Why Won't God Heal Amputees?

Some of you may be familiar with the popular atheist website, Why Won't God Heal Amputees.  The basic objective of the organization is not only to prove that God does not exist, but to encourage the believing Christian to rationally contemplate their faith and logically consider their arguments.  Their hope is that those who believe in God will eventually come to the deductive conclusion that faith is simply a superstition and therefore open their minds to a more enlightened thought process.  They seem to claim their arguments are presented to any religion or faith system, but Christianity seems to be their main opposition.  

I have to admit that these kinds of organizations used to make me very defensive.  From a faith perspective, I found it very hard to understand why some people come to a place in life where it becomes so easy to deny God's existence, but also feel compelled to attack the beliefs of others.  If someone truly has no belief in God, what difference does it make to them whether or not someone else does?  I still feel this way to a certain extent, but I have also grown to a place spiritually where I don't feel the need to attack other belief systems.  I believe in God and believe that Christianity is true, but my goal in ministry is not to "force" others to accept my beliefs, but to be a point of influence that will cause others to honestly consider the reality of the Kingdom of God and what it means to be a true Christ follower.

With that said, I find this organization very interesting and compelling.  The honest questions they ask seem genuine and whether right or wrong, they deserve addressing .  Granted, some of their statements are a bit antagonistic and condescending, but if you look beyond the defensiveness, anger and what might appear as an attack on those of faith, I think you'll simply find fellow human beings seeking answers to the same questions many Christians deal with.  And to be honest, the Church and Christians in general have traditionally done a pretty poor job in answering the arguments.  Today's culture demands more than just the typical rehearsed, memorized and cliche "churchy" answers.

So, here is a list of the "10 Questions That Every Intelligent Christian Must Answer" taken from the website linked above.  What I would like to know is how you would answer these questions in an honest manner, if you were involved in a discussion with someone who did not believe in God.  Avoid being defensive, argumentative or feeling as if you need to "win" the argument.  Avoid judging the questions as ignorant or simplistic because of what you know.  These are "real' questions that "real" people ask.  Consider how you would honestly answer these questions from your perspective of faith, knowledge and experience.  I plan on writing another blog that will address how I personally answer these questions, but I wold like to know what you think.

1.  Why won't God heal amputees?  We believe that God answers prayer, preforms miracles and heals in various manners, but we never see someone grow limbs in response to prayer.  Why not?  Does God ignore amputees?  

2. Why are there so many starving people in the world?  Why would God pay attention to your pray to find a job, when He seems to ignore the prayers of people literally starving to death?

3.  Why does God demand the death of so many innocent people in the Bible?  Exodus 35:2 demands the death of anyone who violates the sabbath, Deuteronomy 21:18-21 demands the death of disobedient teenagers, Leviticus 20:13 calls for the death of homosexuals and Deuteronomy 22:13-21 demands the death of woman that are not virgins when they marry.  In the book of Joshua, God commands Israel to not only kill the men, but woman and children as well.  In Deuteronomy, we see that God commands Israel to kill "everyone" in Heshbon and Bashan.  He also commands the extermination of everyone except the virgins of Midian in the book of Numbers (the virgins were plunder), and in 1 Samuel 15:1-9, the Isralites are commanded to kill all of the Amalekites - men, woman, children, infants, cattle, for something they did 400 years prior.                    

4.  Why does the Bible contain so much anti-scientific nonsense?  Can you remain a logical and intelligent thinker and still believe the supernatural stories of the Bible?

5.  Why is God such a huge proponent of slavery in the bible?  Take a look at these verses from both the Old and New Testament.  Exodus 20:20-21, Deuteronomy 15:12-18, Leviticus 25:44-46, Mark 14:66, Colossians 3:22-24, Ephesians 6:5, 1 Peter 2:18      

6.  Why do bad things happen to good people?  Think about it.  We probably all know of someone that ranks up there with Mother Theresa, and yet they seem to be plagued with constant tragedy.  Consequently, we all know of people that could be classified as evil incarnate, and yet their lives seem to be completely absent of even minor troubles.    

7.  Why didn't any of Jesus' miracles in the Bible leave any evidence behind?  Several people have asked me why more evidence is not available of Jesus' miracles other that Scripture.     

8.  How do we explain the fact that Jesus has never appeared to anyone?   If Jesus is omnipotent and omnipresent, why does He seem to not appear to anyone?  Apparently, Mary has appeared to people in apparitions, why not Jesus?  

9.  Why would Jesus want you to eat His body and drink His blood?  Many of us have grown up in the Church, so this does not seem unusual.  But what about those who have never heard of this concept?  Could this not seem grotesque and cannibalistic?    

10.  Why are Christian divorce rates the same as that of non-Christians?  This is a great question and one that cannot be denied.  In fact, being involved in ministry, I seem to see more instances of divorce than I do outside the Church.  Why is this?
    

Jesus Meets Socrates

I'm convinced that one of the biggest problems within the Christian Church is a lack of thought.  Not the kind of thought that most of us engage in on a day to day basis, but deep contemplative thought.  The kind of thought that births creativity and allows the imagination to run wild.  In fact, this is the very foundation upon which Naked Theology was built.

The Church Fathers and other great theologians were also deep thinkers and contemplative philosophers.  Ambrose, Athanatsius, St. Augustine, Clement, Ignatius, Thomas Aquinas, and St. Francis of Assisi all built their theology, not only on their interpretation of scripture, but the deep thought that followed.  Even modern theologians such as Karl Barth and Dietrich Bonhoeffer were not afraid to dig deeply into the mysteries of God.    

Think about the times that you have run across a subject on which the Bible seems to be totally silent.  Are there areas on which you wish scripture expounded more or expanded?  Specifically in the New Testament, are there topics that you find yourself wishing that Jesus would have addressed directly, but doesn't seem to?  Are there cryptic or difficult to understand passages that you wish contained just a few more verses to help you understand it more clearly?  Have you ever read a verse and thought to yourself, "What?!  I have no freaking clue what this means!"

Now, before I go any further, let me say that I firmly believe that the Bible is completely sufficient for guidance on every and all aspects of life.  There are obviously some areas that the Bible does not directly address, such as modern cultural topics, but in studying similar issues and parallel passages, it is possible to translate a particular passage and find what you need to know in most modern contexts  There are also areas on which the Bible is vague and some passages that are very difficult to understand.  It's significant to remember that while the Bible was just as much written for people in 2011, it was written by people that lived in a very different time, a very different culture and in many areas of life, thought very differently than we do.     

I get asked theological questions fairly frequently, and since I've been to seminary, some people automatically deduce that I have all the answers.  Well, sometimes I have an answer, but not as often as I would like to admit.  There are quite a few instances where I have to plead ignorance or pull the old, "Let me get back to you on that one" while I go and ask someone more knowledgeable on the respective topic than me.  In fact, there are times when I feel that I know less after seminary than I did before...the more I read and learn, the more I realize how much I don't know.  And times when I feel like a complete idiot.

But one thing that I have learned is that while the Bible is meant to read and teach, it is just as important to be meditated on and pondered over.  It's meant to be philosophized upon, discussed and written about.  It's meant to have music written from it, art created from its influence and poetry to be inspired from it.  God doesn't just want us to mechanically read and regurgitate what we learn from scripture, but He wants us to use our hearts as well as our minds.  The early Church Fathers weren't afraid to gaze toward Heaven, and ask the tough meditative questions.  In fact, this is how many of our Church doctrines came into existence.        

When was the last time that you read a favorite passage and found yourself asking, "What if....?"  "I know that Jesus doesn't address this issue directly, but if he did, what would He have said?  How would He have handled this?"  "If Matthew, Mark, Luke or John would have been inspired to write another passage on this topic, what would they have said?"   

