Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.
(1 Corinthians 16:13-14 ESVST)
This seems like a simple, yet direct command. We must be watchful in that our enemy is relentless. For us to act as if he is not relentless is nothing more than in invitation for him to destroy us.
We are told to stand firm, and we indeed have that capability in that God is a rock that cannot be moved. As we choose to take a stand with Him, there is no worldly force that can move us. The winds of this life may blow, but the rock will not, and those who are anchored to it will be standing when the storm has passed.
To act like a man is a specific and direct statement. Men are those who are entrusted with leadership, who protect, who guide, and who ultimately give up their lives for the good of others.
There is only one valid motivation for those who will be deemed successful, and that is the motivation of love: obedience to God and care for others. There is no other way.
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Since we know....
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
(1 Corinthians 15:58 ESVST)
Since we know we will one day be victorious, we need to be steadfastly immovable. Why would one who is sure of victory waver? Why would one who knows the outcome fear the outcome? Why would those who know, live as those who did not know?
We know that death, the end of life on earth as we know it, has no power to destroy those who are in Christ. We know that death is doorway, not a wall. We know that this life is a training ground, a proving place, and a preparation for what is yet to come.
Since we know these things, we live as if we know them, and Paul tells us what that looks like.
Those who know are not stubborn, but steadfastly immovable. Those who know always abound in the King's work, for they know that the return in investment is guaranteed.
One day, when this life is over and we stand before God, we will look forward to Him saying, "Well done my good and faithful servant," but we must remember that God will not lie.
(1 Corinthians 15:58 ESVST)
Since we know we will one day be victorious, we need to be steadfastly immovable. Why would one who is sure of victory waver? Why would one who knows the outcome fear the outcome? Why would those who know, live as those who did not know?
We know that death, the end of life on earth as we know it, has no power to destroy those who are in Christ. We know that death is doorway, not a wall. We know that this life is a training ground, a proving place, and a preparation for what is yet to come.
Since we know these things, we live as if we know them, and Paul tells us what that looks like.
Those who know are not stubborn, but steadfastly immovable. Those who know always abound in the King's work, for they know that the return in investment is guaranteed.
One day, when this life is over and we stand before God, we will look forward to Him saying, "Well done my good and faithful servant," but we must remember that God will not lie.
Saturday, June 25, 2016
Why Invest Now?
I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
(1 Corinthians 15:50 ESVST)
This life is a war zone, not a final destination. There is no way that we can stay here and enjoy all that God has for us to enjoy. The flesh and blood that now represents my life must die for me to inherit my eternal life.
Those who cling to this life are clinging to a war-torn land in hopes that the war has ended, when in reality, the war continues to rage. There is no possible way to have our best life now, for now is the time to fight, not to rest, and those who seek comfort in this war zone will live frustrated, angry, and meaningless lives.
All that I see around me will perish apart from the people God has placed in my life. People will last forever, whereas money, time, etc. will pass away. Spending time with God and people will have a huge return on investment.
Why would we invest in the things that are guaranteed to deliver a 100% loss?
(1 Corinthians 15:50 ESVST)
This life is a war zone, not a final destination. There is no way that we can stay here and enjoy all that God has for us to enjoy. The flesh and blood that now represents my life must die for me to inherit my eternal life.
Those who cling to this life are clinging to a war-torn land in hopes that the war has ended, when in reality, the war continues to rage. There is no possible way to have our best life now, for now is the time to fight, not to rest, and those who seek comfort in this war zone will live frustrated, angry, and meaningless lives.
All that I see around me will perish apart from the people God has placed in my life. People will last forever, whereas money, time, etc. will pass away. Spending time with God and people will have a huge return on investment.
Why would we invest in the things that are guaranteed to deliver a 100% loss?
Saturday, June 18, 2016
Confusion
We are a confused nation. Confusion is something that fuels
helplessness and hopelessness. It does not need to be this way.
Many have abandoned God and thereby abandon reason. Those who
reason have a set of absolutes with which to evaluate their reasoning upon, and
without such a structure, it is impossible to have reason.
Those who are Godless are unreasonable.
When someone subscribes to the idea that there are no absolutes,
they become the absolute. Imagine the shock and horror that will take place
when they discover that they never were and are not in that position.
Our thoughts and ideas have evolved throughout the years. We
kindly make fun of those who at one time thought the world was flat, and at
medical professionals who did not realize the importance of washing their hands
inbetween patients. Landing on the moon was a someday dream at one time, and
Alexander Graham Bell was brilliant in providing to us a gadget that enabled us
to talk to one another even though we were separated by miles.
