Author: chuck

I was initially going to title this “Talking To God” which
makes it seem like a one-way communication. Although I have never heard and
audible word from God, I know many whom I trust who have. What I have “heard”
was the Word of God. More than once I have asked questions of God and found the
answers quickly in the Bible. Often the answer coincidentally corresponded to
my upcoming readings, sometimes I randomly came across the answer and occasionally
I would stumble into a sermon or teaching that directly addressed my problem.

God talks to us in our life daily and is so often dismissed.
Ever had one of those “Twilight Zone” experiences that cannot be explained.
Look to God before thinking it’s dumb luck. So often I can look back and piece
together events in my life and see God’s fingerprint. Sometimes these experiences
are not pleasant and seem catastrophic but when viewed in the larger picture
one can see the purpose.

Take me croaking on May 17, 2014, if our “plans” had been
enacted we would not have been in Suwanee, but living in the middle of nowhere.
The end result would have been my final passing if OUR plans were met. God knew
this and things got delayed to our frustration. If I had my cardiac arrest in
my new home, the ambulance if we were lucky would have been 20 to 30 minutes
away, the hospital would have been an additional 30 minutes out and the
hospital was not the best facility. Instead the EMT’s were 5 minutes away, the
hospital was very close and had cutting edge technology. That “perfect”
combination saved by life.

So was that combination one of chance or did God alter the circumstances
I was trying to force knowing I had a heart condition? I can look at hundreds
of small little events, some of which had me upset, that in total put us in a
perfect spot and kept me alive to enjoy it!! So when we talk “to” God be open
to receive what HE has to say!! We may at the time think it stinks but we will
eventually see the purpose or God will repurpose it for God if you allow Him.

What I am thinking about here is a friend from college and
church whose son was paralyzed in a skiing accident. I personally cannot see
the good that has come of this and cannot see God having a hand in that event,
but I can see the steadfast devotion to Jesus he has had through this mess.

I think the key is to always have communication with
God and this means taking time to LISTEN!!

I am thinking of Colossians 3:17 today because I am feeling
a bit guilty:

 And
whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving
thanks to God and the Father by him.

My dream was to own a bunch of land and be able to ride my
motorcycle out the front door. The land part happened earlier this year and the
motorcycle happened this week. I got my hands on a new KTM 150 SX for fun. I feel
guilty because its and extravagant expense that was for me. So I had to search
into scripture to find support for having some fun.

God does not want us to be unhappy and living poor all the
time He wants us in charge of the resources He gives us but not slaves. That is
why it’s clear that money is not the root of all evil but the “love of” money.
If I start to focus more on the KTM than I do God that is when the problems
arise.

I rode up to the top of our mountain yesterday and looked
over the mountain ranges around us. Breathtaking! And all may never had
happened if I would have remained dead!! So I can still thank God for the
ability to enjoy life!

I believe God wants us to enjoy life, enjoy hobbies and have
fun in the world he created. When you step back it’s wonderful!! They key is
don’t make the fun your idol!! Focus on living the dream, but also living for
God.

So have fun just don’t make it your idol!

Atheists these days are becoming more brutal in the attacks
against God and His followers. Now the argument has changed from Jesus isn’t
who He said He was to He never existed and the Bible is a story book.
Ironically, they lambaste us to the point of saying we are limiting science and
progress because we follow a book written in sand script. So occasionally I
wonder what if we are wrong and they are right, what then?

First thing wasted is the time we spent following Jesus and
learning His teachings. Yea, nothing He has to say is worth anything, NOT. If
you never believed in Jesus, yet followed His teachings the world would be a
better place. People who says the Bible needs a refresh are the same people
that say the constitution needs a refresh! In my opinion they have never read
either!!

Second this wasted is our character, we say we follow this
loving and generous guy but do not do as he says. This is true, but it’s from
mixed signals in the church and world and the fact we are not perfect. So we
must go as we learn and apply. It’s about growing up in Jesus! How many
children do you know that have done things perfect right out of the womb? I
rest my case.

Third wasted thing is often money. Look at the rich and
powerful churches, where the preacher is taking lavish vacations with money
meant for the poor. Sure this happens and is sad, but is not the norm. We were
part of a “mega-church” and got to see the inside. We got to see the compassion
and generosity that can be done on a large scale with those types of resources.
I also saw them not get much recognition, which is not the point. Sure the
majority of the criticism is on the minority of the churches, we need to
understand that often big money corrupts, showing the love of money being evil.

So here we are wasting our time, being hypocrites and
blowing our money following a children’s story that got out of control. What
harm is there to those who think we are nuts? NONE!! So what’s the beef? Do
somehow you feel threatened by our love? By our charity? By our mistakes?  Or do you deep down inside know God is real
and are mad that this world is so unfair?

So when I die … again … and find out nothing is on the
other end, oh well I would still do what is right. At the same time I don’t
want to be wrong and find out this is all real!! This choice is yours, follow
Jesus with all your heart and make this world a better place or live for
yourself and hope this is all a story.

First a link to the article about the 10 Common Myths About
Evolution:

http://thelogicofscience.com/2015/08/31/10-common-myths-about-evolution/

I approach this article from a different slant, I am an
engineer with a bunch of science training, but not a “scientist” which in this
circle almost immediately negates my comments. Second, I am a theist and
believe Genesis 1:1 when it says God spoke the universe into existence:

 In the beginning God
created the heaven and the earth.

I look at God as a conscious energy that like energy always
was and will be. So with that lets look at each one and their arguments. Myth
1: Evolution is just a theory – While the lay person will argue this, science’s definition of theory
is more that they are facts until proven wrong. A theory can be proven wrong
and has over time, a simple Google search will reveal a few theories that have
been rejected. When the lay person hears the word “fact” they assume scientific
law and their definition of “theory” is actually a scientific hypothesis. So
this is very true we are talking different languages.

