheist really only has 'faith' that there is no God."

Alright. It is a complete misstatement to suggest that an atheist only has 'faith' there is no God. This statement suggests not only do you not understand an atheist's viewpoint, but you do not understand the basics of logic. There are many definitions of faith, but I will use the Merriam-Webster definition: 'firm belief in something for which there is no proof'. To suggest that someone's lack of belief is the same as faith is simply wrong. You do not believe in fairies. This is because there is no proof of fairies. Your A-fairieism is NOT faith that there are not fairies. You do not have to dis-prove the existence of something. The burden of proof is upon the argument of existence. This is why you cannot prove a negative. An atheist does not believe there is no God, he does not believe in a God. A subtle but important difference. Faith has nothing to do with it. If there was proof for God's existence, and the atheist still did not believe, then you might be able to apply the word faith. Unfortunately, no such proof of God exists, thus neither does the logical argument.

Branson:
Good point. "Faith" was the wrong word to use here when it comes to atheist beliefs. Let me see if I can re-word this to get the point that I'm trying to make across....

I suppose what I'm trying to say is that a belief or lack of belief in God ultimately comes down to a personal choice, not a result of scientific fact. A certain interpretation of the facts may cause someone to lean one way or the other, but the facts alone aren't enough to prove either way correct.

This isn't the best of illustrations, but it's all I can come up with at the moment. Let's say two men are presented with identical apple pies and asked the question, "Did a chef bake this pie?" One man looks at the pie and says, "I see that the apples in the pie have been cut, which suggests the work of an outside hand. I see that the ingredients necessary to make the pie are measured and blended in exactly the right way to create the taste that it has, which suggests intelligent design. Therefore, it must have been made by a chef." The second man looks at the pie and says, "There are no fingerprints on the dish or in the dough itself, so there couldn't have been hands involved in the making of this pie. I cannot see or speak with or touch this supposed chef. Therefore, since I find no evidence that a chef exists, this pie could not have been made by a chef."

Not the best illustration, but it makes the point. Looking at the pie alone won't tell you whether the pie was made by a chef or a machine, because the evidence in the pie is interpreted based on the presuppositions of the observer. We of course can't assume that just because we don't see fingerprints or a chef standing nearby means that there is no chef. But at the same time, the existence and particular construction of the pie alone isn't proof enough that a chef exists. In other words, the system itself is not enough evidence for or against the existence of the system's creator.

It's the same with science and God. A man who believes in God will look at scientific fact and interpret it according to his beliefs. An atheist will do the same thing, only he interprets the facts based on the assumption that there is no God. And a man who doesn't know either way, after looking at the evidence, will most likely remain that way, unsure of whether a God exists or not. All three of them have to at some point decide how they interpret the information.

I'm sure someone said this before me, so I'll put it in quotes: "A lack of evidence for something does not equal evidence to the contrary." In other words, a lack of physical evidence for God does not mean God doesn't exist. So, if a man wants to base his belief or lack of belief in God on physical evidence, all he can say is that God's existence is ultimately unknowable; it can't be proven or dis-proven. If he does not believe in God, it is because he chooses not to believe in God, and if he does believe in God, it is because he chooses to.

Forgive my long-windedness (I think the late hour might have something to do with it), but what I'm trying to say is this: Whether or not God exists is not a scientific question, because it can't be answered by science. It is a decision of the believer or non-believer, and all science can do for that decision is to be interpreted in light of it.

Tim:
"A lack of evidence for something does not equal evidence to the contrary."

Again, your argument is _explicitly_ valid. Unfortunately, it just isn't useful. To illustrate, I will use a commonly accepted truism: Unicorns do not exist. Now the implicit argument (modus tollens) is as follows:

1. If unicorns had existed, then there is evidence in the fossil record.
2. There is no evidence of unicorns in the fossil record.
3. Therefore, unicorns never existed.

Now, your argument holds weight here. There is a lack of evidence for unicorns, but that does not explicitly mean there have never been unicorns. The problem is that if we used this rule, we could never have a reasonable understanding of what exists and what doesn't. We could never KNOW anything. And while this is explicitly true, it isn't useful. The very nature of an inductive argument is to make a conclusion probable, but not certain, given the truth of the premises. That just what an inductive argument is. Why do you think that the sun will rise tomorrow? Not because of observation (you can’t observe the future!), but because that’s what it has always done in the past.

The point here is that I do not have to go around disproving every crazy idea that someone can up with. The burden of proof is not upon me. The world works perfectly well (and makes sense too!) without God, and without evidence, it simply makes no sense to believe in him. And the implicit argument holds weight. So while I cannot incontrovertibly PROVE that God doesn't exist, I can infer it. The opposite is not true. You cannot infer the existence of God, mainly because it would require evidence to support it.

The point here is that the only valid argument that can refute the logic that suggests God does not exist, is the same argument that suppresses ALL logic by implying you cannot know anything. In my experience, it is a weak argument.

"Whether or not God exists is not a scientific question, because it can't be answered by science. It is a decision of the believer or non-believer, and all science can do for that decision is to be interpreted in light of it."

I don't know how to argue this. You seem to be suggesting that a conclusion (God's existence) is somehow immune to logic (the scientific method). When people believe things that are illogical and cannot be proven, they are deemed INSANE. Everything is a scientific question. You see, the 'system' is all that we have. It MUST be enough, as there is nothing else from which to gain evidence.

Branson:
Before Galileo improved the telescope and made his observations about the Sun being the center of our solar system, everyone believed the Earth was the center of the universe. That idea was based on all the observations available at the time. Without Galileo's discoveries, there would be little to no evidence that the sun is the center of our solar system. So, assuming something isn't so simply because it can't be proven with contemporary science isn't always the most correct assumption.

You said, "The world works perfectly well (and makes sense too!) without God, and without evidence it simply makes no sense to believe in him." This illustrates what I've been trying to say for the past few comments. Atheism is a choice of the person's heart. You can envision and understand a world with no God, so that is what you believe, and you interpret science as such, namely pointing that God cannot be physically proven. To me, the world works perfectly well and makes sense with God, and I have personal experiences with God as my evidence, so it makes perfect sense to me that He exists. Because I believe that, a lack of physical evidence simply means that He chooses not to reveal Himself in that manner. So for both of us, our choice of belief or disbelief in God determines how the science is interpreted, not the other way around. Right or wrong, our positions on this topic are a result of personal choice, not science.

As for the existence of God being inferred, that's been done several times. One such instance is Intelligent Design Theory, which "holds that certain features of the universe and living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection." You can read more about it at http://www.intelligentdesign.org . Another instance is Thomas Aquinas, who came up with five logical arguments for the existence of God. You can read them at http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/aquinas3.html . Both of these are cases where scientific evidence and logic point to the possible existence of God.

Now, here's the thing...a true atheist will read those arguments and immediately dismiss them or come up with another explanation for the "intelligent designer" or the "first cause" other than God. Why? Because he chooses not to believe in God. And that decision dictates his entire world view and how he interprets the information presented to him. There are brilliant, intelligent, logic-loving scientists who are willing to believe that life was seeded here on Earth by aliens from outer space simply because they refuse to believe in God.

So, in response to God's existence being immune to logic, it isn't immune; it simply isn't a conclusion. It's an axiom. Whether or not you believe in God determines how you view the world, not the other way around.

Just as an aside, despite the burden proof not falling on disproving God, I know of two men who tried to do just that. And at the end of it, they both ended up becoming Christians. One such man is Lee Strobel, who's written several books about his journey, including The Case for Christ, The Case for Faith, and The Case for a Creator. The other man is Josh McDowell, who's compiled all of his research into one volume called The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict. Their journeys to Christ might prove enlightening as you see how they came to the beliefs they have now.

Tim:
1. Making a reasoned conclusion from available data is not an assumption.

2. Atheism is not a choice. It is a reasoned conclusion. My position is completely based in science.

3. I am well read in Aquinas. His five logical arguments for the existence of God are primitive and easily refuted. Intelligent design is one of his five proofs, and it too is easily dismissed. You see, intelligent design states that the world is so fundamentally complex, that it HAD to have been designed. The problem here is that the basis for its necessity (the universe being so complex that it demands a creator) is its greatest flaw (dismissing God, infinitely more complex than the universe, as not needing a creator). It refutes its own axiom. Ridiculous.

4. God's existence may be an axiom to you, but it is simply another logical argument to everyone who bases their conclusions on fact.

5. As I stated initially, I am not trying to persuade you. I am trying to let you understand an atheist's point of view: physical evidence and reasoned logic. I think you will find this series interesting:

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=762A731FA12BCB57&search_query=thunderf00t

Branson:
Thanks for the link. Although I think Ray has some valid points, he at times comes across a little more argumentative than I would want to be.

I think this is the point where we start to spin wheels and just agree to disagree. My belief in God is my defining point. Everything that I am and everything that I believe to be real about everything flows from assuming that the God of the Bible is real and active in my life. To you, God is an exercise in logic and reason, and short of God himself coming down and making Himself known, you don't believe He exists. And it seems there's no middle-ground where one of us can pull the other to the other side.

So, before this gets to be a long repetition of beating dead horses, and I start to sound exactly like the Bible-thwacking "Christians" that I take issue with, let me say thank you so much for the chance to talk. As I said before, this conversation has made me think hard about why I believe what I believe, and sadly that is something that just doesn't happen often enough for those who do believe in God.

