This week’s email is a bit different. It includes a video featuring one of my favorite authors, Brennan Manning. He wrote The Ragamuffin Gospel along with other great books.
There is one question Jesus will ask us and the answer frames our whole life. I found myself so moved by this short clip that I’d like to share it with you and get your thoughts. You can leave a comment on this blog.
But first, the video. Click HERE.
Sincerely in Christ,
George
6.23.2010
On Oil Spills and Original Sin: our sin nature and the destruction of nature
The oil spill in the Gulf is the result of humanity’s most basic sin – greed. It’s inborn in us all at birth. In the best sense, it ensures our survival, but we don’t “naturally” always use our best sense. Greed is our master and our hunger and thirst for energy is our downfall. Oh sure, BP will pay a high price for what may end up being their criminal negligence but the industries and people of the South will pay dearly as well.
And here is the bottom line – the fault lies within us all. We consume the earth’s energy because we feel entitled to our way of living.
The Bible tells us two things: The wages of sin is death. We reap what we sow.
The Gulf is evidence of this truth. The pelicans, fish, the livelihoods, and the LIVES of those men on the oil rig…… gone. Nature itself has been dealt a death blow because of our sin. We have sown seeds of greed and selfishness and have “reaped the whirlwind” (Hosea 8). May God have mercy on us.
Progress, pleasure and a high standard of living…. are they worth the price we are paying? And if we are to repent of our sin, what would it look like?
Sincerely in Christ,
George
And here is the bottom line – the fault lies within us all. We consume the earth’s energy because we feel entitled to our way of living.
The Bible tells us two things: The wages of sin is death. We reap what we sow.
The Gulf is evidence of this truth. The pelicans, fish, the livelihoods, and the LIVES of those men on the oil rig…… gone. Nature itself has been dealt a death blow because of our sin. We have sown seeds of greed and selfishness and have “reaped the whirlwind” (Hosea 8). May God have mercy on us.
Progress, pleasure and a high standard of living…. are they worth the price we are paying? And if we are to repent of our sin, what would it look like?
Sincerely in Christ,
George
6.16.2010
The Pilgrim and the Cell Phone
So I’m at a four-way stop somewhere in Riverhead. I wait my turn, always vigilant in case someone else doesn’t wait their turn. I start to creep forward and sure enough this guy, who's talking on his cell phone, pulls out in front of me. And he’s yelling at me, no less. I wagged my pointer finger at him, thinking to myself, ‘You’re a jerk and gonna kill somebody.’ This guy might be one of those people that the Psalmist refers to as “wicked”.
So the first lesson here is everyone stay OFF your cell phones when you’re driving. It’s the law here in NY, but don’t you think it’s also just plain common sense??
The second lesson? Well, I’m just learning this one. Apart from the illegality of this guy talking on his cell while driving, I find in me the “jerk” that I ascribed to him. My own sinfulness ranks me far below this guy. I have broken God’s laws; neglected God; not trusted Christ as I ought. My words, thoughts, actions, and inactions bring me before the judgment, not of the Riverhead court system, but of God Almighty, who requires much more holiness from me than I give Him. I harbor within my soul anger, anxiousness and a desire for satisfactions outside my Lord’s Kingdom. I have transgressed more than just driving through a stop sign.
And yet – and here is the Good News (borrowing an image related by Puritan author John Bunyan in Pilgrim’s Progress) - as I stand before the judgment seat of God, daily He says to me, “Don’t be afraid. I do not see your sin. I see only the life of my Son in whom you trust. He has offered his life as a substitution for yours. You are now my son through Christ.” From the Father’s perspective, all is well. Nothing can separate me from his love.
See, stopping at a stop sign does not make me good. Not talking on my cell phone while driving doesn’t earn me points with God. Only Christ can do that. No law from God can do that, only Christ can. There is no rightness with God apart from Christ. And it’s only truthfulness on my part about my own condition that can ever bring me the peace that I crave in my relationship with God.
