Tragedy in Haiti

This afternoon, about 4:30pm, there was a 7.2 earthquake in Puerto Prince, Haiti. This is a devastating earthquake for a country as poor and broken as Haiti.

We have several of our church family serving as missionaries in Haiti. They are in Les Cayes on the western peninsula and are safe. One of them called today to let us know they are unhurt, but there will be thousands dead and hurting on this impoverished island. Having been there many times I am praying for the people of this country. I'm very grateful that our friends there are safe.

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Once for all!

Once for all...it's an amazing phrase when you know what it contains. Here are a few verses with this theme in them and then a few thoughts....

Romans 6:10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

Hebrews 7:27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.

Hebrews 9:12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.

Hebrews 9:26 Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.

Hebrews 10:1 [ Christ's Sacrifice Once for All ] The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.

Hebrews 10:2 If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins.

Hebrews 10:10-14 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. 13 Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, 14 because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

1 Peter 3:18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,

Once for all. One sacrifice for ALL sins, for ALL people, for ALL time. Jesus' one sacrifice on the cross provided a universal solution for all sins, for all people, for all time. It's ALL taken care of! No more sacrifice! No more payment needed! Sin is paid for and salvation is available for EVERYONE if they will simply trust Christ and accept his sacrifice for them. In most of the Christian church "once for all" is largely ignored or simply not understood, but it's life changing! Imagine....one sacrifice took care of every sin of every person for all time and eternity. Now, all that is left is for us to receive this amazing gift and live in the grace that this gift has provided. This one phrase is the very reason that the new testament is almost silent on the issue of confessing sin...it's already been taken care of! No more sacrifice needed. It's all taken care of...ONCE FOR ALL! One sacrifice for all sins, for all people for all time. What a wonderful truth to know. It's a banner I live under with great joy. I'm so grateful that God has done for me what I could never do on my own...and it's available to everyone. What a wonderful God we have.

Monday's cartoon

Knowing the Lord for a number of years now has made me ever so grateful for the forgiveness I received on that evening of December 8th many years ago. On that evening, at 9:08pm, I trusted Christ as my savior. I remember the time and date because the dear pastor who prayed with me wrote it on the back of a little card. I kept that card for many years. Now, I have to tell you that I had no idea of all that happened in that moment. In one moment of time all my sins past, present and future were forgiven. There is no more sacrifice for my sins. They have been dealt with completely. Now, I live a life as a son of God walking in his grace. I still sin. But now my prayer is not for forgiveness but it's a prayer of celebration. It's a prayer of gratitude, "Father, here's another reason I needed a savior. Thank you that you already forgave me for this sin. I'm sorry for my sin, but ever so grateful for your forgiveness. Give me your strength and help to grow beyond these sins and walk in fellowship with you. Thank you for your grace that gives me the ability to live as you intended me to live. Thank you." Being forgiven ONCE FOR ALL is a wonderful thing.

Hubble photos of the year 2009

Here's a new collection of Hubble photos that will amaze you. My first thought, as I clicked through the photos, was God saying to us, "I made it all just for you to enjoy." I know you will!

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Click on the photo or the link to enjoy the photos.

Thoughts on the quote of the day

I've been thinking about the quote of the day from a couple days ago. I was humored by this very honest admission,

"We thought we knew everything about everything, and it turned out that there were unknown unknowns." -Richard Fisher, the director of NASA's Heliophysics Division.

There are two things about this admission that made me think. First, there is a real belief in science that they DO know everything. What amazes me about this belief is that it's sincere. They really believe they know everything! Or, if they don't yet they will soon. That is why the scientist and the atheist are so antagonistic to the Christian world view. They "know" we are wrong and so must be treated as children and taught the truth they "know." Everything would be OK if we would just learn from them because they "know."

But fascinating to me is the second part of his statement, this honest admission by Mr. Fisher that some unknown unknowns have popped up. Things they didn't know that they didn't know. Amazing, isn't it? Now, I'm not that smart, but I know that I don't know everything. I know that there is much I still have to learn. I'm smart enough to know that there is much I don't know. How could brilliant men not know that same thing?

And so we come to a few thoughts from my feeble little mind. A few questions really. Is it possible we don't know everything? The answer is an emphatic YES. And, is it possible that there are many unknown unknowns? Again, the answer has to be YES. Now, by Mr. Fisher's admission, science has come to the same conclusion. Now, let me add one more....just to make this interesting. Is it possible that one of the unknowns we don't know about is God himself? Once more the answer has to be YES.

