A while back, I wrote a blog entry about how God uses us to touch the lives of others (Touching Lives). Although I felt that I was done with that particular blog entry, I felt like God wanted me to do more. After some reflection and prayer, now I will develop that concept a little bit more. Before going further, please take a moment to read 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 and Matthew 28:18-20. There are many other passages that are applicable, but these are the two that I will use.
Has anyone come up to you and said that you are their hero? Or, that you have been an inspiration to them in some part of their life? That has happened to me on quite a few occasions. And, some of them have caught me by complete surprise.
While growing up, I was often reminded by my Dad, a Presbyterian Pastor, that the younger kids are watching me. Not just that, but that I will be a role-model to them with how to act and talk. Because of this, I need to be ‘more mindful’ of what I did and how I said things. I don’t think I really took this to heart until I was a senior in high school in Kentucky.
During my senior year, a group of seniors went around and took pictures and videos of other seniors. These pictures and videos would be put together for the seniors as part of a graduation gift from the school. Of course, there were specific rules that we had to abide by. What was neat was that they asked the students different questions in order to make it more personal. A few weeks before graduation, we got to watch the video. I will never forget it! One of the guys was asked on the video, “So tell us… Who is your hero.” His immediate response was that I was his hero! I just remember sitting there stunned, that someone would think of me as their inspiration. Honestly, I can't remember why I was his hero. Since the interview was only a few minutes long, I doubt he probably elaborated.
Over the years, I have been blessed on many other occasions where I have inspired others. For me, hearing how I have been a blessing to others is God’s way of encouraging me. He also reminds me of how He often uses me without me perceiving it. Even in small things, God has shown me how that He has touched others through what I say and do.
Another example… For those that don't know me, I am not a fast runner. For most of my military career, I have struggled with passing my 2 miles run within the allowed time. While I was Active Duty at FT Bragg, a friend of mine was the coach for the unit’s 10 Run Team. This was for the up-coming All American Week (think intramural sports being played by a whole base). He invited me to be on his team. Most of the other guys in my company questioned his logic in doing so. Since we had at least 8 runners and only the first 5 who finished would be counted, I was there more for the benefit of training with them. And, my friend inspired me to do my best by training with me. I know that it was often hard for him to run at my slower pace. But, he was that serious about me being on the team and personally helped me to improve.
As I trained, I shared with friends and family that I was participating on the 10 Mile Run Team. This was something I did on a regular basis, sharing important things in my life with those who are important to me. A few months later, while I was on vacation, I visited a good friend of mine from seminary and his family. At the time, he was pastoring a church in Kansas. While I was hanging out with him and ‘shooting the breeze,’ he told me that I had inspired him to start running and to get back into shape. At that point, he had lost several pounds, was dealing with stress better, and many other things. He also shared that, because I was several years older and took up the challenge to push myself in something I struggled to do well, what excuse did he have?
It is the same thing with my family. As a father of two kids, I often see them imitating the things that I do. At times that makes me proud, because they are mimicking the good things that I do. Other times, watching what they do makes me cringe. Through their actions and words, I realize how many times they see me making mistakes. It’s an important reminder to me, no matter what they are doing, to make sure that I am being the best role-model for them. Quite honestly, how my kids act is a daily reminder that they are closely watching how my wife and I deal with life.
Lets think about this a bit. How many people do you interact with on a daily basis? If you go to school, you have your classmates and teachers or professors. If you work, you have co-workers and supervisors. There are also various friends and family members that each of us interacts with regularly. Lets face it… We come into contact with many different people while we are out shopping, commuting to and from work or school, etc. Though we may not always be an inspiration to someone that we briefly interact with, that is not always the case.
I could be out with my family at a restaurant and, because someone is having a bad day, they decide to direct their anger towards me. In this case, lets say that I was able to use my ministerial skills to deescalate the situation. As we talked, I showed him that I cared by listening to what he was saying and that I acknowledged how it made him feel. In response, instead of taking his anger out on me or someone else, he is able to get a better perspective on things.
However, unknown to me there is a person who grew up without good parenting or role-models. All he or she knew growing up is how to react to things, especially with anger. Now the person sees how I used my verbal skills to help someone who was very upset to take a step back and gain a better perspective. This could be the inspiration that he or she needs to seek help in making positive changes in his or her life.
We all need to remember that others are watching what we say and do. It is so very easy to walk around, living life our own way, and not think about how we are impacting others. But yet, we always are influencing others with how we talk, how we act, our mannerism, etc. As followers of Christ, we are all His ambassadors to this world. (2 Corinthians 5:20) It is not something we can choose to do or not to do. If we claim to be a follower of Christ, we are, in fact, His ambassador.
Paul writes in his second Epistle to the churches in Corinth concerning many things. In this particular chapter, he talks specifically about being reconciled to Christ (born again as some define it). That is, trusting Christ as one’s Lord and Savior. In doing so, we become an adopted member of God’s family through Christ’s death and resurrection. But, being a member of the Body of Christ doesn’t just end with our adoption. As a follower of Christ, we now represent Him to those around us. Paul exhorts us, therefore, to be positive role-models or ambassadors for Christ to those around us. Not that we will get it right all the time. But, by God’s grace, we can learn and grow. And, as we learn and grow, we can more positively impact those around us.
We impact the lives of those around us, whether we know it or not. In fact, we can be a source of inspiration to others. There are many competing voices for peoples’ loyalty and devotion. On a daily basis, children are enticed to join gangs so that they can have a ‘family.’ On a daily basis terrorist groups try to persuade those who are angry about life to join their cause. On a daily basis, there are people who have corrupt morals that seek to encourage others to follow their examples. Let us seek God’s help to also be a voice to others. Let us seek God’s help in being positive influence in people’s lives. Not just that, let us ask God to change us in such was as we inspire others to follow Him. And not just follow Him, but seek to be obedient to Him in thought, word and deed. If prayerfully do that on a day-to-day basis, imagine the kind of impact God could have on the lives of those around us!
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Communion and Fellowship
When you hear 'Communion' or 'fellowship,' what kind of images come to your mind? What do these works mean to you? What kind of memories do they evoke? Today, not only did we have Communion, or the Lord's Supper, during church this morning, but I sat with two of the Chaplains and a Chaplain's Assistant during lunch to talk about various things. While we were talking, I felt God stirring me a bit about how we were communing with each other, after partaking of Communion during worship. Sound a little odd or confusing? Here are some of my thoughts on all of this.
The word 'communion' is defined as follows (from Dictionary.com):
1. (often initial capital letter). Also called Holy Communion. Ecclesiastical.
a) the act of receiving the Eucharistic elements.
b) the elements of the Eucharist.
c) the celebration of the Eucharist.
d) the antiphon sung at a Eucharistic service.
2. a group of persons having a common religious faith; a religious denomination: Anglican communion.
3. association; fellowship.
4. interchange or sharing of thoughts or emotions; intimate communication: communion with nature.
5. the act of sharing, or holding in common; participation.
6. the state of things so held.
Based on the above definitions, communion can mean both the Lord's Supper or Eucharist, as well as the act of being together and sharing things with each other. When you think about it, we are celebrate the Lord's Supper (aka Communion or the Eucharist), we are not just remembering all that Christ has done for us. Like a prayer, we are fellowshiping with Him, as we remember His sacrifice while we were still in rebellion against Him. We are also opening ourselves up to Him on an emotional and spiritual level.
One Scripture verse that means a lot to me is Revelation 3:20. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.“ (Revelation 3:20 NASB). Though God is initiating the relationship, we have to respond. Now, I am not going to get into the doctrinal differences between Election, Freewill, etc. That is for another post. What is important here is two things. One, Jesus comes to us, to where we are, and initiates a relationship (knocking on the door of our hearts, as many interpret to mean). Jesus, who is literately “God in the flesh,” (John 1:14) comes down to our level. The Creator comes down to be with his creation. Even though His creation is in rebellion against Him, He still comes down to us! And, instead of barging in, He lets us know that He is there, and then waits.
The other thing that stands out to me is the '...will dine with him, and he with Me.' Lets think about that for a moment. I do not know about you, but that brings to me many wonderful memories. Not just of church potlucks, but of family dinners, holiday get together, or just having coffee with a friend. It is an image of two or more people sitting down and sharing of joys, concerns, current events, or even just enjoying each other's company without talking a very much. Especially when one person is hurting, the simple presence of someone else to share that time, can be very comforting. In our high tech world, we sometimes get some wrapped up with keeping up with Facebook, Twitter, or what ever, that we forget to spend time face-to-face with those we car about.
As a husband and a father, I knew how challenging it can be to turn the TV off and sit at the dinner table. That way we can talk with each other while we eat. It is so very easy for us to turn on the news or a favorite TV show on cable or Netflix while we eat. It is much easier to allow ourselves to be entertained while we eat instead of sharing with each other our thoughts and feelings while we share our food.
In Acts 2:42-47, we see something incredible. We see the Disciples (soon to be called the Apostles), gathering together with other fellow believers, as well as new believers, and sharing meals and prayer time together. Not just that, those that had property and other wealth were selling it so that all could have something together. Now, I do not believe that we have to go to this extreme in order to have fellowship with God and with each other. But, it is an incredible example. Not just for us, but back then in the early church, too. God used this communal love and sacrifice to get the attention of others.
That brings me to this afternoon. After the Protestant service, I sat down to eat lunch with two of the Chaplains and one of their Chaplain's Assistants. We talked about quite a few things, most of which had to do with either our theological backgrounds, what we thought about the worship service that morning, what our hopes for concerning the Bible Studies that were coming up starting next month, etc. After worshiping God together and celebrating the Eucharist, that flowed into our conversation while we ate. Not only did we get physical nourishment through the food, but we also continued to gain spiritual nourishment as we reflected on our shared Christian faith. Though we have different theological and denomination backgrounds, that pales in comparison to our shared love for and faith in Christ as Lord and Savior. I walked away from lunch feeling very full. Not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually.
Is that not how it should be? Should we not celebrate with joy God's grace for our lives? Should we not celebrate our brotherly love for each other? Should we not take joy in encouraging each other, to learn from each other? As a popular hymn goes, “They Will Know we are Christians by our Love.” Should we not have love for each other and mutually encourage each other? That doesn't mean we have to 100% agree with each other. But, because of our love for each other, we can learn from our differences and focus on what we do have in common.
Whether we are more introverted or extrovert (psychological concept concerning how a person processes information (internally vs. externally) and how they recharge emotionally (alone vs. with people)), we all need time with others. God created us to need companionship with others. That is, to fellowship, to develop a deep and meaningful relationship with others. Note, I did not say “romantic or sexual.” A friendship can be deep and meaningful without being romantic. Think of the relationship that two best friends, between a parent and child, etc., can have? They share personal ideas, hopes, fears, with each other, and learn from each other. As they share together and do things together, they grow closer emotionally and spiritually. This is the kind of thing that all of us Christians need to strive to do. Although we will not always agree, we still need to purposely do this. Although there will always be people in our community, even in our churches, whose personalities annoy us, we can still learn from each other.
I encourage each of you to take time each week, and spend quality fellowship time with others. It can be just a few minutes, or it can be an afternoon. It can be a quick but meaningful chat at the coffee pot, it can be a walk from one meeting to another, or it could be a lunch or dinner conversation. Seek to be available to God to be a blessing to others in this way. To share your love for God by being an active presence in their life. Let yourself be open with them and listen to their openness with you. Not only will you be a blessing to them, but they will also be a blessing to you.
