One of the few tasks around the house that Mandy and I have unofficially decided is handled by me is bath time. I’ll spend about 30 minutes giving the boys their bath, letting them play, and just goofing around in general. At the end of bath time lately, we’ve been playing the guessing game which decides who gets to get out of the tub first. I’ll hold my hand behind my back and they will take turns guessing how many fingers I’m holding up. It is amazing how many times you can explain that they need to pick a number between 1 and 5 and you still get “0”, “8”, “twenty-thirty”, and all kinds of choices. I’m not sure why but Brandon is usually the one that gets it right, although I have to admit that sometimes I change the number so Conner can win.
It was a case like this the other night that brought about an amazing reaction from my 4 year old. I had the number 3 behind my back and after several rounds, neither of them was getting it right. It was late so when Conner said “3”, I changed my hand to 3 fingers, revealed it and declared Conner the winner. Brandon immediately was distressed as he hates to lose and Conner just kind of got a lost look on his face. I told Conner that he had won and he said, “Do it again”. When I asked him why, he said that he liked it when Brandon won and that “Brandon was the best”. I didn’t know what to say or do so I granted him his wish, did it again, and made sure that Brandon won. And Conner was happy with that.
I always felt that as a boy, in general, we were always taught to win, maybe not intentionally, but that was kind of the general rule growing up for boys. You competed and although it was said that it was not whether you win or lose but how you play the game, we all secretly knew that winning was really what matters. It is always interesting to me how many women don’t understand that when we explain it to them but that is just the way it was for boys and probably still is. I think competition can be healthy and bring out the best in us; after all we are competing every day. Sometimes it’s in our jobs to try and get that sale and sometimes on a higher level it is competing against the world and what is being thrown at us.
But, as my 4 year old naturally reminds me, God does not want us to put ourselves first:
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” – Philippians 2:3-4
So it’s not something that is in our nature to want to do but clearly is the way God wants it.
Peace,
Monte
Monday, September 29, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
Like a Child
I love the Narnia books by CS Lewis. They are entertaining, colorful, and packed with insight on the kingdom. When I was kid I thought there were just the first two aspects, the entertaining and colorful part. But as an adult, thanks to the recent re-release of the book’s movies, I’ve re-discovered the insight on the kingdom. The kingdom parts are subtle and hidden but they were there and even though I didn’t recognize them for what they were as a child, I believe that they really had an impact in shaping my receptiveness to the kingdom as an adult. I feel like they were training my mind and shaping my values for honor, courage against impossible odds, fighting for justice, and a hunger for the supernatural. Lewis was brilliant by weaving the kingdom into those stories meant for children.
Jesus said whoever doesn’t receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it. That is a pretty strong statement. How then does a child receive the kingdom? Children receive the realm of the unseen with joyful expectation. Children will believe most anything because they have not yet experienced the contrary. Experience is the cruel enemy to a child’s beliefs. Experience teams with Reason, and together they join to kill Faith. Why do you think the world offers tales of Santa Clause, Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny while God offers the stories of women becoming pregnant at an old age, of paralyzed people walking, of storms being calmed with the spoken word, and of eternal life? The world lumps all of the things unseen together and then discredits the whole as foolishness, “What makes God any different then the tooth fairy? It is something made up to make you feel good about loss. Come, let us be reasonable. That is your mom’s handwriting that says, ‘from Santa’ ”. On the surface, the world appears right. It does look silly. Like something we believe because our parents created that idea for us. Once you dig deeper, or seek God out, then find out how real it is. Like Paul said, to them it is foolishness, but to us who are saved it is POWER!
So, beware of reason and personal experience, and Hooray for Sunday School and Aslan!
Peace
Jon
Jesus said whoever doesn’t receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it. That is a pretty strong statement. How then does a child receive the kingdom? Children receive the realm of the unseen with joyful expectation. Children will believe most anything because they have not yet experienced the contrary. Experience is the cruel enemy to a child’s beliefs. Experience teams with Reason, and together they join to kill Faith. Why do you think the world offers tales of Santa Clause, Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny while God offers the stories of women becoming pregnant at an old age, of paralyzed people walking, of storms being calmed with the spoken word, and of eternal life? The world lumps all of the things unseen together and then discredits the whole as foolishness, “What makes God any different then the tooth fairy? It is something made up to make you feel good about loss. Come, let us be reasonable. That is your mom’s handwriting that says, ‘from Santa’ ”. On the surface, the world appears right. It does look silly. Like something we believe because our parents created that idea for us. Once you dig deeper, or seek God out, then find out how real it is. Like Paul said, to them it is foolishness, but to us who are saved it is POWER!
So, beware of reason and personal experience, and Hooray for Sunday School and Aslan!
Peace
Jon
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Time to Choose Sides - Part II
A few weeks ago I joined a discussion on another blog regarding the upcoming presidential election. Below is my response to a fellow Believer who was considering voting for Obama because of frustration over their perceived 'lack of progress' under President Bush. I hope this speaks to others who may be feeling the same.
I could not resist responding to your last comment. First of all, I think you are missing the big picture and need some historical perspective. It seems like what you are frustrated about is our inability as believers to quickly turn back the clock on many of the secular progressive policies that have infultrated our country over the past 40 years and you are longing for us to restore our strong moral foundation, rooted in Judeo-Christian values, namely the Bible. This moral relativism teaches that there is no absolute truth, and thus no real right or wrong. Therefore, we should not make moral judgments and definitley not enshrine such 'close-minded and intolerant' moral judgments in our laws. Thus, if a woman wants to abort a baby, who is to say that is wrong if it is 'right' for her? Who is to say that homosexual marriage is wrong? It took many years, starting in the 1960's, to erode our moral culture to where we are now. We will not take it back during one president's administration, even if that president is a committed conservative Christian, especially if the president has a Democrat Congress to work with, like Bush does now and has had for the past 4 years. Please do not blame President Bush for not making as much progress as you would have liked in the past 8 years. Trust me, we will move a long way backwards in this regard if Obama is elected President with a Democrat congress to push their agenda through, especially with the likes of Nancy Pelosi (Speaker of the House) at the helm. We as Christians need to be in it for the long haul and stay committed, knowing that it will take years of hard work and prayer to take our country back.
