Pride of Life

I remember a famous preacher once asking his congregation to take a moment and think about the ten commandments.  He wanted each person to go down the list in their mind, and decide which of the ten they each struggled with the most.  He then added a curious twist to the last part of his sermon.  He told them that if anyone went down that list and came up with nothing, and in so doing they were to end up feeling pretty good about themselves as a result, then they were to jot down the word 'pride' in the margin of their Bibles.  Oh to see the look on peoples' faces that day!  The preacher made his point for sure, mainly that many among us may be struggling with something called pride of life.

Just what is this concept?  It comes from 1 John chapter 2, verses 15-16.  In this famous Biblical letter, the author says this, "Do not love the world or anything in the world.  If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.  For everything in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - comes not from the Father but from the world."   

Honestly, I believe that to be prideful is really a type of idolatry.  We are putting something or someone in a place above God, and then inserting a competitive drive toward that thing in order to be the best at it, have more of it than someone else, or simply to show it off.

I remember not long ago I was working closely with someone on a project.  We had spent time together in the past, so I knew that this was a very talented young lady, and she was good at her job.  At one point, I served up what I thought was a well placed  compliment designed to embolden her self confidence.  Unfortunately what actually happened is that it bypassed her humility center and went straight to her ego, never to be seen or heard from again.  There was no living with her the rest of the day.  Something happened the moment that compliment left my mouth and entered her consciousness.  Instead of producing humility and gratitude, it inflated her ego and engaged pride of life.

Now I must mention here that this isn't uncommon.  In today's world of social media and self-glorification, it is very easy to fall into pride.  In C.S. Lewis' seminal book 'Mere Christianity', he reminds us that pride in a job well done or being proud of one of your children isn't immoral.  In fact, this type of pride is very healthy.  But should a person go one step further, and state that they are proud of the job they did because it is better than the job someone else did ... now we have a problem.  Pride in itself is competitive by nature.  It isn't enough to have a new car; the car must be better than your neighbor's car.  And if it isn't, well then, time to head back to the dealership again for something newer.

To help make this point solid, let's visit the book of Daniel from the Bible.  Daniel, having worked his way up the ladder while serving king Nebuchadnezzar, was asked to come and interpret one of the king's dreams.  It was essentially a warning from God that should the king become too proud, his fall from grace would be swift and profound.  Dan 4:30-31 says, "[the king] said, 'Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?'  Even as the words were on his lips, a voice came from heaven, 'This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you.'"   

Note how quickly the king lost his throne.  As soon as he articulated his arrogance verbally, it was all over for him - at least for a while.  Daniel had warned him, yet he still couldn't overcome his temptation to indulge in the idea that he himself had built all of this, not God.  It was a hard lesson to learn for an Old Testament king.  It is a hard lesson for you and I to learn today.  There are always consequences for being puffed up.

Author C.S. Lewis later refers to pride as the "anti-God state of being."  But why is this sin so detestable in particular?  I think the answer lies in the fact that if we are being honest, pride of life contains two particularly sticky criteria.  First, a proud person is often plagued by tunnel vision.  They have blinders on and cannot see their own predicament clearly.  Others around them can see it immediately, but they themselves cannot.  Second, being proud can also make us unteachable.  It provides us with the mistaken notion that we have the Midas Touch, and so nothing we do could possibly need improved upon.  This silly arrogance can even extend to the spiritual realm as well.  It often sounds like this: "look how much good I am doing for the church, God must really be pleased with how holy I am!"  It sounds like nonsense to say this out loud of course, and I have a feeling that those folks who think that way about themselves represent the calm before the storm.  As I said previously, there are consequences to being puffed up.

So what are these consequences?  Why can't we just cruise through life believing that everything we do is perfect, and no one can possibly eclipse our knowledge, intellect, or ability?  To answer this, we visit the book of Proverbs (chapter 16 verse 18): "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall."  This statement is both eloquent and accurate.  In fact, I don't believe there are any exceptions to this rule.  When I ruminate about my own life, I can't think of a single situation where God allowed me special freedom from the natural consequences of thinking that I was better than someone else.  There was always a literal "come to Jesus moment" that resulted from me doing something prideful.  Just turn on the television set or pick up a newspaper.  It won't be long before you read about a leader falling from grace - and usually for good reason.     

But here is the good news.  Our God is a God of redemption and restoration.  If we look back at the book of Daniel again for a moment, we see that after a period of time the Father restored king Nebuchadnezzar back to his throne.  Permanent destruction was never the goal here.  On the contrary, once a period of humility had elapsed, Babylon benefited from a much more reserved and humble king.  Take a moment now and imagine if you can, a world full of nations with humble leaders.  How different the meetings at the United Nations would look, I think.  

The truth is that you and I can be restored as well.  If your neighbor suddenly pulls into his driveway with a larger, newer car than you have - there are two choices.  It is either back to the dealership for a better vehicle, or you may simply make peace with the car that you currently own.  Trust me, the only person that probably cares how new your car is, is you.  Hopefully you are driving it to church in order to worship the only being who really deserves that much attention anyway.



. 

The Near Death Phenomenon

Every so often we hear about NDE’s (near death experiences). I typically avoid discussing these types of things, as they are really more or less subjective experiences.  It is often up to the person listening to decide whether the account is believable or not. I haven't had one myself, and there also isn’t usually much in the way of physical evidence - other than the fact that there may be some medical records that corroborate the person actually died. In fact, a good many people who were brought back to life after some type of medical event report seeing or feeling nothing when they were gone. As we are entering the twenty-first century, we have medical advances such that people can (and are) often resuscitated shortly after they flat-line. An interesting thing has occurred in light of this.  Namely, that as modern medicine has become more proficient in bringing people back from death, accounts of NDE’s have also gone up proportionately.  Ask any hospice nurse and they will say the same thing: there is something more than just this material world. 

Does this mean we can trust all of these stories? Hard to say. There are different versions of what happens after death corresponding to the different religions in the world.  There are also different versions of the NDE that people give, describing what happens to them after their death and resuscitation. There are also different motives that may exist. For example, whenever I read about someone who had one of these experiences, I often look back just to see if it is hinging on a book deal or movie rights.  If John Doe is charging fifty dollars per book, then in my opinion a financial motive could be driving things.  But what about all the people who come forward in spite of skepticism from critics?  What about those brave folks who seem to have no other motive than to give an account of what they saw and heard? 