We often think of ourselves as having come a long way, and we
have. Yet, fifty or one hundred years from now, the very things we now consider
modern, sophisticated, and necessary, could be looked upon as simplistic,
naïve, and well, nice, for those who were so limited in understanding.
We seem to always look at ourselves as the measure of success,
and avoid absolutes in that they have the possibility of destroying our
carefully designed deceptions.
Reasonable people embrace absolutes, for they allow us a simple
understanding of life, death, significance, and security.
Here’s an example.
In the beginning God, not Dave.
God created, meaning that there is an ultimate “force” in the
universe, and that the created has meaning and purpose.
The revealed purpose of creation is to allow us to love God and
each other, and in doing so, display who God is in our very flesh.
I did not choose the day of my birth, and I will not choose the
day of my death.
I will die and actually be dead much longer than I was ever alive
on this earth.
In reality, the simple rules. The simplicity of God’s plan
transcends time. Our knowledge will change, as will our perspectives,
understandings, health, wealth, and so on, but our God will not. His purposes
will remain. They are simple and direct.
Satan seems to worm his way into our lives and culture whenever
and however he can. He seems to enjoy helping us elevate ourselves so that it
is our feelings, emotions, ideas, thoughts, and more that rule and not God.
When this happens, we become a confused people, and have all the
‘fruits’ of confusion evident in our lives and nation.
One might ask in what ways have we made the simple complex?
Here are some illustrations.
Gender: Each of us is born either a male or female. God made it
simple. Abandoning the simple has made this confusing.
Marriage was intended to be a covenant between one man and one
woman. Abandoning the simple has made this confusing.
Sexual intimacy was meant to be between a male and female who
have committed to faithfulness to each other.
Abandoning the simple has made this confusing.
This list could go on and on in that Godless people make things
complex in order to hide their desperate and hopeless ways. Complication fuels
complacency.
The tax code, ObamaCare, and other laws of the land demonstrate
how complexity fuels complacency. I doubt that many have read the entire tax
code and really understood what it said. I also doubt that many have read the
entire ObamaCare regulations and are able to grasp the entire concept.
Often what starts our simple becomes complex as we twist and turn
the ideas in ways that sound good for everyone, but somehow benefit us.
When you think about it, our highest governmental officials do
not use ObamaCare, and the richest people in the world pay little in taxes.
I have no idea why. It is
way too complicated for me to understand. So, I just ignore the whole mess,
demonstrating, once again, that complexity fuels complacency.
It is time to get back to the basics, to the simple. If we do we
will re-engage many into the processes of life. If we do not, we will continue
to slide towards meaninglessness.
For now, the choice is ours.
Friday, June 17, 2016
The Important Things In Life....
It was a wonderful privilege to be able to speak, once again, to the junior/middler campers at Silver Birch Ranch at the beginning of our 49th summer. Each year I get more reflective, more thankful and better positioned to see what God is and has done.
For many, while on our grounds, the world and its problems fade away and kids are able to be kids. They laugh, cry, have good times and struggles that are a part of learning to grow up and make decisions independent of mom and dad.
Every day we pause several times to talk with the campers about God’s love, plan and purposes for their lives. We are able to begin the process of clearing up the confusion that seems prevalent in our world.
Summer camps value has exponentially increased over the years. Young people now more than ever need to escape the pressures of every day life and enjoy being a “kid” for a while. They need to ride a horse, tube behind a boat, raft a river, buy a pizza with friends, stare at a campfire, play large group games and listen, several times a day, to what God has to say about love and life.
Summer camp is a connection point for many that creates a bond to God, to friends and can clear some of the confusion that seems ever present in the public arena.
Silver Birch Ranch has become a place where people can see God clearly. If you look closely at what God has provided in a physical facility you cannot help but be awed at His provision. In the last few years we have seen tremendous provision. We have been able to build a gym and chapel and maintenance building (which will become a storage building soon) and have them paid for and are in the process of building a new recording studio and auto/wood shop as well as pay or normal bills which total over $6,000.00 per day.
This is all accomplished without fund raising campaigns, arm twisting or having any endowment money. These “things” have clearly demonstrated God’s provision.
Even more incredible are he lives that challenged on these grounds. In a crazy, mixed up and confused culture we have the opportunity to clear the fog. After one of the chapel times I was able to watch the campers respond to an invitation to place their trust in Jesus as their savior. There were about 60 young people that night who wanted to talk with their counselor about their need for Christ.
As I watched the campers walk out of the chapel with their counselors, who were going to spend some additional time with them, pray with them, etc. I saw one counselor walking out with kids who, when he was 8 years old, made that same decision in our old chapel. Our chapel may have changed but our God and His love for these campers has remained the same.