I'd like to make just one more statement. Jesus said, "Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened for you." (Matthew 7:7). Jesus was mainly talking about God providing for the needs of His people, but I would say that offer extends to beyond simple physical needs. If you earnestly seek after God, you will find Him. To the one who wants to know Him, He reveals Himself, and the science and the logic and everything else starts to work itself out. The issue is whether or not a man is willing to seek after God, to know Him.

So, if you're absolutely sure that there is no God to know, and nothing will make you even consider the contrary, then I applaud you for your steadfastness to your convictions--it is a lesson I wish some "Christians" would learn. But if there is ever a time that you even consider the possibility of God's existence, I promise you that if you look for Him, you will find Him.

Thanks again so much for this discussion. I hope its been as engaging and thought provoking for you as it has been for me. And feel free to comment on any of my posts that you feel a desire to. The last thing I want is the God issue to be a source of alienation for either one of us. Besides, it makes me feel good to know that somebody is actually reading my posts. ;-) Until next time, take care.

***This is pretty much where the conversation ended. I enjoyed the debate and am glad that Tim and I were able to discuss our beliefs without getting at each other's throats. A good debate every now and then is good for the soul.

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

Keep Soaring,

B

The Atheist...

2009-08-21T06:56:00.002-05:00

To anyone who ever wanted to shake their fist at God and demand "Why?"

Watch this...

If you can't see the video, click here.

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

Keep Soaring,

B

The Importance of Memorizing Scripture...

2009-08-21T06:15:00.002-05:00

This is why you should always be sure you know what you're saying when it comes to the Bible.

If you can't see the video, click here.

Keep Soaring,

B

Freedom Church of Fort Worth.....a review

2009-08-17T06:43:00.003-05:00

So Mandy and I are still in the long and arduous task of finding a church to join here in Fort Worth. As of yet, the LORD has not led us to a particular one. However, the church we last visited had some promising characteristics that I'd like to share.

Freedom Church of Fort Worth wasn't a huge church. First pulling into the parking lot, it looked to be a small country church who just recently got enough funds to build a new building. The first thing I noticed was three or four families walking to the front. All of them were wearing jeans, some of the children wearing shorts and flip flops. I didn't see the first tie, and button up shirts were rare. Personally, this was a plus. I'm always excited to attend a church that cares more about the hearts of its people rather than the clothes that they wear.

We walk in to the Sanctuary, and within two minutes of entering the building we're greeted by none other than the pastor of the church himself. He introduces himself, asks our names, where we're from, how we heard about the church. He brought us over to a counter in the back where the church sells coffee and muffins before the service and introduced us to his wife. After we had made all the small talk that could be made, we went and sat down. While sitting there, two other people came and introduced themselves to us. The biggest thing I noticed was that none of them wore an "usher" name tag. They came up and introduced themselves because they were all about community and we were new.

The service started, and I had to endure through it a little. The praise band was big fan of distorted electric guitars and heavy drums. Don't get me wrong, I love a good rock song here and there. But when it comes to praise and worship, I'm more of an acoustic guitar and bongo drums kinda guy. The whine of electric guitars was a little distracting to me. So I did my best to simply focus on the lyrics of the songs we sang and not so much on their arrangement, and things seemed to go well.

The pastor then got up and explained that they used "worship stations." During the last song of the worship, there were different stations that you could go to of yoru own accord. One was for you to have communion with your family....the old dip the cracker in the grape juice version. That station also had a piece of wood with a nail in it to remind you of the pain Jesus endured on the cross. A second station was for prayer, where you could write down a prayer request and light a candle to represent that request, or you could go to pray for the requests that were already written down. And finally, a station in the back and a frame with some sort of paste spread in it next to a cup full of broken tiles and another cup with sharpies. You were supposed to write a word or draw a symbol on a piece of tile that represented a time when you were broken and then place it in the paste. The idea is that eventually, there would be mosaic of all the brokenness of the church. The point is this: we're just a bunch of broken people, but when God calls us together for His work, He turns us into a beautiful work of art. All in all, it was different and took a little getting used to. Mandy wasn't a big fan of a communal cup that everyone dipped their crackers in, but aside from that the stations seemed like an interesting, if not unique, form of worship.

There was an offertory after the song, followed by a five-minute intermission before the sermon where people were allowed to get more coffee, stretch, and just walk around. Then the preaching started. No pulpit, this guy got right down in front of us and sat in a chair. The lesson wasn't so much his lecturing to us as it was a group discussion. He asked questions of the congregation and expected to be answered back. It was an interesting dynamic, and it was a little hard to follow. If it weren't for the notes in the bulletin, I don't know that I'd get the point of the message. But then again, I'm used to standard 3-point Baptist sermons with an introduction, body, and conclusion. Group discussion was something I was never good at. On a positive note, he spent a lot of time in the original languages, explaing meanings and where English and Hebrew had some issues in translation. I appreciated this a lot--it showed me that the pastor cares about study and understanding authorial intent, not just what the pastor he had told him.

(He managed to work in references to the Matrix, Star Wars, and Star Trek, in his sermon as illustrations. I was in hog heaven.)

After the sermon was an invitation time. Both the pastor and his wife waited up front to receive people, which I thought was a good idea. (If a woman is experiencing extreme pain from her ovaries, it's kinda hard to talk to a male pastor about that.) The worship stations were opened up again. After the song ended, the pastor gave announcements, we prayed, and then we were dismissed.

Before we could get out the door, the pastor ran us down again and talked with us afterward. He introduced us to his daughter (who is attending Southwestern) and son-in-law, and then we started talking about Seminary. (Turns out he graduated from Southwestern back in the 80's.) In the time it took for us to talk, three more families came and introduced themselves to us, again not wearing any usher name tags, just being friendly. By the time we were ready to leave, we probably had met nearly half the church, and they all came to us.

We talked about ministry and community. The pastor said their method of evangelism is kind of backwards. Rather than getting them saved and then welcoming them into the community, they welcome the people into the community first and love them to Christ. He gave the example of an atheist who came there two years ago and basically said, "I'm just here to check things out. Leave me alone." The pastor said fine and didn't push the guy, but made sure he felt welcomed and invited him to everything the church did. He was baptized two months ago, and it wasn't because someone beat him over the head with a Bible. It was because he saw real Christianity at work, and it made him desire Christ.

Of course, being a Seminary student, the question in the back of my mind is "do you give to the cooperative program? Will I get the discount on tuition if I join here?" I utterly loathe and hate that its something to consider, but it is. Where we end up joining will have a huge impact on how we handle our finances, so it's a point of concern. It does not dictate where we end up joining (God will provide the money one or the other), but it does affect decisions we make as a result of where we join. Thankfully, the pastor brought it up before I said anything about it. "Yeah, I really would like to give to the cooperative program, because it's a good thing and it would help on my daughter's tuition. But I can't justify giving to it for just my family. If I had about 4 or 5 families here that attended the seminary, I would definitely be open to giving to it, but right now it would just seem too self-serving." Gotta hand it to the guy for having principles. So, in the end, no this isn't a church on Southwestern's special list, but it could be.

So, all in all, there are a few things I wasn't wild about, but those things were issues of personal preference, not doctrine. And they definitely have a community-driven ministry that cares just as much about the school and houses across the street as it does some obscure village in Asia. So, while God hasn't been clear about where He's calling us yet, if He did call us to Freedom Church or Fort Worth, I'd be okay with that.

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

Keep Soaring,

B

Everything by Lifehouse

2009-08-14T07:51:00.002-05:00

I'm not one to cry at movies or dramas, but this one struck me hard. My thanks to Lauren for sharing it with us.

Keep Soaring,

B

Update on the life and times of the Boykins....

2009-08-07T16:02:00.002-05:00

So we've been in Fort Worth for just over two months now. We're finally starting to find a place for everything so that we don't have boxes packed ceiling high everywhere. The only thing really left to unpack is a few boxes of pictures here and there. But I'm not really worried about that....Mandy already has the big stuff up.

I start Seminary in a few weeks. Had a very weak moment yesterday. I opened up my recently purchased Greek New Testament and saw what looked to my mind to be chicken scratch scribbled across the page. I panicked, quite certain that there was no way I could handle this. Thankfully, Mandy was there. And after holding me a little while, she helped me get a start by working with me on memorizing the Greek Alphabet:

Get ready....GO!!! Alpha beta gamma delta zeta eta theta iota kappa lamda mu nu xi omicron pi rho sigma tau phi chi psi omega!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wait let me check.......darnit!! Forgot Epsilon......ah well.....work in progress.

Mandy continues her journey as nurse at Plaza Medical Center. It's weighing on her a little. The past few days she's worked, she's had to stay an hour over to get all her work done. I shutter to think what kind of job has so much to do that a 12 hour shift isn't long enough to do everything. The woman is a warrior. She's hard on herself right now, but with time she's gonna get better at this. I'd ask that you pray for strength and endurance for her as she tries to do everything. And confidence, too. She needs to see herself as her Father in Heaven sees her, not as her Accuser would have her be seen.

In-laws are stopping in on their trip home from Canada tomorrow. Glad they had fun and that they made it back safe. Btw, Skype is an extremely fun and cheap way to communicate with friends and loved ones far away. Check it out.

Keep praying for the family of Flint Smith. The funeral for his brother was this week, though I'm sure the sting of his death remains. Pray for peace for the family and strength for Flint.

Working on a new project called Faith Noir. As Dustin so adequately put it, "It's like Sin City meets The Shack." It's my first venture into crime comics, so it'll be interesting.

Not much on the teaching side in this post....but regardless, feel free to comment or ask questions. I'm always here.