There are some interesting things to remember here.  The number and frequency of these occurrences seem to indicate to a certain degree that there is something out there, whether or not people choose to believe it. Additionally, there is the interesting point that not all of these NDE experiences are pleasant. Imagine waking up from a heart attack and being surrounded by the same type of hell-like fire and sulfur that the Bible described two-thousand years ago.  These stories are still happening today.  And finally, the astounding number of people (even from different religions and cultures) that report seeing Jesus after they died.  Let’s face it – this phenomena is either happening, or it isn’t. There is either a percentage of these experiences that are legitimate, or it is just random neuron-firing in people's brains as they depart. Some belief systems will explain away all of this by making statements such as “remember, these people weren’t really dead… they came back”, or “it is all a product of the chemicals inside the brain during the death process.” These statements may both be accurate, we won’t know until it is our time.  But what if all three of these positions could be true at the same time?  That they came back, there was a chemical release, and there is an afterlife.  Are these three ideas really mutually exclusive? 

But an interesting thing happens when we actually stop and listen to some of these stories. The people are either exquisite actors, ravenous liars, or simply put ... they are telling the truth.  They may be so convincing because they really did see what they saw.  As I said before, near death experiences are far more difficult to discuss because they don’t provide a central document or book from which to make arguments in the same way the Bible does.  But I don't believe that these occurrences contradict Scripture either. 

It is true that these accounts are subjective. A person either gives their testimony and we believe it, or we don’t. But it's interesting how much persecution some of these people endure for the sake of telling their story.  It's intriguing how these testimonies often end up matching exactly what the Bible says about a celestial heaven or hell. Even more intriguing to me, is the number of these experiences that describe a meeting with Jesus himself. 

I had mentioned previously that I've never had an NDE myself.  But my aunt had a daughter, Shelly, who was mentally handicapped due to a lack of oxygen at birth.  Life was hard for Shelly.  Besides having trouble communicating, she also had serious health issues which required spending lots of time in hospitals.  During the span of her life, even though she couldn't communicate verbally, she would use sign language and touch to express her emotions.  For years, off and on, she would sign the numbers "8/98", always with a big smile on her face.  No one knew what this meant.  But in retrospect, I believe Shelly did.  You see, she died in August of 1998 at the age of 16.   

I think it is safe to make the assumption that there is something else out there.  A spiritual world entirely different than this one.  A place where God comes to meet us where we are at, and requires from us only that we accept Him and become born again.  His free gift to us, if we choose to accept it.   

I don't think we can discount all of these stories.  They are like eye-witness testimonies from people who were there.  It's probably better to listen, than to ignore them.  Shelly would have wanted us to listen.  



.

The Importance of Being Still

Americans seem to be obsessed with time.  Look around.  It doesn't take long to see what I am talking about.  We rush off to baseball games, soccer tournaments, football games, and wrestling matches.  We go to work each day; most of us have a prompt start time.  We must attend meetings and phone calls on time, or there will be consequences.  We schedule birthday parties with strict start and stop times.  We run frantically here and there, passing by people and places in a blinding flash to make it to our next function - if we even notice the people at all.  Anyone who doubts this need only visit a foreign country to notice in an instant that culturally speaking, they often think of time with a much more lenient attitude than we do.  

It wasn't long ago that I found myself sitting in a church ministry class where the teachers were discussing the importance of spiritual disciplines.  On this particular day, we were tasked with the discipline of staying still and silent for five minutes.  During this time we could pray or ask God for supplication - it didn't necessarily matter, as long as we were silent for the duration.  The result was astonishing.  By the end of that five minutes many of us were in tears.  We all lead such busy lives (rushing around frantically with our faces buried in our cell phones and calendars), that no one was accustomed to actually staying still for even a short period of time.   It seemed that we all had basically two modes of operation: busy or sleeping.  Quiet time was only a concept.

This exercise was significant in many ways.  Not because it was complicated or because it took years to master, but rather it was so extraordinarily difficult to stop the frantic pace ... even for a minute.  What do you mean I have to slow down?  People are texting me.  I have to check facebook!  Can't you see I'm late for my next appointment?  You get the idea.

The fact of the matter is, staying in this type of unhealthy fast forward mode can hinder our connection with God.  It isn't that God resists us or stops caring about us when we are running nonstop from place to place, but we simply cannot hear Him.  There is too much clutter, too much background noise.  After all, how can I spend time meditating on Scripture when I've got an important meeting right after lunch?  I would also surmise that if this article is too long, a good majority of people will stop reading half way through!  The burden of timekeeping is literally that pervasive. It can affect all aspects of our life.

We are too busy.  Time to get to the next appointment.  We can't be bothered with the small stuff.

The Gospel of Mark has an interesting take on the importance of being still.  Most of us remember the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand.  Listen to what Jesus says to his apostles when he can see they are becoming overwhelmed.  Mark 6:31 says, "Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, 'Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.'"

Did the Son of God and his followers have an important job worthy of skipping quiet time?  You bet they did.  They were tasked with nothing less than spreading the good news of salvation to the rest of the world.  But even so, when it was time to stop and recharge, Jesus not only sanctioned it but encouraged it.

But let's say for the sake of argument that we are lucky enough to find five minutes where we aren't on our cell phone or digital calendars.  What do we focus on when we are alone?  What exactly brought many of the people in my ministry class to tears?  We may find the answer to this in the book of Psalms from the Old Testament.  Psalm 62:1 in fact says this, "Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him." 

The psalmist was right indeed, and we would do well to let those words sink in.  We do need God.  We need Him more than we think we do.  He is the only real point of connection that we must nurture, and it so happens that He is often the last place that people go.  We are busy, we have meetings.  Praying and quiet time will have to wait, right?  Even churches suffer from this problem I think.  I believe that the well meaning Christian may often find himself caught up in a battle between being too busy doing the duty of the church, that it becomes difficult to perform the work of the church.  If you are still doubting at this point, then think back to the last time a preacher or reverend happened to lapse over the allotted fifteen or twenty minutes that was allowed for a sermon.  Were you checking your watch and getting anxious?  Me too.

After all, we are busy.  We have meetings and baseball games and such.  

We make time for the things we love in this world.  If that desire happens to be attending a concert for example, then we find a way to save the money and go.  If it happens to be a sporting event, then we squeeze it in.  And all the while, God is waiting.  Waiting on us to give Him five minutes of our time.  Not the church or ministry mind you, but Him. 

I chuckle to myself while writing this because I am thinking back to the story of Moses and the burning bush in the desert.   Many readers will remember this famous story from the Bible.  God comes to Moses in the form of a bush that bursts into flames spontaneously, but is never quite consumed by the fire.  God tells Moses that he will be the chosen catalyst for change, and will single handedly lead the enslaved Israelites out of Egypt.  What would have happened if Moses suddenly pulled out his day-planner and bartered with God instead about which date would work best for him to speak with Pharaoh?  

