Pastor Tony's Blog

More Religious Bias in the U.S.

2012-01-23T08:37:00.000-05:00

In an earlier post I wrote about Mayor Bloomberg’s apparent religious bias in rescinding the right for churches and religious organizations to meet in public schools despite the Supreme Court approving such arrangements. These groups meet when the buildings are unused, and they pay fair market rent. Sadly, this is not an isolated incident of prejudice against religious groups or religion.

The number of anti-Semitic incidents has increased all over the country. Just recently somebody painted swastikas on buildings and synagogues in a neighborhood in New York City.

Militant atheists continue to bring lawsuits against Christian groups or activities they see as “establishing religion.” Sympathetic courts and judges, who have rejected the original meaning and intent of the First Amendment, often rule in favor of the atheists to “protect” the population from religion. How we have gone astray!

Mormons are also suffering from bias, especially since Mitt Romney could possibly be the Republican nominee for President. Some rather hateful things have appeared in the media concerning Mormons, including in the New York Times. We must realize that Mormons are not orthodox Christian, because their theology and especially their eschatology are far from mainline. Moreover, they have The Book of Mormon in addition to the Bible as their sacred scripture.

However, not being Christian doesn’t mean they should be mistreated and suffer from bias. I remember when John F. Kennedy was running for president in 1960. The anti-Catholic rhetoric was astounding. Given what I hear about Romney and his Mormonism today, it seems we haven’t made much progress since 1960.

If you are religious, let me suggest that you follow your holy scriptures and love your neighbor. You may not agree with your neighbor, but the Bible says we are to love him or her. Let’s not just give lip service to what the Bible says, but do it (“be doers of the word, and not just hearers”).

If you aren’t religious, let me suggest that you actually practice the tolerance you so self-righteously preach. Maybe then we can make the world a better place to live.

Religious Bigotry in NYC

2012-01-21T14:15:00.000-05:00

Although I don’t live in New York City, I am in the greater metropolitan area and am familiar with what’s going on in the Big Apple. In general, I like some of what Mayor Bloomberg is doing, such as trying to improve public school education even if it means taking on the powerful teachers unions. There are, of course, some things he’s doing that I don’t like.

Sadly, Mayor Bloomberg has exhibited egregious religious bigotry in that the City revoked the right for churches and religious organizations to meet in public schools. These congregations meet when schools are closed and unused, they pay fair market rent, and the Supreme Court has ruled that renting public spaces to churches and religious organizations is constitutional. Moreover, Bloomberg’s ban will cost the city millions of dollars of lost revenue. What is he thinking? It’s a lose/lose proposition!

I’m surprised that Bloomberg, coming from a religious and ethnic group that has suffered persecution for thousand of years, from Haman to Hitler, would engage in such behavior. If he’s worried about the Constitution, it has been clearly established that renting to religious groups does not violate the Establishment Clause of the Constitution as long as certain conditions are met. In addition, these churches and groups often are located in some of the worst neighborhoods in the city, ministering to those most in need. They work to reduce crime and provide services that help the city overall. So I don’t know where Bloomberg is coming from, except that this is a case of pure religious bias.

When clergy and other people peacefully protested against this ruling, they were summarily arrested. Since when did kneeling in prayer in public become illegal? Under Bloomberg, New York City is becoming a police state in which congregations are being thrown out of spaces they have paid fair market rent for years to use, and clergy are being arrested for exercising their constitutional right to free speech and assembly. I hope Bloomberg and the City Council see the error of their ways and reverse this terrible decision. I also hope no more clergy and other peaceful protestors get arrested and mistreated for exercising their constitutional rights.

Please pray for New York City as well as the rest of the country.

Spiritual Apathy

2012-01-11T15:49:00.000-05:00

In my last post I commented on an article in the Poughkeepsie Journal concerning people’s attitudes towards God and church. I’d like to continue the discussion by providing some thoughts on spiritual apathy in this country.

I believe spiritual apathy comes about mainly because of lack of exposure to God and Scripture. You can’t care about what you don’t know. Today there are quite a few people who have little or no knowledge of God. They may have been in a church only a few times, usually for a funeral or wedding.

When I was a kid in the 1950s and 1960s, more families went to church, at least it seems that way. There were no kids’ sports on Sunday and the stores were closed. Even if the parents didn’t attend worship, they often sent their kids to Sunday school or CCD so they would get a grounding in faith and morals. Many kids today have little or no concept of God or what church is about. Their ethics are situational and their morals are often lacking.

Another cause of apathy, and even hostility, is the negative portrayal of people of faith in the media. Devout Christians are ridiculed, and the stereotypes of “they’re all hypocrites” is put forth. Sadly, crooked televangelists and sex abuse scandals have hurt the church’s image.

Still another cause of apathy is the belief that you don’t need God. When things are going well, you feel you don’t need the “crutch” of faith in God. “I’m doing OK, I don’t need God.” When things aren’t going well, you might feel that God has let you down so why turn to him. It’s amazing that people blame God for bad things happening but give themselves or “luck” credit when good things happen. Which leads me to the final cause of apathy.

Finally, another cause of apathy is anger with God. I know a good number of people who were brought up in the faith but dropped out because they feel God let them down. They figure “Who needs God?” because God is unreliable, or is unable to prevent bad things from happening. You have a large number of Jewish people who feel that way because of the Holocaust (haShoah). Can you blame them?

Nevertheless, as a person of faith, I believe everybody needs God. Why?

●God loves us, his creation, and while God may not prevent bad things from happening to us, God will help us through them. However, if we don’t have a relationship with God, it will be difficult for God to break through to us to help and guide us in times of crisis.

●We don’t always know what’s best for us, but God does. If we pray for guidance, God will give it to us.

●God created us to be in relationship with him. Ignoring God means we aren’t fulfilling our purpose in life.

●As a Christian, I believe Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life.” Living without Jesus means we are living an incomplete life now, and who knows where we’ll end up when our earthly life is over?

I wish people were more open-minded about God, faith, and the church. However, when people are apathetic, hostile, or angry, they aren’t going to be open to hearing the message. I believe this country (and the world) would be much better off if people took Scripture seriously, trusted in God, and loved one another as Jesus commanded. As we continue to turn our backs on God, I believe things will continue to deteriorate in this country and the world. Why should God bless us when we systematically remove him from our lives?

I pray that revival will come, starting right here in the good old US of A. What a difference it would make!

Is Church Important?

2012-01-10T13:30:00.002-05:00

I read recently in the Poughkeepsie Journal about the church-going habits of Americans. Being a Pastor, I read about this sort of thing often. Let me throw out a few thoughts on the matter of being part of a church, which can include any form of regular corporate religious activity such as joining a synagogue.

Today, some people feel the church is irrelevant, and serves little purpose. They believe they can be “spiritual” without any formal religious activity. Generally, people today are mostly concerned about “What’s in it for me?” Since some people don’t see much benefit to them by being part of a church, they’ll sleep in, watch “Meet the Press” or do something with the family.

Why be involved in a church or synagogue? Why come out on a Sunday morning? Why bring the kids to Sunday school? Let me try to answer those questions. In doing so, I’ll use Rick Warren’s five purposes of life from his best-selling book, The Purpose Driven Life as my guide. It is my belief that the church is the best place to accomplish those purposes.

Worship

We are called, not only to worship God, but to do so as a community of faith. In the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) we see corporate worship played an important role in the lives of the Israelites. The commandment to “Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy.” (Exodus 20:8, NRSV) not only means to rest but to devote that day to God. For us today I believe that commandment means attending church and refraining from commercial activity.

In the New Testament we see communities of faith gathering for worship and The Lord’s Supper. The writer of the Book of Hebrews had this to say about communal worship:

And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another. (Hebrews 10:24-25a, NRSV)

We gather as a community to worship because God is worthy, God commands us to do so, and we receive a blessing by doing so. Isn’t God worth one hour or so a week?

Fellowship

We are encouraged to be a community in that we support one another, learn from one another, enjoy one another’s company, and serve the Lord together. Unfortunately some come to church strictly for the social aspects. While that is important, the other purposes are important as well. Our main motivation should be to do God’s will.

Discipleship

Discipleship is a fancy word for learning more about God, growing in the faith, and maturing as a Christian. We get to know God better by listening to the sermon, participating in a Bible study, and attending Sunday school. When your children attend Sunday school, what they learn there reinforces the values you are teaching them at home. So the church can be your partner in raising your children.

Ministry/Mission

The church is a good place to be engaged in ministry and mission. Different churches are involved in different kinds ministries and missions. Some are called to social justice activism, some to helping the poor, some to domestic or foreign missions, some to other kinds of outreach. The church and faith-based ministries provide the ideal vehicles for working to improve the world. Look at what the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, and others have done.

Evangelism

Lastly, Christians are called to tell others about Jesus, which he himself commanded:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20a, NRSV)

Again, the church and faith-based ministries are good vehicles for doing that. Sadly, many churches don’t see the need for evangelistic activities, and as a result are losing members. God is not going to bless disobedient churches.

So what’s in it for you? God’s grace, blessings, and joy.

Lessons from the Nativity Story

2011-12-28T13:52:00.001-05:00

The nativity narrative is in the Bible mainly to provide some proofs that Jesus is the Messiah. This is done in two ways.

We see fulfilled prophecies. The story provides proof that Jesus is the Messiah by showing how he fulfilled certain prophecies from the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). He was born in Bethlehem of a virgin, and he was of the house of David, for example.

The second way we see proofs that Jesus is the Messiah is by the special occurrences surrounding his birth. We see angels announcing the birth of the Messiah to the shepherds and even Gentile Magi coming from the East to worship the Christ Child.

What We Learn

In addition to providing proofs of Jesus’ messiahship, the nativity story teaches us with some important lessons as well.

I think a major lesson for us is the obedience we see exhibited by Mary, Joseph, and the Magi.

a. Mary’s Obedience. Mary yielded to the will of God when she replied to the angel (Luke 1:38): “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” NRSV

She must have known that her rather “unusual” pregnancy would cause her, Joseph, and their families grief and heartache. There were some unanswered questions as well. Nevertheless, Mary trusted in God and submitted her will to God’s.

b. Joseph’s Obedience. We read in the Gospel of Matthew about his obedience to the angel who appeared to him in a dream (Matthew 1:24): When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife. NRSV

Like Mary, he must have known that this ride wasn’t going to be easy. Given all that had happened up to then, Joseph could have very well said “Forget about it. I don’t need this drama.” Yet he stepped out in faith and took Mary as his wife.

c. Lastly we see the obedience of the Magi to God’s calling of them through the special star to come and worship the King of the Jews. Travel wasn’t easy in those days, but they knew the long and difficult trip would be worth it. They were obedient and were rewarded by being the first Gentiles to see the Jewish Messiah, as far as we know.

At the very beginning of his life these Gentile Magi considered Jesus to be the “King of the Jews”. At the end of his life, another Gentile referred to Jesus as “King of the Jews,” the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. He ordered a sign to be written and put above the cross saying: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” in three languages: Aramaic, Greek, and Latin. That’s what the INRI on a crucifix stands for – in Latin it is “Iesus Nazarenus Rex Judaeorum.” While Pilate’s inscription was more sarcastic than sincere, Jesus the “King of the Jews” did come for all, both Jews and Gentiles.

There Is Often a Cost to Obedience

The last lesson we learn from the nativity story is that often there is a cost to obedience. Mary and Joseph didn’t have it easy. Joseph had been humiliated by Mary’s unexpected pregnancy, Mary was looked down upon as being of questionable virtue, and their families were embarrassed by the whole thing. Then to make matters worse, Mary and Joseph had to take a long trip on foot, thanks to the Romans. She ended up giving birth in a barn in a strange town, surrounded by unfamiliar people. Then they were uprooted once again, and had to flee to Egypt to save the baby’s life.

33 years later, Mary suffered unimaginable heartbreak – just as Simeon had prophesied when he said to her: “And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” (Luke 2:35, NIV). She had to watch her son suffer and die a cruel death on a Roman cross. Even when we are in God’s will, we aren’t guaranteed an easy time of it.

But God was with them, as we see in the nativity story. God guided Joseph through visits by angels, and God provided a private place for Mary to give birth, and the gifts of the Magi most likely financed their unplanned trip to Egypt.

I hope this explains why Christmas and the Nativity Story should be important to Christians, and why the holiday goes well beyond gift-giving, Santa Claus, and good cheer.

Thoughts on Christmas

2011-12-26T17:37:00.001-05:00

I. Introduction

We often focus on the wrong star. We are so easily distracted by things of this world because we are of this world. The ways of God are mysterious and often hard for us to understand, while the ways of the world appeal to us. Besides, we can’t see God, we can’t hear God, and sometimes we wonder if God is even there.

Maybe God hasn’t answered your prayers as you would have liked, and you feel abandoned or betrayed by God. While God isn’t a genie in a bottle who fulfills our every wish, God does love us and is there for us in times of need. Maybe you can testify to that because you have experienced God’s presence in times of trouble.

Stars that Point to God

How do we know that God loves us so much? Jesus coming to earth is a sure sign of God’s love. Would you leave the comforts of heaven to come to earth, especially knowing what was going to happen to you? I know I wouldn’t.

We also know God loves us because God makes it easy for us to find him. At his birth a special star pointed the way for the Wise Men to find Jesus. Today we don’t have that star, but we have other things pointing the way for “wise men” to follow.

For example, we have the Bible, we have creation shouting out the glory of God, and we have the life stories of believers. At a particular time in history the people of that day could actually see, hear and touch God, in the form of Jesus of Nazareth. Today we can still see, hear and touch God through prayer, Bible reading, worship, and the people God puts in our lives.

The Magi followed the star because they knew that baby was someone special – they referred to him as the “King of the Jews.” People come to him today because Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life.”

Redirect Our Lives

As we begin to understand that, our focus changes.

Worldly things will have less appeal, because we know there is something much better. The things of the earth lead to a dead end – when you’re dead, they end. On the other hand, the things of God last forever.

As we turn our eyes upon Jesus, we will have more of an eternal perspective and less of a worldly viewpoint. As we turn our eyes upon Jesus, we will experience hope, love, peace, joy, and reconciliation. As we turn our eyes upon Jesus, the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.

Conclusion

So which star are you following? The star of success or career? The star of materialism? The star of escapism? (thru busyness, drugs, food, porn, booze, denial) Or are you already following the Star of Bethlehem?

If you are, then you are fulfilling your God-given purpose in life – to be in relationship with God. That’s why you and I were created – to know, love, and serve God, and to be with him forever. If you are following a different star, then why not pray the words of the fourth stanza of the carol “O Little Town of Bethlehem”. I’ll personalize it by using the first person:

O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to me, I pray;
Cast out my sin, and enter in, be born in me today.
I hear the Christmas angels, the great glad tidings tell;
O come to me, abide with me, my Lord Emmanuel!

Merry Christmas.

The Meaning of Christmas

2011-12-24T14:03:00.000-05:00

As we approach Christmas Day, people talk about the “spirit of Christmas” and “good cheer”. Most of these sentiments have little to do with the true meaning of Christmas. The day is one of the “high holy days” on the Christian calendar, and it commemorates the birth of Jesus. Of course we don’t know the exact date of his birth, but that is relatively unimportant.

Calling Christmas the “birthday of Jesus” is good for kids to grasp the basic meaning of the holiday, but it sort of trivializes the day for adults. That’s because Christmas goes much deeper and is more significant than simply a birthday.

To Christians, Jesus is not only the Jewish Messiah (the “Christ” from the Greek), but he is also God in a man. God came to earth in the form of a man, born of a woman (John 1:14):
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (NIV)

This coming to earth of God in a human body is called The Incarnation (from the Latin) or the enfleshment of God (from the German). God had, from time to time in the past, been a physical presence among his people Israel, such as in the cloud and pillar of fire to guide them in the wilderness (Exodus 13:21-22):
The Lord went in front of them in a pillar of cloud by day, to lead them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night. (NRSV)

But God never came to earth as a human being and lived as one of us for a period of time. So the Incarnation is unique in human history. God, in the form of Jesus, came for a specific purpose, which is outlined in Philippians 2:5-11:

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (NIV)

So as we celebrate Christmas, let us remember the true meaning of the day – not gifts, but the greatest Gift.

Seventieth Anniversary of Pearl Harbor

2011-12-05T11:58:00.001-05:00

Sunday, December 7, 1941, was a date that will live in infamy, in the words of President Roosevelt in his speech to Congress on December 8. On December 7, 2011, we commemorate the 70th anniversary of that attack by the Japanese on our military facilities in Hawaii.

Comparisons to 9/11

Sixty years after Pearl Harbor, on 9/11/2001, we were once again attacked on our own soil by foreign forces hostile to us. At that time comparisons were drawn between Pearl Harbor and 9/11:

•Both Pearl Harbor and 9/11 were unprovoked, and both caught the US by surprise.

•Both took place in the morning, and both involved aircraft. The first bomb at Pearl Harbor fell at 7:55 and the first plane hit the WTC at 8:45.

•Both involved substantial property loss. At Pearl, 18 ships were sunk or seriously damaged, plus there was damage to 300 aircraft and to various facilities. In NYC, the entire WTC complex and some nearby buildings were destroyed or seriously damaged.

•Both involved a substantial loss of life. At Pearl, 2,403 men and women lost their lives, all but 68 were military. Over 3,000 were killed on 9/11, and most of those deaths were civilians.

•Both attacks were personal to Americans. Hawaii was an American territory and the attack was against our military installations there. Many knew servicemen who lost their lives or were in Hawaii at the time.

The attack on 9/11 was even closer to home, and involved ordinary people at work, like any one of us. Many people, particularly in the New York metropolitan area, were personally touched by these attacks, knowing people on the airplanes or in the buildings.

•Evil as it was, the Japanese had a strategic objective in attacking Pearl Harbor. The Japanese saw us as an obstacle to further expansion into the Philippines, Australia, and elsewhere. The US had become increasing hostile to Japan and had initiated trade and oil embargoes against it. Their objective was to neutralize our Pacific fleet so it would be out of commission for several years. This would allow the Japanese to continue their conquests in Asia without US interference.

Regarding 9/11, I can not find any strategic objective to an attack on civilian buildings such as we saw on that terrible day. That’s what makes those attacks senseless and diabolical.

Pearl Harbor Strategic Failure

Interestingly, from a strategic point of view, the Pearl Harbor attack was a failure.
It failed in four ways:

1.The most important naval weapon, the aircraft carrier, was untouched in the attack. Not a single carrier was in port at the time. Within a few months our carriers had engaged the enemy in significant naval battles.

2.The second most important naval weapon, the submarine, was also untouched by the attack. The sub base at Pearl was only moderately damaged and was soon back in operation. US subs were attacking Japanese shipping all over the Pacific.

3.The enormous fuel depot at Pearl was completely untouched. Even if no ships had been sunk but the fuel depot had been destroyed, our fleet would have soon been rendered useless for a substantial period of time.

4.The Pearl Harbor attack united Americans as never before. I suspect the Japanese wanted to demoralize us, but the effect was just the opposite. We were resolved to defeat an enemy that was devastating Asia and had now hit our home shores.

Why was it that Pearl Harbor was a failure to the Japanese? I believe it was because God protected us so that we could be instrumental in defeating the evil of Nazi and Japanese expansionism. Without the involvement of the US in the war, I don’t believe these evil expansionist empires could have been stopped. Because of US involvement in the war, Europe was eventually liberated and large parts of Asia were freed from the harsh rule of the Japanese Empire.

So rather than excluding God from our society and our individual lives, let us give thanks for God’s divine protection. Yes, we did have to fight a terrible war with a significant loss of life, but God was with us in that war and gave us the victory.

You may say, “It was the bomb that gave us victory over the Japanese, not God.” Remember, both the Germans and the Japanese were working on atomic bombs, but we were the only ones who succeeded in developing the right technology – that was God’s provision in my opinion.

Give Thanks (with a Grateful Heart) – Part 2

2011-11-23T14:13:00.001-05:00

I’m exploring the issue of being thankful in light of what the Bible tells us. I’m hoping that by doing so, Thanksgiving Day this year might be a little more meaningful for you and your family. This is the second of two posts on the topic of thankfulness.

IV. Your Life Is an Offering

Although most people are not working in full time ministry, they can still live out their faith in their everyday lives. We, if we are people of faith, should make our lives an offering to the Lord.

1. Show Thanks by Serving God

How do we do that? We make our lives an offering by serving God out of gratitude for all that God has done for us. We should also do it out of love for God. Because we want to know, love, and serve God, we join the church at some point in our life.

When we join Christ’s community of grateful believers in the United Methodist Church, we make certain commitments by answering in the affirmative to these questions:
As a member of Christ’s universal Church, will you be loyal to Christ through The United Methodist Church, and do all in your power to strengthen its ministries?
As a member of this congregation, will you faithfully participate in its ministries by your prayers, your presence, your gifts, your service, and your witness?

Let’s look briefly at each of these because they are the key components of the Christian life:

a. Prayers

“Your Prayers” means you’ll support the work of the church by praying for the church every day. It also means we’ll pray for each other – that’s why we have the prayer time in the service – so we know how to pray during the week. Praying for each other during the week keeps us spiritually connected to each other and to God.

b. Presence

“Your Presence” means you’ll regularly attend worship, joining the community of believers as we have been commanded to do. No only is God worthy of your regular attendance at worship, but you will be blessed as well.

c. Gifts

“Your Gifts” refers to supporting the work of the church financially by your regular offerings. Offerings are given as a sign of our appreciation for God’s provision by giving back to God some of what he has entrusted to us. Giving is a spiritual discipline just as much as prayer, worship, Bible study, and serving in various ministries.

d. Service

“Your Service” refers to participating in the ministries of the church. We need to have various ministries and people participating in them, so that the church becomes a vibrant community of faith.

e. Witness

“Your Witness” refers to telling others about Jesus and inviting them to church if they don’t currently have one. In a broader sense, your witness also means you live your life in such a manner as to bring glory to God in all that you do. People should see your life and think, “I want what she has.”

I encourage you to prayerfully look at each aspect of your commitment: your prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. Regarding your gifts, the best way to do that is to look at your giving as a percent of your income.

2. Look at Percent of Income

If your giving is one or two percent of your income, that’s not showing much gratitude to God. If you are giving five or so percent, that’s not bad but falls short of the biblical standard. Hopefully you are working your way up to 10%, which is what the Bible says is the preferred percentage. If you think 10% is a lot, think of what you pay in taxes: federal, state, and social security taxes amount to something over 30% of your income. Want to reduce those taxes? Your offerings are tax deductible if you itemize.

a. God’s Provision of Transportation

As you increase your percentage giving each year, you’ll notice that you are being more and more blessed by God. For example, as Sue and I increased our percent giving over the years, we saw God’s blessings in a number of ways.

One way was God’s provision of cars to us, which was important because I used to put on about 30,000 miles per year with my daily commute. God is so generous that once we even got a free car! When Sue’s Aunt Doris decided to give up driving, she gave Sue her car with only 8,000 miles on it. Not only was the car free, but Sue drove it for many years, and it is still on the road with its new owner.

One day in 1989 I noticed a blue Pontiac Grand Am parked on the front lawn of a house with a “For Sale” sign on it. After seeing that car still there after a week or two, and knowing that my car would need to be replaced soon, I stopped in. I believe God directed me to this guy, who became my source of four reasonably-priced cars over a 10 yr period. Buying these used cars in a private deal saved us a lot of money.

When I bought my last car from him, the red Grand Prix I had up until 2 years ago, he showed me what he had just bought as his next car. It was a bright red Corvette. He said, “Here’s your next car!” I said, “I don’t think so.” So the moral of the story is: increase your giving and watch how God will bless you – perhaps in unexpected ways.

V. Conclusion

I think the bottom line is that Christianity isn’t a religion, but a relationship. It isn’t an add-on to your life, but it is a way of life. Christianity is counter-cultural in that we no longer have the world’s priorities but we have God’s priorities. As transformed people we have the mind of Christ, was we read in Philippians 2:3-5:
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus. NRSV

If you are living that way, I hope this is an encouragement to you – that you are living as God wants you to live. Then you also know that because you are generous and are thankful to God, you are constantly refreshed with God’s joy. Hopefully you will continue to live a life pleasing to God, serving his church through your prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. May our lives be a sweet-smelling offering to the Lord.

Remembering JFK

2011-11-22T15:18:00.000-05:00

Today is Nov. 22, and this date calls to mind Nov. 22, 1963, the day President John F. Kennedy was killed by an assassin. I vividly remember most of the events of those days, starting with the news the President had been shot, and concluding with the funeral early the following week. No matter what your politics, it was a dark day for this country. Five years later we had more assassinations: Jack’s brother Robert F. Kennedy, and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. More dark days, and I think the many terrible events of 1968 and following set this country on a path that led to more discontent and mistrust of authority, especially of governmental authority.

Today we are facing discontent, as we see from the Occupy movement. College campuses are erupting in demonstrations as well, and the middle class is feeling the financial crunch. Moreover, it seems the poor are getting poorer, and college kids graduate with huge debts to repay. The failure of the so-called “Super Committee” to come to an agreement regarding reducing the federal deficit brings out even more discontent and mistrust of government. Essentially what we have is a non-functioning Congress, that even as a crisis approaches can’t compromise. Haven’t they heard the saying, “Politics is the art of compromise?”

What should our politicians do?

-Close tax loopholes for individuals and corporations so there is a little more fairness while not penalizing people for being successful (as other countries often do).

-Eliminate costly weapons systems that are of questionable value in this post-Cold War era, and focus on the basic weapons needed for today’s conflicts.

-Eliminate subsidies or tax breaks for special interests, whether they be companies, the arts, or other non-essential things.

-Government at all levels should narrow its focus to what government does best or what are government’s main functions: education, police, fire, roads, infrastructure, defense, consumer protection, etc. Just as the European countries will have to reduce their “womb to tomb” social benefits, our government will have to stop subsidizing or paying for non-essential things, beneficial as they may seem.

As people of faith, we must pray for our country daily. I fear for the future of the United States given the mess we’re in and the even bigger mess coming down the pike. Discontent can lead to ugly riots, crime, and even anarchy. Just look at what’s happening overseas in such places as Egypt, Greece, etc. We, of course, must put our faith in God, not in government, but we should pray that God will direct our representatives and senators to make the tough decisions for the good of the nation.

And by the way, we should stop trying to eliminate God from our society, and remember that the holiday coming up is called “Christmas”, not “Holiday.” How do we expect God to bless this country when God isn’t even a part of our life, except as an expletive? So choose this day whom you will trust, God or government.

Give Thanks (with a Grateful Heart) – Part 1

2011-11-21T12:27:00.001-05:00

I. Introduction

Thursday is Thanksgiving Day in the United States, a day set aside for us to think of our many blessings and be thankful. Although the meaning of the holiday may seem obvious, Thanksgiving Day can raise a question or two for some people: One question is, why should I give thanks when things aren’t going particularly well? “What have I got to be thankful for these days?” Another question might be, to whom are we supposed to give thanks?

I’d like to explore this issue of being thankful in light of what the Bible tells us. I’m hoping that by doing so, Thanksgiving Day this year might be a little more meaningful for you and your family. This is the first of two posts on the subject of being thankful.

II. Why Give Thanks?

Let’s look at the first question, “Why should I give thanks? What have I got to be thankful for these days?” You might be asking that question:
-if you have lost your job or think you are about to lose it;
-if you have lost a loved one or someone you care about is very sick;
-if you have health, family, or other problems that are wearing you down;
-if you have an incurable disease or some kind of chronic condition; or
-if you are worried about the future because of the bad economy.

So why should we give thanks when there are so many things that aren’t going well, or the future is questionable?

1. Give Thanks in All Circumstances

One reason we should give thanks, even when we may not feel like it, is because the Bible says we should (in 1 Thessalonians 5:15b-18):
Always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. NRSV

This was written by the Apostle Paul, who, as you see in the Book of Acts, didn’t exactly have an easy life.

