New Friends

Meeting new friends is weird.  There's always this awkward getting-to-know-you stage that's hard for me.  I mean, it wouldn't seem that way on the outside, but internally it's strange.  There comes a point in the conversation where both parties seem to be asking, "is this the last time I'll talk to this person" or "does it even matter what is said" or "will this conversation go to a deeper, personal level" or "is this just chit-chat?"  

Recently, my wife and I met some new friends (providentially, I believe) that we're getting to know.  Today I was introduced to their circle of friends (at least those nearby).  And all of a sudden, this selfishness came over me.  While I was talking with these guys, I kept worrying and thinking to myself, "I wonder if I'm making any sense?  I wonder if I sound like an idiot?  I wonder if they think I'm funny?"

Those thoughts were really strange for me, because I have lots of friends and I'm thankful for who God has brought into my life - even these new friends.  So why should I care what I sound like, or how I'm sitting, or how I'm responding, or how smart I come across, or what I'm doing with my hands?"  I was afraid of not being cool enough, loved, and accepted.  It was nothing they did to cause this, it was all within my flesh, wanting to feed my selfishness.

Driving home after that meeting, I prayed asking God to forgive me of the idols I had set up in my heart - worry, acceptance, applause, recognition - these were the idols I was caught up in during that conversation with my new friends.  

The truth is, my identity isn't found in what others say or think of me.  I'm already loved by Christ, and what He says and thinks counts the most.  God's view of who I am in Christ should be enough for me, but "the desires of my flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against my flesh...to keep me from doing what I want to do" (Galatians 5:17).  

I thank God for his love and mercy, for I deserve His wrath.  Because of Christ, God now views me with pleasure instead of distaste, even in spite of how I sit, how I respond, or how smart (or dumb) I am.  God loves me because He loves His Son.   I must cling to the cross and be thankful for His grace, just as I am thankful for these new friends He's put in my path.  It is for my joy and His glory.

I have a feeling these guys will be used in greater ways in my life in the months ahead - ways that the Spirit will use to cut away in me whatever is not of Him.

Online Bookstore

Feel free to gander around my new Amazon store.  Any items you purchase will help build my personal library.

Is God Green? | Part 1

Everyone seems to be going "green" lately. There is this cultural phenomenon, driven mostly by the media, that has sounded an alarm about our role in global warming. It feels like the global community is beginning to go into this "survival mode" as people change everything from their light bulbs to the type of cars they drive. Billions of dollars are being spent to research global warming, educate the global community, and to eventually change the way we live in order to prevent greenhouse gases from being released into the atmosphere.

The basic premise about global warming goes like this...
1. The global temperature has risen since the late 19th century, and more drastically in the last 30 years.
2. Global warming is mostly attributed to human activities where greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere.
3. If humans don't change their behavior and attitude about these greenhouse gases, then the warming will continue, causing the sea level to rise dramatically.

Celebrities and the media are creating quite a stir that is driving the public to change the way they live and think about the world. We've been told that this is primarily our fault and so we must be the ones to take the responsibility and fix this problem. Is this an exaggeration?

Here are some preliminary conclusions (feel free to disagree). First, climate changes have occured throughout history, not just within the last decade when people have become more aware. I don't think the earth is suprised at all, to be honest. Second, temperatures have risen since the early 1800s, even before the Industrial Revolution began. If the argument is that global warming is due to the gases we emit from our machines, then how is global warming explained before these machines began to exist? Third, there is no scientific consensus about what causes global warming, and yet we are paying all this money in support of something that has not yet been fully proven. Fourth, the media plays a huge role in creating the hysteria that global warming is primarily our fault. Finally, we are very arrogant to think that we are powerful enough as human beings to control the climate by our own technology and will-power. We can't even correctly predict the weather with a 24-hour period.

This brings me to some theological questions. Is God green? Does He care about his own creation as much as the media does right now, and if so, would He go about it differently? What is the Christian's role in caring for the earth? Or the deeper question, why should we care about the earth? What does the Bible say about being green? I'll answer these questions in my next post.

One final note. Yes the globe is warming. Is it primarily our fault? There's no concrete evidence that it is. Also, I do believe it's very important to take care of God's good creation, but should that come at the price of deception and gullibility on a worldwide scale? Or if we "go green", we tell ourselves that we're saving the planet, but isn't this just another way we can feel better about ourselves and raise our self-esteem?

Every time we install a low-energy light bulb or shut off the faucet while brushing our teeth, we need to ask ourselves, "Why am I doing this?" Is it because I really want to be a good steward of God's creation, or do I believe that the salvation of this planet is really in my own hands? There is a difference. And the subversive cultural message that is being preached right now is that we as individuals are powerful enough to save ourselves by what we do. "If we 'go green' we can save the world and ourselves from a coming disaster." Isn't this a false gospel?

Broken

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again.

As a popular nursery rhyme, Humpty Dumpty resonates with a large number of people in how they feel about themselves, friends, the world, and life in general. There's an overwhelming state of hopelessness and despair that we find ourselves in at times. For some, it never seems to end.

If God is reconciling all things to himself, according to Colossians 1:19-20, then let's name what those things are. There's obviously no space within one post to go into great detail about each of these things and how God puts these things back together (that will be for subsequent posts), but it would be a good start to get out in the open what things actually break apart in life.

1. Relationships. Divorce and separation are all too common, even within my own family. Friendships get slaughtered, marriages disolve, siblings harbor bitterness toward one another, enemies kill each other. Sometimes this is between individuals, while other times it involves entire nations. Unrighteous anger and revenge cause retaliation, prejudices, stereotypes, violence, isolation, and murder. More tragic than any of these relationships is the broken relationship humanity has with God (i.e. without Jesus and the Gospel) because of our sin. It's created a wall of separation between us and God and each other.

2. Physical bodies. Any elderly person who has difficulty getting around knows exactly what I mean. We get older, and then we die. Everyone breaks down.

3. Creation. Romans 8 says that "creation was subjected to frustration...in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay." I hope to take a close look at this and what it means for us to be a part of the process of reconciliation.

4. Condition of humanity. Just to ponder over the amount of things in life that are broken, forces us to ask why it happens. Relationships are severed, physical bodies break down, and creation is frustrated because of our sinful condition. Proverbs 20:9 reminds us, "Who can say, 'I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin?'" Jeremiah adds, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" (17:9). We also don't need anyone to teach us how to be evil and we can't blame our surrounding environment or family that raised us. Jesus is clear in His teachings that the reason all things are broken, including ourselves, is because of our wicked hearts.

The Gospel reveals that Jesus is the only One who can make these wrongs right. He's the only One who can put all things back together again. That is His message and His kingdom, and this "putting back together" has already begun. How this happens and who is involved is for many future posts.