It is okay to be punctual and responsible.  A certain dose of planning should also be encouraged of course.  But we must remember to take time to connect with God ... to be still.  This is what feeds our soul, and that fact hasn't changed since the first human came into existence.  Probably better to obsess more about God than we do our calendars - for both our sakes.



.  

The Great Penguin Rescue

Our annual family vacation this year led us to Panama City Beach in the panhandle of Florida.  My wife is an expert vacation strategist, and this summer getaway was one of our best.  Great hotel on the beach, good food, and moderate ocean waves all coalesced to form a much needed retreat from the real world.  All good vacations must come to an end however, and this one was no exception.  As the week wrapped up, our entourage loaded up the vehicle and drove away from the resort that we called home for the last four days.  We were sad to see it go. 

We decided to make one last stop at a local tourist shop on the way out of town - about three miles from the hotel to be exact.  After all, one cannot be expected to visit far away lands without indulging in some consumerism, right?  It was definitely souvenir time!

On the way to the store, my youngest son noticed that we had packed everything ... except his penguin pillow pet.  What is a pillow pet you might ask?  They are the incarnation of an ingenious marketing idea about ten years ago, that turned a normal pillow into whatever type of animal a child could possibly desire.  In this particular case, nothing but a penguin would suffice.  It had sentimental value beyond compare, akin to the old days when kids would carry around a blanket everywhere.  

A quick discussion took place between my wife and I at that moment.  The gist of the dilemma was obvious: is retrieving the penguin pillow from the hotel worth turning the car around and losing valuable time on the road?  It was late in the day, and we still had a nine hour drive ahead of us.  The decision was eventually made - I would go back to the resort and rescue the pillow while everyone else stayed behind and continued shopping.  Hopefully it was still there where he had left it.  What if another child found it and decided it would look better with his family instead?

The way back to the hotel provided ample time to consider various ways to put aside my frustration.  The situation was replete with spiritual meaning of course, and I couldn't help but think of one of Jesus' most famous parables from the Bible.  The story of the lost sheep occurs in both the Gospel of Matthew and Luke.  For our purposes here, we will quote Luke 15.  Scripture says, "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them.  Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?  And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home.  Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.'"  

It appears that God cares not only about His followers nestled safely in His church, but also for those who have wandered away from the faith.  He cares enough to leave and go after that one lost soul who, for whatever reason, has decided that he or she doesn't need God.  Fellow armchair Bible scholars will note here that there are similarities to the parable of the lost coin, as well as the story of the prodigal son.  All three of these stories relate the idea that God cares for everyone, and not just those who are exhibiting "good behavior" or Christian living.  

At the risk of over simplifying this parable, it would appear that God feels it worth the trouble to turn the car around and head back to the hotel for the penguin pillow.  It appears that He would have it no other way.  And it would also seem - though often we may wish otherwise - that God thinks us worth the effort of rescuing even when we don't want to be rescued.  Now this can be very inconvenient.  It often interferes with some of the other things in our life.  After all, the hotel is nice, right?  It's straight off the beach, and it offers free breakfast.  Can't we just stay lost once in a while?

The fact of the matter is that no one stays "lost" unless they want to.  God will pursue us relentlessly.  He desires that no one be out of reach from the love of Christ.  He will meet us in our darkest hour, in our most broken state, and there is no hotel lobby anywhere where He cannot come and save us ... beachfront property or otherwise.

As I rounded the curve and pulled my car up to the resort entrance, I hopped out and left the engine running.  There was no time to waste.  Failure wasn't an option on this mission; there was too much riding on the rescue.  A quick glance around the lobby revealed nothing.  I staggered up to the front desk and breathlessly asked the attendant if they had seen a small, black and white pillow shaped like a penguin.  No luck.  She left me briefly to check the lost and found while I paced around nervously, wondering what I was going to tell my son.

Against all odds, one of the cleaning people found the pillow sitting on the floor, shoved behind one of the sofas.  Success at last!  After thanking everyone profusely, I muddled my way back to the car and sped away toward the tourist shop.  The following nine hours in the car would now go by much faster, and with far less tension.  There would be no tears shed today.

The Bible tells us that God and all the heavenly host rejoice when even one sinner repents and becomes born again.  God will not rest until all one hundred of those sheep are back within the safety of the pasture.  Wandering off can be fun sometimes I suppose, maybe even an adventure.  But I will take the feeling of being safe and sound at home over an impersonal hotel lobby any day.  Wouldn't you?



.

Eating Healthy in a Junk Food World

Let me start by saying that I'm not much for fad diets.  I believe that the constant losing and gaining of weight, and going on and off of diets throughout a person's life can have negative consequences for your health in the long run.  But that said, five years ago I had reached a low point in the food consumption arena.  That's my euphemism for confessing that I had a problem with junk food.  My wife saw this and brought it to my attention, and together (with much cajoling needed on her part) we began what is known as the 'Whole 30' diet.  Nothing fancy, just common sense eating.  The idea is that we were to eat only whole foods for a month.  No extra sugar, no sodium, no dairy, etc.  Just the healthy stuff.

Within that thirty days I had lost twelve pounds and an inch off of my waist, so we decided to keep going.  Another three months later, and I had lost a total of 25 pounds.  My skin was starting to clear up, I could sleep easily at night, and I was able to stop all allergy medication because my symptoms were non-existent.  Mind you, I had suffered from seasonal allergies during the spring and fall for half of my life.  

It was a miracle cure ... or was it?  

We are surrounded by junk food on a daily basis in this country.  Look at the label of what you are eating the next time you go to start dinner.  Sugar, sodium, MSG, yellow #5.  The list goes on and on.  Most (if not all) of these foods are more chemical than food anyway.  It is as if bacon cheeseburgers everywhere have come together to form a united front against our ability to live long, healthy lives!  And to make matters worse, the more bad food you consume - the more your body wants it.  This is both psychological and physiological. 

When I think of stripping away all of the unhealthy ingredients in these foods, I cannot help but ruminate on what it means to be spiritually healthy as well.  We are both physical and spiritual beings.  Is the Biblical Christian plagued by extra, unwanted raw materials that hover around the purity of our Lord's words?  Just how pervasive is church tradition when it comes to interfering with sacred Scripture?   One need only think about how many arguments have transpired both inside and outside the church when it comes to the subject of baptism.  Do we baptize infants?  Kids?  Or do we baptize adults only like in the Scriptures?  And do we sprinkle with water or fully submerge?  The rabbit hole continues in a downward spiral from there.  You get the idea.