While I agree that
evolution is the most logical scientific theory that explains the origin of
life, I have problems with it that can be explored on this blog so I will not
reiterate the whys here, but I will say that although the article says macro
and micro evolution are the same, one can be considered almost a scientific law
while the other is still more in a hypothesis state. Again you need to read my other
blog post on this subject since they are long to explain my why’s right now.

Myth 2: We evolved from monkeys/apes– This I agree with also, the idea without
God is the only explanation on how we got here. Also, we cannot dismiss God as
an agent but must realize that God being supernatural is not testable by
science which is a study of the natural. Am I saying definitively man can from
dust and was spoke into existence over evolving from a common ancestor of apes?
No, but saying it is possible and science seems to be proving the oldest human
bones seem to originate from the middle east near where there could have been a
garden.

Myth 3: Evolution conflicts with the second
law of thermodynamics – I have no argument
with this, they make the point well. Myth 4: We haven’t
found any “missing links” –
This is also true, when assuming God is not in the equation. At the same time
most “transitional” species are really the same species which has adapted to
their environment. The only specific trans-species mutation mentioned are Archaeopteryx, Confuciusornis, and Jeholornis and while it’s a
great argument we can also point to say Draco Volans which has vestigial wings
and cold have been the evolutionary path versus birds.

My point on myth 4 is often it
takes a vivid imagination to create the creatures that appear to be
transitional or missing links.

Myth 5: Evolution isn’t science because it
hasn’t been observed/repeated – This
is truly a myth since in observable history we have seen species adapt and
evolve to the environment. They have adapted in may instance to create new
species. Again these major transitions have not been observed in nature and you
will need to review my older blogs for details, but one needs only look to
fossil record to see transitional species outside genus has not been seen other
than assumed aves evolution.

Myth 6: Individuals evolve – This is true to a point, but is a silly
myth since it’s rarely used to debate evolution in the circles I have observed.
Myth 7: Evolution has a direction or goal – While I agree
with this to a point I have been sucked into the “conspiracy theory” world not
from the internet but actually dealing with people who have been programmed
through project Bluebird using MK Ultra techniques. So when it’s known Darwin
has Masonic roots, I question the bias of his theories which also assume myth 6
is true.

Myth 8: Some systems are too complex to
evolve – Darwin even said in On
the Origin of Species that the eye provides a difficult dilemma for the theory.
No one can really explain how it evolved. Also, one can look at many species,
like the woodpecker, to see evolution would destroy the final product unless it
just happened. Again, this is long but can be explored in my blogs about this
subject.  Myth 9: Evolution
describes the formation of the universe/the first cell – This is true also,
at the same time evolutionists ignore this since it points directly to God.
Nature shows spontaneous generation as improbable since nothing observed has
been spontaneous, it all has required an agent “speaking” it into existence.
Evolution is a design feature to help this world continue. God knew this was
not a stable system he made and species needed to adapt. Also, I am not
dismissing that God said start and it was from a single cell the he spoke this.
In the end the argument is not how we came to be, but is God real.

Myth 10: Evolution is faith based – Again their comments are true, without an outside
agent of God this is the ONLY logical and proven explanation of how we got
here. Again micro vs macro is the key and the big picture may change in the
long run. Just read Walter Veith’s stuff since he IS a PHD biologist who is a
creationist to understand the possibility of God is there for all to see.

The problem I have with
this debate is the rhetoric where someone who may logically disagree gets
grouped in with those who are unscientific Bible thumpers. That is a classic
propaganda technique call transfer where my arguments are dismissed as
backwoods and hick-ish. The transfer is to a stereotype of a loon and not a
person with true scientific questions, remember as an engineer I must make what
science “theorizes” work in the real world.

As you may or may not know we moved to the middle of nowhere
and thus have traded traffic and city problems for other problems. The most
recent is water or the lack thereof. Southern Oregon is in a severe drought
where not only our “seasonal” creek went dry but the main one dried up. Our
well is almost toxic so we gather runoff from the creek, but with no runoff we
have gone dry a few time.

I have discovered you can dig down a foot or so and get
water from the seasonal creek, but it started to dry up. Twice this year we had
our pump run dry and needed to do a panic fix. But just when things looked
their bleakest, Numbers 20:11 happened:

And Moses lifted up his hand, and
with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and
the congregation drank, and their beasts also.

We got a few days of showers and that got the creek running
again and our “seasonal” creek’s holes to the level we can capture water and we
are filling up the tanks again. We were never in dire straits since we can get
water delivered or could get it for free from the city, just need to transport
it. But I found it amazing that when we went dry the first time we had the rock
hit and things were flowing again.

God is GOOD!!

At the same time I hope that we don’t mess up striking the
rock like in this instance where Moses did it out of anger without consulting
God. It blew his entry into the Promised Land.

The second time the tanks went dry was my mess-up and it was
caught before it became a problem like the first time! We pray this weather continues
into the fall so we don’t run out again. A big byproduct of this is I am making
holes for water and getting to mine for gold at the same time so maybe under
the next rock I will find the big score the early prospectors missed.

I have recently been in wild debates on taxes, the
government and churches roles in society. The discussion eventually ends up
being one of compassion and what would Jesus do. The supporters of larger
government help says they are doing what the churches will not. The church
should handle the needy, but they tend to test and teach which many don’t want.
The other day Pastor Brian at our new church made me rethink this altogether. Matthew
26:11 tells us no one, be it an individual, church or government, can eliminate
poverty:

 For ye have
the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.

Now Pastor Brian’s sermon was on Matthew 21:31-46 on the
parable of the sheep and goats. The sheep are allowed into heaven and the goats
are not. One group feed the hungry and clothed the poor while the other did
not. Both groups mentioned that they never saw Jesus needing help, but one
group was serving the needy while the other dismissed them.

