Hollywood's "faith" bullcrap

The influence of Hollywood on our clothes and hair and even our social views goes without saying. Fine: tell me what to wear. Where I draw the line is on faith. The dumbest, most dysfunctional people on Earth telling me what faith is? No thanks. Hollywood loves to imply that faith in Christ is sort of a fairy tale that you can believe along the same lines as Santa Claus. From the History Channel to educational materials to historical literature, ancient historians are used to document ancient history such as that of the Roman Empire. What do the historians Thallus, Suetonius, Tacitus, and Josephus have in common? They are all used to document the history of Rome AND they all wrote about events surrounding Jesus of Nazareth. If the Bible did not exist there would be documents to examine about Jesus that are as strong as any document for the existence of Shakespeare. JESUS OF NAZARETH IS A HISTORICAL FACT. Believing Jesus' existence and miracles require no faith. If 500 people testified that you robbed a bank, you ARE going to jail. More than 500 saw Jesus alive after He was laid in his tomb. This is why Jesus asked Peter, "who do you say that I am?'  Everyone has an opinion on Christ; he was a teacher or he was a prophet or something else. The question is for everyone. You have to decide if He is the Son of God; not whether he exists. Real faith is more related to obedience. Science and Medicine have their beginnings in FAITHfullness to the truth of Christ's existence. Faith is following what you know is true. Faith is not believing that Jesus Christ is real; faith is believing that He will make you a whole person forever.

Seed of Good

Each time God finished his creative works He would say "it is good". He said it about everything that He made. I like to think of it this way- The SEED OF GOD IS GOODNESS. As He created living organisms, God set in motion a process by which all things reproduce themselves by seed. The fruit of the earth all comes from seed that thrives in the soil. And yet the soil is in decay. The nutritional productive part of soil is the decayed life of other organisms. Good from decay. Good from death. Life from Death. Isn't it amazing how Good springs up no matter how great the darkness? It is the theme of almost every tale, story, book or film. GOOD CAN'T HELP BUT SPRING FORTH FOR IT IS THE SEED OF CREATION. This was my thought as I saw the victims name plaque being assembled at the 911 Memorial Site in New York. 3000 families have a name on that plaque. Now 3000 families and a whole nation take pause at this plaque to meditate on life and death, the love of family, and their spiritual standing. Darkness took their loved ones and now Good rises from the plaza at Ground Zero. It was a place for commerce; now it is a place of reflection about the importance of family, the reality of good and evil, the importance of freedom, and a place of interaction with the Creator. Where there was death and darkness,  Love lives on there.                     The Poet Percy Bysshe Shelly wrote: Music, when soft voices die, vibrates in the memory-  Odors, when sweet violets sicken, still live within the sense they quicken- Rose leaves, when the rose is dead, are heaped upon the beloved's bed- And so thy thoughts when thou art gone, Love itself shall slumber on.

The Great Manager

Not a week goes by that you don't hear someone somewhere give thanks to God for His goodness, mercy, and love. And by the same token question Him for the existance of evil. Many say a good God cannot exist at all if in fact evil exists. I would argue that the existance of evil is one of the best arguments that the spirit world does indeed exist. Can evil be a product of the biological process? I think one of the greatest attributes of God is His ability to manage evil. TO DENY THE REALITY OF GOD BECAUSE OF EVIL IS IN FACT ONE OF THE GREATEST EVILS IN ITSELF. Evil exists because freedom exists. To deny God because of this is to deny Him for creating your free will; your center of life. The subject of HELL runs parallel to this topic; with the same questions and assumptions. Hell is in fact the final step in the "management" of evil. As I see it, Hell is a container that keeps the worst of evil occupied with it's own torment so it cannot operate and oppress. Different levels of torment or "occupation" are required for different levels of evil. God's mercy is evident in the concept of hell. God deserves the highest of praise that He can manage, tollerate, overcome , use for ultimate good, and finally contain evil when evil is part of free will. This is like seperating good from love. This is amazing! God is Amazing!

Eternity in the heart

Recently on tv I saw Episode 4 of the Star Wars movies. This was the first of the 6 and ends with Luke Skywalker and Captain Solo receiving medals for destroying the "Death Star". My heart leaps inside me every time when a movie ends with Good overcoming Evil. I can't begin to count how many times I have been brought to tears of joy when Good is victorious. I am sure it is the same for you. But why? For the answer there are 2 Bible passages that stand out. Ecclesiastes 3: 11 and Romans 1:20 confirm what we already know in our hearts; that there is more to life than the temporal. Ecclesiastes 3:11 seems to communicate our awareness that we are not done when we experience physical death. This is confirmed in the belief systems of every culture in the history of the planet. TO POSSESS ETERNITY IN THE HEART IN OUR SPRITUAL CONSCIOUSNESS IS TO ALSO POSSESS THE REASON FOR ETERNITY. The ultimate purpose for the creation is for God to overcome evil with good. This is the answer. This is why you connect so strongly to movies and stories with this theme. Eternity in your heart knows that God is good and good will prevail. You spend most of your time in life caring for your physical body. When you see good win your spirit is being fed. So don't hold back; let those tears fly! ; It is good for the spirit.

