Yeah, I realize that is a strange title coming from an old guy who writes a blog about learning to follow Jesus. Actually, I need some help here. Here's why and what. This week I was at the health club to workout and in the men's locker room after my workout I overheard a conversation between two younger guys about tattoos. One was debating whether to get a tattoo and the other guy was trying to convince him that God has forbidden his people to have tattoos. Their debate went back and forth for nearly a half hour and as they walked out they were still heavily involved.
Now I am quite familiar with what God had to say on this subject at Leviticus 19:28 because one of the last conversations I had with my mother before I left for the Navy was, "Don't you come home with those ugly tattoos on your body". Then she read me that verse from Leviticus. Back then tattoos were very common among military guys, especially sailors, and my mom impressed on me that God would not be pleased with me if I followed that common practice. Honestly, tattoos were not even on my radar at that time and I never even considered putting something on my body that would be there in the distant future when they put me in a grave. But I saw a lot of my shipmates come back from liberty with various body art that they were proud to show off. Many of them had beautiful tattoos from several parts of the world they had visited.
Me? I just have never been the least motivated to subject myself to the pain and potential health risk that tattooing seems to impose. I truly don't think my mom reading that verse to me from Leviticus had any bearing on my refraining from getting tattoos during my military service because even at 19 years old I could read the Bible for myself and the context of that verse is very clearly not intended for the followers of Jesus. And to the best of my knowledge, Jesus nor his Apostles had anything at all to say specifically about tattoos. However, I am absolutely certain that some of the Christian tattoo "police" can and do make what they consider an ironclad, scriptural case against the practice with a lot of questionable interpretation. I could make that same case by using many Bible passages that condemn obviously sinful practices, however a blanket condemnation of tattooing is way beyond my level of faith and understanding.
So here is my question - why would a follower of Jesus make that decision to get a tattoo? I'm not condemning the practice or even being critical, I'm just curious about their motivation. I realize that some folks proudly wear "body art" to honor Jesus and proclaim their faith, but those are probably in a slim minority. Most of the tattoos I see today seem to have some special, personal significance or make some sort of social statement. One guy I saw a few years ago had a large tattoo of a naked woman on his left, outer bicep engaged in something that you can maybe imagine. He also had a young girl by the hand and was leading her out of the store. My immediate thought was, "Wow dude, what kind of message are you sending to that little girl and the rest of us who have to look at your offensive tattoo?!" Is that kind of message really necessary to tell the world? Is that really the spirit of "freedom of speech"?
Look, I don't have many answers to life's hard questions and maybe this discussion doesn't fall into that category, but I plan to have a discussion with those two young men if and when I see them again just to give them some perspective other than that of naïve men and women, young and not so young that I see in our world today. Much that is acceptable in human society will fail to pass the test we are told to use to measure the acceptability of every practice around us. Here are just a two to consider:
"Everything is permissible for me", but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me", but I will not be mastered by anything."
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." 1Corinthians 6:12, 19-20 NIV
Seems to me Paul is saying, "Look brothers, I realize that your world is telling you there are no rules about how you live your life. It's all good. But stop and think for yourself. Is that really true for you?" Following Jesus should give us a perspective that is single minded and focused on who we really are and what we're about in an environment that is hostile or indifferent to what we believe.
"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything that is in the world - the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has or does - comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of the Father lives forever." 1 John 2:15-17 NIV
So, To Tattoo Or Not To? You decide for yourself. But if you decide to, consider the long term and can you live with it.
Until next time, let me know your thoughts about this. I do want to understand.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Friday, April 25, 2014
"Confession of a Believer Who Knows Better"
"One Sunday, after another week of performing my best for God, I stood to preach His life-changing Word. As I approached the pulpit, the truth hit me squarely between the eyes. I hadn't prayed at all. Not that day. Not the day before. Not the day before that. To the best of my knowledge, I hadn't prayed all week. And I called myself a pastor. That's when it dawned on me: I had become a full-time minister and a part-time follower of Christ. From the outside, I looked the part. "God bless you," I'd say, followed by the promise, "I'll be praying for you." But that was usually a lie."
Craig Groeschel "Confessions Of A Pastor"
Learning to follow Jesus is absolutely a life-long quest for genuineness. There is always the presence of a common enemy whose only intent is to draw disciples of Jesus into a phony, if unintentional, way of practicing what we profess to believe. Even people who know better, people who know they are sliding down a slippery slope toward the spiritual lie but choose to ignore the reality. I too have been there and struggled with just admitting to myself and my Father that I was very negligent in my relationship with him in prayer.
Where are you right now in your skill development in this area of your spiritual life? Take a moment to think about this. Prayer is a learned skill that we are taught by the Holy Spirit to practice to perfection. But that perfection isn't at all about repeating traditional prayers or phrases or even using words we may have heard someone else pray during worship on Sunday. None of those are wrong unless they become a habit that gets stuck in a meaningless ritual. Just pray. It's a conversation with your Father who is anxious to hear your voice speaking only to and for him.
In all my years of church leadership, I have heard thousands of good men and women, young and old, confess just about every kind of sin you can imagine. But I cannot recall even one instance of someone confessing the sin of prayerlessness. To hear that come from the mouth of a mega church pastor really shocked me. Of course he goes on to other confessions in his book but to make this confession before his church family really cuts to the heart of his calling. I respect that.
