Soulsearching

2002-05-21T19:55:00.000-07:00

2002-05-17T08:10:00.000-07:00

The blog is messing up a bit - taking me to another web site called souls searching. I'll see what I can do to fix it.

2002-05-13T19:34:00.000-07:00

The Compuserve News Service reports that 2 Bibles were found in the wreckage of Flight 93 that crashed in rural Pennsylvania on 9/11. One Bible belonged to a Buddist. The other's owner is unknown. According to the story:

The Washington Post reports that when Miller found the second Bible on the floor of a warehouse where the few victims' belongings that have been found are being stored, it was open to Psalm 121. Often read at funerals, this psalm begins: "I lift up my eyes to the hills--from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth." And the last two verses, 121: 7 and 121:8: "The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forever more." Wally Miller doesn't know how that Bible came to be open to this particular page with this particular message.

I guess it's not surprising that some of the passengers turned to the Bible for comfort during that very stressful event. But perhaps the message was meant for us, the survivors, to discover as well.

2002-05-08T14:29:00.000-07:00

There are dangerous ideas about spirituality out there. Compare these quotes from two different sources:

One
"I am more than my physical self. I am more than this job that I do. I am more than the external definitions that I have given myself. . . . Those roles are all extensions of who I define myself to be, but ultimately I am Spirit come from the greatest Spirit. I am Spirit."

Two
"You talk of this place called heaven. Heaven resides within you. You control your own destiny. You are your own god! Earth is a place where free will resides. You can do anything you want."

Both sound equally loony. And both are very dangerous, albeit in different ways. Number one is a quote from Oprah Winfrey. Number two is a quote from the alleged "mailbox bomber," Lucas Helder.

Who's more dangerous? I think Oprah is. Helder's bombs killed no one, and his screed is the obvious ravings of a loony. Oprah, however, is very popular and has millions of fans. And many wrongly look to her for answers. Case in point, this Mennonite pastor!

To choose life is to love the Lord your God, obey him, and stay close to him.
- Deuteronomy 30:20

2002-05-07T04:36:00.000-07:00

A PRAYER ANSWERED
I still have a sore throat this morning, but the warm head and the sense of dread anticipating an oncoming cold is gone! Were my prayers answered? Or would I have felt better today if I hadn't prayed?

I swear to you that I knew - just knew - that I was going to be full-out sick. All the signs were there. The warm head. The slight bodily discomfort. But today all is well.

Another "minor" miracle just occurred!

2002-05-06T15:23:00.000-07:00

I had to post the test yesterday because the web address was taking Soulseaching readers to another blog called "souls searching." Don't know why. All's back to normal now....except that -

I have a sore throat and a warm head - the tell-tale signs of a cold, flu or some other ailment. I've prayed to ask for a quick recovery. But what if I have a cold for 2 weeks? Does this mean God didn't answer my prayer? No one can say with certainty.

My thought is that most things happen for a reason. Perhaps God forsaw that something bad would happen to me at work this week. And that staying home would avoid it. Perhaps this is a reminder for me to take better care of my body. Perhaps my body needs to go through this to develop an immunity to a specific strain of sickness.

But perhaps there is no reason at all. This may be such a small item on the list of events in my life that it's not worth wondering about. But did my praying help? I like to think so.

For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers.
- 1 Peter 3:12

2002-05-05T18:53:00.000-07:00

This is a test.....

2002-05-04T08:42:00.000-07:00

According to my local "alternative" newspaper, a report from the NY Times says Pat Robertson has invested $520,000 in a thoroughbred racehorse named Mr. Pat. Asked to explain the contradiction between owning a racehorse and his faith's opposition to gambling, Robertson replied, "I don't bet and I don't gamble." He said gambling is a sin and the only reason he bought a horse is because he likes to watch horses run.

I don't think gambling is a sin. But I think it's a sport best left to the rich. When I think of gambling, I prefer to think of a James Bond-eque movie, with tuxedoed gentleman with vaguely European accents playing 21 or Roulet, glancing knowingly at each other out the corner of their eyes. But I know the reality of gambling is a single mom using her child's food money to buy scratch-off tickets at Diary-Mart. It's a dead-beat dad who spends his weekdays at the track trying to bet on a winning horse.

