Bears And Phones

I have found that recently I have fallen into the trap of judging my days according to circumstances rather than simply knowing the sufficiency of Christ who is over all circumstances. Accordingly, God, I believe, has sent two incidents to remind me that He is still in control and that if I love Him, I can trust Him. From the title of this blog you probably have guessed that these incidents involve bears and phones.
First, the bear. It was at the end of our church’s Daily Vacation Bible School week. By all our standards it had been a very successful week. The truth of the Body of Christ having many members with different gifts was borne out as church members used their individual gifts to fill every need. Each night children came and a clear presentation of the Gospel was given and received. On Tuesday night while returning home from the church, a bear cub tried to out race our car. He couldn't nor could we avoid him. When I got out to check him, he lifted his head and a snort from the woods reminded me his mother was not far away and not happy with my presence. I decided wisely not to linger. As I returned to the car (rather hurriedly) I thought how things were fine after all. The cub scurried away, there was no significant damage to the car. VBS was going well. Life was good. Then Friday came. VBS went okay. Some key helpers were not able to be there, but we were able to cover things and the demanding week was over. We had much to be thankful for. Then the bear…This time it was not a cub. It came out of the blackness of the night, and as the cub a few nights before, was trying to outrace the car. There was no time to swerve. There was impact. I soon learned a few things that I hadn’t noticed before.

First, bears bounce. When we looked back the bear was gone. Second, it is hard to explain how a bear hit your car to an insurance company representative (“No, I did not hit a deer [that was two years ago]… it was a bear not a racoon… we did not hit it, it ran into us… No, bears are faster than you think”). Third, when a full-sized bear hits a compact car in its side, it will do more damage to the car than to the bear. Fourth, having rental coverage on your auto insurance comes in handy. Fifth, hitting a bear tends to put a definite damper on your day. Suddenly, the blessings of the week seemed overshadowed by this latest circumstance in my life. However, I knew the car would be repaired and we would be responsible only for our deductible. Things were not too bad.

Then, the phone… Not a regular phone, but one needed for my wife to work from home. She has commuted for a year (one and a half hours each way) to a job that promised the opportunity to work from home. The time had finally come, the internet connection was enabled, but the phone did not work despite our best efforts. More commuting will be necessary until a new phone is successfully installed. What a disappointment. A friend, in passing, asked how I was doing that day and I related the story of the phone. Once again, I was allowing circumstances overshadow my whole day.

Some of you may be asking what’s the point to all this. After all, you have faced situations much worse than a dented car or a few more days of a lengthy commute. If not, you undoubtedly know someone who has.  Yet the Bible in The Song of Solomon 2:15 mentions that it is the little foxes that spoil the vine. It is little things that get our eyes off our heavenly Father and on to our selves more so sometimes than the major events in our lives. We become satisfied with how things are, but we forget Who is really in control. We forget that God is God and we are not. We proclaim our worship and praise for Him, but fail to trust Him for the little things in our lives. We fail to recognize the sin of not loving God enough to trust Him.

The car will get fixed. The phone, well, that is pending. I pray for the grace to trust God in all these things. He is faithful, and while things don’t always work out the way we expect or desire them to, Romans 8:28 still rings true. All things do work together for good for those who are in Christ. Lord, help me to love you enough to trust you in every thing.

I Went For a Walk Today/Will This Cause Global Warming?

I went for a walk today, which is nothing new of late because I am currently responding to a challenge by my wife to have a healthier lifestyle. My goal started out as an attempt to lose weight (was I really up to 260 lbs.?) which required watching what I eat and getting more exercise. The exercise of choice is power walking with our dog, Pippin. I am currently up to around four miles a day. I have had success losing over 30 pounds. Pippin looks great!

However, in my desire to be a responsible world citizen, this exercise program brings me to a quandary . Might I be adding to global warming? If indeed carbon dioxide gas is a major cause of global warming as we are being led to believe, then my increased exercise might be adding to the problem. Here’s how I have it figured: If I walk four miles a day, that’s four miles worth of increased respiration and four miles worth of increased oxygen consumption and four miles worth of increased carbon dioxide emissions. To make matters worse, by taking Pippin with me, I’m causing her to do the same. How could I be so irresponsible? Wouldn’t it be better for me to abandon this health kick, gain the weight back, ignore the fact that I feel better with less weight (how could I be so selfish?), shorten my lifespan and thus decrease my carbon imprint on this earth?