Many years ago, these words of David stood me straight up and got my attention -
"In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." Psalm 5:3 NIV
"Listen God! Please, pay attention! Can you make sense of these ramblings, my groans and cries? King-God, I need your help. Every morning you'll hear me at it again. Every morning I lay out the pieces of my life on your altar and watch for fire to descend." Psalm 5:1-3 MSG
David has challenged me to pray with absolute expectation. Doing so isn't always easy. It wasn't for him either. I've learned to not try to explain what God does or doesn't do. He does what he pleases because he is God and I wont always understand or even agree with his actions. He is my Father and I fully trust him to hear my heart and act in my best interest, even though I may not see it immediately. These words of Paul have also helped me learn to pray with expectation:
"The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." Romans 8:26-27 NIV
That "weakness" is common to all of us, which is one of the reasons God has given us the Spirit as a gift. He instructs and trains us in the critical spiritual disciplines, but through that process, he also takes our prayers to the Father and puts them in a language we are incapable of learning, while God reads our hearts. Wow, that truly inspires me in ways I can't even put into words.
Until next time, spend some time wrestling with 1 Thessalonians 5:17.
Craig Groeschel "Confessions Of A Pastor"
Learning to follow Jesus is absolutely a life-long quest for genuineness. There is always the presence of a common enemy whose only intent is to draw disciples of Jesus into a phony, if unintentional, way of practicing what we profess to believe. Even people who know better, people who know they are sliding down a slippery slope toward the spiritual lie but choose to ignore the reality. I too have been there and struggled with just admitting to myself and my Father that I was very negligent in my relationship with him in prayer.
Where are you right now in your skill development in this area of your spiritual life? Take a moment to think about this. Prayer is a learned skill that we are taught by the Holy Spirit to practice to perfection. But that perfection isn't at all about repeating traditional prayers or phrases or even using words we may have heard someone else pray during worship on Sunday. None of those are wrong unless they become a habit that gets stuck in a meaningless ritual. Just pray. It's a conversation with your Father who is anxious to hear your voice speaking only to and for him.
In all my years of church leadership, I have heard thousands of good men and women, young and old, confess just about every kind of sin you can imagine. But I cannot recall even one instance of someone confessing the sin of prayerlessness. To hear that come from the mouth of a mega church pastor really shocked me. Of course he goes on to other confessions in his book but to make this confession before his church family really cuts to the heart of his calling. I respect that.
Many years ago, these words of David stood me straight up and got my attention -
"In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." Psalm 5:3 NIV
"Listen God! Please, pay attention! Can you make sense of these ramblings, my groans and cries? King-God, I need your help. Every morning you'll hear me at it again. Every morning I lay out the pieces of my life on your altar and watch for fire to descend." Psalm 5:1-3 MSG
David has challenged me to pray with absolute expectation. Doing so isn't always easy. It wasn't for him either. I've learned to not try to explain what God does or doesn't do. He does what he pleases because he is God and I wont always understand or even agree with his actions. He is my Father and I fully trust him to hear my heart and act in my best interest, even though I may not see it immediately. These words of Paul have also helped me learn to pray with expectation:
"The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." Romans 8:26-27 NIV
That "weakness" is common to all of us, which is one of the reasons God has given us the Spirit as a gift. He instructs and trains us in the critical spiritual disciplines, but through that process, he also takes our prayers to the Father and puts them in a language we are incapable of learning, while God reads our hearts. Wow, that truly inspires me in ways I can't even put into words.
Until next time, spend some time wrestling with 1 Thessalonians 5:17.
Thursday, April 17, 2014
"Lord, Teach Us To Pray"
When we lived in south Georgia a man called one night and asked if I could come to a local hotel to speak with him. He said he was from out of town and was really depressed and just needed to talk with someone. He had gotten my name and phone number from a directory in the lobby of that hotel. I went to the hotel and found his room only to be totally shocked to find this man so drunk he could barely sit up. I discovered he was an airline pilot who was in town for a layover and flying out the next day. As we talked he shared with me that his wife had filed for divorce and was taking their two children to live in another state. In short, his life was a depressing failure. He asked if I would pray for him.
Normally I would not hesitate to honor such a request. This situation was different. I told him I was unsure if that was his true heart talking or the contents of the nearly empty whiskey bottle on the nightstand. Over the years I learned to be cautious about even sharing the gospel with someone was high or drunk and usually asked them to contact me when they sobered up. This man began to weep uncontrollably. I was very uneasy about what he might do if I just left him alone. I was also a bit uncomfortable with what might happen to his passengers the next day. So, I went down to the lobby and filled four cups with hot, black coffee.
To cut to the chase, I sat with this sad man for several hours and after four cups of coffee and a cold shower I felt that he was ready to land this plane, pun intended.
He said, "I've never prayed because I don't know how. That's why I called you." I opened my Bible and read these words of Jesus to him -
"One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say:
Father,
hallowed be you name
your kingdom come.
Give us each day or daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who
sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation." Luke 11:1-4 NIV
We also read the same instruction Jesus gave in Matthew's account of the Sermon on the Mount at Matthew 6 because he kind of expands it beyond what Luke recalled.
My point is this, with the pilot and with my current blog readers - there really is no specific formula for HOW to pray, we just need to pray. Repeating those words Jesus spoke is a good place to begin but there is no magical quality about them. Seems to me Jesus isn't saying that we should memorize and repeat his words verbatim as some sort of spiritual good luck charm that will open God's ears. However, if you are not a person of consistent prayer or are new to following Jesus, by all means start with this prayer.