Age has its advantage in that, at times, we have the opportunity to enjoy some of the fruit from the trees that were planted years ago.
There have been so many faithful men and women who have served our nations’ youth on the gourds of Silver Birch Ranch throughout these past 49 summers. God has been and is evident. I personally am grateful beyond words to have been a part of such an obvious and mighty movement of God.
I have no idea where or who our next provision will be supplied from. The cost of doing what we do steadily increases as does the opportunities.
I think the challenges that lie ahead continue to revolve around how we can provide an effective, safe, fun and affordable place for young people.
Camp is vital and expensive. It would be wonderful to be able to have a revenue stream from somewhere/someone that would allow us to reduce our summer camp prices. This may seem like a crazy wild idea to many and perhaps it is. However, it is yet another way that we can clearly show who God is in this world where His view is blurred.
God is faithful and I would encourage you to take a moment and reflect on His faithfulness and rejoice with us as we think of the many transformed lives, friendships and hope that has been a part of the past 49 summers.
Having faith however is not just for those who are in ministry, it is the only way any of us please our Heavenly Father. Those who live outside of faith have no way to demonstrate who God is in this life, no way to please God, no way to be significant, no security and ultimately no purpose or hope.
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
(Hebrews 11:6 ESVST)
Spend some time today enjoying God. It will be the most important thing you will do.
For many, while on our grounds, the world and its problems fade away and kids are able to be kids. They laugh, cry, have good times and struggles that are a part of learning to grow up and make decisions independent of mom and dad.
Every day we pause several times to talk with the campers about God’s love, plan and purposes for their lives. We are able to begin the process of clearing up the confusion that seems prevalent in our world.
Summer camps value has exponentially increased over the years. Young people now more than ever need to escape the pressures of every day life and enjoy being a “kid” for a while. They need to ride a horse, tube behind a boat, raft a river, buy a pizza with friends, stare at a campfire, play large group games and listen, several times a day, to what God has to say about love and life.
Summer camp is a connection point for many that creates a bond to God, to friends and can clear some of the confusion that seems ever present in the public arena.
Silver Birch Ranch has become a place where people can see God clearly. If you look closely at what God has provided in a physical facility you cannot help but be awed at His provision. In the last few years we have seen tremendous provision. We have been able to build a gym and chapel and maintenance building (which will become a storage building soon) and have them paid for and are in the process of building a new recording studio and auto/wood shop as well as pay or normal bills which total over $6,000.00 per day.
This is all accomplished without fund raising campaigns, arm twisting or having any endowment money. These “things” have clearly demonstrated God’s provision.
Even more incredible are he lives that challenged on these grounds. In a crazy, mixed up and confused culture we have the opportunity to clear the fog. After one of the chapel times I was able to watch the campers respond to an invitation to place their trust in Jesus as their savior. There were about 60 young people that night who wanted to talk with their counselor about their need for Christ.
As I watched the campers walk out of the chapel with their counselors, who were going to spend some additional time with them, pray with them, etc. I saw one counselor walking out with kids who, when he was 8 years old, made that same decision in our old chapel. Our chapel may have changed but our God and His love for these campers has remained the same.
Age has its advantage in that, at times, we have the opportunity to enjoy some of the fruit from the trees that were planted years ago.
There have been so many faithful men and women who have served our nations’ youth on the gourds of Silver Birch Ranch throughout these past 49 summers. God has been and is evident. I personally am grateful beyond words to have been a part of such an obvious and mighty movement of God.
I have no idea where or who our next provision will be supplied from. The cost of doing what we do steadily increases as does the opportunities.
I think the challenges that lie ahead continue to revolve around how we can provide an effective, safe, fun and affordable place for young people.
Camp is vital and expensive. It would be wonderful to be able to have a revenue stream from somewhere/someone that would allow us to reduce our summer camp prices. This may seem like a crazy wild idea to many and perhaps it is. However, it is yet another way that we can clearly show who God is in this world where His view is blurred.
God is faithful and I would encourage you to take a moment and reflect on His faithfulness and rejoice with us as we think of the many transformed lives, friendships and hope that has been a part of the past 49 summers.
Having faith however is not just for those who are in ministry, it is the only way any of us please our Heavenly Father. Those who live outside of faith have no way to demonstrate who God is in this life, no way to please God, no way to be significant, no security and ultimately no purpose or hope.
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
(Hebrews 11:6 ESVST)
Spend some time today enjoying God. It will be the most important thing you will do.
