Many of us learned the song as a youngster in Sunday school.
The Church is not a building, the Church is not a steeple
The Church is not a resting place, the Church is the people.
I am the Church, you are the Church, we are the Church together!
All who follow Jesus, all around the world, Yes We're the Church together!
That is probably a pretty good explanation of what The Church is, a community of believers who follow Jesus. Then why do we always think of church as a building or a worship service? Why do we leave the people out of it?
Think of a normal church service at your church. If it is like most I have attended, it consists of some songs, passing the offering plate, a reading from the scripture, a prayer lead by someone, and a sermon from the pastor. This is how we most often experience church, sitting in the pew, listening to someone else, barely participating. If you were not there one Sunday, would "church" still happen?
To me, most churches seem almost like you are just attending a play or listening to a lecture. Surely we can do better than this.
I feel that Church should be more communal. We often find this in either small groups or Sunday school. At the church I am currently attending, I am not finding community through these things. I attended Sunday school for a short while, but stopped because the group I was with wasn't communal. Members came irregularly, the teachings wasn't very strong, the group was made up mainly of married couples with children and the social activities reflected that, and I wasn't been spiritually fed. For about 9 months, we had a bible study made up of people in my "social" group, young single adults. We met and had fellowship and bible study. We struggled in finding more fellowship activities, but we never had a staff member to help us and we were disbanded for being "too small." The small group had great potential, even if we were small, but unfortunately we didn't receive the support we needed from the church. The only place I have found community in the church is in singing in the church choir. However, our purpose is to sing. This is a good thing, but it does not develop me in the same way that a bible study would. It isn't wrong, just different.
In Sunday worship, I do not find fellowship or community. I find myself sitting with people, but not knowing them. Hearing a message, but not having it delivered by someone who knows me and knows how it would apply to me. I want to be with people who are of a similar mind, growing together. I don't want to be passive! I want to be part of the Church, not just meeting in a church.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Putting it to the Test
A few posts ago, I wrote about wanting to yell really loud and see if it would cause everything to fix its self.
I tried this over the weekend. I was leaving a wedding and had had a bad day and had kind of ignored some friends. I wasn't mad at them, just in a bad mood. They probably didn't even notice. Anyway, I left the wedding and the entire time this was on my mind. I was frustrated with myself for ignoring my friends and for being in a bad mood and decided to try to yell to see if it would all be fixed. And yell I did. When I finished, nothing changed except the soreness of my throat. So I did the only thing to fix it, I turned around and spent some time with my friends.
I tried this over the weekend. I was leaving a wedding and had had a bad day and had kind of ignored some friends. I wasn't mad at them, just in a bad mood. They probably didn't even notice. Anyway, I left the wedding and the entire time this was on my mind. I was frustrated with myself for ignoring my friends and for being in a bad mood and decided to try to yell to see if it would all be fixed. And yell I did. When I finished, nothing changed except the soreness of my throat. So I did the only thing to fix it, I turned around and spent some time with my friends.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Don't Stop at the Beginning of the Race!
This week, Donald Haynes has a column in the United Methodist Reporter. You can read the entire article here.
The article is titled, Reclaiming the experience of 'being saved.' It begins with a look at the growth of the early Methodist church. The growth was because Methodist focused on being saved! As Haynes writes, they learned that Christ was their savior from sins and were discipled in the ordering of their lives by following Jesus.
This pattern was important to John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement. Wesley believed that all people could come to know God. A Calvanistic view point would be that only the elect are able to be saved. On the other end of the spectrum is Arminianism which states that all people can be saved. All people sin and are in need of a savior. However, because of our state, we cannot come to God. However, as we were yet sinners, Christ died for us and God's grace is freely given to us. In Methodist theology, this is called prevenient grace, sometimes described as the hound of heaven, from a poem of the same name. John Wesley was big on all being able to come to God and began his ministry preaching to the lowest of the low, the miners in England.
Another element of Methodistism is what happens after you are "saved." Salvation is a process, not just a moment of conversion. The moment of conversion would be when we find we have faith. Paul called this being justified. Arminius and Wesley called it prevenient grace. But that isn't the end, just the beginning! We must persevere and not let our faith be in vain.
This is where a lot of debate in Christianity occurs, the relationship between faith and works. I do not think it should be. I think first and foremost, we must agree that it isn't humans who have to judge who gets into heaven and who doesn't. The Bible is quite clear that we are saved by faith. Reading Romans 4 or Hebrews 11 will show you this. However, we will also see that the story of salvation doesn't end there. We see in Romans 5 & 6 and Hebrews 11 that action follows. By faith, Abraham left his home. By faith, Abraham offered up his only son to God. By faith, Moses led the Israelites across the Red Sea. By faith, the walls of Jericho fell. By faith, the prostitute in Jericho protected the spies and was not killed. By faith, Peter walked on the water. By faith, Paul was able to see again. By faith, he was delivered from those who sought to kill him and lowered by basket. James tells us that works shows us our faith is genuine. God's gift to us is so great, it requires us to give it away.
There can be no set number of "works" that must be required in order to "earn" salvation. Salvation is not earned. It is a gift of God. But if we have received God's grace, we will respond and act. The adulterous woman is told by Jesus to go and sin no more. He tells another to sell his belongings and follow him. We will respond when we have received God's grace.