Praying is simple, just talk to your Father. Study the prayers of Jesus and you can learn much about how the heart sees, hears and feels the presence of God when we pray. Begin a planned time of quiet solitude when you can meet God and bear your heart. He already knows what's in your heart, but he really wants to hear you speak it just like any father with his children.
These words of David really stir my spirit -
"I love the house where you live O Lord, the place where your glory dwells." Psalm 26:8 NIV
I'm not sure of all that David meant with these tender words but for me, I have come to think of that "house" as a place within my spirit where I meet with God. I love that place and go there often. Think about it and give it a trial run. It might work for you too.
I have often wondered what happened to the pilot. He did finally pray for his wife, his kids and himself in a broken, sincere way. I talked with him about Jesus and gave him a list of scriptures to study. I urged him to make contact with someone in his town to help him get to a better spiritual place and he promised to contact me again if I could be of further assistance. He gave me phone a number to call him but when I tried a few days later it was disconnected. Maybe we can reconnect in heaven.
Your takeaway is this - don't get hung up on "how" to pray. JUST PRAY! Pick up that phone and dial God up. He's always waiting to hear from his kids.
Until next time, think of just one way you can increase your prayer time, and DO IT!
Normally I would not hesitate to honor such a request. This situation was different. I told him I was unsure if that was his true heart talking or the contents of the nearly empty whiskey bottle on the nightstand. Over the years I learned to be cautious about even sharing the gospel with someone was high or drunk and usually asked them to contact me when they sobered up. This man began to weep uncontrollably. I was very uneasy about what he might do if I just left him alone. I was also a bit uncomfortable with what might happen to his passengers the next day. So, I went down to the lobby and filled four cups with hot, black coffee.
To cut to the chase, I sat with this sad man for several hours and after four cups of coffee and a cold shower I felt that he was ready to land this plane, pun intended.
He said, "I've never prayed because I don't know how. That's why I called you." I opened my Bible and read these words of Jesus to him -
"One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say:
Father,
hallowed be you name
your kingdom come.
Give us each day or daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who
sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation." Luke 11:1-4 NIV
We also read the same instruction Jesus gave in Matthew's account of the Sermon on the Mount at Matthew 6 because he kind of expands it beyond what Luke recalled.
My point is this, with the pilot and with my current blog readers - there really is no specific formula for HOW to pray, we just need to pray. Repeating those words Jesus spoke is a good place to begin but there is no magical quality about them. Seems to me Jesus isn't saying that we should memorize and repeat his words verbatim as some sort of spiritual good luck charm that will open God's ears. However, if you are not a person of consistent prayer or are new to following Jesus, by all means start with this prayer.
Praying is simple, just talk to your Father. Study the prayers of Jesus and you can learn much about how the heart sees, hears and feels the presence of God when we pray. Begin a planned time of quiet solitude when you can meet God and bear your heart. He already knows what's in your heart, but he really wants to hear you speak it just like any father with his children.
These words of David really stir my spirit -
"I love the house where you live O Lord, the place where your glory dwells." Psalm 26:8 NIV
I'm not sure of all that David meant with these tender words but for me, I have come to think of that "house" as a place within my spirit where I meet with God. I love that place and go there often. Think about it and give it a trial run. It might work for you too.
I have often wondered what happened to the pilot. He did finally pray for his wife, his kids and himself in a broken, sincere way. I talked with him about Jesus and gave him a list of scriptures to study. I urged him to make contact with someone in his town to help him get to a better spiritual place and he promised to contact me again if I could be of further assistance. He gave me phone a number to call him but when I tried a few days later it was disconnected. Maybe we can reconnect in heaven.
Your takeaway is this - don't get hung up on "how" to pray. JUST PRAY! Pick up that phone and dial God up. He's always waiting to hear from his kids.
Until next time, think of just one way you can increase your prayer time, and DO IT!
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
"For Your Refrigerator Door"
Because of Jesus I can now absolutely affirm -
FAITH IS MY LIFE because:
Until next time:
"Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God." 7:1 NIV
"With promises like this to pull us on, dear friends, let's make a clean break with everything that defiles or distracts us, both within and without. Let's make our entire lives fit and holy temples for the worship of God." 7:1 MSG
FAITH IS MY LIFE because:
- I have hope, a real expectation of the future that God built with his own hands
- I am free of the law that would have been my death sentence
- I am being transformed into a replica of Jesus by the ever increasing glory of the Spirit
- I have the courage to endure life's material realities because I can look beyond them
- I no longer live with any fear of anything at any time for any reason
- My Father has reached out and drawn me to himself and given me a new life!
Until next time:
"Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God." 7:1 NIV
"With promises like this to pull us on, dear friends, let's make a clean break with everything that defiles or distracts us, both within and without. Let's make our entire lives fit and holy temples for the worship of God." 7:1 MSG
Monday, April 14, 2014
"Faith is My Life" Final Installment
I could go on and on through 2 Corinthians but my goal here has been to simply excite some holy curiosity in the hearts of good people who may "skip over" Paul's letter and miss out on some Spirit teaching that can rock your world......in a good way. I'm not nearly smart enough to exhaust all that is in it anyway. So, here's the final post.