I find this report very disturbing. Like anybody, I want my team to act better that the others. I want my Christian team to set an example for other people. Even though I know that the Christian world is a big one, and that there are many different factions of Christianity, the press and the public will use Robertson as an example of all Christians. That is reason enough for him to not participate in the shady grey areas of his own philosophies.

If Robertson indeed believes that gambling is a sin, he should play no part in taking people's money.

2002-05-02T18:37:00.000-07:00

TESTIFY
It struck me like a Mack truck. I was at work when my body simply sank into a shuddering sickness. I knew I caught the flu bug. That afternoon I developed a fever, which came and went and came back again, seemingly on a whim, with sadistic ease. That night the fever broke.

I don't know about you, but I'm at my worst when I break a fever. I get hot all over. I sweat. And worst of all I can't think straight. It's as if I'm given a glimpse of total insanity. I felt I was dangling on the precipice, my feet submerged in a total mental breakdown. I tore off my shirt - I was burning up.

Then through the fog of my mental raging, I heard a calm voice saying something. It sounded like my voice, but it was low and steady. "Pray," it said. "Ask God to intervene."

So I knelt at the foot of the bed and I prayed. It was a simple prayer because I couldn't concentrate too well. But I simply said, "Dear God, I have a fever. I feel like I'm mad. Please calm me. Hold my hand as I break this fever."

I went to bed and I fell asleep. I woke up in the morning and the fever was gone. I was weak from my sickness, but I started to improve.

I don't know how often God intervenes in my life. He never answers my prayers about the Chicago Cubs! :) That's a question best saved for another day. But if, in fact, God didn't take the fever from me, I feel that he at least listened to me and calmed me. And that's all it took to make me feel better.

I've experienced many moments in my life where I thought I felt the presence of God. Most of them were seemingly small moments. I can't remember them all. But I will post the ones that resurface through my poor memory.

"Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass."
-Psalm 37:5

2002-05-02T05:58:00.000-07:00

Today Andrew Sullivan points out there’s not a lot to like about this column by Frank Rich. Rich attacks Christianity in many (not so) subtle ways in this meandering article that addresses Catholic priests, President Bush’s “stark religious terminology,” John Ashcroft and even the reverend Billy Graham.

Rich compares the pedophile priest controversy with the Enron scandal. And from then on, it’s a Republican/Christian-bashing fest: He mentions Billy Graham’s anti-Semitic remarks made in the Nixon White House. He equates Franklin Graham’s defense of his dad with the unfortunate comments on 9/11 made by Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson.

Rich attacks Ashcroft for saying, “We are a nation called to defend freedom — a freedom that is not the grant of any government or document, but is our endowment from God.” Wow. How controversial.

Vying for worst religious rhetoric with Ashcroft, according to Rich, is Tom DeLay who said, “Only Christianity offers a way to live in response to the realities that we find in this world.” Imagine!

Rich says that Bush hasn’t called anyone in the Palestinian/Israeli conflict “evildoers.” I guess he doesn’t remember Iran’s attempt to ship arms to the Palestinians. What about Saddam Hussein’s monetary compensation, or “payoffs,” to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers? Remember Bush’s speech, Frank? That’s 2/3 of Bush’s “Axis of Evil.”

If there’s any theme to Rich’s column I can’t find it. But his obvious contempt for religious values appears in every paragraph. The only character that deserves praise from Rich is Fire Department chaplain Mychal Judge, who is gay. Not, as Frank Rich says, “that it should matter.” But it does to Rich. Otherwise he wouldn’t have brought it up.

According to Rich, these are the “true religious values: self-sacrifice, concern for others, accountability for one's own actions.” Apparently following God’s law and Jesus’ teachings aren’t part of it.

I think Frank Rich should have stated what his religious beliefs are. It would have let us know where he was coming from. But he doesn’t. So I’ll have to speculate that he’s not religious at all.

As a Christian I have to filter everything I read, view or hear from the press. Many times it involves reading between the lines to try and spot the hidden objectives of the writer. But sometimes the contempt is easy to see, as in Rich’s column.

2002-04-30T13:16:00.000-07:00

I just started reading Mark D. Roberts' latest book called After "I Believe" - Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Hugh Hewitt turned me on to it on his daily talk show - I see in the acknowledgments that he proof-read the book for the author. It's already an interesting read.