It is important to make the point here about staying true to the purity of Scripture, so let's begin by trying to define what I think are five core beliefs that Christians hold dear.  This isn't a comprehensive list, but at it's root, it would be difficult for me to imagine anyone holding to a Christian identity if they didn't agree on these five things.  I believe all of these concepts are clearly stated in the Bible.  Indeed, we need only Google the Apostle's Creed to find many of them.

The big five are as follows:  we know God to be a trinity (3 in 1), we know Jesus was resurrected on the third day, we believe in salvation through Christ alone, we understand the concept of original sin, and we profess the second coming of Jesus one day in the future.  These are core principles of the faith, and they are repeated over and over again in the Bible.  Even with a superficial reading of the text, they are hard to miss.  

So then, why is it so easy to mess up religion?  Why do so many stray from the center and off into the murky grey area (or the fringe)?  We know that staying true to the gospel message was important to the writers of the New Testament also.  Listen to this verse from 1 Timothy (4:16), "Watch your life and doctrine closely.  Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers."   

If it was important to them, it should be important to us.

I think that the problem lies in the fact that these Biblical truths are often mixed together with a little bit of sugar here, and a lot of sodium there.  By the time we add MSG and a spoon-full of Yellow #5, we have such a watered down version of the Good News that we shouldn't be surprised if the outside world wants none of it.  They are hearing an amalgamated version of the faith, laced with political correctness and a good measure of personal opinion thrown in to boot. 

But imagine if we kept it simple, and we stuck to the big five without any additives or extras.  Habakkuk says this in fact (2:2-3), "Write the vision, and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.  For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie."   Imagine if we made it plain.  

I believe there would be less in-fighting within churches, and therefore less contempt for the word of God outside of the church as well.  We feel so much better when we eat healthy and begin to heal our bodies from the inside out.  Wouldn't this hold true for our spiritual selves also?  No loaded baked potato with sour cream and butter for me; just serve it to me plain please.  None of that other junk that will only slow me down. 

Then reality comes rushing back in.  Of course we often cloud these marvelous truths with man-made traditions and supplemental rules.  It's what human beings do - it always has been.  I'm sure many well meaning bishops and pastors throughout generations past have added a bit extra to their sermons here and there.  Better to make it plain if possible, however.  Once our skin begins to clear up and the allergy symptoms leave, the future of the church begins to look brighter.  We may even drop some extra weight in the process.

My Personal Faith Journey

Today I was fortunate enough to give my personal testimony at church.  It allowed me to share with people what my life used to look like, versus what it looks like now.  Any good gift is from above (as Scripture says), so I attribute any progress whatsoever regarding my faith walk to God above.  I love Him, and I always will.  I hope you enjoy this video:

.

Sixteen Chapters

My wife and I recently celebrated our sixteenth wedding anniversary.  I wanted to make this occasion special, so I carved out some time just for us.  With three kids, a dog, a cat, and two full time jobs, weekend getaways do not come easy.  This was important to me however, so we dropped off the kids with the grandparents, and away we went.  

It was a fantastic time.  We dined at an excellent restaurant, squeezed in some shopping, and even managed to walk along the river bank on a sidewalk that seemed designed just for the two of us.  My wife has been with me through all manner of trials and all types of unexpected events.  We have shared many wonderful things together as well.  She has been a guiding light for me and the kids from the very beginning.  

Anniversaries are a time to celebrate what you have accomplished, as well as what lies ahead.  Anyone who has been married with children can tell you that you will have both good times and difficult times, but one thing is certain - it is never boring.  Boredom is not an affectation granted to parents!  It is a wild ride, and I have a feeling that is the way God intended it.  

As I look back through these first sixteen years, I cannot help but think of them as interesting chapters in a really good book.  We are sixteen chapters along so far, and I wouldn't change a thing.  How many more chapters will God grant me I wonder?  Will there be a chapter where I get to hold my own grandchildren?  Maybe a chapter or two written expressly for the purpose of living a long and healthy life.  One can only hope.

And how do we make certain that each chapter in our proverbial book of life is lived well?  Is it enough just to do the best we can with what we have?  What part does faith play in all of this?  Can we expect God to partner with us to raise our kids and to help nurture them through times of difficulty?

There is a wonderful piece of Scripture in the book of Proverbs that talks about this very thing.  I firmly believe it is a description of how God desires us to view the world.  A mantle of guidance for how the spiritual man or woman can - on his or her best day - make their way through this strange and wonderful life and be able to look back with satisfaction.

Proverbs 9:10 says this, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."  We should pause for a moment to define what is meant by the first part of this passage I think, because to misinterpret it is to confuse its real meaning.

When people in ancient times talked about fearing the Lord, it wasn't just the idea that we should be literally afraid of God.  Something up there so big and powerful that we are to cower under His mighty stare.  No, rather it means that all things being equal, it is best to have an awe and respect for God.  That it is good to obey His commands as best we can, and to revel in the knowledge that we are saved by faith through grace, and that not of our own hand (Ephesians 2:8).  

In other words, living with a healthy reverence for the one who created us ... all the while seeking to learn more about Him.  This is the real beginning of true wisdom.  This is actually one of my firm foundational beliefs.  If we do not participate in some way in this endeavor, then we are "missing it" I think.  We are living the empty shell of a life that was made for so much more.  We are only going through the motions.

I believe that in this way, God's wisdom (the fear of the Lord) can help guide all the chapters in our book.  Both the sixteen chapters that my wife and I have already shared, as well as the next sixteen.  

I suppose it would help to think of it from the perspective of a life lived without such reverence as well.  Let's say for the sake of argument that I lived out the first sixteen years of my marriage without any knowledge or appreciation for Biblical fortitude (and surely this was true for the first few years at least).  I work hard so that I can make a good living, so that we can afford cars and a decent home.  But to what end?  So that I can work even harder as time goes on, maybe get a promotion, and eventually buy a better car and a bigger house?  There must be more to life than this.

Or maybe I raise my kids in a loving environment, but there is no time for church or faith.  The children go from one activity to another.  They play sports and enjoy it, and maybe one of them goes off to college with a scholarship.  But to what end?  Don't other kids in other homes play sports and get scholarships?  Where is the grand importance here?  What meaning does any of it really have if it isn't grounded in some type of lasting faith tradition?  Again ... there must be more to life than this.