Tuesday, May 24, 2016
Addictions
Addictions are caused by feeling isolated, left out, feeling cheated, or feeling as if your life does not matter, and that all things in life that you did value are so fragile that you could lose them at any time, for reasons out of your control.
An addicted person has formed a connection with a substance, situation or pleasure that gives them a false feeling of connectedness, and the control over this connectedness. The addiction gives them something to get out of bed for, something to live for, and something to be connected to.
Disconnection is a problem. We feel disconnected from being able to control the most important factors in our lives. We feel disconnected from the things we think will make us happy. We feel disconnected from people. We feel disconnected from purpose in our work and play. We feel disconnected comfort, love, significance, and security.
When those who are addicts become addicted to substances that are illegal, we usually shame them, or they shame themselves, and go into further isolation, making the disconnection worse, and the hope for recovery more remote.
Many of us believe that addictions have physical triggers, and there have been many treatment centers developed to try to deal with the “physical” addictive properties we believe to exist. Many times these centers fail in that they tried to solve a disconnectedness problem by further isolation and shame.
Punishing addicts does not work. Loving them does work. Connecting them works. Doing life with them works.
The Bible often talks about the motive of love and the power of love to overcome all odds.
I have been in the hospital often, and been under the knife of several occasions. I have been to the emergency room with severe pain, and whether I was in for an operation, or due to some other interesting malady, I have been given Diamorphine, which in reality is a very pure form of heroine, to ease the pain.
I have never become an addict, and in fact, I have asked that I not be given those substances again, as they did not seem to ease the pain, but rather had an effect on my mind that made it so that reality was a dream world.
When you are connected and enjoy your connections, the escaping from reality is not something you desire.
I am not alone in not becoming addicted to pain killers, heroine, or other substances. There are many grandmas and grandpas who have had hip replacements who were given legal drugs to fight pain, yet who are not now hanging out in dark alleys trying to find a dealer. My generation was the generation that fought the Viet Nam War. During the war there were many soldiers who got into heroine, and the fear was that when they returned to our country, we would face a tidal wave of addictions. In reality, most of them, upon returning to the States just quit, cold turkey.
What happened to the physical triggers that caused addiction in both the hospital and Viet Nam cases?
I’m not sure what happens to a proven theory if there are many who defy what has been proven.
I was listening to a Ted Talk and was told about a man, Bruce Alexander, who conducted an experiment on an experiment.
What I mean is that for years we based the idea of addictions off of a study done on rats that put a single rat in a cage with two bottles of water. One bottle was pure the other was laced with some kind of drug. The isolated rat would go to the drug water over and over again, and eventually died early from a continual overdose, obviously proving a physical trigger to addiction.
However, Bruce did an experiment where he made a rat cage that had a tremendous amount of connectivity. There were rat neighborhoods, plenty of food, and places to play. This cage also had two bottles of water. What he found was that the rats in this cage seldom, if ever, used the drug water, and none of them became addicts.
It is obvious that man desires connectivity and that Satan has worked this lack of connectivity, or the feeling of non-connectedness, to its fullest. Our culture is saturated with the pretend lives shown on television and in movies, and, in many case, the entertainment world has become our reality. We watch others live while not living ourselves, and we begin to identify with the pretend more than the real. We see advertisements that are cleverly meant to show us how “disconnected” we really are, and we spend time with others who watch all this with us, while never experiencing real connectivity with them.
Somehow we always feel disconnected, like we are missing something.
Smartphones, internet, Facebook, Twitter, etc. were creations that seemed to help our connectedness, and they have people “addicted” to them in that they actually appear to solve our connectedness problem, when in reality, they are causing the problem to become even more complex.
Today, the most disconnected can portray themselves as being the most connected, and addictions of many sorts are more the norm than the exception.
Addicts’ problems are not the availability of drugs, alcohol, sex, money, etc., but the lack of connectivity to God and to each other.
The Bible clearly shows that man was created to be connected with God and each other, and that sin has destroyed our connectivity. Sin always separates. It always isolates, shames, and distances us from God and others.
Every human being desires significance and security, and many are searching for them. We often do not realize that this significance cannot come from power, comfort, or control, but from connectedness. While we were sinners, disconnected with God, hopeless, and alone, God sent Jesus to pay the price for reconnecting us.
Without this connection, there is no hope for significance, and no hope for the addict. With this connection, there is a new and healthy addiction, that of being addicted to the connection with God. When one is connected with God they will find that all other attractions pale in comparison and lose their grip.
We find that this connection with God allows us to position ourselves to then have proper connection with others. Our connection with others is about them, not us. Addicts make their connections with others about themselves, which proves that they have not understood how God made this connection thing to work.
