News from June 2010
The 60 day summer challenge
Posted on June 30, 2010 by Pastor Tom
A few years ago, I heard a man I greatly respect talk about time in God’s Word. His parents read 5 chapters of the Bible every morning to their children. Then the children would think about the reading through the day. At the evening meal they would discuss anything the children had questions about. Then he shared this stunning reality: “By the time I was 17, I had been through the Bible 10 times!”
That stopped me in my tracks. I was about 26 at the time. I couldn’t remember reading through the entire Bible once. So I thought better late than never. Since that time, I have read through the entire Bible 11 times, The New Testament 22 times and the Psalms about 40 times. I can say without a doubt, God has used this time to speak and shape me more than almost anything else.
My latest through the Bible reading has been much tougher. I bought a study Bible and resolved to read every note and article. So it has taken me 2+ years and I’ve still got Job to do. Yikes! Yet it has been an enriching time.
So my question to you is how many times have you been through the Bible?
When God spoke to Moses on Mt. Sinai, the medium of communication was the air. God’s voice traveled through the air to Moses’ ears. The medium has changed for us. Now God speaks through His Word. But He still speaks. And He has so much to say! If only we would listen!
If you’re not a reader, you can listen to it. There are tons of great Bible on audio resources out there. You could start with the New Testament and listen to it on a drive, flight, or out on your back deck.
So here’s my challenge – Read the New Testament this summer. There are 260 chapters. In 60 days, you would need to read 4.333333333333333333 chapters/day. (You actually have 62 days in July and August). See what God has to say to you. And enjoy!
Disappointment with the church
Posted on June 29, 2010 by Pastor Tom
What do you do when you are disappointed with a church? Maybe the pastor hurt you or the leadership or someone else in the church. Check out this link for some resources to respond positively to disappointment rather than wallow in it.
http://sovgracemin.org/Blog/post/Disappointment-with-the-Church.aspx
Would winning the lottery really make your dreams come true?
Posted on June 25, 2010 by Pastor Tom
Tonight a lottery draw will be made for a 50 million dollar return. People are going crazy across the country trying to get their tickets in time. One talk show asked callers if they would be willing to give half their earnings away to charity. I heard some newscasters ask each other if they’ve got their tickets yet. It certainly is an interesting question to think about: “What would you do with 50 million dollars?”
I thought about it for a little while and convinced myself I would spend most of it on others. But if I wonder how it would really affect my life?
Some people seem to be able to handle great wealth well. Some wealthy people encourage others to give it away. But it also seems to me that a lot of people with great wealth carry great burdens because of it.
I’m reading a book called Ecclesiastes right now. The author had it all in his time. Yet he makes some amazing observations like “There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil.”
This from a guy who had all knowledge, riches, pleasures and possibilities. Maybe 50 million might not be the best thing for me. If I can eat, drink and find enjoyment in toil, that’s a huge blessing.
God the Father on Father's Day
Posted on June 11, 2010 by Pastor Tom
Does your relationship with your father help or hinder your relationship with God the Father? Father’s Day is just over a week away. It is a time to honor fathers. But it can be a difficult day for some. I read somewhere that in prisons on Mother’s Day, there are long lineups to use the phone. On Father’s Day, the phone hardly gets used. A healthy relationship with our earthly father can further our relationship with Father God. A strained, difficult or non-existent relationship with our earthly fathers can hinder our relationship with Father God.
So what kind of a Father is God? Check this article out for some great insights.
http://www.christianity.ca/netcommunity/Page.aspx?pid=7324
May it help you connect more intimately with Father God for Father’s Day.
If God is good, why did David die?
Posted on June 9, 2010 by Pastor Tom
David was supposed to be graduating this month. He looked forward to College and all the possibilities that awaited him there. David was 17. On Saturday, May 8th, he was on his way to a movie with an 18 year old friend. They were involved in a serious car crash. Both died at the scene. Alcohol and speed were not a factor. Both of these young men were Christians. They were involved in their church and volunteered helping younger children. Now David’s parents (my cousin and his wife) go into the summer gripped by grief. They have entered that journey through the shadow of the valley of death. Why?
