Changes

I have made a few changes to my blog this week. I deleted the previous two posts, because I did not enjoy reading them. If I found them irritating, why should I expose others to them? So they no longer exist.

More noticeably, I have deleted several links on my blog. For a few days, I have been locked out from posting on my blog, because blogger.com has a program to lock blogs it believes may be spam blogs. Apparently, a large number of links can cause the program to mistakenly believe that a blog is a spam blog. Therefore, I have deleted my Favorite Web Sites section, Christian Charities section, and several blogs from my Blog Roll section. I apologize to bloggers that I had to delete. I tried to eliminate mostly dormant blogs, but a few active blogs were deleted also even though I liked them. I hope you understand.

Thanks for reading.

Let It Shine

During the past week, I listened to Chuck Swindoll preach on his radio program about women of noble character. Using Proverbs 31 as his text, Mr. Swindoll provided some insight that I had not heard or read previously.

For example, he explained some of the Middle Eastern cultural practices behind Proverbs 31:18. Describing the noble woman, the verse stated, "She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night" (NIV). I assumed that the woman stayed up most (if not all) of the night working on various projects. However, Chuck Swindoll explained that compassionate, generous, and hospitable families of the Middle East would leave a lamp lit during the night so that poor and distressed people would be able to approach their houses for help. If someone needed bread for his family, he would know that the house or tent with the lit lamp would be the place to go. If a traveler needed a place to spend the night, he would look for the light of a lamp in the night.

As I thought about Chuck Swindoll's explanation of Middle Eastern customs, I gained a new perspective of Jesus' words to his followers: "You are the light of the world...Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:14, 16, NIV). I realized that Christ calls for his disciples to be compassionate, generous, and hospitable. I understood his intent for us to be helpful toward those in need and to provide some measure of safety and security for those traveling through a dark world.

Now I must ask myself: Am I letting my light shine? Do people in need see me as approachable and welcoming? Am I generous with my time? Will I stop to listen? Am I generous with my resources? Will I give away my money? Am I safe? Will I judge someone who struggles? Am I secure? Will I harm someone by spreading their secrets? Will I protect innocent people?

Letting my light shine means far more than I ever realized. It is more than being polite and putting in a good word for Jesus once in a while. It involves a high degree of compassion, generosity, and hospitality. Now that I have a richer understanding of Jesus' intent, I am determined to follow through and become one who lets his light shine.

Good Stuff

Here are a few good items on the Internet this week:

Terry Rush discusses how compassion adds meaning to life at http://terryrush.blogspot.com/2008/07/how-to-find-meaning-in-life.html.

Mike writes about sex as a birthday gift at http://theupperroom.typepad.com/the_upper_room/2008/07/birthday-gift.html. Be sure to check out the link in his post, also.

Arron Chambers challenges readers to a fun contest at http://www.christianstandard.com/2008/07/road-nonsense.html.

The Christian Chronicle contains a good book review about why Christians sometimes leave the faith of their youth, but Linda Jackson's comment on the right side of the page is even more powerful than the article at http://www.christianchronicle.org/article2158416~Why_do_some_Christians_leave_the_faith_of_their_youth%3F.

The Christian Chronicle offers advice about being faithful and evangelistic among people who reject Jesus Christ as the only way to eternal life at http://www.christianchronicle.org/article2158415~Love%2C_tolerance_and_hope_in_Jesus. Be sure to check the link in the article to the story about baseball legend Bobby Murcer's life of faith, too.

I hope you enjoy the articles. Thanks for reading!

Sin, Temptation, and the Dark Knight

This is not a review of The Dark Knight, the latest Batman movie, but it is a post about one of the movie's major themes. A good review can be found at http://www.pluggedinonline.com/movies/movies/a0004153.cfm.

In The Dark Knight, we see the Joker creating chaos and desperation through terrorist attacks upon the citizens of Gotham City. His ultimate goal appears to be to cause enough distress among the people of the city that they will turn on each other, harm each other, and murder each other.