Finally, to specifically address abortion and gay marriage. Both are primarily regulated by the individual states and what a president can do on both is currently limited by the courts. Abortion, especially before the second trimester, is specifically protected as a woman's 'choice' according to Supreme Court decisions. After that, neither states nor the federal government can put 'unreasonable' restrictions on abortions. Without a change in policy by the Supreme Court, Bush did about all he legally could do by pushing through Congress and passing the partial birth abortion ban, so give him some credit.
Gay marriage is also regulated by the states. They can either outlaw it or legalize it. Most states currently outlaw it, but it is legal in a few (Mass. & Cal. I believe), with more likely to come. The Federal Defense of Marriage Act says that a state which prohibits gay marriage does not have to recognize a gay marraige from another state. But that law will soon be challenged and probably be stricken down as gay couples move from state to state and want their marraiges recognized.
This brings us to the real crux of the matter, the fate of these two important issues really lies in the hands of the Supreme Court. The court is curreently split with 4 liberal justices (Stevens, Souter, Breyer, Ginsberg), 4 conservative justices (Roberts, Alito, Thomas, Scalia) and 1 swing vote (Kennedy). Pleae note that Bush's two appointees are Roberts and Alito. We all know that the President nominates the justices, with the approval of the Senate. So ... who we elect as our President and Senators really matters when it comes to these issues. I think so many people forget this whole aspect of elections and how it directly impacts us and our families, not to mention the moral culture of our country.
Obama has a very liberal voting record in the Senate and has said he would NOT nominate justices like Scalia, Alito, Thomas and Roberts, who are the moral conservatives on the court. Also keep in mind that being pro-abortion has been a long-time litmus test for leaders of the Democrat party, especially so for Democrat nominees to the Supreme Court. With the liberal interests that Obama will be beholden to, I would put the chances of him nominating a pro-life or anti gay marriage justice to the court at ZERO!!
Even if you are not a big supporter of McCain, please consider voting for him for this reason alone, as he has made it clear he would nominate conservative justices.
Until Next Time,
The Counselor
I could not resist responding to your last comment. First of all, I think you are missing the big picture and need some historical perspective. It seems like what you are frustrated about is our inability as believers to quickly turn back the clock on many of the secular progressive policies that have infultrated our country over the past 40 years and you are longing for us to restore our strong moral foundation, rooted in Judeo-Christian values, namely the Bible. This moral relativism teaches that there is no absolute truth, and thus no real right or wrong. Therefore, we should not make moral judgments and definitley not enshrine such 'close-minded and intolerant' moral judgments in our laws. Thus, if a woman wants to abort a baby, who is to say that is wrong if it is 'right' for her? Who is to say that homosexual marriage is wrong? It took many years, starting in the 1960's, to erode our moral culture to where we are now. We will not take it back during one president's administration, even if that president is a committed conservative Christian, especially if the president has a Democrat Congress to work with, like Bush does now and has had for the past 4 years. Please do not blame President Bush for not making as much progress as you would have liked in the past 8 years. Trust me, we will move a long way backwards in this regard if Obama is elected President with a Democrat congress to push their agenda through, especially with the likes of Nancy Pelosi (Speaker of the House) at the helm. We as Christians need to be in it for the long haul and stay committed, knowing that it will take years of hard work and prayer to take our country back.
Finally, to specifically address abortion and gay marriage. Both are primarily regulated by the individual states and what a president can do on both is currently limited by the courts. Abortion, especially before the second trimester, is specifically protected as a woman's 'choice' according to Supreme Court decisions. After that, neither states nor the federal government can put 'unreasonable' restrictions on abortions. Without a change in policy by the Supreme Court, Bush did about all he legally could do by pushing through Congress and passing the partial birth abortion ban, so give him some credit.
Gay marriage is also regulated by the states. They can either outlaw it or legalize it. Most states currently outlaw it, but it is legal in a few (Mass. & Cal. I believe), with more likely to come. The Federal Defense of Marriage Act says that a state which prohibits gay marriage does not have to recognize a gay marraige from another state. But that law will soon be challenged and probably be stricken down as gay couples move from state to state and want their marraiges recognized.
This brings us to the real crux of the matter, the fate of these two important issues really lies in the hands of the Supreme Court. The court is curreently split with 4 liberal justices (Stevens, Souter, Breyer, Ginsberg), 4 conservative justices (Roberts, Alito, Thomas, Scalia) and 1 swing vote (Kennedy). Pleae note that Bush's two appointees are Roberts and Alito. We all know that the President nominates the justices, with the approval of the Senate. So ... who we elect as our President and Senators really matters when it comes to these issues. I think so many people forget this whole aspect of elections and how it directly impacts us and our families, not to mention the moral culture of our country.
Obama has a very liberal voting record in the Senate and has said he would NOT nominate justices like Scalia, Alito, Thomas and Roberts, who are the moral conservatives on the court. Also keep in mind that being pro-abortion has been a long-time litmus test for leaders of the Democrat party, especially so for Democrat nominees to the Supreme Court. With the liberal interests that Obama will be beholden to, I would put the chances of him nominating a pro-life or anti gay marriage justice to the court at ZERO!!
Even if you are not a big supporter of McCain, please consider voting for him for this reason alone, as he has made it clear he would nominate conservative justices.
Until Next Time,
The Counselor
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Gifts
I recently had the opportunity to see my wife baptized and my baby girl dedicated. I cannot tell you what a special day this was for me. I know that there is no Biblical reason to dedicate your baby, but it is a chance for my wife and I to go before our God and our friends to commit to raising our daughter in a Godly fashion. It is a commitment that both my wife and I do not take lightly. I cannot tell you the number of times that we have prayed that we allow Abigail to be the woman of God that she is intended to be. It is hard to say to God that you can use her, even if it that means she will not always be close (in proximity) to Erin and I.
Seeing Erin get baptized was surreal. It was surreal in the way that I never thought I would see it happen. Erin was baptized as an infant, but recently felt led to get baptized as an adult to show a sign of a decision that she made in her life. I am proud that she listened to God’s call on her life to get baptized. It was made even more special that Abigail was dedicated on the same day.
