Pat Robertson and Love

I read a few days ago a few posts about Pat Robertson's comment regarding a man who wanted to divorce his wife because she had Alzheimer's. In case you did not hear, Pat Robertson (supposedly, I did not hear the comments myself) said that the man should go ahead and divorce her.

When his co-anchor asked if this broke his wedding vows, Pat responded that vows were "until death do us part, and this is a kind of death."

Does this bother anyone? While I am sure Pat took some heat for this, is this just a non-issue for most folks. Isn't Pat just stating what our itching ears want to hear? Isn't he just stating what most of us practice in some form or another? Isn't he just stating our truth. When the going gets tough, the tough find a loophole or a justification for their actions.

• We live in time of economic crisis. Will borrowing more money really get us out of this mess?
• We see the poor and afflicted. What do we do to help them in Jesus' name? Not even a cup of cold water?
• We make vows to our spouses. We tell them we love them. But when that beauty fades or they are no longer of service to us, we cast them aside. Was not the person we loved really ourselves? As long as we get what we want, we love and stay together. Was that the vow we took?

It is no wonder that non-Christians are not affected by us. We don't clothe ourselves in Christ, we just put on a t-shirt that says, "I love Jesus because saying so gets me into heaven." Problem is, we have never read the back of the shirt. It says, "I wanted to go to heaven, but all I got was this lousy t-shirt!"

That's been my experience...

I was listening to a Matt Chandler sermon. If you are not familiar with Matt, he has a less that positive view of most of what is done in the name of evangelicalism.

In this particular sermon, he mentions how many churches are about confirmation. We confirm that what the minister says is good and right, and he confirms us through his distortion of the word. Has Matt been to my church?

I did not confirm the minister, but I questioned what he said or at least how he said it. Did he really say that good deeds plus the gospel = Jesus follower? Yup, and I have the outline to prove it. Now I am not opposed to good deeds. But they are not in needed in addition to the gospel, are they? Are they not rather a response to the gospel. I guess what bothers me most is the fine line that is walked. I cannot say that he is wrong. In some ways he is right. Faith without works is dead. But taken in context, that is not how I see him meaning it. Not when you take all of the other statements and see a bigger picture.

I can't confirm that message. But he won't either. I find it sad.

I still haven't found...

Things continue to be busy at work. It seems that shortening our day by 30 minutes actualy makes for more work, as I try to figure out how to get everything done  that needs done. Add to the the new "fixes" they have incorporated into our teaching, and it is amazing I have time to sleep at all. Hence, the blog has taken a back seat lately. But sometimes I just need a break from grading papers, like now.

Tomorrow will be the 4th Sunday away from UCC (which I pronounce phonetically as Uck!) We have had an elder stop by to encourage us to return, but not another sound. I am sure that many do not even realize we are gone.

We went to a Presbyterian church last weekend. Not the place for us, although I had such hopes. So much of their service was consumed by their upcoming building project. It made me uncomfortable. They asked when we signed in if they could contact us...(silence)

So we will worship at home tomorrow. Sing a bit, listen to a sermon (tomorrow will most likely be a Tim Keller sermon), share communion and pray. We will talk about how we can give back to God some of what he has given us.

I want a church home, but I don't want to play church. I can't pretend all is well and paint a smile on my face. I pray God will lead us somewhere soon.

Mother Fletcher

Life has been crazy! School is back in session, and I have been going non-stop trying to keep up. They have initiated so many changes this year, it is like starting over.

Church is crazy too. I applied to teach Sunday School. I was told that if I am going to teach SS, I must attend worship. I politely refused, which drove the SS Chairman bonkers. So I had to explain how I have had questions about the minister's sermons and he refuses to speak to me. Yet he tells the SS Chairman how much he respects me and the manner in which I approached him.

So I am reading this week's story for my class. It is about a woman in Harlem who invites a friendly police officer to Christmas dinner. She says this, "'Cause the more you expect the more you get your heart broke up. But you got to be ready whey they do act right because that's what makes the surviving worth surviving. That make any sense to you, honey?'"

Well, it makes a lot of sense to me. We have stopped attending our church, but have left the door open if they want to talk to us. I really don't have a high expectation. The SS Chairman did stop by, but only to convince me to come back. He knows my background and has seen me teach, and has told me I have a lot to offer. I reiterated my position. I would love to return, but not if it means showing up and listening without being able to question. He told me that the minster knew he was coming to see me, but did not offer to join him. That spoke volumes to me.

It hurts. Even though we have only a little over a year invested there. I am sad for them. One of the elders, who I have known for a long time, came from a similar background. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church, training to become a minster. He was asked to leave because he wanted to do what he believed the Bible wanted him to do. Now he is on the other side of the table. How ironic.

