The real solution to problems like the #Baltimore riots

This past year we've had too much violence and strife in our country, and it will only get worse if we don't address the real problem. Sadly, no one wants to call out the problem for what it is.
We don't simply have a poverty problem, or a police problem, or a political problem.

The riots and violence are not happening on accident.  They are happening because we have a sin problem.  There's one source for solving this and the church has the cure.  We need to spread peace and share the Good News.

Labeling and blaming each other won't uncover the root issue, and it won't solve the real problem, and this problem won't fix itself.  The Church needs to be the church, then and only then will people be transformed.

Blood moons, the future of Israel & Iran and the "end of time"

Why are so many people interested in the future of Israel -- could their present circumstances indicate we about to experience Armageddon?   Maybe more importantly: Have our Blood moons sealed a Biblical “End of Time” countdown?

Let’s be clear: America (and the rest of the free world) should continue to support Israel as an ally and strive to bring peace to the Middle East.  Our relationship with Israel is based on common interests and similar views on freedom.  The horrors the Jewish people experienced throughout their dispersion until they were recognized as a nation on May 14th 1948 was nothing short of evil.  The hateful way Jewish people have been mistreated is shameful.  We need to stand strong with Israel, but not because they are the Promised land, because that “Promise” has been fulfilled.   

Israel is no longer a Theocracy, meaning it is not a God-led government today.  It once was, but today Israel is simply a democratic, secular nation.  Israel is not a “believing nation” either, they don’t have a State religion.  The Temple mount is not the center of guidance for the nation of Israel.  Israel is an ethnic nation established on human political ideologies, yes they have religious citizens, but it is not a religious nation.

Today’s nation of Israel doesn’t imitate the nation of Israel we see from ancient times.  They don’t have a king from the lineage of David and they don’t have a Levitical Priesthood presiding over any religious affairs either.  Plainly said, Israel doesn’t make the same claims we in America make about Israel and today’s Israel is not the same nation we read about in the Bible.

Too many believers take the word of TV evangelists as “Gospel” and they neglect to read the Bible for themselves.  Read the book of Hebrews; the old covenant is over.  The Temple is just ruins now, it’s not the foci of our faith.  The Kingdom of God is in the hearts of each and every believer, it is a spiritual reality and it doesn’t have an earthly Capital -- the Kingdom will never have an earthly Capital.  

What makes matters worse, confusing Christians about the role of Israel today, there are influential Christian leaders sensationalizing the events that take place today in Israel and they try to anachronistically slide current events back into the Bible.  Similarly to the way people are trying to force the “Blood moons” of this year into the Bible or to make claims that these Blood moons will change the tide of history.  

When Jesus mentions wars and signs in the heavens, “Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.” (Luke 21:10-11 ESV) and, “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  (Luke 21:25-26 ESV) Jesus was referring to the destruction of Jerusalem that would take place in the year 70 AD.

Also, we are going to have earthly battles and wars till Jesus returns.  Everytime we read about a war and we are tempted to think this means it’s tied into the end of time, we need to remember what Jesus said, “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.” (Matthew 24:6 ESV)

Plus, we don’t need to try to interpret the moon or signs in the heavens -- the need for those type of prophecies are already fulfilled, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” (Hebrews 1:1-2 ESV)  

Israel's strife with Iran today isn’t an End Times issue.  We need to contain Iran, but not because it’s the beginning of the end of the world.   Our “blood moons” this year are not a footnote in your Bible.  Anytime a preacher or scholar tries to tell you they know when the end of time is coming based on current events remember Jesus Himself did not even make that claim, “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” (Matthew 24:36 ESV)

When Christians make alarming claims that the Bible doesn’t support and then those claims never materialize, the faithful lose credibility and reaching the lost becomes even harder.  The world doesn’t need to see current events artificially laminated onto the pages of our Bible, what the world needs to see is a timeless God authentically active in the lives of His people.  Be the salt & the light -- never resort to smoke & mirrors to prove the Bible.

Knocking on Heaven's door #prayforDash

These things don't happen "to us" or our family, or so we think.  

Medical tragedies happen to, people out there somewhere, or so we think.  

When our oldest son Drew called this past Saturday, he was so distraught, I couldn't understand a word he said.  Tammy held the phone close, and made out the words, "Dash's kidneys shut down and they have failed."

We jumped in the car immediately, and drove all through the night.  With a thickness in our throats and tears in our eyes we raced to be with our family.  

I haven't prayed this hard or often in my whole life.  I've been knocking hard on Heaven's door, begging God, as I know many of our friends and family have been.  Holding Dash, and watching our son and daughter-in-law go through hell puts a lot of life in perspective, quickly.  