The first revelation I got from this was the church and
state debate on who can handle the poor. The key I saw was it was neither party’s
responsibility, but rather our own personal responsibility! We go to church and
feel good about helping the poor since the church does or write our tax check
knowing we help the poor, while stepping away from the beggar in the street
(refer to Luke:25-37 for the parable of the Samaritan).

We need to stop expecting others to do the “dirty work” and
roll up our sleeves and help those around us. Not by giving to a ministry for
the needy, but by helping the needy. Believe me it is not clean and can get
ugly at times, but does it matter if it is the deciding factor into the
kingdom?

I have never been a once saved always saved doctrinal kind
of guy, so when I see people who believe in Jesus get turned away from heaven I
want to see why. Matthew 7:21 is one of those verses that make me wonder:

 Not every
one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but
he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Will I be calling “Lord, Lord” and not be let in? Will I be
a goat and not a sheep? Did I do for others what I would do for Jesus?
Questions abound, but the one clear thing is paying taxes or giving to my
church does not absolve my responsibility in helping those in need … according
to scripture!! So this may be a rattlesnake that gets you hopping

Recently on Facebook a story was floated about a wife who
was complaining to her grandmother about her cheating husband. She did an
illustration and had her bring three pots to a boil, the first one she put
carrots, the second one eggs and the third coffee. After 20 minutes she talked
about each one and how the hot water was adversity in our life. The carrot went
in hard, but under the “heat” went soft and lost their strength. Or an egg
which had a malleable heart but under the “heat” became hard. Or the coffee
bean which actually changed the water in was in when the “heat” was on. Do you
make the situation around you better or worse?

That is coffee and what Jesus was talking about in Matthew
5:13-16 when we are to live in His way:

 

¹³ Ye are
the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it
be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be
trodden under foot of men. ¹⁴ Ye are the light of the
world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. ¹⁵ Neither
do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it
giveth light unto all that are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your
light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your
Father which is in heaven.

God does not ask us to shine when all is shining around us,
He is not asking us to flavor a tender and juicy meal. No Jesus is asking us to
shine in the darkness and flavor bland food. See if we praise God when things
are going great, that is easy. When the meal can stand on its own without extra
seasoning or when it is sunny outside God can be praised but He is experienced
and glorified in tough times.

When you are down and out to the world yet still live in the
joy and hope Jesus gives us, THAT is what Jesus was talking about. God never “promised
us a rose garden” here on earth. Think about all the great stories in the Bible
and how the “hero” rose against adversity to shine God’s glory for all to see.
If God took someone who had it easy people could claim the person was the “hero”
and not God.

No God used an exiled murderer to lead the people from
Egypt, not a prince. So be a coffee bean and when the water around you starts
to boil, CHANGE THE WATER and not your love for Jesus!!

Today we live in a world that is dominated primarily by
relativism and not truth. Take Evolution, truth to a biologist is all life on
this planet has a common origin and happened naturally. To a theist, God spoke
and created the universe and all that is in it. Each believes their “truth” is
fact and the other person is bonkers. Both have a relative view based on if
there is or is not a creator. Science will argue they have facts to support
their view of the truth and that is hard to argue, but you get a good theist
like Dr. Walter Veith and he will poke holes in their facts and make one doubt
science.

Relativism is also seen in the battle for legalization of marijuana.
One side you can see the effects of abuse and on the other you see the many
health benefits. Both sides have a relative view point based on what they see
as true. Take cultures that practiced cannibalism and headhunting, to that
culture this was not wrong. It was ok to have your neighbor FOR dinner!!

Now the Bible is rather simple when it comes to truth and
stated in John 14:6 where Jesus states:

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way,
the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Jesus IS the truth, period. We look to Jesus for the final
answer and cannot drift from it!

Now relativism has creeped into the churches, take the Southern
Baptist who many cry that drinking is a sin. To them it is and nothing will
change that. To the Wesleyans it’s ok to drink, but not get drunk. Granted most
in leadership do not drink, they do not force that on the congregation. We can
dig into each doctrine and find scriptural support for each view. Paul in 1
Corinthians 8:13 is the reason many say do not drink since often the church has
alcoholics who need not stumble. On the other hand Jesus often drank wine with
the disciple and his first miracle was changing water to wine.

So even when dealing with Jesus we often get into
relativism. So what IS truth, read the Bible, pray and find out!!

My latest hobby is gold prospecting, since you have to find
it to mine it!! Don’t get me wrong, I have found a little bit with the majority
being 2 “pickers” or gold pieces that are big enough to grab with your fingers.
Now the local miners say that is a big deal since many go years without finding
something like that, but the hole I have found those two have been unproductive
other than those two.

As I have dug through almost a half-ton of dirt most of my
pans come up empty in the end, no “color”, but when I do find “color” I get
real excited that maybe I have finally hit the “pay streak” only to have the
next pans not “pan out”. You see how many common terms used in our language
come from gold mining!

I digress and have talked about this subject before when it
comes to using a sluice box, but how do you read the Bible? Do you dig through
mountains of reading to find that one “nugget” of scripture? Like John 3:16
which offers mankind salvation through Jesus! Or maybe Genesis 1:1 to prove
that God is above all! Or John 14:12 which shows the power of believing!

The key that I want to reiterate again is we need to stop
looking for nuggets in the word and realize it’s the “mother load”!! Just open
from Genesis 1:1 and read to Revelations 21:21 to discover the glory in each
word printed. And don’t worry so much as to the revision as much as to the
overall view. Find something you are comfortable reading and read, you will be
blessed beyond your dreams!! You will see how often “pickers” are used for
advancing earthly agendas when used out of context.

So read, verify, read more, and pray a bunch. It’s a
simple formula!

.