Keep Soaring,

B

Pray for Flint Smith....

2009-08-01T00:12:00.003-05:00

Flint Smith is a guy from my old lifegroup at First West in West Monroe. As I type this message, he and his parents are making a long trek to Houston from West Monroe to see his now-dead brother. They started while he was still alive, hoping to make it there before he passed. They didn't.

I ask that you pray for comfort and safety as they travel. It must be emotionally exhausting to have to make so far of a drive knowing something horrible is waiting for you on the other end of it. Flint is a strong man with a heart for the LORD like none other. He is going to need a lot of support now. Please send it to him through your prayers.

When I started this blog, I promised that I wouldn't sugar coat, that I would always be open and honest about what I believed and about what the Bible says. And the Bible says that regardless of circumstances, God is good. Even when He doesn't give us the answer we want, God is good.

And I believe that, I really do. All of the teaching I've had, all of the men I have sat under and learned from....they all have ingrained that into my soul, to the point that even in the wildest of rages I cannot help but admit that God is good.

I know you are good. Every piece of my heart that now breaks for my brother Flint knows that. And in this time of sorrow for him, you are the only sure thing that he has. So, please, be there for him. He's making a journey now that a weaker man could not do. Go with him, hold him like a father holds his child, and speak to him the words that will give him strength for the days ahead. Carry him, as you have carried others before. Give him the grace he needs to endure this storm.

And where our futile minds cannot make sense of these things that you have allowed to happen, give us the faith to trust in what we cannot understand.

Brothers and sisters, what prayers you may utter tonight, let them speak of Flint Smith and his family. This titan of faith now walks on shaken ground, and more than anything he needs his God and his spiritual family. God is with him already. Let us be with him, too.

Keep Soaring,

B

Let it be real

2009-07-29T10:31:00.002-05:00

It's been far too long since I've said anything of consequence here on my blog. But that doesn't mean that nothing of consequence has been going on in my life. The LORD has been working in me quite a bit, showing me things that I think are important to my ministry. Here's mainly what he's been dealing with me about:

(1) We as a body of believers are not going to agree on everything. There are going to be doctrines within each church that some are going to think aren't as supported by Scripture as others are. And you know what? That's okay. So long as the irreducible minimums are met...that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died on a cross for the sins of the world, that he rose again on the third day as foretold by the Scriptures, and that by grace alone through faith in Him alone, we are saved. So long as those conditions are met, the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit will convict and lead individual members of the body to what Scripture supports, even at different speeds for different members.

(2) We as a body have forgotten one very important element in our growth....we are at war with the powers of darkness. Especially in America, if not solely in America, we have so modernized the Gospel into this feel-good Sunday morning ritual that there is no room in our hearts or minds for God to work and do truly amazing things and for the powers and principalities to be cast out. In the East, demons are cast out, the sick are healed, and people who have never learned a foreign language suddenly speak a foreign dialect perfectly. In America, we have rallys to show how much we hate what the world has. Wow...whoopee. I think I heard it best by missionary I watched on tangle..."I have seen eight year old children die for their faith in Christ in the middle east....and you think you're radical because you wear a t-shirt." When are we going to be real about the battle around us?

The bickering and the lack of power in the modern-day church is what has led to many people leaving the faith and forsaking the body. But if we truly believed in what we say we do, and if we started living it out more, imagine what would happen here. The great revivals that spark up in the underground in India and China would happen here!!! Brothers and sisters, let us strike to that end!!! Let our faith be more than a tradition or a social network. Let it be real!!!!

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

Keep Soaring,

B

Our normal routine before the Ultimate Judge...

2009-07-20T17:16:00.001-05:00

I saw this video on tangle and thought it would be a nice wake-up call to believers that read this. Let's stop being safe, guys. Let's be real.

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

Keep Soaring,

B

Texas Superiority Complex...

2009-07-16T23:26:00.002-05:00

My friend Sean sent me this email, and now that my side has quit hurting from laughing so hard, I feel the need to share it. I hope it brings you as many smiles as it did me.

After having dug to a depth of 10 feet last year, New York scientists found traces of copper wire dating back 100 years and came to the conclusion, that their ancestors already had a telephone network more than 100 years ago.

Not to be out-done by the New Yorkers, in the weeks that followed, in California an archaeologist dug to a depth of 20 feet, and shortly after, headlines in the LA Times newspaper read: 'California archaeologists have found traces of 200 year old copper wire and have concluded that their ancestors already had an advanced high-tech communications network a hundred years earlier than the New Yorkers.'

One week later, a local newspaper in Texas , reported the following:

After digging as deep as 30 feet in his pasture near Cut-n-Shoot, Montgomery County, Texas, Bubba Rathbone, a self-taught archaeologist, reported that he found absolutely nothing. Bubba has therefore concluded that 300 years ago, Texas had already gone wireless.

Texans are an intelligent bunch...--

Keep soaring,

B

Worrying over Nothing....

2009-07-14T12:44:00.002-05:00

I've recently signed up for a seminary scholarship that's been offered through the guys that sell the Logos Library System. For a chance to win more money or a credit towards their software, I'm supposed to blog about a seminary experience I've had and why I think the extra money would help me out in school.

I've given thought for nearly a week now as to what I could write. I was burdened by the thought of not having a good enough blog and being ignored when the final decision was made. But now, I find that in the end it really doesn't matter what I write. God called me to be here at Southwestern. He provided my way here, and so far He has provided the means for me to stay. Regardless of whether this blog post is the best written text ever to grace a computer screen or the equivalent of the ground beneath a dung heap, if the LORD has ordained that I be at Seminary, then no amount of winning will make my place here more secure than God has already done, and losing will not remove me from it.

So, to the men and women who will be reviewing this blog and determining whether or not I am "worthy" of the extra money, I say this to you: the LORD has already decided where I am to be. And I have been obedient in following Him here. If He chooses to use you to provide for me here, then praise be unto His name. If not, then move on to the next contestant and fret over me no more. The LORD has brought me here, and the LORD will keep me here, with or without a seminary scholarship.

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

Keep Soaring,

B

"If God Were Real"

2009-07-10T22:56:00.002-05:00

Something has been hammering me a lot lately....

It started when I was having a conversation with some new friends, Ben and Kari Mitchell. Kari told me a story about a friend of hers who, by God's grace, was able to be the instrument in a miraculous healing in the mission field. Her friend said that despite the fact that God was telling her to command a lame man to get up and walk, she at first hesitated, thinking "God doesn't do that anymore. It must be just my head." Thankfully, she listened to God and not herself, and a new brother in Christ has the use of his legs again.

A few minutes ago, I read a note on Facebook where a young woman had been experiencing trial after trial, and through a series of seemingly unconnected events, ended up reading (in someone else's devotion) a verse from the Bible that brought her peace in a time when she needed. She qualified her note by saying, "I know some of you think this is just coincidence, but..."

Recently, my former pastor published a book he has been working on for the past couple of weeks entitled If God Were Real. In this book he makes a simple statement: Christians, especially in America, today don't act like God is real, and if we did, things would be a lot different in our churches.

Of course a lot of us agree with him at face value...we could always improve our faith. But I really wonder just how bad things are. In the Eastern Hemisphere, spiritual warfare is a daily constant struggle. Demons are cast out daily, miracles happen, and entire people groups are led to Christ, even in the midst of persecution from other religions. And yet, here in America, many people don't even believe in the devil, miracles are credited to modern science instead of God, and we have to beg and plead or "be creative" to get just one person to accept Christ on weekly basis, if even that often.

If God is truly God, and not an excercise in heritage or tradition, then why are we so slow to share with others the faith that we claim to have. If God is God, and not just a crutch to believe that sickness and hardship will pass, then why do we fret when things out of our control attack us? If God is God, and His words are not just suggestions about how to live a righteous life, then why do we so easily ignore the lessons that are written in His word for the sake of self-gratification and tolerance?

I've been convicted (and I know I've been using that word a lot lately) of how I view the God I serve. I'd ask that agree with me to start living as though I believed God were real. We all say that we do in word; let us live it out in our lives through action.

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

Keep Soaring,

B

It's all just stuff....

2009-07-03T10:09:00.003-05:00

Something has just happened that deeply bothers me and convicts me greatly....

For those of you who don't know, I'm an avid comic book collector. I've got five active collections going right now, not to mention a Rubbermaid box full of miscellaneous comic books I've collected over the years. It's something that I've always enjoyed, and it's even been an inspiration for some ministry ideas that I've had.

But even good things can be harmful...

Moving to Fort Worth involved a lot of changes, the least of which is my address. Unfortunately, because this is the most obvious change, when it came to my ebay account, it was a change that was overlooked. So, somewhere around 10 comic books, some of them extremely rare, three of them gifts from my wife, are on their way to my old address in West Monroe, and may or may not be forwarded to my new address depending on the mail type. Needless to say, I became extremely worried. I've spent the past half hour pacing the hallway of my rent house, frantically calling the West Monroe Post Office and my old landlord to ensure that these mis-mailed items would be sent to me. Thankfully, everything seems to be set up so that they will arrive at the right place, albeit a little later than expected.

Now this is what bothers me. When I found out my comic books were going to the wrong address, my heart raced and I was overcome with worry. And yet, to this day I have yet to determine the spiritual status of my new neighbors here, and the thought of them dying without Christ barely raises my blood pressure. I have bags and boards and a special place in a banker's box waiting for these comic books, if and when they arrive. And my own Bible that I use for personal Bible study sits forgotten for days on a shelf, and when I think to read it, I usually have to spend several minutes trying to remember where I put it. I've spent over $50 on comic books in the past few weeks. And yet, even though I'm still in the process of visiting churches, 10% of my income hasn't yet found its way to any ministry of the Lord whatsoever.