So, here's what I need your help with.  Do some thinking and ask yourself these questions?   

1.  What are some issues on which the Bible seems to be silent?    

2.  Have you ever found yourself thinking, "I've read this verse over and over, and have no clue what it means.  I've even asked several pastors about it, but no one seems to know or be able to explain it to me."  Tell me about it. 

3.  Have you ever thought, "I wish Jesus went deeper on this issue.  I understand what He's saying, but I feel like I need more."  What was the issue? 

I'll be compiling your comments and using your input for my book.  I'll also be posting short excerpts as the writing progresses.  Looking forward to hearing what you have to say, and more importantly, what you "think"!

The Kingdom of God: Where Does Our Alligience Lie?

Within theological circles, there are many views and interpretations of what Jesus meant when He talked about the Kingdom of God.  There are about 140 instances in the New Testament where this is referred to directly or alluded to in other wording.  Either way, there has been an ongoing debate about what the kingdom of God exactly referred to.  Some have claimed that the Kingdom was wholly manifest in Jesus’ presence on earth and represented in His words and deeds.  Some claim that any reference to the Kingdom is completely a reality of the future and is associated with Christ’s second coming.  The most common interpretation has to do with elements of both arguments and is sometimes referred to as the “already/not yet” tension.  In essence, the Kingdom of God was inaugurated with Christ’s first advent, exists today and will be complete when he returns again.  Today Christ’s love exists through the life of the Church, but the world is still subject to evil to some extent.  This is the view that I personally ascribe to and contextually what Scripture seems to be referring to.  (See Luke 10:9, 11:20, Matt. 3:2, Mark 1:5, Luke 17:21)    

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking on what the Kingdom of God should look like and what my responsibility is within the Kingdom.  What is my responsibility and what is the Church’s responsibility in advancing the Kingdom?  Obviously, since the Kingdom of God exists, what we do with our lives has a direct effect on its manifestation and advancement.  Consequently, since there exists this “not yet” element to the Kingdom, what we don’t do, or the negative aspects of our lives, hinder the Kingdom.  The more we live as Christ and represent His Body as the Church, the more that the world will see the Kingdom and understand what God originally intended for the world.  When we live in opposition to Christ, the Kingdom is reduced to mere words, hypocrisy and a lack of belief from culture.  

I bring this up because people often ask me about my political views and party affiliation.  I admit that there was a time when I was the typical conservative right-wing Christian that had the world view that Jesus was not only American, but started His movement right here in the good old USA.  I believed that Jesus would have only voted conservative and cheered for us when the USA went to war.  As long as Jesus and His teachings lined up with that picture of American Christianity, I was OK with being His hard-line follower.  But over the last five years or so, my views have radically changed. 

 

Well, before you accuse me of being a bed-wetting liberal, communist or socialist scumbag, allow me to explain.  First of all, I don’t consider myself to be a liberal or Democrat either.  In fact, I no longer side with any political party and refuse to align myself with the “left” or “right”, unless I’m reading a map.  I’m no longer registered as a Republican voter, and will not side with the Democrats either.  I don't use God to promote my view of politics and choose coffee over tea.  For lack of other options, I assume the government would classify me as an “Independent”, but I never identify myself with that label either.  Going one step further, my citizenship as an American is secondary and not really how I identify myself as well.

 

Now, let’s be clear.  I’m not one of those people who are ashamed of America, believe in anarchy or have a Utopian view of what the world should look like.  I don’t believe in John Lennon’s “Imagined” view of life and tend to look at life through a more realistic set of lenses.  Believe it or not, I’m still a pretty black and white person.  What I’m getting at, is that if the Kingdom of God is a reality, even if incomplete, it is the Churches responsibility to make it a reality.  And the first thing we have to do is decide to put His Kingdom first, even if it means denying our allegiance to man-made kingdoms.  Jesus said, "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else," (Matthew 6:33)  This is the only way that the kingdom of God will be seen as a reality and cause culture to want to be a part of it.  It has to overshadow culture, country, communities and even individual churches.

What would this look like?  Well, C.S. Lewis said in Mere Christianity, that if Christians were functioning and living as they were originally intended to, most people would scoff and label it socialism.  And you know what?  He’s right.  If we model the early Church and all that Christ taught in the New Testament, we would be living a very socialist existence.  Selling our possessions, sharing all that we have with anyone in need, choosing non-violence and actively loving others, including our enemies, looks more like a hippie commune, doesn’t it?  But here’s the thing: these ways of living life cannot be mandated by a government and this is what this blog is all about.  The principles of socialism are not bad in and of themselves, but when a man made government initiates them, and they are based on man and not God, the end result is disastrous.  Only the Church can initiate this kind of revolutionary way of living.  Only the Church can and should look this way.  These are supernatural principles.  When we live as Christ calls us to live, people see a counter-cultural way of living and advance a Kingdom that doesn’t make a lot of sense to the world.  It really has nothing to do with politics or party affiliations.  It has to do with following a King that rules a radically different Kingdom.  It has to do with citizenship and where it ultimately lies.                       

Dad

As we approach another Father's Day, I find myself missing me dad more than usual.  So in honor of my dad, Bill Kampe, I'm re-posting this blog that I wrote last year.  Happy Father's Day, Dad.  I can't wait to see you again someday.  I'll bet the fishing is great!  You'll have to show me all the good spots when I get there!


For me, one of the most comforting aspects of the Christian faith is that God is our “Father”. (Psalms 68:5) My dad died a little over four years ago. That’s something that I never thought I would have to say, let alone write in a blog. “My dad died.” You always look at your parents as being somewhat immortal, especially dads. But they die, and I guess a little part of us was created to expect it. It's natural to lose your parents one day, but it doesn’t make it any easier.

Each time I talk about my dad, and get to the point of talking about this death, I feel my eyes watering up and my voice crack a little. It’s funny, but I miss him more and more as the years go by. Something will pop into my head, some thought that I want to share with him, or something will happen where I could really use his advice. It’s funny, but sometimes I have to remind myself that he’s not there.

A few months ago, my 7 year old son was experimenting with his electronic set and asking questions that were a little out of my field of knowledge. My dad was an electrical engineer and I began to tell him about how this is the kind of stuff Paw Paw did for a living. He would have loved teaching him how it all worked and the fact that his grandson was showing some aptitude in this area would have given him such a thrill.

It’s funny, but I can still hear my Dad’s voice, as if I had just talked with him a few days ago. When I’m away from my wife and boys, I sometimes forget their voices, but I remember my dad’s voice. I remember the deep tone it had and the calm and methodical way he spoke. When he was excited or passionate about something, he would get more animated and stutter a little. That’s how you could tell that he was really interested in the conversation.

I remember my dad coming home from work late in the day. He would open the door quickly and come through with a big stride. He always had the paper in his hand and would lightly hit me with it. “Hey, guy!”, he would say with a big smile, and would go in the kitchen to say hi to Mom. That “dad smell” would waft passed me as he went by, and I felt comfortable. I felt safe. Dad was home.

I’ve learned that being a dad is a lot harder than being a son. My dad told me one time that I would never feel the same security that I did when I was a boy living at home, once I had my own family. And he was right, to an extent. I’m the one that carries the burdens and fights the monsters under the bed. I’m the one that is responsible for creating the safe structure of home and peace that my boys rest in.

