Starbucks and Salvation

What does God know...a.k.a. do we really have a choice?

For some reason, a recurring issue has been surfacing on several blogs I read daily.  This issue is commonly placed under the idea of "God's Sovereignty".  The sovereignty of God is wrapped up in 2 main words in these debates, 'foreknowledge' and 'omniscience'.  Omniscience is possessing infinite awareness, understanding, and insight, as well as universal or complete knowledge.  Omniscience is generally attributed to God, stating He exists out of "time", and therefore knows all that is going to happen in the future.  Foreknowledge is generally attributed to God from certain scriptures and additionally reinforces that God knows all that is going to happen.  Couple 'foreknowledge' and 'omniscience' with the word predestination, and all kinds of stuff starts to fly theologically.

The 2 main camps in this historically fall under Calvinism and Arminianism.  Very generally speaking, Calvinists believe everything is predetermined, even down to those who would end up eternally in hell while Arminians believe man's free will/choice plays a bigger role.  The theological positions are more complex than that obviously, but I don't wish to use this post to spell those out...want to know more, see Wikipedia. :)

I basically want to examine what my mind has been wrapping around lately.  If I believe in a God who does not know the future, is that a God worth believing in?  However, if I believe in a God who before the end of time chose certain members of His creation to suffer eternally in hell with no say in the matter, is that God worth believing in?  Somewhere there is a middle road...

Let's examine this in light of the current political system of the United States.  Did America 'choose' Obama, or did God ordain him to be president?  Now before you get all bent out of shape over that statement, do a little research on the Pharoah of Exodus, or King Cyrus in the Old Testament.  God said He "raised up" Pharoah for specific purposes.  God said He would use King Cyrus to accomplish His plans for Israel/Judah by "stirring up" King Cyrus.  God has shown in the past He would use those who His followers didn't think should be in power for His good pleasure.  Where do you fall on this?  IF God in His foreknowledge decreed Obama to be in power, we as God's followers have no complaint in regards to Obama's political decisions.  God foresaw it, allowed it, and set it in motion.  IF God did NOT know Obama would 'win', then the blame, so to speak, lay with Christians who may have put into power a most ungodly acting individual.  If that's the case, those believers who are up in arms over the current administration have no bone to pick w/ the administration, but their neighbors who voted for him.  HOWEVER, Paul would have us believe according to Ephesians 6, our battle is NOT against flesh and blood, but against spiritual principalities and powers, leading us to think someone other than human hands were responsible in the voting booths.  

Ultimately I don't believe God is swayed by what 'we' think about Him.  I believe He loves relationship with us, and He seeks to know us as His creation very intimately.  However, if we come to a decision in our head that He falls short in some attribute or if we give Him greater measure in an attribute than He even gives Himself, I don't believe He gets into a tizzy.  I suspect He just mutters something like, "Will they ever get it right?" and moves on about His day.  No...this discussion is for us, not for Him.  I am far away from being in a conclusive position about this personally...but I sure do enjoy floating it around in my head.  It drives me to study more and more scripture (note I said scripture not tradition) and that is never a bad thing...

When you realize your child is spoiled...

Okay...it's not really as bad as the title may make it sound, but last night Katie and I had, shall we say an 'interesting' exchange about life.  We love to watch Extreme Home Makeover on Sunday nights.  I love to watch it for many reasons, with the strongest reason being I dream of seeing the church rise up and do what ABC does for the community (I know, I know, ABC has unlimited resources, corporate sponsors, etc...but doesn't God own the cattle on a thousand hills?  Just saying...).  Inevitably, we all sit on the couch, crying our eyes out and feeling more than a little convicted for the times we said, "We want ____ (fill in the blank)!" the previous week.

Last night's episode was about a family who ran a ministry called "Salt and Light", which provides food, clothing, and other things needed for people who are homeless, down on their luck, etc...while providing for others, their home was of course, in dire straits, and Ty Pennington and the gang came in and did their thing.  Again, as a pastor who is dreaming of how Springwater Community Church is going to minister to/impact the community around it, this episode was particularly touching/inspiring.  After the conclusion of the show, it's off to bed for Katie and here's where the story begins...