The Joker convinces one police officer to aid him by bribing her. Since she was struggling with paying her mother's hospital bills, she caved in to the Joker's offer and became an accomplice in murder.

In one scene, the Joker rigged two ferry boats with explosives. As the ferries were crossing the bay with people trying to escape the chaos in Gotham City, the Joker cut their power. He provided a trigger devise for each ferry, but each devise would trigger an explosion on the other boat. Then he announced that the people on one boat could blow up the other ferry. If they did so, they would survive. If neither ferry exploded by midnight, the Joker would blow up both of them. The people were facing the choice of murder or be murdered.

The Joker exploited a weakness in human character, a weakness acknowledged in Scripture: As people become more desperate, they become more vulnerable to the temptation to commit evil acts against others. For example, in Deuteronomy 28:53-57, we read, "Because of the suffering that your enemy will inflict on you during the siege, you will eat the fruit of the womb, the flesh of the sons and daughters the LORD your God has given you. Even the most gentle and sensitive man among you will have no compassion on his own brother or the wife he loves or his surviving children, and he will not give to one of them any of the flesh of his children that he is eating. It will be all he has left because of the suffering your enemy will inflict on you during the siege of all your cities. The most gentle and sensitive woman among you--so sensitive and gentle that she would not venture to touch the ground with the sole of her foot--will begrudge the husband she loves and her own son or daughter the afterbirth from her womb and the children she bears. For she intends to eat them secretly during the siege and in the distress that your enemy will inflict on you in your cities" (NIV). As Jesus said, "Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold" (Matthew 24:12, NIV).

Unfortunately, we don't need to get very desperate before we are tempted to sin. Losing a few hours of sleep over a few nights can make us vulnerable to impatience and outbursts of anger. A tight budget can tempt us to cheat others out of their money or to refuse to help someone in greater need.

While The Dark Knight has a few flaws, it explores some weighty issues surrounding human nature, sin, and temptation. In showing our vulnerabilities, it humbles us. It reveals how close we may be to becoming villains ourselves.

Creation (Part One)

These are my notes for next week's Sunday night Bible study at the Normandy Apartments. We are starting a study of Genesis.

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1, NIV).

In the opening chapter of Genesis, God reveals the origin of the universe. It began with him. God is seen as incomprehensibly knowledgeable and powerful. In a series of miracles which will never be completely understood by the most intelligent people on earth, God created the universe, prepared Earth for life, and created life (including humanity).

The first chapter appears in a poetic format. However, poetry is not a synonym for mythology. Truth can be found in poetry. For example, read Job 29. In it, we find a poetic description of Job's life and character before Satan attacked him. Although poetic, the passage describes a real man and his life accurately.

Since Genesis 1 was written as poetry, should we believe that God created everything in 6 literal days? Or should we believe the author never intended for us to believe in a 6-day creation? In Exodus 20:11, we read, "For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy" (NIV). When God himself gave the 10 commandments, he interpreted the Genesis account as a literal 6-day event. Since he worked 6 days during creation week and rested 1 day, the Israelites were commanded to work 6 literal days and rest 1 literal day, too. A non-literal interpretation of the rule and the reasoning behind it would have been unthinkable. So we accept the Genesis account of the days as accurate.

Does Genesis 1 conflict with current scientific understanding of our origins? In some areas, I'm sure it does. However, scientists continue to discover, study, and modify their theories. They do not possess all knowledge. They are still learning, just as biblical scholars are. We may never understand the miracles of creation completely, but we can accept that they happened.

Finally, what do we do when the scientific community presents evidence that seems to contradict the Bible? Do we consider God a liar for planting contradictory evidence in nature and in the Bible? No. We must not assume God to be a liar when we must admit that we don't have all the evidence or a complete understanding of the evidence we possess.

In the end, we can trust God even when we do not understand how he has performed his miracles.