An unexpected gift came when our friend Mandy was also baptized. Mandy is the type of person that is perfect friend for Erin. Mandy is outgoing, a little wild yet very conscientious. Erin, by contrast, is more quiet and conservative (but she is also conscientious). Mandy has an amazing testimony and it was great that she could share in the day with us.
This got me to thinking about why God designs us all differently. We all have different gifts and abilities (Romans 12:6). We are supposed to use those gifts for the glory of God alone. In watching Erin and Mandy give their testimonies, it helped me to better understand how each one of them can use their testimony to reach different people. Mandy can relate to people Erin can’t and vice versa. This is true of each of us. God has designed us for His glory and will use us whatever way he sees fit.
Over the last couple of weeks on the blog, there have been a variety of authors and people commenting on the posts. While we are all different, we need to rest soundly in the fact that God is using each of us in a different manner to reach a different group of people. This is even the case for the folks on Christian television who sit in big gold chairs. They may be reaching a person that you or I could never reach. I appreciate the differences we share and ask that you celebrate God’s perfect plan to use us and our imperfections for His glory and his alone. Remember, even the rocks would cry out (Luke 19:40), but He chooses to use us.
Be His,
Jake
Seeing Erin get baptized was surreal. It was surreal in the way that I never thought I would see it happen. Erin was baptized as an infant, but recently felt led to get baptized as an adult to show a sign of a decision that she made in her life. I am proud that she listened to God’s call on her life to get baptized. It was made even more special that Abigail was dedicated on the same day.
An unexpected gift came when our friend Mandy was also baptized. Mandy is the type of person that is perfect friend for Erin. Mandy is outgoing, a little wild yet very conscientious. Erin, by contrast, is more quiet and conservative (but she is also conscientious). Mandy has an amazing testimony and it was great that she could share in the day with us.
This got me to thinking about why God designs us all differently. We all have different gifts and abilities (Romans 12:6). We are supposed to use those gifts for the glory of God alone. In watching Erin and Mandy give their testimonies, it helped me to better understand how each one of them can use their testimony to reach different people. Mandy can relate to people Erin can’t and vice versa. This is true of each of us. God has designed us for His glory and will use us whatever way he sees fit.
Over the last couple of weeks on the blog, there have been a variety of authors and people commenting on the posts. While we are all different, we need to rest soundly in the fact that God is using each of us in a different manner to reach a different group of people. This is even the case for the folks on Christian television who sit in big gold chairs. They may be reaching a person that you or I could never reach. I appreciate the differences we share and ask that you celebrate God’s perfect plan to use us and our imperfections for His glory and his alone. Remember, even the rocks would cry out (Luke 19:40), but He chooses to use us.
Be His,
Jake
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Hands in the Air
Sunday, is a day of rest. What better time to think about life’s questions than on a day of rest. This past weekend at our wonderful hall of fellowship the topic of worship was brought to center stage.
What is worship? When I think of worship in a church setting, I think of song and some of these very dramatic songs that are labeled worship songs. I think a more accurate definition would be declaring that God is God and I am not and admitting that we continually need Him. And how about noticing and recognizing who He is and His beauty. What is cool to know is that worship is so much more than music at church. But I value our time of worship at church but often don’t outwardly show that I am worshiping unless it is a song that I really like and is more my style. And don’t even think about me raising my hands to worship, that is so uncomfortable, but at times I kind of want to. It is a mixed feeling kind of thing. So I thought about this last Sunday and came to the conclusion that I don’t even lift my hands in worship when I am alone with no one else watching.
I believe a good amount of people feel this way, especially guys. So when might we feel comfortable lifting our hands as high as we can in the air to worship? Let me add that I think it has much to do with the condition of our and it should not matter how is around but have we ever done it when we are alone. I think the answer for the majority of us is no.
I would like to attempt to paint a picture for you. Pretend for a minute that you have the opportunity to take some time away from our currently busy lives to do some day hikes at a near by national park. You take the necessary items carried in a backpack. You bring some water, a few snacks, a coat, and if you are feeling that tug maybe your bible. Oh, and fellows, don’t forget to bring your Swiss Army Knife. You plan to start early in the morning down a trail that will take you a few miles through some beautiful scenery, like thick forests with moist green trees, or a more desert lands like the Badlands where the God’s beauty is seen in all the colors and shades in the rock formations. Or it might be that you are fortunate enough to hike through the majestic mountains that never fail to amaze. After some time marching through nature, feeling as though you were made to be present in this setting, you come to a clearing in the trees or a cliff over looking a sparkling lake as the sun has just begun to come over the trees. Here you find your self in awe of GOD’s beauty. And it is not just because of what you have just seen but a combination of your relationship with Him and what you have gone through in your life the last few months. I find that this would be a time, when I am all alone, that I would lift my hands in the air as high as I could and praise God for this freedom and being in His presence.
I have often dreamed of standing at the top of a hill here in the Missouri River Valley of North Dakota, overlooking an extravagant scene of beauty that God has created in front of me. And with my arms as high and wide as I can get them I am melting in God’s arms as I listen to a song from Skillet containing the words, “I rest in the shelter of Your Love!”
This is what I long for even now in my heart. I need this. I encourage you this day to keep on lifting your hands if you have been, but if you are one like me, find a time when you can lift your hands when you are alone. Worship our God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Who knows? We might even become so comfortable doing it alone that you will see us do it at church.
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. John 4:24
-Matt
What is worship? When I think of worship in a church setting, I think of song and some of these very dramatic songs that are labeled worship songs. I think a more accurate definition would be declaring that God is God and I am not and admitting that we continually need Him. And how about noticing and recognizing who He is and His beauty. What is cool to know is that worship is so much more than music at church. But I value our time of worship at church but often don’t outwardly show that I am worshiping unless it is a song that I really like and is more my style. And don’t even think about me raising my hands to worship, that is so uncomfortable, but at times I kind of want to. It is a mixed feeling kind of thing. So I thought about this last Sunday and came to the conclusion that I don’t even lift my hands in worship when I am alone with no one else watching.
I believe a good amount of people feel this way, especially guys. So when might we feel comfortable lifting our hands as high as we can in the air to worship? Let me add that I think it has much to do with the condition of our and it should not matter how is around but have we ever done it when we are alone. I think the answer for the majority of us is no.
