I just finished reading Philip Gulley and James Mulholland's book, If Grace Is True: Why God Will Save Every Person. Philip Gulley's tales from Harmony are engaging and entertaining with a good mix of humor and thought provoking situations. I thought I would read If Grace is True to get an idea of his theology. If God is really going to save everyone, why not? It is up to Him isn't it? Maybe I've been thinking too small or not understanding what I read in the Bible well enough. Time to expand my mind...
Well, the main thing that hit me is, if you want to discard a goodly portion of scripture because it doesn't line up with the way that you feel God should be, you can go almost anywhere with your personal beliefs. I remember a few scriptures (that I won't go quoting at the moment) that deal with not trusting how we feel about things, but trust in who God says He is. Another from Proverbs talks about a way that seems right to a man, but leads to wrong conclusions concerning God and issues of faith. What about free will? What about experiencing spiritual rebirth? Why did Jesus talk about hell? Where do consequences go? Why bother with the church? What is the point of missions or evangelism? Uggh!! I don't mind having to think deeply, but to suspend intellectual honesty goes a bit beyond what I was looking for. Now I realize that I may not be covering this topic in an adequate way for many gentle readers, but this is my take on it this morning.
God has aspects of His nature that we have trouble reconciling with the things that we see going on around us. Natural disasters, premature deaths, and things that just don't work out the way we expect them to strain our concepts of God's love and God's ongoing story of redemptive history. Not everything is humanly understandable or explainable. God knows the big picture and history plays out to His purposes. We can't necessarily know why the Israelites were directed to kill every living being as they sought to possess the Promised Land. We can't fully conceive of Jesus' being completely divine and completely human at the same time. Even the cross can give you a headache if you ponder too hard and for too long. God plainly says that His thoughts are beyond our thoughts in a way that my thoughts are beyond the thoughts that run through the head of my dog. Some things we won't grasp until we see God face to face and some others we will probably never know. He has never promised us answers or understanding.
Getting back to it, the book raised a number of questions to chew on and that's a good thing. It got me thinking about what I believe and I why I believe it. It is definitely worth checking out if you'd like to expand your ideas about the inclusiveness of God and deepen your understanding of what folks in the universalist churches consider to be issues. I wouldn't be quick to brand them as heretics, although maybe they are. But, maybe my God is too small. I'll keep you posted.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
The Jesus Tomb... What a Bunch of Hooey!
Have you ever seen a bunch of people so hungry for something that they will readily consume any and all substitutes for the real thing? We want diet drinks that taste exactly like Coke or the regular soda of your choice. Why can't anybody just drink the real item in moderation instead of complaining? We desire all of the taste and none of the carbs or calories. Why should it surprise us that the fake stuff is bad for our health? It's chemically altered. There's a reason why the real thing is the real thing! Go figure...
Well, enough ranting for one day - on to what I wanted to bring to your attention. Have you heard the newest, sensational debunking of the Bible? The "Tomb of Jesus", was supposedly unearthed in 1980, outside of Jerusalem. Why are we just hearing about it now? It appears that the Discovery Channel needed to make a buck off of a hungry and curious "clientele", who are desiring something from or about Jesus, but are unwilling to make a connection with the real thing. I read that the likelihood of this tomb being the final resting place of Jesus and his "family" was 600 to 1. I can get better odds on the Cubs winning the World Series and unfortunately as a Cub fan, I know how likely that is.
Anyway, I came across a good article about this bogus tomb and thought I would share it for anyone who is interested in finding out more about the claims put forth by the Discovery Channel and their "experts". No need to write your congress-person on this one, just know that there will be more to endure in the future as God uses our media to develop our faith and our trust in His faithfulness.
Here's the link:
http://www.tothesource.org/3_6_2007/3_6_2007.htm
If it doesn't work, try to copy and paste it into the address line on your browser or email me and I can send it to you.
Well, enough ranting for one day - on to what I wanted to bring to your attention. Have you heard the newest, sensational debunking of the Bible? The "Tomb of Jesus", was supposedly unearthed in 1980, outside of Jerusalem. Why are we just hearing about it now? It appears that the Discovery Channel needed to make a buck off of a hungry and curious "clientele", who are desiring something from or about Jesus, but are unwilling to make a connection with the real thing. I read that the likelihood of this tomb being the final resting place of Jesus and his "family" was 600 to 1. I can get better odds on the Cubs winning the World Series and unfortunately as a Cub fan, I know how likely that is.
Anyway, I came across a good article about this bogus tomb and thought I would share it for anyone who is interested in finding out more about the claims put forth by the Discovery Channel and their "experts". No need to write your congress-person on this one, just know that there will be more to endure in the future as God uses our media to develop our faith and our trust in His faithfulness.
