Faith & God

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Signs in the Stars?

Do you read your horoscope when you see it in the paper? Or do you subscribe to one of the astrology apps on Facebook or Google?

Do you consider yourself a Bible-believing Christian?

Lately I’ve noticed that a number of acquaintances, both from church and otherwise, are making references to their horoscopes for the day. Since I’ve always believed that God got pretty angry about people consulting astrologers, I was quite disturbed by this. How had I arrived at my opinion? Was it Biblical? Seems like it was time for some research.

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“Sunday’s Coming”

Why do we go to church?

I was wondering about this lately, after talking with a friend who hasn’t been to a service in almost a year. They hadn’t stopped believing in God. They hadn’t lost their faith. They just didn’t see the point of going to a worship service.

Lots of people feel that one can be spiritual without sitting in a pew. I know I feel closer to God when I’m out in nature than I do in most church buildings. A popular book, So You Don’t Want to Go to Church Anymore, by Jake Coleson, deals with some of the many reasons people give up on church, and offers an alternative. You can agree with his viewpoint or not, but he has clearly hit a nerve.

In response to a growing movement away from traditional worship services, many churches are seeking cultural relevance. If your church is anything like ours, you will recognize it in this hilarious video.

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Is God a Slot Machine?

coke3God is not a vending machine. How many times have we heard that statement? We know that we can’t manipulate God—that while he does promise to reward us when we follow Him, that reward is only guaranteed to arrive once we’re in heaven. A quick read of Hebrews 11 makes this abundantly clear: “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance.” While prosperity preachers may promise riches here on earth if we’ll only send them our money, our true treasure is waiting for us in heaven, safe and secure.

Yes, I know very well that God is not a vending machine. But this morning He woke me up and reminded me that He’s not a slot machine, either.

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In Memoriam

Grace Lilly_20100417_StJosephs_LAH_2598One and a half weeks ago, our new grand-niece Gracie Lou was born. She was three months early, but she had stopped growing, and the pregnancy was putting both her and her mother at great risk. So she arrived by emergency C-section on April 16, weighing just under a pound, not much longer than a new pencil.

For eleven days, Gracie received the best medical care available anywhere. She was saturated in constant prayer by countless friends, relatives, and those who didn’t even know her but cared just the same. There was certainly no lack of faith or commitment on behalf of the intercessors. She was loved and wanted. And she struggled, fighting for her life.

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Stop Whining!

I recently pulled up behind a car with a bumper sticker that read “Stop Global Whining.”

No WhiningAs I laughed (it was the first one I’d seen) and craned my neck to see what the driver looked like, I thought about that phrase. Of course, there’s the intended double entendre with global warming. But aside from that, I think the sticker writer has a point. The world seems to be engaged in a major case of the “whines.”

As sophisticated adults, we don’t sound like three-year-olds when we whine. We’ve managed to lose that irritating intonation that drives parents of young children up the wall. But listen to the words, and we aren’t disguising it very well. Admit it. Adults whine.

Of course, there’s plenty to whine about. The world isn’t perfect, and it won’t be until Jesus comes back and makes us a shiny new one. Politics alone provides plenty of fodder. Add in the weather, and you’ll never run out of material.

We mostly tend to gripe about things we can’t control… not only the weather and the actions of elected officials we didn’t vote for (or those we did), but anything we perceive to be beyond our influence. The boss is annoying, our spouse is never home, the professor is unreasonable… I’m sure you can come up with your own list. We whine instead of trying to do something useful about the situation.

Whining may be annoying, but it’s pretty harmless, right? Right?

Well, what does God say about it?

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Living Responsibly

Social justice. Healthy lifestyles. Environmental stewardship. Sometimes it’s awfully hard to pull it all together….

My phone alarm chirps, waking me from dreams of tropical beaches complete with coconut palms, perfect waves, and a bathing suit figure. It’s morning, six o’clock. Time to get out of bed and start another day of responsible living.

I reach over to turn off the electric blanket. Yes, it’s electric. Is that environmentally correct? It uses electricity, and we’re trying to conserve. Yet, we’re able to keep the house cooler, turning the heat off at night even in the middle of winter. Surely that saves more energy than my blanket uses.

Dragging myself out of bed, I stumble towards the shower. The water feels wonderful, but I don’t want to take too long—that hot water is a precious, limited resource. I reach for the soap and shampoo. Wait—were they tested on animals? I’d better read the label. Should I use a disposable razor? All that plastic will end up in the landfill. Maybe I should just opt for hairy legs.

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Are You Sure, God?

I sold eleven greeting cards last week.

I realize this isn’t exactly earth-shattering news, but it was a significant milestone for me. You see, last week was the “grand opening” of my new business, Mountain Plover.

I am offering my services as a writer and speaker, and am working hard as a photographer of God’s fingerprints in nature. I finally have some pictures I’m pretty pleased with, and I had a dozen of them made into 5 x 7 photo greeting cards, blank inside, with blurbs about the subject and about me on the back. Paired with an envelope and stuffed into a plastic sleeve, these are for sale at $4 each. (See my “Card Store” page above.)

Last week a friend and I presented a program on native plants to the Colorado Springs Garden Club. I took the photos and put together the PowerPoint while she researched the plants and did most of the talking. The Garden Club graciously allowed me to offer my cards—pictures of flowers and birds—neatly arranged on a table in the back of the room, with my logo (thanks, Teri!) and pricing displayed on some stand-up signs. Twelve people attended the meeting. And I actually sold eleven cards!

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Spontaneous Giving: Richard

I don’t normally go to the other end of town. It’s not that I’m avoiding the area, it’s just that I have everything I need at my end—why drive an extra half hour?

Those at the other end of town tend to earn less money (with some notable exceptions). School districts have lower test scores and parents are busy just trying to make ends meet—they don’t have as much time or energy for getting involved in their children’s education. Many residents are newcomers to our country, and do not yet speak English. The streets aren’t dangerous, although the crime rate is higher there. Neighborhoods are full of families. During the day, children play in front yards and ride their bikes on the sidewalks. But you probably should think twice about walking alone at night.

The other end of town is where the homeless hang out. Street people in many layers of well-worn clothing stand at intersections with signs and a hand out, or pitch “tents” on the undeveloped land next to the freeway.

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Life is Fatal

Life is fatal.

Just by being born, we know that one day we are going to die. And while none of us knows the exact number of our days, there are some things we can do, or not do, that might affect when we succumb to our mortality.

More specifically, some of us are risk takers, while others of us prefer to be more conservative with our lives.

One of our daughters works at a small design company. The owner is pretty much fearless. He travels to parts of the world most of us would be happy to avoid. And once there, it seems that he looks for trouble. While he has some pretty amazing stories, he’s not the travel companion most parents would wish for their 28-year-old daughter.

However, since this is a design firm, creativity is a requirement. To get his designers thinking outside the box,  the owner likes to shake these mostly young and single artists out of their comfort zones. Recently, this email was distributed to a number of employees:

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