Learning to follow Jesus is not a crash course in church stuff but a painstaking, every day journey of discovery of self and personal potential as a functioning part of Jesus' sacred body on earth today. No, I'm not putting down theology or doctrine or even church traditions, although I wont endorse all of that either. I'm simply saying if you really want to follow Jesus, you MUST begin there, with him and let him teach you how a real relationship with God the Father looks and sounds. He alone knows exactly what our Father is looking for in all of us.
As Paul wrote his second letter to the Christians at Corinth, that church was an absolute mess, just like some churches today. They seem to have turned their swords (so-to-speak) on each other rather than on the one who creates ALL that division and strife. People are never the enemy. Satan is the enemy and because he rules in the world, too often he also rules the church. And, he knows exactly how to create that sense of outrage in us when things don't match up with MY expectations.
So here is some of Paul's instruction to them and to us:
"Since then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience."
For, Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all and therefore all died. And he died for all that those who live should no longer for themselves but for him who died and was raised again. So, from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view." 5:11, 14-16 NIV
When Jesus died on the cross, in prospect, we all died with him. When he was raised from the dead, in prospect, we all were raised with him. What does that mean? We have a new life because we died to self and now live to serve God as our Father and Jesus as Lord! What that translates into is this in very plain words, "COME ON PEOPLE. GET OVER YOURSELF. WE HAVE A MISSION TO FULFILL HERE AND WE NEED TO QUIT THIS PETTY, SELFISH FUSSING AND FIGHTING OVER ALL THIS CHURCH STUFF AND GET ON WITH GOD'S BUSINESS!"
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come. All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation." 5:17-19
Here is presented a trio of new realities of this life of faith:
"Finally brothers, aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints send their greetings. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." 13:11-14
Now those are some sweet words to live by. Until next time, may God give you greater faith and love than all of your challenges.
Learning to follow Jesus is not a crash course in church stuff but a painstaking, every day journey of discovery of self and personal potential as a functioning part of Jesus' sacred body on earth today. No, I'm not putting down theology or doctrine or even church traditions, although I wont endorse all of that either. I'm simply saying if you really want to follow Jesus, you MUST begin there, with him and let him teach you how a real relationship with God the Father looks and sounds. He alone knows exactly what our Father is looking for in all of us.
As Paul wrote his second letter to the Christians at Corinth, that church was an absolute mess, just like some churches today. They seem to have turned their swords (so-to-speak) on each other rather than on the one who creates ALL that division and strife. People are never the enemy. Satan is the enemy and because he rules in the world, too often he also rules the church. And, he knows exactly how to create that sense of outrage in us when things don't match up with MY expectations.
So here is some of Paul's instruction to them and to us:
"Since then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience."
For, Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all and therefore all died. And he died for all that those who live should no longer for themselves but for him who died and was raised again. So, from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view." 5:11, 14-16 NIV
When Jesus died on the cross, in prospect, we all died with him. When he was raised from the dead, in prospect, we all were raised with him. What does that mean? We have a new life because we died to self and now live to serve God as our Father and Jesus as Lord! What that translates into is this in very plain words, "COME ON PEOPLE. GET OVER YOURSELF. WE HAVE A MISSION TO FULFILL HERE AND WE NEED TO QUIT THIS PETTY, SELFISH FUSSING AND FIGHTING OVER ALL THIS CHURCH STUFF AND GET ON WITH GOD'S BUSINESS!"
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come. All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation." 5:17-19
Here is presented a trio of new realities of this life of faith:
- I No Longer Live For Me. You should sit down in a quiet place and come to grips with that new reality for how you think, speak and live it out because it will impact every relationship in your life. If you're married, it has to start right there then spread out to others in your family and your broader sphere of influence.
- I No Longer See Others With Old Eyes. Now that's a mountain to climb. Every new creation in Christ has battled with that one, including all of Jesus' Apostles and Paul.
- Now, life for me is more spiritually than materially defined. Again, that's a journey, a tedious learning process but it's also a beautiful blessing. Just ask someone who has been out there trying to "persuade men" for a long time. Jesus is there every step of the way, in good times and in the worst of times.
"Finally brothers, aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints send their greetings. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." 13:11-14
Now those are some sweet words to live by. Until next time, may God give you greater faith and love than all of your challenges.
Friday, April 11, 2014
"Faith is My Life - But One Day I Must Die"
One of the priceless privileges I have been granted numerous times over the years is the opportunity of sitting beside a fellow traveler on this road of faith as they breathed their final breaths. The faces and words of some of those special men and women flood my mind right now. You would expect to hear words of anxiety or anger or sadness. But, here's the really big blessing I have witnessed over and over - NEVER have I seen a person of true faith die in fear. Here is one sister's story that she would definitely want me to share with you.
I was called to her home late one afternoon by her sister who had come to her bedside from a small town in Tennessee. She had been battling cancer for months and her doctor finally sent her home, at her insistence, when they had exhausted every avenue of a possible cure. The experience had literally exhausted her physically and emotionally. She had lived alone for many years following the death of her husband, and neither of her two estranged children wanted anything to do with her. Her very sweet, loving sister came to be with her.
I sat down by her bed, took her hand and she opened her eyes and weakly smiled. She said "Thank you for coming. I'm sure you know I am dying and I just need to hear some words of reassurance from God. I'm not really afraid but I don't really want to die. But I am excited about seeing Jesus."