2. Learn to Be Content

The second reason we should be able to give thanks is because we have learned to be content despite problems, something easier said than done. We can’t do that in our own strength, so God helps us to do so as Paul wrote in Philippians 4:11-13:
For I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. NRSV

Similarly, we read in Hebrews 13:5-6a about being content and trusting God to get us through any difficulties we might be facing:
Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for [God] has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. NRSV

It’s difficult to be content when the future seems to be so uncertain, yet trusting in God’s provision will ease our worries and give us confidence. Jesus gave us this wise advice about our priorities and worrying (in Matthew 6:33-34):
“But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today.” NRSV

3. It Could Be Worse

Another reason we should be thankful despite our fears and worries is that compared with most of the rest of the world, we’re doing pretty well. Many parts of the world have inadequate drinking water, a very limited diet, the constant threat of attack, terrible diseases, and oppressive governments. Even Europe is going through a period of severe financial distress. On a personal level, we aren’t doing so badly when compared to others we know or hear about, such as those:
-Suffering from a serious illness;
-Suffering from severe injuries;
-Suffering with the recent loss of a loved one;
-Dealing with difficult family or relational issues; or
-Having significant financial issues.

Think about those Pilgrims who had the first Thanksgiving, and what they had gone through. They lost many of their own during a very tough winter, yet the surviving Pilgrims still gave thanks for what they did have.

III. Whom Should We Thank?

The second question might be, “Whom are we supposed to thank?

1. Original Thanksgiving Distorted

I think most children today are told in school that the Pilgrims threw a party as a way of thanking the local Indians for helping them survive. Without a doubt the Indians were invited to the Thanksgiving dinner in appreciation for their help. But the reason for the dinner was to thank God for his provision. While Thanksgiving is a secular holiday, people of faith should not lose sight of whom we should be thanking.

2. God Is Our Source

You might ask, “Why should I thank God? I work hard to earn a living.” We thank God because God is our ultimate provider. We may work hard to earn a living, but it is God who gave us that job. A farmer may plant the seeds, but it is God who provides the sun and rain so the crops can grow.

God may not give us everything we want, but God is with us and will take care of us. We will still go through some tough times, but God helps us through them.

More on the topic of giving thanks in a future post.

Penn State Scandal

2011-11-14T11:15:00.000-05:00

It’s a shame that Joe Paterno’s career had to end so disgracefully. When the story broke about this sex scandal involving young boys, I immediately thought of the Catholic Church’s problems with priests sexually abusing young boys. What makes these things so bad is not only the crime itself, preying on innocent children, but the cover-up by those who should have known better. Because of the sinful nature of humankind, we have to realize that organizations can’t police themselves and can’t be counted on to root out the bad elements.

We have high medical malpractice insurance because the medical profession couldn’t police itself, and people needlessly died or had their lives ruined by incompetent doctors.

We had the terrible situation with the pedophile priests because even the church couldn’t police itself, but continued to pass these predators on to another parish and a fresh new batch of victims.

We have incompetent practitioners in many different fields because they can’t police themselves, or union rules make it nearly impossible to eliminate them (such as teachers).

I think the mentality is often one or both of the following within professions:

(1) People are hesitant to punish or remove incompetent practitioners or those doing bad things, thinking “There but for the grace of God go I.” They identify too closely with them because they are one of them.

(2) It’s all about protecting the institution, whether it’s Penn State or the Catholic Church. Sometimes it’s protecting your buddies, such as the wall of silence with the police or failure to report crimes in the military.

Sadly, people don’t think of the victims:
-Children who are scarred for life by sexual abuse;
-Children who aren’t getting a quality education because incompetent teachers can’t be removed thanks to the union;
-Patients who die or are harmed by incompetent doctors and surgeons like the one recently fired from a practice in Poughkeepsie recently.

Because of the sin nature of the human race, we need to have laws, regulations, and outside agencies watching over companies, institutions, or professions. Left to our own devices with little or no oversight, we’ll do it wrong much of the time.

Let’s keep the victims of abuse in our prayers, and let none of us hesitate to tell authorities if we find out that a child is being abused.

Government Responsibility

2011-11-10T20:29:00.000-05:00

In an earlier post I wrote about the lack of corporate responsibility to many of its constituents, such as customers, their employees, etc. The government “of the people, by the people and for the people” has become the government of the special interests, by incompetent politicians, and for the party. Nowhere do “the people” fit into governmental priorities these days. The politicians are answerable to, and should be working on behalf of those whom they represent. Instead, their priorities are elsewhere: the party, special interests, and ideology.

They throw crumbs to their home districts or states through earmarks, which are often a colossal waste of money (think bridge to nowhere). Their districts and states would be much better off if these politicians just did their job and forgot about wasteful earmarks.

Sadly, congress and statehouses are so divided ideologically that they’ve lost the ability to compromise. The main goal of politicians these days is to work towards achieving or maintaining a majority position for their party so they can stay in power. Yet what’s the point of being in power if you accomplish nothing?

Government was established by God for the good of people: keeping order, defending against enemies, etc. The Founding Fathers of this country established a government that was supposed to be limited in power, that guaranteed certain rights to the citizens, and that worked on behalf of the people. We’ve lost that vision and must get it back so that “… government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” (Abraham Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address)

Vietnam Memories

2011-11-09T10:11:00.000-05:00

I recently saw the Vietnam-era movie “Full Metal Jacket” on TV, and it brought back memories of my basic training experience. Although the training in FMJ was Marine boot camp at Parris Island, it was almost identical to my Army experience at Fort Dix, NJ. I went through basic at the same time as portrayed in the movie, which was 1967-1968 timeframe. By the way, a young Vincent D’onofrio (Law and Order) is a key player in the first part of the movie.

Although my basic training took place over 40 years ago, I can still remember much of it vividly. I still have the occasional dream about it.

The second part of the movie portrays some of the Marine unit’s experiences in Vietnam. Interestingly, this week the History Channel is running a series on that war called “Vietnam in HD”. Watching both of these reminded me of how terrible and mismanaged that conflict was. Fortunately, I was not sent to Vietnam, so the remembrances of that war are more from war stories I heard from guys who had been there, news reports of the time, and movies. Unfortunately, our politicians haven’t learned the lessons of Vietnam and continue to engage us in wars in places where we shouldn’t be (such as Iraq).

War should be an absolutely last resort. Not only are people killed and wounded, but many are emotionally scarred. Moreover, we have an economy that is not in good shape, and a huge federal deficit. We simply can’t afford to fight a war right now.

As Veteran’s Day approaches in the U.S. (on 11/11/11 this year), let us remember those who served and continue to serve. Let us also remember not only their sacrifices but also the sacrifices of their families. Pray for all of them, and pray that our troops will soon be able to leave Afghanistan. Pray for peace, and pray that the forces of evil in this world, which seek to oppress or attack others, will be restrained by the powerful hand of God. We look forward to that Day of the Lord when swords will be beaten into plowshares.

Changes in the Mass

2011-11-08T12:44:00.000-05:00

There was a recent article in the Poughkeepsie Journal concerning some changes in the English language version of the Roman Catholic liturgy for the Mass (worship service). For the tradition-bound Roman Catholic Church, this is major, since change doesn’t come easily.

The last major change resulted from Vatican II in the 1960s when the Mass moved from mostly Latin to the language of the people. At that time, some lamented the loss of the Latin Mass as if that were the sacred language of Jesus and the prophets (Jesus spoke Aramaic, the prophets spoke Hebrew, and the New Testament was written in Greek). In my opinion, moving to the language of the people was a tremendous step towards making the Mass more “user-friendly” and meaningful to the people.

While traditions are nice, they can’t become dominating. Jesus criticized the Pharisees for placing their traditions ahead of the Law of Moses in Mark 7:8: “You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.” (NIV) Some Christians have followed in the footsteps of the Pharisees, becoming hypocritical, legalistic, and placing too much emphasis on tradition. Speaking of himself, Jesus said in John 8:36: “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (NIV) Yet Christians put themselves into bondage to traditions and rules when we are supposed to be free from all that. In addition, traditions can become a god to us if we place too much emphasis on them.

While the wording of the new liturgy could be better, I applaud the Catholic Church for attempting to make the Mass a more meaningful spiritual experience for the congregation. Now if we could only get them to sing more.

Corporate Responsibility

2011-11-02T17:49:00.000-04:00

One of the themes of the Occupy Wall Street demonstration and its offspring demonstrations around the nation is “Corporate Greed”. There are also complaints about the unfairness and abuses of the capitalistic system. Can we do better than the capitalistic system?

As of now, capitalism is the best economic system devised by man. However, it has its risks, so that’s why we have laws and regulations. A totally unregulated economy will result in abuses. Despite our system of laws and regulations, “corporate greed” has resulted in all kinds of problems, including our current economic crisis. On the other hand, the economy can’t be over-regulated or it won’t work as efficiently. What we need are more enlightened and socially responsible corporations and labor unions.

What does an “enlightened” corporation look like? Right now, corporations are all about maximizing profits, paying their top executives very well, increasing market share, and striving to prevent more regulations from being enacted. An “enlightened” corporation realizes it has multiple constituents and many responsibilities that it must take into consideration and serve. So it must balance these priorities effectively. Who or what are these constituents?

Shareholders: at the heart of the capitalist system is investments made in a business by investors, which can be pension funds, mutual funds, individuals, unions, etc. For the capitalist system to succeed, there must be a fair return on investment. One way to improve return on investment is to not pay top executives outrageous salaries, bonuses, and granting overly generous stock options.

Employees: the employees must be given a fair wage, must be provided with competitive benefits, and must be treated with fairness, dignity, and respect. The employees must, of course, give a fair day’s work for a fair day’s wage, not demand wages that are out of line with the industry, not go on strike, and follow company policy.

Customers: without customers, a business will quickly fail. Customers must be provided with safe, good quality, and innovative products that deliver what the company’s salespeople promise.

The Nation: the corporation has responsibilities to the city and country in which it is located, and these include no polluting, no exporting jobs overseas, payment of taxes, following regulations and laws, and generally being a good citizen.

An “enlightened” corporation, following these guidelines, would minimize “corporate greed” and make a positive contribution to society. Employees would feel secure and have more loyalty to the company.

You can’t legislate this, but hopefully companies will see the error of their ways and become more enlightened. Let’s pray it happens soon.

More on Inequality

2011-10-24T19:49:00.000-04:00

Entrepreneurs helped make this country great and raised our standard of living to what was once the highest in the world. They did everything from build the railroads to invent the iPhone. Most entrepreneurs became very wealthy as a result of their creativity, risk-taking, and pioneering efforts. They generally made positive contributions to society, and used much of their wealth to support worthy causes.

On the other hand, you have the obscenely high compensation paid to CEOs and other executives – millions of dollars in salary, bonuses, and stock options. I ask: “What did these guys do to deserve such remuneration?” Generally, these executives are nothing more than overpaid managers, and sometimes not very good ones. They lay off American workers, export jobs to China, and cheapen their product, then they get paid exorbitant bonuses for “making the tough decisions”. Even when they fail, they get severance packages that are very generous from boards of directors who are more concerned with taking care of their own than the good of the business.

A CEO with vision is worth a decent salary, but paying such large amounts is what has the Occupy Wall Street folks riled up. While I may not agree with Occupy Wall Street’s leftist bent, they do have a point about the excessive executive compensation. It makes us all angry when banks and financial institutions that had serious problems and required a federal bail-out to stay solvent pay their executives huge salaries and large bonuses. It’s a slap in the face to every American taxpayer.

Quite frankly, I’m not sure what you can do about it in a free society. Certainly limitations on salaries and bonuses should be placed on companies receiving bail-out money or federal loan guarantees. Perhaps laws can be passed that limit executive compensation according to a formula. While we don’t want to stifle free enterprise, executive compensation has gotten out of hand and something should be done in all fairness to the other 99%.

More on the Occupy Wall Street Protests

2011-10-22T10:12:00.000-04:00

After writing a recent post regarding the Occupy Wall Street protests, I read an article on-line by Brian McLaren, author, speaker, activist, and public theologian. A former college English teacher and pastor, he is an ecumenical global networker among innovative Christian leaders.

Below are some highlights from his article that I believe are worth considering. You and I may not join the protests in the streets, but we can make our wishes known to our representatives in Washington and the State House. That’s why I’ve posted portions of his article below – so you and I can do something constructive to help turn this country around. Most of all, pray for this country, which has been the hope of so many who came to our shores to escape oppression, to be able to worship freely, and to prosper materially. All of those are under threat. Below are excerpts from the article:

The substance: both the market-driven disease and its government-driven cures have further enriched and advantaged the most powerful economic elites (the 1 percent) at the expense of the rest of us. After the crisis and bailouts, the 1 percent has a larger share of the wealth and power than before, and the 99 percent have more unemployment, more debt, and more frustration.

Here are a few unsolicited suggestions.

1) Name what's wrong. I think the movement is right to diagnose the problem as the concentration of wealth and opportunity among powerful elites (including banking, corporate, media, military-industrial, educational, and political elites).

2) Protest what's wrong. Protesting isn't everything, but it is something, and it matters. Protest mobilizes frustration and anger. It seeks to tap reservoirs of potentially destructive emotional energies so they can be directed toward constructive ends.

3) Name the goals. Just as naming the problem matters, so naming the solutions matters. And that will probably make all the difference for the movement.

4) Pro-testify for solutions. Protesting is being against something worth being against. But that's not enough. We must also pro-testify for something worth being for. That's why urban occupiers and their sympathizers will need to pro-testify for a concrete list of proposals.

Inequality in Our Society

2011-10-21T11:31:00.001-04:00

One of the complaints of the Occupy Wall Street demonstrators is the high level of inequality in the United States. European Communism tried to do away with inequality, but failed, except to give most of the population a substandard life. Meanwhile the elites (the nomenklatura in Russia) lived very well. Some inequality will always exist, but it shouldn’t be so large that you don’t really have a middle class any more.

In the United States, the disparity between the richest 1% of the population and not-so-rich rest of us has become too large to ignore. This widening gap has been caused by a number of factors, resulting in the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, and the middle class getting terribly squeezed economically. I believe the worst is yet to come. The factors causing this gap to widen are:

(1) High salaries of the elites. Business executives receive ridiculously high salaries, bonuses, and stock options. Even the incompetent ones receive a generous “golden parachute”, getting rewarded for poor performance.

(2) Sports figures also receive ridiculously high salaries, and still they want more as we see in the NBA walk-out.

(3) With the economy the way it is, the poor have even less opportunities for earning a living, so many are unemployed or underemployed. The poor are getting poorer.

(4) The middle class is getting economically squeezed by a number of factors:

(a) Many are unemployed or underemployed. As a result, some have lost their house, and some have had to declare bankruptcy, moving these families into the ranks of the poor.

(b) Even if they have a job, they haven’t received a raise in years, property taxes are going up, they have to pay more for health benefits, the cost of college has been increasing much faster than the rate of inflation, and other costs (such as transportation) are on the rise.

(c) The first wave of the Boomer generation is now retiring, but they are financially unprepared. Research has shown the Boomers haven’t saved as much for their retirement as they should have, and it will be especially tough for single women when they retire. I believe that the Boomers will swell the ranks of the poor or lower middle class when they retire, since many will be living mostly off social security.

For these reasons, I believe the inequality will get worse, even if the economy turns around. Some Boomers will find themselves working – if they can find a job – well into their 70s in order to keep their heads above water.

While some inequalities are inevitable for various reasons, the current and the future level of inequality is unacceptable. I’m not sure what the answer is, but something will have to be done. Pray that our leaders will have the wisdom to deal effectively with inequalities so that people don’t have to live in abject poverty, especially in their “golden years.”

Wall Street Demonstrators

2011-10-20T14:31:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I think that those out demonstrating against such things as “globalization” and “fracking” don’t have a clue about what they are protesting against. They latched on to some kind of cause, and they want to relive the glory days of the 1960s (even though they weren’t even born then). Back in the 1960s, we had real causes: a terrible war in Viet Nam and civil rights, to name the two main issues.

Now we have demonstrators in the Wall Street area, and the protests are spreading to other cities and countries. Do these people have a legitimate cause or are they hippie wannabes? What is their gripe anyway? As I understand it, they have several complaints:

(1) The greed of the financial system (banks, mortgage lenders) which caused the current economic recession.

(2) The inequality between the richest 1% of the population and everybody else.

(3) The leadership crisis in Washington resulting in no agreement as to how to fix the mess we’re in.

(4) Overall dissatisfaction with government and the capitalist economic system.

In all of these, I believe the protestors have legitimate cause to demonstrate their disappointment. These aren’t fictitious or trivial complaints, but they get to the heart of the breakdown of our government and economic system. Our type of government is the best in the world, but it isn’t working as intended because of politicians who put party, ideology, and special interests ahead of what is best for the country and their constituents. The capitalistic economic system is the best way to go (as opposed to communism or socialism), but greed and incompetence have caused our system to falter and fail.

The items listed above are very simplistic, but I believe they summarize well what is wrong with this country and why the demonstrators are out there calling attention to our plight. Demonstrations may get people’s attention, but we need to vote the politicians out and keep doing so until we get folks in power who actually work for us and our best interests. We also have to pressure Washington to have appropriate regulation, oversight, and auditing over the financial system since banks, left to their own devices, will mess things up every time.

Watch for a future post on inequality.

The Passing of Steve Jobs

2011-10-08T17:24:00.001-04:00

I was saddened to learn of the passing of Steve Jobs after a long battle with cancer. A few lessons from his life:

Failure isn’t the end, but an opportunity to start again smarter and wiser.

Use your God-given creativity and think big.

Look for opportunities where others see none, and run with it. Jobs saw what Xerox had developed at its Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) and immediately recognized its potential, while Xerox was clueless.

Death is the great equalizer: everybody will experience it. The question is, where will you find yourself when you wake up on the other side?

All the money in the world can’t save you from a terminal disease, but may prolong your life for a while.

Think about this: What if Steve’s unwed mother had aborted him rather than putting him up for adoption?

Geniuses (or those who think they are the smartest guy in the room) are difficult to work for, no matter how likeable they may appear (Gates, Jobs, Zuckerman).

Steve Jobs and Apple represent the best of American technological innovation, but where is most of the hardware made? China, of course. What about American jobs, Mr. Jobs?

Steve Jobs came up with many technological innovations and left a tremendous earthly legacy, but good works done in obedience to God have eternal value.

The world has lost an innovator in a league with (or above) Edison, Ford, Watson (of IBM), and Wilson (of Xerox). In addition his business instincts and organizational abilities were excellent. Steve Jobs will be missed. I thank you for what you have given to us and for what is still in the pipeline.

Sometimes the Pain Is Too Much

2011-09-27T13:47:00.001-04:00

I read recently in the Poughkeepsie Journal that the father of a murdered college student from Hyde Park committed suicide. I was very saddened to think of the grief that family has had to bear already, and now this.

I imagine that this father just couldn’t take it any more: constantly thinking about his daughter’s murder, about the upcoming trial of her alleged killer, the “what ifs” running through his mind, trying to comfort his distraught family. Sometimes the pain is just too much.

We can’t even begin to imagine what it must be like to have such a tragedy in your family. Let me suggest that when we read about something like this in the newspaper or hear about it in the news, we stop and say a quick prayer for the people involved. Better yet, write down something on a prayer list and pray for them whenever you pray for the concerns on that list.

We might feel tempted to denounce that father for abandoning his family, but let’s not be too quick to do so. Sometimes the pain is more than anybody can bear. It certainly was in this case. I can’t believe that God, knowing such pain, will condemn him when be comes before the judgment seat. I believe God will wipe away his tears and welcome him to that place where there are no more tears, no more pain, no more suffering.

Finally, as a pastor I receive many prayer requests concerning terrible things people are going through, often health-related. The human body is a masterpiece of design and engineering, yet things do go wrong. When they do, it can be awful. So those people need our prayers too: for healing if God wills it, but also for peace, acceptance, strength, and comfort for all concerned.

In God We Trust? (Part 3)

2011-09-27T13:20:00.002-04:00

In earlier posts I presented the sermon I gave on the Sunday after 9/11/01. On 9/11/11, the tenth anniversary of the terrible events of 9/11/01, I gave a sermon that I’d like to share with you. This is part 3 of that sermon. I hope this post helps you in some way:

e. Nancy Yambem Example

If we look to God and follow his plan for us, God can, and usually does, have some sort of good come out of an ordeal. Nancy Yambem is an example of some good coming out of tragedy. In the heartbreak of 9/11, her faith was tested and became stronger as she realized she had to depend on the Lord to get her thru the unimaginable pain of losing her husband on that terrible day. Her faith was made so strong that she was able to forgive those who killed her husband. Such forgiving comes from God, and the good news is that relieves us of a lot of baggage.

In addition, Nancy now leads a bereavement group here at the church, and she has helped people to come to terms with their loss. I recommend her group if you have recently suffered the loss of a loved one. Of course to live according to God’s plan, we need to be plugged into God through prayer, worship, and Bible reading so we can discern his plan for us.

V. Christ Is Our Hope

In addition to trusting God in the midst of a trial, we also should look beyond our present circumstances to a much better future. That better future may, or may not, be in this life. But we do know that as followers of Jesus we are assured of eternal life in heaven, and for that we rejoice. We obviously aren’t exempt from trials in this life, but we have Jesus – who himself endured suffering on this earth – to help us thru difficult times. We have the confidence that he loves us and that he is greater than any of the challenges or disappointments that we face. The Cross is proof of his love for us, and the Resurrection is proof of his power over evil. In addition, we have hope in Jesus because he promised us in Matt 11:28-30:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” NIV

The Good News is that anybody can be a part of his family – just come to him in faith. So why not put your trust in Christ today, and he will help you get through this life and give you eternal life in the hereafter.

VI. Conclusion

1. We Groan

With all the bad news and uncertainty, I can’t help but sometimes feel depressed and pessimistic about the future. Along those lines, Second Corinthians 5:4a says, For while we are still in this tent, we groan under our burden… (NRSV)

Why do we groan? Because this world has problems, injustice, wars, strife, illness, natural disasters, and grieving, as we all know. One of the big questions of life is, “Why is this world like that?” It’s because we live in an imperfect world, subject to the laws of nature that can sometimes cause destruction, and human sin, which causes suffering. We long for peace, security, contentment, and comfort, but they are elusive, because this is earth, not the Garden of Eden or heaven. When we all get to heaven, there will be no more tears, no more sorrow, but for now, we have to endure trials from time to time.

2. Wrong Solutions

In our trials, we often look for worldly answers, or we try to escape it all through diversions. We expect politicians or the government to be our saviors when they can’t even agree on how to fix the mess we’re in. Humans don’t have the answers, but God does. That’s why we need to look to him, both individually and as a nation. We have to realize that life is too difficult to handle on our own, and there are issues of life that cannot be fixed with human efforts.

3. Trust in God

Only Jesus offers us true peace and comfort, plus the assurance of a secure future in heaven with him. Only Jesus gives hope to those without hope. As I said before, God may not change our circumstances but he will help us through whatever problem or trial we are facing. We don’t have to face our problems alone.

So why not turn to him today? I know that when I feel pessimistic and down, I stop and realize that I have hope. I have hope because of my relationship with Jesus Christ, whose power uplifts. So let the wise words of Proverbs 3:5-6 be our guide:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight. NIV

In God We Trust? (Part 2)

2011-09-21T16:37:00.001-04:00

In earlier posts I presented the sermon I gave on the Sunday after 9/11/01. On 9/11/11, the tenth anniversary of the terrible events of 9/11/01, I gave a sermon that I’d like to share with you. This is part 2 of that sermon. I hope this sermon helps you in some way:

IV. Trust in God

With this bad news and fear about the future, what are we Christians to do? Do we just resign ourselves to the possibility of a bleak future, or spend most of our time worrying, or lash out in anger?

1. Lamentations

Let’s look to the Book of Lamentations for some answers. In chapter three, Jeremiah admitted his profound sorrow. “I remember my affliction and my wandering… and my soul is downcast within me.”

Yet even in the depths of his despair, as his people were being carted away into Babylonian captivity, he could proclaim the faithfulness of God:

Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord. (Lamentations 3:19-26, NIV)

So the first thing we must do, difficult as it may sometimes be, is to look to the Lord for help and place our trust in him. Of course we know from experience that God may not change our situation, much as we’d like him to. God didn’t restore Jerusalem for nearly a century, but God did help Jeremiah to get through the sorrow and heartbreak, and he will for you and me as well. So God is faithful to help you deal with your situation, to accept it, and God will give his peace, as we read in Philippians 4:6-7:

Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. NRSV
We sing “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” but do we really believe it?

2. Examples of God’s Work

This trusting God sounds good, but can we really have hope in our lives? Let me give you a few examples of God’s work in the world:

a. Marriage Example

At a party recently we met a couple we didn’t know but we had been praying for their marriage. They are doing very well and their marriage is back on track.

b. Illness Example

At another party recently we met a man we didn’t know but we had been praying for his health. He is now doing fine and is healthy enough to go back to work.

c. Job Example

For over a year we’ve been praying for somebody who needed a better job, and recently got one – in this economy, no less! We’ve also been praying for the financial situation of a family, and he is scheduled to get a raise, something rare in this economy.

d. My Example (Jer 29:11)

Through the prophet Jeremiah, God told the Israelites in Jeremiah 29:11:
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. NIV

I believe we can claim that verse for ourselves as well, and I did that back in the 1980s when I was about to lose my job. The economy wasn’t as bad as it is now, but people weren’t hiring. I sent out a lot of resumes and got very few responses – I was getting desperate. Through my wife Sue and other people, I came to realize God had a plan for my life, so I prayed to God to reveal it and to get me a job as well.

God did come through with a job, on the day I got the pink slip, and he has been revealing his plan to me ever since, bit by bit. I might add that God’s plan contained a few surprises, like becoming a pastor. I know it was in God’s plan to have me appointed here as well, and for that, I’m grateful and pleased to be your pastor.

More in a future post.

In God We Trust? (Part 1)

2011-09-14T10:25:00.001-04:00

In earlier posts I presented the sermon I gave on the Sunday after 9/11/01. On 9/11/11, the tenth anniversary of the terrible events of 9/11/01, I gave a sermon that I’d like to share with you. I hope this sermon helps you in some way:

I. Introduction

I remember my parents talking about the attack on Pearl Harbor. They would say how they vividly remembered where they were and what they were doing when they received news of the attack. I thought that was strange, and then the Kennedy assassination happened. Then I understood – these were defining events whose details are etched in your memory for the rest of your life. The same thing happened on 9/11 – I clearly remember everything about that terrible morning, as I’m sure you do.

II. Emotions of the Day

1. Feelings of Hopelessness

Besides clearly remembering the events, I also recall my range of emotions. I went from surprise to shock to sadness to anger to feelings of helplessness and even hopelessness, as I’m sure most people did. In a matter of minutes, the world as we knew it had changed drastically. Our sense of security, false as it was, was shattered.

2. Pearl Harbor Comparison

Coincidentally, the attack on 9/11 happened a few months short of the 60th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. In the case of Pearl Harbor, terrible as it was, the attack was a military operation with a strategic objective, plus there was a clear enemy – Japan. With terrorism, civilians are targeted and there’s no strategic objective. How can you prevent attacks by fanatics willing to die on suicide missions? As a result, we have a sense of frustration, helplessness, and even hopelessness when it comes to terrorist threats. In the face of terrorism, as well as crime, economic downturns, personal loss, and natural disasters, we often feel helpless and hopeless.

III. Various Disasters

1. Jeremiah’s Feelings

This morning we read from the Book of Lamentations, written by the prophet Jeremiah 2,600 years ago. His beloved city of Jerusalem had been completely destroyed by the Babylonians, and the world as he knew it had come to an end. Even God’s beautiful temple, built by King Solomon, was leveled by the enemy, and the sacred temple vessels were taken to a pagan land. Even in translation from an ancient language, his emotions come through.

On 9/11 and the days following, I could identify with how Jeremiah felt. In that next Sunday’s service following 9/11, I used passages from Lamentations as the Scripture reading because they seemed appropriate. Although a whole city had not been destroyed in 9/11, a major landmark had been, plus nearly 3,000 innocent lives were needlessly lost. Some of those lost were co-workers of mine, so it was very personal.

Life as we knew it had been changed forever, and I think we learned that safety in this world is really an illusion. Obviously we must do everything we can to protect ourselves against attacks, including putting up with some inconveniences at the airport. But thanks be to God, we haven’t had another attack on American soil since 2001.