Matthew 22:14 begs to asks this important question:

For many are called, but few are
chosen.

This scripture is the end of the parable of the King’s
Wedding Banquet from Matthew 22:1 – 14. When you read the story it talks about
the invited guest who all had “better” things to do and did not come. The king
then goes and invites everyone. This is easy to see that the Chosen People were
the original guests who rejected God and did as they pleased. Jesus’ coming
allowed salvation not only to the original chosen, but to all.

The invite is there for ALL!!

As you dig into the story it ends with the king removing one
guest who was not prepared for the wedding. He was not in the proper dress and
therefore did not take the invite serous and this becomes my personal concern!!

The “doctrine” in most churches today is we need to follow
the ABC’s; Accept Jesus as Lord of our life, Believe Jesus is who he said he is
and Confess our sins. But this story shows there may be more, we need to
prepare for the feast. This parable shows a man who accepted the invitation yet
was not allowed to the party. So what did he do wrong?

The only thing we see is he did not wear the right clothes.
Now does that mean only need to wear the right thing, the John 3:16 tee-shirt
or a suit and tie? Or is it more? Is our “resurrection” body going to be our
meat suit or our spirit? If it’s the meat suit then the cloths matter, but if
it’s the spirit then we need to prepare the “inside” AKA the mind or what
people cannot see.

I believe that is the key and since the final commandment is
about the mental aspect to our walk with God. Sure we can live the first 9
without a problem but Jesus highlights the last one most often. The most
obvious is lusting is equal to adultery, it’s not that you are breaking
adultery but the coveting aspect. Now our dress may show to the world we are
following 1-9, but you cannot hide the “mental attitude sins” from God!

So what are you wearing to the banquet?

We have recently looked at 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 which says:

⁹ Know ye
not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived:
neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers
of themselves with mankind, ¹⁰ Nor thieves, nor
covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the
kingdom of God.

If you look at this we find that most of us will “inherit
the kingdom of God” for one reason or another. We need to rest on grace that we
are forgiven, but should not continue in the sin. That is the point which seems
to be missed by many. We become aware of our sin, right and wrong, yet we still
follow wrong our security in heaven is at question.

I want to explore Romans 1:26-28 with this in mind:

And even as they did not like to
retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do
those things which are not convenient;

In context this verse is talking about homosexuality and the
problems within the church. But I feel it can be applied to all sin, not
isolated to one. The basic meaning here is God finally says enough and lets
their minds go towards the sin. Notice how the further we get from God the more
sin becomes explained away and normal. This is what Paul meant here, where what
is improper is now considered normal.

I have argued homosexuality back and forth on both sides.
This is not JUST to focus on that, but to look at all sin. When the sin is
excused and explained away is when things go south for mankind. That is what
has been happening since Kinsey explaining sexual decency as normal in 1948. It
has been going on since man became aware of sin, but this is what I believe to
be the modern day “line of demarcation” in our modern deparivity.

What is the SOLUTION? Jesus!! He died not so we could
sin, but so we could become NEW CREATIONS in Him and sin no more. Our past is
behind and forgiven, now we must live a life pleasing to God. That means if you
are stuck in habitual sin, STOP!! Get away from the mindset that it’s ok to do
this or that because I was made that way. We were ALL made to sin, that is the struggle
for everyone of us.

Back to the Bible!!

The Prosperity Gospel has been a subject I harp on often,
but Matthew 6:33 keeps our focus on God:

But seek ye first the kingdom of
God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

I believe too many people fall into the rub “Buddha’s belly”
to get riches from God mentality. Sure God blesses many and He loves to see us
happy, but we must seek Him before all. I am still trying to process what has
happened to us during the past 7 years and don’t get it. In December of 2008 we
hit bottom, the business was failing, our rentals we in a shambles and we were
in over a half a million in debt. Our prayers of prosperity were simple, and we
needed a lottery win and since that was not coming our next stop was a bankruptcy
attorney.

Our prayers were own our home and be out of debt. We wanted
the home to have the perks and upgrades but just debts was the main goal. The
first problem was the attorney said don’t go bankrupt and that was the best
advice I got in this process. It started with a job, not good paying but a job
all the same. This and a “Dave Ramsey” laser focus on debt, we started chipping
away. Well 5 years later our credit card debt was gone and we were liquidating
our properties, but now in a sellers’ market and not a crashing one.

Then we got the offer for our farm in Suwanee and the doors
opened for opportunity. The process took over a year and was painful but we can
now say we are 100% debt free and live in the home of our dreams. Now I thank
God every day I wake up and look at the mountains, but at the same time I am
uneasy talking about this since I don’t want to give false hope to others or
make people think God is all about money.

Before this I was focused on a new age fad called the Secret
or the Law of Attraction where if you want something just believe and the
universe will align itself to you. It focused on money, but also talked about
the total goal of health, wealth, love, joy and peace. How many rich folk do you
know that do not have many of these? Any you do really have to know them to
understand the short falls. But we miss the spiritual connection with God in
this new age crap.

I will be processing this in the next few days but enjoy the
ride. I think we will see that the Prosperity Gospel and our mindset are key to
connect totally with God.

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Pastor Brian this week opened my eyes to look at an old
story a different way. Luke 16:19-31 is the story of the rich man and Lazarus:

¹⁹ There was
a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared
sumptuously every day: ²⁰ And there was a certain beggar
named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, ²¹ And
desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table:
moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. ²² And it
came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into
Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; ²³ And
in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and
Lazarus in his bosom. ²⁴ And he cried and said, Father
Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his
finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. ²⁵ But
Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good
things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art
tormented. ²⁶ And beside all this, between us and you
there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you
cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. ²⁷ Then
he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my
father’s house: ²⁸ For I have five brethren; that he may
testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. ²⁹ Abraham
saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. ³⁰ And
he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will
repent. ³¹ And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses
and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the
dead.

