Irony: Part 1

I spent a week in Washington DC with my family after Christmas. We got to see some of the monuments, museums, and government agency buildings. On our way back to our hotel one evening, we walked past the Environmental Protection Agency building. In front of the building was a trash can brimming with trash. I don't know why the sight struck me as funny, but I thought it was a little ironic. I laughed a little about it for the next block until I got to the next building and saw an equally ironic but far less comedic sight. I had just gotten through making a statement to my mom about how cold I was and how glad I was that I had brought my coat when I saw the sign for the Internal Revenue Service. My gaze immediately shifted to the bench in front of the sign which held a sleeping homeless man. My words burned into my mind as I walked past. I was on my way back to a warm hotel room with a warm comfortable bed and I wondered what it would be like to be cold without any place to go or what it would be like to wonder where I'd get my next meal.

Read through the following quote from Isaiah 58:1-8. It's a little long but I think makes my point better than I could say.

1 "Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the house of Jacob their sins.

2 For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.

3 'Why have we fasted,' they say,
'and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?'
"Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.

4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.

5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD ?

6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness [a] will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

Unfortunately we live in a world filled with the poor, the oppressed, and the hungry. Sin has infected our world and brought about all of these things and more. As I wandered the streets of Washington DC, I saw people and buildings that represent immense wealth and power. But there even in the midst of the city symbolic of wealth and power are the hungry, the poor, the naked. Will we "…turn away from [our] own flesh and blood?"

The Heart of Giving

As some of you know, I've been teaming up with various people to raise money to purchase a guitar for a worship leader in my home town. If you have not yet heard the full story, let me know and I'll fill you in. Otherwise, read below for the letter I received today. I sincerely hope all of you are inspired to open your hearts to the many needs around the world and the gospel commission that God has entrusted each of us with. Thankyou.



Dear Jeff, Michael, and All Who Gave,

After beginning, then deleting this letter about three or four different times, it is clear that words will never capture my heart of gratitude to God and to all who gave. Although difficult, I will convey my heart to you if I have to hire a billboard in the middle of campus at Southern! I'm truly overwhelmed at the faithfulness and provision of God. I'm in awe, nearly a mess, over the fact that my friends, along with many people I don't even know, would selflessly give at the direction of the Lord. From the bottom of my heart, a wish to convey the deepest sincerity of the phrase "thank you." With tears, I was speechless for quite sometime when Jeff, Michael, and their parents presented me with a brand new Taylor Acoustic Guitar. A 214ce with a hard shell case, to be exact. It is beautiful and plays better than my old Taylor that I sold several weeks ago. I've been playing it a lot, trying to keep my composure while play this beautiful guitar. It sounds wonderful when played through our PA system at church as well. My heart continues to melt at the thought of all of the generosity and compassion that everyone showed me by giving this awesome gift.

I'm sure you know the story concerning the fundraising for the mission trip to Armenia. In essence, you gave to this mission trip as well. Pastors and leaders from Armenia, Turkey, Iran, and others were trained to take the gospel into countries that persecute Christians. This money provided them with conference materials, lodging, and food during the training. This is huge as God is mandating an advance into these radical countries such as Turkey and Iran. The reports that we keep hearing from the training are amazing. I'm sending a DVD of the trip of the mission trip for you to look at. In one instance, there is an Iranian women who is reading her brand new paperback Bible for the first time. She is overwhelmed and brought to tears, stating "It's like looking at my child." She continues to cry, attempting to read the passage from Revelation. They cherish the word so much. Notice the excitement on the faces of the Iranians when the delivery truck arrives with the Bibles. It's very moving to say the least.

The scripture is clear that you cannot out give the Lord. Malachi 3:10 and Luke 6:38 are evident to the faithfulness of our Father. I pray an abundant blessing from God for each one of You. Expect the Lord to move on your behalf. One thing is clear. Take God at his word and wait for your miracle. But in the mean time, a most elaborate "thank you" to our God and to you for being a part of my miracle. I cherish this gift as it will be a constant reminder of the provision of God and your generosity each time that I bring praise to the Lord with it. May you have an awesome Holiday season and be blessed. Always know that your gift will never be forgot. I love you all.