3. Other Tragedies

a. Natural Disasters

Sadly, though, we’ve had some devastating natural disasters.

I mention natural disasters because the destruction from Hurricane Irene and tropical storm Lee is still fresh on our minds. With the stream next to the parsonage overflowing during Irene, we were concerned as we watched the water creeping ever closer to the parsonage. Although we didn’t get any water in the house, I can sympathize with those who did – we came close!

b. Uncertainty about the Future

Even as 9/11 fades into a 10 year old memory, there’s still tremendous uncertainty about the future: uncertainty about the country, the economy, our personal situations, and where the next natural disaster will strike. Many people I talk to are pessimistic and have feelings of fear and hopelessness, because things seem to be going from bad to worse.

More in a future post.

Sermon on 9/11/01 – Part 3

2011-09-12T14:53:00.001-04:00

In two earlier posts I recounted the sermon I gave on the Sunday following the events of 9/11/01. I entitled it “Lessons from Pearl Harbor”. This post has the conclusion of that sermon.

Where Was God?

You may still ask, “Where was God in all of this?” I saw God many times as I watched TV this week.

•I saw God in the firefighters who ran into a severely damaged building to try to save lives, losing their own in the process.

•I saw God in people helping their co-workers to get out of the building.

•I saw God in the dedicated rescue workers who went on past the point of exhaustion in the hope of finding somebody alive.

•I saw God in the reaction of Americans, who lined up to give blood, who sent in donations, who gathered at churches and synagogues to pray and comfort one another.

•I saw God in those people holding candlelight vigils and mourning over the loss of life of people they didn’t even know.

•I saw God in the encouragement people were giving to the rescue workers, including local merchants giving food and drink to them without charge.

•I saw God in those who called for us not to take out our anger on Americans of Middle Eastern descent or those who practice the Muslim religion.

•I saw God in Washington, DC, as those of all religions and political persuasions gathered in the National Cathedral as one to worship God in all of this.

•I saw God in the moving memorials held in Canada and countries throughout the world, honoring the victims and upholding the United States in this time of crisis.

Where was God in all of this? He was in each one of us.

What Happens Next?

Our job is just beginning. We don’t know what the future holds. The most important thing we can do is pray for our national leaders.

We should pray that our national leaders:
-Will be open to God’s leading and follow His wisdom.
-They will maintain a spirit of unity consistent with God’s direction to them.
-They won’t be driven by emotions or hatred.

We should also pray for leaders around the world, that:
-Those harboring terrorists will shut down the camps, & give them over to justice.
-Nations will back up their claims of support for the US with appropriate action.
-The community of nations will have a spirit of unity and mutual support.
-Terrorism will be stopped dead everywhere through the determined efforts of every nation’s leadership (incl Northern Ireland and Israel).
-Pray in particular for Pakistan, which will probably be on the front line of any action and without whose support, our job will be more difficult.

We should also pray for the nation in general, that:
-No more terrorist attacks will occur on our soil or against our people anywhere.
-We will have a spirit of reconciliation and love for one another after seeing how ugly hatred can be.
-We as a nation will turn back to God and revival will take place.

We must realize that God will not support us just because we are Americans. I don’t believe God supports one nationality over another. He will support us if we are his people, called by his name, dedicated to him and committed to him.

Our money says “In God We Trust.” Now is our time to prove it.

Prayer is effective and is our main weapon against the evil we are fighting against, because that evil is of a spiritual nature. Ephesians 6:10-13 tells us that our struggle is a spiritual one:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

I repeat: Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

We may talk of military action, and that is certainly one weapon we may use, but the most effective weapon we have is trust in God and prayer. The best thing we can do in this time of national (and even international) crisis is pray to God and put our trust in Him.

Sermon on 9/11/01 – Part 2

2011-09-09T17:01:00.001-04:00

In an earlier post and this one is the sermon I gave on the Sunday following the events of 9/11/01. I entitled it “Lessons from Pearl Harbor”.

Current Attacks Strategic Failure

Do I believe the attacks on the WTC and the Pentagon were strategic failures?
Yes I do.

Certainly they were successful in their execution and in causing short-term disruption. But from a long-term strategic viewpoint, I believe they will be shown, just like Pearl Harbor, to have been failures, by the grace of God. I’m not sure why these attacks were carried out, but by almost any measurement, they will be determined to have been strategic failures.

1. They caused an interruption in the heart of our financial district, but there won’t be serious long-term effects. Life will go on pretty much as before.

2. They caused a disruption of business and commerce, but I am guessing that the effect on the economy will be relatively mild. Increased spending for the military may actually help the economy.

3. They have united America in a way not seen for 60 years. Philosophical and political differences have been set aside and a spirit of unity prevails. If the objective of those attacks was to discourage Americans, they did just the opposite.

4. Much of the world has rallied around the US in an unprecedented show of international solidarity. The war against terrorism will be a united front because countries now realize all are vulnerable.

5. It will make the US more sympathetic to Israel and more supportive of its struggle against Palestinian terrorism.

Why were the recent attacks strategic failures? Again, I believe God will protect us from serious long-term harm so that we can be used as his instrument to fight against this new evil.

Although the death and destruction is more than we can bear, it may have been the only way we could be united as a people and have to resolve to do what only the US can accomplish in the world.

So the reason for the history lesson this morning is to show that God’s sovereignty always prevails, and ultimate good can come out of disasters, terrible as they are.

Sermon on 9/11/01 – Part 1

2011-09-08T17:24:00.001-04:00

As a pastor, you had to talk about 9/11 that next Sunday. Since my congregation at that church was older, most of them remembered Pearl Harbor. Therefore, I decided to draw parallels between 9/11/01 and December 7, 1941, which was a few months short of being 60 years ago. I also attempted to answer the major question on most people’s minds: “Where was God?” In this post and the one to follow is the sermon I gave on the Sunday following the events of 9/11/01. I entitled it “Lessons from Pearl Harbor”.

Tuesday, September 11, 2001, is another date that will live in infamy. Many of you were alive at the time of Pearl Harbor, and I’m sure you recognize many of the emotions associated with Tuesday’s events. Since some are calling this a “Second Pearl Harbor” I would like to draw some comparisons to that event 60 years ago.

I find it interesting that after 60 years there is still strong interest in the Pearl Harbor attack as we see by the recent popular movie called “Pearl Harbor.”

•Both Pearl Harbor and the recent acts of terrorism were unprovoked, and both caught the US by surprise.

•Both took place in the morning, and both involved aircraft. The first bomb at Pearl Harbor fell at 7:55 and the first plane hit the WTC at 8:45.

•Both involved substantial property loss. At Pearl, 18 ships were sunk or seriously damaged, plus damage to buildings. In NYC, the entire WTC complex and many nearby buildings were destroyed or seriously damaged.

•Both involved a substantial loss of life. At Pearl, 2,403 men and women lost their lives, all but 68 were military. We don’t know the death toll yet, but I estimate Tuesday’s attacks will probably result in 6,000-7,000 deaths. (266 in airplanes, 200 at Pentagon, and 5,500-6,500 at WTC) Most of these deaths were civilians.

•Both attacks were personal to Americans. Hawaii was an American territory and the attack was against our military installations there. Many knew servicemen who lost their lives or were in Hawaii at the time.

Tuesday’s attack was even closer to home, and involved ordinary people at work, like any one of us. Many people were personally touched by these attacks, knowing people on the airplanes or in the buildings. My company had an office at the WTC. We lost 5 employees. We could see the burning buildings from our office in White Plains, knowing we had people there.

•Evil as it was, the Japanese had a strategic objective in attacking Pearl Harbor. Their objective was to neutralize our Pacific fleet so it would be out of commission for several years. This would allow the Japanese to continue their conquests in Asia without US interference. The US had become increasing hostile to Japan and had initiated trade and oil embargoes against it.

For the life of me, I can not find any strategic objective to an attack on civilian buildings such as we saw on Tuesday. That’s what makes Tuesday’s attacks senseless and diabolical.

Pearl Harbor a Strategic Failure

Interestingly, from a strategic point of view, the Pearl Harbor attack was a failure.
It failed in four ways:

1. The most important naval weapon, the aircraft carrier, was untouched in the attack. Not a single carrier was in port at the time. Within a few months our carriers had engaged the enemy in significant naval battles.

2. The second most important naval weapon, the submarine, was also untouched by the attack. The sub base at Pearl was only moderately damaged and was soon back in operation. US subs were attacking Japanese shipping all over the Pacific.

3. The enormous fuel depot at Pearl was completely untouched. Even if no ships had been sunk but the fuel depot had been destroyed, our fleet would have soon been rendered useless for a substantial period of time.

4. The Pearl Harbor attack united Americans as never before. I suspect the Japanese wanted to demoralize us, but the effect was just the opposite. We were resolved to defeat an enemy that was devastating Asia and had now hit our home shores.

Why was Pearl Harbor a failure to the Japanese? I believe it was because God protected us so that we could be instrumental in defeating the evil of Nazi and Japanese expansionism. Without the involvement of the US, I don’t believe these evil expansionist empires could have been stopped. Because of US involvement in the war, Europe was eventually liberated and large parts of Asia were freed from the harsh rule of the Japanese Empire.

Thoughts on 9/11 – An Historical Perspective (Part 5)

2011-09-07T15:06:00.000-04:00

Certain momentous events “shock” the American public. They were generally unexpected, sudden, and had a significant impact on the country. In three earlier posts I explored some of those shocks that have happened during my 60+ years of life. In my last post I began to share my recollection of the biggest shock of my lifetime, the attacks on 9/11/01. This post is a continuation of that recollection.

After a little while, somebody mentioned that one of the World Trade Center towers had collapsed. I never thought of a collapse, just severe damage. I felt that if the building could survive a direct hit from a large airplane without toppling over, it wouldn’t collapse. However, the intense heat from a large amount of burning jet fuel resulted in the softening of the structural steel. Moreover, the outside steel was more than decorative. It was also supporting. Those vertical supporting steel beams had been breached by the planes, ultimately resulting in collapse. I looked out the window and saw a huge amount of brownish smoke and dust rising from lower Manhattan in a wide inverted cone.

I went into the other office to watch the television, and saw reruns of the collapse. It was at that time that I found out that it was tower two that had collapsed: the tower with our employees in it. It was the second tower hit but the first to collapse. Shortly after that the second tower collapsed. I went back into our office, and the employees were very upset. Some of the women were crying, knowing they had probably lost friends and co-workers in the disaster. I realized I needed to do something as a part-time pastor, so I went into our CEO’s office and asked if I could have a time of prayer for those employees who would like to participate. He agreed that it would be a good idea.

We gathered the employees in the accounting area and I said a prayer and then we had a moment of silence. I finally reached my wife Sue and told her to turn on the TV, that we were under a terrorist attack. After a little while I went home to be with her since she was very upset and was crying. I knew I wouldn’t get any work done in the office, and I had done all I could do to comfort my co-workers. The office closed shortly after I left. Either just before leaving or while I was on the way home I found out that a plane had crashed in a field in western Pennsylvania. I suspected at the time that it must have been headed for Washington and either there had been a struggle on the plane or it had been shot down by the Air Force (which was an initial rumor).

I knew that the World Trade Center had 40,000 – 50,000 people typically in the buildings on a work day. Knowing how fast they collapsed after being hit and how long it takes to evacuate such large buildings, I figured that at least 20,000 people had been killed. Once we got reasonable estimates of the casualties I couldn’t believe that less than 3,000 people died there. Similarly, I suspected that several thousand had been killed at the Pentagon, and was pleasantly surprised to learn that less than 300 died there. Certainly that was God’s grace, limiting the number of casualties. While that is small comfort to those who lost loved ones, it does show, I believe, that God is at work, even in the midst of tragedies, even if he chooses not prevent them from occurring.

As with the Kennedy assassination on November 22, 1963, all television programming for the next few days focused on the events of 9/11. There were no commercials and no regular programs. The planes hitting the towers and their subsequent collapse were replayed endlessly. Interviews with government officials and new information were broadcast and repeated. We were all hungry for information and were looking for answers to our questions. Who did this? Why? Why didn’t we know this was coming? What could have been done to prevent this?

As a pastor, I was asked by the company to conduct a memorial service on a conference call to the company’s 40+ offices in the U.S. and Canada. I believe it was early the following week that I conducted an interfaith service on that conference call.

As with Pearl Harbor and the Kennedy assassination, people who lived through these attacks will remember vividly where they were when they got the news. Moreover, I will never forget what I saw out our office windows. Even though the events were 40+ miles away, I vividly remember what I saw in the distance. I remember the small plume of smoke, then the larger one as the second tower was hit, and then I remember the enormous wedge-shaped cloud of smoke and ash rising from the scene after the collapses that appeared to cover all of lower Manhattan. With television showing us these events live and in many reruns, those images will be in our minds for as long as we live as well.

Thoughts on 9/11 – An Historical Perspective (Part 4)

2011-09-06T12:04:00.000-04:00

Certain momentous events “shock” the American public. They were generally unexpected, sudden, and had a significant impact on the country. In three earlier posts I explore some of those shocks that have happened during my 60+ years of life. I’d now like to share my recollection of the biggest shock of my lifetime, the attacks on 9/11/01.

On September 11, 2001, I arrived at work around 8:30 at my office on the fourth floor of 100 Manhattanville Road, Purchase, New York. The building is on a small hill in Westchester County and from our windows we could see the skyscrapers of Manhattan in the distance. At around 8:45 or 8:50, somebody in the office said that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. Since we could see the towers in the distance from our office windows, I went to the window to look. On the horizon I saw black smoke coming from one of the towers. The smoke wasn’t rising up but was blowing sideways parallel to the ground in an easterly direction. It was not an enormous amount of smoke, but it was clearly visible from even 40+ miles away. Looking down towards the towers, I was surprised to see that the weather was clear with no fog or haze. I wondered how a plane could have hit the building in such clear weather. It didn’t make any sense. At that time we didn’t know whether it was a small plane or a large one, although I suspected it was a small plane that had veered off course.

One of my co-workers (Cheryl) called our offices on the 93rd floor of Two World Trade Center to find out what was going on and if it was their building that had been hit. Cheryl reached one of the employees and learned that their building had not been hit: it was One World Trade Center that was hit. We were relieved to hear that. The employee told Cheryl that the announcement through the PA system was telling everybody not to evacuate the building, but to stay put. Our employees remained in the building.

I tried to get some information from the Internet but couldn’t connect with any of the news sites that I could think of. AOL only had a headline that a plane had hit the WTC but no details. I tried to call my wife, Sue, at home, but her line was busy.

A few minutes after hanging up with our employees at the World Trade Center, we heard that the other tower had been hit by an airplane. All of a sudden it became very clear: this was a terrorist attack and not some terrible accident. We also realized that our employees were probably doomed. Since they were so high up in the building and the plane had hit just below them, we believed that if they hadn’t been killed almost immediately by the impact and resulting fire, they were trapped with no way to escape the heat and smoke. I went to the window and saw much more black smoke pouring from the buildings.

Somebody said there was a television in the offices of a neighboring company on our floor, so I went over there and watched the smoking towers for a few minutes. When I went back to our office, nobody was working. Everybody was distracted by these momentous events taking place.

At some point, and I can’t remember exactly when, word came to us that a plane had crashed into the Pentagon. I was shocked, since I believed that the World Trade Center had been the only target. It was clear to me that we were under a coordinated attack, and I wondered when this was going to end. What other landmarks had been targeted? How many more were going to die? What could our armed forces do to stop this? Were they going to start shooting down civilian planes?

Thoughts on 9/11 – An Historical Perspective (Part 3)

2011-09-05T14:03:00.001-04:00

Certain momentous events “shock” the American public. They were generally unexpected, sudden, and had a significant impact on the country. Two earlier posts explored some of those shocks that have happened during my 60+ years of life.

1990s – Terrorism and Saddam

The early 1990s saw another shock: the bold and unprovoked attack by Iraq on Kuwait. A positive shock was the quick defeat of Iraq’s large army, including the elite Republican Guard, by our forces. The war was carried out professionally and expeditiously with few American casualties. This may have been the first of the “high-tech” wars using different tactics: bombing to soften up the enemy prior to engaging him in battle, the use of high tech smart bombs and other ordinance, and the execution of a carefully pre-planned strategy developed in anticipation of such a situation. Generals Colin Powell and Norman Schwartzkopf, plus Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney and President Bush handled the war much better than President Johnson, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and the generals (such as General Westmoreland) did in Vietnam. Some level of confidence in government and our armed forces was restored.

In 1995 the U.S. received another shock, this one not involving Islamic terrorists. Timothy McVeigh filled a truck with and explosive compound, parked it in front of a government office building in downtown Oklahoma City, and detonated it. The explosion blew off the front of the building and killed innocent men, women, and children. This was a shock to the nation that an American could hate the government so much that he’d do such a thing.

Other shocks in the 1990s happened in the Middle East and Africa against Americans. A building housing American troops was destroyed by a truck bomb, with a loss of life. The USS Cole was bombed by a small boat loaded with explosives that pulled up alongside it in a port in Yemen. Two US embassies in Africa were destroyed by powerful truck bombs. However, all of these happened outside of the United States and did not involve large loss of American lives. The Clinton administration did little to combat terrorism or support Israel in its battle against terrorism. I suspect this was perceived as weakness on the part of terrorists and made them bolder.

1993 – First WTC Attack

Even the first attack on the World Trade Center in February 1993 resulted in little response against the terrorists by the U.S. In this first attack on the World Trade Center in New York, the terrorists drove a truck full of explosives into an underground parking area. I’m familiar with that spot because I once parked my car there when I was attending several days of meetings in the WTC and stayed at the hotel there. As a result of the explosion of that truck, the hotel was weakened structurally and had to be torn down. Having such a bold terrorist attack in the U.S. by foreigners still didn’t wake us up to the dangers we now faced. It was about to become a whole new world for us and eventually Western Europe.

Thoughts on 9/11 – An Historical Perspective (Part 2)

2011-09-02T11:18:00.001-04:00

Certain momentous events “shock” the American public. They were generally unexpected, sudden, and had a significant impact on the country. This series of posts explores some of these shocks to the nation that I’ve experienced in my lifetime, ending, of course, with the events of 9/11/01.

1970s – Oil and Iran

In the 1970s there were some disturbing incidents such as the killing of an anti-war protester by the Ohio National Guard at Kent State University. The two oil crises demonstrated that the United States was heavily dependent on foreign oil, and was very vulnerable to disruption of the oil supply. Americans waited in lines at gas stations, something we aren’t used to doing. Although it was humbling and inconvenient, we didn’t learn from the two oil crises. Unfortunately we did nothing to end our dependence on foreign oil and the percent of oil we import from foreign sources has actually increased since the 1970s.

At the end of the decade, the attack and takeover of the U.S. embassy in Teheran, Iran, and the imprisonment of Americans in the embassy, was a shock to the nation. That was our first taste of radical Islam, and we were helpless to do anything about it. While our citizens were languishing as captives under these radical students, President Carter initiated a rescue effort by our armed forces. I presume he felt that if the Israelis could do it at Entebbe, we could do it in Iran. It failed miserably and several of our troops were killed. This failure of our high-tech armed forces was a further shock to the nation.

1970s – Nixon Resigns

The biggest shock of the 1970s was the resignation of President Nixon. This had never happened before. Between the mishandling of the Vietnam War by the government and the disclosure of the sleazy side of the Nixon presidency, the boomer generation developed a serious mistrust of government. Up until the time, the government was generally viewed as positive and beneficial, even if inefficient, wasteful and occasionally corrupt. After Vietnam and Watergate, there was generally a more negative view and mistrust of government. The government’s negative image wasn’t helped by the morally deficient Clinton presidency in the 1990s. Remember Monica Lewinsky?

1980s – Shuttle Disaster

There weren’t too many shocks in the 1980s and 1990s. The big one in the 1980s was the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle shortly after launch in which all of the astronauts, including a civilian schoolteacher, were killed. What made this more of a shock than it otherwise might have been is that practically every school child in the country was watching the launch because of the schoolteacher on board. Thus millions of children saw the event live on TV and were somewhat traumatized by it.

The late 1980s saw a rare positive shock: the demise of European communism. Within a very short time, the Berlin Wall fell, the Soviet Union collapsed, and Eastern European countries were free of Soviet domination and could re-establish democratic governments. We patted ourselves on the back for having been instrumental in destroying communism, but conveniently forgetting that over one billion people were still living under harsh communist regimes in China, North Korea and Vietnam. Communism wasn’t dead, just defeated in one part of the world.

Thoughts on 9/11 – An Historical Perspective (Part 1)

2011-09-01T13:10:00.001-04:00

Certain momentous events “shock” the American public. They were generally unexpected, sudden, and had a significant impact on the country. Pearl Harbor was one of the big shocks of the 20th century, resulting in the United States entering World War II. It was a defining moment for my parents’ generation. The terrorist attacks on September 11 were significant shocks of a very young 21st century, and resulted in domestic and overseas initiatives by the United States. I have lived through a number of shocks in the second half of the 20th century, which I will recount before giving my recollection of what happened on September 11, 2001 as we approach the tenth anniversary of those terrible events.

Sputnik

The first shock I can remember as a child is the launching of the first artificial satellite by the Soviet Union in 1957. When Sputnik was successfully placed in an orbit around the earth, Americans kept asking, “How could the Soviet Union beat us?” There was much soul-searching and angst. What was wrong with our educational system that the relatively unsophisticated Soviet Union could beat us into outer space? The result was an intensified emphasis on improving American education, especially in the sciences, and increased spending on our space program. Ultimately we were the first to land a man on the moon in July 1969, one of the few positive events from the 1960s.

The JFK Assassination

Speaking of the 1960s, the next major shock, which was the defining moment for the boomer generation, was the assassination of President Kennedy in Dallas on November 22, 1963. Anybody over the age of 6 at the time remembers where he or she was when he heard the news that the President had been shot. Everybody remembers being glued to the TV for the next several days as events unfolded: the swearing in of Vice-President Lyndon Johnson, the capture of Lee Harvey Oswald (the alleged assassin), the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald by Jack Ruby on live TV, and the funeral of the President on that Monday. The nation was in shock, and realized that the end of an era had come.

Cuban Missile Crisis

An earlier event, while not a shock as I am defining it, was something that had the whole nation on edge and was perhaps a defining moment in US-Soviet relations. It was the Cuban missile crisis. It was a shock in that we saw the real possibility of having Soviet nuclear missiles right off our shores. This gave us a heightened awareness of our vulnerability to missile attack. After President Kennedy addressed the nation on TV about the crisis and the actions we were taking, we all went to bed not knowing if we would wake up to a war.

1968 – A Year to Forget

After the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, the nation experienced a series of shocks in 1968. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, the former president’s brother, was shot and killed in Los Angeles while campaigning for the Democratic presidential primary. Martin Luther King, Jr., the civil rights leader, was shot and killed in Memphis. This sparked several days of serious rioting in many of our major cities, including Los Angeles (Watts section), Baltimore (where I was living at the time), Washington, and Detroit. With the assassinations and riots, it seemed the country was sinking into anarchy and had many people worried about the direction our society was taking.

To make matters worse in 1968 (an already disastrous year), a small spy ship, the U.S.S. Pueblo, was attacked and captured by the North Koreans in international waters. Its crew surrendered without a fight, valuable papers and equipment were captured by a hostile nation, and the crew was taken prisoner for an extended period of time. The United States was humiliated by this incident, and was shown that the mighty United States can be humbled by even a minor-league country such as North Korea. It is interesting to note that 33 years later, in the unfortunate year of 2001, the Chinese government did something similar with a U.S. spy plane flying over international waters.

Another incident in 1968 was the events at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Anti-war protesters demonstrated outside the convention hall and were brutally attacked by the Chicago police. Having seen images of peaceful anti-segregation protesters in the South being attacked with fire hoses and police dogs, it was a further shock to the nation to see the Chicago demonstrators so viciously attacked. Overall, 1968 was not a good year in the history of the nation.

“And Jesus Calmed the Storm”

2011-08-29T17:02:00.001-04:00

Now that Hurricane Irene has passed the NY metro area, some are complaining that the media hyped the hurricane too much, and/or government officials over-reacted with the mandatory evacuations and shutting down all NY metro area public transportation. After all, it was “only” a category 1, downgraded to a tropical storm when it hit land.

Hindsight is better than foresight. Not only that, but I’d rather have everybody err on the side of caution. If officials hadn’t acted out of an abundance of caution and the hurricane had been stronger than it was, guess who would be vilified in the media and by the public? I think we have all learned something with Hurricane Katrina. Local and state officials weren’t adequately prepared in New Orleans, and many people paid the price. FEMA and the President were criticized for Katrina, yet the federal government is not the first responder. I can still picture all those New Orleans school buses under water in their parking lot when they could have been used to bring hundreds of people to safety.

Rather than complaining, why aren’t more people thanking God for sparing us more death and destruction from Irene? Many are quick to blame God for natural disasters, or as least ask why God let such a thing happen. We aren’t as quick to give God credit for sparing us. Let me go on record right now: Thank you God for sparing the New York metro area, and we pray for those who did have more severe damage and disruption (such as Vermont). Amen.

Will you join me in that prayer?

Northeast a Safe Area?

2011-08-26T11:12:00.001-04:00

I’ve always felt that the northeastern part of the United States (New England, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania) is one of the safest places to live from a natural disaster point of view. Then a few days ago we felt a tremor from an earthquake in Virginia, and now we have a hurricane bearing down on us (Irene). Maybe I need to rethink my opinion.

I still believe the Northeast is safer than many other parts of the country, although obviously no place on earth is completely safe. If you’re looking for a place to live, maybe the Northeast isn’t too bad (despite high cost of living and high taxes in many of the states in that region).

Earthquakes: we get minor ones because we do have some earthquake faults, but nothing like the San Andreas or the New Madrid faults. We rarely feel tremors like we did the other day, although when the Big One hits in the Midwest thanks to the New Madrid fault, we’ll definitely feel it. When I felt the tremor, I thought it might be the New Madrid fault because it is due.

Hurricanes: by the time hurricanes reach the Northeast, they are generally weaker (downgraded to a tropical storm) and we get mostly rain. However, on occasion the Northeast will feel the power of a category 1 or 2 (rarely a 3) hurricane and will suffer damage and disruption.

Tornadoes: they are rare in the Northeast (but do happen), and they are usually small and don’t last long, unlike the ones that devastate the Midwest and South.

Snow: the Northeast can get significant snowfall, but rarely with high winds and white-out conditions. Snow storms dumping 12-24 inches happen (particularly in the snowbelt of upstate NY) but these don’t happen as frequently as in the Midwest.

Floods: some neighborhoods, especially in New Jersey, have been built in low-lying areas and flood with some regularity. Otherwise, you rarely see the kind of major flooding you get in other parts of the U.S.

Fires: although drought conditions can make forests and fields dry and occasionally there is a forest fire, they are not that common in the Northeast.

Mudslides: we don’t see these in the Northeast, only occasional rock slides onto certain roads.

Temperature Extremes: the Northeast doesn’t suffer from the extremes that you can see elsewhere, but we can get several days (and even a week or two) of sustained 90-100 degree Fahrenheit weather, often with high humidity. While winter temperatures can go below zero degrees Fahrenheit, it isn’t that common and only lasts for a day or two.

So, New Yorker or New Englander, you may want to rethink that move to another part of the country. Do you really want to retire to Florida (hurricanes, water shortages, very hot summers)? So the cost of living may be cheaper, but have you considered that higher risk of natural disasters?

Discouragement

2011-08-24T16:39:00.001-04:00

In a recent post I wrote about times when our world is turned upside down, and how we need faith in God to get through the tough times. As I was writing that, I was thinking of how much I, as a pastor, have to deal with bad news: people’s loved ones dying, folks undergoing chemo, others with financial problems or the risk of losing their job, a loved one suffering a heart attack or stroke, a child severely injured in a freak accident, someone’s relative missing. In addition to other’s people’s trials, I have my own issues, plus the state of our country and the world is discouraging. How do I keep from getting depressed by all this?