Katie said her prayers, and then I began to say mine.  At one point I thanked God for the blessings of the day (we had just spent 2 hours at the grocery shopping for the week) and included thanking Him for providing us groceries, etc...upon uttering that statement, Katie giggled.  I stopped praying, asked her why she giggled, and she had no response.  I asked her did she think it was funny to thank God for things like that...no response.  I told her that I didn't think it was funny to thank God for those things, and was concerned that she thought it was...and left her room.  On the way out I think I muttered something about her being 'spoiled' and that she should 'think about it' as she lay in bed...I know, not one of my finer moments in parenting.  I stewed for a few minutes, then went back to her room and flipped the light on and said, "Let's talk about this now."  We talked about the show we just watched...the people involved...what they did for others.  I asked her if she thought we would always have the freedom/resources to go spend 2 hours at the grocery and she said "Yes".  I explained how we could be one paycheck away from being a family who ministers to others, to a family being ministered to by others.  We talked how yes, we don't have the resources to walk into any store at any time and buy whatever we want, but we do have the resources to get what we need.  We talked about the 4 American Girl dolls and accessories that sat on her floor (to be fair, some of which she bought with her own money) and how other children, children at her school, children like the girl we sponsor through Compassion International...how they might long for just one doll, not even an American Girl one.  We talked how she was able to take her Wal-Mart gift card and buy a Wii game, and how other kids might have to use the same card to buy food, clothing or something else needed for life, not for fun.

Now before you come down on me for being too "hard" on an 8 year old, let me state this...Katie is entering into a time of her life where the "wants" are increasing daily.  As we drove down a particular street in Glendale yesterday, lined with restaurants, all we heard for about 5 miles was the name of each passing restaurant followed by "I want to eat there!" or "Yummmm, I love that place!"  Yes, I know all kids go through this, and yes, I know that by and large, Katie is not spoiled.  But, as her father, it is vital for me to know that I'm not going to wake up one day, with her being 15 years old, and face a teenager who lives with such a sense of entitlement that it is too late to reverse it.  

I believe one reason for this trend in Katie's life is our recent move.  She has grown up being involved in a church where she ministered to others as part of the church curriculum/teaching for kids.  The church she grew up in takes the summers off, so in essence Katie has not 'served' anyone for about 6 months.  The church we are involving the kids in here in Phoenix does a great job of teaching them scripture and truth, the set-up is just a little different.  So I decided last night we are going to begin serving once a week together as a family.  I don't know where or how exactly, I just know its going to happen.  It might be a shelter, it might be a soup kitchen, it might be the clothing/food bank located behind my office...it might be hanging out at Wal-Mart for a couple of hours offering to collect carts and help people to their cars.  Its needed, and its going to happen.  

I'm very proud of my daughter Katie...and though she is just 2, Kenzie as well.  They both have big hearts and compassion for people, and are great kids.  However, Alissa and I have a responsibility to continue to foster that in them, and to teach them how to recognize everyday blessings from God.  I'm excited to see how God works through this obedient step in our family's life.

I hate to hear this...but not for the reasons you may think...

According to the news today, Congress has approved a bill attached to a defense-policy measure which extends 'hate crime' protection to gay and lesbian persons.  See the link here...

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/10/22/congress-approves-law-extending-hate-crime-protections-gays/?test=latestnews

Conservatives have been attempting to block this bill, and attaching it to the defense measure ensured its passing.  Of course, the conservative rally cry is that this bill is going to infringe on 'religious' persons' ability to speak out against homosexuality, especially preachers in the pulpit.  I have 2 things to say regarding this...

1) I haven't seen the bill, so I don't know what measures it takes against preaching against/about homosexuality.  I do know that according to scripture, specifically Acts 4:18-22, if I feel like my duty before God surpasses my duty before American law, I will continue with my calling of God before yielding to law.  I don't know that it will go that far, but if it does for ANY purpose, not just homosexuality, I'm ready.  I do know, however, it is wrong of anyone to jump to conclusions about how this will 'limit' our public expression of faith/beliefs, until we get a chance to examine the bill.

