Influence

The late John Stott writes that Christians shouldn’t think they cannot change the society around them, when they in fact have tremendous influence.

#1 Prayer – if it is true that the God of the Bible is who he says he is, asking him to intervene most definitely makes a difference
#2 Truth – if there is truth in this world, it will last and nothing can change that. For example, if it is true that one should work for 6 days and rest on the 7th, it is a truth that can be proven not only by experience or the Bible, but through research.
#3 Example – If you claim to follow Jesus and live accordingly, you will have to swim against the tide. If Biblical principles on life really work, then your life is living proof.
#4 Group Solidarity – significant change happens through small groups of dedicated people. Jesus taught his 12 students the basics and let them run with it. Through them the Church has spread to every continent. There is immense strength in a small group of people who are dedicated and convinced of their cause.

Women of Worth

I was in a women’s meeting where a Christian counselor spoke about self esteem. Basic stuff about how your self esteem is built and how people around you build you up or damage you.

The most telling part of the session came when she said she’d now tell us how she felt about us.
You could hear a pin drop. She went on to speak truth:
‘you are loved’
‘you are beautiful’
‘you are valuable’

It was so quiet in the room, the women were hanging on to her every word. And I realized how starved every woman was to hear this. And how little encouragement these ladies get. Life without encouragement is draining.

Speaking well of someone, giving a compliment or encouraging someone, those words can revive a worn out soul.
The self esteem of those around us depend on our words.

Giving Thanks

A great American tradition that could very well be adopted by the rest of the world. Thanksgiving is more than turkey and sweet potato casserole.
To dedicate a day for just giving thanks and celebrating the blessings is healthy.

The Bible says that the “joy of the Lord is my strength“. Joy flows out of a grateful heart. When you stop to count your blessings, you will be surprised by the mere wealth of them! That turns into joy and a positive attitude, that spreads around. It makes not only you stronger, but those around you.

I say whoop!

Does Faith Extinguish Sexuality?

A question newspapers asked in Finland earlier this year. A charismatic pastor was let go by his church, because he crossed “sexual boundaries”. The vague description left people wondering. The media ask this question because, what might not be appropriate for a pastor might be normal for those living outside religious rules.

So, are religious codes of conduct prohibitions on one’s “normal sexual behavior”?

The Bible gives a simple guideline: One man is to commit to one woman for life, enjoy sex, bear children and raise the next generation. God is 100% committed to his bride (the Church) and thus sets an example for us  to commit to one partner for life. Iron sharpens iron. When you are with one person, you are forced to mature, deal with your issues plus there is stability in your life.

Well, we stray from this. There are hookups. There are kids from different partners in one family. There are same-sex parents, single-parents and absent parents.

On a foundational level, life is simpler, safer and more enjoyable when people get married and stick it out. A ton of research has proven this. When you step outside of the one marriage -ideal, anything is possible and permissible. The key question is, does it increase your happiness? Just looking around at the carnage, it doesn’t seem so.

The so-called sexual freedom leaves behind a trail of serial-relationships, discontentment, nobody’s kids, bitterness, poor single moms,  loneliness and uncertainty. The boundaries the Bible sets on one’s sexual expression are protective instead of smothering.

God calls us to submit to his good and perfect will. But we cannot, if we can’t trust God.

And that is the biggest decision you will make in your lifetime.

Death – The Final Enemy

It is an uncomfortable thing to speak about death. The myth in our culture (even in Christian culture) is that in death everyone finds peace. Death is seen as a liberator, not as an enemy. We write beautiful words for funerals about how the deceased is now free from his agony. Perhaps it is just easier to leave it at that.

The Bible talks about death as an enemy.

The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (Apostle Paul to the Corinthian church.) 

The war between the good and the evil in this world culminates in that final battle. Apostle Paul writes that Christ has conquered this last enemy. With him, there is victory, peace, healing and rest from death. Without him, there is just darkness.