Proverbs 9:10 flies in the face of all of this.  It asks us to wake up from our slumber of being busy for the sake of being busy, and it requires us to take action.  It asks us not just what we are doing, but who we are doing it for.  Just how are those chapters in our book of life coming along?  Are the pages woven together by faith and a commitment to something greater than ourselves?  If not, it may be time to pause for a moment and reflect.

These are not silly platitudes, and I sincerely hope that what I'm saying doesn't sound that way.  How we live out the chapters in our life determines where we end up for all eternity, and whether or not we are pointing our children toward (or away) from a life with God.  The stakes are high, we dare not misstep.

I don't know, would I have been happy with the first sixteen chapters if they were Godless?  Maybe marginally.  But as my favorite author and philosopher C.S. Lewis writes in his book 'Mere Christianity': "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen; not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."     

The only reason we have chapters at all is because God grants them to us in the first place.  Why not give back to Him by simply seeking His light, and fearing Him the way a child should respect its parents.  We can partner with Jesus in a way that allows for our faith to grow and mature over the course of our life, and in so doing, pass along that tradition to the rest of our family.  We have the ability to transfer this faith to our children, our friends, and even others in the community.  We have a calling to live a Proverbs 9:10 type of life.

As I finish writing this article, my kids are tucked away in bed.  It was another busy day full of rushing around here and there.  I am actually surprised that we got everyone to bed at a decent hour.  It's time for me to turn in for the evening as well.  Time to put the finishing touches on this particular page in my sixteenth chapter.  I am looking forward with anticipation to the next chapter.  I haven't looked ahead yet, and there isn't a table of contents.  No cheating allowed.  Fear God and love him, and that will surely be enough I think.  I wish the same for all of my kids; and for yours as well.  



.

Catfishing for a Counterfeit Jesus

It's time for me to make a public confession.  I think I may be addicted to the MTV television show 'Catfish.'  This is a reality based program starring two young men named Nev and Max who travel the country helping people investigate suspicious Internet activity regarding dating and relationships.  The show has brought to the forefront an entire sub-culture of scam artists who dedicate their time to luring unsuspecting people into relationships by creating false online depictions of who they are, often using fake profile pictures and phony geographic locations.  Much of the time, these people even lie about their gender.  The innocent victim invariably ends up hiring Nev and Max in order to investigate those instances where something sounds a little too good to be true, and then the race is on to find out who is really on the other end of that computer.  Unfortunately, most of the time each episode ends in heartbreak for the love-struck protagonist, and a rude awakening for the identity thief. 

I suppose the appeal of the show comes from observing all the unique and inventive ways that these scam artists invent in order to seduce people into starting a relationship.  The metaphor is apt, as they are truly fishing for victims.  Once hooked, these poor unfortunates can spend months (if not years) pouring out their heart to someone they don't really know at all.  

With the popularity of this show, I'm surprised anyone attempts Internet dating at all anymore.  But they do, and many of them get 'catfished' in the process.  It happens over and over again.   

It is difficult for me not to draw comparisons here regarding the battle being waged for our spiritual allegiance these days as well.   We have various groups (both religious and otherwise) fishing for new members and promising people anything they want.  We have recent news stories about hundreds of people taken in by cults - remember David Koresh and the disaster in Waco, Texas?  As of late, we even have people speaking out about Scientology, and how its proponents forced thousands of its adherents to hand over large sums of money in order to stay in the church.

No doubt there are people out there who have had similar catfishing experiences when it comes to finding a church home.  

The Bible has much to say about this.  I am reminded in particular of Ephesians 4:14, which says, "As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming."   Or 2 Tim 4:3, which frames the problem like so, "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but with itching ears will surround themselves with teachers who cater to their peoples' own desires."  

There are good reasons to be skeptical when it comes to religion.  To paraphrase something C.S. Lewis once wrote: when it comes to spiritual matters, we are often sheep among wolves.  There are those who consciously seek to malign the word of God, trick people into following false principles or seductive lies, and who cannot wait to catfish anyone who may be swimming by.  Though it definitely isn't the fault of those who succumb to these scams, Scripture does seem to imply that we have a responsibility to investigate what type of water we are wading into, prior to leaping off the diving board.  And really, how easy is it to be hooked in - especially when it is often our own ears doing the itching?

We have at our disposal some Biblical warning signs about false religion and bad doctrine as well.  We are to recognize the proverbial catfish by its fruit.  In other words, what legacy is being left behind by certain religions or sects?  What is the end result of what they are doing and saying?  Are people being uplifted and encouraged by these belief systems, or are they being oppressed and dehumanized?  Does a church discourage going outside their own four walls for fear of losing control of its members?  Or do they promote going out into the community and sharing ideas with others?

It is sometimes very difficult to discern truth from fiction, and in fact the people that reach out to Nev and Max on the television show are often powerless to make right judgments.  They are too far gone, and too much time has been invested.  Something feels wrong, but they cannot quite put their finger on the source.

When I read through the Bible I cannot help but think that not only did God realize that discernment would sometimes be difficult, but He sent one magnificent and influential sign to humanity so that no one could miss it.  Jesus is God's supernatural mouthpiece.  He was someone who screamed to the world "Follow me, and I will show you the real God."  

Other leaders from history have claimed God's special dispensation also, but none were resurrected on the third day, in accordance with prophetic Scripture.  It was as if God knew that spiritual confusion would abound, so He sent someone for whom it would be impossible to dismiss.  We may love Christ or hate him, but we cannot ignore him.  We must all make a choice as to what his existence meant. 

I believe Christianity to be one of the only religious endeavors that doesn't shy away from asking hard questions.  It has stood the test of time, and has welcomed investigation from all manner of people groups for the last two thousand years.  In fact, if your church doesn't permit you to ask questions about its doctrine, then I would suggest you may want to find a new church.  The Bible has answers to difficult questions, logical constructs to correct supposed inconsistencies, and even an offer of eternal life for those brave enough to accept Jesus.  It is a belief system worth looking into, and I believe it was designed with that in mind.  It is okay to look around and kick the tires, and it is okay to ask questions when it comes to the Bible.  

Every great once in a while an episode of 'Catfish' actually ends well.   Nev and Max will set up a face to face meeting with a mysterious person who actually turns out to be the real thing.  A budding romance may start at this point, and everyone goes home happy.  "It was worth the trouble," the love struck person will say.  So is our journey to find the real God.  No counterfeit Jesus will suffice in this situation, and none were meant to.  