Jesus asked, "For what does it benefit a person if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life?" (Matthew 16:26) I would ask this: what does it benefit me if I gain every comic book I have ever desired but forfeit my relationship with Christ? What does it benefit me if I possess every material thing I've ever wanted and forfeit a life lived in service to the Lord?

I am broken for the materialism I've allowed myself to fall into. I ask that God would forgive me, and that He can use my experiences today to convict and draw you away from the trap I fell in. And may we all remember and take to heart the words of this classic hymn:

"Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise.
Thou mine inheritance, now and always.
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart.
High King of Heaven, my treasure thou art."

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

Keep Soaring,

B

Gender roles, or lack thereof......

2009-06-19T19:25:00.002-05:00

Sorry I haven't been blogging much lately. The move took a little more out of me than I planned. But now we're finally settling. There is an odd reverse in gender roles, since Mandy goes to work everyday, and I'm staying home, doing the dishes and the laundry, and usually the one to cook supper (and no, that does not mean we eat McDonald's every night!!).

Interestingly enough, with Father's Day coming up so close, it's made me think about the subject of manhood. Technically, when you look at the traditional gender roles, one could say that I should feel my masculinity threatened by the situation. I'm not out working a 40/week job trying to provide for the family. Granted, I still get a teacher paycheck through August, but still. I wake up between 8 and 9 everyday, run errands, do chores, and whatever else comes to mind. Meanwhile, my wife is at work all day most of the week, learning new procedures for her hospital and taking care of people so she can bring home a paycheck.

But you know, oddly enough, I don't feel threatened at all. I realize that this is where God has for us now. He wants Mandy to pursue her ministry in the medical field, and He wants me to pursue my education at Seminary. And, as I'm sure most of you have heard, Seminary is a job in and of itself. So, as long as I'm doing what God has called me to do, then no, I'm not ducking on any responsibility.

Now this isn't an excuse for idleness. If I spent the entire day watching ThunderCats reruns and playing Freedom Force or Marvel Ultimate Alliance, and my wife came home to dirty laundry, dishes, and a hungry husband expecting dinner to be cooked, then yes, my masculinity should feel threatened. Because then I would not be providing for my wife in the way that God wants me to.

The day will be coming when Mandy will stay home with the kids (not to worry, they are still a long way off), and I'll be the one out and about providing for my family. That season will come, but for now, in this season, my place is to learn, to support my wife through acts of service, and leave the financial security to her and God.

So, until God calls me to do otherwise, I'll be the "happy homemaker husband."

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

Keep Soaring,

B

Is it cheesy....or is it truth?

2009-06-06T00:00:00.002-05:00

My friend Sean recently purchased a copy of Freedom Force for me. Basically, its a video game detailing the adventures of heroes born from exposure to Energy X. Together they must stop an alien invasion from destroying Earth. The plot is very much like a post World-War II Captain America comic book. The heroes are completely good, the villains are completely evil, and there is no mistaking who is on what side.

Most people today see that kind of story and groan. Some of us start twitching from memories of Adam West and Burt Ward running around with bad theme music and sounds effect words flashing on the screen. Today we want our villains to be sympathetic and our heroes to be flawed. We enjoy seeing the story of a villain who could have been a good guy except for this one incident. Or a hero who could have been a bad guy except for this one good trait he has. That's why movies like Ocean's Eleven and The Fast and the Furious hit the screen big. That's why Stan Lee was able to make the success that he did. We want to be able to relate to the characters.

But sometimes I wonder if that isn't a commentary on how the world has turned out. Could it be the reason that we like a flawed hero is because it makes us feel better about ourselves? If the hero of an epic battle has a few vices, then aren't we allowed to have ours? And could it be that the sympathetic villain, if we can feel sorry for his circumstances, gives us hope in the thought that maybe our darker side isn't that bad after all? Do we enjoy graying the edges between black and white because it makes us comfortable in straddling the line when it comes to following Christ?

Don't get me wrong. We need to be understanding of each other in our struggles. A man struggling with homosexuality is not the scum of the earth; he is a man struggling with a particular sin, just like the "little white" liar and the "window shopping" adulterer. We all are struggling with things in our hearts that keep us from the perfection that we were meant to be. And it would be wrong of us to stand in judgment of our brothers and sisters in Christ when we ourselves have flaws to deal with. But that doesn't change the fact the sins we struggle with are sins.

To keep with the hero/villain motif, Frodo in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings felt the pull and temptation of the One ring, and he therefore pitied Gollum. He saw in himself the propensity to become what Gollum had, and because of that passed on several opportunites to kill him. But in the end, the murdering and stealing and lying that Gollum did to obtain the ring was still wrong, and his own sinfulness led to his death.

I've always been a big believer in "love the sinner and hate the sin." But I think sometimes in our efforts to love the sinner we forget that the sin is still evil. 1 John 1:5 says, "God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all." Christ is not a flawed hero, and Satan is not a sympathetic villain. Christ is complete and total perfection and holiness, and anything less than that is by definition evil. So while we are to love each other as much as we love ourselves, that does not mean to condone the evil that we do. We don't judge, but we do hold each other accountable. Sin is evil, evil enough it required Christ to die for us to be rid of it. Let us not cheapen His sacrifice by graying the edges of what is right and wrong.

So, the next time an old re-run of Batman comes on, instead of immediately flipping to the next station, I challenge you to take some time to watch it, and remember what it was like for good and evil to be clearly defined. Because that is how God views the world, and hence that is how we as His children should view it as well.

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

Keep Soaring,

B

Real Danger....

2009-05-20T17:51:00.002-05:00

We had a little excitement at my apartment last night....

We're getting ready to move to Fort Worth, TX, in a couple of weeks, and my mother-in-law came over last night to help us pack. She and Mandy took some garbage to the dumpster, and while they were down there they noticed a group of young men. The group seemed to be in the middle of an argument (Mrs. Debbie said she heard "mf" a few times). So they decided to hurriedly return. Mandy nonchalantly mentions as they walk back in the apartment, "I think there's going to be a fight." Not more than two seconds later, two gunshots are heard in the parking lot. I look out the window to see this group of young men scatter like scared mice. Several of them are jumping in cars and speeding out of the parking lot. I call 911 and tell the police what happened. They send a couple of officers to interview the complex, and thankfully, within a few hours, they make several arrests. (Thanks, Brit, for the info.)

I knew the severity of the situation--there was a gun shoot out in our parking lot, not 50 yards from where we lived. I understood that it was a big deal. But it didn't really affect me. I mean, after all, they weren't shooting at me or Mandy or Mrs. Debbie. We weren't even involved in whatever those men were arguing about. So why worry?

Then I got some more info this morning.

Apparently, one of those two gunshots I heard went through a bedroom window and, thanks be to God, passed OVER a sleeping child and lodged a bullet into the wall. It was the window to Apartment 44.

We live in Apartment 45.

Suddenly the entire situation came into focus. That weren't shooting at us specifically, but they were shooting in our direction. There were no injuries last night, so apparently the shooter had bad aim. But if his aim were to the left instead of the right, it would have entered my window, where I, or worse yet my wife, could have been standing. Suddenly I see the entire situation in a new light. God didn't just let us experiene the sound of a gunshot. He rescued us from that gunshot.

I think a great many of us view the sin in our lives much like I viewed the gunshot at first. Yes, sin is a bad thing, and we really don't need to give in to it. But all in all, it's not that big of a deal, and besides, we don't give in to it THAT much. We just need Jesus to help us out every now and then and we're fine.

Wrong. Romans says, "The wages of sin is DEATH..."--Romans 6:23, emphasis mine. Sin is not some minor error that needs to be corrected, or some small problem that needs a solution. To God, it is the very thing that seperates us from Him. It is the poison that destroyed our eternal peace in the garden. It is the driving force behind the wars and rage that we see on the news every day. It is the enemy steals children's innocence and creates fatherless homes. Sin is a force to be reckoned with, one that we cannot possibly overcome by ourselves.

So, when Jesus died on the cross, He did more than just give us a boost in the right direction. He put us in a place where we could attain something that on our own we could never even dream of attaining--righteousness. We were completely lost without His sacrifice, depraved and condmened to eternal punishment. But by grace through faith in Him, we can experience the eternal bliss of God's presence.

I know for a fact some great mind has already said this, so I will paraphrase and tip my hat to whomever he may be. Our perspective of how powerful Christ is is directly proportional to our perspective of the severity of our sin. If we think sin is really no big deal, then to us, Christ is really no big deal. But if we understand just how serious sin is, then we better understand just how much Jesus did for us on that cross.

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

Keep Soaring,

B

Canaan Bound....

2009-05-17T23:37:00.002-05:00

When God told Abraham and Sarah to pack their bags and move to what would be the Promised Land, I'm sure they had a lot of uncertainties to deal with. They had no clue where they were going, what they would find when they got there, or what they were supposed to do once they were there. Abraham's leap of faith was a great deal more literal than anything most of use face in our daily lives.

So when I look at the move coming up in a couple of weeks, I'm not surprised at the fears that I feel. Granted, I'm in a better position than Abraham was. I know where I'm going, I have a general idea of what I'll find when I get there, and I know exactly what I'm supposed to do once I'm there. I suppose the thing I deal with the most is this--once I get there, how do I stay there?