Here's the link:
http://www.tothesource.org/3_6_2007/3_6_2007.htm
If it doesn't work, try to copy and paste it into the address line on your browser or email me and I can send it to you.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Fast Forwarding Through Life
Earlier this week, I watched a movie called "Click". I don't normally post reviews of movies I watch, but this one surprised me. It has some language issues - so it's not for everyone.
"Click" stars Adam Sandler, so you might be expecting a comedy. There are some funny moments, but it is much more of a drama. The basic premise is that Adam's life is out of control - between work and family commitments - and he's looking for a way to reign it in. He heads to a store to purchase a universal remote control for the TV and what he gets is a "remote to control his universe". He can pause time, fast forward, rewind, and even jump back to past events in his life. Seems fantastic until he abuses the "privilege" by fast forwarding through potentially painful parts of his life.
He skips fights with his wife, laborious work at his architecture firm, and anything else that gets in the way of pursuing what he feels is most important - his career and personal success. Not only does he get to jump ahead, he avoids the suffering that comes as a part of life. After a few episodes of this, we then get introduced to the "catch" - the remote begins to operate on its own based on the owner's preferences (for example - it fast forwards anytime he gets in a fight with his wife) and although he seems to skip ahead in time, his body is still there, going through the motions of living. You can probably see where this will end up - failed relationships with his family and poor health, but success financially and in his career.
An amazing portrayal of the trap many of us fall into! I have thought, "Boy, I can't wait until..." with regards to many areas of my life - finances, kids advancing life stages, changes in relational situations at work, difficulties at home, etc. You get the idea. Maybe similar things have come up in your life as well. The movie has a very strong message against "going through the motions" and "looking forward to..." We end up missing out on much of what life has for us and we lose connections with the people who are closest to us. Too great a price for our pleasure (maybe I should say pain avoidance) and our achievement of success and worldly status.
The movie surprised me in the way it meshes with what James writes about on the topic of endurance in the first chapter of his letter to the Church. How God uses situations to prepare us for life with Him and so that we are ready and equipped to handle everything that comes our way - strengthening faith and relationships with people around us, and giving us perspective for a godly life.
Read James, chapter 1, then watch the movie if it suits you. Remember, they do use a few "choice" words a time or two, so utilize caution when viewing and with who you view it with! Definitely something that will give opportunity to pause and think.
"Click" stars Adam Sandler, so you might be expecting a comedy. There are some funny moments, but it is much more of a drama. The basic premise is that Adam's life is out of control - between work and family commitments - and he's looking for a way to reign it in. He heads to a store to purchase a universal remote control for the TV and what he gets is a "remote to control his universe". He can pause time, fast forward, rewind, and even jump back to past events in his life. Seems fantastic until he abuses the "privilege" by fast forwarding through potentially painful parts of his life.
He skips fights with his wife, laborious work at his architecture firm, and anything else that gets in the way of pursuing what he feels is most important - his career and personal success. Not only does he get to jump ahead, he avoids the suffering that comes as a part of life. After a few episodes of this, we then get introduced to the "catch" - the remote begins to operate on its own based on the owner's preferences (for example - it fast forwards anytime he gets in a fight with his wife) and although he seems to skip ahead in time, his body is still there, going through the motions of living. You can probably see where this will end up - failed relationships with his family and poor health, but success financially and in his career.
An amazing portrayal of the trap many of us fall into! I have thought, "Boy, I can't wait until..." with regards to many areas of my life - finances, kids advancing life stages, changes in relational situations at work, difficulties at home, etc. You get the idea. Maybe similar things have come up in your life as well. The movie has a very strong message against "going through the motions" and "looking forward to..." We end up missing out on much of what life has for us and we lose connections with the people who are closest to us. Too great a price for our pleasure (maybe I should say pain avoidance) and our achievement of success and worldly status.
The movie surprised me in the way it meshes with what James writes about on the topic of endurance in the first chapter of his letter to the Church. How God uses situations to prepare us for life with Him and so that we are ready and equipped to handle everything that comes our way - strengthening faith and relationships with people around us, and giving us perspective for a godly life.
Read James, chapter 1, then watch the movie if it suits you. Remember, they do use a few "choice" words a time or two, so utilize caution when viewing and with who you view it with! Definitely something that will give opportunity to pause and think.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Back in the USA
Just got back from Alajuelita - a neighborhood of San Jose, Costa Rica - Wednesday evening. A group of six people from central Illinois and Missouri went to work on a small mission church in the midst of the barrio. For some of us it was returning to friends we hadn't seen for a while and three others were experiencing the trip for the first time. There was hard work, plenty of laughs (even while working), and some time to see the natural, physical beauty of God's creation.
There always seems to be something that is amiss when you get back and this time was no different. All three of our kids have the flu and one of my aquariums developed major problems while I was away. No worries though - Eili and Aiden have recovered fully, Graeme isn't far behind, and the fish complications are curable.