The Christian does not claim this knowledge of God with any arrogance. All that we know about him came from him. He told us about himself. It's a knowledge that can't be gained by the scientific method. The Christian is simply saying to the world that one of the unknowns can be known because God made himself known to us. He has revealed himself...made himself known through becoming a man. One of the great unknowns was made known to us in Jesus Christ.

I appreciate Mr. Fisher's honesty. He has admitted what many in the scientific world will not. He has admitted we don't know everything. Well, IT'S ABOUT TIME! Now that the ugly truth is out in the open can we also admit that maybe a sovereign, omnipotent God is there and willing to make himself known to us if we will allow him to do so? The bible is about one of the great unknown unknowns....it's the answer to our need to know about God. I wonder....when you finally realize you don't know everything is there room in that unknowing for God? For the atheist who says flatly, "There is no God!" I would ask...how do you know that for sure? Is there room for him in all the things you don't know yet?

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Quote of the day

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"We thought we knew everything about everything, and it turned out that there were unknown unknowns." -Richard Fisher, the director of NASA's Heliophysics Division
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Stoning idols

The noise has died down a little. The stones have all been thrown. The outrage has been voiced. And now one more idol of our culture is stoned and disposed of.

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I would like to talk about this for a moment. I don't want to talk about Tiger Woods specifically, but the culture and its response to his sins and failures.

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It's humorous to me to hear the culture talk about the hypocrisy of the Christian church and then to watch that same culture demonstrate the ultimate in hypocrisy themselves. We are in a time when our culture demands unlimited freedom, no accountability. "It's my life, I can do as I wish!" is the banner held high by the culture around us. I know from experience the rage and retaliation of those in our culture when their bad actions or decisions are brought into the light. "How dare you say my lifestyle is sin!" and "Who do you think YOU are?" The outrage over any confrontation of sin in the lives of those around us is soundly rebuffed with anger and accusations of hypocrisy.

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But if someone they worship, a media idol held high for all to admire, is caught in sin then suddenly, like a bunch of sharks smelling blood, the media and culture surrounds this wounded sinner and stones him to media and financial death. Now, please be sure to note I'm not condoning Tiger's actions. That discussion might be for another time, but what I am addressing today is the response of a culture claiming we each have the right to do as we wish...but when one of the heroes of the culture does the same thing the hypocrisy of that culture is on every television and radio station in the land. We are really good at claiming freedom for ourselves, but stoning others that would do the same thing.

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It seems quite obvious that our culture knows there are rights and wrongs. They may apply to others, but don't apply them to me! I think of the story of the Pharisees who brought a woman caught in adultery to Jesus in John 8. They had rocks in hand, ready to stone her, and asked Jesus' opinion as a test. He didn't answer, but bent down and wrote in the dirt. Finally, after persisting in their question, Jesus responded, "He who is without sin throw the first rock." Slowly and quietly they all left. I wonder what Jesus wrote in the dirt....we will never know, but I can imagine... "liar", "hypocrite", "adulterer", "thief." Quickly, when our own sins are brought into the light it brings out the hypocrisy of our claims that this one should be stoned.

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How is it that we want freedom to do as we wish, but expect more from those we idolize? Our own hypocrisy as a culture reveals to all that we do know right from wrong. We know what God expects of us. We just don't want the rules to apply to us.

Who are you trusting?

Who are you trusting? That's a question I had to ask a pastor friend who called me this morning. He's going through a really difficult time in his life and at his church.

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It's easy to lose focus when you are in the middle of difficult days. It's easy to take your eyes off of God when men around you don't do what they should. It's easy to get discouraged when you feel things are out of control.

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When the leadership of your church or company doesn't do what they should it affects you. It causes fear, anxiety and confusion. When leadership of any organization is not doing what they should those in that organization lose focus and direction. They are focused on the problem and not God. They are focused on the leader and not God. When you take your eyes off of God and focus on man you WILL be fearful. Whenever I find myself losing focus, looking at the wrong things and not trusting God, I go back to Matthew 14. In this passage is a short story of an encounter with Jesus and Peter. What's crystal clear from the passage is that when we take our eyes off of God and focus on the problems around us we will get in trouble. Here's Peter's story and our story as well:

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Matthew 14:25-31- During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

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When I take my eyes off of the Lord I will be afraid of the things around me....the people around me and I will "begin to sink." It's a story that has real applications for us. No, we won't walk on water, but we will have to trust God when the storms around us are brewing. If you focus on the storm and not on God be aware....you are about to get wet.