2) This probably saddens me the most...that conservatives are concerned this will impact our speech against homosexuality, and it being covered under 'hate crime' status, well you connect the dots and what you get is that the perception of evangelical Christianity is one of hate, not of love.  Best I can tell, the only people Jesus came close to 'hating' were the self-righteous Pharisees of His day.  He didn't hate the prostitutes, He didn't hate the drunkards, He didn't hate the adultress...He did however, despise religiosity. 

I hate to hear the news of the passing of the bill, not because I'm afraid of it or concerned it will impact my preaching ability, but because it drives yet another wedge between "us" and "them".  Again, according to scripture the "us" vs "them" defines "them" as spiritual entities, not human, Ephesians 6:12 for example.  I hate to hear the news because it will produce a backlash of strife and anger between people.  I hate to hear the news because it once again proves that we are a group known not for what we stand FOR, but for what we are against...and that has gone on too long.  I hate to hear this, but not for the reasons you may think...

What's wrong with "instant"?

Obviously, from the title of my blog, I am an unabashed Starbucks fan.  I'm not a coffee snob by any means; in fact, my fav coffee to buy at the store to have at home is Eight O'clock Coffee...its great!  I love going to the smaller, indie coffee shops as well!  Anywho, Starbucks just rolled out "Via", their new instant coffee...haven't tried it, not gonna do it.  Why?  No matter how good it might be, my brain hears "instant coffee" and immediately sends a signal to my taste buds that its gonna stink, a la Sanka and other instant coffees I've had and not enjoyed.  Coffee, in my opinion, is not supposed to be "instant". 

Listening to Francis Chan speak today on James 1:19 (...be slow to speak, and slow to anger...) he brought out some amazing points I had not thought of.  He remarked how in our 'instant' society, we generally respond to people without thinking.  Receive a text message?  We respond instantly.  Email pop up in your inbox?  Respond.  Get a voice mail message?  Respond.  Chan talked how we are becoming more and more conditioned to do things automatically, without even thinking...and how much that flies in the face of scripture, especially James 1:19. 

This is probably why our culture struggles so much with prayer.  A big part of prayer, according to teachings found in the bible, is listening...meditating on God's voice...being still.  So when we pray, we put forth our lists, and wait for the spiritual 'ding' saying God has responded.  But sometimes, He doesn't.  Sometimes He doesn't respond for a long time.  It's not like God is Jim Carrey in Bruce Almighty...you know the scene where Bruce's email inbox gets too full of prayers and he can't answer them?  God doesn't struggle to keep up with His inbox.  Sometimes, He may just slow His answer to see what our response is.  More often than not, our response is to move forward without Him.  Thankfully, graciously, He still takes care of us even when we act like that.

Our culture is becoming more and more 'instant' everyday...apply for a loan, any loan, online and you get approved/rejected in 1 minute or less usually.  Watch the people around you in fast food places, or in the drive-thru when things aren't as 'instant' as they'd like them to be...its scary.  (It's also sad that we have the privilege and financial ability to drive up, get food, and go home and get annoyed when it doesn't suit us...75% of the world would love to have that experience)  We can't change culture, we can only allow God to change us.  What's wrong with 'instant'?  It's not God's way...

Lessons learned on a Monday...

I had the great honor today to spend some time with Pastor Walt Kallestad of the Community Church of Joy in Phoenix.  His church website is here... http://www.joyonline.org/index.php

I read about Pastor Kallestad when I was still in KY, how he suffered a heart attack that proved to be a 'wake-up' call for his ministry.  He saw what his church had become, in his words a "show".  He saw he had become an entertainer and moved away from his gifts of evangelist and apostle.  He began to move CCJ in a different direction...and God has blessed them.