In the first chapter, Roberts lists the basic ideas of Christian living - each are a part of what Christians experience after they first believe. Roberts discusses each one in detail, but here is his list:

Idea #1) The Christian life is reserved for Heaven

Idea # 2) The Christian life is feeling joy and Peace in the Lord

Idea # 3) The Christian life is believing the right things about God

Idea # 4) The Christian life is doing what God commands

Roberts states that many Christians experience one or two of these ideas. Part of the danger is focusing on one idea to the exclusion of others. I think that I'm an Idea # 2 Christian. I get great satisfaction out of know that God is and that Jesus died for me. But as Roberts points out, the modern age is an age of Feelings, and "true faith must be expressed in action." There's a lot of work that need to be done (Idea # 3) and the Bible is our instruction manual on how to do it.

Idea # 3 addresses moral relativism, in other words, "it doesn't matter what you believe as long as you believe it." This is a popular thought these days with the current debate about Islam and its core beliefs. Christians do not have faith in faith. We have faith in God.

A Christian can get side-tracked by concentrating on one or two of these four ideas. The key to a successful walk with God is utilizing all the ideas. It sounds hard and it is! But the end result holds great promises for us.

2002-04-28T07:11:00.000-07:00

Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God:Work as if you were doing it for the Lord, not for people.
-Collossians 3:22-23

Here's a possible quandry: I work as if I'm working for the Lord. But I'm also working for a boss who's a selfish penny-pincher who'll take my last drop of blood and sweat if I'm willing to give it to him. So what should I do, according to the Apostle Paul? Should I work and work and work, doing everything my boss tells me to do, no matter how unjust?

I choose not to see it that way. In my life I have more than one earthly master. I have my job, yes. But I also have my home, my girlfriend, my family and my friends. All these aspects of my life require some work to keep the home clean and livable and the relationships healthy. I am a servant to these equally.

So when asked to work as if you were doing it for the Lord, my goal is to do all things in my life in this manner. What's your opinion?

2002-04-27T08:58:00.000-07:00

Here’s another excerpt from the 2000 book by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend called Making Dating Work: Boundaries in Dating. It’s a checklist to see if you might be giving up your personal boundaries while dating. Here they are with my answers. Ask these of yourself and see how you stack up:

Are you putting up with behavior that is disrespectful?
No. She is very respectful.
Are you giving in to things that are not in accord with you values?
No.
Are you settling for less than you know you really desire or need?
I’ve discovered that I’ve been extremely fortunate to be dating this wonder woman. She is more than anything I could have wished for!
Are you staying in a relationship that you know has passed its deadline?
No way!
Are you going back into a relationship that you know should be over?
No. But I used to do that. I had two relationships where I returned more than once. One was very obviously a bad relationship. The other occurred because I had no clue what I wanted, so I hemmed and hawed, moving in and out of the relationship for a time. Now, I am sure that I’m sailing a sure course. It’s a wonderful feeling to know exactly what I should do and what I want. And it’s all because she is the beautiful person that she is.
Are you getting into a relationship that you know is not going anywhere?
No.
Are you smothering the person you are dating with excessive needs or control?
There were a couple of times when I wanted to advance the relationship too fast, but fell back after we talked about it. Fortunately I’m dating a woman who’s very wise.

Now ask these questions of yourself. How did you do?

I should note that these questions aren’t specifically directed to Christians, but are applicable to anyone. These simply are questions everyone should ask about their relationships.

2002-04-26T12:30:00.000-07:00

In a 2000 book by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend called Making Dating Work: Boundaries in Dating they include six questions you should ask yourself about how your dating relationship impacts your spiritual life. I've been dating my girlfriend for under four months now. How do I shape up? Here are the questions with my personal answers. Answer them for yourself and see how you do:

Are you drawn to the transcendent God through that person?
Yes, it's working out that way.
Do you have an alliance with the other person in your spiritual walks?
Yes, she gave me this book. We're attending church and looking for a church we both like.
Do you experience spiritual growth from interacting with that person?
Yes, her life serves as an example to me.
Does the other person challenge you spiritually, rather than you having to be the impetus?
I believe that's so, yes.
Is the spiritual connection based on reality? Is the person authentic as well as spiritual?
As far as I know, yes.
Is the relationship a place of mutual vulnerability about weaknesses and sins?
We talk about our spiritual weaknesses. Is that what you mean?