The sermon was on Hell and used this story to highlight
three things. First was the rich man was unnamed, yet Lazarus was named. This
showed that God loves the least of us and this is shown by the beggar having a
name. This should teach you that God cares about YOU!! How cool is that?

Second, was the rich man’s desire for wealth put him this
place. Notice he is in torment and does not ask Abraham if he will remove him
but rather to save his brothers. Honestly if it was me I would repent and ask
for mercy. The rich man does not he appears to desire his wealth even after
death where he refuses to let go.

Third, was not letting go of sin. We tend to miss out on God’s
glory because we cling to things here on earth. Have you noticed that even when
someone seems to have it all, they are miserable? I think of the Menendez
brothers who were from a wealthy family, yet unhappy. They were so unhappy they
killed their parents for the inheritance assuming that would give them a better
life. It landed them in jail with no money. So look to God for everlasting
peace and not things on earth that rust away (Matthew 6:19).

In watching a sermon by 12 Stone’s Dave Ronne about 2
Corinthians 5:17 got me thinking:

Therefore if any man be in Christ,
he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become
new.

We are new and renewed in Jesus once we accept Jesus as a
savior, but is it that easy? For many I have seen, they are on fire right out
of the gate while others seem to struggle with it for years. I know for me it’s
been a 40 year process. Dave talked about this with the Backwards Bicycle that
has been made popular on YouTube.

The idea that “it’s just like riding a bike” is not always as it seems. He made
a small change to a bike, reversed how the handlebars worked, made it
impossible to ride. He then went on a quest to ride this bike and for 8 months
he tried every day until he got it. Something that should be easy became
impossible. He had to learn something new.

This teaches us that learning something new is not always
easy, so the idea is keep working at it. To change from a selfish, self-centered
being to a selfless, Jesus-centered one. In passion we can change in an
instant, but often we need to work on things.

I look at a family member, who was on fire for Jesus yet as
things unraveled and another heart transformation happened we found she was a
crook. She saved money because she stole everything we thought she brought. She
changed but it took a long time.

I look at a dear friend, who in one miraculous service was
ignited. He went from turning his back on God to preaching the word eloquently.
Then he slipped and that started a spiral down which changed his life and
relationships. He has come to a rest and is building again in Jesus.

Both instances learning to be a new creation in Jesus was
easy, but it was also easy to unlearn it. We tend to take a while to learn
solidly. As in the video it took 8 months to learn the new bicycle, it takes
time to learn anything new. Unfortunately, it also can easily unlearn the new.
With Destin, after 8 months he jumped on the old bicycle and it took 20 minutes
before he could ride it again. Where it took 8 months to learn something new,
it only took 20 minutes to unlearn it.

I am sure with Destin, he could learn to eventually do both
without a problem. But it shows us how we can easily unlearn the salvation
found in Jesus. The key is after 8 months of learning a new things, especially
if it’s away from Jesus, don’t jump back on the old bike and expect things to
be the same. Ask any preacher that failed in relationships or financial matters,
how easy it is to get back into the grove and preach. Two things I learned here
is how difficult it is to learn something new and how easy it is to revert back
to old ways.

So the key is stay in connection with Jesus. How do we do
this? First and easiest is a designated quiet time to pray. Next is connect with
a body of believers, be it a church or a small group of friends who meet regularly
to discuss Jesus (and not gossip). Finally and most difficult is read the Bible
daily. I say this because in 2008 I learned to read the Bible daily and since I
have read the entire NIV, ESV, NLT and The Voice. So 4 complete reads, yet
today my Bibles collect dust and rarely get lifted. I stopped to “rest” and now
I have stopped. So I learned one skills and quickly forgot it, keep watching to
see how long it takes to get back on the “bike”.

Recently a Facebook post got me “a thinkin” about things. It
was about Matthew 7:22 – 23 which draws attention to false belief:

²² Many will
say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in
thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

²³ And then
will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work
iniquity.

 

This passage has always got my attention because I question
my belief from time to time. Now let me clarify, not my faith in God but rather
am I doing it right? Will I cry “Lord, Lord!” only to hear “I never knew you”?
It kind of freaks one out when you read this passage and really dwell one it.

Believe me more than once my faith has been questioned. I
actually have had a crowd of friends trying to help and said this to me because
I was rejecting their help. Ironically the same person who they were trying to
help has said the same thing to me. Both thought I was too analytical and did
not really believe. So I have man telling me I am all mixed up.

I like the puzzles in the Bible. I love finding God in
everyday life. I love the hunt and the way we miss God so often. I often am “cold”
and detached in my interpersonal relationships. I have been accused of being
too into the study without actually applying what I have learned.

So with many close friends saying this too me, you can
understand why I have a fear I will hear these words from Jesus!

Back to the FB post, since that brought a different light to
this passage. Notice how the wording is we, bringing attention to the people
doing the acts and not God himself. The point is the people are diverting glory
from God to themselves. This becomes a heart thing which mankind cannot tell.

On the surface we do things FOR God, but are we doing them
to glorify God or ourselves? Are we doing it to expand the kingdom or just feel
good about helping others? Are we “blogging” about God and not living God? In
the end we are the only ones who know, other than God.  

I think the key is love God and not self. If you heal
someone, know it’s not you but rather God.

In looking back at the article in National Geographic titled
“Why Do Many Reasonable People Doubt Science?” by Joel Achenbach. The reason I
am revisiting it is not to prove or disprove my stance on evolution, but rather
to highlight the problem ultimately in any debate and that is BIAS. The article
noticed that many people with scientific understanding were doubting science.

The author grouped these people into two tribes, the “egalitarian”
and the “hierarchical”. The “egalitarian” have a more communal mind-set who “are
generally suspicious of industry and apt to think it’s up to something
dangerous that calls for government regulation”. While the “hierarchical” have
a more individualistic mind-set who “respect leaders of industry and don’t like
government interfering in their affairs”. One tends to trust industry, while
the other trusts government.