As we spoke today, I was looking for assistance in planting Springwater Community from a man who has "been there".  I am fortunate to have many pastors here in the area who are willing to take time with me and in certain ways, mentor me.  As we spoke today we talked about demographics, the culture, etc...and eventually it boiled down to one thing.  He said if he was going to encourage me it would be to do this..."Follow the Holy Spirit."  Simple right?  Yeah...simple...but powerful.  If you're a believer in Christ you know what he means.  Remember when you first encountered Christ?  Remember when you first believed in the power of God's Spirit to do anything?  Somewhere down the road in our walk, we move away from that.  We get hung up in maintaining things of the church, or get bogged down in 'living right', or move away from the goal of the Gospel and get entangled into things the Gospel really isn't about (politics, money, what sin is worse than the others, etc...).  As we do these things, we get entrenched into thinking WE can do something powerful.  Don't get me wrong...I think in most people this is innocent enough.  I don't think most of us walk around with a spiritual chip on our shoulder thinking we're bigger than God.  We just don't live like He's bigger than us.

I can remember early in my ministry, God's Spirit was not my 'fallback' position, it was my lead guard.  I used His Spirit to discern people, situations, direction.  It was His Spirit that convinced me to take the Midway exit off I-64 that night when I really didn't want to...and encountered a preacher's wife who was broken down trying to make it to where her husband was leading a revival.  It was His Spirit that showed me who He had picked out for my wife.  It was His Spirit that night in Dauphin Island, AL when my brother awoke with blood pouring from a shaving cut earlier that day that led me to pray the bleeding would stop (we were in the midst of an intense spiritual battle, if you're interested in the full story ask me, I'd love to share it!)...and the bleeding stopped as if the cut were never there.  It was His Spirit...well, you get the picture.  Somewhere along the way I lost it...I didn't lose His Spirit, but I pushed it back, or to the side, or however you wish to view it.  I began to 'manage' ministry, not see it and partake in it.  I began to accept certain things and not challenge God to change them.  I began to be a professional minister, and not the raw, in awe, life-changing disciple that I had once been.  I've been on this road back to Spirit powered living slowly but surely, and today, God used Pastor Walt to confirm to me this need.  The 83% of people in the Valley who could care less about church and maybe even care less about God don't need another 'cool' church plant...they don't need another church with neat banners and visitor parking spaces...they need to see a manifestation of the Spirit of God.  In his book god is not Great: how religion poisons everything, Christopher Hitchens points to the "lack" of supernatural experiences/occurrences in the church today as "proof" God doesn't exist.  Perhaps we have done God an injustice by not asking and allowing Him to show up more powerfully than we have.

Some shy away from this...we don't want to be "those type Christians"...we don't want to be wack jobs, or lunatics.  Still others shy away from it because we don't want to be seen as wrong in case what we ask or pray for doesn't occur.  For most of us its 'safe' to be right where we are...raising our hands in worship occasionally, praying a decent prayer now and then, and sticking an Ichthus fish on our car.  Sorry folks, pretty sure Jesus didn't endure the Cross for us to be 'safe'. 

One word of caution though...well actually two words.  First, if you seek this movement of the Spirit to use as some 'parlor trick' to wow and impress people, that's a mistake.  Check out Acts 8:9-24 (Simon the Sorceror) and Acts 19:13-20 (Sons of Sceva)...the Spirit is not to be used/taken lightly.  Second, if you seek to really let God move in your life in this manner, hold on...there is not a drug manufactured on this earth that can addict you like seeing the Kingdom of God in full view on a daily basis. 

Does the Bible teach Christians are supposed to be rich?

So I was listening to a very well known t.v. preacher Sunday morning before we left for church.  He was speaking how his father, who was a very well known preacher in his own right, never learned to 'receive' what God had in store for him financially.  He spoke of how his father 'settled' for poverty, and told a story about how a business man wanted to bless his father with a check and his father wouldn't take it, instead turning it into the church he pastored.  His father, according to his son, couldn't 'see' that God was wanting to pour out a blessing on him.

This was disturbing on many, many levels.  First, this man's father was one of the most incredible preachers I ever heard.  He was a pioneer in the field of church's sending its own missionaries.  For his OWN SON to insinuate that somehow his dad missed it...well, for me it was too much.