For those of readers (all two of you) who think I have lost my mind at this point and will soon denigrate in to mindless ramblings, you may not be far from the truth. There is that danger here, for I do enjoy mindless ramblings, especially when I am the one doing the rambling. However, on the other hand (perhaps a greater danger here), there is a point to all this.

It should be obvious that all I have written up to this point is tongue in cheek, and that I do not hold the current politically correct conjectures concerning global warming in high regard. To say that I believe all the rhetoric advanced by the other side, would be not be accurate either. I do believe that it can be demonstrated that we do live in a period in which global temperature has warmed. I also believe that it can be equally demonstrated that our earth has gone through cycles of both global warming and global cooling and that we may just be at the warm end of one of those cycles. After all, in the 1970’s there were the concerns of global cooling. In any case, I have not seen any convincing evidence that there is anything man can do that will greatly affect natural temperature cycles. But then again, I may be burying my head in the sand as global warming enthusiasts would not doubt claim I am doing.

As a believer in Christ though, I see another side to all this. While I do believe that there is a need to live responsibly in this world God has given us, and if there is anything we can reasonably do to inhibit adverse climate change, then we should do it providing the evidence is clear (I’m not giving up my walks, though). However, global warming is not to me one of life’s major problems, spiritual cooling is. We do have a trend, not only in America but worldwide, where men are simply turning their backs on God. What has been declared sin according to God’s Word is now given legal status by the law of the land. Men who stand up for Biblical principles are denigrated and dismissed as bigots. Churches of every denomination, in an attempt to retain relevancy and stem declining attendance, embrace popular thought including that concerning global warming, neglecting the warnings that are real in Scripture and more important have ceased proclaiming the Gospel. Preachers who dare to insist that God’s judgment is coming are let go in favor of those who are more politically correct.
The truth of the matter is that the world is in decline both spiritually and physically. God created the earth perfectly, but according to Romans 8:21-23 all of creation is under the curse brought on because of man’s sin. Our world is deteriorating and will continue to do so until Jesus returns when global warming will be the least of man’s problems. The plagues described in the Book of Revelation are not to be seen as merely symbolic. God has promised to judge the earth. This world will dissolve (2 Peter 3:10) and a new (or renewed) earth will come into being (2 Peter 3:13). Sin, which is man’s rebellion, will be no more. All will be good. This is not mere conjecture, in that it has basis in God’s Word. If we are serious about the status of our planet we must heed the Bible’s warnings. What other book is there where it could be said (and backed up) that 100% of its prophecies describing events already taken place have come true? Why should we then doubt that the rest of what the Bible says is in store for this earth will take place as well?

If we were able to solve the issue of global warming, we have done little to save this earth from its ultimate destruction. As a believer in Christ I see the only solution to man's problems is found in the message of the Cross of Jesus Christ. It was on the Cross that He made the way for my salvation. It is the Cross that has become our banner for it shows us the evidence of God’s love. The message of the Cross (that men are sinners, Christ died for our sins, and that receiving Him brings eternal life) brings us the story of redemption which is for eternity. This world will pass away, but life in Christ is forever.

End of The World?

Flash: The world did not end, my computer is back.


It seems that every time I turn around it picks up a virus and my computer goes down. In a time where conspiracy theories run rampant, new predictions of the end of the world surface daily and economic collapse is said to be imminent, I turn to my computer to help me regain some of the sanity I still have left. When it is not working, it is the end of the world (at least it seems that way to me). Maybe these computer viruses are indeed a part of a worldwide conspiracy to disrupt the normal flow of things, bringing a total economic collapse and along with it global warming. I don’t have any idea where it could all lead, but then I’m consumed with worry about whether or not I’ll ever get my first Social Security check if the budget impasse is not resolved in Washington. But now my computer is back and I can take comfort that at least something is going right-- at least until the next virus shuts it down again.

Tongue in cheek aside, it does appear that every time we turn around new conspiracies are being exposed, new predictions about the end of the world are made and more concerns bought about concerning issues of the environment, including global warming. To say we live in turbulent times is an extreme understatement. There is no question that things are rapidly changing. Case in point, ten years ago, my computer was not as important to my daily routine as it is now. Today, I receive my daily mail over it, I can do my work on it, I can even get instant news and weather reports on it, and more importantly, I can even find out who the Mets are going to trade next. Yes, things are indeed changing rapidly but, is all this change for the bad? Who knows?