Your Friend,
Ray Hagen
Manchester, KY

Showdown

There’s a story of a liberal Christian and a conservative Christian. They both felt their point of view was the best and that the other was missing the important issues. Nothing either said could change the other’s mind. One day they both died. The liberal went to heaven and said, “finally, the truth will be shown that I was right.” He settled into his mansion and then decided to check out the neighbors. He knocked on the door only to be totally shocked at who answered. It was the conservative. What’s he doing here and how could we be neighbors? They both went to God to see what was wrong and God said, “You’re both here because you accepted my grace and chose to live a life of love according to the knowledge that was given to you. Go in peace my children and enter in to the eternity that I have planned for you.”

There’s another story of a liberal Christian and a conservative Christian. They both felt their point of view was the best and that the other was missing the important issues. Nothing either said could change the other’s mind. One day they both died. The conservative went to hell and said, “where did I go wrong?” He wandered around and was surprised to see the liberal. I couldn’t have ended up the same place he did. They appealed to God and God said, “You’re both there because you failed to accept my grace and live a life of love according to the knowledge that was given to you.” With tears in his eyes he continued, “Enter in to the fires of eternal destruction.”

Hopefully the point of this parable is apparent beyond a discussion of heaven and hell. I have one more story. There are several ministry organizations on my college campus that for the longest time I have avoided because of things people in these groups have said about me and what I believe. I never knew what they did and I didn’t want to take the time to find out. Yesterday, a friend of mine invited me to go with one of these groups and so I said yes. They went to an apartment for the mentally and physically handicapped and put on a basic church service with lots of music and fellowship. The smiles on the faces of the residents said it all - This group was doing something awesome for the kingdom of God.

I discovered something that day. If you’re a liberal, I have some startling news. Sometimes conservatives are right and some of them are going to heaven, maybe even next door. If you’re a conservative, I have some startling news. Sometimes liberals are right and some of them are going to heaven, maybe even next door. People are always going to disagree but maybe I need to see if the disagreement is worth it. Sometimes it will be, but maybe sometimes God has a plan to break down some walls and do something amazing with ALL of us.

Last week

Because several people have asked, I'm posting about what happened to me last week.

It was Thursday morning at nursing clinicals. I had been sick for a couple of days so I wasn't feeling that great, but I was functioning. As the morning went on, a pain in my left shoulder began to develop and by noon became very noticeable. As I was breathing the pain was getting worse and I began to feel rubbing sensations in my left chest. I soon realized that I had had these symptoms before

A summer or two ago, I was sitting on a beach early in the morning and stood up only to have a very sharp pain in my left shoulder. I tried to walk back to my hotel room but quickly found myself very short of breath. It turned out that my left lung had randomly partially collapsed, medically what is called a spontaneous pneumothorax. I ended up spending a week and a half in the hospital with chest tubes and eventually had to have surgery to correct the problem.

I was hoping that this time the same thing wasn't happening, but I couldn't ignore it. On the way to my university's clinic, I felt more rubbing/bubbling sensations and a sharp increase in pain so that when I finally made it to the clinic, I couldn't take even a partial breath of air without it feeling like a knife was being placed in my shoulder. The clinic assessed me and then sent me off to get a chest x-ray which meant I had to drive to another clinic in Chattanooga. On my way there, something happened. I had an odd bubbling sensation and simultaneously all my pain and shortness of breath left. It took about five seconds to go from a knife stabbing to a state as if nothing had ever happened. When I finally got my chest xray, there was no evidence of anything. What happened on the way to the doctor's office I do not know but two weeks later, none of the symptoms have returned. Unless there's something I don't understand, a pneumothorax doesn't resolve that fast with no evidence.