The word 'communion' is defined as follows (from Dictionary.com):
1. (often initial capital letter). Also called Holy Communion. Ecclesiastical.
a) the act of receiving the Eucharistic elements.
b) the elements of the Eucharist.
c) the celebration of the Eucharist.
d) the antiphon sung at a Eucharistic service.
2. a group of persons having a common religious faith; a religious denomination: Anglican communion.
3. association; fellowship.
4. interchange or sharing of thoughts or emotions; intimate communication: communion with nature.
5. the act of sharing, or holding in common; participation.
6. the state of things so held.
Based on the above definitions, communion can mean both the Lord's Supper or Eucharist, as well as the act of being together and sharing things with each other. When you think about it, we are celebrate the Lord's Supper (aka Communion or the Eucharist), we are not just remembering all that Christ has done for us. Like a prayer, we are fellowshiping with Him, as we remember His sacrifice while we were still in rebellion against Him. We are also opening ourselves up to Him on an emotional and spiritual level.
One Scripture verse that means a lot to me is Revelation 3:20. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.“ (Revelation 3:20 NASB). Though God is initiating the relationship, we have to respond. Now, I am not going to get into the doctrinal differences between Election, Freewill, etc. That is for another post. What is important here is two things. One, Jesus comes to us, to where we are, and initiates a relationship (knocking on the door of our hearts, as many interpret to mean). Jesus, who is literately “God in the flesh,” (John 1:14) comes down to our level. The Creator comes down to be with his creation. Even though His creation is in rebellion against Him, He still comes down to us! And, instead of barging in, He lets us know that He is there, and then waits.
The other thing that stands out to me is the '...will dine with him, and he with Me.' Lets think about that for a moment. I do not know about you, but that brings to me many wonderful memories. Not just of church potlucks, but of family dinners, holiday get together, or just having coffee with a friend. It is an image of two or more people sitting down and sharing of joys, concerns, current events, or even just enjoying each other's company without talking a very much. Especially when one person is hurting, the simple presence of someone else to share that time, can be very comforting. In our high tech world, we sometimes get some wrapped up with keeping up with Facebook, Twitter, or what ever, that we forget to spend time face-to-face with those we car about.
As a husband and a father, I knew how challenging it can be to turn the TV off and sit at the dinner table. That way we can talk with each other while we eat. It is so very easy for us to turn on the news or a favorite TV show on cable or Netflix while we eat. It is much easier to allow ourselves to be entertained while we eat instead of sharing with each other our thoughts and feelings while we share our food.
In Acts 2:42-47, we see something incredible. We see the Disciples (soon to be called the Apostles), gathering together with other fellow believers, as well as new believers, and sharing meals and prayer time together. Not just that, those that had property and other wealth were selling it so that all could have something together. Now, I do not believe that we have to go to this extreme in order to have fellowship with God and with each other. But, it is an incredible example. Not just for us, but back then in the early church, too. God used this communal love and sacrifice to get the attention of others.
That brings me to this afternoon. After the Protestant service, I sat down to eat lunch with two of the Chaplains and one of their Chaplain's Assistants. We talked about quite a few things, most of which had to do with either our theological backgrounds, what we thought about the worship service that morning, what our hopes for concerning the Bible Studies that were coming up starting next month, etc. After worshiping God together and celebrating the Eucharist, that flowed into our conversation while we ate. Not only did we get physical nourishment through the food, but we also continued to gain spiritual nourishment as we reflected on our shared Christian faith. Though we have different theological and denomination backgrounds, that pales in comparison to our shared love for and faith in Christ as Lord and Savior. I walked away from lunch feeling very full. Not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually.
Is that not how it should be? Should we not celebrate with joy God's grace for our lives? Should we not celebrate our brotherly love for each other? Should we not take joy in encouraging each other, to learn from each other? As a popular hymn goes, “They Will Know we are Christians by our Love.” Should we not have love for each other and mutually encourage each other? That doesn't mean we have to 100% agree with each other. But, because of our love for each other, we can learn from our differences and focus on what we do have in common.
Whether we are more introverted or extrovert (psychological concept concerning how a person processes information (internally vs. externally) and how they recharge emotionally (alone vs. with people)), we all need time with others. God created us to need companionship with others. That is, to fellowship, to develop a deep and meaningful relationship with others. Note, I did not say “romantic or sexual.” A friendship can be deep and meaningful without being romantic. Think of the relationship that two best friends, between a parent and child, etc., can have? They share personal ideas, hopes, fears, with each other, and learn from each other. As they share together and do things together, they grow closer emotionally and spiritually. This is the kind of thing that all of us Christians need to strive to do. Although we will not always agree, we still need to purposely do this. Although there will always be people in our community, even in our churches, whose personalities annoy us, we can still learn from each other.
I encourage each of you to take time each week, and spend quality fellowship time with others. It can be just a few minutes, or it can be an afternoon. It can be a quick but meaningful chat at the coffee pot, it can be a walk from one meeting to another, or it could be a lunch or dinner conversation. Seek to be available to God to be a blessing to others in this way. To share your love for God by being an active presence in their life. Let yourself be open with them and listen to their openness with you. Not only will you be a blessing to them, but they will also be a blessing to you.
Friday, July 24, 2015
Thoughts on a Great Injustice
Red Cry Behind The Lakota Tribe - Documentary Films
Several years ago, I bought a book by a man named Richard Twiss, who co-founded Wiconi International. It is titled One Church Many Tribes - Following Jesus The Way God Made You. Although I didn't finish it, I had read several chapters of the book and it really got me thinking about the many experiences that Richard had growing up. Honestly, I have had to start over several times because I would read for a while, then get distracted by something else and, months later, start over again. But, I digress...
Around the time that I first started reading that book, I bought a DVD set that was about the Indian Wars. What was unique about this DVD set is that it looked at the history from three perspectives. One was purely historical, about the different Plains Tribes from Texas on up into the Dakotas, how different Tribes migrated from one part of the country to another, etc. One was purely from the US Government perspective. The third one was purely from the Native American perspective. Although a lot of the information overlapped, there was a lot that was different. This was especially the case from the Native American perspective. The one thing that really stood out to me was how many times the US Government made a treaty with various Tribes. And then, out of greed for more land, we (as a Nation) broke our promise, 'made a new treaty' the took more from one Tribe or several Tribes.
I did a word search for the word “justice” with an on-line Bible Study site, using the New American Standard Bible (NASB) translation. I was also only looking in the Old Testament. Want to know how many results I got for the Old Testament alone? I got 129 results! Think this is something that is important to God? I think so. No, I don't 'think so.' I know that justice is very, very important to Him. As a holy and righteous God, He seeks out and demands true justice. What many will call 'Divine Justice.' God is just as loving and forgiving as He is holy and righteous. Here are just a few examples:
- Exodus 23:1-9 NASB
- Deuteronomy 16 NASB
- Deuteronomy 27 NASB
- Proverbs 2:1-15 NASB
- Jeremiah 7:1-15 NASB
Like I said, that is just a very brief sampling of the times that 'justice' is used in the Old Testament. To get a good understanding of God's sense of justice and how all of us as sinners stand before Him, read Romans chapters 1-7. Paul does not mince words as he explains what our fallen condition is, that we all deserve God's wrath for rebelling against Him in thought, word and deed each and every day. But, because of His great love for us, God became a Man, Jesus, and took our sins upon Himself and took our place. Think about it… While we were yet sinners, enemies of God, Christ chose to take our place (Romans 5:5-11). I encourage you to read that passage slowly a couple of times and let it sink it.
Because God is holy and righteous, when we choose to mistreat other people, we are showing gross disrespect towards our Creator. As it is written in Genesis 1-2, God created all people in His image. That is, with the same kind of characteristics as what He possess. The ability to love, the desire to create, the desire to be in relation with others, etc. We are all made in the Image of God. We are all His creation.
I have worked with the Nebraska Department of Corrections for over 7 years. Although there are many Hispanic and African Americans there, I have noticed that there is a large number of Native Americans in prison, too. As I spent time reading Richard Twiss' book, I found an opportunity to talk with one of the Native American inmates. I asked him a number of questions about his culture and shared what little I knew. I can still remember the initial look of shock on his face. Here was one of the 'guards' that not only wanted to treat him as a fellow human being, but was genuinely interested in learning more about his culture. At first, he did not want to talk with me, and I respected that. But, after about a month or so, he and a few others became more willing to talk with me and answer various questions that I had about their culture. This particular individual has never forgotten that.
As I have mentioned before, I love theology and I enjoy reading about other cultures, even experiencing them when I have the opportunity, and I also enjoy reading history. Not just biblical history, but US history and the history of other countries. Although I find history fascinating, it can be discouraging, too. Why? Because I will read how a country elected or allowed a group of people who talked sweetly but had corrupt values lead them. Though it wasn't always evident in the beginning, eventually the leadership would express their 'true colors.' It was true in Ancient Israel, it was true with Rome, it was true in German in the 1930's, and it has been true within the US.
If one does a quick search on Native American Treaties, you will find many sites. Just a few that I found quickly are:
The Avalon Project Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy, Yale Law School, Broken Promises On Display At Native American Treaties Exhibit, and Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties. Vol. II (Treaties) in part. Compiled and edited by Charles J. Kappler. Washington : Government Printing Office, 1904.
Again, that is just a few results from my search. I know that some of you will say, “With the winner goes the spoils of war.” Okay… A nation wins a war against another nation and makes a Treaty, something that is a legal and binding document for both sides. Now, the conquering nations decides that they want more and either provoke a fight or 're-negotiate' the Treaty so that they get more and the conquered country gets less. Do you think that this is something honorable in God's eyes? Do you think that it is something that He can bless? I do not think so. No... It's not, "I don't think so." It is, "I know that it is so!"
In Richard Twiss' book, “One Church Many Tribes,” he puts forth the idea that part of the problems that we are having in this nation are because of deeply rooted spiritual disobedience. When people hear this, they think about the Civil War and the mistreatment of African Americans. While I was in seminary, I took an ethics class where one of the main authors that we read was Frederick Douglass, the Civil Rights Activist (c. 1818–1895) (http://www.biography.com/people/frederick-douglass-9278324 and http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/frederick-douglass). I still have these books and look through them from time-to-time because of what I have learned looking at life through his eyes. But yet, what the African Americans have suffered is not the same as the genocide that the Native Americans have suffered. I am not the one referring to their plight as genocide, that is what many Native Americans have perceived. And, because of this repeated gross injustice and treaty breaking, instead of receiving God's blessings we are inheriting His correction and justice.
Over the years, I have watched quite a few documentaries on various Native American leaders, and I have been able to read a few books. The video link that I put at the beginning of this blog entry is just the latest of stories, videos and books that I have seen. But, let me share what I have experience…
I was born near Rapid City, South Dakota. My adopted Father's parents used to live there and I still have family from my biological Mother and biological Father's side living the area. While growing up, my parents and I would visit South Dakota almost every year. My wife and I spent our honeymoon in Custer State Park. And, after I returned from a deployment to Iraq in 2011, my wife, son, and I spent about two weeks vacationing in various parts of South Dakota. One thing we love to do together is visit various historical monuments, State Parks, National Parks, etc. It is a shared love for history, whether it was good or bad, that we want to learn from and teach our children.