But like I said, my dad was only right to an extent. See I believe that even though I have the enormous responsibility of being a father, the burden is not 100% on my shoulders. We are stewards of these amazing gifts that God has given us. God still calls the plays; we just carry the ball. And I do feel some shades of the security that I once felt as a child from time to time. When I feel close to God and His presence is evident, flowing around me, I feel safe. When I come to Him as a little child, and rest in His arms, I feel peace. And as I comfort my boys and do my best to create the peaceful structure that they deserve, I feel God doing the same for me. He’s my Father. He’s Dad. (John 20:17)

My dad believed in God, but I don’t know if He felt the same security on which I’ve learned to depend. I think that he carried a lot of burdens that he didn’t realize weren't his to carry. See, my grandfather died when my Dad was only 9 years old, so he had to learn how to be a dad with only a small point of reference. He had to learn to depend on himself for much of his life and that made him a little harder. He grew up without a father and I wonder how much different his life would have been had his dad lived a longer life. And for that matter, what would my life be like today?

Either way, dad did his very best at raising two boys. I told him that a few years before he died, and he said that that was one of those things you wait your entire parenting life to hear. I hope to hear it someday, and I hope that my boys will grow up feeling just a little more security than I did. Not security from me, but from their heavenly Father who wants them to have a peace that transcends all of their understanding. (Philippians 4:7) I want them to feel that security of knowing that everything is OK. It’s taken care of. Dad’s home.

Five Simple Steps for a Rapture Preparation

There's been a lot of talk about the the Rapture of the Church taking place tomorrow, May 21.  I figured that I should probably blog about my thoughts on the upcoming events, so I sat down to give it some thought.  Many things ran through my mind, and then it hit me.  No one has given any practical advice on preparation for the Rapture.  How are we to know if we are "Rapture Ready"?

Well, here's a list of Five practicals steps for you to follow to make sure you are adequately prepared.   Whether you are one of the lucky ones to be gathered to the Lord, or one of the poor souls left to endure the inevitable Tribulation, let's make sure that everything runs smoothly and without unnecessary inconvenience.

1.  Do Not Drive:  Let's face it.  If you on the roads when the Rapture occurs, and you're not one of the fortunate ones to be taken, you probably don't want to be on the road when 100s of cars go driverless.  And if you are planning on being Raptured, have a little common courtesy and just stay home where it's safe.


2.  Call in Sick:  If you are a pilot, cab driver, train conductor, surgeon, air traffic controller, or any occupation that involves the safety of others, please call in sick or take a vacation day.

3.  Think Green:  If there is a high probability that you will be raptured, please turn off your water, electricity, cancel cable, phones, etc.  Those left behind are going to dealing with enough.  Why burden them further with open accounts, wasted utilities?  Please note: If you leave your cars in the garage, make sure the emergency handle has been pulled on your garage door.

4.  Drink Responsibly:  As with hurricane parties and New Years Eve, many folks are going to be tempted to partake in a few extra pints in celebration.  Trust me.  If you are one of the heathens that will be here on Sunday morning, you don't want to face it with a hangover.  And the rest of you probably don't want to be raptured while intoxicated. (RWI)

5.  Remember Your Pets:  As much as we love our pets, the truth is that they will NOT be part of the Rapture.  Think ahead.  If you are left behind, make sure that you have plenty of pet food and reserve water supply in case store and utilities are down for a while.  If you will be leaving us, make sure that your pets have a safe, quiet and caring place to stay.  They will most likely be very nervous and stressed as it is.  Let's think of their needs as well.

It is my hope that these simple steps will help you as we all hurdle toward the end times.  Whether you are left behind or taken from the Earth to be with Christ, we all need to make sure we are prepared.

As for me, more than likely, this will be my last blog.  I appreciate each and every one of you that have been faithful in reading my theological musings.  If you've been left behind, and are reading this after the fact, I'm sorry.  You must not have paid enough attention to my more evangelical blogs.  I'm pretty sarcastic, but I'm pretty sure that I never joked about damnation.

And if you reason I am unfortunately left behind with you, I'll have one hell of a freaking blog to write on Sunday.

After Birth

Every once and a while, the light bulb of illumination appears over my head.  You know, that "DING" moment on the old cartoons when the character has a "bright" idea?  I wonder if the proverbial "light bulb" of revelation has to now become an LED or CFL bulb?  I mean, cartoon characters have to be conscious of the environment too, right?  Actually, when you think about it, the entire image of the light bulb might not be politically correct anymore.  Why waste energy just because you have a revelatory insightful thought?   Maybe the character could just turn a shade of green when he has a bright idea?  Hmmm.  Well, anyway.     

I love it when I find a little piece of insightful truth that I never noticed before.  One of the reasons that I write is because it enables me to put my thoughts together in a coherent format.  By recording my thoughts, my humble hope is always that someone will glean something from what I've written and then develop a new insight of their own.  My favorite comments is always something like, "Wow! I never thought of it that way!"  When more people begin to express their thoughts, beliefs and insights, it can open doors for others.  They share their new insights and the cycle continues.  When I think about it, I think we are more prone to learn more from each other than we do from any other source.

This morning is was reading something that that really blew me away by the imagery.  My friend Rob Vasquez writes an online devotional called "Be Blessed".  This week he wrote the following about what it means to be born again and the transformation that occurs after:

"Many people don't realize or want to admit how messy, slow, painful & gradual real change is. And here’s the truth many don’t want to accept: it’s very messy for broken people to be healed & transformed. It takes time. Birth is messy. It isn’t pretty. And guess what? Neither is new birth. Following Jesus is messier than people make it out to be."

Unfortunately, a lot of Christ followers reduce their salvation down to a day they "accepted Christ".  They prayed a religious mantra that magically transformed them into a Christian and now they are suppose to be automatically different than those that haven't prayer "the prayer".  We do this a lot in our churches, don't we?  We compare notes with each other and base our worth on how many people have been "saved".  The higher the number, the better Christian we are and to US be the glory, right?  Get 'em into heaven, get 'em a Bible and direct them to a church, and our job is done!  But is salvation this simplistic? 

Let me be clear.  I'm not discounting the act of salvation.  I'm not discounting the fact that for some Christians, saying a prayer of salvation was a pivotal point in their spiritual life.  And I'm not saying that it is not a Christian's responsibility to share the gospel and hope to see people others come to Christ.  What I'm saying is that we narrow down salvation and making disciples to a one time event that really can have nothing to do with a person being "Christlike".  Yes, there is always a point in which a non-Christian becomes a Christ follower.  Usually, it is a specific decision we make. Sometimes it's a definable moment, and other times it's not that clear.  I look at my own salvation as a life long journey that contains many pivotal moments of spiritual realizations.  If someone asked me when I was "saved", there is a specific time that I refer to as the moment of my "salvation", but to be honest, it's somewhat irrelevant to me now.  I'm more interested in what has occurred, and continues to occur in my life today, and what I think Rob might be talking about in the words above.  What we're really talking about is "sanctification". 

Bible.org defines sanctification as "the activity of God which liberates the Christian from the power of sin.  It is the process of becoming what we are in Christ. This involves the putting off of the old habits of lying, stealing, backbiting, etc., and putting on the Christ-like qualities of honesty, mercy, and love."  See Colossians 3:1-10

Basically, sanctification is the process.  It's the ongoing activity on our lives of becoming more like Christ.  We become sanctified as we get rid of the crap in our lives and start looking more and more like Jesus by our words, actions and thoughts.  While salvation is essential, sanctification is really the evidence of who we are.  In many ways, sanctification is more significant than a single salvation experience because it reveals that a transformation has occurred in a persons life.  How many times have you run across someone who claims to be a follower of Christ because they "prayed a prayer", but they displays nothing in their life that would lead anyone to arrive at that conclusion.  