My faith in God helps me to get through all the bad news, mine and everybody else’s. My faith is based on the hope I have of a better life after this one. We are on this earth for a brief time, and while nobody likes trials and tribulations, my faith tells me God is with me, and this won’t last forever. Sadly, we invest so much of ourselves in this brief life that we can easily become overwhelmed by it. While in this body, I believe we should invest more of ourselves in God for three reasons:

(1) God created us to have a relationship with him. Ignoring God means we aren’t fulfilling our main purpose in life.

(2) When we have that relationship with God, God will help us through the tough times. We won’t be immune from them, but will be better able to get through them.

(3) Earthly relationships last for a short time, while the relationship with God lasts for eternity.

While I am generally an optimist, my personal opinion is that things in this country aren’t going to get better anytime soon: economically, morally, religiously, and leadership. Now, more than ever, is a good time to turn to God. Get back to church or synagogue, start your day with prayer and a daily devotional, read the Bible. Remember, you don’t need all your questions answered to establish a relationship with God. You don’t have to be perfect to walk into a church (God loves you just the way you are, but loves you so much that he’ll improve you when you are open to his leading). Don’t be afraid to check out a variety of churches so see which one seems to work for you. God will guide you, just as he guided me.

I was away from the church for many years once I left home. Through some trials in my life, I came to the realization that I needed God. So I started checking out local churches in the town where we lived. The Lord made it obvious which church he wanted us to attend, and he will for you as well. I know a nice church in Beacon, NY, if you want to start there.

World Turned Upside Down

2011-08-17T11:49:00.001-04:00

Two periods of 20th Century history fascinate me: The Great Depression of the 1930s, and World War II in the 1940s. I guess one reason for my interest is that I heard stories about them from my parents and grandparents. When I was born in the 1940s, both events were fresh on everybody’s mind.

In both cases, many people’s worlds were turned upside down, and many were changed forever by the experience. For some, their world came crashing down with the stock market crash of 1929. For others, it came as their life savings were wiped out by bank failures, or jobs lost, or farms and homes foreclosed, or crops failed (particularly in the “Dust Bowl”), or your main source of food becoming the local soup kitchen, or your home ending up being a shanty in a “Hooverville.” Years went by with little improvement in the economy. The government seemed unable to do anything, despite various initiatives. The future looked bleak.

In Europe, people’s worlds were turned upside down by Nazi occupation. What you once took for granted was now forbidden. You feared every knock on the door. Friends and neighbors mysteriously disappeared in the night. You heard rumors, but they were too outrageous to be believed. You averted your eyes whenever you passed a soldier or policeman. There was no hope in sight as Nazi armies seemed unstoppable. Was this the “birth pangs” of the End of Days?

My wife and I recently watched a movie made in 1975 called “The Hiding Place,” based on the book by the same name. It is the story of a Dutch family, the ten Booms: Corrie, her sister Betsie, and their father, in occupied Haarlem, Holland. The book is excellent and I highly recommend reading it. If it’s out of print, order a used one on line. In the book and movie, you get a sense of what life was like in a Nazi-occupied country, and you also get a glimpse at the horrors of a concentration camp. The movie isn’t terribly graphic, but you can certainly get a sense of what camp life was like. Without spoiling the story for you, the family is arrested and Corrie and Betsie end up in a Nazi work camp (arbeitslager) for women where they essentially worked you to death.

What fascinates me about Corrie and especially Betsie is that they kept their faith in God despite their unthinkable and seemingly hopeless circumstances. They admitted they couldn’t explain why God allowed such terrible things to happen, yet they kept faith in God’s love, even in a work camp. I’m not sure how I would react in such a situation.

Of course you and I do face times when our worlds are turned upside down: loss of a loved one, loss of a job, divorce, financial difficulties, a terrible diagnosis, etc. While we might question God – Why me? – hopefully we’ll also look to God for the strength to deal with the situation. We’ll never be able to understand why certain things happen, but we also have to realize that God doesn’t owe us an explanation. That’s where faith comes in: trusting God even when God doesn’t seem trustworthy to us.

We are told time and time again in the Bible that God loves us, and that he will never leave us nor forsake us. That doesn’t mean we will be exempt from the conditions of the world and won’t suffer pain and heartache. What I think it means is that God will have good come out of tragedy, will uphold us during times of trial, and will give us acceptance of those things that won’t be changed. So despite your circumstances, look to God, even if it is hard to do because of the pain.

Mormon Religion

2011-08-16T10:29:00.001-04:00

In an earlier post I wrote about the offshoot of the Mormon Church referred to as FLDS, led by Warren Jeffs who was convicted and sentenced to prison for having sex with underage girls. Let me make a few personal observations about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS, known as Mormons). Since we may have one or two Mormons running for President of the United States in the primaries, it is useful to know something about their religious faith. Note that I’m referring to the main LDS church, not one of its offshoots. Also, some people may disagree with my observations, especially (3) and (4) below.

(1) Mormons tend to have what has come to be called “traditional values” or “family values.” Such values are mocked by some as hopelessly old-fashioned and out of touch with modern culture. Yet it was exactly those values that made this country great (think “The Greatest Generation”). Mormons try to live clean lives, with church and family the most important elements in their lives. If more people of all religious persuasions lived like they do, the world would be a better place.

Mormons are expected to tithe to the church (give 10% of their earnings), devote one evening a week to family activities, and refrain from consuming alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine. They believe they can retroactively convert ancestors to Mormonism, so they study their family’s ancestry to be able to do so. Hence they have a huge genealogical database.

(2) Mormons have an emphasis on evangelism (going out into the world to convert others) that is often missing today from mainline churches. Jesus commanded his followers to go out into the world and make disciples, so the Mormons are diligently following that command. While we may get annoyed at their unannounced visits to our front doors, they are fulfilling a biblical command.

As you may know, young Mormons are expected to give several years to missionary work before getting on with their lives.

(3) Despite their protests to the contrary, Mormons are not “Christian” in the sense of the traditional and orthodox understanding of Jesus, the Trinity, and eschatology (end times and judgment). They do believe Jesus died for their sins, but their theology is different enough that they can’t be considered Christian in the sense of the apostolic churches (Roman Catholic, Protestant, Eastern Orthodox). Moreover, they have a scripture in addition to the Bible, which is The Book of Mormon. This further distances them from orthodox Christianity.

Saying they are not orthodox Christian is not to diminish them in any way, it is just stating a fact that we should be aware of. The reason I bring this up is that it explains the concerns expressed by some Christian leaders such as Dr. James Dobson about having a Mormon as president. That leads me to the next point.

(4) Should the fact that a candidate is a Mormon influence our decision to vote for or against him or her? Quite frankly, I don’t care as much about a candidate’s religion as long as he or she has faith in God and lives out his or her faith appropriately. I believe a person should be guided by the transcendent values found in the Bible, not by situational ethics or man-made values which are subject to change. As I mentioned earlier, the Mormons have excellent values (in my opinion) generally consistent with Scripture, and live good, clean lives. In the case of a Mormon candidate, I would vote based on his or her policy positions, because we aren’t voting for a pope or “Theologian in Chief” but the “Commander in Chief.” If anything, I would view a Mormon positively because of their values.

Submit to Your Husband?

2011-08-15T13:13:00.001-04:00

The media, which likes to portray itself as tolerant and progressive, is showing its bias against women and politicians of faith. We are seeing that clearly with the treatment of Michele Bachmann. For example, recently a reporter asked her if she would be “submissive” to her husband if she were to be elected president. Obviously it was a loaded question that showed the reporter’s bias, and it was clearly aimed at tripping her up. Bachmann handled the question with dignity and accuracy.

Although I suspect that reporter couldn’t cite the biblical references, he was referring to Ephesians 5:22-24, Colossians 3:18, and 1 Peter 3:1-2. Bachmann’s response to his question was right on: “submission” in this case means to show respect. Below is an excerpt from a sermon I gave on that very subject a few years ago:

Needs of a Woman

The two biggest needs for women are love and security. They sort of go hand in hand, because if a woman feels genuinely loved, she will also feel secure. In the passages in the Bible concerning marriage, what are men told to do? “Love your wife.”

Ephesians 5:25a: Husbands, love your wives… NRSV
1 Peter 3:7a: Husbands, in the same way, show consideration for your wives in your life together… NRSV
Colossians 3:19: Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly. NRSV

Women are naturally more loving, but the husbands need to be told to love their wives. This means that the men, while willing to die for their families if necessary, must also demonstrate their love in ways that are meaningful to women.

These include self-sacrificing acts (like devoting more time to the family), giving up some of the things you used to do for the good of the marriage, frequent outward signs of affection (and not just when you want something), remembering her birthday, your anniversary, and other important dates, surprising her with something thoughtful on occasion, and buying her an expensive diamond (OK, we can skip the diamond – besides, it is meaningless if your heart isn’t in it, and they can tell).

Needs of a Man

What do men want? The other thing that men want most is respect. Women want respect too, of course, but it is a very high priority for men, even though they might not even realize it. You may love a man, but if you act as if you don’t respect him, the relationship is in serious trouble.

Nowhere in the Bible does it tell wives to love their husbands. Women love – that’s what they do. But they don’t always respect. I just read three verses from those sections of the New Testament having to do with marriage and family relationships. The corresponding commands for wives in those sections have to do with respect. God, our Creator, knows that men need respect, because that’s how God made them. As I read these three verses, look beyond the words, and see what is really behind them:

Ephesians 5:22a: Wives, be subject to your husbands… NRSV
1 Peter 3:1a: Wives, in the same way, accept the authority of your husbands… NRSV
Colossians 3:18: Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. NRSV

Looking behind the words of these verses, what are they really saying? We can see that respect is at the heart of the matter. While husbands today don’t have the same kind of authority over the family that men had in the times of the Roman Empire, they still need to be respected. Yet our culture puts down men and many wives disrespect their husbands. Maybe if men were respected more, they would rise to the occasion and be more deserving of that respect.

Abuse of Religion – Fundamentalist Mormons

2011-08-13T15:47:00.001-04:00

The leader of the FLDS sect of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS, known as Mormons), Warren Jeffs, was sentenced to life in prison for having sex with underage girls. Yesterday evening (Aug. 13, 2011) CNN reported his misdeeds in some detail, describing how he misused his position as self-proclaimed “prophet” to have sex with young girls living in his compound. I believe there is an especially hot part of hell for such people.

Sadly, terrible actions on the part of some so-called religious types (see my earlier post on funeral demonstrations by the Westboro Baptist Church) reflect poorly on all religions and those who believe in God, worship regularly, and try to live out their faith. People tend to paint with a broad brush, and those who are hostile to religion are given one more excuse to condemn all religions and people of faith.

As I’ve said before, people who sin and commit crimes aren’t following the teachings of their religion and Scriptures, but are often using their religion as a means to an evil end. Islamic terrorists misuse their religion and go against the teachings of the Qur’an in killing innocent civilians. Christians (and Christian pretenders) who rip off people are using Christianity as a tool for profit. Cult leaders such as Jeffs invent their own religion (or create a distorted offshoot of an existing religion) to achieve their purposes at the expense of others.

I believe it was Karl Marx who said “Religion is the opiate of the people.” Certainly charismatic but misguided leaders are an opiate for gullible people who don’t have a firm foundation of orthodox Christianity, Judaism, or Islam. They either get sucked in to following a distorted version of an existing belief system or a cult created by a charismatic leader. How can this happen? Because they have a spiritual vacuum in their lives so that vacuum gets filled by lies, deceit, and distortions coming from a convincing leader.

My advice is not to condemn God, religion, or those who take their religious beliefs seriously, but look to your own religious tradition and get familiar with it. If you draw closer to God by reading the Scriptures and worshipping regularly, you will soon realize that all these transgressions done in the name of God or under the guise of some sort of religion are not in God’s will and go against the clear teachings of Scripture (whatever your tradition’s Scripture is). As you draw closer to God, you will know, love, and serve God, which is your purpose in life. Why else would God have created you?

Limits on Funeral Demonstrations

2011-08-11T15:22:00.000-04:00

The Dutchess County legislature is considering a law that would limit protest demonstrations at funerals and burials. There was a Supreme Court decision that allowed such demonstrations, citing freedom of speech. The driving force behind the Supreme Court case and the Dutchess County proposed legislation is the repulsive demonstrations staged by a small church in Kansas called Westboro Baptist Church. Its congregation consists mostly of family members, and they are what I call the religious lunatic fringe. In the Supreme Court case, the Snyder family of York, Pennsylvania, lost a son in a military action overseas and Westboro showed up in York to demonstrate in a totally inappropriate way (as they have done at other military funerals in the past).

Their demonstrations, which are hurtful and disgusting, are to protest the gains made by gays as a result of gay rights activism. In their warped thinking, the Westboro people believe every military death is God’s punishment of the United States for permitting homosexuality to be openly practiced and accepted.

The Supreme Court made the right decision, painful as it was, that Westboro had a constitutional right to demonstrate. However, municipalities have the right to control where demonstration are held and place certain limitations on them for public order and safety. Therefore, Dutchess County can (and hopefully will) pass such limiting legislation.

While many Christians believe the practice of homosexuality is a sin based on both the Old and New Testaments, that doesn’t justify such inappropriate and cruel demonstrations at a time when a family is mourning the tragic death of a loved one, especially a soldier or marine fighting for his country.

These Westboro people give Christians a bad name, and quite frankly I don’t think they can be considered “Christians” as you and I understand the term. Jesus practiced love, not hate. When a woman caught in adultery was brought to Jesus in John 8:3-11, he said to her, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.” (John 8:4, NRSV) Jesus didn’t deny that she had broken the moral law as found in the Hebrew Bible, but neither did he condemn her. We as Christians should follow the example of Jesus in loving all people, even when we believe what they are doing is inconsistent with biblical teachings. That’s between them and God, and we should be praying for them (and ourselves), because “…there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:22b-23, NRSV)

Attacks in Norway

2011-07-28T10:05:00.000-04:00

As we’ve seen in the U.S. with Timothy McVeigh (Oklahoma City) and The Unabomber, not all terrorist attacks come from Islamic fanatics. Some come from homegrown non-Islamic terrorists. Such is the case with Anders Breivik of Norway, who perpetrated the horror of a bombing is Oslo and the killing of children at a camp on a nearby island.

Just as Muslim terrorists use Islam as an excuse to do terrible things against that religion’s teachings, so Breivik used the preservation of Christianity in Europe as an excuse for killing innocent people, an act that is against the teachings of Jesus Christ. Just as we can’t blame Islam for those who abuse it, we can’t blame Christianity for those who do (and have done) terrible things in its name. Just as we can’t generalize and say “All Muslims are terrorists” or “All Muslims hate us,” we also can’t say that all conservative Christians are dangerous.

Without having all the facts, the media started claiming that Breivik is a “fundamentalist Christian.” Despite media accounts to the contrary, Breivik is not a “fundamentalist” Christian. By his own admission in his manifesto, Breivik is a “cultural Christian”. A “cultural Christian” is a person who was brought up in an environment which has the Judeo-Christian ethic as its moral, ethical, and cultural base (such as in the U.S., Europe, and Latin America). Cultural Christians, as opposed to practicing Christians, aren’t religious and consider themselves to be Christian in name only. They don’t go to church, send their kids to Sunday school, and don’t believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ or believe he died for our sins.

Western Europe, which is in the post-Christian era, is culturally Christian but not religiously Christian. Because of the influx of Muslim immigrants into Europe, thing are changing. Muslims are looking to implement Sharia law in their communities, for example, and are becoming a powerful minority in many Western European communities. Hence Breivik’s manifesto and killing spree to protest the islamization of Europe. He laments the decline of Christian culture in Europe, but not the Christian religion, because he is a nationalist, not a Christian.

Although Breivik isn’t a Christian in the religious sense, we must always keep in mind that when it comes to acts of terrorism, religion isn’t the problem. The way religion is interpreted or practiced is the problem. Jesus taught peace and harmony. The Christian religion was spread by peaceful missionaries, not by military conquest. When Peter drew a sword to fight off those who had come to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said, “Put your sword back in its place, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.” (Matthew 26:52, NIV)

The Core Business of Government

2011-07-25T12:27:00.001-04:00

Companies often refer to their “core business” as that part of the enterprise where they have the most expertise, and are usually an industry leader. Many companies get into trouble when they venture out of their core business. There are many examples of companies spinning off (or writing off) segments that were less than successful because they were not in the core business.

Similarly, government has a core business, which is to do what only government can and should do. At the local, county and state level, the main elements of their core business is providing fire and police protection, maintaining roads and other local infrastructure, running public schools and the court system, providing a safety net for the helpless in our society (mentally ill, handicapped, temporarily unemployed through no fault of their own), and often providing water, sewer, and garbage collection. Of course what do local governments do when the budget gets tight? Cut back on those core businesses.

At the federal level, the main elements of its core business consist of military protection, consumer protection, regulatory enforcement, postal service, national infrastructure, and the handling of foreign affairs. The Constitution specifically placed many limitations on the federal government, and delegated most of the burden of governing to the states. However, today Washington it too involved in governing outside of its core business, plus it hands down unfunded mandates forcing state and local governments to make the kinds of cuts they’d rather not be making.

No matter which level of government we’re talking about, government should only be doing its core business. Getting involved in other areas, no matter how worthwhile they may seem, is not what government should be doing. That’s because when government ventures out of its core business, it’s usually serving a special interest group at the expense of the taxpayers. If you look at government programs and earmarks, I would bet that the vast majority serve special interest groups.

The failure of Socialism in Europe has demonstrated that government can’t be all things to all people. It can’t (and shouldn’t) provide womb to tomb social benefits, regardless of how desirable they may be. Eliminating government programs that don’t fit with its core business will be painful, as we’re seeing in several European countries whose populations have come to depend on the generosity of the government (with very high taxes to pay for it). Look at the riots in Greece to understand how embedded these benefits are in that society.

However, even with high taxes, the governments of Greece, Portugal, Ireland and Italy got into financial trouble because they were spending more than they were taking in. The U.S. is doing the same, and at this rate it’s only a matter of time before we become another Greece. We can’t let that happen. Our representatives in Congress must make those tough decisions now before we default on our loans or our credit rating is lowered. These will be painful, and thee will be crying and gnashing of teeth by the special interest groups, but we must stand firm in our resolve to cut spending. Under President Clinton the government enacted welfare reform, so change is possible. Government must spend its money on the core business of government (such as rebuilding our infrastructure). Cutting expenses is especially important because we have both demographics and higher energy costs working against us.

As the Baby Boomers age, we’ll have even fewer people paying higher taxes. Already in 2010, 47% of the population paid no federal income tax (“Yes, 47% of Households Owe No Taxes. Look Closer” by David Leonhardt, New York Times, Published: April 13, 2010). We must cut government expenses now for another reason as well. We must pay down our multi-trillion dollar debt as quickly as possible because of the enormous interest we have to pay. The sooner we cut costs and stop increasing the debt, the sooner we can pay it down and lower our interest payments. Think about this: The U.S. is in debt to China for about a trillion dollars. So every month we’re sending them millions of dollars in interest. How long can we afford to do that?

Write your Representative and your Senator. Tell him or her to stop pandering to special interest groups and get the job done. All the campaign contributions from all the special interest groups can not offset an angry electorate. We kicked out a bunch of ineffective politicians in the last election, and we’ll do it again.

HawthoRNe Degenerates

2011-07-20T13:01:00.001-04:00

Recently I published a post praising the writers of the TV program HawthoRNe because they are having some of their characters openly express their religious faith. Last night’s program (July 19) makes me wonder if it isn’t degenerating into a sleazy soap opera.

In last night’s episode, the main character, the recently married Hawthorne (played by Jada Pinkett Smith), commits adultery with her former boyfriend (played by Marc Anthony), and her young daughter is aggressively pursuing an older married man, telling him that she loves him. I didn’t see any expressions of faith, only infidelity.

Because of the sleazy turn the show has made, I’m going to withhold my judgment for now. If next week’s episode continues with this soap opera, then we won’t be watching it any more. It’s too bad Hollywood writers must take a decent show with human interest and good storylines and turn it into something of lesser quality.

Tempus Fugit

2011-07-15T10:09:00.001-04:00

Time flies. Every time I write down the date, I’m startled by the number 2011. The second decade of the twenty-first century! I remember back in the 1970s looking at company benefit statements that showed me retiring in the 2000s and it seemed a lifetime away (and it pretty much was). In my 60+ years I’ve seen a fair amount of history and technological innovation.

People generally seem to view the future as being better than the present, with the exception of such books as “1984” and “Brave New World.” Look at the “Jetsons” on TV decades ago. Look at some of the futuristic predictions made in the past. Some of the technological projections have come true or even went beyond people’s wildest imagination. Look at the smart-phone. Who would have thought there could be so much computing power in a small, hand-held device?

When I started with IBM in the 1960s, data input into a computer was done with punch-cards that had to be run through a sorter because there wasn’t enough memory in the computer to do it efficiently (remember the iron cores?). Certain devices had to be programmed by wiring a board.

While we’ve advanced tremendously in science and technology, we seem to be going in the wrong direction in other ways. We are on track to becoming a second-rate nation due to
-our tremendous debt,
-our deficit spending,
-our consistently unfavorable balance of trade,
-our involvement in expensive questionable wars,
-our exporting jobs to other countries and subsequent loss of our manufacturing base,
-our ineffective government leadership at all levels,
-our crime and drug problems, and
-our crumbling infrastructure.

And that’s not even a complete list, sad to say. For the first time in our history, it is anticipated that the next generation will have a lower standard of living than the previous generation. What does that tell you?

Why am I mentioning all this? I’m doing so because I believe we must change our ways:

(1) First and most importantly, we must stop abandoning the God of our fathers.

(2) Stop worshipping the false gods of materialism, money, technology, or whatever else is your top priority.

(3) Make our elected officials accountable.

(4) Pray for our country.

It all starts with you and me. Together we can be agents of change for good.

Faith Expressed on TV Program

2011-07-13T12:20:00.001-04:00

My wife and I watch more TNT and USA programs than we do NBC, CBS, or ABC. The content of the programming on the three major networks doesn’t appeal to us for the most part. For example, the sitcoms are lame, loaded with sexual innuendo. A number of cable shows seem to have what the others are lacking – imagination and creativity.

One TNT show stands out in particular: “HawthoRNe” starring Jada Pinkett Smith. Not only are the stories interesting but they have taken faith out of the closet. In most network programs any kind of faith in God is either completely lacking, or mocked, ridiculed, and scorned. “HawthoRNe” is a refreshing change to that norm. Several of the characters have openly talked about their faith. In last night’s episode a Jewish cantor openly struggled with her faith in God as a result of the throat cancer that could cause the loss of her beautiful voice which she uses to the glory of God.

We haven’t watched “Memphis Beat” recently, but several of the earlier episodes also contained references to God and faith. I hope that program hasn’t eliminated them in its later episodes.

If the major networks are wondering why their ratings keep slipping, maybe it’s because they are out of touch. The majority of Americans profess some sort of faith in God and are morally upright, but what do the networks continue to do? Put down people of faith and show immoral programming (even in the so-called “family hour”), not to mention a lack of creativity. They look down on the average American and as a result, many people are abandoning them for better quality programming that doesn’t ridicule their values and faith. Way to go TNT and USA!

Men in Crisis Part 3

2011-07-05T11:13:00.001-04:00

This is a continuation of a message I gave on Father’s Day and on the Saturday before to a men’s group. Whether you are a man or a woman, I hope you will read this and take heart. Below are ways we can encourage men.

b. By Fellowship and Worship

Second, we can encourage men by inviting them to a church event or worship service. Pray about whom to invite, invite them, and give them a ride. Even if the person declines your invitation, they are usually appreciative that you thought enough of them the ask them.

c. By Resisting Temptation

Third, not only can we can encourage other men by our example in resisting temptation, but we can keep reminding them of the cost of doing wrong. Think about how the mighty have fallen:
-Tiger Woods; -Arnold Schwarzenegger;
-John Edwards; -The French guy (Dominique Strauss-Kahn);
-Elliott Spitzer; -And of course the latest, Anthony Weiner.

Their careers are ruined, their families torn apart, and their reputations destroyed, all because they yielded to temptation to do stupid things. Is it worth the resulting disgrace, pain, and humiliation? We may not be rich or famous, and our indiscretions may never make headlines. Nevertheless, we still should remind ourselves and other men of how destructive sin can be and how vulnerable we are. We may face pressures to do something unethical at work, or we may be tempted in many other ways. Sadly, we live in a sex-saturated society, so it’s difficult to remain pure in an impure world, but with God’s help, we can do it. Let us always keep in mind what it says in 1 John 2:15-17:

Do not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in those who love the world; for all that is in the world — the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches — comes not from the Father but from the world. And the world and its desire are passing away, but those who do the will of God live forever. NRSV

The world’s desires and pride try to pull us from the godly path – that’s why it’s so important to stay close to God all the time. Instead of the world’s fleeting and often destructive pleasures, see what God wants us to have from Luke 12:32 (NLT): For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom. God’s Kingdom – worldly pleasures? It’s your decision.

3. Support Our Fathers

Lastly, we should not just encourage other men, but we should support our own fathers in various ways – if they are still with us. No matter what stage in life he is in, he still needs your love and support. Your support of your father can take many different forms – pray for guidance as to what to do, and pray for your father as well.

IV. Conclusion

As God’s children, we should always make room for Daddy in our lives. Yes, we’re busy, but we shouldn’t be too busy for our heavenly Father. If we have children, then we should strive to be the best fathers we can be – with the help of God. The father-son and father-daughter relationships are critically important to your children’s healthy emotional and spiritual development. You don’t want to be filled with regret later on, agonizing over why your children turned out the way they did. We can’t be great fathers in our own strength, but when the branch is firmly attached to the vine, we’ll be the kinds of fathers God intended us to be.

If our kids are older, we still have the opportunity to continue to support them in age-appropriate ways as well as to be godly grandparents. We practiced on our kids, and now we can perfect our skills with our grandchildren. Be the best you can be by making room for your heavenly Abba, remembering what Ephesians 1:4-6 says about our own sonship:

For [God] chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. NIV

So let us always and everywhere remember we are all children of our heavenly Father, and we should live our lives accordingly.

Response to Letter to the Editor on Same-Sex Marriage

2011-07-04T14:11:00.002-04:00

In the July 1 edition of the Poughkeepsie Journal, there was a letter to the editor with the headline “Marriage equality not a religious issue” submitted by John Vincent of Wappingers Falls. I am responding to this letter to set the record straight, since it was loaded with misinformation. I’ll put his letter in italics and my responses in normal type.

I am saddened by some religious leaders’ and members’ printed reactions to the good news of civil marriage equality in New York state.
First, religions are tax-exempt as nonpolitical organizations and should therefore play no role in politics. The U.S. Constitution calls for a separation of church and state.

Two points here: First, Vincent has misinterpreted the First Amendment like so many people who don’t understand its original (and clear) intent. The Separation Clause certainly does not prohibit churches and pastors from participating in the democratic process, including public discourse. Second, IRS rules prohibit churches and pastors (from the pulpit) from publicly endorsing a candidate for office. However, issues can be opposed or supported without fear of losing tax-exempt status.

Second, the biblical definition of marriage was actually one man with numerous women as his property.

The biblical definition can be found in Genesis 2:24: For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. (NIV)

Notice it says “wife” (singular), not “wives” (plural). In the New Testament, Jesus affirmed the biblical model of one women and one man in Matthew 19:4-6: “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” (NIV)

Biblical characters having multiple wives and owning slaves don’t mean those are biblical models of behavior.

Third, only civil, not church, marriage provides the medical, financial and protective government rights for couples and families.

This statement doesn’t make any sense, except in Europe, where civil ceremonies are performed in addition to church weddings. In the U.S., pastors and rabbis are agents of the state when they perform wedding ceremonies. A church wedding results in a valid marriage with the resulting benefits.

Fourth, religions are to not judge, support families, and protect the sick and needy, not persecute them.

Churches, pastors and others aren’t persecuting anybody when it comes to same-sex marriage. Churches that oppose redefining marriage and family, which is what same-sex marriage does, are exercising their right of free speech to express an opinion on the subject. Opposing a position doesn’t mean you are persecuting supporters of that position.