Well, we stayed in Wall Drug, SD, for a number of days. Because of the numerous documentaries that we had watched as a family concerning the growth of our Nation and how it treated the Native Americans, one of our priorities was to visit museums about their history and plight. We walked into one museum in Wall Drug that was specifically about the Massacre at Wounded Knee. I was the last one to leave. Both of us had felt a very, very strong presence of anger in that museum. She took our son out and waited in the car while I spent a little more time looking around. I have experienced a lot of spiritual oppression in my life, but that was one of the worse experiences that I've had in a long time. It was that overwhelming!
Although that was the worse spiritual experience that we had during our vacation, it wasn't the only one. On several occasions, we could sense an angry, sometimes even extremely demonic presence. This was usually because of what had been allowed to happen in that area. We were a bit disappointed that we were not able to drive all the way to Wounded Knee. Both of us were very interested in visiting it. But, though we felt really uncomfortable at times driving through the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. We could tell that many there did not like us being there. But, it is an experience that I am thankful for. I was able to see for myself a lot of the gross poverty that many have to live in. Though most of the people that we interacted with treated us respectfully, I could tell that at least some of them did not want us there, maybe even wished us ill. I do not know for sure.
Going back to my experiences with the Nebraska Department of Corrections… After building a positive relationship with several of the Native American inmates, the became willing to share some of their stories as to why they were in prison. A lot of it stemmed from their sense of worthlessness because of how they, as a people, have been treated. Many have a sense that there is no hope, especially while trying to maintain a connection to their religious heritage and native language. The sense that many of them have is, unless they 'truly become white' and give up their heritage, they will never be accepted as a person. Is this not discrimination?
Not only is this a US Government problem with abusing them as a people. We as the Body of Christ have done the same. I am not advocating that we not share the Gospel of Christ with them. Far from it! God calls all Christians to share the hope that we have because of what Christ did for us. However, we show them great disrespect, no are racist to them, by demanding that they get rid of all their heritage. I have had the privilege of worshiping God in many different churches over the years. Although my preference is usually a liturgical service, I have experienced God's presence in a Catholic Mass before, amongst African American brothers and sisters in a Gospel service, etc. I have not been able to witness a Native American style of Christian worship, but I would like to some day.
When I was a sophomore at Centre College, I was invited to a student led Bible Study. I had been invited there the year before, but had no desire to attend. This is a preacher's kid, someone who grew up being very active in his Dad's church, saying this. But, this time, I decided, “What the heck?! What do I have to loose but maybe an hour or so of my time?” It wasn't the songs that made me want to come back again. It wasn't the content of the Bible Study. Nor was it all the different personalities, per se. What floored me was the fact that each of the members came from extremely different backgrounds. There was at least two Catholics, several Independent (Baptist), at least one who was Methodist, and several other denominations. Instead of using their differences of understanding Scripture to separate them from each other, they used it as a way to look at a passage of Scripture in a fresh way. Although they sometimes agreed to disagree on how they understood a passage to say, they found more common ground than not. It was this mutual love for each other and desire to learn more about God by learning from others that made me want to come back. It was in that group that I finally got honest with God and with myself and gave my life to Christ.
Why do I add that here? Not only have we as a Nation shown Native Americans gross injustice, but so have we as the Body of Christ. And, I agree with Richard Twiss and several other Christians that I have read, in that as a Nation, we very well may not experience true healing from God until we repent of this. No matter what the color of our skin is, we are all created by God, in His image. Although not every custom and every tradition honors God, that is no excuse to demand that any group of people, be it Native Americans in America, Chinese believers in China, Japanese believers in Japan, etc., have to give up all of their traditions and customs. Not everything that has come out of Europe has been God-honoring, though many want to believe they were. The Spanish Inquisition, the wars between Catholics and Protestants, the Holy Wars/Crusades into the Middle East, are just a few examples that I can quickly think of. Because of our sinful nature, we will make mistakes. However, when we realize that we have made a mistake, we have an obligation to change it. To change our attitudes and our behaviors. What are you willing to do?
Several years ago, I bought a book by a man named Richard Twiss, who co-founded Wiconi International. It is titled One Church Many Tribes - Following Jesus The Way God Made You. Although I didn't finish it, I had read several chapters of the book and it really got me thinking about the many experiences that Richard had growing up. Honestly, I have had to start over several times because I would read for a while, then get distracted by something else and, months later, start over again. But, I digress...
Around the time that I first started reading that book, I bought a DVD set that was about the Indian Wars. What was unique about this DVD set is that it looked at the history from three perspectives. One was purely historical, about the different Plains Tribes from Texas on up into the Dakotas, how different Tribes migrated from one part of the country to another, etc. One was purely from the US Government perspective. The third one was purely from the Native American perspective. Although a lot of the information overlapped, there was a lot that was different. This was especially the case from the Native American perspective. The one thing that really stood out to me was how many times the US Government made a treaty with various Tribes. And then, out of greed for more land, we (as a Nation) broke our promise, 'made a new treaty' the took more from one Tribe or several Tribes.
I did a word search for the word “justice” with an on-line Bible Study site, using the New American Standard Bible (NASB) translation. I was also only looking in the Old Testament. Want to know how many results I got for the Old Testament alone? I got 129 results! Think this is something that is important to God? I think so. No, I don't 'think so.' I know that justice is very, very important to Him. As a holy and righteous God, He seeks out and demands true justice. What many will call 'Divine Justice.' God is just as loving and forgiving as He is holy and righteous. Here are just a few examples:
- Exodus 23:1-9 NASB
- Deuteronomy 16 NASB
- Deuteronomy 27 NASB
- Proverbs 2:1-15 NASB
- Jeremiah 7:1-15 NASB
Like I said, that is just a very brief sampling of the times that 'justice' is used in the Old Testament. To get a good understanding of God's sense of justice and how all of us as sinners stand before Him, read Romans chapters 1-7. Paul does not mince words as he explains what our fallen condition is, that we all deserve God's wrath for rebelling against Him in thought, word and deed each and every day. But, because of His great love for us, God became a Man, Jesus, and took our sins upon Himself and took our place. Think about it… While we were yet sinners, enemies of God, Christ chose to take our place (Romans 5:5-11). I encourage you to read that passage slowly a couple of times and let it sink it.
Because God is holy and righteous, when we choose to mistreat other people, we are showing gross disrespect towards our Creator. As it is written in Genesis 1-2, God created all people in His image. That is, with the same kind of characteristics as what He possess. The ability to love, the desire to create, the desire to be in relation with others, etc. We are all made in the Image of God. We are all His creation.
I have worked with the Nebraska Department of Corrections for over 7 years. Although there are many Hispanic and African Americans there, I have noticed that there is a large number of Native Americans in prison, too. As I spent time reading Richard Twiss' book, I found an opportunity to talk with one of the Native American inmates. I asked him a number of questions about his culture and shared what little I knew. I can still remember the initial look of shock on his face. Here was one of the 'guards' that not only wanted to treat him as a fellow human being, but was genuinely interested in learning more about his culture. At first, he did not want to talk with me, and I respected that. But, after about a month or so, he and a few others became more willing to talk with me and answer various questions that I had about their culture. This particular individual has never forgotten that.
As I have mentioned before, I love theology and I enjoy reading about other cultures, even experiencing them when I have the opportunity, and I also enjoy reading history. Not just biblical history, but US history and the history of other countries. Although I find history fascinating, it can be discouraging, too. Why? Because I will read how a country elected or allowed a group of people who talked sweetly but had corrupt values lead them. Though it wasn't always evident in the beginning, eventually the leadership would express their 'true colors.' It was true in Ancient Israel, it was true with Rome, it was true in German in the 1930's, and it has been true within the US.
If one does a quick search on Native American Treaties, you will find many sites. Just a few that I found quickly are:
The Avalon Project Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy, Yale Law School, Broken Promises On Display At Native American Treaties Exhibit, and Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties. Vol. II (Treaties) in part. Compiled and edited by Charles J. Kappler. Washington : Government Printing Office, 1904.
Again, that is just a few results from my search. I know that some of you will say, “With the winner goes the spoils of war.” Okay… A nation wins a war against another nation and makes a Treaty, something that is a legal and binding document for both sides. Now, the conquering nations decides that they want more and either provoke a fight or 're-negotiate' the Treaty so that they get more and the conquered country gets less. Do you think that this is something honorable in God's eyes? Do you think that it is something that He can bless? I do not think so. No... It's not, "I don't think so." It is, "I know that it is so!"
In Richard Twiss' book, “One Church Many Tribes,” he puts forth the idea that part of the problems that we are having in this nation are because of deeply rooted spiritual disobedience. When people hear this, they think about the Civil War and the mistreatment of African Americans. While I was in seminary, I took an ethics class where one of the main authors that we read was Frederick Douglass, the Civil Rights Activist (c. 1818–1895) (http://www.biography.com/people/frederick-douglass-9278324 and http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/frederick-douglass). I still have these books and look through them from time-to-time because of what I have learned looking at life through his eyes. But yet, what the African Americans have suffered is not the same as the genocide that the Native Americans have suffered. I am not the one referring to their plight as genocide, that is what many Native Americans have perceived. And, because of this repeated gross injustice and treaty breaking, instead of receiving God's blessings we are inheriting His correction and justice.
Over the years, I have watched quite a few documentaries on various Native American leaders, and I have been able to read a few books. The video link that I put at the beginning of this blog entry is just the latest of stories, videos and books that I have seen. But, let me share what I have experience…
I was born near Rapid City, South Dakota. My adopted Father's parents used to live there and I still have family from my biological Mother and biological Father's side living the area. While growing up, my parents and I would visit South Dakota almost every year. My wife and I spent our honeymoon in Custer State Park. And, after I returned from a deployment to Iraq in 2011, my wife, son, and I spent about two weeks vacationing in various parts of South Dakota. One thing we love to do together is visit various historical monuments, State Parks, National Parks, etc. It is a shared love for history, whether it was good or bad, that we want to learn from and teach our children.
Well, we stayed in Wall Drug, SD, for a number of days. Because of the numerous documentaries that we had watched as a family concerning the growth of our Nation and how it treated the Native Americans, one of our priorities was to visit museums about their history and plight. We walked into one museum in Wall Drug that was specifically about the Massacre at Wounded Knee. I was the last one to leave. Both of us had felt a very, very strong presence of anger in that museum. She took our son out and waited in the car while I spent a little more time looking around. I have experienced a lot of spiritual oppression in my life, but that was one of the worse experiences that I've had in a long time. It was that overwhelming!
Although that was the worse spiritual experience that we had during our vacation, it wasn't the only one. On several occasions, we could sense an angry, sometimes even extremely demonic presence. This was usually because of what had been allowed to happen in that area. We were a bit disappointed that we were not able to drive all the way to Wounded Knee. Both of us were very interested in visiting it. But, though we felt really uncomfortable at times driving through the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. We could tell that many there did not like us being there. But, it is an experience that I am thankful for. I was able to see for myself a lot of the gross poverty that many have to live in. Though most of the people that we interacted with treated us respectfully, I could tell that at least some of them did not want us there, maybe even wished us ill. I do not know for sure.