And this brings me to my point: like Rob said above, change is a messy thing.  When we begin the journey of becoming more like Christ, it can be a very ugly, chaotic and nasty process.  Yes, becoming more Christlike is a beautiful thing, but the process of getting there can be anything but pretty because it can involve confronting lifestyle aspects that are no longer spiritually healthy.   Everyday choices and actions can become "anti" Christ, and when we confront these issues, a conflict arises.  Our natural person, the thing that existed before following Christ, begins to rebel and fight the "process" every step of the way.  It doesn't want to be sanctified.  In many ways, we don't want to change.  We would rather live in a state of pre-salvtion because it's easy, safe and non-threatening.  

When a baby is born into the world, it's a beautiful, joyous and life changing event.  But physically, it's not pretty, is it?  It's messy, painful and chaotic.  Screams and cries fill the air as this new life comes into the world in a wave of blood, bodily fluid and discarded tissue.  It's not a pretty picture from a purely visual perspective.  Being "born again" is no different than the physical aspects of natural birth.  Our Church culture has created an unrealistic view of what salvation is, and consequently, it's created an unrealistic view of sanctification as well.  Spiritual transformation is sometimes not pretty, and like Rob says, it's slow, painful and gradual.     

From my own experience, in many ways following Christ is much more difficult than the life I lived before.  As I grow, becoming sanctified, I encounter and overcome more and more challenges that reveal to me how messy my life is.  I was born (again), spit out into the world in a mess of spiritual afterbirth.  Yes, I was cleaned up, but it's cold, frightening and not the comfortable place I came from.  I've been poked and prodded.  I've had to eat things that taste like shit.  I've soiled myself and spit up when things didn't agree with my spiritual digestive system.  I've fallen when I tried to walk and been scolded when I did something wrong. 

     

Grace at Reduced Cost

On the bridge of the unforgiven
   forgiveness takes the high road.
Malnourished and perplexed,
   redemption takes a second seat.
Finding salvation comes at a cost,
   but you buy grace at wholesale prices
and wonder why it's defective
   and void of legitimate warranty.
It was forecast that rain would fall
   and it did indeed.
We run to theological shelters
   set up by Red Cross rejects.
But our cots have no sleep number
   and smell like homeless ministry.
You shake the hand that shakes
   and offer a blessing on pain.
"Peace be with you" and off you go.
   You go your way.  I go mine.
I adjust my ringtone.
   You stand in line.
My hands are washed and the crowd applauds.
   My realization is final and sure,
as salvation sets in cold and secure.
   Grace is cheap.
Costco carries it in bulk.
   You run to freedoms register
and write your check to God.
"I've paid my dues.  Now my entitlement counted."
   Among the Pharisees we all will stand,
but our robes are rotted and tassels are tangled.

                                                    - Anonymous

Hot, Wild, Freaky Sex (Seriously! The title is not just to get your attention)

Recently, a good friend of mine asked me some questions about sex.  He's been married for a few years, loves his wife and from what he shared with me, they seem to have a very healthy sex life.  However, he needed some answers on a very specific issue that, let's just say was a little risque, to say the least.  Ah, what the heck.  It was about oral sex.  After we talked for a while, he realized that he wasn't quite as weird as he thought he was.  The "colorful" topic that he brought up was not necessarily sexually off limits, but its just one of those things we don't usually talk about, especially in church.  And that got me thinking.  Does the Church inadvertently create an atmosphere of fear, embarrassment or even shame when it comes to sex?  Should we be more open and willing to talk about the "details", no matter how graphic in nature they might be?  After all, how do newly married couples know what is acceptable and what's not if we aren't willing to discuss it?  The only other option they have is culture and the media, and we don't want to go there, do we?        

Over the years, I've had the opportunity to council with a few newlyweds and couples preparing for marriage.  I've never been a senior pastor, nor do I ever want to, but on occasion I've been asked to preform a wedding or two and offer some words of wisdom to couples just setting out on the somewhat unknown journey of becoming husband and wife.  By no means do I claim to be a marriage counselor or expert in the field.  In fact, there's still a lot that I don't know, and my wife would attest that I might need a refresher course from time to time.  I guess being married for almost 20 years gives you plenty of chances to screw up until you finally get it right.

Usually with some amount of embarrassment from the younger couples, sex always seems to be a main issue of concern.  Personally, I have no problem dealing with questions of the carnal nature, but to a young couple, it can be a little intimidating.  In fact, the last couple that I met with were so uncomfortable that they could not stop laughing in order to get through one question.  This was a shame because later, when they finally got the nerve to share by email, they had some very honest and legitimate questions about sex once they were married.  Questions about oral sex, masturbation, sexual positions, pornography and even the use of sex toys are all topics that we might run across in today's culture.  Please know that I am not endorsing the acceptability of any sexual topic, or any others that might come to mind.  This blog is not intended to address each issue individually.  Let me just say that as followers of Christ, there are some areas of sex that God does not want us to venture into, even in the context of marriage.  All the more reason to help couples talk about these issues in a comfortable atmosphere, right?

Let's just admit it, shall we?  Sex is fun!  It's a blast!  I love sex and if I had my way, I'd do it every day!  Unfortunately, nature won't allow that and age begins to play a factor as well.  But it's still fun, and I hope it will remain fun for many, many, many, many, many years to come!  But guess what?  God intended sex to be fun!  It was His idea, so blame Him if your judging me to be a sex maniac.  Think about it.  He could have easily made humans instinctively attracted to the opposite sex for the sole purpose of procreation.  Sex could be a robotic, boring, mundane ritual that would make doing your taxes seem like a night out on the town.  But thankfully, that's not what He had in mind.  Instead, He chose to give us sex as an awesome gift, by making it one of the most enjoyable experiences we can share on this earth.  In the right context and circumstances, sex is enjoyable, fulfilling, intoxicating, healthy and vital to a healthy marriage.  Sex is good!  Can I get an amen? 

I usually get right to the point when asked for my opinion on what is sexually "acceptable" for a married couple.  My philosophy is pretty simple:  As long as it doesn't involve other people or animals, get as hot, wild and freaky as you want to!  "Really?  Did he just say that?"  Well...yeah...I guess I did!  But before you accuse me of being some kind of pastoral pervert, let me explain.  Just so you know, I would never offer that statement as a piece of advice to any couple.  That's an extreme and simplistic example, although I might toss it out there as an ice breaker, depending on how well I know the couple.  Hmmm....That might have stopped the uncontrollable laughter of the couple I mentioned above.  But in reality, it illustrates something very significant.  God wants us to enjoy sex to the fullest possible capacity possible.  Sure, there are Biblical boundaries for sex, but it's pretty broad.  Song of Solomon provides a very graphic, erotic and illustrative picture of what an awesome sex life looks life between a husband and a wife.  We won't get into those details in this blog, but my point is this: we need to be open about sex and create an open culture within the Church and Christian circles.

We have no trouble talking about communication, finances, careers, responsibilities, parenting, etc. We have no problem discussing children and the details of becoming new parents, but for some reason, we avoid talking about where the kids come from.  When it comes to the area of sex, we usually give some broad advice or recommend a couple of good books.  Like everything else that God has given us, sex is a good thing.  It's an incredible blessing and needs to be a topic that is discussed openly, freely and without embarrassment or shame.   It's viral that we provide strong Biblical advice on sexual boundaries for two reasons:  First, married couples need to know what's off limits so they don't venture off into some freaky stuff that would cause Hugh Hefner to blush.  And secondly, married couples need to know what's within acceptable limits so they can venture off into some freaky stuff that God is totally OK with!  And they don't need to feel guilty, strange or perverted.