Fifth, given the numerous lawsuits against protected pedophile priests and scandals regarding Pentecostal ministers, the Catholic Church and fundamentalist churches should put their resources into that.

This statement shows the writer’s hostility towards religion. Pedophile priests and other problems are regrettable, and the Catholic Church and other churches have taken steps to prevent these things from happening.

I am proud that my religion and my local legislators like Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Sen. Steve Saland and Assemblyman Joel Miller supported all taxpayers and their families in New York.

I wonder what “religion” the writer follows since he seems to be hostile to religion.

We each have someone born gay/lesbian in our family. Now New York will be a better place for all of us. Also, $400 million will be added to New York’s ailing economy over the next three years.

Some of us do have LGBT family members, and so we appreciate that this is not just a theoretical discussion, but something that involves real people and their lives.

Legislators who voted no, like Sens. Greg Ball and Bill Larkin, will be remembered in history as we remember those who fought against the end of slavery.

Hyperbole. This is not a civil rights issue, although its supporters make it out to be.

Let the weddings begin! Next step, repealing the un-constitutional so-called Defense of Marriage Act for federal equal rights.

I can’t see how DOMA is unconstitutional unless you misinterpret the Constitution as the writer did in his first point in his letter.

Men in Crisis Part 2

2011-07-04T12:45:00.001-04:00

This is a continuation of a message I gave on Father’s Day and to a men’s group the Saturday before. Whether you are a man or a woman, I hope you will read this:

III. What Should We Do?

After all I wrote in Part 1, you must be asking, “What, then, should we do?”

1. Draw Closer to God

a. Build Up Our Faith

First, as Christian men we must do everything we can to draw closer to God. God will build our faith and strengthen us spiritually when we open ourselves to his leading. So let’s strive to make room for God in our busy lives. How? We can start:
-By reading a daily devotional while eating breakfast;
-By praying and listening to Christian radio while commuting;
-By reading the Bible or a Christian book during your lunch hour;
-By having a time of prayer before going to sleep at night.

Regular prayer, Bible study, and attendance at worship are ways of keeping close to God.

b. We Are God’s Children thru Christ

Besides needing God in our lives, another reason we should draw closer to God is that God created us to have a close relationship with him. That desire for a close relationship is evident in God’s plan for humankind, which we see in the work of Jesus. Jesus came to earth to break down the barrier between God and us. When we place our faith in what Jesus did, we become God’s children, members of God’s own family, as we read in John 1:12:

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. NIV

As a result, we can actually call God our “Daddy” as in Galatians 4:6:

And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” NLT

When I say “Abba” you might be thinking of a Swedish rock group or the Broadway musical “Mamma Mia” featuring the music of ABBA. However, “Abba” is the Aramaic and Hebrew word probably best translated as “Daddy.” Our English word “abbot”, meaning head of a monastery, and the Arabic word for father “ab” both come from the ancient word “abba.” In Israel today, you can still hear children call their father “abba.”

As his children, God wants us to be so close to him that we can think of him as Abba, our “Daddy” – not out of disrespect but out of love. We read in Romans 8:15-17a that we are God’s adopted children:

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. NLT

As God’s children, we should make him the priority in our life, not just once a week or on occasion or when we need help – but all the time!

2. Encourage Other Men

In addition to drawing closer to God ourselves, we should encourage men, especially our fellow Christians. How can we encourage other men as well as our children?

a. By Our Example

First, we can encourage everybody by our example: our children, our grandchildren, our co-workers, our friends, and the folks at church. As I said earlier, there aren’t very many good role models out there, so we should set a good example by our behavior and trustworthiness. I read recently five ways fathers can influence their children for good:

1. Teach your children empathy by being sensitive to them, modeling generosity, and being involved in their lives.

2. Teach your children confidence by encouraging problem-solving and self-confidence by your words and actions.

3. Build up your children’s vocabulary by speaking to them as you would an adult, and defining words they don’t understand.

4. Protect your children from harm by affirming them so they won’t look for love and acceptance in all the wrong places.

5. Promote respect for themselves and others by reminding them that all are made in the image of God and are God’s beloved creation.

We should, of course, train our children in the faith, both by sending them to Sunday school and teaching them in godly values at home.

More on this topic of men in crisis in a future post.

Men in Crisis Part 1

2011-07-01T12:02:00.002-04:00

I. Father’s Day Message

On Father’s Day and at a men’s gathering that Saturday, I gave this message to men. Whether you are a man or a woman, I hope you will read this:

Because it’s Father’s Day, I’d like to talk about men, their problems, and how we can help and support them. I want to encourage men that you aren’t alone or unique in your struggles. Many other men are facing the same concerns, pressures and temptations as you are, but remember that your heavenly Father cares about you. This is aimed primarily at men, but the women should hear this as well.

II. Men in Crisis

Today, men are in crisis, quite possibly more than at any time in history. That is a pretty strong statement. Why am I saying that?

1. Economic Crisis

First of all, men are in crisis economically and the situation doesn’t look like it’s going to improve any time soon. Jobs are in jeopardy, the costs of benefits are going up, raises are infrequent, jobs are scarce, and many families are living on the edge or are under water. On the job – if you have one – there are fewer people doing more work, causing stress, tension, and absentee fathers because of long hours.

In addition, homes have declined in value, and forget about trying to sell it. If a man is getting close to retiring or already retired, there are concerns about whether there will be enough income to live on. Men worry because they feel responsible for the economic well-being of their families, so financial uncertainties take a tremendous emotional toll.

2. Relationship Crisis

Second, men are in crisis when it comes to relationships. There is a high divorce rate, and long work hours can put additional strains on marriages and family relationships. Many are going through a transition in life, such as a change in job, unemployment, or retirement, and these cause tensions in relationships.

3. Health Crisis

Third, men are in crisis when it comes to health: physical and emotional. Men are sick with worry that they will lose their job, house, or family, or how will they pay for college, medical bills, or retirement. Adding to the pressure, we work harder than ever just to keep the job we have, and as a result suffer from stress and adrenaline overload. So our health suffers and we end up overweight, getting diabetes or a heart condition, not sleeping well, or abusing drugs or alcohol. Moreover, most men don’t have a support system to help them. Not only don’t men ask for directions, they often don’t ask for help either.

4. Spiritual Crisis

Lastly, men are in crisis when it comes to spiritual matters. Men make up only about 40% of church-goers, and many have little if any Christian fellowship. Those without a close relationship with God and little or no godly influences in their lives become heavily influenced by the world’s values, such as:
-Self-sufficiency, rather than depending on God;
-Materialism – the one with the most toys wins;
-Success at any cost; and
-Situational ethics.

In buying into the world’s values, some men have abdicated their roles in the family and the church, and the family and the church suffer as a result.

5. Lack of Role Models

Adding to the problem of buying into the world’s values is the fact that men don’t have many good role models these days. Back in the day we had some pretty good examples on TV, believe it or not.
-Jim Anderson of “Father Knows Best”;
-Danny Thomas of “Make Room for Daddy”;
-Ozzie Nelson of “Ozzie and Harriet”;
-Ward Cleaver of “Leave It to Beaver;
-And even big Jim Arness of “Gunsmoke” (who recently passed away).

What role models do we have today?
-Instead of Ozzie Nelson we have Ozzy Osbourne.
-Instead of the wise Jim Anderson we have inept Homer Simpson.
-Instead of lovable Danny Thomas we have the obnoxious Charlie Sheen.

Maybe we had a good role model in our father or maybe we didn’t, but at least we had some TV characters that gave us good examples.

More on this topic of men in crisis in a future post.

Are We Being Punished?

2011-06-29T10:58:00.000-04:00

When you see all the natural disasters, the economic conditions, and other problems we have right now in the U.S., you can’t help but think that God is punishing us. However, I don’t think God is punishing us right now, not that we don’t deserve it.

While God did a lot of punishing in the Old Testament, I don’t believe we see too much of that today, but we do see the consequences of poor decisions. For example, we’re in an economic mess because of poor decisions made by the government, financial institutions, and individuals. Even much the devastation caused by natural disasters results from poor decisions and poor planning. All of these problems, which I believe God allows but doesn’t cause, can be wake-up calls to us. They can be warnings like the canary in the coal mine, alerting us in a number of ways.

What have we as a nation done in the last 40-50 years or so in addition to living beyond our means? We’ve steadily moved further and further away from God and our Judeo-Christian heritage. As we’ve moved further from God individually and as a nation, and have systematically removed God from public life, what have we seen happen?

-Society is becoming ruder and cruder.
-Many are turning to drugs and alcohol to escape reality and responsibility.
-There is significant crime and violence.
-We have a large segment of the population living in poverty, with more coming.
-We are on track to becoming a second-rate nation.
-We’ve racked up incredible debt, both as a nation and individually.
-We owe a trillion dollars to China – think what that means.
-We have a government that barely functions, so critical decisions are either not made or take a long time to get made.
-This latest generation will have a lower standard of living than those coming before them for the first time in American history.
-Schools are a mess, especially when it comes to discipline, bullying, and behavior.
-Jobs have disappeared from this country forever, so that any economic recovery will take a long time to get here and will not result in the kind of prosperity we’re used to. According to a recent survey, Americans have already lowered their expectations considerably.

The list goes on, but you get the point. Life wasn’t perfect pre-1970, let’s say, but we certainly didn’t have the severity of problems we have today. Yes, we had the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and World War II, but people trusted God and pulled together, and they got through it. After those trials the U.S. became a superpower and enjoyed unprecedented prosperity. As time went on and things were good, we drifted away from God and chased after other gods.

As a people who have been especially blessed of all the nations in the world, we, more than anybody, should be faithful to God. So today we need to get back to God. Go to church, learn about God, learn to pray and read the Bible, and learn to trust in God’s provision. Then, and only then, will this nation begin to turn around by the grace of God. Let’s remember the words of 2 Chronicles 7:14:

[I]f my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (NRSV)

Let’s turn back to God before things get any worse.

Same Sex Marriage in New York

2011-06-28T12:11:00.001-04:00

Same Sex Marriage in New York

Same sex marriage will now be legal in New York State. That means same sex couples will be able to get marriage licenses and have “official” wedding ceremonies. Since such a law may seem to be “fair” and “equitable”, you might be asking why the Catholic Church, many evangelical Christians, and others are opposed to same sex marriage. I think it’s important to know where they are coming from, and not just label them as “homophobic” or “bigots.”

The main problem is that such laws redefine “marriage” from what natural law, the Bible, and thousands of years of tradition say it is. Since homosexuals biologically can’t reproduce with each other, then many would argue that regardless of what the law says, it isn’t a marriage as it has been understood historically.

Second, the Bible says the practice of homosexuality is a sin (notice I said “practice of”). Therefore, to call a homosexual relationship a “marriage” goes against biblical teachings as they have been traditionally understood. This condemnation of same sex relationships is not a church thing, but comes from both the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and the New Testament. That doesn’t mean anybody should persecute gays and lesbians, but it certainly implies that churches shouldn’t bless their unions. I know that sounds discriminatory, but since the Bible is the basis of both the Jewish and Christian faiths, we have to take seriously what Holy Scripture says.

Third, there is a fear in the religious community that refusing to perform a same sex weddings could result in discrimination lawsuits. I believe that fear is well-founded, although supposedly there are provisions in the New York law protecting churches, religious organizations, and nonprofits from such lawsuits. We’ll soon find out if that provision is strong enough.

Having said all that, I think Christians should move on to deal with the real dangers to marriage, and that is the disintegration of the family. The U.S. has a high divorce rate, and there are a record number of households headed by a single parent. People today, if they even bother to get married, don’t seem to take the vows very seriously. And then we wonder why we have to problems we have.

The Arrogance of Power

2011-06-07T14:20:00.000-04:00

Once again a high profile man has been caught with his pants down. These sex scandals are occurring with increasing regularity: Anthony Weiner, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the French guy (Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who went after a hotel maid) – the list goes on and on. And these are just in the past few weeks. You also have John Edwards, Tiger Woods, Elliott Spitzer, and a host of others over the past couple of years. What’s wrong with these guys?

I believe the root of the problem is arrogance. These are men in powerful positions. They think they are above the law. They also think they’ll get away with it, despite most prominent men eventually being found out. Their enormous egos make them believe they are entitled and are invulnerable.

The Europeans, especially the French, take such fooling around pretty much in stride. The Europeans can’t understand why we get upset when our leaders do sleazy things. I was in England when the scandal broke regarding President Clinton fooling around with the intern Monica Lewinski. My English friends were all over me on that one, asking “What’s the big deal? Boys will be boys. What’s wrong with you Americans?”

Since Europe is in the post-Christian era, they have lost a lot of the morals and ethics that we still have, but which are eroding fast. We expect our leaders to use good judgment. We expect them to tell us the truth (lying was Clinton’s downfall, more than even the hanky-panky). We put them in positions of trust and responsibility, and we don’t like it when they have moral and ethical failures. I think they are reasonable expectations for those we have elected. After all, if you can’t keep your vows to your wife, how can we trust you with major leadership responsibilities? If you’re more interested in gratifying your lustful desires or stroking your ego than conducting the people’s business, we don’t want you in office. I think that’s reasonable.

When we see the mighty fall, it isn’t pretty. But sin isn’t pretty. These failures should be a wake-up call to all of us to not give in to whatever temptations come our way (and we aren’t immune even though we may be nobodies). Keep in mind that eventually, you will get caught. It might cost your marriage, or your job, or your career, and most certainly your reputation. It might not make the headlines like it does with the rich and famous, but sin will ruin your life. Remember these words from 1 John 2:15-17

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world — the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does — comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. (NIV)

Disaster in Joplin

2011-05-23T20:34:00.001-04:00

It breaks your heart when you see the devastation in Joplin caused by a tornado. It looks like an atom bomb went off. As we saw recently in the South, tornadoes have done tremendous damage. People have lost loved ones, and often everything they own. You wonder how Joplin, and other towns devastated by tornadoes and floods, will ever come back. Where do you begin to rebuild?

It’s obvious that the things of this world are fleeting. If we don’t lose them when we’re alive, we’ll certainly lose them when we depart this life. As they say, “You can’t take it with you.”

Because of this, we should hold loosely to the things of this life. Don’t become so attached that you no longer own them, but they own you. Give generously to charities, your church, or your synagogue. Spend time reading the Bible and praying, for in doing so you are investing in the future – a future in heaven. Do good works, not only because it feels good to do so, but because you will store up treasure in heaven by doing them in obedience to God’s call for you.

Life on this earth can be hard, unfair, and painful. This beautiful planet can turn deadly in the form of hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, and volcanoes. We ask “Why?” and there is no good answer. The only real hope we have is faith in a God we only dimly understand, and the expectation of a better future in the afterlife. Although the world didn’t end on May 21, the End Times will come, maybe in your lifetime. Will you be ready? Are you one of God’s own, or is God not an important part of your life? As I read the Bible, you won’t get to heaven because your grandparents were good Christians, or because you are an American, or because you attended religious instruction as a kid, and not because you are a “good person”.

God gave us the one foolproof way to get to heaven, that’s through faith in his Son. You may want to think about that as we see a nearly continuous stream of destruction these days. Who knows? Maybe the End is closer than we think. Will you be ready?

Obama and Israel

2011-05-23T13:53:00.000-04:00

Like so many Americans, President Obama is either ignorant of the harsh realities of the Middle East, or is naïve (or maybe both). Those who call for Israel to give up land to the Palestinians remind me of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain agreeing to give land to Hitler so there will be “peace in our time.” Appeasement didn’t work, and the result was World War II.

Obama and other (mostly) liberals seem to have no understanding of several facts:

(1) Hamas, the Palestinian Authority, and various Arab terrorist organizations have one aim: to wipe Israel off the map. They believe Israel has no right to exist. No amount of appeasement will change that fact. All appeasement will do is get the Palestinians and Arab terrorist organizations closer to their goal of “pushing Israel into the sea.”

(2) Israel was established by the United Nations and is recognized as a legitimate nation by many countries. The U.S. was either first or one of the first to recognize the newborn nation in 1948.

(3) There was never a “Palestinian people” or Palestinian nation. There is a geographical area of the Middle East called Palestine (named that by the Romans meaning “Land of the Philistines”), but the concept of a Palestinian people is a modern invention. When Jews started settling in Palestine in the 1800s, there were a few Arabs living there. The Jewish settlers purchased what was considered relatively useless land from these Arabs, often at inflated prices, and built farms and cities. The area prospered, and now the Arabs want it.

Under the British mandate (between WWI and WWII), anti-Semitic forces in the British government invited Arabs from neighboring countries to settle in Palestine, and they did. There are Arabs from Iraq, Syria, and other places who have formed what has come to be called the “Palestinian people.”

In 1948 the Jewish nation of Israel was formed, and the Arab nation for Jordan was formed. Palestinian Arabs were to live in Jordan if they cared to move out of the Jewish territory. Without going into the history of how the Arab nations used their Palestinian Arab brethren as tools in their effort to get rid of Israel, these “Palestinians” were moved into settlement camps rather than being allowed to settle in Jordan and live a normal life as was the UN’s plan.

(4) Israel has already made considerable concessions over the years in an effort to bring about peace. They uprooted Israeli settlements and gave land to the Palestinians. And what did Israel get in return? Rockets fired daily into their country by Palestinian terrorists.

To understand this, how long do you think an American president would put up with Mexican terrorists lobbing rockets daily across the border from Tijuana into San Diego? Would the president decide to cede southern California back to Mexico to stop the rocket attacks on U.S. citizens? I don’t think so. Why should we then ask Israel to give more land to those whose sole aim is to eliminate Israel from the map?

(5) The Arabs claim Jerusalem is a holy city to them, and they want control of it. However, it was the Jews’ primary holy city long before Islam came into existence. Moreover, when the Arabs controlled it, they didn’t allow the Jews access to their holy places. It is ridiculous to claim that Jerusalem should belong to the Arabs just because the Prophet Mohammad had a dream or vision that involved Jerusalem.

(6) Being a large country, we don’t have a concept of how small and vulnerable Israel is. Amman is very close to Jerusalem and Damascus isn’t very far from northern Israel. President Obama’s opinion that Israel should go back to its pre-1967 borders is ludicrous. First, they are indefensible borders given the geography of the region. Second, the Arabs started the 1967 war by attacking Israel, and Israel won some land in pushing the Arab forces back. Asking them to give up that land is like asking the U.S. to return Puerto Rico to Spain.

If they take the time to understand the recent history of the region and the driving goal of the Arabs, President Obama and other government officials will then be able to make more informed decisions. Obviously they haven’t taken the time and so Obama has ended up being a negotiator for the Palestinians and is placing Israel, our only ally in the Middle East, in serious jeopardy.

Let us, both Jews and Christians, pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Is The End Near? (Part 3)

2011-05-21T13:57:00.002-04:00

This post is a continuation of my response to the prediction that the End Times will begin on May 21.

VI. The Rapture

The first thing to happen as the End Times unfold is what has come to be called “The Rapture”, which is explained in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18:

For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

So the believers who are alive at the time will be lifted bodily into heaven, while the dead will experience their resurrection. Believers at that time will escape the coming persecution, but those who convert after The Rapture will be in for some tough times.

VII. Tribulation and the Antichrist

This period of great trials and persecution of God’s people is called “The Tribulation.” A powerful figure will arise who will cause this time of persecution, and he is known as the Anti-Christ and is called “The Beast” in Revelation. The Anti-Christ is described in both the Old and New Testaments. We read about him and see some warnings in Second Thessalonians 2:1-4:

Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him. Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction. He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God. NLT

VIII. Final Battle - Armageddon

A great battle in the Middle East is part of the End Times events, as we read in Revelation 16:16:

Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

This refers to a valley in Israel, which the ruins of Megiddo overlook, a large flat plain where many battles were fought in antiquity. Zechariah 12:3 tells us that many nations will come together against Israel: And all the nations of the earth shall come together against [Jerusalem].

With the help of Jesus, Israel will prevail and the nations will be defeated. We read about this defeat of the nations and his return in Zechariah 14:3-4a:

Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives, which lies before Jerusalem on the east…

IX. Return of Jesus

What we now understand to be the Second Coming of Jesus is described in many places in both the Old and New Testaments. For example, when Jesus returns, it will be at the same place from where he ascended into heaven, the Mount of Olives, as we read in Acts 1:9-12a

After [Jesus] said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives. NIV

X. Judgment

The End Times not only involves the triumphal return of Jesus in glory, but also includes judgment. We are all accountable to God, and so there will be a day of reckoning. If we have made Jesus our Lord and Savior, all our sins have been wiped away and we go to heaven. We skip that part of the judgment, because our names have been written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Christians believe that followers of Christ will be judged, but only on their works to determine what rewards they will receive once they get to heaven. Those believers who didn’t serve God will lose their rewards but will still get to heaven (1 Corinthians 3:11-15)

If what [a person] has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. NIV

XI. Final Victory & The Millennium

Ultimately God’s plan will be completed, and there is the final victory, as we read in Revelation 20:2-3:

[The angel] seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and locked and sealed it over him, so that he would deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be let out for a little while.

This thousand year time of peace is called The Millennium, and it may be a literal 1,000 years or it may be more of a symbolic number meaning “many”. It will be a time of peace and harmony on the earth followed by the temporary release of Satan and some bad times. Martin Luther’s hymn “A Mighty Fortress” says this about Satan:

The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure.

We read about that “sure doom” in Revelation 20:10:

And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. NRSV

There will then be a new heaven and a new earth, and everybody lives happily ever after under the kingship of Jesus.

XII. Conclusion

The book of Revelation and the whole Bible end with these words (Revelation 22:20-21):

The one who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. NRSV

Revelation closes human history as Genesis opened it—in a type of paradise. In Genesis, sin and evil enter the world, but in Revelation, they are removed forever. The Garden of Eden was destroyed by sin; but it is re-created in the new Jerusalem. In a world of trials, persecution, evil, and immorality, Christ calls us to endure in our faith in anticipation of a better future. Jesus alone will re-create the earth and bring lasting peace in which the lion will lay down with the lamb.

I hope this brief overview of the End Times has renewed your faith and given you strength and hope to endure life’s trials. This was a very cursory outline, but I pray you believe that Jesus is coming again, and that if you are a follower of Christ you will have a wonderful future. As Christians, we should always live in anticipation of his imminent return, and conduct ourselves accordingly. Followers of Jesus have nothing to fear from the End Times.

Is The End Near? (Part 2)

2011-05-20T10:01:00.002-04:00

This post is a continuation of my response to the prediction that the End Times will begin on May 21.

III. We Are Not to Know the Time

What should we do about predictions such as the one for May 21? We shouldn’t believe any predictions about specific dates because Jesus said even he didn’t know the time, only the Father (in Mark 13:32-33):

“But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come.” NRSV

So I feel it is very presumptuous for any human being to predict a date for the End Times if Jesus himself said he didn’t know. Jesus, just before his ascension into heaven, reiterated that it’s not for us to know the time (Acts 1:6-8, NRSV). He said our job is to be his witnesses in the power of the Holy Spirit:

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus warned his disciples about those who would deceive them (Mark 13:5): “Beware that no one leads you astray.” That’s why I believe we have all these biblical prophecies about the End Times. They are in the Bible to enable us to read the signs, so when events do unfold, we’ll have some idea of what’s going on. In addition, being informed gives us hope for the future and it helps us not to be deceived by false prophets and the Anti-Christ making false claims.

IV. Signs of the Times

There will be many signs in the sky, as Jesus said in Luke 21:25:

“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus told his disciples and us (Mark 13:6-8):

"Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs." NRSV

Note that Jesus said certain things must happen “but the end is still to come.” So the natural disasters we have been seeing do not necessarily signal the End is here, but can serve as a reminder that the End will come eventually. We are to always be prepared, as Jesus himself told us, because we can’t predict when he will return (Matthew 24:44):

“Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.” NRSV

V. Establishment of the State of Israel – 1948

I believe we are getting close to the end, because one thing happened in the 20th century that, in my opinion, started the End Times countdown. It is the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. Why that? Because most End Times scenarios have Israel existing and the temple rebuilt in Jerusalem if you take many of the prophecies literally. Israel now exists but the temple still needs to be rebuilt – so when you see that temple going up, you’ll know the time is very close!

More on the End Times in a future post.

Is The End Near? (Part 1)

2011-05-18T10:57:00.001-04:00

I. Introduction

In case you haven’t heard, the end of the world is coming Saturday, May 21. You may want to pencil it in your calendar. I say “pencil it in” because I don’t think it’s going to happen. Harold Camping, President of Family Radio, is making this prediction. He has even put up billboards around the country announcing his prediction, at considerable cost, I would imagine. If you’re interested, his justification for this prediction is displayed on the Family Radio website.

I’m no expert in the End Times, but I do know that a lot of things have to happen before Christ returns and the final judgment takes place. Some have made End of the World predictions, and they’ve all been wrong. William Miller predicted October 22, 1844, and we’re still here. That non-event came to be called “The Great Disappointment” by his followers, the Millerites, which eventually became the 7th Day Adventists.

Despite crackpot predictions, be assured the End Times will occur, and my guess is fairly soon, but I don’t think it will be this Saturday. How can I be so sure about the End Times happening? Because of the many End Times prophecies that are in both the Old and New Testaments, plus Jesus himself talked about it in a number of places. I’d like to give a brief overview of the End Times events and what the Bible has to say about them so we can understand them and not be deceived.

II. Church Doctrine

There is a wide variety of opinions concerning the order of End Times events and how much of what is written is symbolic vs. literal. There are still many questions and opinions about the subject, so I’m going to outline the most commonly believed scenario, using biblical passages. Let me reiterate how important the Second Coming and the End Times are to Christian belief, even if we aren’t sure about certain details.

1. Communion Liturgy

For example, the United Methodist communion liturgy (and I’m sure many others) references the End times:

We affirm: Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.
We pray: By your Spirit, make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, until Christ comes in final victory, and we feast at his heavenly banquet.”

This “heavenly banquet” refers to Revelation 19:9:

And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” NRSV

You and I are invited because we are followers of Jesus, and it will be the best wedding reception you’ve ever attended!

2. The Nicene Creed

The words of the Nicene Creed are clear about the End Times:

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end… We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.

3. The Apostles’ Creed

Lastly, the Apostles’ Creed says about Jesus: “[He] is seated at the right hand of the Father and will come again to judge the living and the dead.”

More on the End Times in a future post.

Meaning of Good Friday – Part 3

2011-05-18T10:40:00.002-04:00

Christians recently commemorated what we call “Good Friday”, the day on which Jesus Christ died on a Roman cross. In these posts I’m explaining why Jesus came to earth specifically to die and why Christians believe it was in God’s plan for him to do so.

John 19:30 says: When he had received the drink, Jesus said,"It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. NIV

These are well-known words of Jesus on the cross, and with good reason. The words “It is finished” have significant meaning. What exactly does the statement “It is finished” mean in the context of the crucifixion? Does it mean that Jesus’ pain and agony would soon be over since he was about to die? It could certainly mean that, but I believe its meaning is much more profound.

When we try to get deep into the meaning of a word or phrase used in the Bible, we have to go back to the original language. In the case of the New Testament, the original language is Greek. Jesus didn’t speak Greek, he spoke Aramaic, but the Gospels were written in Greek, a widely known language in the Roman Empire at the time (especially in the Eastern Mediterranean). Therefore, it is helpful to understand the meaning and nuances of the words the writers of the Gospels carefully chose to tell their story of Jesus.

Jesus followed God’s plan

The Greek word used for “finished” is tetelestai and it has the sense of accomplishment, or of something being completed. As a matter of fact, that same Greek word (tetelestai) is found two verses before this one, in John 19:28, which says: Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” NIV

So the Greek word used has a meaning of completeness or accomplishment of a task. What does that tell us? How do we relate this to the crucifixion? It tells us that Jesus was not just the unfortunate victim of a gross injustice, but that he willingly suffered and died to carry out God’s plan.

Throughout the Gospels it is clear that Jesus knew he was going to be put to death. He spoke several times of his coming death to his disciples, but they were in denial. It didn’t make sense to them. Why would the Messiah have to be put to death? We are all familiar with the scene in which Jesus tells his disciples he must go to Jerusalem to die (in Matthew 16:21-23):

From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

We can see in this passage that Jesus was focused on God’s will and carrying out God’s plan.