Going back to my experiences with the Nebraska Department of Corrections… After building a positive relationship with several of the Native American inmates, the became willing to share some of their stories as to why they were in prison. A lot of it stemmed from their sense of worthlessness because of how they, as a people, have been treated. Many have a sense that there is no hope, especially while trying to maintain a connection to their religious heritage and native language. The sense that many of them have is, unless they 'truly become white' and give up their heritage, they will never be accepted as a person. Is this not discrimination?
Not only is this a US Government problem with abusing them as a people. We as the Body of Christ have done the same. I am not advocating that we not share the Gospel of Christ with them. Far from it! God calls all Christians to share the hope that we have because of what Christ did for us. However, we show them great disrespect, no are racist to them, by demanding that they get rid of all their heritage. I have had the privilege of worshiping God in many different churches over the years. Although my preference is usually a liturgical service, I have experienced God's presence in a Catholic Mass before, amongst African American brothers and sisters in a Gospel service, etc. I have not been able to witness a Native American style of Christian worship, but I would like to some day.
When I was a sophomore at Centre College, I was invited to a student led Bible Study. I had been invited there the year before, but had no desire to attend. This is a preacher's kid, someone who grew up being very active in his Dad's church, saying this. But, this time, I decided, “What the heck?! What do I have to loose but maybe an hour or so of my time?” It wasn't the songs that made me want to come back again. It wasn't the content of the Bible Study. Nor was it all the different personalities, per se. What floored me was the fact that each of the members came from extremely different backgrounds. There was at least two Catholics, several Independent (Baptist), at least one who was Methodist, and several other denominations. Instead of using their differences of understanding Scripture to separate them from each other, they used it as a way to look at a passage of Scripture in a fresh way. Although they sometimes agreed to disagree on how they understood a passage to say, they found more common ground than not. It was this mutual love for each other and desire to learn more about God by learning from others that made me want to come back. It was in that group that I finally got honest with God and with myself and gave my life to Christ.
Why do I add that here? Not only have we as a Nation shown Native Americans gross injustice, but so have we as the Body of Christ. And, I agree with Richard Twiss and several other Christians that I have read, in that as a Nation, we very well may not experience true healing from God until we repent of this. No matter what the color of our skin is, we are all created by God, in His image. Although not every custom and every tradition honors God, that is no excuse to demand that any group of people, be it Native Americans in America, Chinese believers in China, Japanese believers in Japan, etc., have to give up all of their traditions and customs. Not everything that has come out of Europe has been God-honoring, though many want to believe they were. The Spanish Inquisition, the wars between Catholics and Protestants, the Holy Wars/Crusades into the Middle East, are just a few examples that I can quickly think of. Because of our sinful nature, we will make mistakes. However, when we realize that we have made a mistake, we have an obligation to change it. To change our attitudes and our behaviors. What are you willing to do?
Sunday, July 19, 2015
Making Churches a Gun-Free Zone: Unbiblical and Dangerous Idea
This blog entry was started over a year ago. Some time in June of 2014. At this moment, I cannot remember what specifically inspired me to write this. I am sure it had something to do with a shooting in a church or school and other places looking at passing laws to forbid the lawful carrying of a firearm inside of a church. And, it's interesting to me… I had forgotten that I had started writing this paper/blog entry until a few days ago. Recently, though, a number of events, including the shooting the shooting in a church in South Carolina and, most recently, the shooting at a Marine recruiting station, brought gun control to the forefront of my mind.
While reviewing my blog entries, I saw that I had written one on the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on December 14, 2012 (Reflections on the Connecticut Shooting). It was a terrible incident where a young man stole a car and several weapons and proceeded to kill a number of people at the Sandy Hook school. And, without wasting much time, many people on the left were immediately screaming for more gun control. They screamed for more background checks, for stricter control on guns (pistols and rifles), for the banning of 'assault rifles,' etc. Though I was sickened by the senseless killing of the children at Sandy Hook, I was deeply offended and angered by the left calling for bans, control, etc.
When our Forefathers wrote the US Constitution, the added onto it the Bill of Rights, freedoms that all law abiding citizens were to have. The 2nd Amendment states thus: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." (Found here.) Why was this written? In the 1700's we were a British Colony. The government of England decided that they could do with us as they pleased, including taxing us heavily, allowing soldiers to search peoples' homes without cause, to arrest people if they pleased, and many other abuses. We eventually rebelled against England and, after many years of armed conflict, gained our independence. The Amendments was added to our Constitution to protect every person's individual rights. Those writing the Constitution, like George Washing, Thomas Jefferson, etc., had seen what tyranny was like. Therefore, they wanted to enable future generation to have protected freedoms.
Protected freedoms of practicing one's own faith, of being able to peacefully protest for or against something, etc. But, without the ability to actively resist tyranny, even from one's own government (local, state, national, or even a foreign power), none of the other Amendments really matter. As a whole, we have many good laws on the books, both locally and nationally, to protect the innocent while prosecuting the accused law breakers. However, law enforcement officers and judges can become corrupt, a criminal can be very intelligent and hide what he does from others, or law enforcement can be delayed in responding to an incident.
From my experiences as custody staff with the Nebraska Department of Corrections, I have seen depravity at its finest. So to speak… While I believe that people can change, and I have seen God do some awesome things in the lives of inmates, I also know that it is not always the case. There are some very evil people who are incarcerated in our prison system. They are people who would be more than willing to do a person great physical harm if they felt that it would benefit them enough. Many are very good at putting on a façade towards their family, lawyers, religious volunteers, etc. But, if one has to deal with them on a day-to-day basis, away from the public eye, one will sometimes observe a very different side of them.
We have law enforcement professionals, local, county, federal, etc., for a reason. Because of our sinful nature, we are inclined to act out on our sinful and selfish natures. Whether it is something self-destructive that causes harm to others, like drinking and driving, or whether it is something directly aimed at harming others, like assault or murder. I am thankful that we have such people that are willing to put their lives on the line to protect people from those that would want to do them harm. However, they are only human, can only be in one place at one time, and have to respond to when an emergency call is made.
And, that is why I am against these 'weapon free zones.' Unless a place, like a Federal Building, has an armed security force, you are jeopardizing the lives of others within the 'gun free zone.' From the time that a person makes a phone call to 911 (or hits a silent alarm), it can easily take several minutes for the dispatcher to inform those on duty where the emergency is, let alone for the law enforcement officers to actually get on scene. Sometimes it is less than 5 minutes, but it can easily be more. Having done many training scenarios in the Army and with the Department of Corrections, a lot can happen in one or two minutes, let alone 5 to 10 minutes.
The thing that many people either don't understand, or choose to ignore, is that most of those who choose to commit many of these great atrocities do so because they have a blatant disregard for laws. Although some crimes are committed “in the heat of the moment,” many are actually planned out. In fact, many who are serial killers or plan on doing major crimes do major planning before they commit their crimes. The take their time to choose when and where to commit it, as well as how they plan on escaping. The James Holmes, who was recently convicted in the mass murder of the people in the Colorado theater, did a lot of planning before he executed his attack. He choose a movie to do his killing spree in that had lots of action and gunfire so as to mask his shootings. He planned ahead with selecting his weapons and body armor (one article is found here). All of this points to a very evil and vindictive personality, who calculated what to do and when to do it.
Those of us in the military have two terms for targets, 'hard' and 'soft.' A hard target would be one that is fortified with various layers of defense. Although a maximum security prison is built more to keep inmates in, though keeping people who would want to break them out is an important aspect of their security, would be an excellent example of a 'hardened target.' Because of the layers of defense, it would be very difficult to get into a maximum security prison. It would also be just as difficult, if not even more so, to try and break out. Many banks and military bases are built with layers of defenses that overlap each other. These layers of defense keep unauthorized people out and those who are charged with protecting the facility safe.
On a personal level, a 'hard target' for common criminal include a number of different things. A few might be observant neighbors that watch out for each other, one or more dogs that can alert the occupants to something that isn't right, solid doors and well made locks, windows that are secured, landscaping that prevent people from hiding near doors or windows, etc. Each of these things would make it more difficult for a criminal to enter the premises and commit their crime. Except for those who are choosing to commit a violent home invasion, most criminals want to sneak in, commit their crime, and then escape without the occupants and/or police knowing that they were there.
A 'soft target' is one that either does not have any defenses or its defenses are marginal or can be easily be overcome through brute force, intimidation, or the like. A grade school without any armed security personnel and is a 'declared gun free zone' is an excellent example of a 'soft target.' If the sole purpose of an attack is to create as many casualties as possible, as quickly as possible, and with little or no risk to the person committing the crime, the school would be a prime target. Think about it… Each classroom probably has 20-40 kids with 1-4 teachers. After a couple of occupied rooms, such a criminal would have easily injured or killed a large number of people in less than 5 minutes, and is on the way out. Especially if none of the school staff were allowed to carry a firearm to protect themselves or the teachers that they were charge to care for and to teach.
As a Christian, I believe that God calls me to care for those around me. Whether it's my immediate family, friends and neighbors, the inmates that I watch over, or those in a foreign country that I am their guest of. God calls me to seek out His justice and to share His love with those around me. From my Presbyterian heritage, one of the things that has helped me in my faith journey is the Book of Confession. It is a collection of writings from various theologians over the centuries to help explain what Scripture says. One of those writings is the Larger Catechism. It is a very in depth explanation of what we Christians believe. One of the things that it covers in detail is the Ten Commandments. The 6th Commandment is “Thou shall not kill.” The thing is, the Hebrew word, ratsach(found here) means to murder. It infers premeditated, planned killing of innocent life. From 7.244 through 7.246, the Larger Catechism explains what this means. In a nutshell, not only am I to avoid causing harm or death to those who do not deserve it (the innocent), but I am also to protect them from others wanting to cause harm or death. It is not just a 'good idea,' it is a biblical mandate (7.246 especially)! (They are questions 134-136 in the Larger Catechism.)
I sincerely believe that if we were to remove the 'gun free zones' so that those who choose to carry in order to protect themselves and others, will greatly reduce crime. As I stated before, most criminals want to go someplace to commit a crime where there is low risk and high rewards. When a place declares itself a 'gun free zone,' they attract criminals. Criminals know that law abiding citizens believe in following the laws. Therefore, if they will either not carry their weapon into the 'gun free' establishment or avoid going it at all. That means the criminal has a much lower risk for committing their crime.
I also believe that if good, quality training were made more available for those who choose to carry, that would also help make our society safer. Every situation will be different, and no training, no matter how good, can cover all possible scenarios. However, any kind of good training that helps a person, during times of high stress, be able to negotiate criminals from the innocent, quickly determine if it is safe to engage a target, how to aim effectively in difficult situations, etc., is better than nothing.
In short, I believe it is a biblical mandate to serve and protect others. Because of my background in the military and corrections, I have a lot more training than others. I wish that those who also seek to take care of others, including using deadly force if it is absolutely necessary, should have access to good, quality training. Not only is it a biblical mandate, but I believe that our Forefathers protected our rights to defend ourselves via the 2nd Amendment. Any time innocent people are injured or killed, we should be angered about it. However, taking away the rights of the individual (in this case, their right to be armed) is not the answer. Creating more 'gun free zones' will only encourage more attacks. Taking away people's rights to protect themselves will create more victims. This is the thing that criminals want. Not just your 'average criminals,' though. Because of the rise of radical Islam, the more 'gun free zones' and the more anti-2nd Amendment laws you create, the victims you create. Such people, espeically terrorists, love 'soft targets.' If you believe that you are called to serve and protect, or especially to serve via creating laws, should you not enable people to protect themselves instead of creating more and more victims who cannot protect themselves from armed assailants?