I'll post more about the trip as I peruse my journal. Right now, preparations have to be made for Sunday!
There always seems to be something that is amiss when you get back and this time was no different. All three of our kids have the flu and one of my aquariums developed major problems while I was away. No worries though - Eili and Aiden have recovered fully, Graeme isn't far behind, and the fish complications are curable.
I'll post more about the trip as I peruse my journal. Right now, preparations have to be made for Sunday!
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Musings and Preparing for Adventure
Last year was a new record! The fewest posts in a calendar year since I started this blog. Apologies all around if you attempt to keep up with the spazmodic postings when they do come along. I feel guilty about not keeping up with it more, but that's how life is. Maybe 2007 will be better for The Biscuit.
Currently, I'm getting ready to head back to Costa Rica to continue work on the church where we worked eighteen months ago. A team of six (including me) is heading down on the 15th of January and we'll be in country until the 24th. Hopefully much ministry will be done and work will progress on a building to house a body of people who are going to be a beacon of light in a dark barrio of San Jose.
On the schedule for us is a travel and orientation day on Monday. We'll eat at the church and then be sent out to our hosts who are welcoming us into their homes while we're there. Tuesday, the work begins with footers to dig, concrete to pour, cinder blocks to place, a small building to move, and some painting to be done. Sunday is a day off for church and an outing with some of the leaders of the church. Monday morning we'll finish up our projects, clean and put away our tools, and then head downtown into San Jose to freshen up at a hotel. Tuesday is a day for sightseeing before returning to the States on Wednesday. If all goes according to plan, I should be back in Arthur by 5:00pm Wednesday evening.
Preparation has been going smoothly except for one sticky point - my passport. I mailed it off the week of Thanksgiving, thinking that I had plenty of time. The State Department website said that I could anticipate 2-4 weeks of processing time for a passport renewal. Well, the time came and passed. I called last week and they said I ought to have it by Monday. Here comes Monday, no passport. I phoned again on Tuesday. The lady I spoke to was very nice. Said they were finishing it up and that she would request that it be sent overnight through FedEx, but she also told me to keep calling everyday until they sent it out to keep them on task. Yesterday, I rang them again and a man said it was done (halelluia!) and they'll be sending it out that night. He could not confirm if they were posting it through FedEx or Priority Mail as they usually do. I'm hoping to get it today by FedEx. If it doesn't arrive, I guess I'll be looking for it Saturday by Priority Mail. Nothing like just in time service!
I realize that God likes for me to stay close to Him and not wander off, but this is an area of stress that I could do with out right now. A number of people have invested money in this venture and I don't want to see that have to go to plan B if at all possible. Following God is not for the faint of heart! Hopefully the passport will arrive and all will be well. If you see this post soon, you might offer a prayer that the document arrive with some time to spare!
Currently, I'm getting ready to head back to Costa Rica to continue work on the church where we worked eighteen months ago. A team of six (including me) is heading down on the 15th of January and we'll be in country until the 24th. Hopefully much ministry will be done and work will progress on a building to house a body of people who are going to be a beacon of light in a dark barrio of San Jose.
On the schedule for us is a travel and orientation day on Monday. We'll eat at the church and then be sent out to our hosts who are welcoming us into their homes while we're there. Tuesday, the work begins with footers to dig, concrete to pour, cinder blocks to place, a small building to move, and some painting to be done. Sunday is a day off for church and an outing with some of the leaders of the church. Monday morning we'll finish up our projects, clean and put away our tools, and then head downtown into San Jose to freshen up at a hotel. Tuesday is a day for sightseeing before returning to the States on Wednesday. If all goes according to plan, I should be back in Arthur by 5:00pm Wednesday evening.
Preparation has been going smoothly except for one sticky point - my passport. I mailed it off the week of Thanksgiving, thinking that I had plenty of time. The State Department website said that I could anticipate 2-4 weeks of processing time for a passport renewal. Well, the time came and passed. I called last week and they said I ought to have it by Monday. Here comes Monday, no passport. I phoned again on Tuesday. The lady I spoke to was very nice. Said they were finishing it up and that she would request that it be sent overnight through FedEx, but she also told me to keep calling everyday until they sent it out to keep them on task. Yesterday, I rang them again and a man said it was done (halelluia!) and they'll be sending it out that night. He could not confirm if they were posting it through FedEx or Priority Mail as they usually do. I'm hoping to get it today by FedEx. If it doesn't arrive, I guess I'll be looking for it Saturday by Priority Mail. Nothing like just in time service!
I realize that God likes for me to stay close to Him and not wander off, but this is an area of stress that I could do with out right now. A number of people have invested money in this venture and I don't want to see that have to go to plan B if at all possible. Following God is not for the faint of heart! Hopefully the passport will arrive and all will be well. If you see this post soon, you might offer a prayer that the document arrive with some time to spare!
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