I opened my Bible and read these words to her:
"Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed by life. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit guaranteeing what is to come.
Therefore, we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith and not by sight." 2 Corinthians 5:1-7 NIV
This dear sister began to breathe easier as I prayed for her with gentle tears running down both our cheeks. She let out a very long sigh. Her sister had sat down with us on the other side of the bed and reached out to hug her. They began to quietly whisper their love for each other so after having been there more than an hour, I excused myself and left with instructions to call my office if she needed me further. She died that day in the early evening. Her sister told me later it was a blessing from God to have been there with her.
Three key words should reverberate in your spirit:
Now please don't derail your life by obsessing about dying. Think about it, yes, but not to the point that you fail to, as Paul said later, "So we make it our goal to please him whether we are at home in the body or away from it." 5:9 Death is merely a function of life, but there is much more after that event which our Father will only make known to us at that time.
Why have I NEVER seen a person of real faith die in fear? I really don't know how to answer that, but I suspect there may be a point in there somewhere when Jesus shows up and holds out his nail scarred hands and gently says, "Come on, it's okay I've already walked this road. You'll be fine."
Until next time keep shouting HALLELUJAH!
I was called to her home late one afternoon by her sister who had come to her bedside from a small town in Tennessee. She had been battling cancer for months and her doctor finally sent her home, at her insistence, when they had exhausted every avenue of a possible cure. The experience had literally exhausted her physically and emotionally. She had lived alone for many years following the death of her husband, and neither of her two estranged children wanted anything to do with her. Her very sweet, loving sister came to be with her.
I sat down by her bed, took her hand and she opened her eyes and weakly smiled. She said "Thank you for coming. I'm sure you know I am dying and I just need to hear some words of reassurance from God. I'm not really afraid but I don't really want to die. But I am excited about seeing Jesus."
I opened my Bible and read these words to her:
"Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed by life. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit guaranteeing what is to come.
Therefore, we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith and not by sight." 2 Corinthians 5:1-7 NIV
This dear sister began to breathe easier as I prayed for her with gentle tears running down both our cheeks. She let out a very long sigh. Her sister had sat down with us on the other side of the bed and reached out to hug her. They began to quietly whisper their love for each other so after having been there more than an hour, I excused myself and left with instructions to call my office if she needed me further. She died that day in the early evening. Her sister told me later it was a blessing from God to have been there with her.
Three key words should reverberate in your spirit:
- GUARANTEE - the Holy Spirit is God's guarantee that he will give us what he promised
- ALWAYS CONFIDENT - because of God's guarantee which we receive through the Spirit
- KNOW - is a function of the faith that God has made me for a higher purpose than death.
Now please don't derail your life by obsessing about dying. Think about it, yes, but not to the point that you fail to, as Paul said later, "So we make it our goal to please him whether we are at home in the body or away from it." 5:9 Death is merely a function of life, but there is much more after that event which our Father will only make known to us at that time.
Why have I NEVER seen a person of real faith die in fear? I really don't know how to answer that, but I suspect there may be a point in there somewhere when Jesus shows up and holds out his nail scarred hands and gently says, "Come on, it's okay I've already walked this road. You'll be fine."
Until next time keep shouting HALLELUJAH!
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
"Jars of Clay"
You may not be as enamored of history as me, and I hope the first part of this post won't bore you enough to quit reading, but I'll risk it if you will. The history of your earliest brothers and sisters is an important element in understanding your Christian roots, so I want to share a few facts that will set the stage for this installment of our discussion of "Faith is My Life".
The first 30 or 40 years of Christianity were characterized by persecution and threats, but that came virtually entirely from the Jews who viewed their Jewish brothers who embraced Jesus as Lord as both spiritual and national traitors. The Roman occupiers of Judea pretty much ignored the Jews and lumped the new Christians and Jews together. In fact most of those early followers of Jesus were Jews so the Roman attitude was understandable.
However, with the reign of the Emperor Nero that changed drastically.
In July 64 AD, a very serious, six day fire broke out in the heart of Rome that destroyed nearly half of the city. Some of the citizens began to accuse Nero of actually causing the fire because he immediately began to clear the debris to begin construction on a new palace and gardens on the 300 acre burn site. What follows is an account written by a Roman historian named Tacitus. He was 9 years old at the time of this great fire and witnessed what he describes in his Annals, written around 116 AD, he observed:
"To get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our Procurators, Pontius Pilate, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was made of all who pleaded guilty; then upon their information, AN IMMEMENSE MULTITUDE (emphasis mine) was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their death. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt to serve as nightly illumination when daylight had expired."
Do you need to go back and read that again?! I'm not sure how many "an immense multitude" would be but I know it's probably beyond any accounting ability of that era. Nero wasn't the first Emperor to persecute Christians but he was most likely the cause of more Christians deaths than all of his predecessors combined. He set in motion a wave of persecution that lasted for centuries.
When Paul wrote his 2 Corinthian letter, likely in the Fall of 56 AD, being a Christian was risky, as the early waves of persecution began to flex some serious muscle. Paul addresses that risk in a very unique way:
"The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ, and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness", made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." 2 Corinthians 4:4-7 NIV
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 4:16-18
God has invested his "treasure", the good news about his Son, in "jars of clay", that's you and me, to prove his love for his human creation. We all are fragile, imperfect, flawed and just common, ordinary vessels but we house a precious treasure from heaven.