While reviewing my blog entries, I saw that I had written one on the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on December 14, 2012 (Reflections on the Connecticut Shooting). It was a terrible incident where a young man stole a car and several weapons and proceeded to kill a number of people at the Sandy Hook school. And, without wasting much time, many people on the left were immediately screaming for more gun control. They screamed for more background checks, for stricter control on guns (pistols and rifles), for the banning of 'assault rifles,' etc. Though I was sickened by the senseless killing of the children at Sandy Hook, I was deeply offended and angered by the left calling for bans, control, etc.
When our Forefathers wrote the US Constitution, the added onto it the Bill of Rights, freedoms that all law abiding citizens were to have. The 2nd Amendment states thus: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." (Found here.) Why was this written? In the 1700's we were a British Colony. The government of England decided that they could do with us as they pleased, including taxing us heavily, allowing soldiers to search peoples' homes without cause, to arrest people if they pleased, and many other abuses. We eventually rebelled against England and, after many years of armed conflict, gained our independence. The Amendments was added to our Constitution to protect every person's individual rights. Those writing the Constitution, like George Washing, Thomas Jefferson, etc., had seen what tyranny was like. Therefore, they wanted to enable future generation to have protected freedoms.
Protected freedoms of practicing one's own faith, of being able to peacefully protest for or against something, etc. But, without the ability to actively resist tyranny, even from one's own government (local, state, national, or even a foreign power), none of the other Amendments really matter. As a whole, we have many good laws on the books, both locally and nationally, to protect the innocent while prosecuting the accused law breakers. However, law enforcement officers and judges can become corrupt, a criminal can be very intelligent and hide what he does from others, or law enforcement can be delayed in responding to an incident.
From my experiences as custody staff with the Nebraska Department of Corrections, I have seen depravity at its finest. So to speak… While I believe that people can change, and I have seen God do some awesome things in the lives of inmates, I also know that it is not always the case. There are some very evil people who are incarcerated in our prison system. They are people who would be more than willing to do a person great physical harm if they felt that it would benefit them enough. Many are very good at putting on a façade towards their family, lawyers, religious volunteers, etc. But, if one has to deal with them on a day-to-day basis, away from the public eye, one will sometimes observe a very different side of them.
We have law enforcement professionals, local, county, federal, etc., for a reason. Because of our sinful nature, we are inclined to act out on our sinful and selfish natures. Whether it is something self-destructive that causes harm to others, like drinking and driving, or whether it is something directly aimed at harming others, like assault or murder. I am thankful that we have such people that are willing to put their lives on the line to protect people from those that would want to do them harm. However, they are only human, can only be in one place at one time, and have to respond to when an emergency call is made.
And, that is why I am against these 'weapon free zones.' Unless a place, like a Federal Building, has an armed security force, you are jeopardizing the lives of others within the 'gun free zone.' From the time that a person makes a phone call to 911 (or hits a silent alarm), it can easily take several minutes for the dispatcher to inform those on duty where the emergency is, let alone for the law enforcement officers to actually get on scene. Sometimes it is less than 5 minutes, but it can easily be more. Having done many training scenarios in the Army and with the Department of Corrections, a lot can happen in one or two minutes, let alone 5 to 10 minutes.
The thing that many people either don't understand, or choose to ignore, is that most of those who choose to commit many of these great atrocities do so because they have a blatant disregard for laws. Although some crimes are committed “in the heat of the moment,” many are actually planned out. In fact, many who are serial killers or plan on doing major crimes do major planning before they commit their crimes. The take their time to choose when and where to commit it, as well as how they plan on escaping. The James Holmes, who was recently convicted in the mass murder of the people in the Colorado theater, did a lot of planning before he executed his attack. He choose a movie to do his killing spree in that had lots of action and gunfire so as to mask his shootings. He planned ahead with selecting his weapons and body armor (one article is found here). All of this points to a very evil and vindictive personality, who calculated what to do and when to do it.
Those of us in the military have two terms for targets, 'hard' and 'soft.' A hard target would be one that is fortified with various layers of defense. Although a maximum security prison is built more to keep inmates in, though keeping people who would want to break them out is an important aspect of their security, would be an excellent example of a 'hardened target.' Because of the layers of defense, it would be very difficult to get into a maximum security prison. It would also be just as difficult, if not even more so, to try and break out. Many banks and military bases are built with layers of defenses that overlap each other. These layers of defense keep unauthorized people out and those who are charged with protecting the facility safe.
On a personal level, a 'hard target' for common criminal include a number of different things. A few might be observant neighbors that watch out for each other, one or more dogs that can alert the occupants to something that isn't right, solid doors and well made locks, windows that are secured, landscaping that prevent people from hiding near doors or windows, etc. Each of these things would make it more difficult for a criminal to enter the premises and commit their crime. Except for those who are choosing to commit a violent home invasion, most criminals want to sneak in, commit their crime, and then escape without the occupants and/or police knowing that they were there.
A 'soft target' is one that either does not have any defenses or its defenses are marginal or can be easily be overcome through brute force, intimidation, or the like. A grade school without any armed security personnel and is a 'declared gun free zone' is an excellent example of a 'soft target.' If the sole purpose of an attack is to create as many casualties as possible, as quickly as possible, and with little or no risk to the person committing the crime, the school would be a prime target. Think about it… Each classroom probably has 20-40 kids with 1-4 teachers. After a couple of occupied rooms, such a criminal would have easily injured or killed a large number of people in less than 5 minutes, and is on the way out. Especially if none of the school staff were allowed to carry a firearm to protect themselves or the teachers that they were charge to care for and to teach.
As a Christian, I believe that God calls me to care for those around me. Whether it's my immediate family, friends and neighbors, the inmates that I watch over, or those in a foreign country that I am their guest of. God calls me to seek out His justice and to share His love with those around me. From my Presbyterian heritage, one of the things that has helped me in my faith journey is the Book of Confession. It is a collection of writings from various theologians over the centuries to help explain what Scripture says. One of those writings is the Larger Catechism. It is a very in depth explanation of what we Christians believe. One of the things that it covers in detail is the Ten Commandments. The 6th Commandment is “Thou shall not kill.” The thing is, the Hebrew word, ratsach(found here) means to murder. It infers premeditated, planned killing of innocent life. From 7.244 through 7.246, the Larger Catechism explains what this means. In a nutshell, not only am I to avoid causing harm or death to those who do not deserve it (the innocent), but I am also to protect them from others wanting to cause harm or death. It is not just a 'good idea,' it is a biblical mandate (7.246 especially)! (They are questions 134-136 in the Larger Catechism.)
I sincerely believe that if we were to remove the 'gun free zones' so that those who choose to carry in order to protect themselves and others, will greatly reduce crime. As I stated before, most criminals want to go someplace to commit a crime where there is low risk and high rewards. When a place declares itself a 'gun free zone,' they attract criminals. Criminals know that law abiding citizens believe in following the laws. Therefore, if they will either not carry their weapon into the 'gun free' establishment or avoid going it at all. That means the criminal has a much lower risk for committing their crime.
I also believe that if good, quality training were made more available for those who choose to carry, that would also help make our society safer. Every situation will be different, and no training, no matter how good, can cover all possible scenarios. However, any kind of good training that helps a person, during times of high stress, be able to negotiate criminals from the innocent, quickly determine if it is safe to engage a target, how to aim effectively in difficult situations, etc., is better than nothing.
In short, I believe it is a biblical mandate to serve and protect others. Because of my background in the military and corrections, I have a lot more training than others. I wish that those who also seek to take care of others, including using deadly force if it is absolutely necessary, should have access to good, quality training. Not only is it a biblical mandate, but I believe that our Forefathers protected our rights to defend ourselves via the 2nd Amendment. Any time innocent people are injured or killed, we should be angered about it. However, taking away the rights of the individual (in this case, their right to be armed) is not the answer. Creating more 'gun free zones' will only encourage more attacks. Taking away people's rights to protect themselves will create more victims. This is the thing that criminals want. Not just your 'average criminals,' though. Because of the rise of radical Islam, the more 'gun free zones' and the more anti-2nd Amendment laws you create, the victims you create. Such people, espeically terrorists, love 'soft targets.' If you believe that you are called to serve and protect, or especially to serve via creating laws, should you not enable people to protect themselves instead of creating more and more victims who cannot protect themselves from armed assailants?
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Touching Lives
Scripture verses to ponder:
Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 NKJV
John 3:3-13 NKJV
1 Corinthians 3:1-11 NKJV
Hebrews 13:1-7 NKJV
Every so often during the last couple of weeks, I have been looking at the stats for my blog site, “Law and Grace.” As of the time of writing this blog entry, I have had over 620 visits since I first started it in 2012. Now, how many of those were people who clicked on a link to my blog, saw what it was about and left without reading much, I don't know. But, I am excited by the fact that my blog has been visited so many times. Especially considering the fact that this entry will be my 27th published entry.
Something that excites me more than the number of people that have visited my blog is the fact that so many people from different countries that have visited it. According to the stats page, the majority of the people who have visited my blog are from the US, with over 400. Considering the fact that I am from the US and that most of my friends and relatives live there, that is no surprise. What is a surprise is that people from countries like Germany, Netherlands, Russia, the Ukraine, Romania, amongst other, have visited my site. Again, I don't know how many stayed to read and how many clicked on my site and then left. That is only known by God. But, it shows that I am starting to touch lives all over the world. That is totally awe inspiring!
And, that really got me thinking… As the passages that I listed above, we often do not know, or even have a clue, as to what God chooses to do through us. Each and every person that we interact with through out lives, be it just once, or through an on going relationship, we impact them either positively or negatively. Kind of like leaving footprints in their lives. A very popular poem about this concept, called “Footprints in the Sand,” can be found here. A song written about this poem can be found here. Gives one a different view of how Christ walks with us, huh? But, let's take that idea a little further.
Lets say that each of our lives is like a beach. For those of us whose lives are longer (I am over 40 years old and experienced a lot), our 'track of beach' will probably be long and wide. Others would be much longer and wider than mine. Others much, much narrower and shorter. And, picture various footprints appearing and disappearing, going this way and that. These would be the footprints of others that have impacted you, either positively or negatively. When you add onto this how many lives impact you through your on-line relationships, it can really become filled and confusing. I am sure that my stretch of beach would be a huge swath of churned sand, kicked all over the place. Especially considering the gruff personalities I have interacted with in the military and in corrections. Some of them have been quite negative, even cruel. But, others would be neatly made because the person making them were friendly and caring with how they interacted with me, even if it was just briefly.
Whether short or over a long period of time, whether gruff, mean, or kind, each of the footprints left a mark on my life. Each of them shaped me into the person that I am today. Looking back, even some of the more gruff and 'difficult' people that I had to deal with were able to positively change me. It was not pleasant for me at the time, but over the months and years, I was able to see how they were (intentionally or not) directing me and how God used that to change me. Kind of like how Joseph viewed his brothers. Years before, they had sold him into slavery in . But, God never abandoned Joseph and continued to mature and train him so that, after many years, Joseph would be ready to become second in command of all Egypt and save the nation, and many surrounding countries from a very, very severe drought and famine. Though Joseph's brothers had evil intent, God used all of the circumstances to bring about great and awesome good for all.