What they missed are people like me who think both are out
for their own self-interest and therefore fail to see the “big picture” and
focus on what matches their agenda. This is also known as BIAS! And in the case
of the author he was writing more with the perspective of an “egalitarian” trying
to understand the “hierarchical” mind-set. In the end he was protecting his
tribe by claiming those who believed science were “rationalists” implying those
who were not were irrational.

Mr. Achenbach suggests “for some people, the tribe is more
important than the truth; for the best scientists, the truth is more important
than the tribe.” Often in talking to scientists about God, evolution and the
truth, their minds are made up with the tribe of atheists that believe we are random
occurrences in nature and not a created universe. The ultimate debate is not
how originalism change and adapt over time, but rather IS there a God or not.
Scientifically I cannot deny evolution, we have observed it in nature and often
we look at historical science and the fossil record and it is difficult to deny
the conclusions, unless you have an open mind … but that would require a book
and not a blog to describe.

So maybe now is the time to start that adventure to support
the truth and find it no matter where it takes me. So this could become and
evolutionist turned creationists turned back to evolutionist, or my current
beliefs may be supported. It will be a fun adventure either way. Unfortunately
it will take a lot more to disprove God, since I can already support evolution,
the Bible and BOTH timelines.

I digress, although the article was more focused on climate
change there is an undertone that the people who deny evolution are so ignorant
they don’t even need to be addressed. I have a different slant on his
assumptions, for me I am neither an “egalitarian” nor a “hierarchical” since I
don’t trust either group. I find both groups cannot be trusted since both have
agendas and biases that slant their paradigm on how they view the data.

For his example on climate change, I do not deny that the data
shows a 1.5 degree rise over the past 130 years, I also don’t deny that the
interpretation of the data may be wrong. One side says the man has caused the
change, the other side says the data is wrong and we do not need to change. Me
I say we are creating a mess and need to clean the way we do things, the
problem is Adam Smith’s “Invisible Hand” in the market place. In the USA we see
industry is polluting our streams and air to the point it was harmful to man,
so government creates regulations that become burdensome on companies and raise
their costs. The people do not accept the higher prices and buy cheaper stuff
from another country that does not see the problem with polluting. So the
market cleans up the mess in our yard, while making one in another country. Nothing
changes overall, the problem moves and gets worse.

So with climate change as with everything else in the
article, the total story is missing. The “deniers” are not anti-science, but
rather choose a more rational view of the data. Often a rational view is not
the accepted scientific view and can sometimes get confused with people who are
considered ignorant of science. One thing climate change scientists seem to
miss is the earth is an incredible machine that is difficult to stop. We have
seen evidence of catastrophic events that have changed things for a moment, but
eventual equalize out.

So to Mr. Achenbach I say it’s not that ALL reasonable
people who reject science don’t understand it. Everyone brings in a bias which
often is not the same as “accepted” mainstream science. My favorite example of
ousted science is Dr. Walter Veith, a biologist who believes in creation and can
explain (and demonstrate) why. He is rejected as a fringe scientist. I am
saying remain open minded, stay grounded with God and explore the world!!

Job 5:3 – “I have seen that
fools may be successful for the moment, but then comes sudden disaster.”

Last re-blog of 2010 study of Job

Eliphaz is continuing to talk with Job through this chapter
… he is suggesting what Job needs to do and how he needs to approach God to
present his case. Eliphaz help sounds godly, but is not when you dig deep into
the advice. Eliphaz mixes fact with fiction to create justification which
sounds correct.

Watch for this kids … people do it all the time. Some will
mix fact and fiction and confuse the truth. In fact you will do this from time
to time to get your way … don’t!!

Now we look at some of the facts Eliphaz states to Job …
this is one which I liked. How many times we go off “half cocked”??
Just doing something without planning or thinking about what needs to be done!
This is foolish … when we look at this in a biblical sense, how many times do
we break from God and have success?? Our sin leads to something positive in our
minds, we get what we wanted … suddenly it’s gone. Sin will make you happy in
the short term, but our lives will accumulate bad very quickly and the “good
times” will end quickly.

They have no meaning and we never meant to be in Gods eyes.
If there is a question of “right and wrong” go to the bible, your
parents, your preachers and friends you trust before taking a wrong path. God
has put good people in your life to help.

Proverbs 2:3-6 –

3 Cry out for insight,

     and ask for understanding.

4 Search for them as you would for silver;

     seek them like hidden treasures.

5 Then you will understand what it means to
fear the Lord,

     and you will gain knowledge of God.

6 For the Lord grants wisdom!

 
 From his mouth come knowledge
and understanding.

Continue with reblog of Job from 2010

Job 4:7-8 – “7 “Stop and
think! Do the innocent die?

     When have the upright been destroyed?

8 My experience shows that those who plant
trouble

     and cultivate evil will harvest the
same.”

Jobs friend Eliphaz responds to Jobs problems … basically
saying that Job brought these problem on himself because of sin … great help
huh!! As a friend you do need to shoot straight with them and not blow smoke up
their … well sugar coat problems. But Eliphaz could not find fault or
problems he just ASSuMEd Job committed sin … and as we know when you ASSuME
you make an ASS of U and ME!!!

Also, when you friends are down we do not need to judge why
they are down … just help them out. Show Christ in your actions … he helped
the down trodden … he never embraced their sin, he showed them what was
right. If a friend crashes their car while driving drunk … you help them with
their drinking problem and help them with the car.

Jesus did freak out sometimes like in the temple … but the
leaders should have known better!!

Proverbs 10:19 –

 Too much talk leads to sin.

     Be sensible and keep your mouth shut.