cannibals we are

Recently I saw a documentary about cannibalism. They explored cases from ancient tribal rituals to serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. The normal human reaction to such a thing is that it is possibly the worst thing that can be done by a human. I pondered this and thought ; aren't we all cannibals? Jesus Christ demonstrated with perfection a selfless life; full obedience to God's will. No one has done this perfectly since. The majority of us live a cannibalistic life. IN FACT OUR SPIRITUAL PERFORMANCE OF CANNIBALISM IS WORSE THAN SOME OF THE TRIBAL RITUALS I SAW ON THE SHOW. The Dieri people ate small pieces of their deceased relatives out of respect; to take some of that loved one into themselves. In my mind a far worse form of cannibalism is an addiction to pornography; the willing exploitation of someone's daughter for your own need to feel affirmed in your masculinity. What about sex with prostitutes, pedophilia, homosexuality, or for that matter casual sex in general? There is no regard here for the object of their desire. There is only a pleasing of one's own spritual appetite; a consuming of another for their own need. This reality of course does not just play out in sexuality. Most musicians are in a band to be seen for what they can do individually. Most employees are not concerned with the survival of the company they work for and most citizens of a nation are not concerned with the survival of their country. Most people hope they can "consume" and retire before anything bad happens. It is interesting to observe the Dieri; their sexuality existed in the family unit and they worked and hunted as a group for the survival of the tribe; Looks like we've come a long ways from the primitive days?

unconditional

Think of someone you love. What is it you love about them? (If it is their looks you will get over that soon enough). You really love the heart or soul or spirit of that one. You love the spiritual capacity of that one to love you in return. You love their gifting or talent. You are not in love with that mole on their back; and not in love with their character flaws: especially the self-centered side of them as you perceive it . NOW think of some things you love: there's music, animals, food, nature, and your sexuality to name a few. CONGRATULATIONS! You are in love with the mind and heart of God! He thought of and created all these things. You may not be in love with the "self-centered part of God" . The part of God that demands your obedience to submit to HIS plan of reconciliation. But you are in love with His mind- the mind that gave you the capacity to choose acceptance or rejection of His way; your own free will. What do you like on your sandwich? You are free to choose. Isn't it a beautiful thing? Who could have thought of such a great idea? I know! - God! Perhaps in seeing the flaws of loved ones or our ideas about God we are revealing our own greater self-centered flaw- our own inability to love unconditionally. Can you grow in your ability to love another human unconditionally? Congratulations! You are now acting like God. Now complete the cycle- love God unconditionally!

Heart is where the human is

Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed that grows into a tree. What does this mean? In essence it means that there is a great discrepancy between who you are now and who you will be when the "kingdom" grows to maturity. In matters of human behavior we are not yet the person we were created to be. Simply put; we are not our true selves. The person we are from day to day is a persona built to survive the rigors of a world that is out of line with God's wisdom. We must survive parents who are imperfect or outright evil; the pain inflicted by their sin and imperfection; and the fruit of our own sin which is largly a reaction to our own pain. (It's a mess ain't it!) It seems simplistic but we are what we have to be to survive. IT SEEMS AS THOUGH GOD'S MERCY IS PRESENT EVEN IN OUR SIN MANIFESTATIONS AND COPING MECHANISMS. We survive while the Holy Spirit is bringing us to Christ. In Psalm 139:8 David said "If I make my bed in Hell (sheol) your presence (God) is there with me. This cycle of sin and coping is what we are born into. The absence of the Holy Spirit means our genes are the suggestive "voice" of our behaviour. The bible calls this the "flesh". We are genetically wired toward patterns otherwise known as sin. The x-factor is the voice of God via the Holy Spirit. The bottom line: the condition of our heart is the dominate factor in where our humanity is and therefore who we are presently. Proverbs 4:23 perhaps summarizes volumes and volumes of psychology. It says that the heart is the center of life. Wow! Scripture that is thousands of years old once again astounding in its relevance.

Who has ears?

In the movie "Forrest Gump" there is a scene in which Lieutenant Dan played by Gary Sinise is standing in the crow's nest imploring God to increase the power of the hurricane force storm that is nearly destroying their vessel. Dan's life has not played out as he wanted and he boils over with emotion in apparent displeasure toward God. The scene undoubtedly makes reverent religious folk cringe.

Sometimes our "reverence" is a neat outer shell as we keep things like underlying anger locked away in a separate compartment and throw away the key. It seems to me that real reverence toward God is laying ourselves open before a loving God who can help us. After all God is not intimidated by our humanity. He embraces it. He affirms it. We pray and study the Bible for years to learn about God and still somehow convince ourselves that God will be disappointed or shocked if we were to fully express anger or disappointment. How can God be disappointed in you if he has no false ideas about you? He already knows all.

