IT'S BAAACK, I THINK TONIGHT

Our son's favorite tv show returns. For 8 weeks instead of 16. As a casual viewer, I think that may be a good thing. There's a whole lot of other stuff that usually goes on that I won't mind not seeing. It's that way with a lot of shows, except my two favorites--Heroes and Friday Night Lights. Something about no accounting for taste.

But why is it that the secular world makes fun of Christians trying to win the lost? Why is " a born again Christian" said with sarcasm? like we are some lower life form? And the implication that if one is born again, if one espouses creationism, he/she is looked at as one of lower intelligence?

It bothers me, but only for what it might do to others. What I mean is, I don't mind, in fact I expect to be persecuted for my beliefs in Jesus Christ. If I'm not persecuted, then I'm falling short in my spiritual walk. That is, if the secular world can't tell whether I'm a Christian or not, then I have failed miserably.

But some seeker, questioning could be influenced by the outlook depicted in our humanistic society, fed by the media. I know, if the Holy Spirit convicts; yet I think we are used by God to help get those lost to the point of responding to the Spirit. I know God had great Christians to guide me every step of the way from parents and grandparents to Sunday School teachers to VBS teachers. My spiritual mentors continue to this day with Christian friends with pastor and music director friends to a strong Christian wife. I'm also blessed, and I don't take this lightly, with strong Christian children. And blessed is the right word. I've truly been blessed.

So it saddens me when I see Christians looked down upon. When I see evil influences mock Christianity. Why someone would want anyone thrown into the fiery lake is the best, actually worst, example I've ever heard of "misery loves company."

WE MAY NOT CALL HIM DAD, BUT HE WANTS THAT KIND OF LOVING RELATIONSHIP WITH US

Heavenly Father, God, Lord, Father God, Abba, Yaweh, but not Dad. It's too informal, too friendly. Yet that's exactly the personal relationship He wants with His children.

Well, maybe not the Dad part. Because He is sovereign. In everyway, in everything.

And the beautiful thing is, He pursues us. So many times we go looking for Him. He is there. In everything. Especially smack in the middle of our lives. Working for us. With His grace, He's trying to bless us. He's trying to love us.

But it's not a one-way relationship. Well, in fact, sometimes it is. How that must disappoint Him. And it's never the other way where we pursue Him, but He's too busy. That's never a problem. While we might not be able to pick up our cell phone and call President Bush or Condi Rice or even Oprah, we have full 24/7 access to the Father. He won't even put us on hold. With celestial hymns while we wait. We have His attention when we want it. Wow! And immediately.

It's not enough though. It's not relational until we spend time with the Father. The more time we spend with Him, the more we grow in Him. The more He speaks to us. The more He asks of us.

This is what we're learning in our Bible study in Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby. It's about God's pursuit of us. And God's pursuit, we're finding out is anything but trivial.

A HO HUM IN ONE

If you, faithful reader(s) click on my other blog, you'll see that yesterday I made a hole-in-one on the golf course. Some people play their whole lives and never get one. I've had two. And if you think I'm boasting, you're wrong.

Of course, I was happy. I was glad that my wife was along to see it and celebrate with me. I was glad a long time friend was also there. It was fun to call our kids and tell them of the accomplishment. But it also taught me something.

The hole, number 7 at Desert Canyon in Fountain Hills, is a beautiful Par three that is way below the tee box, so we had a perfect view of the golf shot going into the hole. As pleased as I was, as great as the moment was, I stood there feeling that it wasn't all that important. Honestly.

When I told my wife this morning, she said, "Well, that's because it wasn't your first hole-in-one."

"I don't think that's it," I answered.

I think I've grown as a Christian since 2001, the time of my other ace. I think now that I do focus more on the things that are important. In our Band of Brothers Bible Study II, we are studying Experiencing God by Mr. Blackaby. He tells us that we must make adjustments in how we invest in our life. And how God, who constantly works for us, expects us to make those adjustments unique to all of us.

I love to play golf. I truly enjoyed the moment yesterday. But while I share with close friends and family, it's not all that meaningful. Solomon would say it's all vanity or meaningless. (We've been studying Ecclesiastes in Adult Bible Fellowship). And I agree.

So do I think God blessed me with the hole-in-one? Oh, yes. Do I think God wanted me to learn about treasures and priorities and focus? Yes, again.

Thank you, Father for the guidance, for the lesson. Feel free to teach and teach me again. I'm afraid I'm a slow learner who needs refresher courses. Amen.

WHEN WE ARE TOAST, JESUS IS THE BREAD OF LIFE

But also importantly, Jesus is the bread of life (John 6:35) for us when we come to Him. We are so blessed that we don't have to wait till eternity to enjoy the bread of life. We get to do that every moment of our lives. After we accept Hikm as Lord of our lives.

When we thirst, He is the living water. No matter how much we hydrate ourselves with water, bottled or from the tap, we will sate for water again. With Jesus, we still desire water, but also know He is our reservoir. We can go to Him for the quenching that is like no other.