Second, it seems to me scripture really advocates not being wealthy for wealth's sake.  Let's examine the words of Paul to Timothy in 1st Timothy 6, beginning with verse 3...

^"3If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, ⁴ he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, ⁵and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. ⁶Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, ⁷for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. ⁸But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. ⁹But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs."

Look at what Paul says...the end of verse 5, "...imagining that godliness is a means of gain."  He then reminds Timothy in verse 6, "Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment..."  Paul definitely seems to be saying that even in Timothy's day, there were those who believe that being godly somehow equated with financial gain, but Paul says the great gain is in being content with what you have!  He goes on with a command for the 'rich' beginning at verse 17 which reads in part at verse 18 for them to "...be generous and ready to share..."  It appears Paul is exhorting the rich to give away their excess, a notion he also put forth in 2nd Corinthians 8:13-15 where he encourages people to give so that in their excess others may benefit, and then when they are in need others will pick up their need! 

Most people who advocate a 'bigger better life' for believers in terms of monetary/financial worth will point to John 10:10 where Jesus states He gives us "...abundant life...".  The word for abundant here is perissos which defines as "exceeding number or measure or rank or need, superior, extraordinary, surpassing".  There is nothing in the Greek that supports the idea that this means monetarily or in wealth.  The same word is used elsewhere in the New Testament to define authority, sorrow, love, etc...accompanied with the totality of scripture, it seems poor interpretation to take one verse and build an entire teaching of financial gain, even gain that the believer should expect of God.  Our gain is Christ.  Our gain, is forgiveness.  Our gain, is to see the kingdom come and to be an integral part of it.  Somewhere the American Dream and Christianity got their wires crossed...time to cut the cord.

University of Kentucky basketball....and church

Friday night I got to watch Big Blue Madness via the internet...for those of you who are unaware of the insanity that is University of Kentucky Basketball, BBM is the 1st practice of the year, generally open to the public.  It used to be known as Midnight Madness as the team would take the court at 12:01 a.m. October 15th, the first official day of practice.  Since then calmer heads have prevailed and moved it to the Friday evening after the 15th. 

Adding to the hysteria this year is a new coach, John Calipari, along with some fabulous incoming freshmen.  The freshmen are so good most polls have UK, which went to the NIT last year not the NCAA, at number 2 or 3 in the polls.  Not sure that ranking is deserved just yet but that's a different post for a different day.  Calipari gave an impassioned 15 minute speech at the beginning of BBM that whipped the crowd up into a frenzy just short of the ferocity of great white sharks feeding on seals.  And that is where this post really begins...

Calipari is, if nothing else, a very gifted speaker.  He was able to string together information about the UK program with ease and interspersed the info with shoutouts to all the 'right' Kentucky towns, areas, and peoples.  He spoke of the power of the past concerning UK basketball and invited people to be a part of the future greatness he foresees.  At the end of his speech, I was surprised I didn't see 2 things...the NCAA bringing the 2010 Championship trophy to him to avoid having to play the season, and babies being thrown.  (we have a joke that when people get stirred up in a passionate frenzy about anything, they throw babies...I know it doesn't make sense, it's just funny)  Calipari made you believe, the past greatness that is UK basketball will see to its future rise of being the program it used to be.  I can think of another entity that has a similar, albeit longer, story.  The church of Jesus Christ at one time had a proud and storied history.  It's greatness is documented in a multitude of writings (for the most concise and accurate check out the book of Acts in the bible).  Somewhere however, the church lost its power.  Maybe it was when it became the 'national' religion of Rome...maybe it was when it decided to mix with politics...maybe it was when it promoted slavery, or social class systems, or got into bed with the queen of England.  Whenever it was it remains apparent today the church does not have the 'star power' it once did.  Where people once believed followers of Christ were the most generous, helpful, compassionate people, now followers of Christ are perceived as bigoted, homophobic, money/power hungry people.  We need 'Calipari's' to stand up and invite people to see the church for what it was...for what it stood for...what it meant to the community...and for what it can become again.  We need people to throw babies for Jesus.