But as usual, God has an interesting way of reminding me of just how in control He is. There is a song by Andrew Peterson (I think this is the 2nd time I've quoted him here) called "Canaan Bound." It's a song between Abraham and Sarah, and Abraham encourages Sarah to go with him to Canaan where "long after [they] are dead and gone, a thousand years [their] tale be sung, how faith compelled and bore [them] on, how barren Sarah bore a son."

God called Abraham to believe in Him whole-heartedly, to jump out into the unknown and trust Him. Abraham did, and "it was credited to him as righteousness." --Genesis 15:6. He believed and was blessed for his believing. And his example beckons us all, "Come to Canaan, come."

And so, with a head full of fear, but a heart full of hope, I sing along with the words of my brother in Christ, Andrew......

"Oh, [Mandy] take me by my arm. Tomorrow we are Canaan bound."

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

Keep Soaring,

B

"Back Man" by big AL

2009-05-11T14:39:00.004-05:00

Al Cherry is a coworker of mine who, when he's not teaching Math at Richwood High School, is using his talents for the LORD as a singer and rapper. He's recently produced a Music video to his song "Back Man." You can view it here.

If you enjoy this, you can go to his website to see what else he's done. It's guys like this that are willing to try new ways to teach the Gospel that spear head ministries into places as of yet unreached.

Also, my web comic strip has officially started. You can view the strip here. It updates every Monday, so stay tuned for more.

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

Keep Soaring,

B

I am a horse....

2009-05-05T10:05:00.002-05:00

My sister was telling me about a guy she saw who breaks horses for riding and then uses that to share the Gospel. He never uses brute force to break the horse. Instead, he simply pursues it. When he tries to pet the horse, if it runs away, he simply chases it, making it run even more. Eventually, the horse tires out and learns that it can't escape the man, so it stops running. When that happens, the man is able to care for the horse, give it water, let it rest, and be the care-taker he wants to be. He says that God is the same way. When He approaches us, if we run, He chases. And sooner or later, we tire out. We reach the point where we realize we have nowhere to go and God is the only way we're going to survive. And when that happens, God is able to be the care-taker to you that He wants to be.

It reminded me of the story Hosea and Gomer, and how God used their relationship to represent His relationship to Israel. Even though Gomer cheated on Hosea and ran from him every chance she had, he pursued her. And when she was on the slave block, with no where to run, Hosea was there to clothe her, nurse her to health, and take care of her.

"Therefore, I will soon fence her in with thorns; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way. Then she will pursue her lovers, but she will not catch them; she will seek them, but she will not find them. Then she will say, 'I will go back to my husband, because I was better off then I am now. '" --Hosea 2:6-7

God knows that He's the only thing that can satisfy. So when we take off, He pursues, knowing full well that eventually we'll tire out. And at that point, when we've reached rock bottom, He'll be waiting to restore us and ease our wounds. Granted, it's always better to start out doing what God wants, but if it doesn't happen that way, if we turn to God, He will turn to us.

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

Thanks, Maggie, for the story.

Keep Soaring,

B

Afraid to look up....

2009-05-01T01:04:00.002-05:00

This is one of those times for me where God feels so close, if I were to look up I might catch Him watching me. This hymn seems to pretty much sum up what's happening in my head....and my heart:

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Keep Soaring,

Trust...

2009-04-29T12:10:00.002-05:00

When I was little, I used to worry about everything....no, literally everything. I worried about people dying, my teacher being a literal witch, making bad grades. Every patch of tall grass I saw just had to have some sort of poisonous snake in it, and anyone knocking on the front door I didn't know was a potential drug dealer trying to inject poison into me. Yeah, I was a basket case.

Mom tried to help by giving me a book about worrying. The point of the book was that most of what we worry about we can do nothing about, so why worry? After reading the book, Mom asked me if I learned anything. My response was "yeah. I have a lot more to worry about than I thought." Well, she tried at least.

Thankfully, I got better with age. But now I find myself sitting in a similar position. Mandy's been job-hunting, and so far no success. Granted, we haven't heard back from everyone yet, but those we have heard from either said no or asked us to fill out a survey, whatever that means. Of course, if Mandy can't find a job as a nurse, I can always teach, but we all know what teachers get paid. Right now we're barely getting by on what I make now. How much tighter is it going to be in Texas?

Not to mention Mandy has been having headaches a lot, and she says her vision is strained, even with new contacts. Now, the stress of it all may be causing tension headaches, which could pull things tight enough to mess with her vision, and as soon as she gets a job it will all go away. But she has a headache with blurred vision. Remembering my uncle, what am I supposed to think about that?

On top of that, my grandmother is in the hospital with pneumonia, which will probably never get any better if she doesn't change her environment at home (she lives out in the woods where dust and pollen are a common part of life). But if you mention moving to her at all, she quite vehemently tells you no, and the discussion is over. Pushing it any further only upsets her, and that's the last thing she needs.

So now, instead of worrying about unseen snakes and mean looking teachers, I'm worrying about getting bills paid and loved ones being taken from me long before I'm ready to let them go. the issues are all grown up now. And, to be honest, I'm scared out of my wits. I have no idea how any of this is going to turn out. I try to be reassuring for Mandy, but half the time I feel like I'm trying to convince myself more than I am her.

But still, despite all this, I still believe this, because I don't know how to not believe it:

"So do not be overly concerned about what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not worry about such things. For all the nations in the world pursue these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, pursue His kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well." --Luke 12:29-31

If I am going where God has called me, then He will take care of everything--jobs, headaches, and pneumonia. All that I have to do is trust. I won't lie; it's hard to do that. But it's all that is required of me.

Still, any prayer sent up on our behalf for any of these circumstances would be greatly appreciated.

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

Keep Soaring,

B

The Silence of God....

2009-04-28T06:59:00.002-05:00

I came across this song while looking through some old CDs. Something tells me this song applies to more people than who care to admit that it does. If you care to download it, it's performed by Andrew Peterson.

"The Silence of God"

It's enough to drive a man crazy.
It'll break a man's faith.
It's enough to make him wonder
If he's ever been saved.
When he's bleating for comfort
From thy staff and thy rod
And the Heaven's only answer
Is the silence of God.

And it'll shake a man's timbers
When he loses his heart,
When he has to remember
What broke him apart.
And this yoke may be easy,
But this burden is not.
When the crying fields are frozen
By the silence of God.

And if a man has got to listen
To the voices of the mob
Who are reeling in the throws
Of all the happiness they've got.
When they tell you all their troubles
Have been nailed up to that cross,
What about the time when even
Followers get lost.
Because we all get lost sometimes.

There's a statue of Jesus
On a monastery knoll
In the hills of Kentucky
All quiet and cold.
He's kneeling in the garden
Silent as a stone
And all his friends are sleeping.
He is weeping all alone.

And the Man of all Sorrows,
He never forgot
What sorrow is carried
By the hearts that He bought.
So when the questions dissolve
Into the silence of God,
The aching may remain,
But the breaking does not.

The aching may remain
But the breaking does not
In the holy, lonesome echo
Of the Silence of God.

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

Keep Soaring,

B

Happy Birthday Mandy!!

2009-04-23T10:27:00.001-05:00

The plan for tonight is as follows:

1.) Crawfish and real coke for the birthday girl

2.) Chick-fil-A sweet tea and something non-shellfish for me

3.) A chick flick selected by the birthday girl

Adding up to a sum total of:

--Spending an evening with the beautiful woman God has blessed me with.

Keep Soaring,

B

Garlic sauce, birthdays, and the Lone Ranger...

2009-04-21T12:12:00.004-05:00

I'm afraid this post isn't going to be a lesson, more like a sharing of some things that have been on my mind. The LORD has been doing things in my life, allowing things to happen, and some of it has me kind of scrambled up. If nothing else, the title of this post should suggest something of my mental capacity to stay focused.

My wife didn't get a position at the hospital that she wanted. Which, in all actuality, means nothing. There are literally thousands of positions in the Dallas Fort worth area for BSNs, so not getting one job is in no way an indication of whether or not she will find a job. But still, I feel somewhat regretful. She was so worried that this was going to happen, and everytime she mentioned it, I would always say, "but you're going to get it. You're good at what you do and you have a very impressive resume. They'll jump at the chance to hire you." It's true...she is good at this nursing thing and she does have an impressive resume. But for whatever reason, the hospital just didn't hire her. Now I feel like a heel, because I told her this wouldn't happen, and it did. Maybe I should have spent less time trying to fix her worries and more time simply acknowledging that she was worried. I'm learning that sometimes a shoulder to punch/cry on is needed a lot more than the mystery answer to the problems at hand.

On a more comical note, she did find some courage in ordering garlic sauce. She tells the story about it here, but the cool part is that God used it to help overcome her fear of talking to recruiters. God can use anything....even garlic sauce.

Today is my mother's birthday (Happy Birthday Mom!!) and Thursday is my wife's (Happy Early Birthday Sweetheart!!). It's a very happy and exciting time of the year, and often serves as an excuse for everyone to get together, which I thoroughly enjoy. But this year, things are little disjointed. Between work schedules, school activities, assignments being due, and increasingly aggravating geography, it's become impossible to have a gathering to celebrate either birthday where everyone is there. My sister managed to make it in last night to see Mom, but has to work this weekend, which is of course the only time that Mandy and I can make it out to see her, and it also happens to be right when my other sister is going to be in Baton Rouge. Mandy and I have plans to celebrate her birthday with my sister later in the week, and we sort of celebrated with her parents last weekend. But her parents are going to out of town this weekend, so having an actual party is impossible. Don't get me wrong, I understand that this is part of life, and I wouldn't change any of it. Children grow up, they have their own lives to tend to, and getting together gets harder and harder the farther along this life we get. But still, I feel a little disappointed (mainly in myself for not coming up with a solution) that the birthdays of two of the most important women in my life have to be celebrated in pieces where we can manage to fit them.