Well, back to school work. I hope to be caught up and back to more frequent blogging within a few weeks.

If you have about 45 minutes...

That's always been my experience...

I had lunch about a week ago with a man from our church. During the course of lunch, we discussed some theology. I am Reformed and Calvinist. He leans toward a prosperity theology. He quoted a verse in Corinthians to support his thoughts (I wish I had written it down) and also stated, "That's always been my experience, when I am closer to God He blesses me more and more." The context of our conversation made it plain that this was in regard to material things.

But what about the Bible? Taken as a whole, we cannot find this theology to be supported. The Apostles died horrible deaths, and suffered along the way. I think of Stephen, John the Baptist, Jesus' mother just as a few other examples. I just finished reading Trevin Wax's Blog and see all that he had endured this month. Either this theology is wrong, or Trevin has been a very bad boy. I don't know him personally, but I am going to go with the former.

God is a God of comfort. To know comfort, we must know pain. There have been times in this life He has been all I have had to cling to. While I do not like pain, those times have brought a bond that gets stronger every time.

Has God blessed me materially? Yes. But that is not the only kind of comfort He intends for me to have. Because God loves me, he will allow me to walk through the valley of death too. The place where His rod of correction and his staff of leadership will give me what I need. At least, that's always been my experience.

Here is a video Trevin had posted at the end of his post. I have always loved Bebo Normen, and this is powerful.

He said it on our way home from the county fair

From love arises hatred of those things which are contrary to what we love...

-Jonathan Edwards

That one is found on page 13 of Religious Affections.

Edwards is looking at the question, "What is true religion?" And a large part of that answer is affection. Loving God, the greatest command of all. But what does it mean to love God?

I love my family. If you want to get on my bad side, do something that harms my family. What kind of husband would I be if I said I loved my wife, but watched as someone abused or berated her and did nothing? What kind of father would I be if I observed my children being bullied and just watched and laughed. No, my love and affection for them would cause me to react in a different way.

So what about God? Do we love Him? Do we come to His defense when He is attacked?

My 9 year old son and I were driving to the county fair, listening to the radio. A man was on who had witnessed many atheists and those who had given up their faith. He said that in his experience, people who rejected God on a rational basis always had a painful past that led to this attitude. As he spoke, he mentioned one who had rejected God because his fiance had gotten ill, and even after much intense prayer, she died. I was not aware how intently my son was listening, but suddenly he burst out, "That's ridiculous! You shouldn't hate God just because your fiance dies! God can't do everything! Well, He can, but He does not have to. You shouldn't hate God just because you don't get what you want!"

And I pray that that child-like affection and devotion, that love and instinct to protect a God that he loves, will never, ever die. No wonder Jesus loved the little children, and stated that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as them.

Wish I woulda said that...

In nothing is vigor in the actings of our inclinations so requisite, as in religion; and in nothing is lukewarmness so odious.  -Jonathan Edwards

It is on page 6 of "Religious Affections." My progress in this book is slow. So much to drink in. Why does it always sound more obvious when someone else says it? Shouldn't I understand that without passion, without love, my works are hollow?

So many Scriptures come to mind that validate this idea, yet I continue to fall short. I need to put these Scriptures more before me.

Isaiah 64:6 All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

What Scripture comes to your mind?

What is your answer to this question?

I just started reading through Jonathan Edwards "The Religious Affections." It's going to take a while. It seems to be the kind of book that you can't just read through, you have to think it through.

You don't normally expect to get hung up in the introduction, but even the intro has a lot of thought in it. He begins with this question as a premise. "What is the nature of true religion?" Seems like a simple enough question to answer, but look around at the various religions and even at the variety of answers within a single religion, and you will see much diversity, if not in response, at least in practice.

So does this make God the author of confusion, or do we not get it?

It seems to me that there is no one subject where God ought to lead more than in the answer to this question, yet there is no one subject where we bring our preconceptions and baggage in than this.

I look forward to reading this book. It's gonna take a while. But these nagging questions haunt me...Does Jonathan get it? Will I?

If you dare and have the time, what is your answer to the question of the true nature of religion?

I wanna be like Leslie

You have to believe it, and you hate it. I don't have to believe it, and I think it is beautiful.

The above quote is one that I wrote down in my journal from "Bridge to Teribithia. The scene is the boy in the movie has invited the new girl, Leslie, who moved into the house next door to church. They are riding home and Maybell, the younger sister is sounding off. Maybell apparently is not to fond of church. Perhaps she is too young to understand, or maybe she has just fallen into the trap of participating without belonging. She has found religion, but not a love for the God of that religion.

I wonder how these words apply to many in the church today. We see people leaving churches and organized religion in droves. Is it because God has failed or has religion gotten in the way? Do we feel the pressure of having to be perfect on the outside, while inwardly we know the truth? Does our enthusiasm wane when we just can't play the part anymore? Is that really what God has in mind for us?