A 2nd aspect that I'll touch briefly on is this...many times over the announcers commented on the fab freshmen who signed to play with UK. It is well documented that at least 3 of them would not have come to UK had the previous coach still been there.  Calipari was their reason for coming.  This is not an uncommon occurence among collegiate sports today, especially basketball.  Student-athletes by and large don't look for tradition, history, or the 'mystique' of a program anymore...they look for that one coach they think can get them prepared for the payday of professional sports.  How does this parallel to the church?  Today by and large, most people don't look for the mystique, tradition, or history of a certain church...they look for that one 'pastor' that serves their needs best.  Let a pastor start preaching a different way, or in different clothing, or without a pulpit (AAAAAGGGGHHHHH!!!) and the chickens will flee the coop. (not that I'm calling anyone a chicken, it just fits)  This is partially what is wrong with the church today...we view ourselves as student-Christians, not concerned with the life of the church, but consumed with our own needs.  I recognize God does call people at times to be a part of a different community, but I would speculate that true call occurs in less than 25% of the people that leave one church for another.  Imagine what churches would look like if people remained faithful, loyal, and signed on for the long haul of community as opposed to jumping ship whenever the pastor doesn't 'fit' them. 

That's why church planting is so exciting to me...I recognize we will probably get some people from other flocks, that's normal.  But that's not necessarily who my target group is...I want people who are unchurched, or dechurched, so I can remind them of the great past of the church of Jesus Christ, and encourage them to be become the awesome future the church deserves.  I want to see people sign on not to 'me', but sign on to the vision of the power of Christ and the fullness of His church. 

Who knew you could learn so much from UK basketball?

Examining "god is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything"...

I mentioned a few posts earlier that I was reading god is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything by Christopher Hitchens.  I've only read through it once, and I generally prefer to read a book in its entirety at least 3 times before really examining it, but I've decided to blog a few of my thoughts today.

This book is a little different than other non-God books I've read in the aspect that Hitchens really rails on all religion, not just Christianity.  He has issues with Jews and Muslims as well as the Eastern religions of Hindu and Buddhism.  Normally in a work such as this it is only the Christian that gets bashed.  For this I suppose, I can at least applaud Hitchens for not simply bashing Christians.

As I mentioned in that earlier post, the initial impression I got from this book was that it was a new compilation of old atheistic material.  The 'proofs' against the existence of God are not new.  God is not real because world health issues still dominate...God is not real because science and faith don't mix...God is not real because the virgin birth story was mimicked in other mythologies/religions...the same ole same ole.  What this book does do that I give it credit for is draw attention to what many already feel about organized religion...that religion throughout history has been corrupt and religion on its own cannot induce a real change in a person.  (Hitchens even has a chapter titled "Does Religion Make People Behave?" where he examines that thought quite well)  If we are going to be quite honest about our current predicament as followers of Christ we have to examine the negativity surrounding 'religion'.  I know, the word 'religion' does appear in the bible...a total of 5 times in the English Standard Version.  The word is viewed in scripture as meaning a religious attitude/condemnatory attitude or signifying the external aspect of religion as opposed to a real heart change. 

The early church was rolling along quite nicely by all accounts, then Constantine decided to adopt Christianity as the official government religion in the 4th century and it's never recovered.  Under this move Christianity became infused with pagan practices, politics and a myriad of aspects that began a slow and distinct corruption of what the early church had been.  Fast forward 1700 years to today, and we see that corruption continuing.  There has to be some sense of urgency to those of us who follow Christ to see the belief system named after Him stripped of its religious institutional mindset.  I would disagree with Hitchens on the first part of his book's title...God is indeed Great!  The second part of his title, I may be inclined to agree with.  More to come as I go through additional readings...

An unintentional blogging sabbatical...

To my faithful readers out there (both of you know who you are ;) )I apologize for the lack of posts in the past few days.  Over the weekend we had a family friend fly out from Kentucky to celebrate Katie's birthday with us, and then Tuesday I ended up getting sick.  It didn't hit me hard until Wednesday morning, but I just didn't feel like doing anything.  Huge headache, headspins and nausea, etc...I'm pretty sure I allowed myself to get dehydrated (a common occurence in this area to newcomers I'm told). 