If you read this blog, and you're not related to me or one of my friends from my many walks of life, then chances are you have a bone to pick with the church. Somewhere along the way, someone has hurt you, ridiculed you, embarassed you, or otherwise caused some sort of emotional damage that makes you uncomfortable to walk into anywhere that has the word "Church" or "Fellowship" written on the building. I understand how you feel; several of my friends and loved ones have been there. But I think it's important to remember something....churches unfortunately are full of people, which means someone at some point is going to screw up and hurt somebody. No matter which church you go to, it's going to happen. Some of you probably figured this out, and so, like I've done before, you just don't go to church at all, thinking "I believe in Jesus, that's good enough. Church is for those other people." It's almost like we adopt this "Lone Ranger" mentality. We can survive this harsh world on our own, we just need Jesus like the Lone Ranger needs Silver, someone to travel with and keep you going. But that just isn't how it works. We're group minded by nature; even loners tend to find a group of "loners" that they feel comfortable with. It's how were programmed.

My old pastor can give you all the Biblical reasons of why you need others here . The point I'm trying to make is this: just like you wouldn't disown your entire family because of one or two mean cousins, it really isn't fair to disown the entire Body of Christ for one sick group of people. I realize that most of the churches in this country are nothing like they should be, but there has to be at least a few, so please find one where you can be at peace and be part of the Body again. And if for some reason you simply can't find one, get a group of like-minded people together and start your own Bible study. Those who earnestly seek God will not be disappointed, and having someone with you to talk about what He's doing in your life makes this life all the more bearable.

I was somewhat lazy on this post and let other people do all my talking for me. But hopefully, somewhere in this madness that is my mind, you have managed to find truth. And I hope that it will point you to the One who defines what truth is.

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

Keep Soaring,

B

THIS IS NOT LOUD!!!!!!!!!!......this is.......

2009-04-15T07:42:00.003-05:00

I've been away from the blogging realm for a little while now. I've been in Fort Worth, TX, securing a rent home so that my wife and I won't be literally homeless while I attend Seminary. The LORD had his hand in the whole process. Our new landlords just happen to walk into the hardware store where a friend of mine worked, who happened to mention to said landlords that he has friends (that's us) who just happen to be moving to the Fort Worth Area and needed a home. Then it turns out that the only week we have to go looking just happens to be the week that the landlords are finishing remodeling the house. The cards were shuffled, the dominoes fell, we somehow managed to survive all of my mixed metaphors, and God allowed us to put down a safety deposit on a small but beautiful rent home. Thanks to all who have been praying, and please remember to praise God for His provision.

Something happened to me on the way home from out house hunting. It's a little embarassing, honestly, that it's taken this long for me to get it. But God knows how thick-headed I can be sometimes, and that subtlety for me isn't always the best way to do things.

To spare the suspense, I believe, for the first time in a long, long while, I heard God speak.

Now let me clarify, God did not verbally speak to me. The heavens did not open, I did not have a vision of a winged creature wreathed in light and speaking with a tongue shaped like a sword. I don't have some sort of special communication with God that no one else has. This is not the televangelist "God told me to tell you" horse manuer that you get so often these days. What I am talking about is the Holy Spirit leading and guiding me in a way that is undeniable.

I won't go into details of the circumstances due to their personal nature, but suffice it to say I was very bewildered. Things were going on a track that I didn't know how to get off of, and I was going to crash emotionally if things didn't work out soon. I had asked God for guidance on the subject before, but He never really seemed to be answering. Well this time, He answered. As I said before, it wasn't a grand vision of epic proportions. No, God chose to speak to me in probably the most unlikely way you can imagine.....He spoke to me in a whisper. Just a slight "tug" on my heart that pulled me in a direction I didn't normally go. And the results were profound. Months of confusion suddenly and instantly made clear. Wounds that had been open for far too long, for the first time, seemed to finally be healing. And the oddest part of it all was that it wasn't because of a great effort on my part. It was because God chose to whisper.

I know that this is terribly vague, and if the circumstances didn't involve more people than just me, I would be more forthcoming about it. But the point remains the same--when God spoke to me and gave me an answer to questions that had been plaguing me, He spoke in a whisper. So, if you have tried to listen for God and heard nothing, maybe you were like me. You were looking for skywriting and supernatural events, when really all you need to wait for is a whisper.

I wanna close this post with a lesson that the prophet Elijah learned. He had just seen God work an amazing miracle by conquering the false god Baal. Then, when his life was threatened, he fell into horrible depression. When God came to him, to encourage him, this is what happened:

"A very powerful wind went before the Lord, digging into the mountain and causing landslides, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the windstorm there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a soft whisper. When Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his robe and went out and stood at the entrance to the cave." --1 Kings 19:11-13

To hear God's voice, we don't need to look for miraculous signs and wonders. We need only to listen for a whisper.

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

Keep Soaring,

B

The Answer Finale.....

2009-04-08T08:06:00.002-05:00

For the past couple of weeks, I've been trying to get something resembling a reason as to why bad things happen to good people. So far, I've mentioned that (1) God has a perspective that we don't have, so when He allows bad things to happen, we need to trust that He does so for our benefit, and (2) The reason bad things like death and disease happen at all is the sin of our hearts, so technically, the blame for tragedy in this world falls on us.

The last thing I want to mention is something I learned from watching Shadowlands, a movie about the love story of C.S. Lewis and his wife Joy. At the end of the movie, after Joy has died of cancer, Lewis says something that I think rings very true. "The pain now is part of the happiness then."

Basically, he's saying that the reason he felt pain when Joy died was because she made him happy, and to be free of the pain of losing her would mean to never experience the happiness that she gave him. We could say the same about the world in general. The reason that we experience pain when tragedies and disasters strike is because we can point to a time where things were good. Lewis felt pain at Joy's death because he experienced happiness in her life. A divorced husband feels pain because he experienced happiness in marriage. Parents of a sick child feel pain because they know the happiness of seeing the child happy and healthy.

There's an old saying that goes like this: "Better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all." We can debate on whether or not that statement is true; for some people avoiding the pain of loss is worth sacrificing the happiness that comes before. But either way, the point I want to make is that if God were truly mean, if He were "a mean kid with a magnifying glass," He would never have let us feel the happiness before. Lewis would never have met Joy, the divorced husband would never have been married, and the parents would never have had children to begin with. And to me, that would be more cruel than letting them feel that happiness for a little while.

The reason I've spent so much time on this topic is because it is one that I still wrestle with today. Roughly four years ago, my uncle was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and died a few months later. Every night while he was sick, I prayed for his healing--I begged, I bargained, and I screamed--but in the end, God saw fit to allow him to die. I struggled through my faith for a while after that. But at the end of it all I had to admit three things: (1) The only reason I hurt now is because I was that happy when he was alive, (2) God did not give him the cancer that killed him; he got the cancer because we live in a world where sin has brought death and disease to us, and no one, not even a good man, is immune to them, and (3) As much as I try, I can never know what eternal implications his death had on the world. For all I know, his death might be the one thing that saves thousands one day. I don't know, and I may never know, and because of that, I can't really speak to how fair or unfair his death was.

None of those answers made the pain of losing him any less. And to this day, there are moments where God and I have our discussions about it. But those answers did give me some perspective and help me accept his death. That, and the fact that no matter how bad the pain gets, God carries me all the way. I would have left everything--my future in the church, my ministry, even my faith--for the pain of my uncle's death. But God, in His grace, gave me the strength to endure. And now, looking back, though I don't understand all of it, I can see that God is with me because of His love, and that He will get me through even this.

As I said before, this is not meant to be the answer to all answers on why bad things happen. It's just an answer that seems to make sense to me. And I pray that somehow, it will bring some understanding and peace to you.

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

Keep Soaring,

B

The Answer Part 2.....

2009-04-06T08:16:00.002-05:00

Last week, I tried to wrestle with the question of why bad things happen to good people. I said part of the answer is that we don't have the perspective that God has. He can see things that we can't, and what hurts today might be the one thing that helps us survive tomorrow. Thanks to those who commented; you gave me a broader perspective on the topic.

The second reason I came across of why good people so often meet tragedy is the fact that this is world is messed up. None of what we're experiencing right now is what we were designed for. Sickness, disease, death, natural disaster, war---none of these were in the schematics when God designed us and the world we would live in. In His foreknowledge, He knew that we would sin and leave Him, and in His grace, He decided to create us anyway. But we weren't meant to be where we are now, living an average of 75 years on this earth, forced to watch people suffer and die.

The worst part of it all is that it's our fault. God is not the one who causes death to happen; death happens because we sin and bring death on the world. Sickness and disease exist because God's standard has been fallen short of. This world is at unrest, flinging its hurricanes and tornadoes and earthquakes and tsunamis about because what it was designed for is not happening.

That's a bitter pill to swallow, especially things that occur out of our control. But it's the truth. We grow old, get sick, and die, because of the sin in our hearts. My first inclination is to shake my fist at God and demand, "Why?" But the sad truth is, if He took the time to give me an answer, He would say something similar to what Paul said to the church in Rome. "And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God,God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done. They are filledwith every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice. They are rife with envy, murder, strife, deceit, hostility. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, contrivers of all sorts of evil, disobedient to parents, senseless, covenant-breakers,heartless, ruthless. Although they fully know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but also approve of those who practice them" (Romans 1:28-32).