When Jesus was asked what was important he said that we should love the Lord our God and each other. He told us that we should be involved in connectivity to God and to each other. In fact, we are told that it would be impossible for us to be connected with God and each other and also be connected to the world. Those who love, or are connected to, this world, cannot love, or be connected to, God.
Satan seems to play the game of disconnection by making the promise of connection by means that actually cause disconnection. He has us looking for significance in all of the wrong places, in doing things rather than being someone, and in using people and enjoying stuff, when we should be using stuff and enjoying people.
Perhaps the most dangerous addiction that comes from disconnectedness is the addiction to self. When self is on the throne, all others become subjects rather than friends. When we are on the throne, we look down upon all, use all for our pleasure, and trust no one. Being our own royalty gives us the impression of significance and security, but deep down we realize that it is only an impression. When we are addicted to self, we are most isolated, and all others, including God, do not matter. It is those who have given into this ultimate addiction that often take it upon themselves to end their lives. Since they are the only ones who matter, it makes sense to them to continue to satisfy self, alone, and the suicide they commit becomes the ultimate self-centered act in that the feelings, thoughts, and relationships with those they should be connected to, no longer matter.
Connectedness is something we are created to have, but not connectedness to just anything. Addiction is taking that need for connectedness with God, and people and satisfying it with things that can never really satisfy it.
Satan has worked the system well, and he is very good at what he does. In the United States we live in big houses and have many ways of isolating ourselves while in the midst of family and friends. We have normalized the use of people for pleasure, and lost the art of going through pain while perfecting avoidance techniques. We try to show connectedness with things rather than time, objects rather than self, and favor rather than responsibility.
One can go to church and not be connected in that it has become less about real community and more about perceived community, more about programs that give the appearance of connection, and less about real connection. Discipleship and mentoring have become meaningless buzz words in that they are systems that are trying to work at reconnecting in a format that gives the connection appearance, while not having the ability to crack the isolation factors that are ever present in our culture.
God and His truth are actually rather simple. When we make it to complicated, we give Satan a foothold in our lives, and open the door for all sorts of spiritual loopholes.
God created me so that He could love me, and be connected to me. This love connection demands choice and is thereby significant. If that connection is not right, I will try to find connection elsewhere and fail, for it cannot be done. Eventually, the very things I connected to will prove to be the fuel for the ultimate disconnection.
We were made to be relational beings, and need to live in the context of the connectivity that healthy relationships provide. Alcohol, food, sex, or drug addictions are symptoms of a greater problem.
Healthy people with healthy relationships do not have addiction problems. If someone is struggling with addictions and they want help, they must first see their need for being connected to God, family, and friends, and begin the process of real connection. Since the addict may be blind to these things, those who are connected must make an effort to re-connect. God showed us how to do this in that while we were sinners, addicts, He made the effort to send His Son, so that the real problem could be solved.
Satan is a genius at deception and has many thinking they are connected because they “fit” into the norm of society. They are fans of the same sports team, members of the same church, citizens of a country, or alumni of the same college.
God is realit,y and has made it so that all people, regardless of circumstance, can have what is necessary to be significant and secure because He provides these things to those who are connected with Him.
An addicted person has formed a connection with a substance, situation or pleasure that gives them a false feeling of connectedness, and the control over this connectedness. The addiction gives them something to get out of bed for, something to live for, and something to be connected to.
Disconnection is a problem. We feel disconnected from being able to control the most important factors in our lives. We feel disconnected from the things we think will make us happy. We feel disconnected from people. We feel disconnected from purpose in our work and play. We feel disconnected comfort, love, significance, and security.
When those who are addicts become addicted to substances that are illegal, we usually shame them, or they shame themselves, and go into further isolation, making the disconnection worse, and the hope for recovery more remote.
Many of us believe that addictions have physical triggers, and there have been many treatment centers developed to try to deal with the “physical” addictive properties we believe to exist. Many times these centers fail in that they tried to solve a disconnectedness problem by further isolation and shame.
Punishing addicts does not work. Loving them does work. Connecting them works. Doing life with them works.
The Bible often talks about the motive of love and the power of love to overcome all odds.
I have been in the hospital often, and been under the knife of several occasions. I have been to the emergency room with severe pain, and whether I was in for an operation, or due to some other interesting malady, I have been given Diamorphine, which in reality is a very pure form of heroine, to ease the pain.
I have never become an addict, and in fact, I have asked that I not be given those substances again, as they did not seem to ease the pain, but rather had an effect on my mind that made it so that reality was a dream world.
When you are connected and enjoy your connections, the escaping from reality is not something you desire.