Song of Solomon says, "Like the finest apple tree in the orchard is my lover among other young men.  I sit in his delightful shade and taste his delicious fruit." (2:3 NLT)

"Awake, north wind!  Rise up, south wind!  Blow on my garden and spread its fragrance all around.  Come into your garden, my love; taste its finest fruits." (4:16 NLT)

"I would bring you to my childhood home, and there you would teach me.  I would give you spiced wine to drink, my sweet pomegranate wine. Your left arm would be under my head, and your right arm would embrace me. " (8:2 NLT)

"I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice.  I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey; I have drunk my wine and my milk." (5:1 NIV)

"How beautiful you are and how pleasing, my love, with your delights!  Your stature is like that of the palm,  and your breasts like clusters of fruit.  I said, “I will climb the palm tree; I will take hold of its fruit.”  May your breasts be like clusters of grapes on the vine, the fragrance of your breath like apples, and your mouth like the best wine." (7:6-9 - NIV)

Pretty intense, huh?  These are only a few examples of what the Bible tells us about erotic sex through the Song of Solomon.  Not only is it a beautiful book of poetry, but and a great example of how sex is not only meant to be enjoyed, but gives us an idea of the broad boundaries of sex to be explored.  Overall, the Church needs to do a better job at creating a more open environment of communication regarding sex. 

This is significant for two reasons: First, married couples need practical and honest guidelines about sex so they don't venture off into some freaky areas that would even make Huge Hefner blush.  And secondly, they need practical and honest guidelines so they can feel comfortable venturing off into some freaky areas that are perfectly OK with God!  Sex is a good thing!  So go out and have sex today!  Have it this afternoon!  Several times!  Or at least try.  And make it hot, wild and freaky!  

Francis Chan on the Death of Osama Bin Laden

My Reflctions of the Death of Osama Bin Laden

As I write this, I anticipate much anger directed toward me.  But as I meditate on the events that have transpired over the last 11 hours, I find myself having very mixed emotions.  Let me begin by stating that I think the death of Osama Bin Laden is a good thing.  Like every American, every year on the anniversary of 9/11, I mourn the death of the innocent Americans that died at the hand of the terrorists he led.  With a heavy heart, I think about the children that lost parents.  I think about husbands and wives that lost their soul mates and thank God for my wife and family.  I mourn the loss of the soldiers that have died over the last 10 years, fighting for freedom and to end terror in this world.  I am proud of this country and thank God for the freedom I have each and every day; the same freedom I have to write this blog today.  I love this country, but it’s not the Kingdom I choose to serve.  The Kingdom of God is where my perspective must come from, and that’s where my emotions must rise from.  

     

So, with that said, it may shock you to know that I mourn the death of Osama Bin Laden.  Like I said, I do believe that His death is a good thing and our world is safer from it, but I still mourn his death.  From beginning to end, this man’s life and America’s association with him has been nothing to rejoice.  The news we received on Sunday night was simply the pinnacle of a long progression of war and death, and more than likely, not the end.  War and death are not something to celebrate.  In the general scheme of things, the Kingdom of God has not been advanced one inch.  To be honest, from an eternal perspective, what has transpired doesn't matter all that much.  War is not a sporting event and as much as we want to believe it, Jesus is not on our team.  He doesn’t rejoice at the death of Osama Bin Laden and does not breathe a sigh of relief that America gained a few more points in the game.

What I do believe is that God is very much anticipating how each and every one of us is going to react today; not so much from an external perspective, but internal.  What do our hearts really feel at this moment?  What is the truth that will be taken from these events and what is God’s perspective on what has happened.  That’s the perspective that I choose to view this from.  And a great deal of that perspective comes from Scripture.  But before I refer to Christ’s words, let me address one particular perspective that I’ve seen some folks using as a defense.

 

Many people refer to some of the Old Testament examples of war, and how God seems to bless, approve and even rejoice in the victories of Israel.  It appears that by looking at these many references, God endorses war and rejoicing in the victories of war.  I understand completely why some well intending people would use these examples as justification for America’s rejoicing today.  However, as with anything in Scripture, we have to look at this from a proper perspective.  The nation of Israel was God’s chosen people.  This was the nation that He chose to build this world through.  These were the people that would begin the long progression of events that would bring Jesus Christ into this world and begin the eventual realization of the Kingdom of God coming to fruition.  These were His people, His nation, His mission and in essence, His  In many ways, it was not the people of Israel fighting other nations, but God fighting through them to defend Himself, His honor, worship and glory.  When Israel celebrated the death and victory from war, in many ways it was God celebrating and the people glorified God more than they did country.   They celebrated in the Temple.  We celebrate on the White House lawn.  

So, flash forward several hundred years.  Things have changed.  Messiah has come.  Jesus has inaugurated the Kingdom of God and calls the people of Israel to start looking at things very differently.  In essence, Rome was terrorizing and oppressing God’s people and they wanted nothing more than for a political and military Messiah to rise up and smack Rome on its ass.  But instead, we start hearing things like, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?  And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?  Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-48)  “But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” (Matthew 5:39)  "Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.” (Matthew26:52)

These are only three examples, but in the historical context of these references from the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus is speaking to the Jews and more than likely referring to the Roman Empire.  I guarantee you that these words were not easy for Jesus’ followers to hear.  They went against everything they felt, were taught and believed at that point, but Jesus was calling His followers, and all of us, to look at the world from a different perspective.  To open our view of “kingdom” and “nation” to more than just the borders that surround us.  To view brother and sister to include more than just those that we see each and every day.  In essence, Jesus was calling us to view the world from His perspective and not ours.  You won’t like hearing this, but God loved Osama Bin laden, longed for his salvation and knew the number of hairs on his head, just as he does for you and me.   And that leaves me with a sobering thought.  Would those that cheer his death, be the same one's cheering his salvation?  And how many of us actually prayed for his salvation?   

This does not diminish the death of those that lost their lives on 9/11 and does not take away from the fact that Bin Laden’s death is justified.  Like I said before, in reality, it is a good things that he is dead and if you were to ask me if I am glad, in a deep dark place in my heart, I have to admit that I am.  I will admit to you that my first reaction to the news was excitement, joy and the urge to celebrate.  But taking a few steps back, and asking myself the cliche question, “What would Jesus do?”, for the life of me, and as hard as I tried, I could not image Him standing on the lawn of the White House, arm in arm with Americans and chanting, “USA!  USA!  USA!” 

Love One Another - A Lost Passge: John 13:39 - 47

39 "Peter said, "Lord, I will never deny you!  I love you and will stand by you until the very end!"

40  Jesus replied, "Peter, how can you say that you love me when you will surely deny that you even know me?  I command you to love one another.  To love one another is not to think of oneself.  Love as I have loved you."  

41   Peter began to weep and fell to his knees in sorrow.  "Lord!", Peter cried out.  "You have loved me as I am.  You have loved all of us, even though we have done nothing to deserve your love!  How can I love that way?  What if no one loves me the way you have loved me?"

42  Jesus placed his hand on Peter's shoulder.  Peter looked up to see Jesus' eyes looking on him with love and compassion. "Peter, love one another.", Jesus said.  "Love one another", he repeated.  "As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  This is what I command you to do."  

43  "But what about me, Lord?", Peter said while weeping.  "Who will love me?  What if no one returns my love?"    

44  Jesus called the other disciples and they gathered around him.  He looked at them with compassion, knowing that they did not understand what he meant when he said, "Love one another."  45  "Do you not understand what I have commanded you to do?  Do you love one another?  Or do you only hope to receive love?  Do you only hope to be loved as I have loved you?  I command you.  Love one another."

45  "Loving one another has nothing to do with you and the self.", "Jesus continued.  "The self must be denied.  You are not commanded to be loved.  You are commanded to love.  In loving one another, the cycle of love is made complete.  If each of you loves one another, as I have loved you, you will indeed be loved as I have loved you.  In this way, love is made complete.  Live your lives in love, for in loving completely, you too will be loved."