I have often told people that the bible talks about two things, how to become a Christian, and what to do once you become one. I think a better description would be: 1) God loves you. 2)How to love. We love because God loved us first.
Another portion of Arminianism and Methodism (though most pry don't know it) is that salvation can be lost. I do not believe this to be true. I think it is more an issue of just saying you believe and then not changing anything is a sign that your faith was not true.
Arminius and Wesley believed that if we do not act on our faith, we could lose it. An example of this would be found in a parable of Jesus.
Matthew 12: 43-45:
"When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.
If we purify ourselves of sin but do not fill it with anything, sin will fall right back in and we will be worse off than before.
In my life, I have been in dozens of United Methodist churches and heard dozens of United Methodist pastors preach. I have been actively involved in 3 UM churches, the others were just a Sunday service. Rarely have I seen both of these issues addressed by the church.
The first UM church I was actively involved in had these elements, but not in the Sunday service. I had these two elements in the youth group. It was there I learned about God, faith, how to study the bible, and how to live it out. Rarely in the Sunday service did I hear about these things.
The second UM church I was involved in had these elements. They were in the Sunday service and in small groups, bible studies, etc...
The third UM church I was involved in did not have these elements. I rarely heard them in the Sunday service and haven't found small group or bible study. I helped to start a small bible study group, but we were disbanded by the church because we were "too small."
In the majority of other UM churches that I have attended services in, I have rarely heard these elements. I rarely hear the gospel. I rarely hear the need of continuing in our faith. I often leave not really sure what I heard. When was the last time that I heard sin was bad? In the third UM church I was involved in, I heard it once. And the pastor even said he didn't like talking about sin. Those who are not sick are not in need of a physician!
God changes lives. God rescues of from the bottom of the pit we have thrown ourselves into and dusts of off and gives us a new chance. This new chance comes with his help and his guidance. How will we know we are even in the pit if noone tells us? As John wrote in chapter 1 of his gospel, the Light shined in the world but the dark did not recognize it. God has decided to allow us to play a roll in spreading the Gospel. When Phillip, as described in the 8th chapter of Acts, came across the eunuch reading from the prophets, the eunuch said that he couldn't understand unless someone helped him. We all play a roll in this, the church plays a huge roll as well.
When I leave church and have not heard the gospel, what did I attend it for? When I can sit in a church for years and never hear how to be saved or what I should do once I am saved, why am I in the church? Is it any wonder why the population of the United Methodist Church is shrinking?
We must return to our roots. We must return to talking about sin and that it is bad! We must return to talking about Jesus and his love for us! We must return to talking about salvation and accepting the free gift of God. We must return to to talking about how to live as a Christian, and not letting the evil spirits return and find an empty house.
Don't stop at the beginning. Having faith is just the beginning of living by faith.
The article is titled, Reclaiming the experience of 'being saved.' It begins with a look at the growth of the early Methodist church. The growth was because Methodist focused on being saved! As Haynes writes, they learned that Christ was their savior from sins and were discipled in the ordering of their lives by following Jesus.
This pattern was important to John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement. Wesley believed that all people could come to know God. A Calvanistic view point would be that only the elect are able to be saved. On the other end of the spectrum is Arminianism which states that all people can be saved. All people sin and are in need of a savior. However, because of our state, we cannot come to God. However, as we were yet sinners, Christ died for us and God's grace is freely given to us. In Methodist theology, this is called prevenient grace, sometimes described as the hound of heaven, from a poem of the same name. John Wesley was big on all being able to come to God and began his ministry preaching to the lowest of the low, the miners in England.
Another element of Methodistism is what happens after you are "saved." Salvation is a process, not just a moment of conversion. The moment of conversion would be when we find we have faith. Paul called this being justified. Arminius and Wesley called it prevenient grace. But that isn't the end, just the beginning! We must persevere and not let our faith be in vain.
This is where a lot of debate in Christianity occurs, the relationship between faith and works. I do not think it should be. I think first and foremost, we must agree that it isn't humans who have to judge who gets into heaven and who doesn't. The Bible is quite clear that we are saved by faith. Reading Romans 4 or Hebrews 11 will show you this. However, we will also see that the story of salvation doesn't end there. We see in Romans 5 & 6 and Hebrews 11 that action follows. By faith, Abraham left his home. By faith, Abraham offered up his only son to God. By faith, Moses led the Israelites across the Red Sea. By faith, the walls of Jericho fell. By faith, the prostitute in Jericho protected the spies and was not killed. By faith, Peter walked on the water. By faith, Paul was able to see again. By faith, he was delivered from those who sought to kill him and lowered by basket. James tells us that works shows us our faith is genuine. God's gift to us is so great, it requires us to give it away.
There can be no set number of "works" that must be required in order to "earn" salvation. Salvation is not earned. It is a gift of God. But if we have received God's grace, we will respond and act. The adulterous woman is told by Jesus to go and sin no more. He tells another to sell his belongings and follow him. We will respond when we have received God's grace.
I have often told people that the bible talks about two things, how to become a Christian, and what to do once you become one. I think a better description would be: 1) God loves you. 2)How to love. We love because God loved us first.
Another portion of Arminianism and Methodism (though most pry don't know it) is that salvation can be lost. I do not believe this to be true. I think it is more an issue of just saying you believe and then not changing anything is a sign that your faith was not true.