I would like to attempt to paint a picture for you. Pretend for a minute that you have the opportunity to take some time away from our currently busy lives to do some day hikes at a near by national park. You take the necessary items carried in a backpack. You bring some water, a few snacks, a coat, and if you are feeling that tug maybe your bible. Oh, and fellows, don’t forget to bring your Swiss Army Knife. You plan to start early in the morning down a trail that will take you a few miles through some beautiful scenery, like thick forests with moist green trees, or a more desert lands like the Badlands where the God’s beauty is seen in all the colors and shades in the rock formations. Or it might be that you are fortunate enough to hike through the majestic mountains that never fail to amaze. After some time marching through nature, feeling as though you were made to be present in this setting, you come to a clearing in the trees or a cliff over looking a sparkling lake as the sun has just begun to come over the trees. Here you find your self in awe of GOD’s beauty. And it is not just because of what you have just seen but a combination of your relationship with Him and what you have gone through in your life the last few months. I find that this would be a time, when I am all alone, that I would lift my hands in the air as high as I could and praise God for this freedom and being in His presence.
I have often dreamed of standing at the top of a hill here in the Missouri River Valley of North Dakota, overlooking an extravagant scene of beauty that God has created in front of me. And with my arms as high and wide as I can get them I am melting in God’s arms as I listen to a song from Skillet containing the words, “I rest in the shelter of Your Love!”
This is what I long for even now in my heart. I need this. I encourage you this day to keep on lifting your hands if you have been, but if you are one like me, find a time when you can lift your hands when you are alone. Worship our God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Who knows? We might even become so comfortable doing it alone that you will see us do it at church.
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. John 4:24
-Matt
Saturday, September 13, 2008
It's Personal
I’ve always been the kind of person that although it seems I may not care what people think about me, I really do. I almost always want to leave any situation involving some type a relationship knowing that I’ve left it with a positive impression on that person. Because I’m a quiet person, I’ve often got the opposite reaction throughout my life. People have told me that only after years of getting to know me did they really know who I was. Yeah, unfortunately, my shyness or lack of an outgoing nature often came across as arrogant or indifference. But it is important to me how people feel about me. I guess being in sales that I have to make a living out of being liked. It is a constant battle though within me because I am a quiet, low key person.
More than once, I’ve left a situation really worried about a particular individual’s feelings by something very simple that I may have said, not intending to be offensive but worried later that it may have been taken a certain way. I find myself wanting to go and make sure that they are okay, their feelings are not hurt, and that they did not in fact misunderstand what I said.
I tell you this to say that it is not a regular occurrence for me to have personal conflicts with people. On some occasions though, I know people have left a conversation we’ve had with very negative feelings, and that was okay with me. Usually, not always, but usually after having time to think about it, I seek to either just move past it and forget about it or I seek to make sure that things get patched up, feelings are mended, and we both can move on. I think that is what God has called us to be as peace makers (a bit of a shout out to our current Bible study group).
This kind of leads me in to one of my favorite passages in scripture. It is a short statement that Jesus made that for most of my adult live I read through multiple times and never really noticed it. It speaks so wonderfully of the loving, human nature of Christ. It happens just after Jesus has risen from the dead and Mary Magdalene and Salome are headed to the tomb to anoint Jesus:
Here is the statement from Mark 16:7:
“But go and tell his disciples, especially Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you."
What I finally noticed in that verse is the phrase “especially Peter”. Of all the disciples, Peter had an extra weight on his shoulders for sure. He had denied Christ just before His death. Surely, Jesus knew of the impossible grief that was on Peter at that moment. And He wanted to make sure that of all of His followers that were suffering over his death, He gave a little extra attention to Peter to make sure that he, especially, could receive the news that saves us all. Jesus had real, loving concern for how Peter was feeling on a very personal level and I think it is important through scripture to understand the truly personal relationship that Christ wants with us.
Peace,
Monte
More than once, I’ve left a situation really worried about a particular individual’s feelings by something very simple that I may have said, not intending to be offensive but worried later that it may have been taken a certain way. I find myself wanting to go and make sure that they are okay, their feelings are not hurt, and that they did not in fact misunderstand what I said.
I tell you this to say that it is not a regular occurrence for me to have personal conflicts with people. On some occasions though, I know people have left a conversation we’ve had with very negative feelings, and that was okay with me. Usually, not always, but usually after having time to think about it, I seek to either just move past it and forget about it or I seek to make sure that things get patched up, feelings are mended, and we both can move on. I think that is what God has called us to be as peace makers (a bit of a shout out to our current Bible study group).
This kind of leads me in to one of my favorite passages in scripture. It is a short statement that Jesus made that for most of my adult live I read through multiple times and never really noticed it. It speaks so wonderfully of the loving, human nature of Christ. It happens just after Jesus has risen from the dead and Mary Magdalene and Salome are headed to the tomb to anoint Jesus:
Here is the statement from Mark 16:7:
“But go and tell his disciples, especially Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you."
What I finally noticed in that verse is the phrase “especially Peter”. Of all the disciples, Peter had an extra weight on his shoulders for sure. He had denied Christ just before His death. Surely, Jesus knew of the impossible grief that was on Peter at that moment. And He wanted to make sure that of all of His followers that were suffering over his death, He gave a little extra attention to Peter to make sure that he, especially, could receive the news that saves us all. Jesus had real, loving concern for how Peter was feeling on a very personal level and I think it is important through scripture to understand the truly personal relationship that Christ wants with us.
Peace,
Monte
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Freedom (Continued from Aug. 21)
I hope that you all have wrestled with this thought a little more during the last couple of days. I value the comments that were made and some very good points were brought up. The following are my thoughts on the matter.
Why is it, that God gives us this freedom to make our own decisions?
God has given us the freedom to follow and love Him, or go our own way. We say, by our very nature, “I’m the Captain of my own life. I am going to do things my way!” This is the choice we have and often make.
So if there is good and bad, right and wrong, or God’s way and our Way. Why did God leave it up to chance weather or not we might follow? Why didn’t He create us to love Him without question, kind of like a robot?