The news then got worse.  Just when you think it can't get worse, it was discovered Dash was born with a triple heart defect, including a restricted aorta.  He will now stay in the hospital after his kidneys begin to function, for heart surgery.  

And, Dash's dialysis procedures have all been difficult.  Why can't anything be easy? 

I'm not the person of prayer I should be.  I'm embarrassed to admit it, but prayer isn't my strong point, or at least it wasn't.  Bible reading, that comes easy.  Singing, worshipping, serving, or doing a lot of other Christian activities, those all come easily, but praying hasn't before.  Now, I don't think five waking minutes have passed, since we heard the news about Dash, that I haven't been in prayer.  

The first sensation -- once I finally comprehended the news was fear, the chilling ache that hits the pit of your stomach.  Then you feel helpless, as a grandparent and a parent to children (son & daughter-in-law) whose child is fighting for his life.  Then comes the bargaining with God part...  Those were all probably fruitless.  But a peace does come, a sense of God's hand at work.  Even though the road ahead is longer than we would like, it is a road our family won't walk alone.  Prayer does work.  

The love and support and encouragement of so many people across so many spectrums has shown us God's love in many unexpected ways.  God must have huge plans for our grandson Dash, and I can't wait to hear all the ways God is going to be glorified through this.  I don't doubt, not for a second, God's hand on Dash.

"The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.  The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.  When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.  The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit."  (Psalm 34:15-18 ESV)

http://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/dash-cottongim-s-medical-journey-at-ach/334106#.VSReFqwDQGd.facebook

What do we do with Barb Wire People?

(photo credit:Peter Jaret viamagazine)


Decorative fences capture our imaginations and fuel inspirational imagery. Envision for example, a greeting card with a quaint village enclosed by stonewall fences with wrought iron gates, or a stately Victorian home surrounded by white picket fences. In a good Leanin' Tree card you could find a couple of old cowhands knee deep in snow, holding their horses by their reins, chatting across a weathered split-rail fence. What you probably won't find featured on a greeting card (nor on a motivational poster) is a barbed wire fence.


Some people are like barbed wire. In fact, we could call them barbed wire people. They are rude, disrespectful, demeaning, demanding, and condescending. They are hurt people, who hurt people. If you are involved with a barbed wire person, you are really just in a manipulative, control-based-relationship. As long as you obey their parameters, you can maintain a sort of false peace. That type of peace will eventually tear you to pieces.


Barbed wire people seem to have one purpose in life, making a stand to corral you, and just like barbed wire, they will hurt you if you rub them the wrong way. While it's rare to ding barbed wire, it will leave scars on anyone who forgets how dangerous friction with them can be -- like anyone knows who's ever torn their jeans or cut themselves trying to squeeze through a strand of barbed wire -- barbed wire people are very unforgiving if you cross them too.


If you handle barbed wire people with kid gloves, you'll suffer. If you tangle with them, you’ll suffer even more. They are combative, using every possible opportunity to engage you in an argument. Scripture warns us about such people, "As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife." (Proverbs 26:21 ESV)


A barbed wire fence is no respecter of people, and your opinions aren't respected by barbed wire people. Scripture might’ve had these type of people in mind where we read, "It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling." (Proverbs 20:3 ESV)


When a farmer strings up a section of barbed wire around a tree, the fence doesn't budge, you may have seen how the tree grows over and its bark covers the fence. Barbed wire people are recalcitrant and very inflexible too. And just like a fence, barbed wire people will snap if they are strung too tight. Scripture shows some personalities are dangerous, and I’m reminded of barbed wire people here, "A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression." (Proverbs 29:22 ESV)


If you are tangled up with a barbed wire person, the more you wrestle with them for your freedom the more painful it gets for you. Eventually, their cutting ways will choke out your heart and leave dark marks on your soul -- possibly changing you for the worse. Scripture warns against spending time with harmful people because of how it can change us, "Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare." (Proverbs 22:24-25 ESV)


The Bible has great advice for dealing with the barbed wire people. Jesus tells us to turn the other cheek in Matthew 5:39 -- He doesn't say be a doormat. Jesus tells us to pray for our enemies in Matthew 5:44 -- He doesn't say be their prey. Once we recognize barbed wire people don’t plan to change, we don’t have to engage them repeatedly or stay in harm’s way.


What you might need for your own health, is an emotional wire-cutter to free yourself from the barbed wire people who hurt you. You might need to establish a few boundaries of your own, and sometimes a healthy distance starts with keeping yourself out of harm's reach.