I realize some of you are being challenged by life circumstances that can appear insurmountable at worst and just depressing at the least. There are still countries and areas of countries where being a Christian is still risky, even a death sentence. Please try to see beyond whatever circumstance is threatening you now, and just allow faith to rise in your spirit. You are a "jar of clay" but God has entrusted you with a treasure that far outweighs your circumstance - if you can believe it.
Take a deep breath, go stand in front of a mirror and tell yourself, face-to-face, that you are a reflection of the glory of God and because of Jesus, you now are an imperfect vessel that literally contains the treasure of heaven.
Until next time please keep letting God's glory shine through you.
The first 30 or 40 years of Christianity were characterized by persecution and threats, but that came virtually entirely from the Jews who viewed their Jewish brothers who embraced Jesus as Lord as both spiritual and national traitors. The Roman occupiers of Judea pretty much ignored the Jews and lumped the new Christians and Jews together. In fact most of those early followers of Jesus were Jews so the Roman attitude was understandable.
However, with the reign of the Emperor Nero that changed drastically.
In July 64 AD, a very serious, six day fire broke out in the heart of Rome that destroyed nearly half of the city. Some of the citizens began to accuse Nero of actually causing the fire because he immediately began to clear the debris to begin construction on a new palace and gardens on the 300 acre burn site. What follows is an account written by a Roman historian named Tacitus. He was 9 years old at the time of this great fire and witnessed what he describes in his Annals, written around 116 AD, he observed:
"To get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our Procurators, Pontius Pilate, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was made of all who pleaded guilty; then upon their information, AN IMMEMENSE MULTITUDE (emphasis mine) was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their death. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt to serve as nightly illumination when daylight had expired."
Do you need to go back and read that again?! I'm not sure how many "an immense multitude" would be but I know it's probably beyond any accounting ability of that era. Nero wasn't the first Emperor to persecute Christians but he was most likely the cause of more Christians deaths than all of his predecessors combined. He set in motion a wave of persecution that lasted for centuries.
When Paul wrote his 2 Corinthian letter, likely in the Fall of 56 AD, being a Christian was risky, as the early waves of persecution began to flex some serious muscle. Paul addresses that risk in a very unique way:
"The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ, and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness", made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." 2 Corinthians 4:4-7 NIV
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 4:16-18
God has invested his "treasure", the good news about his Son, in "jars of clay", that's you and me, to prove his love for his human creation. We all are fragile, imperfect, flawed and just common, ordinary vessels but we house a precious treasure from heaven.
I realize some of you are being challenged by life circumstances that can appear insurmountable at worst and just depressing at the least. There are still countries and areas of countries where being a Christian is still risky, even a death sentence. Please try to see beyond whatever circumstance is threatening you now, and just allow faith to rise in your spirit. You are a "jar of clay" but God has entrusted you with a treasure that far outweighs your circumstance - if you can believe it.
Take a deep breath, go stand in front of a mirror and tell yourself, face-to-face, that you are a reflection of the glory of God and because of Jesus, you now are an imperfect vessel that literally contains the treasure of heaven.
Until next time please keep letting God's glory shine through you.
Monday, April 7, 2014
"Faith is my Life!" #2
Living by faith is a huge daily opportunity and challenge for all of us. Here's why:
- We live in a dual reality that is both physical (what is around us 24/7/365), and spiritual (what we can't see, touch, hear etc.)
- The two will eventually collide in every person's life because faith will be challenged by a present, surprising reality
- Faith is often illogical and may not make much sense when it collides with physical reality, in fact if it did always make sense, it wouldn't really be faith
- The ability to "see" what you can't "see" is a learned discipline because living by faith is a choice we must intentionally make,
- God knew this would happen so he sent the Holy Spirit to be our Comforter.
In the Old Testament, when Moses went up on Mt Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments written in stone by the very finger of God, something remarkable occurred. As God spoke with him, his face began to reflect the glory of God. When he came down from that encounter, he carried the two tablets of stone and his face glowed with the "shekinah", the glory of God. But, the glory was beginning to fade so Moses put a veil over his face to speak God's words to the Israelites.
Paul refers to this incident to make a point about Living by Faith with the help of the Holy Spirit:
"Now if the ministry that brought death (those Ten Commandments), which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness. For what was glorious (Moses' face) has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts. THEREFORE, since we have such a hope, we are very bold." 2 Cor 3:7-12 NIV
But he isn't finished, he's just warming up. Keep reading:
"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being changed (transformed) into his likeness with ever increasing (degrees of) glory which comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." 3:17-18
Now, take a deep breath and just let that sink in for a moment. He's talking about YOU and ME and every person who is being transformed by the glory of Jesus Christ, everyone who is walking with Jesus as a living breathing representative of the "shekinah" of God. Is that way more information than you wanted to know? Wonderful! Your faith has collided with your reality of life. But, don't start getting nervous or fearful, rejoice that through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, you can actually become the true reflection of Jesus in your world. HALLELUJAH!
Hear Paul again as he concludes his train of thought and instruction:
"THEREFORE (any time you see this word in scripture, pay attention to what it's 'there for') since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not distort the word of God." 4:1-2
So here it is in a nutshell:
God has commissioned his Spirit to train each of us to become a replica, actually the Greek word also means a statue, of his One and Only Son and reflect his glory in our world. The Spirit does this in what should be thought of as "ever increasing degrees" of transformation. We are at different stages in this process but rest assured, God is at work in your life every day. Unlike the "glory" that shone from Moses' face, the glory God has given you will NOT fade but only grow brighter. HALLELUJAH!