I believe that God knows how much more powerful it is that someone chooses to love you rather than being forced to love you. I have seen that this is an important part of relationships and He is all about relationships, not some perfectly structured being that has no feelings or choices.
In reference to my decision about the job offer in my recent blog, I think the issue that made it so difficult was the waiting to make a decision or having the time to do so. It is a difficult thing to wait on somebody but I think it is what we do during the waiting that is most important. Could it be that God uses these times of waiting and thinking to build and strengthen our relationship with Him. I think so.
I would pray about my situation and say, “ God I want you to be Captain of my life,” but the next morning it felt like God wasn’t the Captain anymore because he gave control back to me, so I could give it back to Him, thus entering into an exchange that only strengthens a relationship.
Take for example the ordinary life experience of a road trip with a friend. You drive 100 miles to a destination and on your way home your car breaks down 30 miles from any town. You call for a tow truck but you are going to have to wait at least an hour. What an awesome opportunity to build a relationship with a friend while waiting. This could be looked at as a blessing for God.
During these times God wants us to wait, trust, and have faith that He loves us. Which is all part of a having a relationship.
I want freedom! The freedom to choose to love God causes love to become more abundant and real. When we choose to love, a relationship is the most important thing. We desire just to spend time with the one we love.
I am now looking forward to learn more as I try different ways to relate and spend time with God in these times of waiting. These exchanges are what God is all about and that is why He gives us the freedom to make our own decisions.
-Matt
Why is it, that God gives us this freedom to make our own decisions?
God has given us the freedom to follow and love Him, or go our own way. We say, by our very nature, “I’m the Captain of my own life. I am going to do things my way!” This is the choice we have and often make.
So if there is good and bad, right and wrong, or God’s way and our Way. Why did God leave it up to chance weather or not we might follow? Why didn’t He create us to love Him without question, kind of like a robot?
I believe that God knows how much more powerful it is that someone chooses to love you rather than being forced to love you. I have seen that this is an important part of relationships and He is all about relationships, not some perfectly structured being that has no feelings or choices.
In reference to my decision about the job offer in my recent blog, I think the issue that made it so difficult was the waiting to make a decision or having the time to do so. It is a difficult thing to wait on somebody but I think it is what we do during the waiting that is most important. Could it be that God uses these times of waiting and thinking to build and strengthen our relationship with Him. I think so.
I would pray about my situation and say, “ God I want you to be Captain of my life,” but the next morning it felt like God wasn’t the Captain anymore because he gave control back to me, so I could give it back to Him, thus entering into an exchange that only strengthens a relationship.
Take for example the ordinary life experience of a road trip with a friend. You drive 100 miles to a destination and on your way home your car breaks down 30 miles from any town. You call for a tow truck but you are going to have to wait at least an hour. What an awesome opportunity to build a relationship with a friend while waiting. This could be looked at as a blessing for God.
During these times God wants us to wait, trust, and have faith that He loves us. Which is all part of a having a relationship.
I want freedom! The freedom to choose to love God causes love to become more abundant and real. When we choose to love, a relationship is the most important thing. We desire just to spend time with the one we love.
I am now looking forward to learn more as I try different ways to relate and spend time with God in these times of waiting. These exchanges are what God is all about and that is why He gives us the freedom to make our own decisions.
-Matt
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Brothers and Sisters
I have read all of the comments from the previous day's posts. I encourage discourse among believers to edify and sharpen one another. I also know that when we disagree or have different interpretations of the finer points of scripture, then we need to proceed with grace. It has been said that we "have unity in the essentials and grace in everything else." It is my belief that when we are speaking of things that are not essential (ie, exactly how and when God heals), we need to do so with grace and love. I have spoken to many Christians who say that as they have gotten older, there portion of grace for other Chrisians has increased. Not all wisdom comes from experience, but experience certainly shapes a believer. I pray that as we discuss differing views, we do so with grace.
I do not want to stop the discussion. By no means is that what I want to do. I do want to encouarge the discussion to maintain a certain level of understanding. I know that there is another post coming in response to Jon's original post. I also know that JT is approaching in an inquisitive manner and not in an attacking manner. If this is not the intention of the person responding, I would ask that you stop and reconsider how to word your comments in order that we as believers are encouraged.
I do not want to stop the discussion. By no means is that what I want to do. I do want to encouarge the discussion to maintain a certain level of understanding. I know that there is another post coming in response to Jon's original post. I also know that JT is approaching in an inquisitive manner and not in an attacking manner. If this is not the intention of the person responding, I would ask that you stop and reconsider how to word your comments in order that we as believers are encouraged.
Thoughts...
Some clarification and summary on a few things that I think people are getting hung up on.
One belief we have is that it is God’s will to heal everyone; not that God will heal everyone. A parallel example is that it is God’s will that all would be saved, yet not all will be.
There are things that prevent both from happening, most have to do with the choices that humans are allowed to make. He chooses to give us freedom and a measure of control over our lives and environment; that does not make him less Sovereign. That makes him willing to share control.
We are in a war here in our city. I’m not speaking figuratively when I say this. I’m being very literal. We are not wrestling with flesh and blood, but with the armies of hell. As any good soldier knows, moral is very important. We can not afford to be distracted or to lose faith. So while I know there are cases in the bible and in real life that seem to contradict what we are believing, we choose to focus only on that which we know to be in alignment with our mission. These are found primarily in the life and teachings of Jesus. We also focus on what God is doing, not on what he is not doing. We don’t ignore the facts, but we focus on who he is (a good God) and what he has done. We’ve had tremendous breakthrough for which we are thankful and we have seen God move in mighty ways. That is what we celebrate. We have willfully engaged in this and we have burned the bridge we came across to do so. There is no turning back; we are in this fight to win. Retreat is not an option. No longer will the Philistines taunt God’s people from the other side of the battle. No longer will the champions against cancer be found only in the world and not among the Christian ranks. It bothers me that everyone knows Lance Armstrong and others from the world as the biggest opponents of cancer but not everybody knows if the church is against it or not.
I’ve been feeling increasingly on the defensive as this discussion moves on. Remember, I will never require others to agree with me. However, I will require that they respect my beliefs. If the tone changes from “I don’t understand, tell me more”, to “I’m going to ask questions to prove you are wrong”, then I will disengage. It is no longer productive or enjoyable to continue.