I am not alone in not becoming addicted to pain killers, heroine, or other substances. There are many grandmas and grandpas who have had hip replacements who were given legal drugs to fight pain, yet who are not now hanging out in dark alleys trying to find a dealer. My generation was the generation that fought the Viet Nam War. During the war there were many soldiers who got into heroine, and the fear was that when they returned to our country, we would face a tidal wave of addictions. In reality, most of them, upon returning to the States just quit, cold turkey.
What happened to the physical triggers that caused addiction in both the hospital and Viet Nam cases?
I’m not sure what happens to a proven theory if there are many who defy what has been proven.
I was listening to a Ted Talk and was told about a man, Bruce Alexander, who conducted an experiment on an experiment.
What I mean is that for years we based the idea of addictions off of a study done on rats that put a single rat in a cage with two bottles of water. One bottle was pure the other was laced with some kind of drug. The isolated rat would go to the drug water over and over again, and eventually died early from a continual overdose, obviously proving a physical trigger to addiction.
However, Bruce did an experiment where he made a rat cage that had a tremendous amount of connectivity. There were rat neighborhoods, plenty of food, and places to play. This cage also had two bottles of water. What he found was that the rats in this cage seldom, if ever, used the drug water, and none of them became addicts.
It is obvious that man desires connectivity and that Satan has worked this lack of connectivity, or the feeling of non-connectedness, to its fullest. Our culture is saturated with the pretend lives shown on television and in movies, and, in many case, the entertainment world has become our reality. We watch others live while not living ourselves, and we begin to identify with the pretend more than the real. We see advertisements that are cleverly meant to show us how “disconnected” we really are, and we spend time with others who watch all this with us, while never experiencing real connectivity with them.
Somehow we always feel disconnected, like we are missing something.
Smartphones, internet, Facebook, Twitter, etc. were creations that seemed to help our connectedness, and they have people “addicted” to them in that they actually appear to solve our connectedness problem, when in reality, they are causing the problem to become even more complex.
Today, the most disconnected can portray themselves as being the most connected, and addictions of many sorts are more the norm than the exception.
Addicts’ problems are not the availability of drugs, alcohol, sex, money, etc., but the lack of connectivity to God and to each other.
The Bible clearly shows that man was created to be connected with God and each other, and that sin has destroyed our connectivity. Sin always separates. It always isolates, shames, and distances us from God and others.
Every human being desires significance and security, and many are searching for them. We often do not realize that this significance cannot come from power, comfort, or control, but from connectedness. While we were sinners, disconnected with God, hopeless, and alone, God sent Jesus to pay the price for reconnecting us.
Without this connection, there is no hope for significance, and no hope for the addict. With this connection, there is a new and healthy addiction, that of being addicted to the connection with God. When one is connected with God they will find that all other attractions pale in comparison and lose their grip.
We find that this connection with God allows us to position ourselves to then have proper connection with others. Our connection with others is about them, not us. Addicts make their connections with others about themselves, which proves that they have not understood how God made this connection thing to work.
When Jesus was asked what was important he said that we should love the Lord our God and each other. He told us that we should be involved in connectivity to God and to each other. In fact, we are told that it would be impossible for us to be connected with God and each other and also be connected to the world. Those who love, or are connected to, this world, cannot love, or be connected to, God.
Satan seems to play the game of disconnection by making the promise of connection by means that actually cause disconnection. He has us looking for significance in all of the wrong places, in doing things rather than being someone, and in using people and enjoying stuff, when we should be using stuff and enjoying people.
Perhaps the most dangerous addiction that comes from disconnectedness is the addiction to self. When self is on the throne, all others become subjects rather than friends. When we are on the throne, we look down upon all, use all for our pleasure, and trust no one. Being our own royalty gives us the impression of significance and security, but deep down we realize that it is only an impression. When we are addicted to self, we are most isolated, and all others, including God, do not matter. It is those who have given into this ultimate addiction that often take it upon themselves to end their lives. Since they are the only ones who matter, it makes sense to them to continue to satisfy self, alone, and the suicide they commit becomes the ultimate self-centered act in that the feelings, thoughts, and relationships with those they should be connected to, no longer matter.
Connectedness is something we are created to have, but not connectedness to just anything. Addiction is taking that need for connectedness with God, and people and satisfying it with things that can never really satisfy it.
Satan has worked the system well, and he is very good at what he does. In the United States we live in big houses and have many ways of isolating ourselves while in the midst of family and friends. We have normalized the use of people for pleasure, and lost the art of going through pain while perfecting avoidance techniques. We try to show connectedness with things rather than time, objects rather than self, and favor rather than responsibility.