Scripture also tells us He is the gate, the shepherd,the sacrificial lamb, the substitute, the suffering servant, savior of the world, the authority over Satan, the Son of God, cornerstone of the church, the Word in the flesh, the complete revelation of God, the vine, the King of the Jews, the high priest, and the Messiah.

But of all the things He is, none is more important than His being "the life, the truth, the way." (John 14:6) The only way to the Father God. And if you miss that, well, you've missed it all.

GOODY TWO SLEEVES

That's the name of the company that makes the tee shirt. The tee shirt that reads "Jesus loves the Hell out of you".

When I first saw the shirt, I frowned. You see, as all good Christians we should dislike anything that puts our Lord and Savior in a bad light. Then it sunk in: that's right. He does.

Born of Adam and the sinful nature of man, we are inheritantly bad. As a result, we must accept God's gift of His grace--our salvation. If we make no response to Him or reject Him as Lord and Savior, then yes, we are going to Hell. So, the attention-getting tee shirt is right. Jesus loves us that much to ensure we spend eternity with Him and God the Father rather than in Hell.

Does Hell exist? Certainly. Why? Because the Bible tells us. In fact, Jesus taught more in scripture about Hell than He did about Heaven. That's because He wants no one to spend an eternity separated from Him. He desires that no one be thrown into the fiery lake where there is gnashing of teeth. And why gnashing of teeth? I would think because of all the missed opportunities that those who reside in Hell missed. All those people who tried to offer the plan of salvation to them. All those people God placed before them to respond to His gospel. All the rejection, the delays, the turning of cold shoulders that resulted in their lack of salvation have come back to haunt them. Forever.

Jesus will "love the Hell out of you," and what's more, He'll love you now and all the way to Heaven.

LIVING A SPIRIT FILLED LIFE

It's so hard for me to separate. I thirst for intellectual understanding of biblical principles. I love reading about the prophets, the kings of Judea, the wonderful characters of the Bible. The way that Jesus in the New Testament referred to or cross referenced old Testament teachings. But is that where it ends for me, with head knowledge? How do I know?

Is my purpose a deeper knowledge of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? Am I equipping myself for evangelical or ministry discipleship? Am I trying to edify the church body? support the church pastors and staff?

Lots of questions. I know that living by the Spirit means that I am freed from the restraints of OT law. A law of sin and death. And the power they had over me. I know the Holy Spirit indwells me. I know that Heaven is secured for me. I know that Jesus died for my sins and rose again and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

So I know some things intellectually. I know some things in my heart.

I know from Hebrews 13:6 that "the Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

Clothed in the armor of God, then I can be Spirit-led. It's up to me to be Spirit-filled.

WE KNOW WHAT'S RIGHT

This week in our Small Group,we were studying the book of Daniel. Discussion centered around why Daniel was terrified (NIV) of Gabriel when the angel appeared to him. Something that Young Yip (is that a cool name or what?) said really got me to reflecting about fear.

When The movie The Ten Commandments came out, I was nine or ten years old. (A couple of others in our Small Group thought I was 9 or 10 when the original commandments were given to Moses.) But I was at the movies with a few friends back then, and I recall being really scared when they worshipped the golden calf.

This is the same 9 or 10 year old who loved The Abominable Snowman (well what little I saw of it, since a friend and I were asked to leave), The House on Haunted Hill, all the Vincent Price does E. A. Poe movies, with no scare or trepidation at all.

But when I saw them dancing around, worshipping the idol, I was frightened. I just knew how wrong it was. I felt uncomfortable, almost like I was endorsing the act by watching it.

Similarly, when I was a freshman in high school, some seniors took me to a party in the woods one Friday night where I saw some friends of mine, and a sophomore cheerleader drinking beer. She was sitting by the campfire with a sweater on, looking cool, laughing, enjoying the party.

I just wanted to get out of there. And I liked her a lot. But I knew what they were doing wasn't right. Fortunately, the guys I were with didn't drink either and we left after about five minutes. But I still remember the feelings were similar.

I guess I learned at a young age that if something doesn't feel right, it's not. At whatever age.

THE LIGHTHOUSE AT PEGGY'S COVE

One of the most photographed lighthouses in the world stands in Nova Scotia at Peggy's Cove. Population: 39.

John 1:5 tells us "the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it". The light in scripture is, of course, Jesus Christ. The darkness, the domain of the evil one. Who works invisible at night.

Remember the arguments of your teenage years with your parents? "Why do I have to be home by midnight on Friday night?"

"Because nothing good happens after midnight."

"What could I do after midnight that I couldn't do before midnight?"

"But after midnight is when the freaks come out."

When you're on either side, you think you're right. But, if you're really honest with yourself (the best lies are the ones we tell ourselves, someone once said), you know that while your argument about time may be technically correct as a teenager, your parents were correct in actuality.

At Peggy's Cove only 13 people will respond to the light with abundant fruit in their lives. That's the sad statistics. The other 26 will remain in the darkness. That beautiful light will be obscured by the terrible darkness of Satan and sin.

And in that picture, it may not even be midnight yet.

NOW, ABOUT THOSE NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS...

Many years by January 14th or so, my resolutions are out the door. The weight loss, the workouts, the weight lifting--all those good things for the body have fallen by the wayside. But it's not too late for 2008.