Peace and blessings,
Jon
One belief we have is that it is God’s will to heal everyone; not that God will heal everyone. A parallel example is that it is God’s will that all would be saved, yet not all will be.
There are things that prevent both from happening, most have to do with the choices that humans are allowed to make. He chooses to give us freedom and a measure of control over our lives and environment; that does not make him less Sovereign. That makes him willing to share control.
We are in a war here in our city. I’m not speaking figuratively when I say this. I’m being very literal. We are not wrestling with flesh and blood, but with the armies of hell. As any good soldier knows, moral is very important. We can not afford to be distracted or to lose faith. So while I know there are cases in the bible and in real life that seem to contradict what we are believing, we choose to focus only on that which we know to be in alignment with our mission. These are found primarily in the life and teachings of Jesus. We also focus on what God is doing, not on what he is not doing. We don’t ignore the facts, but we focus on who he is (a good God) and what he has done. We’ve had tremendous breakthrough for which we are thankful and we have seen God move in mighty ways. That is what we celebrate. We have willfully engaged in this and we have burned the bridge we came across to do so. There is no turning back; we are in this fight to win. Retreat is not an option. No longer will the Philistines taunt God’s people from the other side of the battle. No longer will the champions against cancer be found only in the world and not among the Christian ranks. It bothers me that everyone knows Lance Armstrong and others from the world as the biggest opponents of cancer but not everybody knows if the church is against it or not.
I’ve been feeling increasingly on the defensive as this discussion moves on. Remember, I will never require others to agree with me. However, I will require that they respect my beliefs. If the tone changes from “I don’t understand, tell me more”, to “I’m going to ask questions to prove you are wrong”, then I will disengage. It is no longer productive or enjoyable to continue.
Peace and blessings,
Jon
Sunday, September 7, 2008
A Response to "A Declaration of God's Goodness" - Part 1
I'm writing this in response to Jon's September 5, 2008 post called "A Declaration of God's Goodness." I found that my response has become too long to include in one post, so I'll break it up into at least one more post, if not two.
Psalm 25:8 tells us "Good and upright is the LORD."
Psalm 100:5 tells us "For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations."
James 1:17 tells us "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."
The goodness of God is certain; the scriptures declare it. It is a divine attribute, therefore God would cease to be God if he were not good. He *is* good, and may He be eternally praised for it!
You ended your post by writing "Let me know what you think about this and if you have any questions." These posts will contain what I think about this and questions for you, so I hope you enjoy it.
First, I grieve for you and all the friends and family of those you lost to cancer last week.
You wrote that your home body (what I might call the local church I attend) have declared that your city will be a cancer free zone. You went on to define that a cancer free zone is "[a] zone where the presence of God is so strong that cancer absolutely can not exist."
Since I'm not familiar with these sorts of declarations, I'm led to ask several questions:
1. By what authority do you declare that your city will be a cancer free zone?
2. Are these sorts of declarations Biblical? If so, can you cite some examples? For instance, where do we find someone in the Bible declaring that a city will no longer be afflicted with a particular ailment?
3. If God is omnipresent as Jeremiah 23:23-24 tells us ("Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD.), what does it mean that His presence is strong in a zone?
3.1 What must be done for God to strengthen His presence in a zone?
3.2 How much strength does God need to provide in order for cancer to not exist in a particular zone?
3.3 What is the boundaries of the zone? For example, is it only the city? Let's say that God's presence was so strong cancer didn't exist in San Francisco, would it still exist in Oakland, or is the zone more regional in nature?
4. If you declare that a city be cancer free, why not a whole metropolitan area, county, state, country, hemisphere, or the earth itself?
5. Is the declaration effectual, or is it God's reaction to your declaration effectual?
You went on to write "When we appear to have setbacks like this last week, we won't pretend that they didn't happen and ignore the facts. Instead we embrace them, and then stand on what we know, that God is good all the time and his will for us is to have healing all the time, because he is good, and by being [a] good God, he can't have it any other way."
You write that the death of your friends is a setback, but I don't understand exactly why it is a setback.
6.1 Were these deaths setbacks because the declaration wasn't effective?
6.2 Were these deaths setbacks because it was up to you and your church to work hard enough to convince God to remove the cancer?
6.3 Was it up to you and your church (not God) to heal your friends?
7. What does it mean to embrace the setbacks?
8. Why do you think they died?
9. You write "...his will for us is to have healing all the time..."
9.1 Do you mean that God will always heal us from every illness?
9.1.1 If so, what is your scriptural basis for this assertion?
9.1.2 If so, why does everyone die?
I'll end this post by asking you this: is God sovereign over all things?
In Acts 4:24-28, we read:
I believe that God is sovereign over all things, including the trial and murder of the Lord Jesus. In fact, it was always God's plan to send Jesus to die for our sins, which by our perspective might seem heinously evil. But, since we know that God is good, we must distrust our perspective and strive to see this, and all things, with the divine perspective.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. - Romans 8:28.
JT
Soli Deo Gloria
Psalm 25:8 tells us "Good and upright is the LORD."
Psalm 100:5 tells us "For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations."
James 1:17 tells us "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."
The goodness of God is certain; the scriptures declare it. It is a divine attribute, therefore God would cease to be God if he were not good. He *is* good, and may He be eternally praised for it!
You ended your post by writing "Let me know what you think about this and if you have any questions." These posts will contain what I think about this and questions for you, so I hope you enjoy it.
First, I grieve for you and all the friends and family of those you lost to cancer last week.
You wrote that your home body (what I might call the local church I attend) have declared that your city will be a cancer free zone. You went on to define that a cancer free zone is "[a] zone where the presence of God is so strong that cancer absolutely can not exist."
Since I'm not familiar with these sorts of declarations, I'm led to ask several questions:
1. By what authority do you declare that your city will be a cancer free zone?
2. Are these sorts of declarations Biblical? If so, can you cite some examples? For instance, where do we find someone in the Bible declaring that a city will no longer be afflicted with a particular ailment?
3. If God is omnipresent as Jeremiah 23:23-24 tells us ("Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD.), what does it mean that His presence is strong in a zone?