“If we claim that we’re free of sin we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins – make a clean breast of them – He won’t let us down. He’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sin and purge us of all wrongdoing.” 1 John 1:9
Sincerely in Christ,
George
So the first lesson here is everyone stay OFF your cell phones when you’re driving. It’s the law here in NY, but don’t you think it’s also just plain common sense??
The second lesson? Well, I’m just learning this one. Apart from the illegality of this guy talking on his cell while driving, I find in me the “jerk” that I ascribed to him. My own sinfulness ranks me far below this guy. I have broken God’s laws; neglected God; not trusted Christ as I ought. My words, thoughts, actions, and inactions bring me before the judgment, not of the Riverhead court system, but of God Almighty, who requires much more holiness from me than I give Him. I harbor within my soul anger, anxiousness and a desire for satisfactions outside my Lord’s Kingdom. I have transgressed more than just driving through a stop sign.
And yet – and here is the Good News (borrowing an image related by Puritan author John Bunyan in Pilgrim’s Progress) - as I stand before the judgment seat of God, daily He says to me, “Don’t be afraid. I do not see your sin. I see only the life of my Son in whom you trust. He has offered his life as a substitution for yours. You are now my son through Christ.” From the Father’s perspective, all is well. Nothing can separate me from his love.
See, stopping at a stop sign does not make me good. Not talking on my cell phone while driving doesn’t earn me points with God. Only Christ can do that. No law from God can do that, only Christ can. There is no rightness with God apart from Christ. And it’s only truthfulness on my part about my own condition that can ever bring me the peace that I crave in my relationship with God.
“If we claim that we’re free of sin we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins – make a clean breast of them – He won’t let us down. He’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sin and purge us of all wrongdoing.” 1 John 1:9
Sincerely in Christ,
George
6.09.2010
Me and Mr. "K" ... existentialism, perfect love and dog collars
So...now that Pat Hanly is working with me, I find that his love for philosopher Soren Kierkegaard (Mr. “K” or Professor “K” as Pat and I call him) is contagious. I'm not sure Mr. K is a Calvinist but no matter, I really enjoy what I have been reading. Mr. K writes about a “leap of faith” and possessing a deep, personal commitment to Christ. He founded the branch of philosophy known as “Existentialism” (focusing on the meaning of existence for each individual). I’m still learning.
Anyway Mr. K writes about love; love of God and love of each other. I was particularly struck by one of his writings which begins, “To love another in spite of their weaknesses, errors and imperfections is not perfect love.” Whoa. I thought that's what love was all about, but it seems not! Mr. K writes from his experience with Christ that real love, perfect love, is to find someone lovable even WITH their weaknesses and faults. No matter how a person changes, real love sees them as lovable. And that is exactly how Christ loved.
Just think of Peter; how Jesus loved him, all of him, even in the worst moment of his life when he denied that he knew Jesus. Christ did not say to Peter, “Hey, change and only then will I love you.”
Consider this not only in the context of the Christian community, but in your family as well; with all the weaknesses and sin and dysfunction that may occur. You should love them/him/her in the midst of their sin, with their weaknesses firmly in tow. And while you are at it, you must try to love yourself. We sometimes take a dim view of ourselves but God loves us so completely, so fully that we occasionally discover just how great His love is and WE CHANGE. Now isn't that something?
Yours in Christ,
George
P.S. I just ordered one of those training collars for our new dog, Lucy, who has selective deafness...next week I'll let you how THAT went.
Anyway Mr. K writes about love; love of God and love of each other. I was particularly struck by one of his writings which begins, “To love another in spite of their weaknesses, errors and imperfections is not perfect love.” Whoa. I thought that's what love was all about, but it seems not! Mr. K writes from his experience with Christ that real love, perfect love, is to find someone lovable even WITH their weaknesses and faults. No matter how a person changes, real love sees them as lovable. And that is exactly how Christ loved.