It isn't God who sends storms to ravage homes, it's sin. It isn't God who creates cancer to kill, it's sin. And it isn't God who brings death that pains us so much; it's sin. He has to punish sin; otherwise He would no longer be God. So if we really must point fingers at someone to blame hardship and heartache on, then we should point to ourselves.

This is why the grace of God is so important. Because despite the fact that sin has all but robbed us of our natural life, Jesus Christ provides us a way to save our spiritual life. We may experience death on Earth, but by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, we can experience life the likes of which we can never imagine.

This reason isn't nearly as encouraging or comforting as last week's or next week's. But it would be wrong to ignore it, because it is true. We die because we sin. But, thanks to God, we can live because of Christ.

Please remember, this is not meant to be the answer to end all answers to such a hard question. This is just what got me through some very difficult times in my life. And hopefully, God can use it to help you.

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

Keep Soaring,

B

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

2009-03-30T08:34:00.002-05:00

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

God is Good....

2009-03-27T08:58:00.000-05:00

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

A missing teenage girl...

2009-03-25T10:26:00.002-05:00

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

What your definition of "is" is...

2009-03-23T11:34:00.003-05:00

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

Everything is pointless and then you die...

2009-03-16T08:24:00.002-05:00

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.

A lesson in physical science...

2009-03-06T08:06:00.002-06:00

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

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

2009-03-04T08:22:00.002-06:00

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

Nobody's perfect.....literally.....

2009-02-28T16:34:00.003-06:00

I've been reading through Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis lately. In the book, he creates a sort of "basics list" for Christianity, things that, regardless of denomination, everyone calling themselves a follower of Christ will agree on. It's too funny how much there is that we all agree on, and the things that we diverge on are eternally unimportant. But I digress.

The first point Lewis makes in his book is that there is a universal "Law of Nature," a moral standard that we're all programmed with that guides how we treat each other. The basic idea is this--everyone feels a sense of right and wrong. We may not always behave like we do, and we may sometimes even deliberately go against that sense, but its still there. Lewis uses World War II as an example. Without a sense of right and wrong, who are we to say that what Hitler did with his power was wrong? But there is a sense of right and wrong, so we can make judgment calls like that.

The second point he makes is that everybody, at some point in there life, will do wrong even in complete knowledge of what is right. Now the offense varies. It may be something as simple as lying about why you were late to work to avoid trouble, or something as serious as killing a man for his shoes, but everyone at some point is going to do wrong even though we all know what is right.

I can't speak for everyone, but from what I have experienced, I know that these two points are true. Think about it. If you tell a little boy to stay away from the cookie jar, and he gets caught trying to sneak his hand in, what is the first thing he does? He hides his hands behind his back, because he knows that what he is doing is against the rules, which are assumed to be right. Everyone of us is built with an idea that there is a right and wrong. As for all of us breaking it, if we're honest with ourselves, we know that's true, too. All of us, at some point in our lives, made a temporary decision that the rewards of breaking the rules were better than obeying them.

Now, let's take a look at this in light of what we discussed last time. God, who according to the Bible is perfect, cannot let sin go by unpunished. He is loving, and it pains Him to punish His children when they break His law, but He has to punish or He would no longer, by definition, be God. We saw that in the Garden of Eden. God had every right to destroy Adam and Eve right then and there, but He didn't. However, he did give punishment for the wrongs that were committed.

So if God has to punish those who break the moral standard of right and wrong, and everyone at some point in there life intentionally does wrong, then what does that mean? It means that God has to punish everyone. Every human being, at some point in his/her life, will do something to deserve punishment from the God that created him/her.

I know, I know. That sounds really harsh. But let's remember a couple of things. First, if God decided to let evil, or doing wrong, go unpunished, He would no longer be just, and would therefore no longer be the standard of good that He is. In order for God to be God, He must punish evil. Secondly, even though God is just, He is also loving. I mean, you don't see people suddenly dying on the side of the street the minute they do something wrong. (If that were the case, I'd be dead a thousand times over already). He stays His hand, finding a way, because He is God after all, to satisfy the requirement for justice and at the same time not strike us dead for all the evil we do.

And what exactly is that way? How is God able to punish the evil that we do without taking us out completely? Well, that's where Jesus comes into play. We'll go into more detail next time about exactly how it works, but the basics can be summed in Paul's words to Rome:

"Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. For no one is declared righteous before Him by the works of the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. But now apart from the law the righteousness of God (which is attested by the law and the prophets) has been disclosed--namely the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But they are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God publicly displayed Him at his death as the mercy seat accessible through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because God in His forbearance passed over the sins previously committed. This was also to demonstrate his righteousness in the present time, so that he would be just and the justifier of the one who lives because of Jesus' faithfulness." ---Romans 3:19-26

Basically, to borrow the words of graffiti written on bathroom stalls in truck stops, "Jesus is the answer." Literally. Jesus provided a way to satisfy the justice that God had to show against our sin without taking us out in the process. This way, God's favorite creation, you and me, doesn't get destroyed, and at the same time, God is able to do what His nature commands and punish sin.

As I said, we'll go into more detail next time. For a preview, read Romans 5:6-11. As per usual, feel free to comment, ask questions, or whatever you want to do. I'm open to anything and everything you want to share.

Keep Soaring,

B

Who is God exactly?

2009-02-25T08:08:00.002-06:00

It's interesting flipping through channels and hearing what different televangelists think about God and comparing it to what we hear in the pulpit Sunday after Sunday. I often find that two viewpoints generally seem to show themselves:

1.) God is a grandfatherly figure, sitting on the front porch to Heaven in His rocking chair, desperately hoping that any minute His children will come walking down the road to see him. He gives blessings every chance he gets and feels wrenched when we hurt. He doesn't care what anyone has done. All he wants is for us to be healthy, wealthy, and happy. If we would just believe that, he could give us that. Ask Him, and He will provide.

2.) God is a judge with a gavel, ready to pronounce sentence on all who trespass against His law. Those who are obedient to Him are blessed, and those who turn from Him are cursed. Death, disease, natural disasters--these are God's wrath against the sinfulness of man. And pray that you do not become one of the select few who learn the truth and then fall. That has the greatest shame of all--to know God and fail him.

Personally, neither one sounds quite right. I agree with the first view that God is a loving God, who wants the best for His children. But at the same time, He is also a just God, and a mighty God, one who smites the enemies of His children. That's not exactly grandfatherly. I agree with the second view that God enforces His law, and anyone who goes against that law will be worthy of punishment. But God is not a tyrant. He's not sitting in Heaven waiting for us to fall so He can throw us in the spiritual slammer.

Looking at the first few chapters of Genesis, I noticed a several things:

(1) Man is the only creation that God breathed the breath of life into. (Gensis 2:7)
(2) Man is the only creation that was made in His image. (Gensis 1:27)
(3) Man is given dominion over all other creatures. (Gensis 1:26)
(4) Man is the only creature God gave a law to. (Gensis 2:15-17)
(5) When Man broke that law, God didn't kill them right there and then. He punished them, but He let them live, and He provided clothing for them. (Genesis 3:21)
(6) God punished the serpent worse than Man, and predicted that ultimately Man would be victorious over the serpent. (Genesis 3:15)
(7) God wanted to avoid further pain for Man, so He sent them away. (Genesis 3:22)

When I think about the circumstances surrounding the events of Genesis 1-3, I notice something very important. Of all creation, Man is God's favorite creation. (Of course when I say "Man," I am referring to mankind, as in males and females. Much love to the ladies ;-) ) Its the only creation that was given the breath of life, it was the only creation given dominion over anything else, and it was the only creation given a responsibility to keep. For all of His marvelous and beautiful works in all of the universe, His favorite one is us...mankind.

That of course makes the fall of Man all the more painful. God's most prized creation ends up disobeying Him and siding with an enemy. As much of a favorite as we are to Him, that makes us that much more deserving of punishment for the evil will commit. We are God's equivalent to the Mona Lisa, and we just decided to dump ourselves into a bucket of mixed finger paints.

But as bad as Man's fall was, and as much as we deserved a good smack on the head (really worse), God holds His hand back. Now He has to do something, because to ignore the transgression would be breaking the law, too, and God would not be God if He did that. But, when He had every right to strike Adam and Eve dead right then, He instead punished their livelihood. Adam would now have to work the ground to get food, and Eve would have a lot of pain giving birth to children. But the main point is that they would both still be alive to experience those hardships, not erased from all existence.

But God is not incapable of complete wrath. Look at the serpent. He got the worst of it, because in the end, he would be the one with a crushed head. Apparently, tricking His favorite creation into doing evil is not a good idea.

The last thing God does is make clothes for Adam and Eve and sends them away from the garden. I see this as an act of mercy, firstly because Adam and Eve knew they were naked, and it ashamed them. So rather than let them walk around with the shame that they felt, as He had every right to do, He decides to give them clothes to help them recapture some sense of dignity.

Sending them away is an act of mercy in this--think of what would have happened if God let them stay. They would have still eaten from the Tree of Life, which means they would have lived forever. They would have lived forever, having to deal with the shame of being in God's presence, feeling their nakedness in front of Him, and being constantly reminded that they screwed up. All the wonders and glory of Eden, and here were two blemishes in the mix, the creatures who ruined God's plan and condemned to feel the shame of it for all eternity. (Remember those dreams you have where your standing in front of your entire high school naked as a jaybird. Think of that but a hundred times worse.) No, the best thing to do would be to send them away, out of the Garden, where they could feel some sense of separation from God and His wonders, to be removed from the shame for a little while. It was an act of mercy that made God send them away.