If God could use Joseph in such an awesome way, then I knew that He can use me in awesome ways to touch the lives of others. Whether it is the people that I interact with on a day-to-day basis, face-to-face, friends that I talk with via the Internet, or 'faceless' people that are able to read my blog from around the world. I have faith that God will touch the lives of those around me. In fact, a particular Scripture passage comes to my mind:
I believe that God can and will use me to impact the lives of those around me. When I walk in obedience to Him, He will use that to bless the lives of others. Though it may not always be in the way that I intend or the way that they perceive, God will accomplish what He wills in due time. Even when I make a fool of myself and do not walk according to the Spirit, but according to my flesh, I trust that He can use that, too. Even if its along the lines of, “Look… Don't do that, or else this will happen.” For me, that is the awesome thing about God. Even when I seek to do His will and fail because of my brokenness and human frailty (or even human foolishness), God can still use it for His greater good. I do have an obligation to Him to strive to walk in the Spirit and to be obedient to Him. Out of thankfulness for all that He has done that I don't deserve (Romans 5:1-10), I want to be obedient. But, even when I want to serve Him wholeheartedly, even when I fail He will still use it. That gives me a lot of peace, knowing that as I make myself available to Him, He will use me in awesome ways!
Hebrews 12:1-6 is such an encouragement to me. Many have gone before me, some suffering great evil so that the Gospel of Christ could be proclaimed. And now, each of those witnesses are cheering us on to continue to do good and live lives of obedience. It may not always be easy, sometimes it may be down right painful. Some may even have to lay down their lives in order for the Gospel of Christ to be clearly and loudly proclaimed. Those are more extreme examples. In our own lives, we can daily live self-sacrificially, in obedience to God, and proclaim the Gospel of Christ in our words and actions. Though we may see evidence of God touching the lives of others, that may not always be the case.
As I started, I will end reflecting on how many people have at least looked at different pages of my blog. Though different stats give different totals, one thing doesn't change. Many people from all over the world have been exposed to what I have been writing. I have not heard much in the way of how I have impacted them. Many don't know me from Adam, Cain, or Noah. Some of whom will probably not realize how my words have impacted for some time, when God brings to mind something that I wrote that, all of a sudden, now makes sense or illuminates something. A song by a Christian singer, Ray Boltz, comes to mind. The song is called, “Thank You.” You can find the lyrics here and a video here. The person who is a subject of the song sought to obediently live for Christ and the song is a celebration that, upon entering Heaven, Christ started showing him just how many lives were touched through his words and actions. Let all be encouraged to live more obediently to God and to make ourselves available to Him. Only He knows how much He can use each of us to change the lives of those around us.
Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 NKJV
John 3:3-13 NKJV
1 Corinthians 3:1-11 NKJV
Hebrews 13:1-7 NKJV
Every so often during the last couple of weeks, I have been looking at the stats for my blog site, “Law and Grace.” As of the time of writing this blog entry, I have had over 620 visits since I first started it in 2012. Now, how many of those were people who clicked on a link to my blog, saw what it was about and left without reading much, I don't know. But, I am excited by the fact that my blog has been visited so many times. Especially considering the fact that this entry will be my 27th published entry.
Something that excites me more than the number of people that have visited my blog is the fact that so many people from different countries that have visited it. According to the stats page, the majority of the people who have visited my blog are from the US, with over 400. Considering the fact that I am from the US and that most of my friends and relatives live there, that is no surprise. What is a surprise is that people from countries like Germany, Netherlands, Russia, the Ukraine, Romania, amongst other, have visited my site. Again, I don't know how many stayed to read and how many clicked on my site and then left. That is only known by God. But, it shows that I am starting to touch lives all over the world. That is totally awe inspiring!
And, that really got me thinking… As the passages that I listed above, we often do not know, or even have a clue, as to what God chooses to do through us. Each and every person that we interact with through out lives, be it just once, or through an on going relationship, we impact them either positively or negatively. Kind of like leaving footprints in their lives. A very popular poem about this concept, called “Footprints in the Sand,” can be found here. A song written about this poem can be found here. Gives one a different view of how Christ walks with us, huh? But, let's take that idea a little further.
Lets say that each of our lives is like a beach. For those of us whose lives are longer (I am over 40 years old and experienced a lot), our 'track of beach' will probably be long and wide. Others would be much longer and wider than mine. Others much, much narrower and shorter. And, picture various footprints appearing and disappearing, going this way and that. These would be the footprints of others that have impacted you, either positively or negatively. When you add onto this how many lives impact you through your on-line relationships, it can really become filled and confusing. I am sure that my stretch of beach would be a huge swath of churned sand, kicked all over the place. Especially considering the gruff personalities I have interacted with in the military and in corrections. Some of them have been quite negative, even cruel. But, others would be neatly made because the person making them were friendly and caring with how they interacted with me, even if it was just briefly.
Whether short or over a long period of time, whether gruff, mean, or kind, each of the footprints left a mark on my life. Each of them shaped me into the person that I am today. Looking back, even some of the more gruff and 'difficult' people that I had to deal with were able to positively change me. It was not pleasant for me at the time, but over the months and years, I was able to see how they were (intentionally or not) directing me and how God used that to change me. Kind of like how Joseph viewed his brothers. Years before, they had sold him into slavery in . But, God never abandoned Joseph and continued to mature and train him so that, after many years, Joseph would be ready to become second in command of all Egypt and save the nation, and many surrounding countries from a very, very severe drought and famine. Though Joseph's brothers had evil intent, God used all of the circumstances to bring about great and awesome good for all.
If God could use Joseph in such an awesome way, then I knew that He can use me in awesome ways to touch the lives of others. Whether it is the people that I interact with on a day-to-day basis, face-to-face, friends that I talk with via the Internet, or 'faceless' people that are able to read my blog from around the world. I have faith that God will touch the lives of those around me. In fact, a particular Scripture passage comes to my mind:
6 Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. 8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. 9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. 10 "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, 11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. 12 "For you shall go out with joy, And be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; And it shall be to the Lord for a name, For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off." (Isaiah 55:6-13 NKJV)
I believe that God can and will use me to impact the lives of those around me. When I walk in obedience to Him, He will use that to bless the lives of others. Though it may not always be in the way that I intend or the way that they perceive, God will accomplish what He wills in due time. Even when I make a fool of myself and do not walk according to the Spirit, but according to my flesh, I trust that He can use that, too. Even if its along the lines of, “Look… Don't do that, or else this will happen.” For me, that is the awesome thing about God. Even when I seek to do His will and fail because of my brokenness and human frailty (or even human foolishness), God can still use it for His greater good. I do have an obligation to Him to strive to walk in the Spirit and to be obedient to Him. Out of thankfulness for all that He has done that I don't deserve (Romans 5:1-10), I want to be obedient. But, even when I want to serve Him wholeheartedly, even when I fail He will still use it. That gives me a lot of peace, knowing that as I make myself available to Him, He will use me in awesome ways!
Hebrews 12:1-6 is such an encouragement to me. Many have gone before me, some suffering great evil so that the Gospel of Christ could be proclaimed. And now, each of those witnesses are cheering us on to continue to do good and live lives of obedience. It may not always be easy, sometimes it may be down right painful. Some may even have to lay down their lives in order for the Gospel of Christ to be clearly and loudly proclaimed. Those are more extreme examples. In our own lives, we can daily live self-sacrificially, in obedience to God, and proclaim the Gospel of Christ in our words and actions. Though we may see evidence of God touching the lives of others, that may not always be the case.
As I started, I will end reflecting on how many people have at least looked at different pages of my blog. Though different stats give different totals, one thing doesn't change. Many people from all over the world have been exposed to what I have been writing. I have not heard much in the way of how I have impacted them. Many don't know me from Adam, Cain, or Noah. Some of whom will probably not realize how my words have impacted for some time, when God brings to mind something that I wrote that, all of a sudden, now makes sense or illuminates something. A song by a Christian singer, Ray Boltz, comes to mind. The song is called, “Thank You.” You can find the lyrics here and a video here. The person who is a subject of the song sought to obediently live for Christ and the song is a celebration that, upon entering Heaven, Christ started showing him just how many lives were touched through his words and actions. Let all be encouraged to live more obediently to God and to make ourselves available to Him. Only He knows how much He can use each of us to change the lives of those around us.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Hypocrites Are We All
I was talking with a friend a while back and he said something that got me thinking. He is a spiritual person, but he does not like “organized religion.” He also said that every church that he has been to is full of hypocrites. I didn't say anything at the time, but it did get me thinking. And, to be honest, the church is full of hypocrites, each and everyone one of them. In fact, each and every one of us is a hypocrite. Some people are more honest and straightforward than others. But, in reality, all of us fail to fully and perfectly follow through on everything that we say.
This is nothing new to me. Over the years, while talking with people who no longer attend church regularly, often state that they do not because 'the church is full of hypocrites.' But yet, before we go any further, let's define “hypocrite” so that we are all dealing with the same understanding. According to the Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary (http://www.merriam-webster.com/), hypocrite is defined as:
1. a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion
2. a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings
In a perfect world, we would as act exactly as we say we believe. For example, if one claimed that he or she thought lying was wrong, they would always tell the truth. That would be the case even with never telling a “white lie” (does this color look good on me? “Yes” when in reality, they don't think so), exaggerating the truth about something (fish story), or when they were trying to protect an innocent person. In reality, we all lie at times. Some lie on a regular basis and rarely tell the truth. Others try very hard to be honest and up front all the time. But, everyone 'fudges the truth' at least once in a while. It's either because we want to please someone else or we want to protect something that we perceive as important to us.
In Matthew 5:20-24, Jesus had some very harsh words for us. Though many people think that they can please God by not doing 'bad things,' Jesus said it wasn't. God judges us by the attitudes of our hearts. He used the example of physical adultery verses actually committing adultery in one's mind/heart (lusting after a person). For Jesus, as Scripture teaches was God 'in the flesh,' (John 1:14), simply thinking about doing something contrary to the 10 Commandments was enough to be guilty of rebelling against God. You didn't have to actually act out on the desire, just entertain it in you mind/heart.
How many of us, when we feel wronged, wish that the person that we perceived (correctly or not) to have wronged us that something evil will happen to them? All of us are guilty of murdering others in our heart. How many of us, when seeing someone go by with a new phone, computer, car, or what ever, do we find ourselves wishing that we had that particular item? All of us are guilty of coveting what is not ours in our hearts. I could go on and on, but I hope that all of us get the point. I use 'us' because we all do this. We all commit these sins in though, word, and deed each and every day. Some people flaunt it when they do it. Others try to be subtle or hide it. No matter what each of us believes is 'good' and what is 'bad,' we all break these 'laws' in thought, word, and deed. Each of us, every day.
The Apostle Paul was just as guilty as all of us. He is celebrated as one of the greatest missionaries in Christian history, especially in the early days of the Christian Church. He traveled far and wide, planting churches in many cities across the known world. Many of his Epistles (letters) were saved and guided Christians over the centuries. Sometimes he wrote in a gentle and caring voice. The Epistles to the Philippians is a good example of that. Other times, he wrote with harsh words and strong criticism, as is reflected in the Epistles to Galatia and Corinth. Many people look up to his example and strive to be imitators of him, which is not a bad thing. However, he was not without fault.