One can go to church and not be connected in that it has become less about real community and more about perceived community, more about programs that give the appearance of connection, and less about real connection. Discipleship and mentoring have become meaningless buzz words in that they are systems that are trying to work at reconnecting in a format that gives the connection appearance, while not having the ability to crack the isolation factors that are ever present in our culture.
God and His truth are actually rather simple. When we make it to complicated, we give Satan a foothold in our lives, and open the door for all sorts of spiritual loopholes.
God created me so that He could love me, and be connected to me. This love connection demands choice and is thereby significant. If that connection is not right, I will try to find connection elsewhere and fail, for it cannot be done. Eventually, the very things I connected to will prove to be the fuel for the ultimate disconnection.
We were made to be relational beings, and need to live in the context of the connectivity that healthy relationships provide. Alcohol, food, sex, or drug addictions are symptoms of a greater problem.
Healthy people with healthy relationships do not have addiction problems. If someone is struggling with addictions and they want help, they must first see their need for being connected to God, family, and friends, and begin the process of real connection. Since the addict may be blind to these things, those who are connected must make an effort to re-connect. God showed us how to do this in that while we were sinners, addicts, He made the effort to send His Son, so that the real problem could be solved.
Satan is a genius at deception and has many thinking they are connected because they “fit” into the norm of society. They are fans of the same sports team, members of the same church, citizens of a country, or alumni of the same college.
God is realit,y and has made it so that all people, regardless of circumstance, can have what is necessary to be significant and secure because He provides these things to those who are connected with Him.
Monday, April 25, 2016
Antigo Shooting
On Saturday night there was a random shooting at the Antigo High School in Antigo, Wisconsin. There were two students shot. One was treated and released the other was taken to the hospital, has had surgery and is doing well.
The police in this small city did a fantastic job as they acted quickly and decisively. We are thankful for such people who protect us day in and day out.
The shooter died in this incident and their family is grieving as this was a surprise to them as well as to the entire community.
The family of the victim released this official statement.
I appreciate this family, their honesty and their relationship and trust in God. This is not an act but the result of a real relationship with God. There is no hope for a solution to our nations' issues without our people turning to God.
During these tragic times we hear of people praying yet we cannot help but wonder who they are praying too since God has been removed from the public square.
The epidemic that plagues our nation is one of unbridled sin that has become normative and without the absolute authority of God and His Word we have no way to make right what is obviously wrong.
Young people today are too often abandon and allowed to be immersed in hours and hours of violent video games, television as well as porn, greed and continual gossip on the internet. There is an effect to such things and it is an effect we will not like and cannot stop.
I do not know if this shooter had these influences but my experience in life would guess that he did. These things in and of themselves are not the problem. Our sin is the problem and our sin has separated us from God. These other things just fuel the problem.
However, God, in His mercy has given us an answer. He sent His son, Jesus, to experience an unjustifiable death on our behalf in order to pay the price demanded for our sins.
Sin always separates, it is the spoils of our sin. It is ironic that God used the death of His son to reunite us with Himself while at the same time giving us the significance and security we lack without Him.
Without God we have no absolutes, no standards of conduct, no line in the sand. Without God all is random, good and bad replace right and wrong and man becomes the measure of all things.
Guns do not kill, sinful people do.
If we want to solve this problem we need to address it's cause and I am beginning to think we are no longer capable of doing so because we do not want to deal with God or the absolutes He declares.
We will never be able to legislate righteousness so our government is not capable of solving this problem. If we are to solve the real problems we need to work on it ourselves, one life and family at a time.
It starts with me knowing I am incapable and needy, as a orphan child without hope. My hope is not in myself but in the one who will show me mercy and has the capability to care for what is broken. God has offered all mankind this opportunity.
After I am adopted, due to God's mercy, I get to live in the way I was created to live. I can now find true significance and security and live in a way that was meant to be. In fact, I get to experience more than I ever imagined and will never receive the punishment I so deserve.
The parents of this shooting victim and the victim himself have experienced this mercy and are now living in the grace of God, as children of His. They know that they have been forgiven much and therefore are willing to forgive much. They are making our society a better place to live because of their relationship with God.
The answer is not found in religion, or government but in a repaired relationship with God that is offered to us through His Son.
It is the starting point that all must start from or forever live in hopelessness.
The following are verses from Scripture that speak of our sin, God's mercy and the hope of those who have accepted God's forgiveness. I leave you with them without comment in that my comments are not needed to clarify God's Word.
“ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
(John 3:16-17 ESVST)
“ None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
“ Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
“ Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
“ Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.