An email study on Job from 2010.

Job 3:23 – “Why is life given
to those with no future, those God has surrounded with difficulties?”

Job finally complains, but does not curse God … just asks
why he was born. Then why is anyone allowed this pain. This is a good question
… and I am sure we have asked something like this before when in a difficult
situation.

Why does God allow pain, suffering, tsunamis, earthquakes
… fill in your concern. I can’t answer this, other than to know God allows
choices and our choices sometimes cause problems. God also made this world …
to get the desired results He need faults to create majestic mountains, He
needed weather to transport water … sometimes these events cause problems and
pain. It’s just the earth doing what is was designed to do.

I think we all suffer greatly when it comes to everyday life
from time to time. Sometimes it’s our own doing … sometimes it’s a Saudi
prince … either way we should always look at the bright side of life …
Jesus did even on the cross.

Proverbs 1:15 –

My child, don’t go along with them!

     Stay far
away from their paths.

This is a reblog of emails I sent out in 2010.

Job 2:10 – “But Job replied, “You talk like a foolish
woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything
bad?” So in all this, Job said nothing wrong.”

At this point Job has been covered in boils (basically a
huge zit that itches) … his wife, who also lost kids, servants, livestock and
the rest, said Job should curse God and die. This is Jobs response.

Job is basically saying we should not be fair weathered
believers. God may not have caused what’s happening to us, but He is in charge.
“Fair weather” Christians are easy to find … the stock market is
good, their job is rocking, their kids are church leaders … God is good. But
if all that were to change, what is that person’s outlook on church and life??

We are to praise God through the good as well as the bad. We
need to understand that God is in charge … and that in God all things work
for the best. When things are thought don’t just pray for them to get better,
thank God for the lessons and the experience.

Proverbs 6:16-19 –  

16 There are six things the Lord
hates—

     no, seven things he detests:

17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue,

     hands that kill the innocent,

18 a heart that plots evil,

     feet that race to do wrong,

19 a false witness who pours out lies,

     a person who sows discord in a family.

This is one of my originals,
before the blog … re-blogged.

Job 1:20 – “Job stood
up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground
to worship.”

Ok … one may ask why Job??
It’s one the most depressing stories in the bible … God allows Satan to
destroy Jobs life to prove that Job was a faithful man. The first
“test” takes Jobs livestock, farms and children were destroyed. Job
was crushed … and disappointed … but did not blame God.

As I look at this I would
NEVER want to endure what he did to prove my faith. I could not imagine God
allowing Satan the ability to kill his children … that would have made me
question God. I could imagine allowing then go away, but destroy would raise
and eyebrow or more.

I understand showing Jobs
faith and how strong it was … even though there are many questions to
come.  I don’t understand why taking his
children was allowed. I guess when you are God ending our life on earth ends up
being better then maybe I could understand it that way.

Faith will be tested …
hopefully you will never have to endure what Job did to “prove
yourself” to God. Be strong in faith and in your life … don’t worry
about the trials along the way…

 

Proverbs 30:32 – “If
you have been a fool by being proud or plotting evil, cover your mouth in
shame.”

In thinking about the friends we left in Georgia I started
to ponder the community of believers. Hebrews 10:24-25 talks about what we
should do as individuals:

²⁴ And let
us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: ²⁵ Not
forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but
exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

 

That is the only thing I really miss in Georgia was the
community of friends and fellow believers we left. I think of 12 Stone church
and however large it was, you had a very tight knit group of believers. I think
of the multiple small groups I was a part of and how each formed lasting
friendships. These friendships helped each other stay on track as followers of
Jesus.

I remember the outpouring of support our family received
when my heart failed. It was amazing what had been done to help us out. I
remember the support we got rebuilding a home for “kingdom work”. This home was
a mess and within months was a beautiful home that helped a few. I think of the
work we did helping a few out where we could.

I think of Shadowbrook and the relationships from there that
have remained. How that opened our eyes to service work and how sometimes it is
not received how we would expect.

I think of Men’s Step Up, another tight group who every
Friday at 6:30 am would gathers and talk about Jesus. We would take lies from
the world and unpack them with truths from the Bible. Many close friends came
from this group that have stood beside me during some struggles in life.

I also think of Mama’s Board n Bike and the community of
friends we met from there. It was amazing the number of lives we came to know
and enjoy through this business. Sure it was a headache most of the time, but
the contact and community was wonderful. I see our “group ride” is still going
even after being closed for 5 years.

I think of today as we live in the middle of nowhere
and are slowly developing a community of friends again and wonder if it will
ever be like “home”? 

This is off the topic of God, but one of my favorite shows
growing up was the Trilogy of Terror. I can’t remember all the stories but in
the 70’s that was the TV hit, the one that I recall the most was a little doll
that came to life and started terrorizing a lady. But that is not the story, it
made me aware of the term “trilogy” and have used it from time to time in
reference to this story.

Well recently we move to paradise and then things started
happening. To start this we found a home that was “exactly” what we wanted in
the middle of nowhere. So off we moved across the country to the “Promised Land”
and expected peace. It was a struggle and we had a bunch of “giants” to fight
to get here but once complete we crossed the river, well the creek, and took
possession. Lo we forgot the story how they had to fight and work to win and
maintain the land flowing with milk and honey.

So the first few days we had a door fall off, a very pricy
door. Easy to fix, but bothersome. Then the stream of problems started
including discovering some major structural problems like flooding and the septic
tank under the home to our water supply running dry. Each problem, although
major, still has not deterred us from loving the place, but it reminded me of
some movies.

The first was Money Pit, where Tom Hanks bought a home that
was too good to be true. It was sold with everything, including the old vintage
car. Well as things progress the house started to fall apart around them, so
paradise became jaded. After spending tons of money and time fixing the
problems the house is perfect. All ends up well and the story ends with the original
person selling another house. This reminds me of our seller who was directly
asked about the septic, flooding and water, who decided not to disclose any of
this. Again we are happy, just disappointed.