Arminius and Wesley believed that if we do not act on our faith, we could lose it. An example of this would be found in a parable of Jesus.
Matthew 12: 43-45:
"When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.
If we purify ourselves of sin but do not fill it with anything, sin will fall right back in and we will be worse off than before.
In my life, I have been in dozens of United Methodist churches and heard dozens of United Methodist pastors preach. I have been actively involved in 3 UM churches, the others were just a Sunday service. Rarely have I seen both of these issues addressed by the church.
The first UM church I was actively involved in had these elements, but not in the Sunday service. I had these two elements in the youth group. It was there I learned about God, faith, how to study the bible, and how to live it out. Rarely in the Sunday service did I hear about these things.
The second UM church I was involved in had these elements. They were in the Sunday service and in small groups, bible studies, etc...
The third UM church I was involved in did not have these elements. I rarely heard them in the Sunday service and haven't found small group or bible study. I helped to start a small bible study group, but we were disbanded by the church because we were "too small."
In the majority of other UM churches that I have attended services in, I have rarely heard these elements. I rarely hear the gospel. I rarely hear the need of continuing in our faith. I often leave not really sure what I heard. When was the last time that I heard sin was bad? In the third UM church I was involved in, I heard it once. And the pastor even said he didn't like talking about sin. Those who are not sick are not in need of a physician!
God changes lives. God rescues of from the bottom of the pit we have thrown ourselves into and dusts of off and gives us a new chance. This new chance comes with his help and his guidance. How will we know we are even in the pit if noone tells us? As John wrote in chapter 1 of his gospel, the Light shined in the world but the dark did not recognize it. God has decided to allow us to play a roll in spreading the Gospel. When Phillip, as described in the 8th chapter of Acts, came across the eunuch reading from the prophets, the eunuch said that he couldn't understand unless someone helped him. We all play a roll in this, the church plays a huge roll as well.
When I leave church and have not heard the gospel, what did I attend it for? When I can sit in a church for years and never hear how to be saved or what I should do once I am saved, why am I in the church? Is it any wonder why the population of the United Methodist Church is shrinking?
We must return to our roots. We must return to talking about sin and that it is bad! We must return to talking about Jesus and his love for us! We must return to talking about salvation and accepting the free gift of God. We must return to to talking about how to live as a Christian, and not letting the evil spirits return and find an empty house.
Don't stop at the beginning. Having faith is just the beginning of living by faith.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Stranger in a Strange Land in the Midst of Strangers
This past Sunday, I attended church at Grace Bible Church in College Station at the Southwood Campus. The entire service was really good, I drew a lot out of all of it. However, here we will focus on one portion of the message.
Blake Jennings gave the message on being in the world, not of the world. The text was John 17:11-18.
This reminded me of one of my favorite songs, which I have shared before, Leon Russel's Stranger in a Strange Land. This looked like a good opportunity to once again share the song!
For one portion of the sermon, Blake focused on verse 16, saying that this world is not our home. We are strangers here.
This world, in the beginning, was created as our home. We see that in Genesis 1. However, because of human's choosing to sin, the devil was allowed to take control of this world. Jesus calls the devil the prince of this world in John 14:30.
For the time being, this world is not our home. We are made to be with God, which means that as long as the world is broken with sin, we are designed to be with God in his house. Jesus tells us this in John 14: 2,3:
Until the time of his return, we are strangers in a strange land. We are to follow His authority in how we live our life, not the authority of society. I will live my life differently than many. I will not look like everyone else. I will live for God in preparation for His return. I will be a stranger in this strange land.
Blake Jennings gave the message on being in the world, not of the world. The text was John 17:11-18.
11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name--the name you gave me--so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. 13 "I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.
17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.
This reminded me of one of my favorite songs, which I have shared before, Leon Russel's Stranger in a Strange Land. This looked like a good opportunity to once again share the song!
For one portion of the sermon, Blake focused on verse 16, saying that this world is not our home. We are strangers here.
This world, in the beginning, was created as our home. We see that in Genesis 1. However, because of human's choosing to sin, the devil was allowed to take control of this world. Jesus calls the devil the prince of this world in John 14:30.
For the time being, this world is not our home. We are made to be with God, which means that as long as the world is broken with sin, we are designed to be with God in his house. Jesus tells us this in John 14: 2,3:
In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.Jesus tells us two important things in these verses. One, we have a place in God's house prepared for us. Two, he is coming back.
Until the time of his return, we are strangers in a strange land. We are to follow His authority in how we live our life, not the authority of society. I will live my life differently than many. I will not look like everyone else. I will live for God in preparation for His return. I will be a stranger in this strange land.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Trials and Tribulations
Yesterday I attended church at Central Baptist in Bryan, TX. It was my first time to attend services there. A friend of mine had invited me to go.
The church is a huge church. Services meet in a large auditorium with theater seats. The praise portion of the service was led by a full choir and band, with songs sung by the congregation and a few solos, including one done on a harp.
The message was taken from 2nd Timothy, 1:3 "I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day." The message was about how knowing if a trial is because of sin we committed or something God is allowing me to go through for another reason. An example of each type would be, am I going through something because I deserved it like Ananias and his wife because of sin, or because God is allowing me to go through it like Job.
Ananias and his wife’s story is recorded in Acts 5.
Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet. Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God." When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him. About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter asked her, "Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?" "Yes," she said, "that is the price." Peter said to her, "How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also." At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
This is certainly a strange story to us, but illustrates the point quite vividly that sin has consequences! It seems that Ananias may have been told by the Holy Spirit to give the money to the church, but decided with his wife to only give a portion. As a result of this, they both lost their lives.
Job’s story is recorded in the Old Testament book, Job. At the beginning of the story, God is telling the devil about how righteous Job is. The devil says that he can cause Job to curse God, so God allows the devil to tempt Job. All of Job’s possession are destroyed. His family is killed, and he is left alone. He sits in ash and sackcloth mourning, but does not accuse God of wrong doing. Job has three friends who come to visit him after these tragedies. Each friend takes a turn speaking to Job, trying to convince him that these tragedies had to occur because of something that he did. Job continues to say that he has lived how God has wanted him to live. At the end of the story, God speaks to Job and his friends, reminding them that He is God and they are not. He has sovereignty and rewards Job for his faithfulness by restoring his wealth two fold. Job’s friends are condemned and saved by the prayers and sacrifice of Job.
Both people went through trials, but both had different reasons for entering the trials.
The pastor started the message with a story of John the Baptist. John of course preached about Jesus, pointed him out when he was in the crowd as the lamb of God, called out the Pharisees, and baptized Christ. However, when he was in prison, he sent a message to Jesus asking if he was indeed the Christ. Christ responds to tell John what his followers have seen, and then continues to praise John before the crowd. The point was the show that when we go through trials, we need, and it is OK to ask, for assurance from God.
He said that the scripture verse showed 3 things we can look at to see what is the cause of our trial. Now at first glance, well, anytime I read the scripture until after the sermon, I didn't see these 3 points at all. But sure enough, they were there. Now 2nd Timothy is Paul's last letter. He is in prison in Rome for the 2nd time. As he writes in the letter, he is alone except for Luke. The pastor pointed out that Paul had a good relationship with the church in Rome, yet none of them seem to want, or are able, to come to him during his 2nd and final imprisonment. Shortly after the letter is sent, Paul is beheaded by the orders of Nero, emperor of Rome.
The first thing we can observe from the verse is from the portion that reads "I thank God whom I serve”. Paul uses the word charis for thanks, which means grace and that which affords joy. So Paul is saying he has grace in God, that he has joy in God, things are good between him and God. So the first thing we need to look at is our relationship with God. Is it OK? Are we having a good relationship with God? Are we spending time with Him? Is he a priority in our life?
2nd, "as did my ancestors." The pastor said we should ask if we are living a Christian life like those who have gone before us? Paul is saying that he is serving God the same way as Moses and Aaron, Abraham Isaac and Jacob, David and Solomon, served God. Now of course we are all unique and will serve in different ways, but will have similar characteristics. He mentioned as an example, when he was a young pastor, he looked at older pastors who had gone before and tried to model his walk after their walk. We can look to others that have gone before as an example of people who have successfully run the race. Paul tells us in 1st Corinthians 11:1 to “follow me as I follow the example of Christ.”
3rd, "with a clear conscience." Do we have a clear conscience? Is the Spirit telling us that there is something in our life that we need to change? The Holy Spirit is promised to all believers and serves to convict, teach, and encourage us. Often when we find ourselves in sin, even though we may try to rationalize it in our mind, the spirit will convict us.
If we can answer these things and say that our relationship with God is good, we are following in the footsteps of those who have gone before, and the Spirit is not convicting us of sin, then we can know that the trial is not caused by our sin. Job's friends told him that his trial was his fault. When he looked at his life, he knew he hadn't done anything to bring this upon himself and God responded that he hadn't and judgment was brought upon the friends for accusing Job of having brought the trial on his life.
And if we are right with God, we will overcome our trial. Either God will see us through the trial, or he will redeem us in the trial. Job was seen through his trial and his holdings were restored to twice as before. Stephen was redeemed through his trial. The pastor gave imagery of Stephen's death and Paul's death, saying they went from seeing the face of their oppressors in one instance, to the next seeing the face of Christ receiving them. Stephen was stoned because of his faith and testimony of God. In the audience, was a young man named Saul who gave his approval of the stoning. A man who would later see the risen Christ, who would later be known as Paul, and would himself be killed because of his faith and testimony of Christ.
Jesus promises that as we go through life, we will have trials because we follow him. We can know that these trials are not from our sin by looking at our life and listening to the Spirit. We can then take comfort in the knowledge that God will deliver.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Care of the Body
Recently, I have begun changing my diet and increasing my exercise. These changes were made mainly in preparation for the military, but has had added benefit. Since changing my diet, I have been able to handle foods that I haven't been able to eat in the past. I have increased the amount of fruits and vegetables and limited the amount of meat and fats in my diet. Since increasing my exercises, I have made my body stronger. I have felt better and been able to do more with my body.
Many people do not take care of their bodies. It is hard to define how one takes care of their body. Take for example me. I say that I do because I eat healthy, and exercise regularly. Someone else might say I do not, because I drink coffee and many consider caffeine to be a drug and bad for the body. However, we can look at some statistics to get an idea of how many people appear to be taking care of their body.
This statistics are from Obesity in America.