Boundaries are like a good fence, they are healthy and they help us recognize where you end and I begin, where I end, and you begin. Scripture shows sometimes we need space from hurtful people, not as a form of punishment, but often times it’s the only way for us to have true peace, "Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out, and quarreling and abuse will cease." (Proverbs 22:10 ESV)


Since it’s impossible to “fix” other people anyway, all we can really do is control ourselves and give people the gift of grace as we secure our own safety. Like in this proverb, we need to exercise self-control and not let barbed wire people cause us too much grief, “Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.” (Proverbs 19:11 ESV) If enough people ignore or walk away from the barbed wire person, pretty soon that person can’t hurt anyone anymore. I guess the next question for us all becomes, “Are people walking towards me or away from me...?”

What about America?

Regardless of what our future holds, we as a nation have inspired people to seek us out, either to become part of us, or to destroy us.  It seems the only people who feel neutral about America are our own citizens.  People across the globe either see us as the final goal for "the good life," filled with limitless opportunity, or they see us as an oppressive evil that needs to be destroyed.  Are we truly all that special? 

Many citizens within our United States mistakenly think we began without a Biblical heritage, and they are as mistaken as the people who think today that our forefathers always respected the Bible they claimed to be in submission to.  The Kingdom of God, the Church, and America are not synonymous terms.  

There's no doubt we had many great leaders who were Biblically literate and were concerned about the freedom of religion.  The so called separation of church and state was simply implemented to avoid having a government-run church.  Think about that for one minute.  Originally, we didn't want a church that was funded through tax dollars, nor a church that citizens were forced to recognize or join.  The wisdom there is the government shouldn't prohibit or enforce religion, it should nurture an environment where "religion" can thrive, unimpeded by any political interference or coercion.  

Most non-historically-savvy people don't realize, the freedom of religion in Colonial America revolved around the consideration of three branches of the Christian faith.  One example: The Roman Catholic church was not exactly welcomed in 12 of the 13 colonies.  Ever hear of a state, Maryland?  It was one of the 13 colonies.  The Mary in mind there isn't Mary Poppins, rather the Virgin Mary.  The freedom of religion in our inception had no interest in Islam, Buddhism, or Hinduism.  It was about how people wanted to worship as "Christians."  Furthermore, some colonies required that their politicians were active church members in order to be qualified to run for office.   

Between how we practiced slavery (American Slavery didn't resemble the slavery that was culturally acceptable during any ancient Biblical times at all) and how we've continually mistreated the Native Americans, it's easy to see how people could think we are a secular nation, not one founded on a religious core.  But, maybe you could care less about history or religion, maybe you only care about today and your children's future.

If America has not always behaved well when we supposedly were a Christian nation, and now people seem to think we are drifting from our Sacred State of being a Christian Nation, how will our future look?  When there is no Moral Law giver to guide people, the prevailing attitude becomes might over right - from a pragmatic stance, and, we will do whatever we please.  How well will that work out?  Look around the world and what do you see?  

America from within and without faces challenges over safety, morals, and embracing a form of healthy tolerance.  If you think we are losing our freedoms & rights, or you think our government is eavesdropping on every cell phone & reading every email, or you think America is going to Hell in a Handbasket, do something about it.  

We began as a nation with people who sat around in taverns, bookstores, and in town squares discussing the things that mattered to people.  Read a good book, like David McCullough's "John Adams" to see how ideas were formed and spread in America.  But the people who started America didn't leave their ideas in the cerebral realm, they didn't just philosophize about Utopia.  They were people of action.  Action is faith-based.  Faith acts on what it believes is true.  So, what do you believe about America?  

    

Soaking up the good life with your spouse

(Timesnews Religion column 2/13/15)

Not everyone has to get married.  My point here isn’t to embarrass anyone for being single, not at all.  Some people are very happy and completely fulfilled being single.  However, for many people to have a satisfying life it requires having a soulmate.  Adam was alone working in the Garden of Eden when we read, “Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” (Genesis 2:18 ESV).  If you are the type of person who thrives better by being in a relationship than you do by being alone, then please consider making the most of life and invest more time into your relationship.  

Sadly, too many couples feel like they are drifting away from each other, or worse they feel like they are falling out of love.  More than likely the problem is rooted in giving up what brought them together in the first place.  While these principles aren’t restricted only to people once they are married (drifting apart can happen even when you are in the dating phase), ask yourself: What first drew you to your spouse?  My guess is, at first you spent a lot of time together.  Quality time together is more important than many couples realize.  

Finding time to be together with your loved one can be harder than locating your lost keys, especially with our culture’s hectic pace of life.  Somehow between work, kids, school, travel, and all that life throws at us, it isn’t easy to find a quiet moment to be with the one you love.  If we are only trying to “find” the time, life might be passing us by.  Instead of just trying to “find” the time, we need to “make” the time to be with our loved one.  