In Romans 7:14-25, Paul writes about the struggles that he goes through on a daily basis. You see, he was a hypocrite to some extent. Although he strove to 'do the right thing' all the time, his sinful nature would get in the way. He didn't use it as an excuse for doing evil. On the contrary, he did so to emphasize his humanity and need for a Savior. It was only by reliance on God's Grace that he could improve in his life (sanctification). He emphasizes on Chapter 8 of Romans of the need of each of us “do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:4b). This is an on going process. While we are still on this earth, we will always be affect by and influenced by our own sinful nature. No matter how closely we walk with Christ during our time on this earth, we will all still wrestle with our sinful nature. It won't be until we die and are in Heaven that we will no longer fight this battle.
It does sadden me when people, a church, or even a whole denomination claims to be Christian, but yet their actions state something different entirely. A popular saying (questionable whether Francis of Assisi actually said it) is, “Preach the Gospel, use words when necessary.” In a nutshell, our actions (and I would dare say, our thoughts) need to line up with what we say we believe. This is very sound advice, to some extent. We should be living as we say we believe. But, not totally the case concerning evangelism, though that is something I will explore more thoroughly in another blog entry. Although we will never always live what we believe, there is a huge different between striving towards a particular goal and actively saying one thing and doing another.
Now, there are some things that people say we are 'hypocrites' for doing which are not quite true. One thing that comes to my is the issue of homosexuality. Many people say that, since many churches teach that homosexuality is a sin and many denominations will not ordain someone who claims to be a homosexual, we are 'hypocrites.' Now, if a church teaches that 'God hates fags,' then I would definitely agree with you. Scripture is absolutely clear that Jesus sought out, even spent time, with people who were living apart from God. People like prostitutes, tax collectors, etc. He never condoned (agreed with) what they did, but He still reached out to them. He wanted them to give up their sinful lives and follow Him. Some did, some didn't. Paul writes eloquently in Romans 5:6, 10, Paul clearly states that Jesus gave His life to redeem all who put their trust in Him. Jesus loved the sinner (each and every one of us), but hates sin. As a holy and righteous God, sin separates us from Him. But, He took our place so that we could have a relationship with Him. And, He has charged us with doing the same thing. We are to love and invite those who are broken, hurting, living in sin, to find hope in Christ. We are to love the sinner but not condone the sin.
Some people do a very poor job in doing this. They condemn the person as they condemn their lifestyle. Some people do it out of ignorance or because they were taught poorly. Other people do it because it makes them feel important, or at least superior. Such people are similar to the 'righteous man' that Jesus spoke harshly about in Luke 18:9-19. We are to lovingly reach out to others and help them come to a saving knowledge of Christ. Not treat others harshly because they are living in (xyz) sin. Now, things are different for those who claim to be a Christian but are living in sin, but I will discuss that at another time.
In closing, we are all sinners in need of God's Grace. As a friend once described it, “A Christian is like one beggar telling another beggar where to find food.” Just as God showed us love and mercy, we are to do the same. Just as God calls us to give up our sinful ways, we are to encourage others to do so. It will never be easy. That is why Jesus has said, “Take up your cross and follow Me.” We need to do a lot more encouraging and mentoring as we reach out to others. Only when they see the love of Christ being lived in our lives (and see how He has changed us for the better) will they want to have anything to do with our 'religion.'
This is nothing new to me. Over the years, while talking with people who no longer attend church regularly, often state that they do not because 'the church is full of hypocrites.' But yet, before we go any further, let's define “hypocrite” so that we are all dealing with the same understanding. According to the Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary (http://www.merriam-webster.com/), hypocrite is defined as:
1. a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion
2. a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings
In a perfect world, we would as act exactly as we say we believe. For example, if one claimed that he or she thought lying was wrong, they would always tell the truth. That would be the case even with never telling a “white lie” (does this color look good on me? “Yes” when in reality, they don't think so), exaggerating the truth about something (fish story), or when they were trying to protect an innocent person. In reality, we all lie at times. Some lie on a regular basis and rarely tell the truth. Others try very hard to be honest and up front all the time. But, everyone 'fudges the truth' at least once in a while. It's either because we want to please someone else or we want to protect something that we perceive as important to us.
In Matthew 5:20-24, Jesus had some very harsh words for us. Though many people think that they can please God by not doing 'bad things,' Jesus said it wasn't. God judges us by the attitudes of our hearts. He used the example of physical adultery verses actually committing adultery in one's mind/heart (lusting after a person). For Jesus, as Scripture teaches was God 'in the flesh,' (John 1:14), simply thinking about doing something contrary to the 10 Commandments was enough to be guilty of rebelling against God. You didn't have to actually act out on the desire, just entertain it in you mind/heart.
How many of us, when we feel wronged, wish that the person that we perceived (correctly or not) to have wronged us that something evil will happen to them? All of us are guilty of murdering others in our heart. How many of us, when seeing someone go by with a new phone, computer, car, or what ever, do we find ourselves wishing that we had that particular item? All of us are guilty of coveting what is not ours in our hearts. I could go on and on, but I hope that all of us get the point. I use 'us' because we all do this. We all commit these sins in though, word, and deed each and every day. Some people flaunt it when they do it. Others try to be subtle or hide it. No matter what each of us believes is 'good' and what is 'bad,' we all break these 'laws' in thought, word, and deed. Each of us, every day.
The Apostle Paul was just as guilty as all of us. He is celebrated as one of the greatest missionaries in Christian history, especially in the early days of the Christian Church. He traveled far and wide, planting churches in many cities across the known world. Many of his Epistles (letters) were saved and guided Christians over the centuries. Sometimes he wrote in a gentle and caring voice. The Epistles to the Philippians is a good example of that. Other times, he wrote with harsh words and strong criticism, as is reflected in the Epistles to Galatia and Corinth. Many people look up to his example and strive to be imitators of him, which is not a bad thing. However, he was not without fault.
In Romans 7:14-25, Paul writes about the struggles that he goes through on a daily basis. You see, he was a hypocrite to some extent. Although he strove to 'do the right thing' all the time, his sinful nature would get in the way. He didn't use it as an excuse for doing evil. On the contrary, he did so to emphasize his humanity and need for a Savior. It was only by reliance on God's Grace that he could improve in his life (sanctification). He emphasizes on Chapter 8 of Romans of the need of each of us “do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:4b). This is an on going process. While we are still on this earth, we will always be affect by and influenced by our own sinful nature. No matter how closely we walk with Christ during our time on this earth, we will all still wrestle with our sinful nature. It won't be until we die and are in Heaven that we will no longer fight this battle.
It does sadden me when people, a church, or even a whole denomination claims to be Christian, but yet their actions state something different entirely. A popular saying (questionable whether Francis of Assisi actually said it) is, “Preach the Gospel, use words when necessary.” In a nutshell, our actions (and I would dare say, our thoughts) need to line up with what we say we believe. This is very sound advice, to some extent. We should be living as we say we believe. But, not totally the case concerning evangelism, though that is something I will explore more thoroughly in another blog entry. Although we will never always live what we believe, there is a huge different between striving towards a particular goal and actively saying one thing and doing another.
Now, there are some things that people say we are 'hypocrites' for doing which are not quite true. One thing that comes to my is the issue of homosexuality. Many people say that, since many churches teach that homosexuality is a sin and many denominations will not ordain someone who claims to be a homosexual, we are 'hypocrites.' Now, if a church teaches that 'God hates fags,' then I would definitely agree with you. Scripture is absolutely clear that Jesus sought out, even spent time, with people who were living apart from God. People like prostitutes, tax collectors, etc. He never condoned (agreed with) what they did, but He still reached out to them. He wanted them to give up their sinful lives and follow Him. Some did, some didn't. Paul writes eloquently in Romans 5:6, 10, Paul clearly states that Jesus gave His life to redeem all who put their trust in Him. Jesus loved the sinner (each and every one of us), but hates sin. As a holy and righteous God, sin separates us from Him. But, He took our place so that we could have a relationship with Him. And, He has charged us with doing the same thing. We are to love and invite those who are broken, hurting, living in sin, to find hope in Christ. We are to love the sinner but not condone the sin.
Some people do a very poor job in doing this. They condemn the person as they condemn their lifestyle. Some people do it out of ignorance or because they were taught poorly. Other people do it because it makes them feel important, or at least superior. Such people are similar to the 'righteous man' that Jesus spoke harshly about in Luke 18:9-19. We are to lovingly reach out to others and help them come to a saving knowledge of Christ. Not treat others harshly because they are living in (xyz) sin. Now, things are different for those who claim to be a Christian but are living in sin, but I will discuss that at another time.
In closing, we are all sinners in need of God's Grace. As a friend once described it, “A Christian is like one beggar telling another beggar where to find food.” Just as God showed us love and mercy, we are to do the same. Just as God calls us to give up our sinful ways, we are to encourage others to do so. It will never be easy. That is why Jesus has said, “Take up your cross and follow Me.” We need to do a lot more encouraging and mentoring as we reach out to others. Only when they see the love of Christ being lived in our lives (and see how He has changed us for the better) will they want to have anything to do with our 'religion.'
Saturday, July 4, 2015
Freedom and Consequences
Today is July 4th, 2015. The United States of American is celebrating 239 years of declaring it's independence from Great Britain. The social experiment of having a representative democracy has had a rocky history. As a nation, we have made incredible strides and made some very poor decisions. The Declaration of Independence second paragraph starts out with:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.-- (found here)
And began the journey of our Nation with seeking to allow people to live their lives with lots of freedom. Freedom to choose who they wanted to be, instead of what the State told them to be. The freedom to choose their faith, instead of having to follow the State's religion. The freedom to pursue as much or as little education as they wanted, and the area of education that they most desired, instead of being directed by the State with what to study. But, with every decision comes the consequences, either good or bad.
As I spend time pondering our situation in American, I am often troubled and saddened to see where we are today, compared to where we were 20 years ago. Granted, technology has changed immensely in just the last five years! Because of the changes in technology, our lives have also been greatly changed. Some changes have been good, some not so good. It is wonderful that we can look up information about other countries, from the countries themselves, to learn about that particular culture, language and history. It is awesome that I can get on my computer and use Skype to talk with friends and family back in the States while I am deployed. But, with all the abundance of information on the Internet, it can easily get overwhelming. And, though a lot of the information is wonderful and good to know, there is a lot of information out there that can be negative, even destructive.
Unlike many countries, we still have a fair amount of freedom to pursue our dreams and live our lives how we want to. I say 'fair amount' because I do not believe that we still have the same freedoms that we used to have. Although I do feel that our individual rights are being eroded, that is the theme of another article. Here, though, I want to talk more about decisions and consequences.
In Genesis chapters 1-2, we see the story of Creation from two different perspectives. Although how the stories are written seem different, their content are the same. God created everything and, in the beginning, pronounced it 'good.' What is very interesting is that, from the start, God created mankind to be an independent thinking. In Genesis 2:18-20, we see that God allowed Adam to name all of the living things. God did not name them and then order Adam to call them by that name. God allowed Adam to freely choose what to call each animal. God gave Adam a choice, and the consequences of that choice was that each animal would be called.