3.1 What must be done for God to strengthen His presence in a zone?
3.2 How much strength does God need to provide in order for cancer to not exist in a particular zone?
3.3 What is the boundaries of the zone? For example, is it only the city? Let's say that God's presence was so strong cancer didn't exist in San Francisco, would it still exist in Oakland, or is the zone more regional in nature?
4. If you declare that a city be cancer free, why not a whole metropolitan area, county, state, country, hemisphere, or the earth itself?
5. Is the declaration effectual, or is it God's reaction to your declaration effectual?
You went on to write "When we appear to have setbacks like this last week, we won't pretend that they didn't happen and ignore the facts. Instead we embrace them, and then stand on what we know, that God is good all the time and his will for us is to have healing all the time, because he is good, and by being [a] good God, he can't have it any other way."
You write that the death of your friends is a setback, but I don't understand exactly why it is a setback.
6.1 Were these deaths setbacks because the declaration wasn't effective?
6.2 Were these deaths setbacks because it was up to you and your church to work hard enough to convince God to remove the cancer?
6.3 Was it up to you and your church (not God) to heal your friends?
7. What does it mean to embrace the setbacks?
8. Why do you think they died?
9. You write "...his will for us is to have healing all the time..."
9.1 Do you mean that God will always heal us from every illness?
9.1.1 If so, what is your scriptural basis for this assertion?
9.1.2 If so, why does everyone die?
I'll end this post by asking you this: is God sovereign over all things?
In Acts 4:24-28, we read:
"And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, 25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,
“‘Why did the Gentiles rage,
and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers were gathered together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed’ —
27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place."
I believe that God is sovereign over all things, including the trial and murder of the Lord Jesus. In fact, it was always God's plan to send Jesus to die for our sins, which by our perspective might seem heinously evil. But, since we know that God is good, we must distrust our perspective and strive to see this, and all things, with the divine perspective.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. - Romans 8:28.
JT
Soli Deo Gloria
Friday, September 5, 2008
A Declaration of God's Goodness
If you know anything about me, you need to know that I believe God is good all the time, and everything that I look at or encounter in life is framed in that perspective.
This last week in my home body we lost two beloved friends to cancer. This is a huge deal to us because we as a body have declared that our city will be a cancer free zone. A zone where the presence of God is so strong that cancer absolutely can not exist. That may sound like a pipe dream but that is what we have been striving for and we believe it will happen. When we appear to have setbacks like this last week, we won't pretend that they didn't happen and ignore the facts. Instead we embrace them, and then stand on what we know, that God is good all the time and his will for us is to have healing all the time, because he is good, and by being good God, he can't have it any other way.
Here is an excerpt from a sermon mix that was done on this topic.
God is good all the time. The devil is bad, all the time. We would do ourselves a service if we could just remember the two. God- Good. Devil- Bad. Cancer- bad. I wonder where it comes from. Here is problem: The church of this nation has become so deprived of the real Gospel that we have formulated ways of thinking that are anti-Christ in nature and they are called "spiritual". They embrace sickness and disease as a gift from God to help us become better people. It is a lie from hell. It is blasphemy to attribute to God the very work of the devil. It is inconsistent for Jesus to pay a price for our healing and for us to believe that it is not God's intention to heal. Now, here is the conflict, you pray for somebody and they didn't get healed and they died. So we have to live with this tension of what I understand and what I don't understand. Through out church history, we have this puzzle of, "aunt Martha dies, we prayed, we fasted we did everything we knew how to do; it must have been God's choice not to heal her". Well is that true? You see, 2000 years ago God chose to heal her, that is why Jesus went and bore 39 stripes on his body. Enough stripes on his back to remove the skin and expose his internal organs. It was a payment he made, it says he was punished, in the punishment that I deserved, so that we can get what he deserves. How can he decide to not buy something he already bought. It is too late, it is already paid for. That is why the scriptures declare, by his stripes you were healed, the work was done, it is accomplished, it is finished. So why then do we live with problems that don't get answered. What the church does then, is it wants answers so badly, it begins to make up answers to feel good about our present condition. But to do it we have to take one of the absolutes of God's goodness, we bring it over, and we sacrifice it on the alter of human reasoning. And so then we have people that will stand up and say, "God gave my relative leukemia to teach a perseverance." No, No No. What does the bible say? He forgives all your iniquities, he heals all your diseases. We would never think this: Let's say we have someone who committed a horrible sin, and then they come to me and say, you know, I was praying the other day, and I did something stupid and I asked the Lord to forgive me and he said, no, he really doesn't want to. It would never enter our mind that God would in some way turn someone down who needed forgiveness of sin. Because we don't yet get it that when Jesus taught of forgiveness of sin he taught of physical affliction in the same breath. "Which is easier to say, "Son your sins are forgiven or pick up your bed and walk?" The Christian life is an invitation to live in between two conflicting realities because you see, the cross is not bearing up under physical affliction. The sufferings of the bible are not physical affliction, the sufferings of the bible are living between two conflicting realities and living with trust and praise at the same time. He is still good all the time.
For more go to http://www.jesusculture.org/
media player, message mix
It is titled God is Good by Bill Johnson.
Let me know what you think about this and if you have any questions. It may be a bit out there for you so I'd be happy to address anything you might have.