This goes against the core of our relativist culture. The Church is shaped by this culture and it feels wrong to say that there is peace in death only for those who are in Christ. Still this is the central truth in the Christian faith. If this is not true, we’re mere fools.

But if we get this right, we understand that the Gospel is the best news and how urgent our responsibility in sharing it is.

 

In Love You See Through God’s Eyes

When you’re in love with someone, he/she is perfect. His every word displays his vast knowledge. Everything he does is so very kind. His looks make you tremble. You wouldn’t want to be anywhere else and you wouldn’t want anyone else.

Then time goes on and you realize they’re just as flawed as you are…

 
But, the beautiful thing is, that when you’re head over heels for someone, you catch a glimpse of how God sees them and intended them to be. It is like a rare look into how God created everything.

The crazy thing is that, that is how God sees you all the time. Without fault, perfectly beautiful.

How Real Is God

I listened to an acquaintance talk about how God met with him in a fresh way. He’s had his share of trouble in life, with divorce, physical injury and a loss of direction. All along he’s had faith in God somewhere out there, but recently the doubts have grown as he keeps hitting walls.

Last week he went to church and asked someone to pray for him. Through that prayer, God spoke to him, touched his heart and brought out the tears. He left feeling loved by God himself instead of forgotten.

I couldn’t help think how God is not tied into the boxes we’ve made for him. This tough looking guy met with God, was encouraged and re-freshed, because a young girl was willing to pray for him and let God speak words of encouragement through her.

It is a beautiful thing and reminds me how real God is and so very near.

Defeatist Christians

We talk about victory in the Lord. But we act as if we’ve lost.

Why do so many Christians have this attitude of “nothing new under the sun”? We have lost sight of the transforming power of God in and through us in the society. If we had a bit more vision, faith and trust in God, we would have the courage to let the dreams, the creativity and the fight for righteousness flow out of us.

Erwin McManus makes this point, announcing his dislike of  King Solomon’s words in Ecclesiastes:  “there is nothing new under the sun”.  He says  people would ask him, what’s the next big thing after post-modernism? He used to not have an answer. Now his reply goes, “it will be whatever we want it to be”. The point being, why are we waiting around for permission to change the world, when we have the power of God to be creative, active, to be the ones who shape the future.

McManus points out that the Church used to be the epicenter of creativity and ideas. Now we are satisfied to recycle yesterdays inventions.

Let’s quit being defeatists and seek to live life to our God-given fullest capacity.

Value of Story

The story made us different characters than we would have been if we had skipped the story and showed up at the ending an easier way.
Donald Miller

Tree of Life Is Hollow

Critics celebrate the new Terrence Malick film, Tree of Life, but the audience isn’t convinced. People walked out after 20 minutes in my local cinema. You either love it or hate it.

The film is visually gorgeous, but hollow in content.  With the sweeping shots of the universe evolving, of dinosaurs grazing and the earth waking up, Malick cannot cover up that he is lost. The film is dreamlike and impressionistic. Impressions of words, moments, emotions and places hidden in memory are brought to life on screen. The way he does this is beautiful.

The film asks questions, seeks answers. Too bad his conclusions aren’t satisfactory.

Tree of Life is pantheistic in its worldview. Everything and everyone is a part of this huge universe that evolves in its own pace. One person’s experience, memories, pain and loss are just a speck in the cosmos – insignificant. You have questions to God, but the cosmos is god and you are a part of it and it doesn’t really matter what you feel.

How different is this view to the one based on a Creator God. That there would be a God who is a Person and who has made everything and everyone – intentionally.

The universe is huge, so this God must be huge too. This Being, who is capable of creating something as vast as the Milky Way and as detailed as the human eye, is interested in His creation. He is personally interested in you, your life-experience, your disappointments and your questions. He is the one who would give himself to experience death, so that he could have a meaningful relationship with you.

You’re not some drop in the ocean of everything and nothing at the same time. There are answers to your very personal questions.

The Creator knows you and likes you.