So why take care of yourself? Well, the most obvious is the prevention of the health risks that come with obesity. By losing weight, a person can help keep off heart disease, type 2 diabetes, joint problems, and a host of other medical conditions.
But taking care of the body is more than just not wanting to having medical problems. There are benefits in being able to do more. Being healthier has allowed me run farther and ride my bike more. It allows me to hike more without being as tired. It allows me to be able to do more than I could have done before. This is a major benefit to me.
There are also psychological benefits to being healthy. A person who is healthy both in diet and exercise is better able to handle stress in their life. They are able to work better under certain conditions than those who are not in shape. They are often more relaxed in life. Endorphins and other chemicals are released by the body when exercising which increase the feeling of pleasure.
In Daniel chapter 1, Daniel becomes a member of the king's court. As a member of the king's court, he is to be given the choicest of food and wine. However, because of his commitment to God, Daniel and three other members chose to not defile their bodies with this food. They instead eat vegetables. After 10 days, the four of them are the healthiest and strongest of the court. This helped him to become more powerful in the court.
In 1 Corinthians, 6:19, 20, Paul writes "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." Now when I was a youth growing up, people often pointed at this verse as why tattoos were bad. That isn't what Paul is talking about. Paul is talking about this in reference to sexual immorality. He is saying that since Christians are saved at the cost of Christ's death, they nolonger are the sole-owner of the body. Therefore, they should honor God by their actions. We know he is talking about actions because of his reference to sexual immorality in the previous verses. This is a poor verse to use for advocating against obesity and tattoos as it is taking it out of context.
Ultimately, it is a choice that the person must make. Noone can make someone stay in shape, exercise, or eat healthy. However, the benefits of it greatly outweigh the pleasure of that extra bite of brownie!
Many people do not take care of their bodies. It is hard to define how one takes care of their body. Take for example me. I say that I do because I eat healthy, and exercise regularly. Someone else might say I do not, because I drink coffee and many consider caffeine to be a drug and bad for the body. However, we can look at some statistics to get an idea of how many people appear to be taking care of their body.
This statistics are from Obesity in America.
- Obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death in the U.S.
- Approximately 127 million adults in the U.S. are overweight, 60 million are obese and 9 million are extremely obese.
- Currently, an estimated 65.2 percent of U.S. adults, age 20 years and older, and 15 percent of children and adolescents are overweight and 30.5 percent are obese.
- Approximately 62 percent of female Americans are considered overweight.
- Approximately 67 percent of male Americans are considered overweight.
- An estimated 400,000 deaths per year may be attributable to poor diet and low physical activity.
So why take care of yourself? Well, the most obvious is the prevention of the health risks that come with obesity. By losing weight, a person can help keep off heart disease, type 2 diabetes, joint problems, and a host of other medical conditions.
But taking care of the body is more than just not wanting to having medical problems. There are benefits in being able to do more. Being healthier has allowed me run farther and ride my bike more. It allows me to hike more without being as tired. It allows me to be able to do more than I could have done before. This is a major benefit to me.
There are also psychological benefits to being healthy. A person who is healthy both in diet and exercise is better able to handle stress in their life. They are able to work better under certain conditions than those who are not in shape. They are often more relaxed in life. Endorphins and other chemicals are released by the body when exercising which increase the feeling of pleasure.
In Daniel chapter 1, Daniel becomes a member of the king's court. As a member of the king's court, he is to be given the choicest of food and wine. However, because of his commitment to God, Daniel and three other members chose to not defile their bodies with this food. They instead eat vegetables. After 10 days, the four of them are the healthiest and strongest of the court. This helped him to become more powerful in the court.
In 1 Corinthians, 6:19, 20, Paul writes "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." Now when I was a youth growing up, people often pointed at this verse as why tattoos were bad. That isn't what Paul is talking about. Paul is talking about this in reference to sexual immorality. He is saying that since Christians are saved at the cost of Christ's death, they nolonger are the sole-owner of the body. Therefore, they should honor God by their actions. We know he is talking about actions because of his reference to sexual immorality in the previous verses. This is a poor verse to use for advocating against obesity and tattoos as it is taking it out of context.
Ultimately, it is a choice that the person must make. Noone can make someone stay in shape, exercise, or eat healthy. However, the benefits of it greatly outweigh the pleasure of that extra bite of brownie!
Monday, October 6, 2008
What is a friend?
What does it mean to be a friend? The dictionary defines it as
The term we will be looking at is the first definition.
My friends are people I enjoy being around. Some are male, some are female. Some friends I see regularly, some I see rarely. Some I get to see in person, some I only talk to on the phone or over the internet. For my friends, I like to think that I would do anything for them. I like to think that if they needed me day or night, I would be there for them. While this is rarely put to the test, I like to think that I pass when it is. I do not think that I would be the judge of that though.
But what does it mean to be a friend? How should we handle our relationships? Should friends just be people we hang out with and have fun with? Should we invest in our relationships or view them as disposable? How "deep" does a friendship relationship go?
The bible has several verses that deal with friendships.