Jesus came to die

Jesus spoke of his coming death many times, and several passages in the Old Testament speak of it (such as Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22). When we look at all this, it becomes obvious that Jesus came to earth to suffer and die on our behalf. That was God’s plan. Now we may not completely grasp the theology behind all of this, but the Bible makes it clear that Jesus came to reconcile us to God and give us eternal life. That’s also why Jesus referred to himself as the Good Shepherd (John 10:11-12): “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

Isn’t that what Jesus did? Lay down his life for you and for me, his sheep? That’s why John the Baptist referred to Jesus this way (John 1:29b): “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” NIV

In the Old Testament lambs were sacrificed to obtain God’s forgiveness for the sins of the people. Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice, the perfect sacrifice, once for all. He voluntarily became “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” In John 10:17-18, Jesus made another clear statement of what was to come, and why we have to understand that Jesus was in control of his own death and resurrection:

“The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life – only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” NIV

“It is finished” means that Jesus willingly suffered and died for us as part of God’s plan.

Conclusion

Archeologists have found ancient debt instruments, promissory notes in Greek. Across some of them was written the same word we are talking about, the word translated as “It is finished” in the Gospel (tetelestai). Of course on the promissory note, the word had the meaning of PAID IN FULL. Christians believe that’s what Jesus did. He paid in full a debt that you and I are unable to pay. When those who have trusted Jesus or their eternal destiny get up to the pearly gates, St. Peter will look up our name in his book. What do you think it will say after the names of those that have chosen to trust Jesus as their Lord and Savior?

TETELESTAI. PAID IN FULL.

St. Peter will then say: “Come on in. We’ve been expecting you. Welcome home. Come to the place that has been prepared for you.”

Meaning of Good Friday – Part 2

2011-05-10T16:35:00.002-04:00

Christians recently commemorated what we call “Good Friday”, the day on which Jesus Christ died on a Roman cross. In these posts I’m explaining why Jesus came to earth specifically to die and why Christians believe it was in God’s plan for him to do so.

What Happened on the Cross (continued)
2. Forgiveness
The next thing that was accomplished on the cross was forgiveness. Because Jesus redeemed us and satisfied God’s justice, we can now be forgiven by God when we put our faith in Jesus.

3. Justification
Forgiveness then leads to another thing Jesus accomplished for us on the cross, which is what is called “justification.” Looking at the dictionary definition of “justify” we read: To pronounce free from guilt or blame. Because of what Jesus did on that Friday, we have been declared “not guilty” by God – so we’ve been made right with God. The Apostle Paul explained justification in Romans 3:22-25:

God makes people right with himself through their faith in Jesus Christ. This is true for all who believe in Christ, because all people are the same: All have sinned and are not good enough for God’s glory, and all need to be made right with God by his grace, which is a free gift. They need to be made free from sin through Jesus Christ. God gave him as a way to forgive sin through faith in the blood of Jesus’ death. NCV

We are healed, or made free from sin, because of God’s love for us and our faith in what Jesus accomplished for us. Jesus may have done it, but we have to accept it – salvation is not automatic. Choose it or lose it.

4. Reconciliation
Following redemption, forgiveness, and justification, Jesus accomplished reconciliation on the cross. Because we have been redeemed, forgiven, and declared not guilty, we can now be reconciled to God, taking our rightful place in God’s kingdom. You and I were created to be in relationship with the Creator, yet our sinful nature kept us apart from God – we were estranged from God. We read about that estrangement in Colossians 1:21-22, and how we can now be in right relationship with a holy God:

This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. NLT

5. Victory over Sin and Death
Lastly, Jesus achieved victory over sin and death by his own death and resurrection. That may seem strange since we still sin and we still die, so let me briefly explain.

a. Victory over Death
There is victory over death because we no longer have to fear it. We know that when we physically die we don’t go into oblivion, but we have eternal life in the presence of God. What’s there to fear in that? We also will experience our own bodily resurrection in the Last Days. So death for those who trust Christ is a doorway into a new life in heaven with the communion of saints who have gone before us.

b. Victory over Sin
There is victory over sin because we are better able to resist temptation, and so our unhealthy desires no longer control us. The Holy Spirit works in us to help us to become better people, not doing those destructive things that used to have such appeal to us. We are still tempted, of course, and we still might give in to temptation now and then, but we should be growing in the faith and sinning less and less. Moreover, the effects of our sins have been wiped away so that in God’s eyes we are “blameless, without a single fault.”

I hope this has helped you to understand the importance of the cross. While Jesus’ death may not make much sense, my desire is that these posts have helped to explain God’s plan as Christians understand it, and what we believe Jesus accomplished by suffering and dying.

Meaning of Good Friday – Part 1

2011-05-09T11:43:00.002-04:00

Christians recently commemorated what we call “Good Friday”, the day on which Jesus Christ died on a Roman cross. In these next few posts I’ll explain the Christian understanding of why Jesus came to earth specifically to die and why Christians believe it was in God’s plan for him to do so.

1. Good Friday Downer

Friday was not a good day for Jesus, his mother, and his followers. Things couldn’t have been any worse for them.
●Jesus had been betrayed by one of his disciples, and was arrested.
●After the arrest, a close disciple denied even knowing him, scared for his own life.
●Most of his followers scattered; like Peter they were terrified that they might also be rounded up, arrested, and probably killed.
●Jesus was tried in a kangaroo court on trumped-up charges, mocked, beaten, and turned over to the Romans for execution.
●After a severe beating, he was forced to carry the heavy timber cross-beam to the place of execution, where he hung on a cross under the hot sun.

It was not a good day for Jesus and those who loved him.

2. Easter Sunday Upper

To his distraught disciples, all seemed hopeless. It seemed that Jesus, who had brought back life to the dead, made the blind see, and healed lepers, couldn’t save himself. But then Sunday came, and everything changed! Death had been swallowed up in victory!

What Happened on the Cross

Although his Friday experience was terrible, Jesus was doing God’s will. Jesus wasn’t being punished for anything he did – he was the Lamb of God without sin or blemish. Instead, he was being punished for what we have done – the whole human race from the beginning of time. Although we might not completely understand it, Jesus accomplished much that benefits us while on the cross.

God himself, in the form of Jesus, suffered and died for us, something that is almost beyond belief if you stop to think about it. How could such a terrible event be in God’s plan, and benefit us as well? Fortunately the Bible has a lot to say about why Jesus came to earth, and specifically why he came to die. From our study of the Scriptures we can identify several things that happened on the cross that spiritually changed the world forever. Let’s take a quick look at some of the things that happened on the cross so we can put the events of Good Friday into proper perspective.

1. Redemption

One thing that was accomplished on the cross is called “Redemption.” That means Jesus paid the full debt we owed for all that we’ve done wrong. Why do we owe a debt to God? It’s because God’s perfect justice demands that a penalty for wrongdoing must be paid. God’s justice was satisfied in that the penalty was paid in full on the cross for all of our transgressions. If we look at the dictionary definition of “redeem” it says:

1. To recover property by discharging an obligation. 2. To ransom, free, or rescue by paying a price.

Jesus himself referred to the redemptive aspect of his crucifixion when he said in Matthew 20:28:

“The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” NRSV

Jesus paid the price and bought us, similar to someone purchasing a slave’s freedom from a master, as we read in 1 Corinthians 7:23:

You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of human masters. NRSV

That’s why Christians call Jesus our Savior and Redeemer.

More on the topic of Jesus’ crucifixion in a future post.

Future of Islamic Countries

2011-05-05T15:11:00.000-04:00

We have been seeing some historic events recently, events that could change Islamic countries in particular and the world in general. The so-called “Islamic Spring” has brought out thousands of demonstrators, at some risk to their lives, to push for new governments. In addition, Osama bin Laden has been eliminated, so it is possible that Islamic terrorism may eventually become less of a factor in the world. Let’s take a look at a few things:

(1) Like most people, the citizens of Islamic countries just want to live their lives in relative peace and security. They are sick of repressive regimes and living in fear and some deprivation. Hence the Islamic Spring. We wish tem success, because if they benefit, we ultimately will benefit.

(2) Notice these demonstrators aren’t chanting “Down with Israel” or “Down with America.” The anti-Israel and anti-American sentiments and the violence that comes with them come from a relatively small group of fanatics and repressive Islamic regimes.

(3) There’s a risk that power vacuums left by collapsing regimes in these countries might be filled by a militant islamist group such as the Muslim Brotherhood. This, of course, would be a disaster for the citizens of the country and would pose problems for the rest of the world having to deal with another Iran-like militant government.

(4) Bin Laden’s successor isn’t very well-liked, so the Al Qaeda organization is likely to further break into smaller, semi-independent cells. Without strong central leadership, coordination of sophisticated terrorist attacks might be hampered. Besides ridding the world of this evil force, the killing of Osama hopefully resulted in a significant weakening of Al Qaeda.

Lastly, for those who might be questioning the attack on, and the killing of, Osama bin Laden, let me say that perhaps thousands of lives might now be saved. If any of the plots to kill Hitler had succeeded, millions of lives would have been saved. The world has been freed from an evil force that has cost many countries dearly in terms of lives and expenditures on security. As far as I’m concerned, bin Laden was as evil as Hitler or Stalin, just on not quite such a grand scale.

I might also mention that governments are not under the same moral rules as individuals. While individuals shouldn’t kill except in the most extreme of circumstances (self-defense when in imminent danger), governments can kill in wars and for capital punishment. We might not approve of capital punishment for various reasons, but I think we have to agree that a major function of government is to keep its citizens safe. Killing is often necessary to keep citizens safe from enemies, foreign and domestic.

For those who are concerned the U.S. broke the Geneva Convention by our actions, let me say that we are not in a conventional war in which countries pretty much play by the rules. We are engaged with trans-national groups who have no rules and are conducting guerilla warfare, attacking innocent civilians in a campaign of terror. While we can’t stoop to their level, we have to fight them in the most effective way given the type of warfare we’re dealing with. Again, government has the duty to keep its citizens safe by any means possible. I believe it would be irresponsible for our government to put its citizens at increased risk because of the Geneva Convention, fear of our reputation being tarnished, or out of concern for Muslim sensitivities. I know this gets dangerously close to “The ends justify the means” but we are dealing with life and death struggles.

Rot in Hell?

2011-05-04T09:09:00.000-04:00

I saw a person interviewed on TV say this concerning the death of Osama bin Laden, “I hope he rots in hell!” Will he? I think he will, for a number of reasons.

(1) First of all, there is a place of punishment in the afterlife. Although it is only hinted at in the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament), it is mentioned more frequently in the New Testament. Although we aren’t sure exactly what it’s like, hell isn’t the kind of place you’d like to spend eternity in.

(2) Second, although human justice is flawed, God’s justice is perfect. Therefore, those who do evil will be punished. Since we all do things wrong (although not on the scale of bin Laden), then don’t we all go to hell when we die? We Christians believe that when we put our faith in Jesus, we don’t have to suffer the punishment rightly due to us. We are saved from hell and go to heaven, not on our own merits, but on Christ’s.

(3) Third, bin Laden didn’t even follow the teachings in his own sacred scriptures, the Qur’an. He was in for a nasty surprise when he stood before his Creator last Sunday. Instead of 72 dark-eyed virgins awaiting him in Paradise, I suspect Satan greeted him with these words: “Well done, good and faithful servant. Now you will spend all of eternity in perpetual misery.”

End of the World Coming Soon?

2011-05-03T09:58:00.001-04:00

Harold Camping, President of Family Radio, is predicting the End of the World is coming in 2011. The Rapture is predicted by him to take place on May 21, 2011, with the rest of the End Times events starting on October 21, 2011.

I’m no expert in eschatology (judgment and the end times) but I do know that a lot of things have to happen before Christ returns and the final judgment takes place. I don’t see any of those things on the horizon, so I seriously doubt Camping’s prediction. Many people have made End of the World predictions, and so far they’ve all been wrong. William Miller predicted October 22, 1844, and it didn’t happen. That non-event came to be called The Great Disappointment by the Millerites.

One thing occurred in the 20th century that, in my opinion, started the End Times countdown. It is the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. Since that time, we haven’t seen any of the other End Times events come about, so I seriously question the validity of the current prediction. Sadly, such predictions make fools of those who make them and reflect poorly on Christianity. They bring shame to the Name of Jesus Christ. We read in Matthew 24:3-4:

When [Jesus] was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Jesus answered them, “Beware that no one leads you astray.” NRSV

Jesus said in Mark 13:32-33 that even he didn’t know when the End Times would occur, so isn’t it presumptuous for a mere man to claim to know?

“But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come.” NRSV

Let me say that despite fools who make predictions of the time, the Second Coming of Christ is real. We see End Times prophecies in both the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) and in the New Testament. So make no mistake about it, “Christ has died, Christ is risen, and Christ will come again.” His Second Coming and judgment are fundamental beliefs of Christianity.

We should be ready to meet Christ, either when we die or when he returns, as the hymn “I Know Whom I Have Believed” says:
I know not when my Lord may come,
At night or noonday fair,
Nor if I walk the vale with Him,
Or meet Him in the air.

As we read in the Bible, he will come when we least expect it, so be prepared, as Jesus himself told us in Matthew 24:44: “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.” NRSV.

The Rapture: See 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, 1 Corinthians 15:51
Coming of Christ: See Zechariah 14; Revelation 1:7; Matthew 25:31

The Death of Osama Bin Laden

2011-05-02T12:13:00.000-04:00

After 10 years of hunting for him, the U.S. finally found and killed Osama bin Laden. Terrorism won’t cease, but his death at the hands of U.S. forces does several things:

-It brings some sort of closure to the relatives of those who died as a result of terrorism.

-It brings justice. He was a mass murderer and he received the death sentence.

-It enhances the U.S.’s image in the world, that we aren’t going to rest until terrorism has been stamped out.

-It will hopefully bring Pakistan and the U.S. even closer together as allies in the fight against terrorism.

-It may result in Al Qaeda being less effective now that their head and source of funding has been eliminated.

We should pray for a number of things:

-That any attempts at revenge for the killing of bin Laden will be unsuccessful.

-That Pakistan especially will be protected and that its leaders will remain strong in the commitment to defeat terrorism.

-That the people’s movements in North Africa and the Middle East will result in moderate democracies, and that any power voids will not be filled by Islamic militants.

-That our troops will be protected and that we will prevail in Afghanistan.

-That the Islamic World will realize terrorism isn’t the way, but is counter-productive and goes against the teachings of the Qur’an.

We are living in historic times. The finding and killing of Osama bin Laden is historic. The people’s rebellions in the Arab World are historic. Sadly, the natural disasters we’ve been experiencing around the world are also historic.

Japanese Heroes

2011-03-17T15:54:00.001-04:00

In any disaster, there are heroes. Some rescue others at great risk to themselves. Some put themselves in harm’s way so that others might survive. I believe we are seeing that with the workers in the nuclear power plants. I can’t imagine what conditions are like for the workers in those plants. With no electricity and overheated nuclear fuel nearby, the ambient temperature in the control room must be very uncomfortable. Of course these workers don’t even know if they are going to live or die. Who knows how much radiation they have already been exposed to?

In addition, they must be under terrible stress to resolve the problem and prevent an even worse disaster. They’ve probably had very little sleep and food, and they probably don’t even know whether their families survived the tsunami. I can’t begin to appreciate what they are going through physically and emotionally. Moreover, if their families did survive, they must be worried sick about their loved ones working in those power plants under wretched conditions.

As we pray for the situation in Japan, let’s remember those workers and their families. They are the unsung heroes who may not even survive this tragedy.

Where Will Be the Next Earthquake?

2011-03-16T09:58:00.000-04:00

Along the shore of the Pacific Ocean, known as the “Ring of Fire” because of its seismic and volcanic activity, there has been quite a bit of activity recently. This past week there has been the 9.0 earthquake in Japan. Earlier this year there was a 7.1 earthquake in Chile in January, a 5.4 magnitude quake in China on March 10, and a 6.3 quake in New Zealand in February. There were two significant off-shore quakes in Chile this year, both over 6.0, and some underwater quakes in the Pacific, again all this year. Although it’s not along the Pacific Rim, we had a 7.0 earthquake in Haiti last year. Scientists tell us that these quakes are not related to each other since they are thousands of miles apart, but still, I wonder.

I don’t know if this level of activity is typical, but I’m beginning to wonder if “the Big One” is going to hit some part of the U.S. soon. According to the seismologists, we are overdue for large quakes along the San Andreas fault in California and the New Madrid fault in the Midwest. In addition, there are a number of fault lines in and around Puget Sound in Washington State that could cause a significant earthquake and tsunami. To be prepared for any emergency, what can we do?

What we can do is be prepared for any number of possibilities, especially if you live in an area like California that has a number of disasters that can occur: forest fires, earthquakes, mudslides, floods, and tsunamis. First, we should pressure our government officials to make sure all nuclear power plants are adequately prepared and protected against earthquakes (and tsunamis if located on the coast or an inlet). Emergency plans should be in place and emergency personnel should be adequately trained for such emergencies. Millions of dollars from Homeland Security have been dispensed to states, counties, and municipalities since 9/11, so make your officials accountable for how that money is used.

Second, we and our families should be prepared for a number of possibilities. How? A number of ways:

(1) In any emergency, you may be stuck in your house for a while without power and maybe clean water. Have bottles of water in storage, non-perishable food on hand (enough to last for a while), powdered milk (if you have children), and several hundred dollars in cash since ATMs and credit card machines may be down. If you have a fireplace, keep an adequate supply of firewood so you can keep warm if the disaster strikes in the winter.

(2) You may have to evacuate, so you should be prepared to move quickly with the things you need. Either have a backpack filled with what you’ll need, or keep handy a list of items to quickly pack in case of emergency. Below are some suggestions:

IF WALKING
Underwear and socks
Toilet paper/Kleenex
Toiletries, cash
Manual can opener, bottle opener, pocket knife
Change of clothes
Waterproof shoes
Umbrella, blanket
Appropriate jacket for the season
Bottles of water, prescription medications
Cap or warm hat, lighter or matches
Cell phones & chargers
Passports, wallets
Flashlight, extra batteries
Food: high protein breakfast bars, nuts, etc.
Sunglasses, bandages, sunscreen

IF DRIVING
Several changes of clothes
Blankets, pillows
Canned food, other food
Plastic bowels, dishes
Eating utensils
Cutting knives
Bottled drinks
Oil for car, gas can

IF WINTER
Warm boots, wool socks
Heavy coat, jacket or parka
Scarf, knit cap, several pairs of gloves
Chapstick, heavy pants
Sweaters, long underwear

TO SECURE THE HOUSE
Turn down heat, notify friends/neighbors of your departure
Close and lock doors and windows
Throw out perishable food
Disconnect appliances and computer
Unplug and open refrigerator and freezer
Waterproof house as best you can if danger of flood
Sign on front door saying how you can be reached

The Japanese Tragedy

2011-03-15T14:20:00.001-04:00

We have been witnessing a disaster of biblical proportions. The earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia and Thailand a while back were terribly destructive. Then Hurricane Katrina wiped out a large portion of an American city. Later the earthquake in Haiti destroyed a large portion of a country. More recently there were significant earthquakes in Chile and in New Zealand. Now we’ve seen a triple threat in Japan: an unbelievably severe earthquake, a terrible tsunami that did more damage than the earthquake, and now the nuclear threat from multiple power plants.

Earlier I said this was a disaster of biblical proportions, but I don’t mean to imply that this tragedy is God’s punishment of the Japanese. We live on planet earth and are subject to the laws of nature. We are affected by such things as weather patterns, El Niño, shifting tectonic plates, volcanic eruptions, sun spots, tornados, etc. These just happen because of the way the earth is constructed.

The effects of these natural phenomena are made worse by human error, stupidity, and sin. While the Japanese are well-prepared for earthquakes, living on earthquake-prone islands along the “Ring of Fire”, they weren’t as prepared for such a large tsunami. Their seawalls were breached by the 30+ foot wall of water. Their nuclear plants appear to have been built right on the ocean, close to sea level, so the plants would be vulnerable to any tsunami. It was the wall of water that rendered the two backup systems unusable, not the earthquake itself.

The local residents will hopefully not have to pay for the shortsightedness of the designers of these nuclear power plants. Let’s hope we’ve all learned lessons from this tragedy, and will take actions to upgrade nuclear power plants to withstand whatever risks there might be in the plant’s location.

Let’s pray that these at-risk Japanese power plants will be able to be cooled adequately and safely shut down, and that further disaster can be averted. Let’s also pray for the thousands who are homeless, those who are now without jobs, those who have lost loved ones, the brave plant workers whose lives are at risk, and the safety of those involved in relief efforts. Pray that such a tragedy will not happen here in the U.S., since we have significant potential for major earthquakes on the West Coast (mainly the San Andreas Fault) and in the middle of the country (the New Madrid Fault).

Free Speech Decision

2011-03-03T11:08:00.000-05:00

Recently the U.S. Supreme Court determined that demonstrations at soldiers’ funerals are protected fee speech under the Constitution. While the Court (and most of us) find such demonstrations to be obnoxious, revolting, and cruel, they are protected (just as flag-burning is protected).

Some people are upset with this ruling because none of us likes to see the funeral of a fallen soldier disrupted by these hate-mongers from a church in Kansas. However, I believe the Supreme Court decision was the right one for a number of reasons.

First, the free speech and freedom of the press provisions are in the Constitution to protect protests against and criticism of the government and its policies. Americans are free to protest (within limits – no violence, for example) and to criticize without fear of arrest or retribution. Our Founding Fathers did everything they could to prevent abuses of power by the federal government, and to protect the rights of citizens.

Second, if the Court had voted the other way, we would have begun to slide down the slippery slope of censorship and government control of what we can say and not say. This would have been a dangerous precedent. While I find that church’s behavior reprehensible, it is and should be legal. Municipalities can limit the damage done by such demonstrators by passing laws that say no demonstration can take place within 1,000 feet of a soldier’s funeral. Such laws have been passed, and there is a precedent for such regulations. Similar limits have been put on demonstrators at abortion clinics.

Third, since these demonstrations are done by members of a church, it is especially important that their free speech be protected. If the decision had gone the other way, then there is the potential for censorship of sermons, Bible studies, and other religious activity. In particular, I’m referring to speech that isn’t politically correct and may be construed as “hate speech” by some. For example, if a pastor gives a sermon saying the practice of homosexuality is a sin according to the Bible, that speech is still protected by this Court decision.

By the way, that church is totally misguided. Their issue is the “acceptance” of homosexuality by our society. They feel, as I understand it, that God is punishing the United States for this every time a soldier is killed. So they show up at soldiers’ funerals with their hateful signs proclaiming God’s condemnation and rejoicing over another dead soldier. It is completely unchristian to cause additional grief for families as they mourn their loss, and to rejoice that another soldier has been killed. I believe these people are deranged, but nevertheless, their rights must still be protected. Let’s pray that they will finally come to their senses and realize that they have not been following the way of Jesus, who preached (and practiced) love, mercy, and forgiveness. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t preach about what the Bible says concerning various behaviors, but we must do so without hate and condemnation. “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”

Yearning to Breathe Free

2011-02-09T10:36:00.000-05:00

The recent uprisings in Egypt and other Arab countries illustrate the fact that people don’t want to be ruled by oppressive regimes, but want to have a say in their own destiny. The United States was a refuge for those “yearning to breathe free” in the words of Emma Lazarus, whose poem “The New Colossus” graces the Status of Liberty.

Admittedly democracy can be messy, but it is still the best way to go. Our Declaration of Independence contains the founding principles of the United States, which states that the government serves the governed, not the other way around:

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. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government…

Please pray for those countries, not just because what happens there can affect us, but because the citizens of these countries also have a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We should also pray that the kind of government that eventually emerges in Egypt especially will be moderate, not radical, and will not be dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood or any other islamist groups. Let’s also pray that the Christian minority in Egypt will not suffer persecution at the hands of any regime.

Be Nice

2011-01-18T15:15:00.001-05:00

I watched President Obama’s speech at the memorial service for those killed by a deranged gunman in Tucson. I agree with all that he said, which boils down to “be nice.” However, the problem is everybody hears the message, agrees with it, but then never applies it to himself or herself. The message is always for the other guy, never for me. “If only those leftists would stop …” Or “If only those on the right would start to …”

I believe the harsh rhetoric and other nastiness we see in the political arena is symptomatic of American society becoming ruder and cruder. It is also symptomatic of the tendency we have of demonizing of those who disagree with us. Sadly we even see such attitudes in the Church. Many mainline Protestant denominations are split along left/right lines, with each side demonizing the other. That’s why they are losing membership.

Let us all take to heart what Obama said in that speech, let us all apply it to our own lives, and let us hold our politicians accountable for cleaning up their act. Then just maybe Congress will get something done, and we will all be better off.

Tragedy in Tucson

2011-01-12T12:12:00.000-05:00

We have once again experienced a deranged person killing multiple people with a gun, this time killing a congresswoman and a nine year old girl. Let me share a few thoughts with you regarding this tragedy.

(1) Violence is so pervasive in the media (TV, movies, games, some forms of music) that some mentally disturbed people see it as a reasonable way to give expression to their frustrations, anger, or other negative emotions. As long as people go to see violent movies and buy violent games, they will be out there. How do we reduce such violent media? I don’t know, but I think one way might be for parents to not allow their children to see or buy anything with a high level of violence. Parents have to regain control of their children, know what their children are doing, and exercise their rightful authority over them. Remember parents, you’re supposed to be in charge, not the kid.

(2) Guns are too readily available, so that just about anybody can buy one. Yes, I know that bearing arms is a constitutional right, but every right is limited to some extent. I really don’t know how you prevent mentally deranged people from buying guns given privacy issues, but there should be a way.

(3) Our care for mentally unstable people is lacking in this country. The shooter should have received treatment and perhaps should have been institutionalized. I know that conjures up images of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest type of insane asylum, yet is it right to put the public in danger? Is it fair to the mentally unstable person who isn’t getting proper care? We as a society have to rethink how we handle and care for such people, taking into consideration the safety of the public as well.

(4) Families are always surprised when their child (including adult children) do something terrible. Mothers are seen on TV saying “He’s a good boy. I don’t know what happened.” I don’t know the family situation in this case, so I can’t comment except to say that parents should be more involved in their children’s lives. Yes, I know the shooter in this case was 22 years old, yet it seems obvious that something was wrong.

(5) Lastly, the crime and violence (including bullying, spousal abuse, child abuse) that is so prevalent in the U.S.A. indicates something is seriously wrong with our society. Of course we do have a violent history. The West was “won” using violence, mostly against the American Indians. Our freedom was achieved by a war, and the Union was held together by another war. Yet there is no need for violence today. Why are we still such a violent society with gangs, rape, armed robberies, etc.?

Illegal drugs, prescription drug abuse, and alcohol are major contributors to violence and crime. Without those, society would be much better. The media portrays violence as the norm, so some embrace it. However, what I’ve described are symptoms of a deeper problem. The real problem is that so many people are missing a key part of life. As a result they turn to drugs, violence, bullying, and abuse of spouse, children, or pets. Their anger and frustration is made worse when they are the victims of bullying, or their job is miserable, or other difficulties arise.

So what’s missing? God. We were designed by God to be in relationship with him. If that God-shaped void in our life is empty, we try to fill it with idols such as career, pleasure, material goods, bad relationships, or substance abuse. None of those things satisfy, so we become even more frustrated, angry, or discontent. Why not go to church, and take your children with you? Just maybe it will help them to become better citizens because it will teach them values. They will learn about God, and will hopefully become committed followers of God. Let’s improve our society, one person at a time.

Is the Church Irrelevant?

2011-01-06T11:04:00.000-05:00

People have many excuses for not attending church. The Church is irrelevant. The Church is full of hypocrites. All they’re after is my money. It’s boring. It’s my only day to sleep in. I can feel close to God without being in church.

While most of these are flimsy excuses without much merit (in my opinion), I do want to address the relevancy factor. Is the Church irrelevant? At the risk of confusing you, let me say that the question as to whether the church is irrelevant is itself irrelevant. Relevancy isn’t the issue. Let me explain what I mean.