When I engage in this line of thought, I realize that things are not as uncertain as they seem. There are answers to many of life’s questions even though not all will be made clear this side of Heaven. There is a Book which makes many predictions about things that are to come, and while many disagree concerning the meaning of the predictions in this Book, the outcome is clear. The end is in sight. However, the end is not an end at all, but a new beginning of a new Earth which will last for eternity. Someone has said it this way, “I’ve peeked at the end of the Book and guess what, we win”. While this statement in my opinion is overused, there is truth in it if the “we” mentioned is true believers in Christ.

There is no question that things are escalating around us. Changes are happening at a frightening pace. The end of things as we know it is coming. Whether it be in a few years or fifty, this one thing is certain, Jesus is coming. We don’t know the date. God does. We can have the assurance that He is in control even though things change, and even when my computer doesn’t work.

This writer can’t imagine how anyone taking an honest look at the current events in our world can deny the veracity of the Bible. It’s all there. The depravity of man, the propensity toward evil, but also the Grace of God, all described in this Book, are constantly being revealed in our modern world. Where can we turn but to the One Peter described as being the only One with the words of eternal life? “Neither is there salvation in any other, there is no other name under heaven whereby we must be saved ( Acts 4:12)”. To the believer is the comforting thought that we are to cast all our care on Him (Jesus) for He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). I can rest assured even when things go wrong.

Why Do They Do This?

I recently made an expensive mistake. Again! I clicked on an email even though I should have known it was a fraud. But they made it look so important and after all who wouldn't want be drawn to answer an email from the IRS. Only afterward and my computer was shut down-- hijacked actually by a virus that promised to go away if I would subscribe to a computer fix-- did I remember that the IRS does not contact through email. I said "again" because I had a similar thing happen before. After telling myself how dumb I was and pledging never to fall for such a thing again, I had to fork out cash for a legitimate fix that has left my computer without all the programs I had on before causing me to take time to reinstall the necessities.

After I reacted to the "How dumb can I be?" question, I the began asking why people do such things as this. It's no question that the instigators of such a virus were trying to get something from me, either cash or my credit card info, or both. That they caused the problem in the first place, does not seem to affect their conscience. Is what they did illegal? Probably so, but to my knowledge, I have no way to catch them and prove what they did. Maybe they would have fixed my computer if I had paid them the cash, maybe they would have just taken my credit info and run with it for as far as they could. I don't know.

This experience reminded me about the world we live in. Sin is rampant. People are unconcerned with what they do to others as long as they come out ahead. However, do they come out ahead? There is a saying, "What goes around, comes around", meaning how I treat others will come back to affect me. While this is a secular saying, there is a biblical basis to it. Galatians 6:7 says,"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." While, I do take some comfort that the instigators of my recent computer woes won't really get away with it in the long run, there is a larger issue here. What happens here on earth only affects us temporarily. My computer is fixed,  I'll recover. But eternity is forever.

In 1964, a tragedy hit our family. My oldest brother was killed in an auto accident caused by a drunk driver. Talk about indignation, anger and a desire for revenge. My father certainly had from a human standpoint the right to all of these. He made a request of these authorities at the time, and I don't know if it was honored or not. Dad asked that he be allowed to visit in the hospital the men responsible for this terrible accident. But Dad did not seek to vent his anger on them, or seek revenge in any manner. He wanted to share with them the Good News about Jesus Christ. The actions of these men had cost my Dad his son, but Dad wanted to give them heaven.

So now when I commiserate on the problems I attribute to others, I need to get such an eternal point of view. Time here is too short to waste being bitter. God sent His Son to redeem a lost world. I may regret a monetary loss, but God will provide (He already did). I need to seek to concentrate on the message of the Cross. I no longer have to pay for the deeds I have done (we all have fallen short of God's perfect standard). Jesus paid it all. My debt has been paid. I just have to receive His forgiveness by receiving Him into my life.

As I write this I don't know who may read it, but whoever reads this, there is one thing I can guarantee. You have problems. People have disappointed you or will do so. Life is too short, but eternity is forever. I beg you to consider the claims of Christ. I beg you to read His Word (start with the book of John). Receive Him into your life: John 1:12 and all will be different.