Proverbs 27:10 has an interesting note about friends. "Your own friend and your father's friend forsake not; but if ruin befalls you, enter not a kinsman's house. Better is a neighbor near at hand than a brother far away." A neighbor who is near is better than family who is far away in time of need. Now the term for neighbor here does mean neighbor, not friend, but the application is important. It is important that we be available for those who are near us. This of course raises the question of "who is my neighbor?" Jesus answered the question with the Parable of the Good Samaritan. To be neighborly is to show mercy. How much better for the certain man who was robbed and beaten was the Samaritan who was near than family who was far away!
So if we our to love our neighbor and to show mercy to them, how much more should we give to our friends?
| 1. | a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard. |
| 2. | a person who gives assistance; patron; supporter: friends of the Boston Symphony. |
| 3. | a person who is on good terms with another; a person who is not hostile: Who goes there? Friend or foe? |
| 4. | a member of the same nation, party, etc. |
| 5. | (initial capital letter ) a member of the Religious Society of Friends; a Quaker. |
The term we will be looking at is the first definition.
My friends are people I enjoy being around. Some are male, some are female. Some friends I see regularly, some I see rarely. Some I get to see in person, some I only talk to on the phone or over the internet. For my friends, I like to think that I would do anything for them. I like to think that if they needed me day or night, I would be there for them. While this is rarely put to the test, I like to think that I pass when it is. I do not think that I would be the judge of that though.
But what does it mean to be a friend? How should we handle our relationships? Should friends just be people we hang out with and have fun with? Should we invest in our relationships or view them as disposable? How "deep" does a friendship relationship go?
The bible has several verses that deal with friendships.
Proverbs 27:10 has an interesting note about friends. "Your own friend and your father's friend forsake not; but if ruin befalls you, enter not a kinsman's house. Better is a neighbor near at hand than a brother far away." A neighbor who is near is better than family who is far away in time of need. Now the term for neighbor here does mean neighbor, not friend, but the application is important. It is important that we be available for those who are near us. This of course raises the question of "who is my neighbor?" Jesus answered the question with the Parable of the Good Samaritan. To be neighborly is to show mercy. How much better for the certain man who was robbed and beaten was the Samaritan who was near than family who was far away!
So if we our to love our neighbor and to show mercy to them, how much more should we give to our friends?
- Proverbs 17:17 "A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity."
In this verse, the Hebrew uses the term Rea` for friend, which means friend or companion. This term is also used to describe how Moses and God would talk. Exodus 33:11 "Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his" For love, it uses the term 'ahab. This is the same word used to describe the love between Abraham and his son Isaac, the love between Jacob and Rachel, the love between God and His people, the love we are to have for our neighbor.
Now I do not consider myself a Bible scholar. I read regularly but all is for not without the understanding provided by the Holy Spirit. God certainly wants us reading and exploring the Bible. So I use Greek and Hebrew dictionaries when appropriate, read commentaries, and other sources to help explain scripture. I did the same for friends.
I turned to the Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology and its write up on friends.As we saw with the English dictionary, friends can mean a lot of different relationships. We will focus on the relationships between friends. The article points to the relationship between Jonathan and David as an example of a relationship having all three qualities of friendship: association, loyalty, and affection. This story is broken into a couple of parts in the book of 1st Samuel. 1st Samuel 18:1-4 & 1st Samuel 20: 14-17. A friend gives in time of need. Luke 11:5-8. A friend consoles. 2nd Samuel 19:31-39. A friend rebukes in love. Proverbs 27:6. A friend provides strength. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12. A friend will give their life. John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends."
What will you do for your friends?
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Lie for my benefit, tell the truth for His
I really like the music of Ross King. I first heard him in high school as his music was often played by others in my youth group. One of the albums of his I had was Sullivan's Flaw. I loved the entire album except song number 10, Up To Me. I tried finding the lyrics online but came up empty. The song talks about how he comes in contact with lost people everyday, people in need of Christ, but doesn't tell them. He instead tells God that He shouldn't leave that up to him because it isn't the best use of his gifts.
I didn't like this song because it seemed to call me out! To me it was saying, "Go tell others about me!" I certainly didn't like the tone of that.
But then I found the answer! The answer was in the words of St. Francis of Assisi. "Always preach the gospel, use words if necessary." That was the answer! I didn't HAVE to tell anyone! After all, I am preaching it without words! Yes! This will save the lost and free the pressure God was putting on me to go and actually tell others about him.
Now granted the words of Francis of Assis required that you were actually living a life of righteousness. I was doing that, after all I went to church every Sunday and often times went to Wednesday night bible study. Sometimes I even wore a Christian shirt to school! Surely this was living the gospel with life! You didn't have to do anything, just look the part, right?
The song finally made sense. It wasn't wrong for the guy to tell God to not leave the task of telling others about Jesus up to him. In fact, it was a prayer! God, you see, I am not good at this. Find someone else. I will just "live it." I am not good with "words."
Well that worked well until the next time I heard the song. So I started programming my CD player to play all the songs on the album except song #10. This worked well until song #9 ended. Unfortunately, I had heard the album in its entirety enough times that my mind would automatically go to song #10 after #9.