Just Courage

Gary Haugen, the president and CEO of International Justice Mission (http://www.ijm.org/), senses a restlessness among American Christians. We appear to be dissatisfied with the safety of our routine suburban Christianity in which we pray, read the Bible, attend worship services, and perform small acts of kindness for our neighbors. While none of that is bad and each of those activities is necessary to be fulfilled, we know something vital is missing in such a life.

In his new book, Just Courage, Mr. Haugen argues that many Christians are missing out on the risks and adventure of pursuing justice for the poor. Throughout the world, the poor are suffering from injustice. Little girls in southeast Asia are being kidnapped and enslaved in brothels by adults who will profit from their continual raping by violent men. Widows in Africa are being forced from their homes and property by bullies who would have never had the guts to take on their deceased husbands. Men, women, and children in India are being deceived into slavery and brutally beaten and mutilated so that they remain enslaved.

"The sin of injustice," Mr. Haugen writes, "is defined in the Bible as the abuse of power--abusing power by taking from others the good things that God intended for them, namely, their life, liberty, dignity, or the fruits of their love or their labor" (p. 46). He goes on to argue that Christians need to stand up against violent perpetrators of injustice. Feeding the hungry and providing medical care for the poor are good deeds, but sometimes the world's poor need something more: they need to be rescued from their oppressors, and they need men and women who will risk personal harm to stand between them and their oppressors. They need courageous Christians who will love and protect them.

In the last chapter, Gary Haugen writes, "There are two things that are always the will of God and almost always dangerous: telling the truth and loving needy people...Doing what Jesus does--telling the truth and loving needy people--is inherently unsafe in a fallen world of lies and selfishness...It's not safe to love people in need...It's messy, untidy, unsafe, and even dangerous. And yet, paradoxically, Jesus tells us this is where the deepest joy is found"(pp. 115-116).

Just Courage is a small book with a powerful message. If you are bored with your Christianity, this could be the book for you. You just might be inspired to join International Justice Mission in its efforts to rescue slaves and prosecute oppressors. You might be inspired to serve the poor in some other way. You will be challenged to have the love and courage to

"Seek justice,

encourage the oppressed.

Defend the cause of the fatherless,

plead the case of the widow" (Isaiah 1:17, NIV).

Don't Give Up

Our preacher Ron Babbit has a godly perspective on grace and forgiveness that drives his ministry. He also has a unique way of expressing biblical truth. This is an excerpt from his latest letter to supporters of the Contact Church of Christ:

"Have you ever given up on anyone? Has anyone ever given up on you? Someone said, 'Robert just needs to quit showing up.' As if we have it all together. Amen? However, TJ didn't get the memo to give up. TJ continued to read, encourage, teach, pray, call, pray and call, teach and encourage for 40 days and 40 nights. Robert had served time in prison. He was a #1 anger filled, fist slinging, jaw jacking, Satan serving murderer, looking for another clown's jaw to place his fist into. That was his heart, his way of life. Mitch asked GT if he would go visit Robert. GT told Robert about JESUS--The Peacemaker, Covenant Maker, Forgiver, Soul Cleanser, Guilt Remover, Reconciler. The One who brings families together at the CROSS and heals hearts. A few weeks ago we witnessed Robert's baptism into CHRIST. A time of many emotions. I'm sure some guilt, maybe some release, some re-focus, some gratitude, some remorse, some 'I get to hold my head up.' Now Robert doesn't have to fight with his fists. He gets to fight against the real enemy, Satan. Praise GOD for this church called Contact, that GOD had raised up to accept people and reach into hearts. Forgive us that we have too often found ourselves being the 'older brother' standing on the outside saying, 'I've been faithful all along, I have never had any ugly thoughts, I have never wasted any $. I have never cheated. I have never lied. I have always had it together.' Then along comes a brother or sister who remembers what it's like to have been bought by the blood of the LAMB, to have forgiveness, to be loved by the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. PRAISE GOD another soul has been united with JESUS! The Devil just won't win. Amen Church! Keep loving, praying and giving because HE continues to give!"