If you are in an online relationship that sounds too good to be true, you may feel inclined to call Nev and Max after reading this article.  If you are searching for God, please open the Bible and poke around a bit.  Ask questions, and look for truth within its pages.  I have a feeling you will find what you are looking for, and a budding romance may even begin.



.

An Embarrassment of Riches

It is widely known among school-aged children that my middle son is an expert on the RMS Titanic.  Age ten is about right to harbor an intense fascination with this epic story I think.  My daughter went through a similar phase when she was in fourth grade.  How could anyone not be at least somewhat enthralled with the tragic events in the North Atlantic Ocean in 1912.  For heaven's sake, they even made a block-buster film about it.  

My son can tell you the name of the captain, the year the ship sank, and probably even how cold the water temperature was when it went down.  And he can do it all without using Google.  

This picture perfect memory of his goes so far as to pinpoint the exact angle and arc of the four smokestacks that jutted up toward the sky from the deck of the ship as well.  I'm sure they were an impressive sight at the time of the vessel's creation, and no detail is lost on my little guy.  The truth is, we have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to information surrounding the Titanic.  We even have old log books that contain the names and room numbers of all the passengers that were on that fateful voyage.  In fact, I am certain that if I have misquoted any of the facts about the Titanic in this very article, someone, somewhere will probably notice.  

I believe that in similar fashion, we have an overabundance of knowledge at our fingertips when it comes to studying Holy Scripture as well.  We can pull up an article about the various ways that archeology has vindicated Biblical accounts from history for example.  Five minutes spent in an easy chair with the NIV study Bible, and anyone can sound like an armchair theologian.  It is almost too easy.

By grace of God, this wealth of knowledge also extends to the question of how someone can be rescued by Christ, no matter what their circumstances are.  Or as some like to phrase it: becoming born again.  

It is an important topic, and I dare say it may be the most important topic.  Even the non-believer can see that something changes within a person when they accept Jesus.  They are not the same as they were before.  It is the pivotal point where a person decides that it is okay to want more than this world has to offer, and to understand at the same time, that we are imperfect beings in need of grace.  This realization often breeds a degree of discontentment (as I think it should), and can lead a person to look deeper for something eternal and more meaningful.  They truly begin seeking after God, as it were.

My favorite piece of Scripture is Romans 10:9.  It is simple, straightforward, and heartfelt.  To argue about its meaning is silly, and to ignore its implications is equally foolish.  It says this, "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

There are no peripheral statements that go along with this edict.  It doesn't say 'declare with your mouth ... and you also need to wear the right type of clothes each Sunday'.  Nor does it say 'believe in your heart that God raised him, and also make sure to correct people if they make a mistake during vacation Bible school.'

It is too simple to misinterpret, and too important to ignore.  It provides us with an embarrassment of riches, at least as it pertains to eternal salvation.  You can Google search it, you can read about it, and you can discuss it on any given Sunday at Christian churches across America, from New York to California.   

What do we do then with this information?  Especially since it is so easily accessible?   I suppose it is possible to ignore it.  We could - if we really wanted to - go through life pushing Romans 10:9 away.  Maybe when we die the lights go out, and that's it.  Maybe all of this excitement about God and salvation ultimately comes to nothing.  Some people do hold to this philosophy.

Yet the question of our own significance in this universe is always there, waiting on the sidelines.  It never really goes away.  You cannot reason your way out of it or talk yourself free from it.  Truth be told, I really don't think you can push the big questions away for any prolonged length of time.  God's still, quiet voice lingers like a music box sitting on a dresser in a dimly lit room.  Try as we might, even if we attempt to hide downstairs in the basement in the opposite corner of the house, we can still hear its simple melody playing in the background.  It doesn't go away; it isn't supposed to.

But do we dare take the time to actually listen to the words of the song (do we actually read and think about Romans 10:9)?  Or is it just easier sometimes to keep away from the dimly lit room altogether?

I humbly suggest that we embrace this abundance of Scriptural availability.  I think that we should not only enter the room with the music, but pull up a chair and write down the lyrics as fast as they pour out.  It is usually better to explore that mysterious room than to avoid it.  If we take the time to look, there is often a window that can illuminate things quite nicely.  The curtain will not pull itself open though - it is up to us to initiate it.

I believe God is ready to take in anyone who is willing to commit Romans 10:9 to their heart.  If this wasn't so, He would not have inspired the author of the book of Romans to write it.  The simplicity of salvation is God's gift to us.  It is His way to connect more deeply with you and I.  To accept Christ into our lives, to profess Him to others, and be baptized in His name.  It is nothing less than responding to the music box, and throwing open the window to let the light in.  

My son just finished a scaled down version of the Titanic for a Cub Scout project.  He made it out of cardboard, duct tape, and a healthy dose of natural engineering ability (that his father doesn't have).  I was amazed at the attention to detail.  Four smokestacks are accurately represented, slightly tilted in a backward direction to match the old photos of the real ship.  Trust me, this version of the ship won't sink.  And why wouldn't he get the details right?  There is no reason to be confused, he had an embarrassment of riches at his disposal to refer back to.  The blueprints were always there.

Best of all is the fact that he accomplished his goal.  He went ahead with what was at times, an intimidating project.  Just think what a shame it would have been if he had never started building in the first place.  

The music is always better when we listen carefully to the lyrics, and then do what they say.



. 

The Reality of Easter Sunday

The Easter season is upon us.  It is interesting to talk with people about what they have decided to give up for Lent, or what type of preparations they are making in order to spend time with family.  It is definitely an important holiday.  The discussion often revolves around the topic of egg hunts and bunny rabbits.  This is what makes April such a fun month for the kids.  But it is also a good opportunity to make sure we remember that Good Friday and Easter Sunday were built on firm foundations in the church, and factual historical occurrences.  Egg hunts and rabbits are fun, but the holiday itself is the linchpin of our Christian heritage, not to mention the way we understand eternal salvation.

Take the Bible itself for instance.  It is truly an amazing book. Its 66 books were written by some 40 authors over the span of fifteen hundred years. And through it all, the narrative and thematic principles remain seamless and harmonious. One interesting fact when we talk about Biblical truth - or proving the authority of the Bible - comes by way of fulfilled prophecies. We can trust that Easter is worth celebrating because it is possible to look back throughout Biblical history and review its prophetic truth.  Now by prophecy, I am not talking here about the looser sense of the word used in movies and the popular writing of today. The type of weird or vague platitudes you may see in a Lord of the Rings movie for example.  No, I mean the utterances spoken by the real prophets of God in days gone by, of which the veracity has already been proven (and written down) for all to see.