For my money, the trip to that crow's nest better resembles a real relationship with God than the church "back-biter" or the church gossip ever did. I think about something Jesus said; "He who has ears let him hear". Who is "hearing" in these two scenarios? Is it the one who has heard hundreds of sermons and is still the same or the one who has come to the end of himself? You already know the answer. The end of ourselves is where God really begins a work in us. As I write I can hear Forrest Gump's voice in my head saying "He made his peace with God that day." Perhaps more of us should follow the example of Lieutenant Dan - "make our peace" and get real with God.

Do we fear death?

Far from our minds in Western culture is the reality that we are mortal. It is of course human nature to avoid our mortality, and most of what we do as humans individually and as a society is to prolong its inevitable reality. We never really think about it until we experience a national tragedy or a loved one's death. Even as I write about it I feel some discomfort knowing some will consider it morbid or disrespectful as a topic of discussion. There is, however, nothing wrong with considering an inevitable truth of life. I certainly place the highest value on life as I ask this question. Do we fear death?

Many people write off the existence of God altogether based on one thing - the fact that children die. The death of a child proving that God does not exist is like the end of pepperoni production proving that pizza does not exist. Perhaps the difference in perspective concerning death between us and God is revealing. The most significant recorded acts of God concerning humans involved physical death as an act of His mercy. The physical death sentence handed to humans via Adam and Eve was to deliver them from the same "one strike" judgement experienced by the angelic realm. This was the beginning of the age of grace. The Great Flood preserved the human genome. The single greatest act of love towards humanity was the DEATH of Christ.

Human life spans were shortened (Gen 6:3) for many reasons among which were to deliver people groups from the lengthy rule of wicked leaders and to bring individuals to a relatively quick decision about their standing with God. This in effect minimizes judgement for evil. A man could have 700 years of evil to be judged or 70. Which is better? In the eyes of a merciful God, the shorter life of 70 years. Why would it be any different today?

God knows what is best for you concerning death. God is in control of your life so why live in fear? TO FEAR YOUR DEATH IS TO NOT VALUE YOUR LIFE. If Christ had valued His life over obedience to the Father, where would we be? What if Nate Saint had "valued" his life and ignored the calling of God to the Huaorani people of Ecuador? There is a big difference between "self preservation" and "living" life. Do what you know God put in your heart; LIVE your dreams.

Perhaps 2 Peter 1:3-8 is a good way to close. "His divine power has given us everything we need for LIFE and Godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this reason make every effort to add to your faith goodness, knowledge, self control, perseverance, Godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of Christ." Now THAT is living.

Setting Love In Order

C. S. Lewis wrote of God “setting love in order” as THE work of God in man. It is an amazing thought. Love is considered to have 4 basic categories. In simple terms these are STORGE (affection, especially from family), PHILIA (friendship), EROS (being in love), and AGAPE (unconditional love). It is interesting to discover this very order in the good parenting that results in emotionally healthy people.

STORGE manifested in touching, holding, eye contact, along with the emotional impact of being wanted are the most basic needs of an infant up to 4 or 5 years of age. Most adults do not understand that a baby, unable to understand speech, receives instead the full emotional impact of rejection or acceptance. Infants formulate concepts before speech and perceive rejection and acceptance and yet are unable to express their fear or anxiety. To an infant a lack of STORGE is equal to being alone; and for an infant being alone is like death. Without STORGE something dies inside them.

STORGE love leads a child to the next developmental stage where they begin to formulate a healthy internal image of themselves. Healthy PHILIA is then able to exist as they interact socially. Girls, for instance, will not find themselves in need of the affirmation of a boyfriend in the back seat of a car because they have a foundation of affection from their dad. They are then able to come into EROS and handle it with a clear mind and make clear decisions about marriage (and not have a loss of control emotionally, based in a need for STORGE). And finally they are able to come into AGAPE when the feeling of falling in love has faded.

The reality of the human condition, unfortunately, leaves us more times than not growing up with these loves “out of order.” As a result, we find hundreds of ways to cope. Everything from alcohol to pornography addiction to homosexuality - we run the gamut. We know there is forgiveness and grace in Christ and at the same time we know that “repentance” is part of serving and pleasing God. If we made a sincere commitment to Christ the Holy Spirit will convict us to repent (to leave behind) of these things we have used to cope. And yet many times we can’t seem to overcome these things except in short time spans.

To come into full repentance we first must understand something about the nature of sin. Sin is mostly self-centered in nature. Coping mechanisms put self-made solutions to our needs before God’s solutions. A coping mechanism that is sexual in nature is, in a sense, cannibalism in that it uses other humans to meet a need. Self is therefore the motive and not concern for another. Other coping mechanisms like alcohol eventually isolate us or become priority over the needs of our loved ones. Again, self.

God’s will is for us to fully depend on Him and not self-produced coping. This is accomplished through God’s Word and fellowship with God through prayer and worship. Obedience to God is eventually rewarded with peace in understanding a balance between grace and repentance. God gives us grace and forgiveness for our failings on the road to repentance. God gives us wisdom through His word and our fellowship with him to understand why we self-cope.

The result of all this is that we come into a healthy relationship with God and we are able to love people with pure motive. We find ourselves operating in the basic law of God as Jesus expressed it. “Love God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself.” And love is “set in order” in us.