46  The disciples looked at Jesus, finally understanding what he was commanding them to do.  "It is not that we loved you, Lord.  It is that you first loved us.  We understand what you mean when you say, "Love one another.  May we love each other as you have loved us."

47  Jesus knew what was in their hearts, for he knew all men.  He knew that they understood his command, but he also knew that it would prove to be very difficult for them.  He knew that this command to love one another, would be difficult for generations to come.  

Jesus FAIL

As I celebrated Holy Week, I found myself pondering the same things that I seem to do each year. There is almost a “real time” anticipation of the events that transpired over 2000 years ago. I meditate and imagine what the week must have been like. I imagine the lingering excitement from Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and the great hope that gripped the hearts of the crowd. I imagine the celebration as the crowds gathered for the Passover. But I also imagine the thoughts that must have been going through the disciple’s minds in the upper room and on Golgotha. Messiah had finally come! The Roman yoke of oppression was just about to be cast off and Jesus was going to lead the way! "Hosanna!"  But then things begin to radically change and unravel with the washing of some dirty feet and the eating of a meal.

Hearts began to sink.  Anxiety levels escalated.  Tears formed.  It appeared to be the end of the line.  Jesus had been arrested and beaten. He was rejected by the same people who celebrated his entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. And finally, He was nailed to a cross, breathed His last breath and said, "It is finished."  He died.  Finished?  He was taken down from the cross and buried.  From all practical perspectives, it was over, and as Jesus' disciples gathered together on that Sabbath before the Resurrection, the pain, fear and grief must have been overwhelming.  Was it really finished?  Holy Saturday did not carry with it the anticipation, preparation and joy that it does for us today.  For them, it appeared that there was nothing to look forward to, except the same possible fate that met their friend.  "Jesus is dead!  And we're next!  You're going to get your wish, Peter!  Believe what you want, Thomas!  But you're doubting ass will be hanging on a cross by sundown!"          

"Where did things go wrong?”, they must have thought have thought. “How did we misinterpret what Jesus had been telling us over the last three years”?, they must have asked themselves. “Were we totally misled?” “Are we all fools?” “Was our mission with Jesus a complete failure?” FAIL!  Their feet were clean, but their minds were cloudy as they waited.  The anxiety must have felt like the weight of the world. Fear. Rejection. Anger. Confusion. All of these emotions must have been running wild as they mourned the death of their Rabbi. Their leader.  Their friend.  From the view of the world, this must have appeared to be the perfect failure.

Well, you know the rest of the story and time doesn’t permit me to go on and on with the thoughts that flood my mind this morning, but I encourage you to ponder these things as well for one very simple reason. There appears to be two sides to this story, as with every story.  One side tells us that this was in fact, a perfect failure. This side leaves Jesus in His tomb and leaves the disciples defeated, broken, dejected, afraid and probably eventually dead. The other side of the story is victorious. Renewal. Transformation. Resurrection power. The power that took these eleven broken men that cowered in fear, and used them to transform the world. He is risen! This was not a perfect failure, but complete victory!

But the question is, are we living our lives in view of the second side of the story? Or do we live our lives from the first?  Do we cower in the upper room, absorbed with grief?  Defeated?  Isolated?  Alone?  He is risen, and if he is truly risen, then we rise with Him.  Live in the resurrection, as you are resurrected!  Be resurrected today!  All things are new, my friends!  All things are new!     

Norms & Fringes

I got into an interesting conversation this week with a good friend of mine.  We're about the same age and started discussing the punk movement of the late 70s and early 80s that we grew up with.  Neither of us were really considered "punks", but we listened to the music and were influenced a great deal by the philosophies that arose from the culture.  As we talked, we began to ask each other how this type of culture compares to the "norm" of society today.  What determines "normal" American culture?  What determines some groups to be considered "sub-cultures" of fringes of society?  Is there a "right" and "wrong" way of living, simply in terms of amoral lifestyles?  Who sets the standards, and are those standards necessarily deemed as "normal" just because they have been determined to be standards?

Meditating further on this, we discussed trends in history and how other countries have followed similar paths.  Western culture differs greatly from Eastern, and influences in philosophy, as well as religion, have developed the images we as common.  We see this in the development of the enlightenment, modernity and the post-modern culture of today.  My friend also pointed to the fact that authority has great influence on what is considered normative, and results in the inevitable descent and those groups that consequently become subcultures.  Regardless if something is considered moral, those in authority dictate what is considered "normative" and to a great extent, how a culture develops over time.  You can see this narrowed down from state to state, and even city to city.  Any way you look at it, a great deal of normative and fringe culture comes down to one thing: authority.

My friend asked me what I think the standard looks like, and if there is a so called standard, then what does the fringes look like.  I'm a very visual person, so I instantly came up with a picture in my mind.  Think of a tree branch with several smaller branches stemming from the main one.  The main branch would be the average American picture of normal and the smaller branches would be considered fringes, or possibly subcultures.  However, that got me thinking as well.  Normal would depend of the culture you reside in, right?  The normal branch will look different for me because of the culture I currently live in.  For me, it's the typical suburban, minivan, 2.5 kids, soccer on Saturday picture of Americana.  But for someone living in Manhattan, their picture of normal is going to look very different.  Hence, the fringes are going to look different as well.  So depending on what the main branch looks like, the smaller branches are going to vary in how they look and what might dictate them to be such.  A fringe branch may be a main branch in other circumstances and cultures, and vice-versa.         

So, this got me thinking about culture and how it all coincides with faith.  One of the basic tenants of Christianity is that God is our ultimate authority for life and how we live.  Through prayer, revelation and Scripture, He communicates the details of His standards and we follow suit the best we can by implementing these aspects into our life.  When you think about this from one perspective, there would consequently be a normative life picture that would develop, right?  But let's look at this from another perspective.  Let's look at this from the point of implementation.  How I implement God's standards into my life may not look like someone else's implementation because of the culture we each live in.  From person to person, each may be identically incorporating God's standards into their lives, but from a cultural standpoint, they may look very different.  One may appear to be socially normal, and the other may seem to be in the fringes.

But when we look at culture from God's perspective, we see that the normative lines of society fade quite a bit, don't they?  When choosing to live in the Kingdom of God as a reality, we begin to see that the only authority worth serving is the one who rules the Kingdom.  Instead of setting cultural guidelines for normal living, He simply sets standards for the citizens to live by.  The normal becomes relative, as well as the fringes because we no longer few each other according to "normative" aspects.  The man in the business suit walks side by side with the skinhead.  The doctor shares a meal with a homeless man.  The drug addicted prostitute shares coffee with the stay at home mom.  The former Pharisee and murderer of Christian talks philosophy and theology with some Epicureans and Stoics. (See Acts 17:16-34)  Neither one sees each other as above or beneath.  Just citizens of in the Kingdom, following a higher standard than culture can dictate.  Do this sound like a Utopian view of life?  Idealistic?  Liberal?  Maybe.  But isn't that what the Kingdom of God is?  Isn't this more of what the King wants from His citizens?  And imagine what this would this look like in American culture?

Drunks and the Kingdom of God

Lots of talk about community these days, and specifically what "real" Biblical community really is.  You may have heard the question asked many times, "What does real Biblical community look like?"  Hmmmmm.  You know, I'm actually not quite sure what the answer is.  I'm not even sure that it's a legitimate question.  I guess it would be similar to asking, "What do "real" people look like?"  Sure, there are certain distinguishing characteristics that make a human being a human being, but the individual details are so varied that one cannot paint a broad enough picture to include every single personal scenario.  In the same way, Biblical community is difficult to classify.  Sure, there are certain, and very specific requirements for a community to be classified as "Biblical", but each community differs drastically because of the individuals that represent the community.  And that's the one aspect that gives Biblical community such a vast array of images: Individuals.      