Lets look at just the prophecies of Jesus Christ alone. There are roughly three hundred of them that can be traced back and proved to have already come to pass! Some critics may offer this type of rebuttal, "Well, maybe Jesus had read these prophecies, and then purposely tried to position himself in the right place at the right time in order to fulfill them publicly." Now this is rather strange, as most of you probably can sense from the outset. Did Christ plan to be born in the right town and at the right time? Did Jesus say to himself, "next week I have to die at the hands of Pontius Pilate on a cross to fulfill Isaiah 53?" I'm afraid that simply doesn't connect.  There is something more going on here. 

Now what do I mean by prophecies fulfilled? Here is a short list of examples below:

Jesus would be born of the seed of Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3, 22:18), of the tribe of Judah (Gen 49:10), of the house of David (2 Samuel 7:12f). The city in which he would be born (Micah 5:2), that Jesus would come while the temple was still standing (Malachi 3:1), that he would be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), that he would perform miracles (Isaiah 35:5-6), that he would be rejected by his own people (Psalm 118:22; 1 Peter 2:7), the exact time in history when Christ would die (Daniel 9:24-26; 483 years after the declaration to reconstruct the city of Jerusalem in 444 B.C.).  This one was fulfilled to the very year by the way.  How he would die (Psalm 22:16-18, Isaiah 53; Zech 12:10), and that he would be resurrected (Psalm 16:10).

So what does this all mean? Is it just old wives' tales that were written in one part of a book, and verified at another part of the same book? That would be a good argument if the book were written by the same author in the same lifetime. But as we mentioned above, it was spread out across generations and hundreds of years. Okay, so maybe all the writers simply looked back across the pages and invented accounts to fulfill the prophecies, right? Remember that the Bible is a historical document as well as an inspired book. The person and existence of Jesus vindicated over 300 such predictions, and did so in ways that defy backward plagiarism.  One does not choose where he or she is to be born, or to what lineage they will be born into, etc.  

If we can trace back this type of truth historically, it allows us to make the assertion that all of these dates and events leading up to Easter are also true.  And most importantly, that Good Friday and Easter Sunday were real events as well.   If they are not, then the church may as well pack it in right now.  We would be nothing more than a building to house Wednesday night dinners and conduct social clubs.

Weak arguments exist to deny Biblical truth, but so do strong rebuttals. At the end of the day, I'm afraid we are left with good evidence for the veracity of the Bible, as well as proof that it was inspired by God. Not only do the prophecies tell us that Jesus was the real deal, but they also tell us that God knows His plan for the past, present, and future - and knows it well. As author C.S. Lewis put it in his book 'Mere Christianity':  "we have reason to be uncomfortable [that something extraordinary is at work here]."  Or in the case of the Christian believer, we have reason for our assurance in Easter.  

It is good to celebrate this holiday with friends and family.  It is good to visit your local church to honor the God that has given us so much.  It is best, I think, to remember it actually happened - and has little to do with eggs or rabbits.  It is nothing less than an account of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  I can think of no other truth so instrumental to the well being of mankind. 

.

A Peculiar Fear of Singing

I have always been nervous when it comes to singing in public.  God has gifted a great many people in a variety of ways, and the Scriptures tell us that some are given to mission work, others to teaching and preaching, and still others have the gift of music.  My particular set of spiritual gifts, however, do not include song.  When it comes to music, I should probably stick to listening.  

Normally I am okay with this reality.  When I hear a song that I like on the radio for example, I make sure the car windows are rolled up before I belt out a tune while driving down the road.  This is for the benefit of those around me in the other cars, as well as any innocent pedestrians that may be out walking when I drive by.  You can thank me for this later.

Recently my son's Webelos Cub Scout den was challenged to fulfill a unit entitled 'Duty to God and You.'  It sounded fun, so I offered to lead the kids in this area.  The boys and I had to create, plan, and perform a worship service in public.  Things were going well, but I did notice there was one part of the service that included music.  

After laying out the sermon message and some other small details, I looked around for people who possessed some type of singing voice - at least a better voice than I had.  To my chagrin, there was no one to be found.  For this moment in time, it was up to me to lead the song in front of a room full of people.  Though I rather enjoy public speaking, I have to admit I was apprehensive about the singing.  This would be something new for me ... there was no turning back now.   

Although insignificant by comparison with the many other things going on in the world today, this anxiety reminded me what it is like to have to trust that things will work out okay.  Whether you are leading a song in front of an audience, or doing something else for which you feel under-qualified - there remains a trust issue at the heart of the matter.  We all have a choice whether we will allow fear to lead us into anxiety, or not.  

I also believe it is a fair question to ask what the Bible says about the need to trust God and  hope that things will work out for the best (even if it doesn't feel that way at the time).  We are given a curious Scripture in the book of Romans.  It says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Rom 8:28).     

There is quite a bit to unpack in that one sentence, and we will address it shortly.  But I want to throw in another relatively famous piece of advice from the book of Proverbs.   It reads, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not to your own understanding." (Pr 3:5).  

I am beginning to sense a theme here.  Are you?  We are to trust in the one who made us.  The one who created everything wants us to know that we are loved, and we are to rest in the knowledge that if we allow him to, he will guide us to a place of safety.  But what about when things do not appear to be going so well?  What about when the Christian believer is cast into a sea of doubt, or when we are confronted with the prospect of persecution for our faith?  The road then becomes more difficult to navigate I think. 

Stephen was one of the first followers of Christ to be martyred for his faith.  The book of Acts records his final speech, and it is one of most poetic soliloquies any believer has ever recited.  Unfortunately, the end result of Stephen's testimony was ominous, to say the least.  He was a victim of the ancient form of corporal punishment known as stoning.  The astute reader will also note that Christian martyrdom still goes on in our world today.  It may not be a top news story anymore, but people are still dying for their faith, even in the twenty-first century.  This reality hasn't changed much in the last two-thousand years.

Whom then do we trust, when we come to an impasse in our lives and it appears that all roads lead to a dead end?  Who do we trust when we are laid off from our job?  When we are going through a divorce?  When we find ourselves on the proverbial road less traveled?

For this answer I think we must turn our gaze back toward Jesus himself.  In chapter 16 of the Gospel of John, Jesus tells his disciples that, "In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world."  