Peace,
Jon
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Second Chances
Back in 1986 when I was a junior in High School in San Jose, CA, my friend Rich and I decided to go off campus for lunch one day. From what I can remember, I think we were headed to Burger King (side note: my typical order at Burger King in High School was a double cheeseburger, chicken sandwich, large fries, large drink and a large shake, all of which I ate in several minutes and felt no pain afterwards). We hopped in Rich’s small convertible MG that he had just bought used, no seatbelts. We were making a u-turn right in front of the High School and the last think I remember was seeing one of my friends crossing the street and turning around and making eye contact with me. The next thing I knew, I opened my eyes and was hunched over in my seat staring at the floorboard. There was blood all over my legs and I was sitting on Rich’s glasses that he had been wearing. Rich had made a turn right in front of another car that was going about 60 mph and hit on my side of the car, just to the front of the passenger seat. Thankfully, even though we didn’t have on seatbelts, I was tall enough so that me knees went through the dashboard and kept me from flying out the window (I still have the scars). Rich was a smaller guy so his head hit the windshield. Finally realizing what had happened, I got out of the car and limped over to the curb spouting off a few expletives while Rich was still unconscious in the car surrounded by many of our friends. I remember passing out on the sidewalk while one of my friends held me there with others around. Many had thought I had been hit or thrown from the car since I was out on the sidewalk. Shortly, the ambulance came and I remember my friends asking if I needed help getting in the ambulance. Of course I needed help but I said I didn’t and they let me attempt to walk over to the ambulance myself. The principal, Mr. Huffman, came up to see if I was okay and I passed out right as he got to me. I’m told he caught me and dragged me to the ambulance. Rich apologized the entire ride to the hospital. I was only there for a few hours with some deep cuts but amazingly, no stitches and no broken bones. Rich spent a couple days in there but also, no stitches and no broken bones. I remember how terrified my parents looked, arriving just when they wheeled me out of x-ray and they were standing there with tears in their eyes. I don’t even want to imagine what it was like as a parent to get that phone call.
After a few days I was back in school on crutches and I have to admit, the attention I got was awesome. When I went to see Rich in the hospital, he showed me some pictures of the car his parents had taken. I couldn’t believe what I saw. The car was completely mangled, especially the passenger side where I had been. If you had seen the car and didn’t know what had happened, you would have absolutely thought that any passengers had been killed.
The day I was in the wreck, God chose to give me a second chance at life. But I really have no idea how many second chances God has actually given me, you know? How many times have I screwed up and asked for forgiveness and been given a second, third, forth, infinity-plus-one chance? Plenty of people have “cheated death” and been given a second chance but only God truly has no limits on chances. I turn 40 this month (yippee) and I figure that if I’ve sinned 10 times a day (this would be on a good day) since 1968, that’s about 150,000 times I’ve sinned and I’ve been forgiven for every one of those times. And I often forget that He’s asked us to do the same:
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?". Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times." Matthew 18, 21-22
I think that is one of the coolest things in scripture. God is so merciful in His willingness to forgive us as many times as we ask Him to. Of course that’s no excuse to do whatever we want, we all know that. But what a loving Father He is to continually give us another chance.
Peace,
Monte
After a few days I was back in school on crutches and I have to admit, the attention I got was awesome. When I went to see Rich in the hospital, he showed me some pictures of the car his parents had taken. I couldn’t believe what I saw. The car was completely mangled, especially the passenger side where I had been. If you had seen the car and didn’t know what had happened, you would have absolutely thought that any passengers had been killed.
The day I was in the wreck, God chose to give me a second chance at life. But I really have no idea how many second chances God has actually given me, you know? How many times have I screwed up and asked for forgiveness and been given a second, third, forth, infinity-plus-one chance? Plenty of people have “cheated death” and been given a second chance but only God truly has no limits on chances. I turn 40 this month (yippee) and I figure that if I’ve sinned 10 times a day (this would be on a good day) since 1968, that’s about 150,000 times I’ve sinned and I’ve been forgiven for every one of those times. And I often forget that He’s asked us to do the same:
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?". Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times." Matthew 18, 21-22
I think that is one of the coolest things in scripture. God is so merciful in His willingness to forgive us as many times as we ask Him to. Of course that’s no excuse to do whatever we want, we all know that. But what a loving Father He is to continually give us another chance.
Peace,
Monte
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Time to Choose Sides
I was planning to hold off on the political posts for a while, but with the happenings of the past week I just cannot wait any longer. As a strong social and economic conservative, I am usually an enthusiastic “grass roots” supporter of the Republican nominee that can be counted on to spread the word to family and friends, volunteer and occasionally even donate. Up until this week, however, I was not very enthusiastic about John McCain. But with the recent ObamME lovefest (also known as the Democratic National Convention) and the personal attacks levied against Sarah Palin and her family (husband, daughter and even her daughter’s fiancé!), I have come home and am now officially FIRED UP! This new-found passion has as much to do with being AGAINST Obama as it does with being FOR McCain.
For fear of coming on too strong with my emotions currently running high, I will hold off on addressing the many specific issues that are running through my head. I will focus this post on encouraging everyone to get involved, even if you support the other side.
I believe we as Christians should educate ourselves on the issues, choose a side, and engage ourselves in the debate. I am not going to lay out some sophisticated theological argument for why I believe this; suffice it to say that I want believers collectively to have an influence on what the county our children inherit looks like. If we do not fulfill this responsibility, we will fail future generations.
I look back with disappointment on cultural battles lost in prior generations and think, “Where were all the Christians? Where were they when prayer was taken out of schools, when abortion was legalized, when sexual openness and drugs became cool?” I am not blaming prior generations of believers for these lost battles, but want them to be a reminder to us of what can happen if we sit on the sidelines. Our current generation is on the verge of losing the battle over the definition of marriage. In many ways, I think we have already lost.
Think of the country you want to leave your children and grandchildren. It will not happen on its own. There are many forces out there competing for America’s future. It’s time to choose a side.
More to come…
Until Next Time,
The Counselor
For fear of coming on too strong with my emotions currently running high, I will hold off on addressing the many specific issues that are running through my head. I will focus this post on encouraging everyone to get involved, even if you support the other side.
I believe we as Christians should educate ourselves on the issues, choose a side, and engage ourselves in the debate. I am not going to lay out some sophisticated theological argument for why I believe this; suffice it to say that I want believers collectively to have an influence on what the county our children inherit looks like. If we do not fulfill this responsibility, we will fail future generations.
I look back with disappointment on cultural battles lost in prior generations and think, “Where were all the Christians? Where were they when prayer was taken out of schools, when abortion was legalized, when sexual openness and drugs became cool?” I am not blaming prior generations of believers for these lost battles, but want them to be a reminder to us of what can happen if we sit on the sidelines. Our current generation is on the verge of losing the battle over the definition of marriage. In many ways, I think we have already lost.
Think of the country you want to leave your children and grandchildren. It will not happen on its own. There are many forces out there competing for America’s future. It’s time to choose a side.
More to come…
Until Next Time,
The Counselor
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