The death of an atheist

I have spoken at hundreds of funerals over the years. A funeral is, and please forgive the next phrase, a life changing event. It is the end of one life and it affects many others. It touches friends, family, children and many others. It's a time to remember, to grieve, to think about the mortality of us all.

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It's a tragic time for those who have no hope. But for those who believe in life after death it can be a time of celebration, a time of graduation. Faith and hope are beyond the worth of gold or silver. They offer so much more than we could ever imagine. Their value becomes evident when you hear how those without a hope of eternity speak about death.

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Below is a short portion of a message by the philosopher, Austin Dacey at the funeral of his friend and fellow atheist, Herbert Crimes.

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"Yes, dying may be harder for the atheist. But what I cannot understand, and reject totally, is the further claim that the life stopped short of eternity is thereby robbed of sense or worth: If it all comes to an end, what’s it all for? The first thing to observe about this existential anxiety is that we can’t resolve it just by postulating an eternal afterlife. Consider the sorts of good things that might possibly await us in paradise: knowing and loving other persons (including God), being known and loved, apprehending truth, experiencing beauty (and, in the afterlife of some, fine food, drink, and other sensual delights). These goods worth wanting in the next world are goods that we already have in this one—things like love, knowledge, beauty, and pleasure (even praising an Almighty!). If a life there is worth having, then a life here is worth having. Every treasure laid up in heaven has been stolen from Earth, and the joys of paradise are parasitic on the joys of the world."

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Here's the portion of his words I want to talk about, "But what I cannot understand, and reject totally, is the further claim that the life stopped short of eternity is thereby robbed of sense or worth:"

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If we are not different from the animal world...if we are not eternal beings...then we are robbed of our worth. We are no different that the rat who dies in the street. We are robbed of our worth when men claim we are not created in God's image. When the atheist tells us there is no God, there is no image to reflect, then we are indeed robbed of our worth.

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But the bible clearly states that we are eternal beings made in God's image. We have tremendous worth. These few years here on planet earth are not the sum total of our existence, but merely the beginning....and it's because we are eternal, made in God's image, that we have worth. Immense worth. If this life is all there is then, as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians "let's eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die." But, dear Austin, this life is only the beginning. Eternity lies ahead and because we are made in God's image we are immensely valuable to Him and so to others. Sadly, for the atheists, they believe their lives are extinguished at death and that's the end. They are without hope and without God in the world. But for us, for the Christian, this is only the beginning....our hope and eternity awaits. I'm so glad that death is not the end, but merely the beginning of an amazing eternity!

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Biblical scholar's date for rapture: May 21, 2011

It's funny, but in spite of the clear instructions from Jesus in the gospels men still try to set dates. You would think that after so many dates being set and then time continuing on we would learn, but apparently we haven't. Just in case you wanted to know here's one more date for your calendar. On May 22nd next year I'll post a few thoughts on this....and no, I won't miss the rapture.
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Biblical scholar's date for rapture: May 21, 2011
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Justin Berton, Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, January 1, 2010
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Harold Camping lets out a hearty chuckle when he considers the people who believe the world will end in 2012.
"That date has not one stitch of biblical authority," Camping says from the Oakland office where he runs Family Radio, an evangelical station that reaches listeners around the world. "It's like a fairy tale."
The real date for the end of times, he says, is in 2011.
The Mayans and the recent Hollywood movie "2012" have put the apocalypse in the popular mind this year, but Camping has been at this business for a long time. And while Armageddon is pop science or big-screen entertainment to many, Camping has followers from the Bay Area to China.
Camping, 88, has scrutinized the Bible for almost 70 years and says he has developed a mathematical system to interpret prophecies hidden within the Good Book. One night a few years ago, Camping, a civil engineer by trade, crunched the numbers and was stunned at what he'd found: The world will end May 21, 2011.
This is not the first time Camping has made a bold prediction about Judgment Day.
On Sept. 6, 1994, dozens of Camping's believers gathered inside Alameda's Veterans Memorial Building to await the return of Christ, an event Camping had promised for two years. Followers dressed children in their Sunday best and held Bibles open-faced toward heaven.
But the world did not end. Camping allowed that he may have made a mathematical error. (read more...)
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Monday's cartoon