How can you carve out the time to be together now?  People don’t have to work too hard to make time for their best friends, it comes naturally to them.  The happiest couples are the ones who see their spouses as their best friend.  Make it a real priority to be together more often, and start with a few simple things.  

My wife and I enjoy eating lunch together.  Even though it’s not always easy to match up our schedules, one of our favorite lunch rituals is to bring a book along on our lunch date (you might be thinking I’m not the Casanova my wife deserves, but trust me -- reading together while you are waiting for your meal is wonderful).  Occasionally we like to hit up the food truck, Foodie Fiction, who sets up shop at the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce most Wednesdays.  The experience is always really good and the the folks running the truck love what they do.  Before you accuse me of being a cheap date, the food probably isn’t what you think of when you think of a food truck. The owner is actually a professionally trained chef who studied culinary arts in New York -- some of the food he serves, you would expect to find in a gourmet restaurant.

If you are married, remember, you didn’t marry your job, your bank account, your house, or your hobbies -- you married a person.  You exchanged vows and committed to spend the rest of your lives together, through thick & thin.  Make your marriage the best it can be and enjoy life fully, don’t just coast along through life.  Time together isn’t just some additional way to strengthen your relationship, time together is essential to having a relationship.  Pull out the time factor and your relationship will unravel like an ugly old sweater.

They say the best things in life are free, let me add, the best way to enjoy life is to soak up the simple pleasures of life.  Prioritize your life around spending time with your lover and best friend, your God given spouse.  Fight the tide of the world that pulls us all in seperate directions.  Eating meals with your loved one, spending time together reading or just going on a walk, complimenting each other daily, and simply being nice to each other goes a long way towards nurturing healthy relationships.  Doing what you love with those you love, makes life better than good, that is the meaning of the truly good life.

The Moral Arc's Archenemy.

Michael Shermer is in a long line of writers who think that by dredging up worn out embarrassments to the faith like Witch hunts, racism, or the crusades, they will decimate faith in the Supernatural.  It's funny, because the very problems with supposed believers that Shermer has, Jesus held too.  Using poor representations of religion to disprove the Supernatural are no more than a slight of hand.  Shermer's approach to decry religion is an example of the logical fallacy, "Confusion of correlation and causation."

Truth, justice, and freedom (his new book's subtitle) are religious values.  Science might tell "what" the world consists of, but it can't give us a the "why" or provide an ultimate purpose.  Can science lead us to being better humans?  The 20th century was the most secular of all, it happens to be the bloodiest one too.   World war One & Two were not religious battles.  How many millions did Hitler kill?  Not as many as Stalin.  And Stalin killed his own people.

There's a bigger point too.  Science and faith are not enemies.  The sad downside of people like Shermer, with chips on their shoulders, is they perpetuate a false dichotomy.  Science owes a lot to religion, as any freshman history student can affirm.  Isaac Newton wrote more books on theology than he did on science.  And, believers gain a lot from the study of science too.  Both groups need to collaborate, not set up battle lines.

It's even more ironic that Shermer learned to think for himself at Pepperdine, a great university that was started by Christians and still is considered a Christian university.  For whatever reason, Shermer lost his faith.  The bigger question is, how did he forget his foundation?  He wants to say he thinks for himself, but the thinking-tools he employs were formed from within a Christian Worldview.

Christian beliefs influenced Shermer's mind his entire life, all through his formative years.  So, any ideas he holds today are either suspect because of his epistemological origins or he needs to acknowledge that faith has some value in nurturing our ability to think.

Shermer can't have it both ways.  He is who he is, for better or worse, coming from a theologically rich environment.  He's not the first kid to become disenchanted with the church and walk away.  His issues do not prove or disprove God, but he should have the integrity to recognize he owes a great debt to those who shaped him.

One point Shermer has grossly overlooked.  He says science has eradicated slavery.  Studies show globally, we have more people enslaved than ever before in history.  Shermer credits science with overcoming slavery, but it wasn't science or secular thinkers who fought for emancipation in the United Kingdom or the United States, those battles were fought by Christians.  And, as for racism having been dealt with, who did more to conquer our divides than King?  Wasn't Martin Luther King Jr. a preacher?

Shermer points to "causation," and he's got a good point to raise.  If there is a cause, we know someone is behind the cause, as in the First Mover principle that says Someone has to get the ball rolling, i.e., the initiation of the Universe requires a Prime Mover.  More to the point, if humans are improving, there is a good reason to believe this is so.  We are all created in the image of God.  Even atheists are.  Therefore, we all have the desire for goodness to prevail, instinctually if you will, because of the nature of our makeup, being created by God with a godlike mind.

And, morals, which is what Shermer claims he knows are improving because of science, are not based in a vacuum or a lab.  Universal morals point to a Moral Law giver.