First, let’s define “Church.” A simplistic definition is the Church is a gathering of people who are followers of Jesus Christ, have trusted him for their salvation, and believe in the doctrines of the Church based on the Bible. I believe the Church has five purposes, which I’ve borrowed from Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose-Driven Life. Those purposes are worship, discipleship, fellowship, mission and ministry, and evangelism. While those are the purposes of every individual Christian according to Warren, I believe they can be best accomplished through the Church. That’s because the Church provides the structure, resources, and training to do these. An individual church (or even denomination) not doing these well is, in fact, irrelevant, because it isn’t fulfilling its purposes.

Looking at the worship component, the Church gathers regularly to give honor and praise to God. The thing we must understand is worship is about God, not us. We derive some benefits from gathering together, but the real purpose is to worship God. Since ancient times, God has called his people to publically worship him. So to say regular worship is irrelevant is to say God is irrelevant.

If you aren’t regularly attending a worship service, let me suggest you start doing so for the reasons I just mentioned. What’s in it for you? A number of things.

First, you are fulfilling one of your God-given purposes.
Second, you will hopefully learn something from the sermon that will help you be a better person.
Third, worship is a means of grace and will bring you closer to God.
Fourth, you will have the opportunity to interact with other Christians in a non-threatening atmosphere (fellowship).
Fifth, you will be presented with opportunities to serve in various capacities, so you will be able to make a difference in some way.
Sixth, you’ll hear some nice music.

If you show up at a church and it doesn’t seem right to you, check out other churches in the area. You are bound to find one that works for you. God’s Spirit will guide you to the church where he wants you to be (it’s happened in my life).

May God bless you in your search for a church, and also in getting into the habit of regular worship.

The Army Takes Care of Its Own?

2011-01-04T10:09:00.000-05:00

I read an article recently in the Poughkeepsie Journal that said our troops are at an increased risk of identity theft. Why? Because the military insists on using the social security number as an identification number. When I entered the Army back in the late 1960s, I was issued an Army ID number that began with “RA” (meaning Regular Army). Draftees had numbers beginning with “US” and those in the National Guard had numbers that began with “NG”. After I was in the Army for a while, the military did away with the unique ID number and went to the social security number instead. So “name, rank, and serial number” became “name, rank, and social security number.”

Even though identify theft is commonplace, the military has been slow to take action to protect its personnel. The answer is simple, go back to the military “serial number.” It’s not that difficult, and it would give our military personnel some degree of protection. I don’t know why the military has been so slow in implementing this simple change.

Actually, I do know why. The military does not take care of its own, much as they like to claim that they do. Our military used Agent Orange in Viet Nam, putting our troops at great risk. Although the military may not have realized how dangerous it was, there should have been more testing done before Agent Orange was deployed and our troops exposed to it.

In the Gulf War, the military forced experimental vaccines on our troops, which may have contributed to what has come to be known as Gulf War Syndrome (in addition to exposure to pesticides and other toxic chemicals). For more of an analysis on the Gulf War Syndrome and its possible causes, go to www.ei-resource.org.

To protect those who protect us, write your congressman and tell them to put pressure on the Pentagon to do the right thing and go back to a military identification number.

What We Believe Is Important

2010-12-29T10:46:00.002-05:00

I. Introduction

In the nativity narrative we encounter a number of the mysteries of God. We see the mysteries of the virgin birth and the nature of Jesus, truly God and truly man. We see divine intervention, angels appearing, and heavenly choirs in the sky. We generally take these supernatural happenings for granted, since we grew up with these stories and don’t think much about them. Yet how we view these and other mysteries can influence how we understand and relate to God and Jesus.

How we perceive and understand God is important. Why? That’s because it can have a major influence on our opinion of the Deity, plus our view of ourselves, the world, and salvation. For example, belief in God as Creator influences our worldview and self-image: Consider how we might view ourselves and other humans if we’re coming from the perspective that we are nothing but more highly evolved animals. Compare that with how we might view ourselves and others if we believe we were created by God in the image of God.

Or consider the understanding of God that Muslims have compared with Christians. To Muslims, Allah is not a Redeemer or Savior – they have to earn their way to heaven, with no guarantees except if you die in a jihad. Compare that with the Christian understanding that God is also our Savior and Redeemer, and came to live among us in the person of Jesus Christ.

In Christianity, God is a loving Deity who sent his only Son, who…

Gave up his place with God and made himself nothing. He was born to be a man and became like a servant. And when he was living as a man, he humbled himself and was fully obedient to God, even when that caused his death — death on a cross. (Philippians 2:7-8, NCV)

Christians believe that we are saved by grace through our faith in Christ, which is a gift that guarantees us a place in heaven, and help during this life. Christians don’t have to die a martyr to get to heaven or strive to get there on their own merits – Jesus did it all.

So you can see what we believe is important so that we can have the right understanding of, and relationship with, God. Knowing this, the Church has tried to clarify various doctrines over the centuries, based on its historical interpretation of Scripture. The creeds of the church came out of these efforts to make clear what we Christians should believe and thereby understand about God and ourselves.

Belief in some of these doctrines may not affect our salvation, but they can determine the quality of our relationship with God. So what we believe is important for living our life and being in the proper relationship with God based on what the Bible tells us.

II. Nature of Jesus

Since Jesus is God in the flesh and our Savior and Redeemer, it is important that we have the proper view of him. Of course we can’t totally understand the nature of Christ because this is a mystery, but we can believe it. There are four beliefs concerning Jesus that I feel are important for Christians to have:

1. Real Person with a purpose

The first belief is that Jesus was real historical person, not a myth. He came to us on that first Christmas for the purpose of providing a way for the human race to get back into right relationship with God. If we don’t believe that, then Christmas is meaningless, as is Good Friday and Easter.

2. Divine and Human

The second belief is that Jesus was both truly God and truly human. While we can’t explain it, we believe that Jesus was truly a human being in every way, but was without sin. We see his humanity in the Gospels: he got tired, angry, overworked, frustrated, was tempted, had a sense of humor, and he cried at funerals. We see his divinity in the Gospels in that he healed the sick, raised the dead, calmed the storm, miraculously fed the 5,000, and did many other miracles. We see both his humanity and his divinity in that he was born as any other person is born, but was conceived by the Holy Spirit. If we don’t believe these things, then Jesus becomes pretty much just an ordinary guy and not the Son of God.

3. Really died and rose again

The third important belief is that Jesus really died, and rose from the dead on the third day. This is important because it shows God’s approval of what Jesus did on the cross, and also proves that Jesus is the Son of God. If Jesus had been just an ordinary person who died a terrible death, and not the Son of God, his death would not result in our salvation.

4. Ascended and will come again

The fourth important belief is that Jesus ascended bodily into heaven and will come bodily again to judge the living and the dead. This is important to believe because we are told that Jesus is our intercessor in heaven, working on our behalf with the Father. Judgment is important to believe because it tells us we are all accountable. If we weren’t accountable for our wrongdoings, then we wouldn’t need Jesus to redeem us, would we?

III. Attributes of God

What we’ve been discussing so far is doctrine, and how proper belief makes our relationship with God as it’s supposed to be. Understanding his attributes also enhances our relationship with God, because we can better grasp who God is. We get a glimpse of the nature of God from the Bible and from the person of Jesus. Let me briefly cover some of the attributes of God as we understand them from the Bible and Jesus. Hopefully knowing these attributes will help you and me better appreciate who God is.

1. Merciful and Gracious

God described himself when he passed before Moses as we read in Exodus 34:6-7:

The LORD passed before [Moses], and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, yet by no means clearing the guilty, but visiting the iniquity of the parents upon the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.” NRSV

We should be thankful that God is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness”. Because of these attributes, God sent Jesus to save us from the penalty of all the things we’ve done to offend God and hurt one another.

2. Jealous

God also described himself as jealous, which we read in Exodus 20:5-6:

“You shall not bow down to [false gods] or worship them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.” NRSV

Jealous in this case means that God does not want divided loyalties from us, but he wants all of us. This is only natural because God created us, loves us, and wants us to be devoted to him and nothing else.

3. Other Attributes

God has many other attributes as well. We know from the Bible that God is:
-Eternal, almighty, unchanging, loving (God is love);
-God is all-knowing, all-present, and all-powerful;
-By his nature God is sinless, holy, righteous, and just;
-God is One, but is composed of three distinct persons;
-God is supreme, living, personal, and the creator and sustainer of all things;
-His power and knowledge are all-sufficient, and He is not limited in time or place.
-And of course God is good – all the time.

Despite the revelations of himself in the Bible, there are still some things about God we don’t know or completely understand. Nevertheless, we know all that we’re supposed to know at this time.

IV. Conclusion

So to summarize, what we believe and what we understand about God can affect the quality of our faith. In general our knowledge and acceptance of various doctrines may not necessarily affect our salvation. However, rejection or ignorance of some doctrines or attributes of God could cause us to question our salvation or doubt God. Certainly we won’t be given a theology quiz when we get to the pearly gates. However, our life might not be as good and fulfilled as it could have been if we don’t know, or reject, or doubt some doctrines. In this New Year I encourage you to learn more about God through daily devotionals, Bible study, prayer, and worship.

A Blue Christmas?

2010-12-25T10:05:00.002-05:00

I. Introduction

Although we look forward to the joys of the Christmas season, the holidays can be pretty intense for many of us. During this time of the year it seems like you’re riding an emotional roller coaster.

1. Christmas Can Be Difficult

December can be stressful, with not enough time to get everything done. Adding to the stress can be year-end pressures on the job. For those who have health problems or whose loved ones are in ill health, the season can be something less than cheerful. For those who have lost loved ones recently, the holidays can be depressing, since we especially miss them at this time of the year.

In addition, we have uncertainties about the economy. According to a recent poll, about 70% of adults plan to spend less on Christmas presents this year. Maybe you are one of those who plan to cut back this year. You may be feeling bad about it, even though you know that Christmas is much more than just presents.

2. Christmas Can Be Uplifting

On the positive side the season is known for good will and pleasant times with friends and family. There are beautiful Christmas decorations to lift the spirit, and we hear from old friends through Christmas cards. Most people are generally cheerful despite the pressures of the season. It can be a joyful time, especially when we remember the reason for the holiday. If you are facing challenges and riding an emotional roller coaster, think of the range of emotions and difficulties faced by Mary and Joseph. That first Christmas 2,000 years ago was no walk in the park.

II. Joy and Disgrace

Mary, a teen-aged girl living in the small village of Nazareth in the back-water province of Galilee, was visited by an angel one day.

1. Good News and Joy for Mary

The angel informed her that she was to bear the Messiah, every Jewish girl’s dream, but this child would not be conceived in the usual way. In obedience to God, Mary accepted it, even though she must have known it would raise questions. The angel also said that her cousin Elizabeth was expecting in her old age. In her joy Mary took off for Judea to help Elizabeth with her pregnancy. When she got to Elizabeth’s house, Elizabeth exclaimed (Luke 1:42b-43):

Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? NRSV

Mary, filled with joy at this confirmation that she was carrying the long-awaited Messiah, praised God by exclaiming:

“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” (Luke 1:46b-49, NRSV, “The Magnificat”)

2. Bad News at Home

This indescribable joy soon disappeared when Mary returned home to Nazareth. While the Bible doesn’t go into detail, we can imagine what happened once she arrived back in Nazareth. We get a hint of the situation in the Gospel of Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth (Matthew 1:18b-19):

She was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. NIV

Since she hadn’t yet married Joseph, her condition became an instant scandal, subjecting her to gossip, ridicule, and disgrace.

3. Joseph’s Dilemma

Moreover, this pregnancy put Joseph in a difficult position, since he would have been humiliated by this unexpected turn of events. However, God intervened by sending an angel to Joseph in a dream. Just as Mary had been obedient, so was Joseph, and he agreed to marry her and raise the child as his own.

III. The Trip to Bethlehem

Because of the Roman census, Joseph had to travel to his ancestral hometown of Bethlehem to register. However, it is unclear whether Mary was required to go since the husband probably could have registered the family.

1. Escape to Bethlehem

If she wasn’t required to go, it’s quite possible that she made the trip when she was 9 months pregnant to get away from the situation in Nazareth. The 4 day trip to Bethlehem on foot must have been tough for her, and then to make matters worse, there wasn’t much relief when they got there. Can you women imagine walking 70 miles, part of it uphill, when you are in your 9th month?

2. Bethlehem No Refuge

As it turned out, there was no place for them to stay, although the couple was directed to a cave where animals were kept, where she gave birth. Fortunately the cave gave her some privacy, which she wouldn’t have had in an inn. So they had a scandal in Nazareth, difficult trip on foot, no place to stay in Bethlehem, and the birth taking place among the animals.

IV. Off to Egypt

1. Visit of the Magi

Some time after the birth of Jesus, they received some unexpected visitors. The visit of the Magi bringing gifts to honor the newborn Messiah must have been a pleasant break from all that they had been through. Their visit must have been a powerful reassurance to Mary and Joseph that this child truly was the Messiah, despite all the obstacles they had faced.

2. Run for Your Life

Just as they were feeling comfortable, their world was once again turned upside down. An angel told Joseph in a dream (Matthew 2:13b):

“Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” NRSV

So off they went to Egypt, with their lives once again disrupted. Fortunately they had the gifts from the Magi, which I suspect they used to finance their trip to Egypt.

V. Conclusion

So what do we learn from these adventures of Mary and Joseph? Here they were, chosen by God for a very special task and they we obedient to God, and what happens? Everything seems to go wrong for them. I think there are several messages for you and me in these Nativity events:

1. No One Is Immune

The first lesson we learn is that no one is immune from the trials and tribulations of life, even those called by God for his work. Mary, God’s chosen instrument, suffered pain, both early on, and later when she witnessed her Son’s passion and death. We get hints in the Gospels that the stigma of her questionable pregnancy haunted her for the rest of her life. Listen to the response of the people when Jesus began to teach in his hometown of Nazareth (Mark 6:3):

“Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. NIV

In those days people would have referred to Jesus as “Joseph’s son” (bar Yosef) but instead they referred to him as “Mary’s son” (bar Miriam). Jesus himself suffered as well during his time on earth, and endured the full range of human emotions and experiences. So the first lesson we learn is that you and I will also experience trials and pain, no matter how good a Christian we may be.

2. Even If in God’s Will

The second lesson we learn is that even obedience to God’s will won’t protect us from problems. Mary and Joseph were obedient, but look what happened – they still faced difficulties and hardships. We want to be obedient to God for any number of reasons, but we have to realize that obedience doesn’t guarantee a trouble-free life. As a matter of fact, Jesus informed his disciples they would be persecuted because of him (Luke 21:12):

“But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name.” NRSV

Jesus told his disciples, and us, in John 16:33: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” NIV

3. God Was with Them

That leads me to the third lesson we learn, that God is with us during times of trials. Notice how God was directing events for Mary and Joseph, either through dreams instructing Joseph or by other means. God gave Mary the strength to make the difficult journey to Bethlehem, allowing her to get away from Nazareth. God directed them to the cave where she could give birth with some degree of privacy. God encouraged them and cheered them with Elizabeth’s greeting to Mary, and the visits of the shepherds and the Magi. God got them out of harm’s way when Herod wanted to kill the Christ-child, and even provided the funding for the escape. That’s a reminder to us that God is our provider, which we need to keep in mind during these uncertain economic times. We aren’t immune from the world’s troubles but God is with us every step of the way.

4. We Can Bless Others

In addition, God can use us, often as wounded healers, to bless others who are facing difficult situations: health, relational, economic, emotional. Walt Whitman wrote in a poem entitled Song of Myself: “I do not ask the wounded person how he feels; I myself become the wounded person.”

This is what the incarnation is all about: God came into this world, wore our flesh, and thus knows and understands how we feel. No other religion in the world offers what Christianity offers: An all-powerful and all-loving God who willingly took on the limitations and suffering of His creation.

Although we may be hurting because of our own trials or because of challenges faced by those we love, we don’t lose hope. The fact that Jesus came to this earth some 2,000 years ago shows that God did not sit idly by and watch us suffer in isolation. I read a quote recently that says:

“For whatever reason God chose to make man as he is – limited and suffering and subject to sorrows and death — [God] had the honesty and courage to take His own medicine… He has kept His own rules and played fair. [God] can exact nothing from man that He has not exacted from Himself.”

So what, then, is Christmas all about? It is about you and me embracing the Savior, and allowing the words of the angel to become personal to us: “A Savior has been born to you”. When Jesus becomes your Savior, you are given the strength to endure, the peace to be able to give and receive comfort, the hope of a glorious future in heaven, and the faith to see the blessings even in pain.

So if you are in pain this Christmas, I hope you will receive comfort from the Nativity story as we’ve looked at it anew. So as we go into the New Year, let’s try to keep these lessons in mind. I wish you a blessed and peace-filled Christmas and God’s blessings and abundant grace for you in the New Year.

Things Are What We Make Them

2010-12-15T10:21:00.001-05:00

Many things are not inherently good or inherently evil. They are neutral. Some things are beneficial when used properly, but can be abused. Let me give some examples.

The telephone is generally considered beneficial, but becomes an instrument of evil when used to harass people. The Internet is generally considered beneficial, but becomes evil when used for cyber bullying or watching pornography. Money is an efficient medium for conducting business, but becomes evil when coveted or has become someone’s idol. Sex is beneficial for any number of reasons, but becomes evil when misused. Because things like the Internet are used so often for evil, millions of dollars have to be spent on security. That’s a result of the sinful nature of people, not the technology.

So we should both watch our attitude towards things and be careful how we use them. If something becomes overly important to us, it becomes a false god, an idol, and we are committing idolatry. God should be primary in our life, followed by family, work, and self. Elevating anything above God is not a good idea. If we are close to God, we will then be less inclined to do evil. As we approach Christmas let us examine our relationship with God (or lack thereof) and consider drawing closer to him. We will become better people and the world will be one step closer to becoming a better place.

Sharing the Faith

2010-12-10T13:18:00.000-05:00

Ever wonder why some Christians seem to be very enthusiastic about sharing their faith? It is an especially important question in this day and age when you are expected to keep your religion to yourself, lest you “offend” somebody. In this post I’d like to give non-Christians some insight as to why followers of Christ share their faith with others.

Commanded to Spread the Gospel

The main reason Christians tell others about Jesus is that he commanded them to do so. Those commands are in all four Gospels, and what Jesus told his disciples in Acts 1:8 is very explicit:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” NRSV

Jesus said this seconds before he ascended into heaven. Since these were the last words of Jesus spoken while he was on the earth, many Christians take them pretty seriously. Once Jesus had ascended into heaven, the disciples devoted themselves to telling others about him, usually at some risk to their lives. Some of them ministered in Jerusalem and Judea, which was local for them, and some traveled to the ends of the earth. For example, Thomas went as far east as India, and Paul may have gone as far west as Spain.

Love Your Neighbor

In addition to Jesus’ commands, Christians tell others about him because we love our neighbors as ourselves, as Jesus said we should. Christians believe Jesus came down to earth for all of us. He said to love your neighbor as yourself, quoting from Leviticus 19. The best way Christians can show they care about others is to share their faith in Christ.

Want to make the world a better place? For followers of Christ, there’s no better way than bringing people to faith – thus working to transform the world. Coming to faith in Christ won’t make people perfect, just as no Christian is perfect. But it will make them a whole lot better than they otherwise would have been since they are now be “going on to perfection.”

Is Religion Dangerous?

2010-12-09T14:22:00.000-05:00

Those who have little or no religious faith and are hostile to God and religion are fond of justifying their condition by pointing out all the evil done in the world in the name of religion or God. Christianity is criticized for the Crusades and The Inquisition. Some will point to Islamic fanatics as another example of the evils of religious belief, never mind that these terrorists are breaking many of the rules of their own Scriptures.

Have bad things been done in the name of God throughout history? Of course. Is God or “religion” to blame? No. Is religion dangerous? Only when misused for evil purposes. Anything, no matter how good, can be misused by evil people for evil purposes. In addition, religion or Scripture have been grossly misinterpreted, abused or wrongly applied by often well-meaning but misguided people. Nevertheless, these don’t make all religion evil or make God to be somehow bad.

In other cases we blame religion when that isn’t the main cause. For example, in Northern Ireland, the conflict there was defined as a Catholic-Protestant controversy. However, it wasn’t a religious issue, but rather a conflict between the natives (the Irish, who were Catholic) and the settlers who wanted to remain a part of the United Kingdom (the Orangemen who were Protestant). Some practices against women done in some Muslim countries are more culturally-defined than religiously. While the religion often informs the culture in Islamic countries, the Qur’an doesn’t promote activities practiced in some Muslim countries.

All the evil you can think of that has been done (and in some cases continues to be done) in the name of God or religion is miniscule compared to all the good that has been done. For centuries before governments became more benevolent in Europe, it was the Church that ran hospitals and orphanages, and provided some social services. Even today we have Christian organizations caring for people locally and worldwide, such as The Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, Samaritan’s Purse, Goodwill Industries, and many others. Some local churches have food pantries and thrift shops to help the needy, and some send teams all over the world on short-term mission trips to help desperate people in poor countries. And then think of all the unseen good done by individuals of faith.

In the West we have generally benevolent governments that value justice, individual freedoms, and life (“life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”). Why is that? It’s because our country was established on the foundation of Judeo-Christian principles and the best of Enlightenment thinking. So I think we can give a little credit to God and Christianity for the freedoms and life we have.

If you don’t want to believe in God or be involved in a religion, that’s your business, but don’t use the lame excuse that so much evil has been done in the name of God and religion. That just doesn’t line up with the facts.

A New Opportunity for Identity Thieves

2010-12-08T11:17:00.000-05:00

According to a news report I recently saw on the Internet, banks are now issuing credit cards that can be waved over a reader rather than swiped (similar to a key card that unlocks doors to buildings). I guess swiping a card is just too much trouble. The only problem is, if a person with a portable card reader can get close enough to you, your information can be read and recorded on a small computer. Somebody has just stolen your credit card information and can order thousands of dollars worth of stuff and you don’t even know you’ve been robbed! It’s high-tech pick-pocketing, thanks to the banks who issue such cards.

This makes me wonder, what are the banks that issue credit cards thinking? Everybody is concerned with identity theft, yet every month we get blank checks from our credit card carriers in the mail. I don’t want them, I’ve never used them, and I can’t make them stop sending them. Not only do these checks provide a temptation for people to spend money they don’t have and may not be able to pay back, but they also provide an opportunity for identity theft or forgery. Every month I must shred these unwanted checks for my own protection as well as the bank’s.

Now the geniuses at Bank of America, Chase, and other credit and debit card issuing banks have come up with a new way for people to be robbed. Don’t these folks consult their security people about potential risks of new technologies? Given the history of banks over the past few decades (remember the S&L crisis and the bad loans to Latin American countries of the late 20th century?), I just don’t understand how bank executives make decisions. One positive thing, business schools can use these cases as opportunities to teach their students what not to do!

Euphemisms

2010-12-07T15:28:00.000-05:00

It’s amazing how groups try to manipulate people’s opinions through the subtle use of language. For example, the pro-Palestinian media typically refer to Palestinian terrorists as “militants” rather than what they really are – terrorists. Terrorists terrorize people, and that’s what these Palestinian “militants” have been doing to Israeli citizens within rocket range.

Now a new euphemism has emerged. Rather than calling illegal immigrants what they are – illegal – a group now wants to drop the “I-word” because they feel it is racist and judgmental. It’s unclear what this group wants to use instead of “illegal” – I presume it’s some euphemism such as “undocumented.” If you are breaking United States law, isn’t that illegal? If you are in this country illegally, isn’t that illegal? Why sugar-coat the facts? Call it what it is and then deal with it.

I absolutely believe fair and humane solutions to the illegal immigration (there, I said it) problem must be found, but to play games with words is just a bold attempt to obfuscate the issue and sway public opinion. I think we should all pray for God’s guidance to our leaders in government for this very tricky problem, because we are talking about the well-being of millions of people, the security of the United States, and many other factors.

Etiquette

2010-12-06T19:25:00.001-05:00

I recently saw a news item about a school in the metro New York area that is teaching the kids proper etiquette. I think that’s a great idea. Today, people don’t know proper etiquette, mainly because most parents don’t teach it. Rudeness is a real problem with cell phones. You have people texting when in class, when out somewhere with others, or maybe even while in conversation with you. Of course texting while driving goes beyond rude, to dangerous and life-threatening.

One particularly annoying use of the cell phone involves using one while in a darkened theater. I’ve been watching a play and all of a sudden there’s an annoying light coming from a row or two in front of me. In a darkened theater that little telephone light is quite bright. Even if they are only texting and there’s no sound, that light is distracting.

Today kids aren’t taught the common courtesies such as taking off your hat while indoors and in an elevator, how to set a table, which fork to use, etc. Cell phones and lack of etiquette are contributing to a ruder and cruder society, which is too bad. Maybe that school is on to something.

Importance of Christmas

2010-12-03T11:24:00.000-05:00

What’s the big deal about Christmas? For Christians, Christmas celebrates one of the most important events in the history of the world, so they shouldn’t take it lightly. We should not let the significance of the holiday become overshadowed by all the commercialism, sentimentality, and secular aspects of the season.

I just made what some may consider a rather radical statement, that Christmas commemorates one of the most important events in history. Let’s think about that for a minute. What makes that first Christmas so momentous?

The God who created the universe, who is all-powerful, and who is majestic beyond our wildest imagination, did something radical and unheard of. The highly paraphrased version of the Bible called The Message puts it this way (Philippians 2:5-8a):

Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of him-self that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an in-credibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death. (by Eugene H. Peterson)

We read in the majestic words of the first chapter of the Gospel according to John (John 1:14):

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. NIV

If that wasn’t significant enough, Jesus came to earth to give the entire human race the opportunity to get back into right relationship with God (to become children of God once more). This could not have happened if Jesus hadn’t been born of a woman for the ultimate purpose of paying the penalty for our wrongdoing. Again we read in John’s Gospel (John 1:12-13):

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. NIV

That’s pretty significant, don’t you think? Without that birth 2,000 years ago, there would have been no debt payment on the cross, and of course there wouldn’t have been the glorious Resurrection on that first Easter. While the sentimental, family, and goodwill aspects of the season are nice, we Christians mustn’t lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas.

Recognizing Christmas

2010-12-02T17:52:00.000-05:00

I watched the last half hour or so of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting program on NBC on Tuesday, Nov. 30. It was refreshing to hear Christmas carols sung and the word “Christmas” actually used instead of the generic “holiday.” Obviously this celebration was of a secular nature, but they didn’t shy away from the traditional carols that refer to Jesus. I give NBC credit for not watering down the celebration of Christmas.

Unemployment Benefits

2010-12-01T10:10:00.000-05:00

As of this writing, Congress hasn’t extended unemployment benefits. This lack of caring for those who have worked hard all their lives demonstrates once again that our government’s priorities are not right. People have lost their jobs through no fault of their own and can’t find work because our government allowed jobs to be moved overseas. Now that same government refuses to extend unemployment benefits to these families.

Yet our “benevolent” government provides benefits to those who are able-bodied yet abuse the system. For example, a common scam is to work just long enough to be eligible for unemployment, and then get yourself fired so you can live on the government dole for a while. Then there are those who live on welfare and have no intention of becoming productive members of society. While I firmly believe there must be a “safety net” for those who are unable to work for health reasons, we’ve got to do something about fraud and abuse of the system.

Please write your senators and congressmen and let them know you are outraged by this lack of caring for those who have been, and want to be, productive members of society. Let’s get our priorities straight in this country and stop always hurting the middle class.

Thoughts on Thanksgiving Day

2010-11-23T17:40:00.001-05:00

As the U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving approaches, I’d like to share a few thoughts. When you give thanks, it is usually someone whom you are thanking. The Pilgrims were thanking God, not the Indians and certainly not their lucky stars. They were very religious people thanking God for delivering them from death, something that a good number of their original group hadn’t escaped.

Of course they invited the Indians to dinner in appreciation for their help, but the Pilgrims were thanking God despite the hardships they had suffered in that first year in the New World. Today, we don’t mention God so much, so Thanksgiving Day has degenerated into turkey and football, with the original meaning all but lost and revisionist history being taught in our schools.