So, all in all, when it comes down to who God is, the grandfather or the judge, He is actually a balance of both. God loves us, because we are His most prized creation, and it pains Him to punish us for the evil we commit. But God is also just. He has to punish evil, because if He didn't, He would no longer be the standard for goodness that He is. By His nature, He must punish evil, even if it hurts Him to do so.

Of course there is so much more that could be said on this topic, but for the sake of time let's focus on this: God is just; He must and will punish mankind for breaking His law. But God is also love. He wants to spare us from punishment if there is a way. The Good News (pun intended) is that because God is love, He has provided a way so that we are spared punishment and His just nature is still upheld. We'll discuss that more next time. Read Romans 3:23 and 6:23 for a preview.

Feel free to leave comments or questions; the whole reason I'm doing this is to encourage discussion. :-) Thanks again for reading.

Keep Soaring,

B

A second welcome...

2009-02-24T08:22:00.003-06:00

My last post seemed to have issues with html, so in the event that you could not read it, this post will summarize the last one.

Basically, I've noticed a trend in church, that being the buildings where people gather like sheep on a Sunday morning, mindlessly sing the same songs over and over again, fight to stay awake through a middle-aged man's lecture on morality, and then go eat at McCallister's and essentially forget the whole experience. This is where people go to be shunned, rejected, ostricized, and emotionally beaten to the ground. Those who have suffered the pain and heartache of divorce are called adulterers. Teenage girls who gave themselves away in a moment of weakness are branded as harlots. Men who have tatoos and piercings are labeled as rebellious youth and quickly told to dress better for "God's house." Those who think the Bible and evolution might actually work hand in hand are targeted like traitors. And if anyone wants to join a denomination they weren't necessarily raised in, they have to be baptized again, whether they were truly born again or not.

I don't think this is what Christ had in mind when he said, "To the ends of the earth, you will be witnesses." In fact, the only examples I see in scripture of people being ostricized for not fitting the mold are when the Pharisees were doing the ostricizing, and Jesus called them a "pit of vipers." He called tax collectors to be His disciples, associated himself with Samirtans and lepers, and defended prostitutes against self-righteous men. While He took the outcast in, the church today seems bent on turning them away.

So, I've created this blog as a way of trying to get back to basics. I want to look and see who Jesus really is, not necessarily what the church says He is. I want to be able to openly discuss things like baptism, evolution, denominational differences, and social taboos without having this fear that I'll be humiliated for not going with flow. I want to be the one that befriends the divorcee and the pregnant teen, and in time letting my love for them point them to Christ instead of lecture after lecture of how they are depraved sinners and "need to be more like me....er.....who I am in Christ."

I'm not advocating watering down the truth. That would be just as much if not more wrong than ostricizing someone. And I'm not suggesting we should make a new church. That would only further perpetuate the problem. What I am saying is that a lot of groups calling themselves "churches" need to re-evaluate how close to Jesus they really are. And I am begging those of you who say, "I am not a Christian because of Christians," don't label all of Christ's followers the same as those people. Give me a chance to show you who Jesus really is, and then make your decision.

Feel free to comment on any of these posts; tell me what you think about what I talk about and what I say. Email me, message me, whatever, and we'll talk about whatever you want to discuss. But most importantly, don't take my word for anything. Read the Bible for yourself and see if what I say lines up. But at least give me a chance to restore some of the good will that has been lost for Christ's church.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. My first post will be up within a few days.

Keep Soaring,

B

Welcome to the Outcasts...

2009-02-23T08:12:00.000-06:00

Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” –Mark 9:13

I get sick and tired of hearing things like this…

“You can join our church if you allow me to baptize you again.”

“If you’re a Democrat you have no moral standards at all.”

“You can’t believe the Bible and believe in evolution.”

“Your body is a temple. You desecrate God’s temple when you get piercings and tattoos.”

“You can’t serve here. You’re divorced.”

“We can’t throw your daughter a baby shower. She’s not married. How would that look?”

Somewhere along the way, Christians have gotten this crazy idea that they are the ones who pass judgment on mankind, not God. They open their arms to everyone…that is, everyone who has ink free skin, wears ties on Sunday morning, and believes everything the preacher says blindly, because it’s “from the Bible.” And if someone doesn’t fit into that category, well then they just need to change before they can be part of this family.

I’ve seen and experienced it all. My aunt was put to shame when no one showed up to her baby shower, because she was pregnant outside of marriage. My wife, because she wasn’t baptized in a Baptist church, was humiliated by a former pastor when she tried to join my church. My sister was the target of lecture after lecture at another church, because she thought there was some merit to the idea of evolution. My friend was alienated at a BCM Bible Study because he didn’t agree with 5-point Calvinism. My wife’s friend has been rejected by church after church because the man she wants to marry was raised Catholic. I’ve been told I’m not saved because I don’t speak in tongues or because I was baptized “in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” as opposed to “in Jesus’ name.” I’ve seen churches next door to black communities be filled with white people, and I’ve heard sermons where the black preacher calls for an offering so they don’t have to “pay the white man interest.”

At first, I was naïve enough to believe that these were isolated incidents, just a few bad apples in the otherwise good bushel. I mean, after hearing what some of these preachers are preaching about unity and togetherness, surely it can’t be right that the people who say “God is love” are as a whole prejudiced and judgmental against anything that they are not familiar with. But time and time again I face the consequences of a church that has become much like the Pharisees Jesus spoke so strongly against. For months, my wife felt like she was the unwanted step-child of the church, “sneaking in” so she could be a member. Her friend feels like a heathen because she can’t find a church willing to marry her. And my sister has written off God as a non-priority, because the people that claim to follow Him made her feel evil.

When I look in Scripture, the only people that Jesus treated this way were the Pharisees, and it was mostly because they were proud and arrogant. He called tax collectors to be his disciples, befriended Samaritans, and was seen socializing with prostitutes. He challenged centuries of tradition and made the established religion shake with fear. I’m beginning to think we need another visit from Jesus, just so he can shake up the arrogance of the churches today, and start reaching the hurting and lost again.

Well, obviously if Jesus does come back, we’ll have more important things to worry about than the proud and arrogant. But until He gets here, he’s left us to do the best we can. And that’s what this blog is all about.

Before I get too involved in this, I want to clarify some things. I want to explain what this blog is not.

First of all, this blog is not trying to form a new denomination. That would defeat the purpose of removing prejudices and judgment. Denominations are good. They attract different types of people to different types of worship. They’re not wrong, and separating from them won’t fix any of the problems that denominations have. It would only further propagate the problem.

Second, this blog is not meant to judge others. Yes, there are people out there who are the embodiment of the Pharisee, and yes, what they have done is hurtful and horrible and detrimental to the function of Christ’s body. But the minute we look down our noses at them for what they are, we become the very thing that we are trying so hard to get rid of.

Lastly, this blog is not a sugar-coated, feel-good blog. We’re not going to water down the Bible so that it doesn’t offend anyone. The premise behind the entire book is that we as humans are evil and wretched and deserve eternal punishment. That’s a hard pill to swallow, but it’s what the Bible says, and to deviate from that is to teach what is wrong. Leading someone down the wrong path is just as bad if not worse than shunning them for what they are. But know this, whatever truth that is taught, if it is really truth, can stand to be debated and discussed. We won’t always agree on everything, and that’s ok. We’re not trying to start fights and get people riled up. But we’re not going to hold back on something because we want to be non-offensive.

Now, I want to clarify what this blog is.

First, this blog is for all people, regardless of religion, race, gender, sexual orientation, age, or favorite NFL team. We are going to teach the Christian Bible. We are going to discuss its truths and its lessons. But we’re not going to turn away anyone, even if they don’t believe in it. We are open to discussion and debate, to challenge each other’s beliefs and discover what it is that we truly believe. If our faith in the Bible is based on truth, then it should be able to handle questions and disagreements without threatening the person questioning or disagreeing.

Second, this blog is a place to get support and learn to get past the hurt. My guess is if you’re coming to this blog, it means that somewhere along the line a person claiming to follow Christ hurt you, and did it while he/she was waving Christ’s name around like a banner. Almost everyone else here has been in the exact same situation. We’re all trying to figure things out, to understand who Jesus really is, not who Baptists or Pentecostals or Catholics say he is. This place is safe, a haven where you can heal. And if you ever feel like that is changing, let us know and we’ll put a stop to whatever it is that’s threatening that safety. Our purpose is to lift up, not tear down.

As for what we talk about here, the answer is simple…we talk about everything. If it’s important to you, it’s important to talk about. The Bible doesn’t speak to every particular situation that you could possibly come across, but it does give us some guidelines as to what to do in those situations. And, as with most guidelines, there is some room for interpretation as to what exactly those guidelines say. No topic is inappropriate. We will talk about everything from politics to faith to sex to ice cream flavors. Is it a sin to drink? We’ll talk about it. What does God think about obesity? We’ll talk about it. God and His word are big enough to handle any topic, and we’ll discuss each one until we either find a consensus or agree to disagree.

Ultimately, what I want to do is create a sense of family where one has been lost. People should never feel scorned or shunned by Christians, and sadly that has happened all too often. So, hopefully, this is a place where people can go to see Christians as they are supposed to be, not as they appear to be. Thank you for reading.

Keep Soaring,