This story could be repeated over and over. Why do bad things happen to good people? Why is there such suffering in this world? Why the holocaust, 9/11 or mass shootings? These questions particularly trouble us Christians. We believe God is good so He does not desire evil. We also believe He’s all powerful. He has the power to overcome evil. So God is all good and all powerful but evil has not been overcome. The atheist concludes therefore, God does not exist. It’s a strong argument. In fact many have been turned into skeptics because some evil has permeated their lives. Or some witness immense suffering maybe in Haiti or on the street or in a hospital. And they conclude, if God exists and allows this kind of suffering and could stop it if He wanted to, but doesn’t , I want nothing to do with Him.
So how do Christians answer this strong claim against God? I recently heard Christian apologist and philosopher Norman Geisler summarize it this way. We agree God is good. We agree God is all powerful. We agree with the atheist’s claim that evil has not been overcome. But we argue that there is one word missing from that third point. Evil has not been overcome YET. By the nature and character of God, we trust and know that He will eventually overcome all evil. Every heinous act will be called to account. Every hidden crime will be exposed. All sickness and untimely death and tragedy will one day be overcome. Some of the hidden purposes of God will one day be revealed.
Not that we understand all this. We dare not offer simplistic explanations to friends in especially grievous moments. But we do have a grounded hope when we turn to a loving and compassionate God whose ways are beyond understanding and who promises to overthrow all evil in the end.
So David has physically died. But he is not dead. In fact he already enjoys the glories of heaven much sooner than most people expected he would. One day, the evil of death will be overcome. Until that day, we can and must turn to the compassionate God, who will sustain us until He defeats death forever.
Does God look at us with a constant frown?
Posted on June 2, 2010 by Pastor Tom
There are certain people that can make life suddenly uncomfortable. These include the boss walking into a work area where there have been performance issues; a policeman hidden behind a telephone pole with a radar gun; a principal checking up on an unruly class; or a parent inquiring about the activities of a rebellious child. Did you notice that most of these folks have frowns on their faces when they’re on the look out?
They might have good reason to have frowns or look suspicious given the past history of the people they’re watching. I have often wondered how God looks at me. Given all He knows about me, I’d think He’d naturally have a constant frown on His face. After all, I’ve blown it many times.
And God knows all of our sins through our whole lives! How can He not look at us with a constant frown? Joni Eareckson has some deep thoughts on this in today’s reading. I hope they encourage you and maybe change your perspective about how God looks at you today.
God’s Clean Slate
I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake,
and remembers your sins no more.
—Isaiah 43:25
Every parent knows that sinking feeling when their kid blows it. They do what you told them not to do, they lie to you, or they get in trouble at school. You hope it was all a passing nightmare but the deed’s been done and it won’t go away.
At least that’s how it feels at the time. But have you ever noticed when grandparents get together with the family and reminisce about what life was like? An amazing transformation takes place. The children who once were described as little devils are now angels. The brothers and sisters who fought like cats and dogs are remembered as puppies and kittens. They never talked back to mom and they always obeyed dad. Such romanticizing by the grandparents elicits either guffaws or silent rolling of the eyes. How could they forget? they wonder about their parents.
Is it senility? Or were the transgressions not worth remembering? Neither. I think parents forget because their love can’t retain those sins for very long. Our love hasn’t enough strength to hold on to that which is grievous.
God’s paternal love has a weak memory as well. He tells us that he blots out our transgressions and forgets them on purpose. Why? “For my own sake,” he says. Rather than our sin being an impersonal infraction of his cosmic order, it is deeply personal. It strikes at the core of his relationship with his creation, his image bearers. It is grievous.
So grievous was our sin that God sought an effective and eternal eradication. No sentimental, romantic senility would do. No divine dementia. Only his Son could blot out the trespass forever. Only Jesus could serve as the “forsaken one” so that we might be embraced as the “sins-forgotten ones.” For God’s sake.
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Lord, grant me as bad a memory about my sin as you have. Cleanse me today of the sins I confess and then help me reminisce with your same joy.