I'll be able to answer some of these questions more acurately a little later as our relationship grows. But we are setting it up as a relationship through Christ. With honesty and patience, we have a good chance of making it work. But how honest am I? perhaps I should ask these questions about me and not about her:

Is she drawn to the transcendent God through you?
I don't know.
Does she have an alliance with you in your spiritual walks?
Yes, she does.
Does she experience spiritual growth from interacting with you?
I honestly don't know. I know we have a spiritual relationship, but is it growing for her?
Is the spiritual connection based on reality? Are you authentic as well as spiritual?
Yes!

I guess I don't do so badly here. How about you?

2002-04-26T07:10:00.000-07:00

There are some Christians who blame the Jews for kiling Christ. I don't understand. Wasn't Christ's crucifixion part of God's plan? Didn't Christ die for our sins and not because the Jews hated him? I haven't thoroughly read this page yet, but it addresses this claim.

2002-04-25T15:29:00.000-07:00

The US Catholic Cardinals are at the Vatican getting the back of their hands whacked by the pope for not doing enough against priestly pedophilia in America. So far, they've simply stated that they're sorry and that they will expel repeat offenders. But isn't once enough? Why should a priest be allowed to ruin one life and then get a chance to ruin another before he's thrown in jail?

I've been monitoring public opinion on this issue (as best I can by watching TV, listening to radio and reading) and the consensus seems to be that the Pope and his minions just don't get it. I'm not too surprised. These are all old men who are set in their ways. And America's only been around for a couple hundred years - who are we to tell the Holy See what do to?

But they should do *something*. Don't you think?

2002-04-25T06:30:00.000-07:00

In Paul Krugman’s April 23 column for the New York Time’s, he states that the Republican Party has been “co-opted “ by the “extreme…hard right,” meaning the religious right. As an example, he states:

…the case of Representative Tom DeLay. Last week Mr. DeLay told a group that he was on a mission from God to promote a 'biblical worldview,' and that he had pursued the impeachment of Bill Clinton in part because Mr. Clinton held 'the wrong worldview.' Well, there are strange politicians everywhere."

How cute. I guess Mr. Krugman assumes all his readers will agree with him that DeLay is a kook and that Clinton’s views were above reproach. I’m still amazed that pundits continue to defend the moral abyss that was the Clinton administration. I’m amazed they ignore Clinton’s lying, obfuscation and downright perjury. They don’t forgive that in Republican administrations.

I’ll talk a lot about politics on this blog because Christianity is constantly under attack by leftist politicians and pundits. Right now the only group subjected to more persecution than Christians are the Jews. And that's a whole other topic for conversation.

The general public doesn’t understand Christianity. To be a Christian is to walk against the wind of popular culture. So our vigilence must be constant. Our course must be resolute. And our dedication to God must never falter.

2002-04-23T14:27:00.000-07:00

I was given a daily devotional book as a gift from my girlfriend. It’s called “Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year” by Max Lucado. Today’s thought is this:

Through Christ’s sacrifice, our past is pardoned and our future secure. And, “Since we have been made right with God by our faith, we have peace with God” Romans 5:1.
Peace with God. What a happy consequence of faith! Not just peace between countries, peace between neighbors, or peace at home; salvation brings peace with God….
God is no longer a foe, but a friend. We are at peace with him.

I remember that I was angry at God when I was a young teenager. I can’t remember why I was mad, but I remember cursing God a multitude of times. Perhaps I didn’t like the way I looked or I thought I wasn’t tall enough or handsome enough. I really can’t remember. But I remember cursing God many, many times.

I am so different from that young teenager now. And I thank God that my “past is pardoned and my future secure.” If God held grudges, I’d be on his enemies list. But he doesn’t. And I thank Him for that.

And while I’m still learning to be a complete Christian (I feel we never are fully complete, but strive to be as complete as humanly possible), I have a sense of peace with God that I wish I could share with that angry teenager I once was. I know that I’m still not a perfect Christian, but I know that God is patient and understands. And, as an adult with many friendships come and gone, I know how precious that really is.

“I no longer call you servants, …but call you friends.” John 15:15