Even if it’s been a rough year – and for many it has been, with the future uncertain for many more – we Americans should still pause to count our blessings. Despite trials, we’re pretty well off in this country. Let me end with some portions of my sermon on why we should be grateful.

Some may not feel particularly grateful this Thanksgiving Day– they’ve had a tough year, or they’re worried about what might happen in the future. Some have lost loved ones or there are other difficulties in their lives. So they ask, “What have I got to be grateful for?”

Despite the difficulties we all face at one time or another, we still have many things to be grateful for. Our many blessings are frequently overshadowed by the worry or grief we experience during those inevitable trials in life. As the pain subsides with the help of God, we can once again appreciate all that God has done for us. Then we can more easily give thanks, and obtain that peace from God that may have eluded us before.

How do we get that peace of God, even in the midst of a trial? The Apostle Paul tells us how we can experience peace and comfort in Philippians 4:6-7: Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. NRSV

Let’s look at some of our blessings and begin to count the reasons why we should be grateful.

We are blessed by those who put their lives on the line for us every day: fire fighters, police, and the military. We are fortunate that in this country, the police and military are not instruments of oppression as they are in many places in the world.

We thank God for those who advocate for those who don’t have much of a voice in our society: the poor, oppressed and marginalized. Let us be inspired to stand up for what is right and work for peace and justice in this imperfect world.

In President Franklin Roosevelt’s State of the Union address on January 6, 1941, he laid out four basic freedoms that for the most part all of us enjoy.

Freedom of speech and expression
The first of these Four Freedoms is Freedom of speech and expression. We should give thanks that we are able to criticize the government without fear of the secret police knocking on our door and hauling us away.

Freedom of worship
The second of the Four Freedoms is Freedom of worship. While there are groups who are trying to limit that right, we can still gather to worship God without worrying about government spies taking names. We can’t begin to imagine what a blessing it is to have the freedom to worship as we please without fear or arrest or even death.

Freedom from want
The third of the Four Freedoms is Freedom from want. This isn’t guaranteed in the Constitution like freedom of speech and worship. However, we as a compassionate society believe we have a moral obligation to relieve poverty and care for those in need. Unfortunately, eliminating poverty is something that appears to be beyond our ability to achieve. The current economic conditions have resulted in middle class families losing jobs, homes, and retirement savings. However, we can be thankful we have the ability in this country to succeed and are generally not held back by artificial barriers.

Freedom from fear
The last of the Four Freedoms laid out by Franklin Roosevelt is Freedom from fear. While we may be worried and fearful about the future, we don’t have many of the fears that plague people in other parts of the world. We don’t have to worry about the secret police knocking at our doors or the religious police enforcing dress codes for women. We don’t have to worry about rebels attacking our village and doing terrible things. So let us be thankful for freedom from these kinds of fears.

We should give thanks for the ready availability of food due to the fertile soil we have, adequate water, and an efficient distribution system. Many other parts of the world suffer from droughts, poor soil, and meager crop yields. Also clean water is in short supply in many parts of the world. In places like Sudan people have to walk miles to a source of clean water.

We should also be thankful for the fact that we have a decent roof over our heads, unlike the people in Haiti who are living in tents or under tarps. We also have adequate clothing to keep us warm in the winter. And of course we should be thankful for a source of income to provide for these basic necessities and more. While that income may be in jeopardy, at least for now we are getting by, for which we should be thankful.

We should be thankful for our families and the support we receive from them. We can be thankful that God put in our paths people who became like family to us – our close friends. We should be thankful for our church family, which are like family to us. May this thankfulness translate into a more caring attitude on our part for our families, friends, church family, and community.

Lastly, we should be thankful for our health, even if it isn’t what it used to be. Be thankful for the good years you had, and how well you are doing, all things considered.

When we consider all that we have to be thankful for despite problems and trials, we should have a true spirit of thanksgiving in our hearts. We should be thankful, not just once a year, but daily. Once we accept that we are not given any special immunity from life’s troubles, then we can give thanks for God’s help even in times of need. We also have to remember that with these blessings comes responsibilities, mainly stewardship of what God has entrusted to us.

Let us remember that we are not put on this earth to be happy or privileged, but to know, love, and serve God. The most important relationship we can have is with Jesus, who gives us eternal life and helps us get through this life. Let us use this Thursday to give thanks to God for all he has blessed us with, and encourage our family members to do the same. So let us give thanks to the Lord for he is good; his love endures forever. Amen

Exorcisms

2010-11-15T19:54:00.000-05:00

There was an article recently in the Poughkeepsie Journal reporting that the Roman Catholic Church is training more clergy to perform exorcisms. An exorcism is a ritual used to cast out demons from a demon-possessed person. Demons are the fallen angels who follow Satan and do his work. I’m sure a lot of people read the article and felt demon-possession is a left-over superstition from medieval days or something from biblical times but doesn’t happen anymore. I want to explore the topic of demon possession in modern times.

We read mostly about demon possession in the New Testament. Jesus cast out demons from a number of people, and we also see demon possession in the Book of Acts. Skeptics have claimed that these people weren’t demon-possessed, but were mentally ill. That might be true in some cases, but it appears that most of these situations involved demon possession (super-human strength – Matthew 8:28-34; clairvoyance – Acts 16:16-18).

Do we have demon possession today? I think we do, although it certainly isn’t widespread. Think of the most evil men of the 20th century. I believe they were demon possessed. Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, to name a few. Even without demon possession, we are influenced by them because we are in a spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:10-20).

The next question is, can an exorcism get rid of demons that are possessing someone? I’m not sure. Obviously it wouldn’t be the ritual that drives out the demons, it would be God. So any ritual must invoke God and place trust in him. If you believe only in the words, then that’s magic and superstition. I guess the exorcism ritual has worked enough times that the Roman Catholic Church wants to have more priests trained to both discern what’s going on and to effectively deal with it.

The Rise and Fall of America

2010-11-10T13:54:00.001-05:00

Historians have written on the fall of mighty empires, such as the Roman Empire and the Third Reich. I’m sure books will write of our rise and fall as well. While it is inevitable that every country and empire will reach its peak and will then decline, there are hopefully things a nation can do to slow that decline. Looking at history is one way we can determine what to do and what pitfalls to avoid.

We think of the Romans as decadent, and they were. However, early on, during their rise, they had a republican form of government, fairly high moral values, and public servants who were dedicated, served their terms, and then went back to their regular lives. As time went on, the Romans lost those original values that helped make them great and they became decadent and corrupt. Eventually they became so weak that Rome fell to the barbarians and the Western Empire collapsed.

I believe the United States peaked in the 1960s and has been in decline ever since. Here’s what I believe is contributing to that decline:

(1) We have lost our Judeo-Christian ethic that helped make us a morally upright and decent country. Sure, we weren’t perfect, yet today we have abandoned God, we are yielding to forces who want to push God out of our society, and have trampled on the Constitution. Our culture is trashy and politicians have made a career rather than serving their terms and then going back to the farm. We must get back to God, our earlier values, and the original intent of the Constitution to slow down the decline.

(2) Our economy is being drained by expensive wars, importing billions of dollars worth of oil, having more imports than exports, and wasteful government at all levels. We must quickly end our dependence on foreign oil by having an energy policy that reduces petroleum usage ASAP.

(3) We have shot ourselves in the foot by reducing our manufacturing capacity and importing most of our clothing, appliances, steel, and many other things. We need to have decent jobs and a robust manufacturing sector to avoid further decline.

(4) We have a crumbling infrastructure that we’ve neglected for too long. We need to build modern nuclear power plants, keeping the old coal-fired plants for peak summer usage. We must upgrade our rail system, the power grid, airports, bridges, roads, and other infrastructure to be competitive in the global economy.

(5) We have let greedy forces ruin our economy, and I’m not just talking about Wall Street and the banks. Absurd demands by unions have forced jobs overseas, because the labor component of American-made products was simply too expensive. The power of unions must be curtailed to some extent to prevent further outsourcing of jobs.

(6) Americans are under-educated compared to much of the industrialized world. Tenure should be abolished at all levels of the education system, and primary and secondary teachers must be held accountable and ineffective ones terminated. There should be more programs for gifted students rather than eliminating them to reduce the budget. To keep school taxes from rising, schools should institute more fees for extra-curricular programs and sports. Why should our taxes pay for a football team when only a handful of kids can play?

Let’s make our newly-elected representative accountable so we won’t find ourselves a second-rate country working for the Chinese.

Obamacare-Let's Rethink It

2010-11-07T17:31:00.001-05:00

Tea Party supporters and many Republicans want to see Obamacare repealed. I think we need to be careful because there are some worthwhile aspects to it. There are also some significant things missing from it. I would say it should be reworked, not repealed.

I have a lot of respect for Bobby Jindal, the current governor of Louisiana. He used to be director of Louisiana health and hospitals department, 1996-98; executive director of the National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare, 1998-99; president of University of Louisiana system, 1999-2001; assistant secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001-2003. The guy is an expert on health care.

About 15 years ago I attended a seminar on healthcare in which he was the featured speaker. His talk was impressive and informative, and I knew this guy was going places (he could be a contender for President of the US in 2012). In an article in The Wall Street Journal, Jindal explored the flaws in Obamacare and expressed his own suggestions on what would be a better solution. Below are two of his suggestions:

•Medical lawsuit reform. The practice of defensive medicine costs an estimated $100 billion-plus each year, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, which used a study by economists Daniel P. Kessler and Mark B. McClellan. No health reform is serious about reducing costs unless it reduces the costs of frivolous lawsuits.

•Insurance reform. Congress should establish simple guidelines to make policies more portable, with more coverage for pre-existing conditions. Reinsurance, high-risk pools, and other mechanisms can reduce the dangers of adverse risk selection and the incentive to avoid covering the sick. Individuals should also be able to keep insurance as they change jobs or states. (© The Wall Street Journal, July 22, 2009)

I would ask you to encourage your senators and representative to rework Obamacare to make it better, keeping the provisions that are beneficial (such children until age 26 can be on parent’s plan; pre-existing conditions can’t be used to refuse coverage; you can’t be dropped by an insurance company because you’ve gotten sick). With the Democrats still in control of the Senate and a Democratic president, Obamacare won’t get repealed anytime soon. However, if both parties work together to improve it along the lines of Bobby Jindal’s WSJ article, then everybody wins, especially you and me.

Therefore, I ask you to email your senators and representative and encourage tem to rework Obamacare for the good of everybody.

Recent Election

2010-11-03T11:16:00.000-04:00

I was happy to see that there appeared to be a high level of interest in this election, and there was pretty good voter turnout. Voting isn’t just a privilege, but a duty. Voter apathy results in elected officials who aren’t made accountable.

Now that the election is over (thank God!), I believe you and I need to do three things:

(1) First and most importantly, we need to pray for our elected officials. We don’t hesitate to complain and criticize, but how about a little prayer?

(2) We should send an email to all our elected officials at all levels of government reminding them that it was people like you and me who voted them in, and we can vote them out. They should be reminded that they are accountable to the electorate, not to special interests, the party, or big contributors. I would do this politely and respectfully, but firmly. As part of the email, I would briefly explain what you are expecting of him or her on key issues (i.e., clean up Albany once and for all; provide disincentives for shipping jobs overseas; reduce the deficit).

(3) I would occasionally email my thoughts on various issues so that they can get a sense of where the electorate stands. You can’t expect your senator or representative to fulfill your wishes if all he or she hears from are the special interest groups and lobbyists. We need to express our opinions also. They may not read your email but their staffs keep a tally of how the mail is running on various issues. Keep them informed and accountable!

Faith in Your Religion?

2010-10-28T18:10:00.000-04:00

In an earlier post I mentioned how a NASA psychologist said that the trapped Chilean miners had “faith in their religion.” This was said on a NOVA program about the rescue effort. In that earlier post, I said “You don’t have faith in a religion, or if you do, it is certainly misplaced faith. You have faith in God, not in a religion.” I want to expand upon that statement.

To define terms, I define a religion as that set of beliefs and practices that best expresses your faith. Just as a sacrament is an outward sign of an inward conviction, so religious practices are outward signs of your inward faith. Your faith is not in your religion, but in God or some “higher power” or a particular philosophy that guides your life.

For Christians, how does the Church fit in with this? The Church is a gathering of like-minded people who come together to practice their religion. The Church is not an organization, although there is structure to it. The Church is not the clergy, although they are part of it. The Church is not a set of doctrines, although doctrines guide and clarify beliefs. First and foremost, the Church is all of its members, who gather for regular worship, for fellowship and mutual support, to grow in their faith through education (Bible studies, Sunday school), and to conduct various ministries, outreaches, and missions to tell others about God, to help to relieve suffering in the world, and fight injustice.

Therefore, your faith is not in a particular church, because it is merely a vehicle for practicing your religion. Your faith isn’t in your religion, because religion consists of a set of practices and an organized compilation of beliefs in God. Your faith isn’t even in the Bible, because the Bible reveals God and God’s truths to us. It also is a vehicle, not the object of our faith. Our faith must be in God, not in the instruments that point to God.

Those who don’t place their faith in God ipso facto place their faith in something else. In my opinion, placing your faith in anything else but God is faith that is misplaced. In what else do people place their faith? In the Church (as I mentioned earlier); in technology; in government; in political correctness; in other people or themselves, to name a few. Let me ask you, Where are you placing your faith?

NOVA on Chilean Rescue

2010-10-27T10:01:00.000-04:00

Last night (Oct. 26) I watched a TV program on PBS about the rescue of the 33 miners in Chile. This NOVA program was very interesting, and took us step by step through the rescue effort. However, they didn’t tell the whole story, as often happens with the mainstream media. They left out the faith component for the most part.

Yes, a NASA psychologist who was interviewed did say that “faith” played an important role for the miners: faith in themselves, faith in their families, faith that efforts were being made to rescue them, etc. Then, almost as an afterthought, he added “and faith in their religion.” Faith in their religion!? What does that mean? You don’t have faith in a religion, or if you do, it is certainly misplaced faith. You have faith in God, not in a religion. That shows the ignorance of that NASA psychologist.

There were two other things totally left out of the story of the rescue. One item that was extremely important in giving the miners hope was the nightly Bible study. José Henríquez, one of the trapped miners who became the spiritual leader of the group, conducted nightly Bible studies for the men. That was never mentioned in the NOVA program, yet I suspect was critical in keeping the men focused.

The other thing, not mentioned or shown, was that many of the rescued miners were wearing a certain T-shirt when they came up in the rescue capsule. The shirts said ¡Gracias Señor! (Thank you, Lord!) on the front, and on the back was a reference to Psalm 95:4: “In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him.”

While we rejoice that God delivered these men from certain death in the depths of the earth, the media refuse to mention the faith component of this situation except for some passing references. Why does the media consistently eliminate God? I suspect it is because God isn’t politically correct, and by all means we must be PC. Will political correctness deliver this country from its troubles? I don’t think so. Let’s place our faith in God, not in man-made philosophies, and let’s acknowledge God and the role faith plays in so many lives.

Sanctity of Life

2010-10-22T11:25:00.001-04:00

We were excited when those 33 miners were rescued in Chile, but there was also a mine disaster in China around the same time in which 77 miners died. One statistic that was quoted as part of the story is that there are 2,600 mine deaths a year in China. Safety is lax and China doesn’t seem to care. Compare that to the effort undertaken to rescue 33 miners in Chile, and what we’ve done in the U.S. to rescue miners when there’s a disaster. In addition, we in the West have taken precautions and provided rescue shelters in our mines, while China has done very little. Why the difference?

It’s simple. We in the West have at least remnants of the Judeo-Christian tradition which says all people are made in the image of God, everybody is precious in God’s sight, and God loves everyone. Human life is valued, and valiant rescue efforts are made when a life is in danger. In other countries without such a tradition, life is cheap and not as highly valued. In addition, there are 1.3 billion people in China, so their attitude is “what does it matter that 2,600 people die each year in mine accidents?”

What scares me is that as the West moves further away from its Judeo-Christian roots, life will have less value than it does now. Another threat to the sanctity of life is the teaching of evolution in the schools. If humans are just higher-level animals, why should we particularly care about human life? If a child is exposed only to evolution and never hears God’s side of the story in Sunday school, he or she will naturally devalue human life. That’s probably one of the reasons we have so much bullying (see my earlier post on that subject). I encourage parents to go to church and take their kids to Sunday school so these values don’t disappear from the West.

Desecrated Cemetery

2010-10-20T19:59:00.001-04:00

My wife and I recently returned from a week in New Orleans. We enjoyed the good food, the music, the architecture, and even the unusual cemeteries. Sadly, we had an incident recently in which a local cemetery here in Dutchess County suffered vandalism. The mother of a woman I know is buried in that cemetery, and she was quite upset that her mother’s gravestone was toppled.

There’s a cemetery near my church, and I see people walking their dogs in it all the time. It makes me wonder how those people would feel if someone else’s dog urinated on their mother’s gravestone or took a dump on their father’s grave. One of the reasons those people are walking their dogs in the neighboring cemetery is that we’ve banned dog walking on the church property. People from the neighborhood were walking their dogs and not picking up after them, showing absolutely no concern for a property that isn’t theirs.

What does this tell us? I think it says several things. First, that our society is becoming less caring and considerate of others. Second, we haven’t educated our children about being considerate of others and the sanctity of a cemetery (or even church property). Third, some kids have entirely too much time on their hands (assuming the vandalism was done by kids) and parents don’t seem to know or care where their kids are.

Parents, and especially pet owners, I ask you to train your kids to respect the property of others, and be a good example to them by picking up after your dog. In addition, educate him to not vandalize and know where your child is.

Endless Recession

2010-10-19T14:57:00.000-04:00

It seems that the current economic downturn is continuing despite some claims that the economy is turning around. For the first time in my life, I am pessimistic about the future. Our country is in such a mess that I don’t know how we are ever going to recover.

We have a huge national debt, we continue to have an unfavorable balance of trade (we import more than we export), we are dependent on foreign sources for much of our oil, we owe other countries (including China) huge amounts of money because of their loans to us (if those loans get called in, we are bankrupt as a nation), the dollar is shaky, our manufacturing base eroded, many of our jobs are gone forever (either exported overseas or just disappeared) the housing market is still depressed, and businesses aren’t hiring. In addition, social security will eventually go bust unless something is done now, we are losing our technological edge, and many state and local governments are in deep financial trouble, meaning even more layoffs and reductions in service plus higher taxes. Congress can’t agree on anything, so the critical issues are not being addressed.

That’s just a partial list of our economic and governmental woes. In addition, our nation is turning away from the God who has blessed it immeasurably, morals continue to decline, people of faith are ridiculed and mocked, church attendance appears to be declining, much of the population is biblically illiterate, and situational ethics, relativism, and political correctness have taken the place of the Judeo-Christian ethic that used to be the norm.

I haven’t told you all of this to depress you, but to motivate you to turn back to the God of your forefathers (and mothers). We are in such a mess that only God can get us out of it. Is it too late? I don’t know – it might be – but yet we should grab hold of this verse, and recite it every day.

[I]f my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14, NIV)

Looking at that verse in context tells us that it originally applied to the Israelites, yet I believe we can claim it for our own country as well. So let’s stop pushing God out of our lives, out of our culture, and out of our country. As people of faith, we must be proactive, or our country will continue to sink lower and lower spiritually, morally, ethically, culturally, economically, and every other way.

A Misguided Church

2010-10-07T17:00:00.000-04:00

A court case has been brought against members of the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas that has a policy of staging demonstrations at the funerals of servicemen and women killed in combat. I can’t believe a church does such things to grieving families. Obviously this kind of behavior is extreme and is terribly misguided.

For one thing, they’re demonstrating at the wrong place. If they don’t like government policies, then demonstrate where the politicians and judges are, not at a soldier’s funeral. Don’t pick on innocent families who have lost loved ones. I remember how poorly our returning troops from Vietnam were treated, and I hope we’ve learned our lesson: don’t blame our troops for government policies we don’t like – blame the politicians.

Second, this “church” (I put it in quotes because it certainly isn’t acting like a church of Jesus Christ) isn’t following the commands of Jesus to love one another, love your enemies, and do unto others. Such behavior in the name of Christ brings shame to that name when our behavior should bring glory to him.

This court case is being brought by the family of the Marine killed in action whose funeral these “church” members demonstrated at in 2006, displaying hateful signs against the military and homosexuals. These “church” members believe the wars we were fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan are God’s punishment for our society’s tolerance of homosexuality. So these nitwits have taken upon themselves the task of “cleaning up” the United States. In doing so, they are doing everything contrary to the teaching of Jesus, whom they claim to represent.

At issue in the court case will be the right of free speech. No constitutional right is absolute. Even certain kinds of speech are prohibited. While what they are doing is a protest, which is protected by the Constitution, the way they are protesting shouldn’t be protected speech. For example, you can’t legally “protest” by setting a building on fire, interfering with traffic, or constantly interrupting a candidate’s speech (you’ll be escorted out of the building). While I don’t want to see free speech abridged, this “church’s” free speech is hateful, disruptive, and serves no legitimate purpose. This group should find a more legitimate and less hateful way to protest if they feel they must protest at all.

Let’s pray that the court will have wisdom in this case, and also that the members of the Westboro Baptist Church will see the error of their ways.

Bullying – Part 2

2010-10-06T10:48:00.001-04:00

Some say that churches who preach that the practice of homosexuality is a sin are promoting hate. This is true for a few lunatic fringe churches that get in the news occasionally, but I believe most churches are careful so as not to promote hate or prejudice. While the Bible is explicit that the practice of homosexuality is against God’s will (in both the Old and New Testaments), such biblical disapproval doesn’t give anybody the right to persecute, harass, or bully those who are gay. Therefore, Christian parents should instruct their children not to bully kids who are different from them, pointing to Jesus as their example. Jesus hung out with the “undesirables” of his culture, and caught a lot of heat from the religious elites because of it. If anything, parents should instruct their kids to befriend the new kid who just moved into the area (“care for the strangers and aliens in the land”), and the kid who is different in some way. Then you and your child will be truly living out the Bible’s commands.

You might ask, how can you balance the biblical disapproval of the gay lifestyle with loving those who are gay? Again, just look to Jesus. He never denied people were living a lifestyle inconsistent with the moral law (such as the woman caught in adultery or the Samaritan woman at the well) but he loved them nevertheless. God is all about grace (unmerited favor) and as Christians, we should be instruments of God’s grace. Instead, some Christians become instruments of condemnation, thinking they’re doing God’s work by denouncing gays.

On the other hand, some deny the biblical disapproval of the practice of homosexuality because they just can’t reconcile the fact that some people appear to be “born gay” with the biblical injunctions against the practice of homosexuality. To me that is a cop-out. The Bible is clear on the issue, and if you claim to believe it is the Word of God, then you must accept even those parts that you have trouble with. But we also have to look at the Bible in its entirety to discern how we are to respond. As I mentioned before, grace, mercy, and love are at the heart of the biblical narrative (in both the Old and New Testaments) and so we as Christians must exhibit those to all, whether we disapprove of what they are doing or not. Jesus is our model.

Therefore, we must teach our children that bullying and other forms of prejudice are wrong. Parents must also lead by example, and should never exhibit hate or ridicule any group by making nasty comments or calling a group by a hateful name. Kids will do as you do, not do as you say.

Bullying

2010-10-05T16:06:00.000-04:00

There’s been quite a bit of discussion about bullying ever since that incident at Rutgers where a guy secretly used a webcam to record love-making by his gay roommate. Bullying has always been a problem in schools, usually involving picking on those who are different in some way (nerd, wears glasses, gay or effeminate, etc.) Today, bullying has reached a whole new level with the Internet.

Both girls and boys, gay and straight, are being bullied via the Internet. They are being embarrassed, humiliated, and harassed with falsehoods about them being put on Facebook and other sites. Bullying is present even in middle schools and lower grades in some form or another from what I’m hearing. This is a serious problem, because kids are developing their self-esteem and don’t need to be put down like this. Moreover, some kids dread going to school and facing their peers because of what’s being put on the Internet about them or even face-to-face bullying in various forms. This has got to stop.

When you hear about all this bullying, I think it is obvious that parents aren’t doing their job in teaching their kids proper values. Kids who learned “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” “Love your neighbor as yourself,” and tolerance for those who are different aren’t the ones doing this bullying. It’s the kids whose parents aren’t involved in their lives, who don’t monitor their kids’ TV and Internet activities, and who don’t know the meaning of the words “boundaries” and “discipline.” I’m shocked at how so many parents don’t set boundaries for their kids these days, and how they think little Johnny can do no wrong.

Schools can only do so much when it comes to sensitivity training. Schools and churches can only reinforce the values that parents are teaching their kids, they can’t be the primary sources. Since much of the bullying today takes place off the school campus, there isn’t a lot of policing they can do. I suspect that if more parents took their kids to church or synagogue, enrolled them in Sunday school, and taught and modeled good behavior, there would be fewer incidents of this vicious bullying we’re seeing these days.

Let’s pray that parents will wake up and be the kind of parents God intended them to be, and will really get involved in their kids’ lives. As we read in Proverbs 22:6: Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. (NIV) We also read in Proverbs 23:13a: Do not withhold discipline from a child. (NIV) Good advice that today’s parents need to follow so we will raise up a next generation that is responsible, kind, and considerate.

The Missional Church

2010-09-30T16:31:00.000-04:00

I heard something recently that intrigued me. The statement was something along these lines: “The time of the institutional church is over and the time of the missional church has begun.” This was mentioned in passing, and not explained. However, I think I know what that statement means. If you are a pastor, in a church leadership position, or looking for a church, this might interest you.

I believe “institutional church” refers to those churches that are mostly Sunday morning institutions. People come to worship and see themselves as part of an institution, but nothing much else happens. The institutional church, with its structure and consistency, used to be a bulwark of society. It was the center of social activities in many neighborhoods and towns as well.

Things have changed, and the church is viewed quite differently. The local church is no longer a center of social activity because there is so much else going on in people’s lives. The institutional church has lost credibility because of clergy abuse scandals, and serious and nasty divisions within the church regarding various social issues (mainly homosexuality). Today many feel the church is irrelevant. How do you make the church credible and “relevant” (however that might be defined by those making the claim of irrelevancy)?

I believe the church must move from the institutional model to being missional. What does being missional mean? I suspect it means different things to different people, but in general I think missional means being intentional about serving God by serving others. This involves, depending on each church’s call and a lot of other variables, having various ministries to serve its members and the community; sending out and supporting missionaries; and working to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the unchurched in your community. Some would add seeking justice for the oppressed and marginalized, which is appropriate if a church is called to activism (but the church must do it in the name of Jesus Christ, otherwise it is just another benevolent organization).

If a church exists only to survive and isn’t thriving, then it isn’t missional. So maybe that’s something your church should look at. How are we serving others? Are we inward-looking or outward-looking? Is our church more of a social club than anything else? Is our community better because of our presence? Are we more interested in doctrine than in people? While worship and discipleship are extremely important, mission and ministry are as well.

May God bless you as you examine your place of worship and seek God’s direction for it.

Clergy Appreciation

2010-09-29T09:17:00.000-04:00

Over the years I’ve heard horror stories about how pastors have been mistreated by congregations or by factions within congregations. Before I became a pastor, I saw it firsthand at a church I was attending. I was horrified because I had grown up in the Roman Catholic Church in the 1950s where the priests were treated with the utmost respect (I’m not sure how it is today).

October is clergy appreciation month, so that might be a good time to show your appreciation to your pastor. A better way to show your appreciation is to not sit idly by when he or she is being mistreated by malcontents in the congregation. Don’t let these people, who want the church run THEIR way, to cause dissent. Such people cause conflict and disruption, and create a spirit of oppression. As a result such churches aren’t growing because any visitor to that church feels the oppression and will never come back.

People that dominate churches and make them their own little fiefdom aren’t following the teaching of Christ, who said in Matthew 20:25b-28:

"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many." (NRSV)

If your church is disrupted by discontent, pray for it, stand up for your pastor, and don’t let these people dominate the life of the church. They aren’t following God’s will but their own selfish desires.