The second was Baby Boom, Dianne Keaton was a big executive who
inherits a baby that changes her life and she moves from the big city to the
country, only to run into tons of problems including having her well dry up. It
reminded me of the problems here and how we just want to turn of the faucet and
get running water. Again all ends up well with her move and she rejects a move
back to the big city for the simple life she found.

The third is Funny Farm, where Chevy Chase decides to leave
the big city to write his novel in the prefect home. Later did they find out
Eden was not all it was cracked up to be and they decided to divorce and move.
The town got together to get them out and did everything to make the home seem
perfect, like a Norman Rockwell painting. They did and they got an offer only
to reconcile and rekindle their love. All ended up well and they remained
happily ever after. Like our farm we have had some major hurdles, but I will
say are mail person is awesome even though she has to drive up and back down a
dirt road to get to our mail box.

Our town does have its quirks and the “bugs” are still
being worked out of the home. But we have found our “Trilogy of Terror” in The
Money Pit, Baby Boom and Funny Farm! Granted all the stories worked out with
their homes being perfect as ours seems to be still. But it’s funny how we can
no relate to each story and laugh at parts that we have lived.

Zechariah 11:16 caught my eye today:          

For, lo, I will
raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off,
neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that
that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their
claws in pieces.

Initially
I read this and was concerned. Was God sending a bad shepherd? Then I dug a bit
deeper and thought a bit more. You need think about Jesus, “the Good Shepherd”
and then think about the Pharisees.
During the time of Jesus, these “righteous” men were ignoring the weak, the
ones who needed help and guidance. Their concerns were with lavishly living on
the tithe of others.

They had lost direction and, as
we know, led the people to kill the Lamb of God.  This was a warning then and is one always,
beware of people leading you down their path and not Gods. It’s easy to do, mix
in scripture, thoughts of the world and take things out of context, then you
have a story which seems plausible yet is not right. How do YOU protect
yourself and know the Truth?

Well the answer should be
obvious, study the bible. I hope you take my “Thoughts” and dissect them to
make sure I am not off my rocker. The last thing I would want is to have your
faith based on my words and not the Word! My role is to make you think and
inspire you to study. Call me on where you think I am wrong; question my
conclusions as I hope you do with anyone teaching the Word. It’s not bad to do
so … again I believe God would rather see you do that than just sit back and
observe.

This is a continuation from my last post since this is a
relatively hot topic the past few decades. I point to the removal of the Ten
Commandments from courthouses as being a step away from the First Amendment of
the Constitution. I guess we need to quote this to really get an understanding
of what is said:

Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise
thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of
the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress
of grievances.

This was actually the third article of the Bill of Rights
which is lost by many, but this is a technicality that is not the issue. The
irony of this is the “freedom of speech” is often separate from the “freedom of
religion” in most people’s minds. The same people who force the removal of the
Ten Commandments also force their voices to be heard. They are missing the
point!!

Freedom of religion means no state sanctioned church that
one is required to attend, it does not mean the state is required to insulate
us from religion. As I write this we are in a battle over the Confederate
Battle Flag, which is the symbol of a “racist” attitudes that has been pushed
to the forefront by a shooting in a black church. Those who point to how this
nut was raised and how society failed him are silenced by those who feel the
flag must be the root cause.

Well what the confederate flag represents is still very
debatable, those who say slavery and racism have valid arguments, but miss the
point of state rights is typical of how history gets modified. The same thing
can be said for the Ten Commandments on the court house steps, they are not a
symbol of religious tyranny but rather the basis on which most of today’s laws
are based. If you read the first 5 books of the Bible you will notice the
system of justice set up for Israel is much like what is in place today.

As yourself this, why is it ok for an atheistic scientist to
be allowed to promote evolution in the class room, yet a theistic one cannot
talk about creation? Walter Veith has some very compelling arguments that support
Young Earth Creationism, but in the push for freedom from religion that is not
allowed to be discussed in the classrooms. The hypocrisy is interesting that in
one breath “they” will demand freedom of speech for the porn industry and in
the other demand censorship from those in government who feel the moral compass
has been ignored based on the same amendment to the Constitution.

We have missed the mark! I am not saying the state must lead
a prayer at the beginning of each school day, but if a school so desired to it
should be protected by that same first amendment. Again we are missing the point,
freedoms do not give us carte blanche to say what we want. The intent was to
allow all views to be open to all and not suppressed like Christianity is today
in the government. The intent was to allow open debate without fear of the
government coming down on you. I believe that is why freedom of religion,
speech and the press are in the SAME amendment, so NONE shall be suppressed.

Be it a flag, a Bible or Hustler magazine we need to
understand that with freedom comes responsibility. As much as I feel YOU need
Jesus, I also accept that I can do nothing to change your heart other than
exercise my freedoms to try to compel you to change your heart. God’s number 1
commandment (based on the Jewish interpretation) is freedom and it comes down
to freedom to follow God. That is the beauty of our relationship with God since
if it’s forced it’s tempered and becomes contrite.

Back to South Carolina and Dylann Roof. Was it a lack of
exposure to God that caused his parents to separate, caused his support system
to ignore him, to allow him to be lost in hate all culminating in a murderous
rage or was it a flag? In Dylann’s instance freedom was denied from the get go
and will now be for the rest of his life. What if Dylann’s parents were allowed
Christian counseling from social services would things have been different for
those 9 souls?

Think about it, followers of Jesus are being pushed OUT of
the government since their voice is being silenced. A good Christian counselor
will go into ministry verses social services since they are free in one
environment and not free in the other. I am not saying the “state” should
integrate religion into the system, but allow it when there are proven results.