Strangers In A Strange Land

Hebrews 11: 8-16 describes followers of God as sojourners looking for a city not built by hands. First Peter 1 echoes this by referring to believers in Christ as strangers on this earth. In a world that is so increasing growing hostile to those who stand on the truths of the Bible, this truth is more and more clear. True believers in Christ are citizens of another country than the one in which we dwell. Our allegiance is to that heavenly country where Christ is first and foremost.

It is easier to pen these words than to actually live them. The Church of Christ has been under attack so much in recent days, both from within and without. We have endured the condemnation of Harold Camping who has declared that Christians who attend a local church are not truly saved, and now many believers are facing outrage, ridicule and rejection, because of their stand on moral issues. We ought not to be surprised (and yet we so often are), because the Bible describes us as in a spiritual war that does not cease. There is a real enemy who is trying to distract and destroy us and to rob us of peace and victory. We need to remember the truth of Hebrews 11 which is we are merely sojourners here. This world is not a friend to the Gospel and certainly not to the believer in Christ. We are the most vulnerable when we try to fit in.

What has lulled us to sleep in my opinion is that we live in a country that is special in many ways. It is certainly different than most in that it was founded upon Christian principles. Believers have rights and privileges that do not exist elsewhere. However, as we see our country turning increasingly to the secular, we see these principles being abandoned and our religious freedom being threatened. When we protest as is our right as American citizens we are seen by society as the ones who are intolerant because we refuse to condone lifestyles that are clearly contrary to what is taught in Scripture. We ought not to be surprised when legislation is passed that goes against our moral convictions. The Bible is no longer seen as objective truth from the mouth of God, but something to be changed by interpretation to fit the present circumstances and to conform to political correctness. We seek to warn in love, but we receive back bitterness and hatred.

Romans chapter one describes the progression of the depravity of man. Basically, it tells us that man in his pride has left the truths of God and claiming to be smarter than God has set up his own way of doing things and in so doing has fallen into the deepest depravity. Having changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipping and serving the creature more than the Creator, these have been given up unto vile affections: which involves lifestyles contrary to what is by nature (not my words--see Romans 1:25-28). The Bible then calls this having a reprobate mind “…to do those things which are not convenient”. But when we suggest that God means what he says we are called intolerant, and sel-righeous, because we refuse to look for an interpretation that allows for reasonableness.

Either the Bible is seen as truly being the Word of God, or it is just another book. As Christians we depend on the fact that it is, indeed, the Word of God. Without this being so, we have nothing on which to stand and nothing on which to base our salvation. But as the Word of God we must take the Bible to mean what it says, even if we do not like what it says. It is not to be edited, or changed by interpretation. When it says, “Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? (Matthew 19:4-5)”, we don't have the luxury that allows us to change meaning in an attempt to be politically correct.

The key to understanding the Bible is that it is the story of our salvation. Man has sinned and the wages of sin brings death. All the evil that’s in the world, all the tragedy that man brings upon man, even death itself, is because of our sin. Jesus died so that we do not have to bear the penalty of our sin and so that we don’t have to continue to live under the destructive power of that sin. Pointing out sin, which is living contrary to God’s will, is not an intolerant act of self-righteousness if done through the love of Christ. Our motive needs to be one that seeks to warn so that others can avoid the consequences of activities that ultimately will only bring destruction. Love takes risks. We may receive anger in return. But the potential reward of loved ones turning away from things that destroy and to a life in Christ outweighs the risk.

Believers in Christ will always be misunderstood. We are citizens of another country, a heavenly one. Many of those with whom we share our time on this earth will not hear what we have to say, but if we are true to God’s Word and act in His love—not out of self-righteousness there are those who will and bring praise to Jesus' name.

Bring Them In

I know the last blog on this site was talking about Harold Camping’s attack on the local church. However, I feel there are still more things to be said. Camping’s teachings may not have pulled away so many from the local churches if they were doing what God has called us to do. The emphasis, I said in the last blog, has to be on the Gospel, which is the Truth that we are sinners bound for Hell, but Christ paid for our sins on the Cross at Calvary and whosoever receives the Lord Jesus is saved (see I Corinthians 15:1-5; John 1:12; Romans 10:13). I said in that earlier blog that if a church is teaching this, it is on the right track. However, a church can have the correct doctrine about salvation and still lose its focus.

