Faith & God

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Go Ahead, Bother God!

  • “No, I haven’t prayed about this—it isn’t that important, after all.”
  • “I don’t want to bother God.”
  • “I’m sure God has more important things to take care of than my little problem.”

Have you ever heard someone say any of these things? Have you?

As finite human beings, it is difficult for us to conceive of an all-powerful, omniscient God. We get overwhelmed—people constantly make demands on us, our calendars are full, and we just don’t have the time or energy to deal with every little issue that comes up. Moreover, when we’re so swamped ourselves, we have a hard time caring about the minutia of other peoples’ lives. Let them deal with their own problems—we have enough of our own.

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One View on Immigration

heli_manI’m married to a man who loves the truth. It shows in his deep commitment to God. It pops up in his appreciation of civil but “vigorous” discussion. And it definitely appears in his penchant for researching and analyzing complex problems, be they technical or social. He has a compulsion to dig in and uncover the facts on any controversial issue, rather than simply going along with whatever hype the news media is currently pushing.

Of course, facts are always subject to interpretation. But one thing I appreciate about Pete’s approach is that he tries to separate the two—making a distinction between what is known to be true, and his opinion about it all.

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God’s Peace Plan for the Middle East

Peacemakers photofEvery day we read about more violence in the Mideast. Everyone seems to hate everyone else. In spite of decades of negotiations, cease-fires, and truces, the battle continues. Palestinians, Jews, Arabs, Christians. Can they live in peace? It seems that no matter what we do, the problem is unsolvable. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem, but do we really expect an answer?

Pete and I enjoyed a real treat this week—getting to sit down with some long-time friends to hear what God has them doing now. Bob and Kathryn Carlton are the kind of people that you can’t resist. Meet them for the first time and an hour later you’re best friends. Perhaps that’s because no matter where they go, they fall in love with people. Put them in Tibet, and they love the Tibetans. Put them in Burkina Faso, and they love the people there. That kind of love is irresistible!

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Another Bait & Switch

One of my good friends read my “Bait and Switch” article and wrote me a thoughtful email about another kind of bait and switch that has become a significant issue in the church. She gave me permission to fill out her thoughts; the resulting collaboration is today’s post.
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There is another bait and switch—not pulled off by God, but by the church—that is weakening the Body and causing dissatisfied “customers.” We, the evangelical church, are “selling” the gospel as merely therapeutic, rather than as the Good News it truly is.

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Don’t Be Surprised

A friend emailed me this morning, distraught that he’d been unfriended on Facebook because of some comments he’d made defending Christianity. I didn’t find his remarks all that offensive—unfriending seems a rather extreme reaction!

Then there was this week’s news that North Korea has banned the import of any products with shapes or logos resembling a cross. It’s not just religious articles or symbols—the ban includes men’s neckties and women’s hair pins!

At first glance, these two events seem to have little in common. A closer look suggests that the same emotion underlies both—fear. Let me explain.

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Bait & Switch

usedcarIf you’ve paid much attention to advertising, you’re familiar with the old “bait and switch” tactic. You know the scheme—the ad in the paper features a hot used car for a ridiculous price, but when you show up to buy it, you learn that it was “just sold”—but here’s another one, only a bit beat up and for a lot more money than you’d planned to spend. Would you like to go for a test drive?

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Model Citizens

This Monday, the U.S. celebrates its 240th birthday. We’ll celebrate with barbecued favorites, outdoor games (sack races anyone?), and of course fireworks.  And while I enjoy a good picnic and fireworks as much as anyone, I just can’t seem drum up any enthusiasm for Independence Day this year.

Maybe it’s the election. I will vote for a major candidate, but I’m going to hold my nose while I do so. Maybe it’s the overwhelmingly negative reports on my news feeds—unending terrorist attacks, a distressing decision by the Supreme Court, injustice, corruption at so many levels. Taking a serious look at our country, it’s hard to feel very patriotic.

Thankfully, God never asked us to be a patriot.

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Organic: Some Conclusions

Should we spend more to buy organic? It’s a tough decision. We want to be good stewards of our the environment, our bodies, and our finances. For some of us, the added cost is prohibitive. We simply can’t afford it. But others have some discretionary income. Is this a good place to spend it?

Back in January, I pointed out that we tend to consider buying organic for a number of reasons:

  • We expect these products to have been grown in an earth-friendly manner.
  • We assume they are free of dangerous chemicals.
  • We expect the food to be healthier and more nutritious.
  • We might assume it tastes better.
  • We hope that meat and dairy animals were treated humanely.

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Our Father…

You’re a good, good Father…

It’s a song we sing often at our church. I love the simplicity behind the lyrics—God is a good Father who loves us, His children. With Father’s Day this weekend, I’ve had that song running through my head, and I started wondering—what makes a good Father? When the Bible says that God is our Father, what does that entail?

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Healthy

I’m looking at a copy of Healthy Living Made Simple, a little magazine we received from Sam’s Club. As I flip through the pages, I wonder why Sam’s Club (of all businesses) would be sending out a health magazine. Of course they’re selling an assortment of products—it’s really advertising—but is Sam’s Club my trusted source for important health information?

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