Spiritual Homework: A Return to Joy

"Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart." Psalm 119:111


I remember what it was like to be a new Christian.  Not a new member of a church, not the first time I watched the Passion of the Christ movie ... but what it felt like to trust Jesus.  I was around 30 years old when I knelt on the bottom stair of my split foyer home and admitted to God that I needed Him in my life.  This changed a number of things for me.  I remember doing "crazy" things like withdrawing twenty-dollar bills from the ATM and shoving them in the coat pockets of my unsuspecting co-workers.  When they turned off their computers and put on their jackets to head home for the night, the surprised look on their face and stunned silence was it's own reward.  I would just keep quiet and giggle from my cubicle across the hall.  I was joyful toward God and life, and ready to save the world!
 
Since then a number of years have gone by (without telling you my age!).  Why had I done those types of things?  Because I was happy to be alive.  Happy to be under God's grace.  Happy to be forgiven and free, all at the same time.  I have been thinking about this alot lately.  Why don't I do those things anymore?  After all, God is still faithful - and I am still His, right?  
 
I think many of us forget what it is like to have freedom in Christ.  We get caught up in the throes of raising a family and going to work, paying bills, etc.  Even experienced Christians can lose track of the joy that God provides.  In Revelation 2:17 Jesus tells  the church in Ephesus that they had "forsaken the love they had at first."  I think that many of us (myself included) have done this very same thing.
 
I want to extend an offer to you today.  This is your "spiritual homework" for the week, if you choose to accept it.  Do the following 2 things after reading this post:
 
1.) Pray that God would show you someone that needs your help
2.) When God shows you this person, DO something to help them
 
If it entails watching their child while they run to the grocery store for a gallon of milk, then do it.  If it means sharing the Gospel message, then give it a shot.  I believe that if we pray this prayer sincerely, God will respond.  After all, what would it be like to put on your jacket at the end of the day and find an extra twenty-dollars?
 

PS: If you have accepted this assignment and want to share with me (and the readers of this blog) how God allowed you to help someone, please email me your story at sjklaus@msn.com.  I look forward to seeing what can happen when we ask God for someone to bless.
 
 

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Interesting Quote

“We thought that we had the answers, it was the questions we had wrong.”


- Bono





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How Are We Using Our Time Here on Earth?

Pastor and best-selling author Francis Chan summarizes his thoughts in the video below.  I am currently reading his book Crazy Love, about what it means to love God in the 21st century.  I found the link below both humorous and compelling.  Enjoy!

Interesting Quote

"It surprises me how disinterested we are today about things like physics, space, the universe and philosophy of our existence, our purpose, our final destination. Its a crazy world out there. Be curious."

- Stephen Hawking

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Heaven is for Real: Colton Burpo's Story

I recently finished the book Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo.  This book is only about 150 pages, so it is a relatively quick read.  But I have to be honest - it was quite engaging.  In the pages of this book Todd lays out the true story of his son Colton's trip to Heaven.  When Colton was close to 4 years old, he suffered from a mis-diagnosed appendicitis.  5 days later, by the time the Burpos took Colton to a hospital to find out that his appendix had ruptured, it was almost too late.  In fact at one point the author relates that the nurses in the hospital were instructed not to give the Burpo family any encouragement, because Colton would most likely be dead from organ poisoning in a matter of days. 

Can you imagine this?  One day your 4-year-old is healthy and active.  The next day he is on death's doorstep.  Unfortunately many people can imagine this and have experienced something similar.  In this case, however, things took a turn for the better.  After the Burpos invited around 80 people to gather and pray for recovery, Colton rebounded quickly.  Todd writes that those same nurses would stream constantly after he had recovered just to witness what they knew was a miracle. 

Then things get interesting.  Throughout the course of the next year, Colton begins relating details to his parents about what he had witnessed when he was close to death.  He talked about sitting in Jesus' lap.  He discussed seeing people in white robes with red and blue sashes across their chest.  Colton met Todd's father "Pop", who had died before Colton was even born.  Apparently in Heaven everyone is young and beautiful.  There are fantastic color palettes there, thousands more colors than exist on earth.  And then there was what would become Colton's catch-phrase during those post-hospital months: "Jesus loves the children."  Todd even writes of one instance where they were attending a funeral for an acquaintance, and Colton happened to see the casket.  He exclaimed, "Daddy, did that man have Jesus in his heart?  You can't get into Heaven if you don't have Jesus in your heart!"  Not your typical topics of conversation for a 4-year-old.

The Burpos have been a beacon of hope to many people, and also subject to criticism by others.  This is normal of course.  You cannot write a book about Jesus and please everyone.  But the strange thing is that some of the criticism is from other Christian groups.  One group argues that you ought not mistake the truth of Scripture for a supernatural "experience."  Now this is a strange argument really.  After all, if the Bible is true - shouldn't we see some experiential evidence?   At any rate, I applaud the Burpos' courage.  If your 4-year-old started talking about meeting Jesus, would you tell anyone?  As Todd wrote several times in the book: it was a gift from God.  The more time that passed, the more wrapping paper would come off. 