In Genesis 2:15-17, we see some limits that God put upon Adam. Of all that was in the Garden of Eden, there was only one tree (tree of the knowledge of good and evil) that he was not to eat from. But, in Genesis 3, we see that Adam and Eve choose to disobey God. Because they choose to reject Him and do what they wanted, the consequences of their sin are still felt today.
We all have choices that we make each and every day. From the food that we eat, to the people that we hang out with, to how we do personal hygiene, to how we spend our free time. And, there are consequences to each of these choices, be it for good or evil. For example, being in the Army means that I have a specific uniform that I am supposed to wear for during the duty day, unless told otherwise. If I choose to wear a pair of jeans and a T-shirt instead of the Multi-Cam uniform that I was told to be in, I would face negative consequences. Being an E6/Staff Sergeant, that would probably mean more harsh consequences than if a new Private did the same thing. And that is because, being an NCO (Non-Commissioned Officer), more is expected of me. If I choose to eat a lot of junk food during meals instead of healthy foods, then probable consequences down the road would be osculating sugar levels, poor sleeping, obesity, etc.
Some choices can have very lasting consequences. For example, if I allow my temper to be in control when I discipline my children, they will grow to fear and resent me. However, if I temper the way that I discipline them with love and firmness, then they will grow to love and respect me. If I continuously push them away when I want to do things on my own instead of paying with them, reading to them, etc., they will seek love and acceptance from others. But, if I set aside my desires to be alone so that I can be there for them, then the positive consequence will be that they will want to do things with me, seek my advice, etc.
Everything decision we make has a consequence, be it good or bad. Sometimes we won't know the full extent of the consequences of our actions for years, if ever. For example, I volunteered to lead a Bible Study here on base in Qatar so that I can be a positive spiritual influence and mentor to fellow soldiers and civilians here. I know that I will never fully know what God does through me as I teach and fellowship. My style of expository teaching (defined here and here) is not for everyone. I dig deep into the history of the text, the language (as I have time since working with Hebrew or Greek is very time consuming for me), the historical setting, etc., so that I can more clearly explain how the original text might have been understood originally, and how we can understand it today. Some people love that kind of teaching. Others do not.
I work full-time at a maximum security state prison in Nebraska. Over the years, I have used the skills that I gained while in seminary and working in churches to minister to the inmates and staff there (as my job allows). I have seen lives deeply touched by what I do. But, I am very certain that I will never seek the full consequences of my ministry there. God may give me glimpses here and there, but the full extent will be beyond my understanding.
There is one other thing that we have the freedom to do that can have major consequences. That is the freedom to not choose, but to let others choose for us. Whether it is in a church setting, small town, state, or what ever, when we choose not to make our voices heard, we are still making a choice. If we choose to not get involved in a church meeting in deciding the outcome of selecting a new pastor or voting on an important issue, we have made a choice. We choose to let others speak for us. State or national elections is the same. If we choose not to vote, then we empower others to make the decisions for us. The consequence is, we have to then live with the choices they made.
We can also take this a step further. We can choose to be involved in the lives of our children and their education. Or, we can choose to not be involved and allow the State to teach them whatever they want to teach. In many countries, parents do not have much of a say in what a child learns in school. Here in the United States, we have that choice. But, many choose not to exercise that right.
As Christians, we called to follow Christ and to obey Him. However, in a fallen world, we often are disliked, even hated and persecuted for following Him. We have the choice to live in fear of being disliked, hated, and/or persecuted and compromise. But, in doing so, we hinder our witness and damage our relationship with God. On the other hand, if we choose to life for Christ, no matter what the cost, then we can face difficulties, ridicule, torture, or even death. What ever choice one makes, there will be consequences.
Funny thing is… The consequences of our actions, words and attitudes can have a ripple effect with those around us. Not only do we have to accept and live with the consequences of our decisions, but those around us will have to live with them. For example, if a person chooses to drive his car down a busy residential area, faster than the posted speed, while talking on the his cellphone, there is a good chance that the person will hit someone. Not only will that person have to live with the consequences of their decision (know that their actions caused great harm or even death to someone else), but the family of the person hit will have to live with the consequences (major medical bills, permanent injuries, or even death). Sometimes we will see the consequences of our actions and behavior. Sometimes it takes years, if at all. But, there will be consequences, and others will be influenced by them.
So, during this time of celebration, let us remember that with freedom comes responsibilities. Freedom to choose means taking time to think about our words and our actions, because there will be consequences for the choices that we make. And, if we choose to let others decide for us, we will suffer the consequences for their choices. Sometimes, the most we can do is decide how we will respond to things in life. But, just like our physical actions, what we say and how we emotionally engage or disengage, affects others. Some things have short term consequences (eating a delicious dessert or telling a joke with friends) and some can have long term consequences (choosing to drive after drinking or choosing to having sex with a stranger because you feel lonely). And, some can have eternal consequences (accepting Christ as your Lord and Savior…or not…).
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.-- (found here)
And began the journey of our Nation with seeking to allow people to live their lives with lots of freedom. Freedom to choose who they wanted to be, instead of what the State told them to be. The freedom to choose their faith, instead of having to follow the State's religion. The freedom to pursue as much or as little education as they wanted, and the area of education that they most desired, instead of being directed by the State with what to study. But, with every decision comes the consequences, either good or bad.
As I spend time pondering our situation in American, I am often troubled and saddened to see where we are today, compared to where we were 20 years ago. Granted, technology has changed immensely in just the last five years! Because of the changes in technology, our lives have also been greatly changed. Some changes have been good, some not so good. It is wonderful that we can look up information about other countries, from the countries themselves, to learn about that particular culture, language and history. It is awesome that I can get on my computer and use Skype to talk with friends and family back in the States while I am deployed. But, with all the abundance of information on the Internet, it can easily get overwhelming. And, though a lot of the information is wonderful and good to know, there is a lot of information out there that can be negative, even destructive.
Unlike many countries, we still have a fair amount of freedom to pursue our dreams and live our lives how we want to. I say 'fair amount' because I do not believe that we still have the same freedoms that we used to have. Although I do feel that our individual rights are being eroded, that is the theme of another article. Here, though, I want to talk more about decisions and consequences.
In Genesis chapters 1-2, we see the story of Creation from two different perspectives. Although how the stories are written seem different, their content are the same. God created everything and, in the beginning, pronounced it 'good.' What is very interesting is that, from the start, God created mankind to be an independent thinking. In Genesis 2:18-20, we see that God allowed Adam to name all of the living things. God did not name them and then order Adam to call them by that name. God allowed Adam to freely choose what to call each animal. God gave Adam a choice, and the consequences of that choice was that each animal would be called.
In Genesis 2:15-17, we see some limits that God put upon Adam. Of all that was in the Garden of Eden, there was only one tree (tree of the knowledge of good and evil) that he was not to eat from. But, in Genesis 3, we see that Adam and Eve choose to disobey God. Because they choose to reject Him and do what they wanted, the consequences of their sin are still felt today.
We all have choices that we make each and every day. From the food that we eat, to the people that we hang out with, to how we do personal hygiene, to how we spend our free time. And, there are consequences to each of these choices, be it for good or evil. For example, being in the Army means that I have a specific uniform that I am supposed to wear for during the duty day, unless told otherwise. If I choose to wear a pair of jeans and a T-shirt instead of the Multi-Cam uniform that I was told to be in, I would face negative consequences. Being an E6/Staff Sergeant, that would probably mean more harsh consequences than if a new Private did the same thing. And that is because, being an NCO (Non-Commissioned Officer), more is expected of me. If I choose to eat a lot of junk food during meals instead of healthy foods, then probable consequences down the road would be osculating sugar levels, poor sleeping, obesity, etc.
Some choices can have very lasting consequences. For example, if I allow my temper to be in control when I discipline my children, they will grow to fear and resent me. However, if I temper the way that I discipline them with love and firmness, then they will grow to love and respect me. If I continuously push them away when I want to do things on my own instead of paying with them, reading to them, etc., they will seek love and acceptance from others. But, if I set aside my desires to be alone so that I can be there for them, then the positive consequence will be that they will want to do things with me, seek my advice, etc.
Everything decision we make has a consequence, be it good or bad. Sometimes we won't know the full extent of the consequences of our actions for years, if ever. For example, I volunteered to lead a Bible Study here on base in Qatar so that I can be a positive spiritual influence and mentor to fellow soldiers and civilians here. I know that I will never fully know what God does through me as I teach and fellowship. My style of expository teaching (defined here and here) is not for everyone. I dig deep into the history of the text, the language (as I have time since working with Hebrew or Greek is very time consuming for me), the historical setting, etc., so that I can more clearly explain how the original text might have been understood originally, and how we can understand it today. Some people love that kind of teaching. Others do not.
I work full-time at a maximum security state prison in Nebraska. Over the years, I have used the skills that I gained while in seminary and working in churches to minister to the inmates and staff there (as my job allows). I have seen lives deeply touched by what I do. But, I am very certain that I will never seek the full consequences of my ministry there. God may give me glimpses here and there, but the full extent will be beyond my understanding.
There is one other thing that we have the freedom to do that can have major consequences. That is the freedom to not choose, but to let others choose for us. Whether it is in a church setting, small town, state, or what ever, when we choose not to make our voices heard, we are still making a choice. If we choose to not get involved in a church meeting in deciding the outcome of selecting a new pastor or voting on an important issue, we have made a choice. We choose to let others speak for us. State or national elections is the same. If we choose not to vote, then we empower others to make the decisions for us. The consequence is, we have to then live with the choices they made.
We can also take this a step further. We can choose to be involved in the lives of our children and their education. Or, we can choose to not be involved and allow the State to teach them whatever they want to teach. In many countries, parents do not have much of a say in what a child learns in school. Here in the United States, we have that choice. But, many choose not to exercise that right.
As Christians, we called to follow Christ and to obey Him. However, in a fallen world, we often are disliked, even hated and persecuted for following Him. We have the choice to live in fear of being disliked, hated, and/or persecuted and compromise. But, in doing so, we hinder our witness and damage our relationship with God. On the other hand, if we choose to life for Christ, no matter what the cost, then we can face difficulties, ridicule, torture, or even death. What ever choice one makes, there will be consequences.
Funny thing is… The consequences of our actions, words and attitudes can have a ripple effect with those around us. Not only do we have to accept and live with the consequences of our decisions, but those around us will have to live with them. For example, if a person chooses to drive his car down a busy residential area, faster than the posted speed, while talking on the his cellphone, there is a good chance that the person will hit someone. Not only will that person have to live with the consequences of their decision (know that their actions caused great harm or even death to someone else), but the family of the person hit will have to live with the consequences (major medical bills, permanent injuries, or even death). Sometimes we will see the consequences of our actions and behavior. Sometimes it takes years, if at all. But, there will be consequences, and others will be influenced by them.
So, during this time of celebration, let us remember that with freedom comes responsibilities. Freedom to choose means taking time to think about our words and our actions, because there will be consequences for the choices that we make. And, if we choose to let others decide for us, we will suffer the consequences for their choices. Sometimes, the most we can do is decide how we will respond to things in life. But, just like our physical actions, what we say and how we emotionally engage or disengage, affects others. Some things have short term consequences (eating a delicious dessert or telling a joke with friends) and some can have long term consequences (choosing to drive after drinking or choosing to having sex with a stranger because you feel lonely). And, some can have eternal consequences (accepting Christ as your Lord and Savior…or not…).
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