Maybell had to believe it. Her parents made her go to church, and she resented it and all of the trappings that went along with it. Leslie saw something different. Instead of condemnation, she saw forgiveness. Instead of rules to obey, she saw freedom. Instead of outer obedience, she felt the inner response to the tug of God on her heart.

Which does your church sell? Which do you buy?

I Can't Get No Satisfaction...

"As soon as the Christian life becomes attainable, it ceases to require faith and loses its seasoning of humility and grace."  (John Fischer, Real Christians Don't Dance, pg. 16.)

We like things to be attainable. We preach the disciplines of the New Testament so that people will attain what God desires. We do stuff. Stuff like going to church, tithing, etc. so we can attain a measure of satisfaction in what we have done.

I am not saying doing stuff is bad. But doing stuff is not enough. Doing stuff is never enough.

I like what David Platt says, although I cannot recall his exact words. The idea is that we don't do stuff expecting God to be pleased with us, are doing is in response to seeing who He is. It is not an obligation, it is an act of love. Like when I come home. Usually my children will shout, "Daddy!" and come up and hug me. A response. But sometimes, they are preoccupied with a TV show or a video game. Then I have to announce myself, and I get a "daddy" out of obligation. It just is not the same.

I want to always stand in amazement of God, but truth is, sometimes I do not. But these times lead me to seeing His grace and my humanity. They show me the beauty of who He is and what He has done for me. I don't want to intentionally fall, just so I can see Him as greater. But when I do fall short, seeing His continuing grace is amazing.

Worth viewing

Saw this here. Bet you know you I want to send it to.



Of course, to speak with conviction, you first ought to be convicted. So in a sense, I think the level of your speech at least gives a hint to your conviction.

Thought for the Day

"If your understanding of the Christian faith can be summed up on a bumper sticker, printed on a tee shirt, or could make its way on to a Hallmark greeting card, you could be in a very dangerous place." (Nathan W. Bingham, found here.)

Sometimes simple is good. And when it comes to faith, I think we all start out simple. So the above quote does not apply as much to those new to the faith. But we are told not to be eternal milk drinkers. There is an expectation that we will mature in that faith. I would even go so far as to say it is something that we should strive for.

That is a problem for some, who get stuck in a denominational or other type of mindset, thinking they have it all figured out and in essence, getting stuck in the mud. As my mother-in-law would say, doing the same old six and seven. But God's word is living and active.

I say this as much for me as for anyone who might read this. I like to be right. Problem is, that I am only sometimes right. Hard to say how much. So I need to be aware of over-simplifying, and holding on to what I believe instead of holding on to truth.

Thought of the Day

...when you hide certain things about Jesus to attract people to him, it's not Jesus you're attracting them to. (Jarod Wilson, here)

I like reading Jarod's blog. He is no-nonsense and gospel focused. To many times we feel that we must be people pleasers. That Jesus needs some make-up to cover his flaws. Yeah, we will mention some of his hard teachings, like his encounter with the Rich Young Ruler where Jesus tells him to sell all that he owns. But then we will soften the blow with phrases like, "that does not apply to everyone," or "you just have to have a loose grip on your stuff." While I agree that it does not apply in the same way to everyone, that does not mean that it does not apply in the same way to you or me. But we like to let people off the hook so they will join the "Christian Club." The Christian Club is a lot like the church, only it has all the benefits with 99% fewer commitments.

Now go out there and have your best life now!

That can't be what that means...

I was listening to the sermon from Sunday. The preacher said that "doing the right things for the right reasons requires purity." He went on to connect Jesus telling the Rich Young Ruler that he must "follow the commandments" to Jesus calling us to be pure, and that Jesus was saying "if (we) want to be good, then (we must) live a life free of disobedience and sin."

Dang, I was really hoping for a shot at going to heaven, but I know that I am not pure.

But maybe Jesus telling him to follow the commandments was not a call to purity, but to show him his impurity. Jesus had previously stated that "No one is good except God alone." And this man was no exception. But the man thought he was.

He responded to Jesus by saying that he had kept all these commandments since his youth. But he also knew that this was not enough. In Luke's version of this encounter, the man wants to know what he still lacks.

Jesus then tells him to sell all he has and follow him. Wow. So what is Jesus saying here? Is he replacing the legalism of the OT law with monastic poverty? Or is he saying take all that you depended on in the past, your purity, your wealth, your ways of thinking of these things, and throw them out and put yourself in my care. Follow me. Love me. See the Father through me. I am the way, truth and life.

I think that would be how Paul would interpret this encounter.

Philippians 3:7-9

⁷But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ ⁹and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—

Okay, I feel better now.