Until next time, go on about your life and be God's glory!
Thursday, April 3, 2014
"Faith Is My Life!"
Here's a question to open up your spirit today - think it through:
"WHAT IN MY LIFE ACTUALLY DEFINES ME?"
A few suggestions you might consider:
A few years ago Thom Rainer, President/CEO of Lifeway Christian Research surveyed 1200 millenials between 1980 and 2000. He published his research in a book - "The Millenials - Connecting To America's Largest Generation". Here are some of statistical results:
I believe Paul states that possibility in a simple but profound way:
"We live by faith, not by sight." 2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come. All this is from God who reconciled us (brought us back) to himself through Christ." 5:17
Let's think of it in a more personal way - "Faith is my Life!"
This perception of my life, as God the Father envisioned it for me, is a foundational teaching of Jesus and all of his Apostles. But, like happens today too, those Corinthian disciples had gotten distracted from who they really were by the social, political, familial, self serving loyalties they had grown up with. The church at Corinth was still a struggling baby, trying to fit their old ways of thinking and acting into this new way of life, but it obviously wasn't working. It wont work for us either.
So, I want you to take a short journey with me through 2 Corinthians over the next few weeks as we hear God speak to them (and us) through Paul. I will be using the NIV for this but you feel free to use whatever Bible version you prefer.
Until next time, plant this firmly in your spirit - "Faith is my Life!"
"WHAT IN MY LIFE ACTUALLY DEFINES ME?"
A few suggestions you might consider:
- Ancestry/Ethnicity - who I came from and how that may have shaped who I am
- Social Network - those I rely on for encouragement and help me stay grounded - or not
- Family traditions - holiday celebrations, birthdays, deaths, politics, religion
- Self Image - who I think I am
- Physical appearance - the mirror doesn't lie
- Personal experiences - successes, challenges, disappointments, failures, hopes, dreams
A few years ago Thom Rainer, President/CEO of Lifeway Christian Research surveyed 1200 millenials between 1980 and 2000. He published his research in a book - "The Millenials - Connecting To America's Largest Generation". Here are some of statistical results:
- 72% affirmed they are more 'spiritual' than religious
- 70% "church today is irrelevant"
- 65% "rarely/never attend a church"
- 75% "reared in an unchurched family"
- 26% "I will go to heaven"
I believe Paul states that possibility in a simple but profound way:
"We live by faith, not by sight." 2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come. All this is from God who reconciled us (brought us back) to himself through Christ." 5:17
Let's think of it in a more personal way - "Faith is my Life!"
This perception of my life, as God the Father envisioned it for me, is a foundational teaching of Jesus and all of his Apostles. But, like happens today too, those Corinthian disciples had gotten distracted from who they really were by the social, political, familial, self serving loyalties they had grown up with. The church at Corinth was still a struggling baby, trying to fit their old ways of thinking and acting into this new way of life, but it obviously wasn't working. It wont work for us either.
So, I want you to take a short journey with me through 2 Corinthians over the next few weeks as we hear God speak to them (and us) through Paul. I will be using the NIV for this but you feel free to use whatever Bible version you prefer.
Until next time, plant this firmly in your spirit - "Faith is my Life!"
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
"Questioning My Faith"
In my experience all new followers of Jesus have questions, lots of questions. So do those of us who have been following Jesus for most of our lives. We want answers to things that trouble us and often challenge our faith. But here's the thing - faith is always a choice we must intentionally make, not as an alternative among many equal possibilities but as the one true path to confidence and peace. Jesus is that one path - ALWAYS! Living with real assurance is one of the gifts we receive from the Holy Spirit. But, that can require walking a crooked and rocky road to get to that place. Getting there requires:
(1) the forward progress of TIME, which is what faith does, points us forward;
(2) PATIENCE to just allow God to do what he does in his own way and his own time;
(3) TRUST that although I don't have answers to all my questions, I know enough to cling to my faith in every circumstance because I know Jesus as my Lord and High Priest.
When Paul wrote his first letter to the disciples of Jesus in Thessalonica, he knew they were being bombarded with challenges to their faith. All you need do is read about his efforts to establish the church in that city just a few months earlier (Acts 17) and how he literally had to escape certain death from some radical Jews. So, he and Silas and Timothy went on to Berea, then to Athens. Those Jewish agitators followed him to those cities stirring up more trouble. He finally went to Corinth where it is believed he wrote 1 Thessalonians, one of his earliest letters.
Here is my "go to" encouragement from Paul when I start to analyze my unanswered questions:
"May God himself, the God of peace sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful and he will do it." 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 NIV
"May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together - spirit, soul and body - and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he'll do it." The Message
When I left home at 19 I had been a Christian for seven years. I grew up in a Christian family where I learned early that God is my Father, Jesus is my Savior and the Bible is their word to me and the basis of all that I believed. That's all good. But, after attending a Christian college I knew I had to separate myself from all of it because my belief was essentially my family's faith. I knew I had to discover what was beyond the protective bubble that I had grown up in. So, after a long discussion with my Dad, and his encouragement to pursue what I felt I needed to do, I joined the Navy.