Just think of Peter; how Jesus loved him, all of him, even in the worst moment of his life when he denied that he knew Jesus. Christ did not say to Peter, “Hey, change and only then will I love you.”
Consider this not only in the context of the Christian community, but in your family as well; with all the weaknesses and sin and dysfunction that may occur. You should love them/him/her in the midst of their sin, with their weaknesses firmly in tow. And while you are at it, you must try to love yourself. We sometimes take a dim view of ourselves but God loves us so completely, so fully that we occasionally discover just how great His love is and WE CHANGE. Now isn't that something?
Yours in Christ,
George
P.S. I just ordered one of those training collars for our new dog, Lucy, who has selective deafness...next week I'll let you how THAT went.
6.02.2010
Guest Blog from Pat Hanly
So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, "He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.": But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved. - Hebrews 10:35-39
My son Patrick walked into my home office the other night while I was working and made a startling pronouncement. It was not what he said that startled me exactly but it was the degree of confidence with which he said it that took me back. “Dad, at this point in my life, I definitely believe in God,” he said. After the waves of sheer joy finished sweeping over me, I asked him, “And what helped you come to that belief, Patrick?” His answer was interesting but not at all surprising.
Patrick and I have had a number of conversations over the years about the rationality of believing in God. He is very intellectually curious and will often spend hours following up a conversation he and I have had with his own research on Wikipedia. I imagine that he must be part of a very select group of 17 year-olds who know who Soren Kierkegaard is or why Christopher Hitchens consistently attacks the Christian faith. So when Patrick came to me the other night to make his pronouncement, I had an idea where this conversation was going.
“Well, Dad,” he started, “I just can’t get past the question of where the concepts of good and evil come from if God does not exist.” Patrick was referring here to a “pre-suppositional” argument for the existence of God, something he and I have covered often in our conversations together. Simply stated, the idea here is that if we are living in a universe where there is no God, the idea of “good” and “evil” is meaningless. We are merely matter in motion. And here is the rub - nobody lives that way. Everyone I know presupposes that good and evil are real, substantive realities. And everyone pre-supposes that these are real concepts in order to make sense out of the way they live their daily lives. Good and evil refer to a transcendent law code, which must have been created by a transcendent lawgiver - God.
This type of powerful argument (or “apologetic”, as Christian philosophers call it) is one of many other powerful arguments for God’s existence. Another argument that impresses Patrick is the thought that either something eternal exists or matter began to exist out of absolute nothing. Think about it – where did the world come from and what was before it? Where did the universe come from and what was before it? Something must always have always existed and it makes sense to believe that something is God.
Our Christian faith is under extreme assault these days. Whether it is academia or the media, there is no shortage of people claiming that it is foolish to continue to believe in a personal God in a modern scientific age. In response to this attack, I echo the writer of the book of Hebrews, who says we must not “throw away our confidence” or “shrink back”. The Christian faith is the only belief system that can fully account for life as we know it and live it today. The existence of God, the reliability of the Bible and the uniqueness of Christ are ideas that can be confidently defended in the public square and Christians do not have to be on the defensive. If you have any questions on how your beliefs can be defended, please consider coming out to a Discipleship Training class on Wednesday evenings at 7pm. Any question is fair game at those studies so please come and ask away! I love having those discussions.
June 20th is Baccalaureate Sunday and I would like to ask you to please pray for the graduates, as they get ready to go out into the world. They will face many challenges to their faith and beliefs and they need our ongoing prayers. Also, with the help of other folks in the church, we have an idea to put together a training and support program for our youth as they graduate from high school and go off to college or into the work force so please pray for that idea to take root and flourish. Also please remember your prayers our kids who are being commissioned this Sunday, as they commit to study, over the coming year, what it means to follow Christ and be His disciple. And above all, have confidence! You have every reason to.
Pat
Prayer for the Day
My lot is to approach Thee with godly fear and humble confidence,
for Thy condescension equals Thy grandeur,
and Thy goodness is Thy glory.