Anywho, I'm back, and am ready to post a brief commentary on life...

In case you missed it, there was a tragedy in Sedona, AZ on October 8th.  James Arthur Ray, a self-help guru/motivational speaker, was leading a retreat at a popular location in Sedona.  If you're not familiar with Sedona, it is a geographical place where many believe powerful vortices of spiritual energy exist.  It's a popular spot with new-age thinkers and practicioners and if you visit there, you'll see what I mean.  In this retreat, 2 people lost their lives and many others were injured/sickened when an event at a 'sweatlodge' went awry.  There has been considerable outcry against Ray for continuing on with events in the California area just days after this tragedy.  Of course, the whole thing has been scrutinized by conservatives and liberals alike, with special scrutiny by Christians. 

I wanted to do some more research on James Ray, and went to his website.  Not surprisingly, Ray is selling the "if you think it you can do it" brand of new-age philosophy.  Interestingly enough, that thinking is far from being 'new' in nature.  With the Enlightenment period of history/philosophy in the 17th/18th centuries, man's ability to control or think out his own destiny was a common theme of the day.  Men such as Locke, Rousseau, Hume, Kant, and others believed and projected the idea that a person could essentially "will" themselves into whatever life situation imagined.  Ray's website shows the same belief with quotes such as, "...plant your seeds (financial) for the spring in this short window of opportunity." and "You really do have the power...to create the life you deserve and desire."  Ray captures these ideas and others under the phrase, "Harmonic Wealth: attract the life you want". 

Now what's interesting to me is this...listen to or read some of the biggest Christian voices of our day today and it's hard to tell the difference.  Many of them teach how to "speak" the blessings you want in life into action, and how if you'll just "plant a seed" here or there your life will take hold like you deserve.  To be sure, these voices add an element Ray doesn't; the element of God.  But they only add this element the way a chef would add a pinch of salt to a large dish.  In their view, God has planted a seed or enabled you to acheive or get something...but its up to you to make it happen. 

Is it any wonder our world is so confused?  One group of people say you can do it all on your own...another says you can do it on your own but God has to deliver the primer...they say the same thing, with one slight difference.  My heart goes out to the families of those involved in the tragedy.  They were among those the bible describes as people with 'itching ears', anxious to surround themselves with people who would say what they wanted to hear.  Even after the tragedy in Sedona, Ray had hundreds of people show up for an event outside of Los Angeles the very next week.  We have got to do a better job of putting aside all of the organizational/institutional church crap, and get back to what was the purpose of the church...to live out in front of and tell others the real good news...the good news that had no promise of earthly wealth, no promise of fame or fortune...but had the promise of true fulfillment and a life beyond this earth.  A life saved by the blood and power of Jesus Christ. 

Reflections of the past 8 years...

Saturday, October 10th, Katie turns 8.  I don't have any pics of her on my computer until she is about 3 or 4, but here's a few to see the progression since then...

What an amazing journey it has been with her.  For those of you who don't know, Katie was born on the same day as my dad.  She was born in 2001, in 2004 shortly after her 3rd birthday Dad died after a battle with cancer.  Katie's life has helped us pass through the grief.  Instead of October 10th being a day filled with only somber memories, we have been able to laugh, rejoice and enjoy life on that day.  Katie wasn't born until around 11:40 p.m., and I can remember dad stressing out over that...he sure did want to share his day with Katelyn.  

My wife and I are truly blessed to call her our daughter.  She teaches us so often the extent of God's grace, and she is definitely an example of His giftedness.  She has adapted so quickly to our move to Arizona and has challenged me with the reasons we were called here.  She often reminds me through her compassion and heart for people why we are here.  I don't want her to grow up too soon, but on the other side of that coin I can't wait to see what God does through her and with her.  

Happy 8th birthday Katie...may you know how blessed we are as a family to have you as part of it.