(Romans 3:10-18 ESVST)
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
(Romans 3:23 ESVST)
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 6:23 ESVST)
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
(Romans 5:8 ESVST)
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
(Romans 10:9 ESVST)
For “ everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
(Romans 10:13 ESVST)
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
(Romans 5:1 ESVST)
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
(Romans 8:1 ESVST)
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 8:38-39 ESVST)
The police in this small city did a fantastic job as they acted quickly and decisively. We are thankful for such people who protect us day in and day out.
The shooter died in this incident and their family is grieving as this was a surprise to them as well as to the entire community.
The family of the victim released this official statement.
"(The student) is doing well. He has come through a long surgery and will recover with time and effort, but we have always believed that God is good and has a plan even in the midst of tragedy.
We are so thankful for his girlfriend and two friends on the scene who acted so bravely and calm. We would also like to thank the police officers who responded so quickly, the medical staff, doctors, and the surgeons that have already gone above and beyond to help our son, and all the law enforcement from many counties who have dedicated themselves to investigating this shooting. We would like to especially thank the officers who saved the lives of our son, his girlfriend, their two friends, and the countless amount of students, staff, and others in and around the school. Lastly, we cannot express enough thanks for our family, friends, fellow employees, church, employers, school administration, and those in the community who continue to shown and communicate their kindness and love to our son and family.
Please continue to pray for (the student), his girlfriend, two friends, fellow classmates, and everyone else involved as they recover from this traumatic night. Please also pray for the family of Jakob Wagner. As much as we are struggling through this event, we cannot imagine the grief they are experiencing at this time. We want everyone to know that we believe and trust in the eternal God. We are so thankful for the hope that we have in Him. That all can be forgiven of their sins and have eternal life when they believe in Jesus Christ as Savior."
I appreciate this family, their honesty and their relationship and trust in God. This is not an act but the result of a real relationship with God. There is no hope for a solution to our nations' issues without our people turning to God.
During these tragic times we hear of people praying yet we cannot help but wonder who they are praying too since God has been removed from the public square.
The epidemic that plagues our nation is one of unbridled sin that has become normative and without the absolute authority of God and His Word we have no way to make right what is obviously wrong.
Young people today are too often abandon and allowed to be immersed in hours and hours of violent video games, television as well as porn, greed and continual gossip on the internet. There is an effect to such things and it is an effect we will not like and cannot stop.
I do not know if this shooter had these influences but my experience in life would guess that he did. These things in and of themselves are not the problem. Our sin is the problem and our sin has separated us from God. These other things just fuel the problem.
However, God, in His mercy has given us an answer. He sent His son, Jesus, to experience an unjustifiable death on our behalf in order to pay the price demanded for our sins.
Sin always separates, it is the spoils of our sin. It is ironic that God used the death of His son to reunite us with Himself while at the same time giving us the significance and security we lack without Him.
Without God we have no absolutes, no standards of conduct, no line in the sand. Without God all is random, good and bad replace right and wrong and man becomes the measure of all things.
Guns do not kill, sinful people do.
If we want to solve this problem we need to address it's cause and I am beginning to think we are no longer capable of doing so because we do not want to deal with God or the absolutes He declares.
We will never be able to legislate righteousness so our government is not capable of solving this problem. If we are to solve the real problems we need to work on it ourselves, one life and family at a time.
It starts with me knowing I am incapable and needy, as a orphan child without hope. My hope is not in myself but in the one who will show me mercy and has the capability to care for what is broken. God has offered all mankind this opportunity.
After I am adopted, due to God's mercy, I get to live in the way I was created to live. I can now find true significance and security and live in a way that was meant to be. In fact, I get to experience more than I ever imagined and will never receive the punishment I so deserve.
The parents of this shooting victim and the victim himself have experienced this mercy and are now living in the grace of God, as children of His. They know that they have been forgiven much and therefore are willing to forgive much. They are making our society a better place to live because of their relationship with God.
The answer is not found in religion, or government but in a repaired relationship with God that is offered to us through His Son.
It is the starting point that all must start from or forever live in hopelessness.
The following are verses from Scripture that speak of our sin, God's mercy and the hope of those who have accepted God's forgiveness. I leave you with them without comment in that my comments are not needed to clarify God's Word.
“ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
(John 3:16-17 ESVST)
“ None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
“ Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
“ Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
“ Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.
(Romans 3:10-18 ESVST)
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
(Romans 3:23 ESVST)
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 6:23 ESVST)
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
(Romans 5:8 ESVST)
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
(Romans 10:9 ESVST)
For “ everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
(Romans 10:13 ESVST)
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
(Romans 5:1 ESVST)
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
(Romans 8:1 ESVST)
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 8:38-39 ESVST)
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