Well surely there has to be some Biblical support for my stance. Surely God understood when others said "Hey, I will do anything you want, but I won't do that." Oh here it is, Moses! In Exodus 4:10, Moses speaks to God after God calls him to go and tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go and worship in the desert for 3 days. Moses says "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." Yes! A great example for me to use before God. You see God, I am just not a good talked. Remember when I was a kid, I couldn't even say my R's! How am I suppose to talk about Christ when I use to say "Chwist" as a kid! Well, God responds to Moses' plea in verse 11 and 12. "The Lord said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." Well, the only solace I could find was that at least he was talking to Moses and not me. But Moses doesn't give up. Moses begs God again in verse 13, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it." Surely God will understand Moses and my's plea! Then the Lord's anger burned against Moses and he said, "What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and his heart will be glad when he sees you. You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth." OK, so God got pretty upset with Moses, but at least he got out of having to talk, right? Well, no. As we read Exodus, we see that both Moses and Aaron have to do quite a bit of talking and a lot of work. That isn't important when I was 16 years old. I had the example I needed. I don't have to preach the Gospel, it's not my gift! Find someone else!
Then in Mexico, I talked. I had gone to Tuxpan, Mexico on a trip with my church to work on building a church and to operate a vacation bible school for the neighborhood. One night, after we had finished our work for the day, I was walking the streets around the hotel with a friend. Two Mexicans walked up asking if we were Americans. We said yes and one of them proceeded to tell us that he worked oil rigs out of Galveston and was back home on leave. He wanted to talk to us to practice his English. We visited with them on the street just outside our hotel for a few minutes before one of the adults on the trip came out to let us know it was time for evening devotion. She saw the men and told them we were Christians. They responded that they understood and oddly enough, I invited them to join us for evening devotion in the hotel. Afterwards, we invited the two men to have cokes in the hotel restaurant. I was visitng with one of the Mexicans while my friend visited with the other. I pulled out a bible track I had in my pocket (afterall, just carrying it is preaching the gospel without having to talk, right?) and shared it with the man. After we talked about, he said he wanted to take it with him so he could check a few words in the dictionary. The next day, while walking the streets, the Mexican and I crossed paths. He thanked me for sharing the gospel with him and that he really appriciated it.
So I did it! I spoke! I did it once I can do it again, right?
Well, that was that for the next 7 or 8 years. Silence returned to my mouth. I continued to skip over track #10. I have just recently begun openly speaking the gospel. I am not sure what caused me to finally start talking all the time. Perhaps God's spirit finally urged me enough to follow God. Perhaps I was tired of never hearing the gospel preached in public and in church that the Spirit used the opportunity to get me to begin talking. I am no longer afraid of opening my mouth and letting the gospel come out.
The words God told Moses still ring true. He will be our words. It is He who speaks. It is He that allows His word to go out to the masses like a sword. It is He who will teach us what we should say at that time. All we must do is trust and open our mouths.
Have you opened your mouth or is it not your gift?
Listening to John Mayer
Continuing with the music theme!
OK, I actually do not listen to John Mayer and can only name one of his songs, No Such Thing. The only part of the song I even know is "I want to run through the halls of my high school, I want to scream at the top of my lungs." I don't even know what the song means. But have you ever wanted to do this?
I really want to just run around outside screaming. I think if I scream loud enough, it will cause all the pieces to fall back into place. I think people will then understand me.
OK, I actually do not listen to John Mayer and can only name one of his songs, No Such Thing. The only part of the song I even know is "I want to run through the halls of my high school, I want to scream at the top of my lungs." I don't even know what the song means. But have you ever wanted to do this?
I really want to just run around outside screaming. I think if I scream loud enough, it will cause all the pieces to fall back into place. I think people will then understand me.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Itching the Scrath
So do you scratch an itch or itch a scratch? Maybe you scratch scratches and itch itches?
This was a question posed to me by a friend of mine. I will defer to the dictionary.
When I was teaching school, anytime my students asked me what a word meant (or I asked them and they didn't know) we got on the computer and looked on the internet. I wanted them to not only learn that they can find this information on their own, but also where to find it. By the end of the 1st six weeks, they knew exactly where on the internet to go.
I think the power of the internet is really neat. It isn't necessarily the power of the internet as it is the access to so much information. Take for example the USS Grunion (SS 216). This information is taken from an article in the Science Daily. The Grunion was reported lost on 16 August 1942 after she failed to return to Dutch Harbor. She had not had contact since 30 July. 60 years later, the submarine had never been found nor the disappearance of the Grunion explained. That is when the sons of the commanding officer of the Grunion, Lt Cmdr Abele, began a search. I will quote directly from the article.
"After discovering information on the internet in 2002 that helped pinpoint USS Grunion's possible location, the sons of Grunion's commanding officer, Bruce, Brad, and John Abele, began working on a plan to find the submarine. In August 2006, a team of side scan sonar experts hired by the brothers located a target near Kiska almost a mile below the ocean's surface. A second expedition in August 2007 using a high definition camera on a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) yielded video footage and high resolution photos of the wreckage of a U.S. fleet submarine."
Did you notice where they found some probable spots? "After discovering information on the internet in 2002 that helped pinpoint USS Grunion's possible location," The internet! You can find submarines 60 years after they sank on the internet!
They then compared to wreckage to another submarine of the same class and confirmed it was the Grunion.
The internet is extremely powerful because of the access of information. However, this comes at a consequence. As my high school english teachers use to always say, anyone can put whatever they want on the internet. True they are! I can write anything I want in this blog and post it on the net. Google webcrawlers would then scan my blog, and people searching on the internet can find whatever I write. There are no editors, no teachers, no one confirming my writings before it is published.