Last week a friend of mine invited me to a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous.  I'll admit; I had no idea what to expect, but he did a pretty good job explaining the gritty details of what I might experience.  But as usually happens, the picture that I had in my mind did not represent reality.  Let's admit it.  For people that have never been to a meeting, the name Alcoholics Anonymous might bring to mind certain cliche images.  A group of old timers, with visible signs of years of alcohol abuse?  Tattoos? Chain smokers talking about how they are coping with day to day life?  Motor cycle riders?  Auto mechanics?  Aging musicians?...Wait a second...Doctors?  Lawyers?  Teachers?  Pastors?  Coaches?  Moms?  Dads?  Me?

My point is that from my perspective, many different types of people was represented in this community.  In fact, it was one of the most eclectic groups of people that I have ever seen.  And that got me thinking.  When we look at our Biblical communities, what do we see?  How varied are the personalities, lifestyles, backgrounds, nationalities?  Can we honestly say that our communities represent all, walks of life?  Even many walks of life?  Is it easier for culture to describe what the typical Christian might looks like?  Think about your church.  Think about your small group.  Think about your Sunday School class.  What do you see?

Now don't get me wrong.  I'm not making a blanket statement that indites the entire Church.  I've been in many Biblical communities that range in age, color, nationality and even sexual orientation.  But in my experience, this is unfortunately not the norm in today's culture.  After visiting Alcoholics Anonymous, I found myself asking a very sobering question: Do these meetings represent more of what a church should look like?  Is this more the kind of honest, open and trusting community that our Biblical communities should try and emulate?  Granted, there were aspects absent that would theologically not classify AA as a "Biblical" meeting, or church for that matter.  But I'm talking more about the "communal" aspects.

Just for a few minutes, think about the human condition, and just how messed up we are without the saving grace of Christ.  Think of what we are capable of doing without God's guidance.  Think about the awesome unconditional love of Christ.  Think about the outcasts that Jesus surrounded Himself with when He walked the earth.  Think about those he turned away, or those that wanted nothing to do with Him.  Now think about those that fill our churches.  Our small groups.  Our Bible studies.  Compare and contrast.  How often does someone walk in off the street, sit down among us and announce for all to hear:

"Hi!  I'm Jake.  And I'm a messed up sinner with a messed up life."

"Hi Jake!" 

(Insert hug here)          

Spit

I just spilled my fresh cup of Vietnamese Coffee, so let's start there.  The aroma of fresh cà phê sữa đá rose from my table as I gazed out of the widow on normality.  I'm thinking that this evening will be different that yesterday, but that kind of assumption always get's me into trouble, or let's me down in the end.  One by one, people are filing in to the sushi restaurant next door, to indulge on raw manna from Heaven.  It doesn't sound good to me tonight.  I haven't had much of an appetite today.  In fact, I skipped lunch all together.  That decision will haunt me as the evening progresses, but somehow it makes no difference to me.  I'll fill the void with coffee and eventually a bowl of cereal.  Cap'n Crunch did the trick in college, now granola satisfies the pallet with less damage to the heart and less elevated levels of statistics that only doctors know will touch the conscious.

So, I sit here.  I sit and wonder why things have to be the way they are.  Why do I spit in the face of God?  Why is it that when we approach the pinnacle of life, thinking that each "i'" is dotted and each"t" is crossed, we find that we don't even know our own language?    Maybe it's because we never dive in.  We poke and prod at the safety of the bank of life's river and wonder if a dip is really what we need.  But we don't.  We dip our toes in, feel the cool touch of the water and allow the euphoric wave of freedom to engulf us for just a few seconds.  Then we retreat to the banks furthest reaches and dry ourselves off, disgusted that we allowed even a drop of the river to settle upon our virgin skin.

Then we do something that is probably the most repulsive act our infantile minds can muster.  We race across the street, with the few dollars we have saved for redemption, to the home and garden refuge, buying the first can of poison we can get our hands on.  We pay our debt, race back to the river banks, and dump it in without a though otherwise.  Our fear did not only enable us, but infected each and every person that had the balls to dive in the first place.  And then we smile, thinking we accomplished some brave feet of salvation.  But the problem is, the world is still polluted and we thank our God in Heaven that we are not like those poor souls that feed on the disgusting poison that runs through our veins to begin with.

Why?  Because we never realized that we spilled a couple of drops on our shoes, as we ran across the street.  At the rivers edge, after we infected those brave enough to jump in, we took our shoes off.  We touched it.  We thought that the grass under our feet might just comfort us enough to believe that we are like them.  Dying a slow death on a bank of safety, thinking that we are totally immune to the toxins that break us down, little by little.  But because of our self made rationalization, it only hardens our heart and makes it more difficult to allow the life giving sanctification to run through our body, instead of the poison.  

I'm an adulterous man, just like any other.  I admit it.  I would plunge a knife into Uriah's heart if I had the chance.  I'm a drunken fool that babbles endlessly on a soap box that no one sees.  I would steal the laptop that you are reading this on, if you turned your back.  I'm the one that holds the nail, as those nasty Roman's drive it in.  I stand by and watch the final spear pierce His side.  Not only that, but I laugh.  But thankfully, my grace is different from yours, and it pulls me closer to redemption than I might think it does.

My point in this psychotic rant is that none of us are immune from the darkness of this world.  We love others, and then demand payment for services rendered.  We serve, and then thrown the proverbial bowl of soup back in the face of those we serve.  We love God, but flip Him our middle finger and spit at Him when life does not turn out all peaches and creme.  We embrace God's salvation, but then walk around like lost little children, crying for mommy.  The problem is that mommy was in that river that we poisoned.  She wanted us to jump in, but we were too scared, and she spent all that money on swim lessons!

Your grace is not my grace, and thankfully, mine is not yours.  God dishes it out according to our appetites.  Some of us gorge ourselves, taking all that we can fit into our lying mouths, and some of us are bulimic, vomiting up any bit of grace that God sends our way.  But that's who we are, as fallen children of God.  The mess we make for ourselves, we often have to lie in. And at times, God sends the cleaning crew immediately.  But that's the problem, isn't it?  The focus remains on us, the messes of life and the poison that we infected the river with.  I don't want anything to do with that anymore, but I'll probably drink from it later.  But as my prophetess friend told me today, "just step out of you and enter into all that He is."  I'm not sure why that sounds so appealing today.     

Now, I think I'll get some sushi.

Go to Hell

No, I don't want anyone reading this to go to Hell; not figuratively or literally. I just couldn't think of a clever blog title, and I knew this would get some attention. I guess it was inevitable. With all the talk about Rob Bell's new book and the theology of Hell, I have been asked by several people exactly what my opinion is on Rob Bell and Hell in general. So, I'm going to very briefly state my opinions on both and then don't plan on addressing it anymore. Personally, I think that most of the discussion on this issue is simply bandwagon jumping, in my opinion. When controversy comes along, it seems that everyone feels compelled to be a part of it. Regardless of your opinions of Bell and your beliefs on Hell, this issue has caused unjustified division in Christian circles. Without even attempting to understand where Bell is coming from, many well intended Christian leaders have attacked him with anger, criticism and in my opinion, flat out hatred. The Kingdom of God is no place for this kind of disunity, and if we took the time to listen, discuss and understand each other, we might find that we don't have such opposing beliefs. Surely not in the realms of heresy.

