#TeamJesus

Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord. How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith. 1 Thessalonians 3:7-10

Today’s Reading: Isaiah 45-46; 1 Thessalonians 3

For those of you who have used twitter before you are probably familiar with trending topics. Trending topics are the topics that are being talked about the most at any given time on Twitter. When someone on twitter wants to start a new topic or conversation they tend to state the topic starting with a “#” symbol. This way if someone likes the particular tweet then they can click on that tag and see other ones on the same topic.

Well, a while back I stumbled upon “#TeamJesus”.

Twitter Rant: A "Miracle" or "Good Luck"?

Oh, give thanks to the LORD!
         Call upon His name;
         Make known His deeds among the peoples! – Psalm 105:1

Today’s Reading: Psalms 105-106; 1 Corinthians 3

This is a twitter rant from earlier today as I thought about a back and forth exchange that I had with a friend about the Chilean mine rescue. Was it a miracle or just good luck?

Enjoy.

In this post I suggested that the Chilean miners' survival was a miracle.

We have been so well trained to try to understand everything that we have abandoned miracles as things out of fairy-tale thinking.

It's as if only the least educated of those among us can believe in such silliness.

What happened with the miners was a mixture of scientific know-how and luck. Miracles don't happen anymore, if they ever did.

I disagree with this line of thinking. When I see a series of events go impossibly right I look to purpose rather than chance.

Miracles are at least as equally plausible as random luck. The difference is one's perspective.

If you believe that there are no purposeful outcomes outside of human understanding then luck wins.

Also it is more comfortable to deal with a belief in luck when we look at other situations where the victim is not so fortunate.

But this rationale, though strangely comforting in the bad cases is quite lacking in the good ones.

I readily agree that the logical problem that occurs when one tries to explain the problem of “good luck” arises when explaining God's purpose in tragedy.

The reason why I side with miracles in the end is because I do not dare to explain the purpose or reasons for anything.

Only in hindsight do we pretend to see, clearly, past events. And those too are rarely seen with 20/20 vision.

So for those who believe in luck I ask... why do you chose to believe this way? Does it help you understand the world?

Cause from what I see luck and miracles are the inverse of each other. One explains the good the other the bad. Both are logically weak.

Both luck and miracles require specific systems of belief regarding the existence and role of God.

Or lack thereof…

Twitter Rant: On Love

My last post made me think about something. Is there love without God?

Can one truly love without accepting the love of God?

I'm sure my atheist/agnostic friends out there would disagree with me but I'm not sure how any kind of lasting love exists without God.

What is the fuel of love without God? Emotion? Thoughts? Desires? All of those things are fleeting.

When folks get married they promise to be together till death do them part.

I feel that is a promise that romantic love cannot make on its own. It cannot walk that path on its own two legs.

I do not aim to prove this because proof cannot be had when it comes to spiritual matters or matters of the heart.

But this is what I believe.

I have tried to love without including God, and like all man made things, that love passed away.

I am now on a journey of love with God and I believe that will be the key... the companion that we have on the road.

I see now that the "whys" of the world don't matter nearly as much as the actions they endeavor to understand.

Love is much like the other beautiful things of this life. It is to be done, not understood.

And hopefully our leaps of faith will allow us to fly over the canyons of disappointment to the lands of joy and fulfillment.

Twitter Rant: Challenging Our Beliefs

“These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. John 16: 1-2

Today's Reading: 2 Chronicles 25-27; John 16

I was talking to my buddy Adam last night at Yohance’s birthday party. Earlier in the day he posted this great thought about the writers of the gospels that was a bit challenging.

“Thinking a lot about writers. And Gospels---well, biographies. Is your best friend a good writer too? Is the person who holds the truest, deepest understanding of you capable of writing your biography? Wondering if Jesus had any BFFs who were just bad writers. Anyway. There.” - Adam

Verrrrrry interesting question that could go in many different directions. Awesome.

so we were talking about how sad it is that folks don't challenge scripture and how questioning is the path to true understanding. Then he said something that was so true...

Why be scared to challenge the scriptures? I'm pretty sure they can stand up to it.

That's real as steel. They've been around for 2000 years. I think they'll be aight…

If we don't challenge our beilefs can we truly say that we have faith?

I don't really think so.

Yes, faith does require a leap. But I also believe that it requires careful consideration and understanding.

When we believe in things that we don't understand we've just been brainwashed.

It is up to each of us to do the work to understand why we believe what we believe… regardless of what that may be.

The Art of Forgiveness

“When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because your people have sinned against you, and when they pray toward this place and confess your name and turn from their sin because you have afflicted them, 27 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Teach them the right way to live, and send rain on the land you gave your people for an inheritance.” - 2 Chronicles 6:26-27

Today’s Reading: 2 Chronicles 4-6: John 10: 24-42

Here is my twitter stream of consciousness after finishing the daily reading above…

So many love but so few, it seems, have the courage to fully communicate that love.

There is another word for the courage that it takes to love: forgiveness.

Forgiveness is hard either way, whether you're doing the asking or the giving.

Truly asking requires action... consistent action to prove that the love you feel was present when the mistakes were made.

Truly giving forgiveness requires a constant decision... to believe that the trust that is gone can return once again.

It is believing that love can conquer all...even the pain that it opened your heart to.

It would be nice if we never had to walk down the path of forgiveness, but no one is perfect.

So if you want a life full of love, learn the art of forgiveness. The sunshine is more than worth the cloudy days.

Twitter Rant: 06-06-10

06-06-10 11:51 pm

I am starting to realize some things.

We tend to look at life through the prism of our own understanding, this is problematic.

Our individual perspectives are mere dots on the surface of single grains of sand on the vast shores of wisdom.

we assume that we know all and in this assumption we become blind to the truth.

it is only when we realize that we know nothing that our vision clears enough to reveal the truth.

and that truth is so impossibly grand that we can't help but to be humble before it.

Adulterous Shenanigans

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

"No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin.” – John 8: 6-11

Today’s Reading: 1 Chronicles 19-21; John 8:1-27

This is the famous scene where some folks catch a woman in the act of adultery and they ask Jesus if they should stone her. Then Jesus starts to write on the ground with his finger and the events above transpire.

I’ve always had a few interesting thoughts about this scene… some more serious than others.

First thought

What in the world was Jesus writing on the ground? My new twitter friend @HomeEverAfter heard that some folks say he was writing the names of the accusers who also committed adultery.

That would be pretty funny, and effective, and I do think that Jesus does have that kind of sense of humor (funny of course with 2000 years of hindsight…). I used to think something along those lines as well. But what if it was something totally random? My current vote is that he was writing a miracle grocery list. His thought process was something like this:

Thought bubble above his head as he is writing: “Hmm… ok I gotta feed 5000 people this coming Friday. So I’m gonna need five loaves of bread, and I think two fish will do it. Hmm but what to drink? Will two barrels of water suffice? Should it be white wine this time? Naww… The Cabernet is always the best way to go. Dry baby… keep it dry…”

Second Thought

They found her in the act of adultery right? That begs the question… where’s the dude???

I mean seriously… that’s so problematic. He must have been well versed on the Shaggy Doctrine.

Third Thought

After all of the accusers bounce he turns to her and says "Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Drats… that’s the hard part.

I sure am glad that forgiveness isn’t a one time deal… but the point is clear. The whole idea of becoming a better person isn’t asking for forgiveness after each chronic screw up… the idea is being progressively better until we become brand new.

One step at a time…

One…step…at…a…time…