Because of that, it is the responsibility of the reader to evaluate the authenticity of the website. The reader must determine if the online news source is a legitamate news source. The reader must decide if the website providing the information has alternative motives they are trying to promote. Before the internet, this background check was often done by the editor of a book or a news editor at the tv station or newspaper. In absence of an editor, the reader must always be mindful of ethics when reading and reporting information from the internet.
Information from around the world can be collected in seconds. Want information on the 1956 Hungarian Revolution? In 0.15 seconds, google found about 185,000 results. Want to know how many people are killed annually by kangaroos? In 0.19 seconds, google found 206,000 results. The answer is 100, by the way. So much information is out there!
So do you scratch or itch scratches or itches? My students would know how to find out. Do you?
This was a question posed to me by a friend of mine. I will defer to the dictionary.
When I was teaching school, anytime my students asked me what a word meant (or I asked them and they didn't know) we got on the computer and looked on the internet. I wanted them to not only learn that they can find this information on their own, but also where to find it. By the end of the 1st six weeks, they knew exactly where on the internet to go.
I think the power of the internet is really neat. It isn't necessarily the power of the internet as it is the access to so much information. Take for example the USS Grunion (SS 216). This information is taken from an article in the Science Daily. The Grunion was reported lost on 16 August 1942 after she failed to return to Dutch Harbor. She had not had contact since 30 July. 60 years later, the submarine had never been found nor the disappearance of the Grunion explained. That is when the sons of the commanding officer of the Grunion, Lt Cmdr Abele, began a search. I will quote directly from the article.
"After discovering information on the internet in 2002 that helped pinpoint USS Grunion's possible location, the sons of Grunion's commanding officer, Bruce, Brad, and John Abele, began working on a plan to find the submarine. In August 2006, a team of side scan sonar experts hired by the brothers located a target near Kiska almost a mile below the ocean's surface. A second expedition in August 2007 using a high definition camera on a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) yielded video footage and high resolution photos of the wreckage of a U.S. fleet submarine."
Did you notice where they found some probable spots? "After discovering information on the internet in 2002 that helped pinpoint USS Grunion's possible location," The internet! You can find submarines 60 years after they sank on the internet!
They then compared to wreckage to another submarine of the same class and confirmed it was the Grunion.
The internet is extremely powerful because of the access of information. However, this comes at a consequence. As my high school english teachers use to always say, anyone can put whatever they want on the internet. True they are! I can write anything I want in this blog and post it on the net. Google webcrawlers would then scan my blog, and people searching on the internet can find whatever I write. There are no editors, no teachers, no one confirming my writings before it is published.
Because of that, it is the responsibility of the reader to evaluate the authenticity of the website. The reader must determine if the online news source is a legitamate news source. The reader must decide if the website providing the information has alternative motives they are trying to promote. Before the internet, this background check was often done by the editor of a book or a news editor at the tv station or newspaper. In absence of an editor, the reader must always be mindful of ethics when reading and reporting information from the internet.
Information from around the world can be collected in seconds. Want information on the 1956 Hungarian Revolution? In 0.15 seconds, google found about 185,000 results. Want to know how many people are killed annually by kangaroos? In 0.19 seconds, google found 206,000 results. The answer is 100, by the way. So much information is out there!
So do you scratch or itch scratches or itches? My students would know how to find out. Do you?
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Missing the Train
Walt Wilkins and the Mytiqueros have a song called Trains I Missed. Part of the song is:
(You can click here to see the entire lyrics.)
The point of the song is that our lives our guided by our past. We have ended up where we are today because of the path of yesterday. Sometimes we see things in our lives that we desire or think is good for us, but in the end, we do not capture them. We miss them. In looking in our past, we see that missing those things was exactly what we needed and we ended up just where we were suppose to be.
Here's to the trains I've missed. The relationships that didn't work out. The opportunities that didn't occur. The times I didn't take a chance. The times I trusted my gut instead of my desire. The times things went completely wrong.
Here's to the place I've found. The relationships that did work out. The opportunities that did occur. The times I did take a chance. The times my mind was right. The times things went completely right.
I do not understand why somethings in my life do not work out. Perhaps in the future I will toast this moment. Perhaps I will not! One thing is for certain, the train is past and I am on another track.
It's a big old world but I've found my way
And the hell and the hurt lead me straight to it
Here's to the trains I missed
Here's to this place I've found
The love I've known
The earth and the sky
That I call home
Here's to the things I need
Bigger than me
And the moments I find myself right where I'm suppose to be
(You can click here to see the entire lyrics.)
The point of the song is that our lives our guided by our past. We have ended up where we are today because of the path of yesterday. Sometimes we see things in our lives that we desire or think is good for us, but in the end, we do not capture them. We miss them. In looking in our past, we see that missing those things was exactly what we needed and we ended up just where we were suppose to be.
Here's to the trains I've missed. The relationships that didn't work out. The opportunities that didn't occur. The times I didn't take a chance. The times I trusted my gut instead of my desire. The times things went completely wrong.
Here's to the place I've found. The relationships that did work out. The opportunities that did occur. The times I did take a chance. The times my mind was right. The times things went completely right.
I do not understand why somethings in my life do not work out. Perhaps in the future I will toast this moment. Perhaps I will not! One thing is for certain, the train is past and I am on another track.
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