Camping’s claim that the Holy Spirit has left the local church is unsupportable from Scripture. However, it is easy to see how many might believe Camping when many churches have left the sound teaching of Holy Spirit which is the Gospel. The focus has become how to bring people in the doors of the church, but not on how we help them understand the simple truths of the Gospel. It has become unpopular to speak of sin and even more unpopular to suggest that there is only one way to heaven. Some churches boast of their show on Sunday mornings with sayings like, “Come, be greeted with
a smile by one of our friendly Volunteers, enjoy coffee, experience upbeat and uplifting music by our band and be inspired and encouraged by a creative, compelling, and practical message.” Where is the Gospel in such an invitation? I would daresay that in many our churches there is more of an emphasis on the praise and worship team than on an evangelism team.

How can the local church think it is doing its job when this is so? But that is not all that can be pointed out that’s wrong in our local churches. We have been quick to denounce someone as outrageous as Camping who has continuously made false predictions, yet we stand by saying nothing about others on the airways claiming unction from the Holy Spirit, yet preaching a false Gospel. Indeed it is a false Gospel when one says that Jesus’blood on the Cross did not pay for our sins, that his suffering in Hell did. It is a false Gospel that says Jesus is God and we to will be little gods like Him when we are saved. It is a false Gospel that says Jesus gives us salvation but we have to keep it. We applaud when Sky Angel takes Camping’s programs off the air, but what about these other false teachers as well?

The Gospel is clear. Jesus is uniquely God, the Son.  He is not a god, nor are we. He is not the angel Michael or any other angel. Jesus is not a man who became God. He is God, and as such the only one Who could pay for our sins. He did it all. He even gives us the grace to believe (Ephesians 2:8-10). Jesus Christ changes lives. We are short changing people when we water down or minimize the Gospel in any way, manner or fashion. Our world is in a terrible mess. Congressmen commit immoral acts, lie about it and then say they only did that to avoid embarrassment, and people buy it. Ours is a world of sinners in a desperate situation. Getting people into church however we do it is fruitless unless we give out the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Judgment is coming (just not on October 31). However, God's invitation is still valid and still clear. Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Shout it on the rooftops, shout it in the streets.  Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost.

What's Wrong With This?

We have been witness to a direct attack against the Church, the Body of Christ. The recent pronouncement of the end of the world from the airwaves and on billboards across the country also carried a condemnation of all organized local churches with the judgment that no one in these churches are saved (or they wouldn’t be in these churches). This is indeed an attack on the local church as well as an attack on The whole Body of Christ for there are believers in local churches despite the claims otherwise. Salvation is based on the Gospel, not on where one worships, and as long as a church preaches the Gospel, it is on the right track.

However, some of the criticisms that have been made concerning the local church are valid. There have been many strange doctrines drifting into the local churches.  There are issues with leadership. The time has come that we must ask how good a good job our churches are doing to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We must consider whether the local church has drifted from this primary path and is more focused on “church growth” than on winning souls. We must be careful not to replace the Gospel with programs designed to bring people in our doors without offending anyone.

Many of our churches have become lazy in getting out the Gospel. We get so satisfied with what we are and the fellowship we enjoy with our friends in the church that we forget to reach out to a lost and dying world. Other churches err in the other direction trying so hard to attract the lost that while trying not to offend anyone  that the Gospel has been so watered down as to become recognizable. Still other churches have sought the excitement that comes from new and different things and in so doing have brought in teachings and practices contrary to to the clear teachings of Scripture.

The local church must stand firmly on the simple Gospel that Jesus Christ died for our sins, and that whosoever calls on Him, shall be saved. When we back away from this or add to it in any way we compromise our message. While our methods may differ as will our styles of worship and many minor nonessential doctrines, the Truth that Jesus saves through faith alone must be held sacred for it is sacred. There can never be any compromise on that. As long as we have this Truth there is life in the local church.

The recent pronouncement of the end of the world was changed when the world did not end. It has now been proclaimed that the world has been judged with the result that no more can be saved. We can dispute this point vigorously from Scripture going from verse to verse or we can show that the
local church is alive and well by winning lost souls to Christ. This does not happen by concentrating on the things that are superficial but rather on dwelling on the Truth of the Gospel, letting it change us from within.