I am unworthy, but Thou doest welcome;
guilty, but Thou art merciful;
indigent, but Thy riches are unsearchable.
Thou hath shown boundless compassion towards me
by not sparing Thy Son,
and by giving me freely all things in Him.
This is the foundation of my hope,
the refuge of my safety,
and the new and living way to Thee.
from The Valley of Vision, Puritan Prayers and Devotions
My son Patrick walked into my home office the other night while I was working and made a startling pronouncement. It was not what he said that startled me exactly but it was the degree of confidence with which he said it that took me back. “Dad, at this point in my life, I definitely believe in God,” he said. After the waves of sheer joy finished sweeping over me, I asked him, “And what helped you come to that belief, Patrick?” His answer was interesting but not at all surprising.
Patrick and I have had a number of conversations over the years about the rationality of believing in God. He is very intellectually curious and will often spend hours following up a conversation he and I have had with his own research on Wikipedia. I imagine that he must be part of a very select group of 17 year-olds who know who Soren Kierkegaard is or why Christopher Hitchens consistently attacks the Christian faith. So when Patrick came to me the other night to make his pronouncement, I had an idea where this conversation was going.
“Well, Dad,” he started, “I just can’t get past the question of where the concepts of good and evil come from if God does not exist.” Patrick was referring here to a “pre-suppositional” argument for the existence of God, something he and I have covered often in our conversations together. Simply stated, the idea here is that if we are living in a universe where there is no God, the idea of “good” and “evil” is meaningless. We are merely matter in motion. And here is the rub - nobody lives that way. Everyone I know presupposes that good and evil are real, substantive realities. And everyone pre-supposes that these are real concepts in order to make sense out of the way they live their daily lives. Good and evil refer to a transcendent law code, which must have been created by a transcendent lawgiver - God.
This type of powerful argument (or “apologetic”, as Christian philosophers call it) is one of many other powerful arguments for God’s existence. Another argument that impresses Patrick is the thought that either something eternal exists or matter began to exist out of absolute nothing. Think about it – where did the world come from and what was before it? Where did the universe come from and what was before it? Something must always have always existed and it makes sense to believe that something is God.
Our Christian faith is under extreme assault these days. Whether it is academia or the media, there is no shortage of people claiming that it is foolish to continue to believe in a personal God in a modern scientific age. In response to this attack, I echo the writer of the book of Hebrews, who says we must not “throw away our confidence” or “shrink back”. The Christian faith is the only belief system that can fully account for life as we know it and live it today. The existence of God, the reliability of the Bible and the uniqueness of Christ are ideas that can be confidently defended in the public square and Christians do not have to be on the defensive. If you have any questions on how your beliefs can be defended, please consider coming out to a Discipleship Training class on Wednesday evenings at 7pm. Any question is fair game at those studies so please come and ask away! I love having those discussions.
June 20th is Baccalaureate Sunday and I would like to ask you to please pray for the graduates, as they get ready to go out into the world. They will face many challenges to their faith and beliefs and they need our ongoing prayers. Also, with the help of other folks in the church, we have an idea to put together a training and support program for our youth as they graduate from high school and go off to college or into the work force so please pray for that idea to take root and flourish. Also please remember your prayers our kids who are being commissioned this Sunday, as they commit to study, over the coming year, what it means to follow Christ and be His disciple. And above all, have confidence! You have every reason to.
Pat
My lot is to approach Thee with godly fear and humble confidence,
for Thy condescension equals Thy grandeur,
and Thy goodness is Thy glory.
I am unworthy, but Thou doest welcome;
guilty, but Thou art merciful;
indigent, but Thy riches are unsearchable.
Thou hath shown boundless compassion towards me
by not sparing Thy Son,
and by giving me freely all things in Him.
This is the foundation of my hope,
the refuge of my safety,
and the new and living way to Thee.
from The Valley of Vision, Puritan Prayers and Devotions
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