He has overcome the world even when it doesn't look that way, and even when it would be easier (or more reasonable) not to believe it.  This statement is so much more than  some empty platitude implying that 'things will get better' at some point in the near future.  In fact, these Scriptures point to the promise of eternal life that the Christ follower can bank on.  God is reminding us that there is something better than the temporary problems of our earthly lives. If God has overcome the world, then he has done so forever.  Even if we are experiencing turmoil here and now, we are given this spiritual guarantee that in the end, things will turn out okay.  One day we will wake up and the world will make sense again.  We need not take a position of hopelessness.  We weren't meant to.  

By the end of our Webelos worship service, the entire room had erupted into song.  Some of us had printed pieces of paper with the verses listed off, and others simply remembered the hymn from days gone by.  I began the chorus, and others joined in to finish it.  Soon enough (and much to my relief), my own voice blended into a cacophony of fifty other voices.  

Ultimately the service went well I think.  The boys did a great job, and the time went by quickly.  There were smiles on people's faces.  No one went deaf. 

It appears that sometimes in life, we will have to lead the song ourselves.  It can be a scary proposition, but we must do it anyway.  It will often appear that things are not going our way, but we must press on toward the goal.  We are to trust in God.  After all, he warned us that this world will sometimes bring trouble.  No need to be anxious though, he is an excellent singer.



. 

The Problem of Evil in a Civilized World

I am almost afraid to turn on the television and watch the news anymore.  It is difficult to hop around on social media lately as well.  Something has changed.  Someone is always angry with someone else.  It seems like there is either a war going on somewhere in the world, or at least the threat of a war.  I am reminded of a famous phrase from a popular movie from long ago ... 'There is something strange afoot.'

I think that we often read the words in the Bible that say "the thief comes to steal and destroy", but we gloss over them. Many of us may think that these words represent some mystical ethereal being called the Devil, but that they are more symbolic than factual. We think that spiritual warfare doesn't really happen, and most of the evil in the world can be attributed to human nature, war, lack of education, or something to that effect. But is that really all there is to the story? What if there were actually a real undercurrent of evil which exists in our world? Something stronger and more focused than just human nature?  Many feel it is outdated to think about the problem of evil in a spiritual way I suspect, especially in the twenty-first century.  But bear with me as we delve a little deeper into this subject matter, I think it will be worth your while. It will help make sense of some of the sobering things we see going on around us.  It is definitely an interesting time to be alive. 

I remember watching a documentary called 'Worse Than War' not long ago.  It did an excellent job of outlining some of the reasons behind genocide and the mass killing of entire segments of the human population. I'm not talking hundreds of people here, I'm talking millions. Nazi Germany, or even the Bosnian War in more recent history for example. Not to mention current headlines about Aleppo.  Wikipedia defines genocide like this: the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group. An adequate definition I suppose. But now imagine that you lived in Darfur and you witnessed your neighbors, friends, and family being dragged into the street and murdered in front of you - only to realize that you were probably next. Or lets bring it even closer to home.  You are pulled out of your car at the stoplight, waiting to go to the mall to do some shopping, or on your way to work. Suddenly your life is in danger for no other reason than the color of your skin or your ethnic background.  You get the idea. An academic definition is good as far as it goes, but then reality comes rushing in. Compare the black and white films we used to watch in high school about the German gas chambers, and then contrast that with talking to a holocaust survivor. The problem of evil is real, pervasive, and widespread. It appears to be here to stay.

The film-maker in this particular documentary went and interviewed one of the men from Rwanda who participated in roaming groups which went into communities and wiped out families. You may remember this atrocity from news headlines years ago.  What he said was difficult to accept.  To paraphrase, he said "We would go in with machetes and [dispose of] whoever got in our way first. If they were fast and made us chase them for too long - we would purposely cause them more pain prior to death. If they submitted willingly to us, we would kill them quickly, or occasionally even let them live. Sometimes it was tough, because you would encounter young babies who would just start to learn to smile. They would smile at me, and then I would murder them."

When asked what caused him and his fellow militia soldiers to act like this, he said "I don't really know. I don't have an answer for this. We knew we were doing it, we were fully conscious... but it was like a kind of fog enveloped us. A current of great cruelty overtook us, almost like it was controlling us."

The documentary offered some different explanations for this type of cruelty: blind obedience, bias, racism, etc. These are all true, in so far as they go. But the answer that this man from Rwanda gave was much more haunting. It seemed to defy secular categorization.

The Bible tells us that evil is real. That it isn't just some aberrant behavior carried out by small portions of the world's population due to lack of education or divisive belief systems. There is something more going on, and none of us are immune. Americans are lucky in some ways.  My generation hasn't had to deal with conflict on our own soil really, apart from the events of September 11th in New York city. But this relative peace won't last forever. That great evils have occurred in the past, or that they will occur in the future - or even that they are currently happening - doesn't concern me as much as the reason they occur. If you answer that it is just part of human nature to seek out conflict, you may be right to a degree. But what happened to mankind, who can be loving and generous one moment, then awful and vengeful the next?  How have we fallen so far from the mark? I believe it was a fall indeed. The book of Genesis talks about the fall of man as a result of original sin, but not only that.  There are spiritually dark undercurrents that do exist in our world.  It is a problem that cannot be overcome (much less solved) without addressing the spiritual realm.  

Ephesians 6:12 says "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

There appears to be more going on behind the scenes than many of us feel comfortable thinking about.  And as such, I believe we must combat this malevolent force in a way that entails much more than simply bolstering our military might or securing our borders.  It must begin with the ardent prayer of God's people for peace.  It must begin with an understanding of what we are really dealing with, and a willingness to combat it on more than just a physical level.  There is a time and a place to use force as a method to protect ourselves and our family, and we cannot disregard that.  But it is not the only method. 

Fortunately for us, there is also good news.  If there is such a dark reality in our world, then there must be the opposite of that evil which exists also. There is always a balance.  We cannot call true evil bad, unless we know the greater good that is also at work. This I believe, at least in a round-about sort of way, points directly to the existence of a loving God. Do not let the fact that planet Earth can be a violent place sometimes wash away the fact that it won't be like this forever. The Bible tells us that there is a God, that He loves us, and that He has promised not to abandon us. We can focus on Jesus, and in so doing live out that part of our human nature that is divine and good. As a people we don't stay in our homes and hide from the outside world, afraid to venture out or unlock our doors.  But rather we go out into the world, and bring with us this light from above.  

Few people would doubt that true evil exists. But we are not given a spirit of fear either.  God has provided us with a knowledge and a picture of what is truly good and righteous in the Bible. And I believe that if we seek after it and cling to it, He will use us to reverse this dark undercurrent slowly but surely, one person at a time, and in ways we cannot yet fathom.




.