Nothing in Heaven is for Real appeared to contradict anything Biblical, at least in my eyes.  The author was careful to research everything his son was telling him, and he provides chapter and verse for Biblical verification throughout the book.  I am recommending this book.  I think it will enhance what we already think we know about Heaven.  It also makes me wonder how many of us are holding on to incredible stories about God that we may choose not to talk about in mixed company.  Do you and I have "gifts from God that need to be unwrapped?"  I have included a link below to a video detailing the Burpos' experience.  Take a look and see for yourself!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhT36Dizo2s


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"God had one son on earth without sin, but never one without suffering."



            - St. Augustine (354 - 430)
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Consternation and Faith

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Progress on The God Circle Book

Just an update on the progress of my book.  I was able to procure the help of a local editor and I am happy to announce that the second draft of The God Circle: the Search for the Logical Christian Faith is complete!  I think I may have underestimated how much of a process something like this can be.  Nevertheless, I hope to be nearly complete (and maybe even published) in 6 months. 

I wanted also to extend a big THANK YOU to all who have supported this project.  From the people who have screened the original manuscript and given me feedback, to my wife who has had to stomach listening to me talk about it constantly.  Keep an eye out for this book soon.  I intend on having a dedicated website set up so people can order it easily, as well as an internet "advertising" campaign.  But most of all, I think this book will succeed through word of mouth.

Thanks again for reading!

- Jon


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Does Science Imply No Supernatural?

There is a call-in radio show by Don Johnson Ministries that often honors callers with different worldviews. Although it is a Christian show, Don will entertain atheist callers, and the outcome is usually a respectful and thoughtful debate. On one particular segment, caller Justin was attempting to promote a naturalistic and determinist worldview. In the course of the conversation, Justin mentioned that one big reason for his assent to an atheistic viewpoint was the fact that natural science had proven itself so well over the course of history. He maintained that because science assumes that there is nothing other than a physical world and universe, and because it has worked well to help mankind over the years, then it serves as evidence that the supernatural does not exist.


Now this is an interesting vantage point. Don challenged the caller with the following 2 points: 1.) natural science does NOT assume that only the physical world exists, 2.) natural science only cares about testing and observing nature – nothing else. To this last point I would add that anything else you bring to the table here is personal philosophy, not scientific fact.


I think the question then is this - does science imply that the natural physical world is all there is? Now a good many people today think this is true. But I think that linking the effectiveness of science with the assumption that there is no God was not as predominant throughout history as it is today. I am not a historian, but I believe this to be largely a new phenomenon. So if this claim is truly a weapon that some people are keeping in their intellectual arsenal so that they can ignore Christianity, we must examine it further.


First of all it occurs to me also that science does NOT assume that only the physical universe exists. Since natural science is only concerned with the natural world, it can only speak to attributes of that natural world. It cannot say – no matter how much some want it to – that no other type of world exists. This may seem like semantics, but let me put it a different way. Let’s say that I am a really good mechanic, and that I always have a full car shop. Anything from Hondas to GMC vehicles show up at my door. I am experienced at working on cars, and over the years I have become pretty efficient - maybe even impressive. But if you take me out of my car shop and plop me down in front of, say, an art school; I find that I cannot even properly mix a color palette. Simply put – I have nothing to say when it comes to painting or drawing. Science is an excellent tool and predictor of things in the natural world. But I hardly think it can assume that there is ONLY the natural world, anymore than I could assume that replacing a muffler or overhauling an engine is all there is to life.


Second, it occurs to me that when we regard any of the conclusions we draw based on the results of natural science (at least in so much as it pertains to the big questions of life) we are using philosophy or a worldview - not science. Bear with me while I risk an oversimplification with this next example. I can test the effect of two chemicals together, and I can observe the outcome. But I cannot declare that this outcome automatically points to a certain worldview or philosophy. Just because science is really good at science, doesn’t mean that there is no God. I don’t think most people (atheists included) could argue this raw point. In order to argue that point, you would have to break it down into finer and finer arguments, wherein I think you would simply find yourself adding more and more personal preference and philosophy – hence taking you farther away from the factual science itself, and full steam ahead into the arena of philosophy.


When we begin to step outside the realm of the scientific and into the realm of the worldview, we have left science and entered into something different. Let us at least be agreed on that. After all, natural science isn’t good or bad, it just IS. The minute we begin to analyze it as being something that is good or bad, we are making a personal judgment about it, and this is something different.


OK, so what does this mean? I think it means that if a person is relying on the effectiveness of natural science to help hedge their bet that atheism is correct, then they have been misled. In other words, the fact that “science works” is absolutely no indicator that God doesn’t work. You can have both God and science. There is nothing wrong with holding a worldview. We just need to be honest about it when we do.


Please feel free to add your comments below. This is such a BIG issue for some, that I am interested in possible differences in opinion.


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The Importance of Man, in Light of God

"Man is the microcosm; man is the measure of all things; Man is the image of God."

                   - G.K. Chesteron, 'The Everlasting Man'



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Wretched Radio & Television!

Looking for a nice place to spend time?  Todd Friel is the host of Wretched Radio and Wretched TV.  He is often accused of being a little too over the edge, with some of his biting commentary hitting too close to home.  I have always found his style unique and entertaining though.  Consider him the polar opposite of the most boring Christian speaker you have ever heard.  There is nothing boring about this guy!

I have included the link to his website below.  Enjoy it - and try to catch his TV show sometime!

http://www.wretchedradio.com/



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