I left home with a mix of excitement and apprehension. For three years I tried hard to run away from the God I had grown up afraid of. My Mom kept me connected to home because she wrote me a letter every week and enclosed the weekly church bulletin. But, on the few occasions when I came home on leave, I chose to not go with my family to church. They never condemned me but I feel pretty sure others in that community of believers wrote me off as a lost cause.
My four years in the Navy put me in close contact with many people who were convinced that "God" was the creation of men. I tried to be an atheist, I really did. Many years later I sat with my Mom to sincerely apologize to her for all the ignorant, immature, absolutely crazy stuff I wrote her over most of those years. She just ignored it all and kept writing and sending the church bulletin.
Finally, God, the true Father showed up. In a big way. I wont go into all the details here. You can read it all in the Introduction of my book, "Yes Lord I'm Listening", if you wish. I'll just say that God did for me exactly what Paul told the disciples at Thessalonica he will always do.
Do I still have some questions? Sure. But they are few. I keep them stored away in a very personal place in my spirit where I meet with God. He has let me know the same thing Job came to realize after his really personal encounter with God. I don't need answers to all my questions, I just need to know God and that's enough.
"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But, when he asks, he must believe and not doubt because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." James 1:5-6 NIV
As your Father, God always wants to hear your voice speaking directly to him. However if you expect him to answer your prayers for wisdom with some sort of immediate brain explosion, you maybe disappointed. He certainly can and probably does that at times, but generally that wisdom comes after days, weeks, months even years of searching God's word for your answers. But, never hesitate to tell him what you are feeling and think you need from him. He may not always give you what you ask for, but he will give you something different or better or he may just say "Not yet!"
Probably most of our questions are very personal rather than theological. The question I have heard most in counseling sessions is this - "Why?" They relate to personal tragedy and very hard situations we have to deal with, just like Job. Answering most of our "Why?" questions will have to wait for eternity in the Father's house. But then, they really won't matter at all.
Until next time, keep giving God the glory!
(1) the forward progress of TIME, which is what faith does, points us forward;
(2) PATIENCE to just allow God to do what he does in his own way and his own time;
(3) TRUST that although I don't have answers to all my questions, I know enough to cling to my faith in every circumstance because I know Jesus as my Lord and High Priest.
When Paul wrote his first letter to the disciples of Jesus in Thessalonica, he knew they were being bombarded with challenges to their faith. All you need do is read about his efforts to establish the church in that city just a few months earlier (Acts 17) and how he literally had to escape certain death from some radical Jews. So, he and Silas and Timothy went on to Berea, then to Athens. Those Jewish agitators followed him to those cities stirring up more trouble. He finally went to Corinth where it is believed he wrote 1 Thessalonians, one of his earliest letters.
Here is my "go to" encouragement from Paul when I start to analyze my unanswered questions:
"May God himself, the God of peace sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful and he will do it." 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 NIV
"May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together - spirit, soul and body - and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he'll do it." The Message
When I left home at 19 I had been a Christian for seven years. I grew up in a Christian family where I learned early that God is my Father, Jesus is my Savior and the Bible is their word to me and the basis of all that I believed. That's all good. But, after attending a Christian college I knew I had to separate myself from all of it because my belief was essentially my family's faith. I knew I had to discover what was beyond the protective bubble that I had grown up in. So, after a long discussion with my Dad, and his encouragement to pursue what I felt I needed to do, I joined the Navy.
I left home with a mix of excitement and apprehension. For three years I tried hard to run away from the God I had grown up afraid of. My Mom kept me connected to home because she wrote me a letter every week and enclosed the weekly church bulletin. But, on the few occasions when I came home on leave, I chose to not go with my family to church. They never condemned me but I feel pretty sure others in that community of believers wrote me off as a lost cause.
My four years in the Navy put me in close contact with many people who were convinced that "God" was the creation of men. I tried to be an atheist, I really did. Many years later I sat with my Mom to sincerely apologize to her for all the ignorant, immature, absolutely crazy stuff I wrote her over most of those years. She just ignored it all and kept writing and sending the church bulletin.
Finally, God, the true Father showed up. In a big way. I wont go into all the details here. You can read it all in the Introduction of my book, "Yes Lord I'm Listening", if you wish. I'll just say that God did for me exactly what Paul told the disciples at Thessalonica he will always do.
Do I still have some questions? Sure. But they are few. I keep them stored away in a very personal place in my spirit where I meet with God. He has let me know the same thing Job came to realize after his really personal encounter with God. I don't need answers to all my questions, I just need to know God and that's enough.
"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But, when he asks, he must believe and not doubt because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." James 1:5-6 NIV
As your Father, God always wants to hear your voice speaking directly to him. However if you expect him to answer your prayers for wisdom with some sort of immediate brain explosion, you maybe disappointed. He certainly can and probably does that at times, but generally that wisdom comes after days, weeks, months even years of searching God's word for your answers. But, never hesitate to tell him what you are feeling and think you need from him. He may not always give you what you ask for, but he will give you something different or better or he may just say "Not yet!"
Probably most of our questions are very personal rather than theological. The question I have heard most in counseling sessions is this - "Why?" They relate to personal tragedy and very hard situations we have to deal with, just like Job. Answering most of our "Why?" questions will have to wait for eternity in the Father's house. But then, they really won't matter at all.
Until next time, keep giving God the glory!
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