Three years ago I decided to read the Bible in one year. You see, here I was. A church goer my whole life, but I had never read the Holy Bible all the way through. Not in 56 years. I had read a ton of other books in my undergrad and graduate studies in English, but I'd never read the Holy Bible all the way through. So I decided to do it all in one year.

There are several ways to do it. And you can start today. One is the way it was written from OT to New Testament. That's the way my wife read it through the first time. My first time was the chronological approach. There's also The Bible in One Year. There's a Bible in 90 Days that I started last year. Care to guess how long that lasted? Well, I still have 89 days till completion.

This year I am reading it according to the Daily Bread. So far it's Genesis and Proverbs Sunday through Friday. The New Testament is read only on Saturday. Isn't that something? That you can read the entire New Testament for 20 minutes each Saturday.

Yet other ways are the Living Bible on CD. A friend of mine is doing that first thing every morning, and he's enjoying it so much that way. Another way is to read just the footnotes at the bottom of a Study Bible, though many would say that's not being in the Word. I'd agree, but it's still edifying.

So go ahead. It's not too late. Read the Holy Bible this year. Remember the Word was Jesus in the flesh. That should be enough to get you started. You'll be glad you did. I promise.

PLACE NOTHING ON TOP OF THE BIBLE

Good friend Jim Crawford told me that as a young boy growing up, it was a steadfast rule in his house: nothing is to be placed on top of the Holy Bible. I had never heard that before.

But I've embraced it. It just makes so much sense. Nothing is of higher value. Nothing is more important. Nothing deserves more respect.

A Sunday School quarterly, a notebook, a hymnal, a pair of glasses, a pen--nothing goes on top of my Bible anymore. Oh, sometimes I mess up, but I quickly rectify my mistake.

In our Monday night BSF small discussion group, we have to re-arrange the room when we're finished and prior to heading to the lecture. Big tables must be moved and put back into the correct order as illustrated on a chalkboard diagram. Last Monday night a friend of mine just recovering from thyroid cancer surgery from a week ago, placed his notebook and Bible on top of mine as we moved the big tables.

I nearly decked him right there in the church. Do you think I've taken the principle a little too far?

But I was calm: I simply took his Bible and notebook and threw them on the floor. Ok, I didn't. I didn't even think about it. Or about decking him. I'm not that legalistic. But I did register an infringement. It did catch my attention. Nothing more.

HE PUT THE STARS AND LESSER LIGHT TO GOVERN THE NIGHT

Gen 1:16 And there was evening and there was morning--the fourth day.

In another place in scripture we're told God knows all the stars by name.

I've always loved the night sky. I'm not well versed in the constellations at all. I can find the big and little dipper, and that's about it. I'm not sure I can even identify the north star. I think I confuse it with a planet. Needless to say, I have no clue when it comes to Orion or Scorpion. I'm just as lost in horoscopes and signs, but I don't care about them. I do wish I knew more about the constellations, though.

When we were in South Africa, we were in the middle of a 50,000 acre game preserve, far away from everything. Our only lights were two flashlights that shone on our dirt paths leading to our casitas. And the sky was magnificent. I was awed by seeing all kinds of stars from horizon to horizon. I know that's probably another malnomenclature, since there's only one horizon, but how else do I explain stars from right to left, low and high?

I just was mesmerized. I asked our guide the next day about them, and this was his explanation. In the Northern Hemisphere we are looking out at the Milky Way. Something about 4 spheres. In the Southern Hemi, they're looking into the same galaxy. Thus more star gazing opportunities. Also with no city lights for relection or refraction, the sky took on another view than what I see in Scottsdale when I fetch the morning paper.

I'm still not sure I understand. But as Popeye once said (or should have said if he didn't) "I knows what I likes". And I likes those stars.

OUR LIONS WERE CLOSER, CLEARER, AND MUCH BETTER LOOKING

I've been gone. For three weeks. I went to South Africa and didn't get to blog.

Two of the three weeks we were cruising where I met an interesting priest during our non-denom services on ship. Father John Emmanuel Gallagher from Concord, Mass. And he told me why we travel and go on cruises.

It's all about Psalm 2:8--"Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession." Father Gallagher added, "I'm just checking out what a God who loves me gave me". I couldn't agree more.

Well, at least the last part. And I do think that God wants us to be happier than most are. Also travel allows us to be salt and light as well as to give God the glory.

Case in point. When we weren't cruising, we were on safari or visiting Victoria Falls. In Chobe Game Park, we went on safari four different times in a 4 x 4 all terrain vehicle with our guide(s) and two other couples. We saw fantastic game and beautiful birds. Up close and personal. My wife still marvels at how close she got to a leopard.

But to skip to my case. While I was paying the bill for our experiences at Chobe in Botswana, my wife was signing the guest list complete with our names and address and comment. Most comments were favorable expressing thanks for the experience and the beauty of the lodge and animals. In her comments, CQ wrote, "God's creations are truly amazing here."

Simple. Direct. And how true. As Christians we have to speak up in today's secular world. Travel gave her that opportunity. I was proud of her for her comments, and I think God was pleased as well.