Heb. 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Faith and science

In my reading today I came to one of the atheist web sites I like to visit. While there I found this question. It's a very good question and one I wanted to discuss here as well. Here it is-
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"The question to ask the faithful is, how would you distinguish the difference between faith in something true and faith in something false without evidence?"
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It's a good question because it brings us to the very reasons for our faith. For the atheist there is no truth apart from what can be discovered by science. If science can't observe it, dissect it and explain it then it's not true or real. Science becomes the filter everything must go through to be true, but science is a very limited discipline. It can only evaluate what it can see, test and observe. So, what would be considered valid evidence to believe something?
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There is much that is real, true and valid that science simply cannot evaluate. For example we know that George Washington lived and was our first president, but science cannot evaluate that. There is no scientific method or resource that can prove this, nor was science designed for this. And so, according to the scientific method alone, George Washington didn't exist. Now we all know that's just silly. There are other sciences and ways to validate and prove true things that science simply cannot evaluate.
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Evidence? What evidence would be required for us to distinguish something true from something false? The example I gave above is one that can be proven and believed in by other information. There is history, eyewitnesses, articles written at the time....multiple stories. And so, we believe. It's not a leap of faith to believe in George Washington. It's history! There's evidence. It's believed because there were real people at that time who knew him, saw him, wrote about him and we believe their words.
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What evidence would you need to believe something? What evidence is there of God? What do we have to believe in God and how do we know we are believing something that is made up vs. something true? Science cannot unpack this for us. This is outside of their parameters. They cannot go there, but it doesn't mean it's not true. It doesn't mean God doesn't exist any more than believing George Washington never existed because the scientific method cannot prove it.
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What evidence is there for God? Psalm 19 tells us the universe is the first evidence that God exists. Science would deny that as evidence for God and give credit for this amazing universe to their god called "chance." I think it's easier to believe in the God of the bible than the god of chance. Your odds are much better. Second, there are eyewitnesses of God's work. They talked to him, saw his work and documented it. There are multiple witnesses of God's work. Do any of these men and women count in our discussion? I think so. Just because all of the stories have been compiled into one volume called the bible doesn't mean their eyewitness testimony is not true.
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There are the predictions of things to come in the Old Testament that actually happened as predicted. They happened with 100% accuracy. Can we consider this proof? In fact the birth and life of Jesus Christ fulfills hundreds of prophecies made many decades before his birth. The odds of one man fulfilling just 8 of these specific promises, let alone all 300+ prophesies is almost impossible. But we have Jesus. A real man who claimed to be God. And yes, he did claim to be God. That is not up for discussion. His claims were verified by his miracles, his Deity proven by his resurrection and all of this was recorded by hundreds of eyewitnesses. The evidence for the life of Jesus is more believable than the evidence for our first president George.
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What science can't measure or evaluate other things can. Science is not the filter for everything. It is limited. When the atheists of the world claim there is no evidence for God they are simply talking about evidence according to science. There is much that a blind man can tell me as he smells, touches and hears the world around him, but what he can't do is tell me what he sees. He's blind to a whole world around him because he cannot see it. Just because he cannot see doesn't mean that what he doesn't see does not exist. Those of us who see are amazed at the blind man's claims and cannot convince him of the reality we see.
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Just because the blind man of science claims he cannot see God doesn't mean he's not there for anyone with vision to see clearly.
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Faith or science? Evidence for God? I'll take the evidence for God clearly seen all around us and witnessed by those who told their stories in the bible. I know I believe in the true God because the evidence is everywhere....science simply won't or can't see it.
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Saturday's cartoon

Christ plus nothing

• It's not Christ plus your good behavior.

•It's not Christ plus the years you taught a Bible study.

• It's not Christ plus your tithe.

• It's not Christ plus the church you attend.

• It's not Christ plus the number of verses you memorize.

• It's not Christ plus your title in the church.

• It's not Christ plus wisdom from the latest Christian seminar.

• It's not Christ plus a desert fast (or even a dessert fast!).

• It's not Christ plus a good driving record.

• It's not Christ plus well-behaved children.

• It's not Christ plus the right job.

• It's not Christ plus the right spouse.

• It's not Christ plus the latest technology.

It's simply Christ.

Christ plus nothing.

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-Jon Walker

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Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2010! It's a new year, a new beginning. Here's your gift of a brand new year. Open it up with joy. Relish every day. Celebrate every blessing. Pray about every need. Hug as many people as you can. Take more time to listen to someone else. Spend more time in the word than you did last year. Take your fears to God quickly so they don't overwhelm you. Praise God often...even when you don't feel like it. Here's a new year...all gift wrapped and ready to open. Use this year up with gusto! Enjoy every moment. Make it a great adventure!