I'm basing this blog on the video posted below of MSNBC's host, Martin Bashir, interview Rob Bell about his new book, Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived. I encourage to read my thoughts and then give the video a look. A friend of mine asked my opinion on it, so this is my point of reference for the purposes of this blog. The first thing that catches my attention is how the media become devout followers of Christ when it benefits them most. In most cases, the media present themselves as antagonistic, angry and basically ignorant toward Christianity. In this case, Bashir seems to think he is a theologian, rather than the usual bias talking head. So, immediately I don't feel that there is much creditability in this interview.

Allegedly, Bell is being accused of being a Universalist, a theological doctrine that believes that all people will eventually be saved and go to Heaven, even after death. Hence, the Universalist typically does not believe in Hell and hold to the view that many different paths will lead to eternal salvation. Regardless of Rob Bell's beliefs, which I do not think are Universalist in nature, Bashir immediately tries to pigeon hole him and basically attacks him, rather than listening and understanding where he is coming from. I cannot say that I've read his book yet, but will after all the hysteria fades away. But from what I've heard, reading Bell's previous books and knowing something of Bell's theology, I think people are twisting his beliefs before understanding. Basically, what I believe Bell is doing is calling people to focus on the love of Christ FIRST and being urging people to be compelled by that only. Rather than scaring people into the Kingdom of God, Bell is choosing to see the opposite and brighter side of the spectrum. As for what happens to people who are "apparently" not believers, what he is saying is that none of know for sure, and it's not for us to judge. I believe that 100%. God is God and God will do what He wants with the eternal destination of their souls and their individual spiritual journeys. What Bell seems to be saying is that most Christians jump to assumptions, almost with joy, when someone dies and from an outward perspective, never accepted the truths of Christ. Why is it that we do this? If Hell is real, which I believe it is in a very real way, why is that usually our best selling point? If the God is love, and we show people love, we are in essence showing them God and that He alone has the power to save someones soul. In my opinion, when the Gospel is presented in it's pure form, without selfish motivations, it ultimately overshadows the reality of Hell.

It ultimately comes down to one thing and one thing only. We are NOT God. We don't save, judge or condemn anyone. As followers of Christ, we are called to present the truths of Christ, how our lives are transformed and different and love people unconditionally. God alone deals with the afterlife. I have chosen to leave that in His hands and believe that He gives EVERYONE equal opportunity to be with Him in eternity. None of know what happens to a person spiritually just before they leave this world. None of know what factors have developed over their lives. None of us know what seeds of truth have been planted possibly many years ago and have been left dormant. None of know what hurts and suffering people carry with them from the past. And nor of us know how God chooses to intervene, or not intervene just before a person crosses over to the afterlife, especially those who have never heard the truths of Jesus Christ. Let's leave all that up to God and show people why following Christ is a better alternative, regardless of eternal outcomes. Or do we really believe that it is? To me, that's a more sobering thought than the realty of Hell.

Coffee and Cancer

"Everything is meaningless."  I just ran into a friend of mine whose husband is dying of stomach cancer.  It's not pretty.  It's not pleasant to hear about.  It's not easy to talk about.  But she's my friend, she's hurting and her husband is dying.  He's suffering.  He's in pain.  From the look in her eyes, I could feel his pain emanating though her, even though he is currently miles away in a hospital room.  When talking with her, I felt how obvious, real and close their relationship is.  It was almost as if he was just behind her eyes, shaking his head in disbelief and pleading with me to help them both.  It was very real.  This is real.  It's life.  It's death.  It's pain, in a very real, raw and powerful form.

It hit me like a ton of bricks as I helped my friend carry some boxed to her car.  They are having to move from their home because of expenses.  She works at Starbucks and actually seems to enjoy what she is doing.  I think it gets her mind of everything, her life, her pain.  But how can serving coffee to fools like me pay the bills for such heavy expenses?  There was a time when her husband did very well in his career, but today it's different.  There was a time when they didn't worry about paying bills, didn't worry about hospitals, chemo and death.  There was a time when their plans of life did not include getting a nice case of stomach cancer, loosing a career, working at a coffee shop, watching a loved one die an agonizing death or spending their retirement days wondering how to pay the bills.  But it's life.  Their life.  And it brought me to tears just before I wrote this.

She was working just above me, at the counter, pumping coffee flavors into white paper cups.  I was banging away on my laptop, trying to write something, and watching her as well.  She gave me something to write about today.  I wonder if she knows that.  Sonny and Cher were singing "I Got You Babe" over the speakers above us.  She began to sing along.  Not just humming, but singing in a soft, beautiful voice that caused me to stop typing and start listen.  I thought of her and her husband.  I thought of another time when they were young.  I wonder if that song meant something to them years and years ago.  It was the way she sang it.  I could her her singing to him.  Maybe she's sing it to him when she gets to the hospital today.  "Then put your little hand in mine. There 'aint no hill or mountain we can't climb."

I was up early this morning.  My dog casually threw up on my bed as he laid next to me.  That kind of ended my goal of sleeping a little later this morning.  But everything has a reason.  I got to my favorite shop shop to write and two men were talking about life and their faith.  I'm not sure exactly what their conversation was about, but one man said to the other, "This kind of crap makes no sense at all.  Why do these kinds of things happen to good people?  People that follow God?  People that always try and do the right thing?"   Prophecy for me maybe?  Was this conversation intended for my encounter with my friend?  She's not the one that uttered these words, although I'm sure that she shares that sentiment.   She works at a different coffee shop that is miles away.  I made my way there because my first choice was too crowed and loud.  But I was there.  I heard those words.  And I answer them to myself, even though my friend is not here to respond.

"The same destiny ultimately awaits everyone, whether righteous or wicked, good or bad, ceremonially clean or unclean, religious or irreligious. Good people receive the same treatment as sinners, and people who make promises to God are treated like people who don't." (Ecclesiastes 9:2 - NLT)

And the wheels on the bus go round and round.
 
"I don't understand what's going on.  I hate my life!  Since either way it ends up the same, I can only conclude that God destroys the good right along with the bad." (Job 9:22 - The Message)

I don't understand either.  And sometimes I hate my life as well.  I don't have the answers.

God "causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matthew 5:45 - NIV)

Ashes to ashes, we all fall down.  

"Until you return to that ground yourself, dead and buried; you started out as dirt, you'll end up dirt." (Genesis 3:19 - The Message)

I don't know.  I guess what I'm getting at is that God never painted a beautiful, blissful picture of what our lives were life.  We live in a culture that recoils at the thought of even the hint of pain and suffering, and we're shocked when it falls on us.  All the while, God gently whispers to our disapproval of life circumstances with a very matter of fact, "I beg your pardon.  I never promised you a rose garden."  Instead, the stark reality is that life sucks.  Plain and simple.  Bumper sticker philosophy.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble." (John 16:33 - NIV)

Translation: "Don't be surprised when the proverbial shit hits the fan.  I told you that it would.  I told you it would make a mess.  I told you that it would stink.  So, just accept it for what it is and move on, OK?" 

But the one thing that remains clear, and it's why I wrote this blog to begin with.  In the exact same verse Jesus say that we are commanded to "love one another".  Proverbs also tells us that "love covers over all wrongs."  And 1 John 4:8 tells us that God is love. 

There is so much hate in our world today, isn't there?  Don't you just feel like screaming, "Enough!"   So, I come to this very realistic, but sobering conclusion: when we love one another, we are in essence, showing God to one another, in a very real way.  He is manifest in the flesh through us, the Body of Christ, the Church and living as the Church is supposed to live.  And when we show others God, He covers over all the garbage and refuse that we walk around in every day of our lives.  And that is the equalizing factor that makes this life bearable.  That is the one aspect that brings unity among us all and gives purpose and reason to this sometime meaningless existence.  


"Love one another."