Random Thoughts: Still God

My last two entries have been about the awesome wonder that comes about when God steps in and does something extraordinary. I believe God uses these moments to rejuvenate our faith, to make a statement of the Godness of God, to let us know He's still near. But what happens in the inbetween? The times when the extraodinary is not happening? After these last couple of experiences you'd think I'd be set for awhile as far as my willingness to trust God. We shall see...

This morning, I woke up feeling sick and my first thought was "God why is this happening to me." I hadn't gotten much sleep during the night and I had to go take my first major exam of the semester. I managed to get out of bed and start my day. My test was first thing in the morning but when I went to take it, I couldn't concentrate and my mind felt foggy. So I complete the test to see my grade (everything's computerized) which was the lowest grade I've ever made on a nursing exam. Again I ask God, "Why is this happening?"

I went back to my room and basically wasted away the rest of the morning wallowing in self-pity when all of the sudden, a thought hit me. What am I doing? I had this picture in my head of God standing over in the corner with a smirk on his face saying sarcastically, "Are you done yet?" Yes I was done.

I was reminded once again, that God is God all the time. He's still God when I bomb a test. He's still God when my health fails. He's still God when I act stupid. It is not the content of my day that determines my relationship with God but my daily willingness to trust regardless of what happens. Got a down day? He's still God.

Random Thoughts - Prayer

God works in awesome ways. I fully believe we are in a time of spiritual renewal and I want nothing more than for the power of God to be seen in the lives of people so that God may be glorified as He alone deserves. The following is an excerpt from an email I sent to a couple of friends. These words alone cannot adequately describe everything but hopefully God will move in your hearts as you read.

"There have been some really cool things going on here with prayer lately. Every Friday and Saturday, we have a variety of worship services and music events and each week, they have been progressively getting more and more intense as far as meeting with God. Along with that, Satan has been working harder and harder on everyone involved because we have been letting God use us more. My story about last week can be found on my blog page called "God in a music stand". This week was again surrounded in prayer.

I was asked in the middle of the week to play music for our main Friday night vespers service which most of the students here attend. So Michael and I decided to do an acoustic service with just the two of us playing and a couple of singers. Prayer was very present in our practice time. Michael and I were sitting in our room getting ready to practice and I said "Let's..." and Michael quickly finished "...pray." On Thursday, I got an email from a friend asking me for prayer about a test that she had spent a lot of time studying for but still felt very unprepared. I realized that she was in the test at the time so I immediately took time to pray for her. Later that day, I saw her and said I prayed for her. She asked what time and I said about 10:40 AM. At that exact moment, the teacher came over to her and said "You look like you're having a hard time, can I help you?" So she sat down and helped her understand the questions. On Friday, we spent part of the afternoon practicing for the after vespers music program called Adoration. I could feel a lot of tension as we were practicing and I believe fully that it was Satan trying to get our attention off of God. Later that day, I randomly got a text message from a guy whom I respect as a man of God who said "i really want to pray for you tonight". Also, a little bit after that, my mom emailed me and said "I've felt really impressed to pray for you more than usual today." She said she was impressed to the point of pulling over on the side of road as she was driving and then a second time later that day as she was doing some house work. Then sound check came and historically, the program participants have not set aside a time of prayer before the service. But this time, our chaplain really emphasized how from now on he's wanting to get sound check and all of the preliminaries done so the participants can have an extended time of prayer before-hand. So we did just that and it was a really intense time with God as we prayed with and for each other and shared our thoughts on the core Bible verse of the evening. Soon after we finished praying, it was time to start the music. We started off with a modern version of the hymn, "The Solid Rock" and then moved on to "Blessed be Your Name". Both of those songs went really well but the last two were even better. We went on to "Enough", during which I substituted the bridge for a monologue about God being sufficient in different points throughout history, wrapping up with the current moment. Then we ran that song into another old song, "I have decided to follow Jesus." As soon as I started leading the first phrase, the one-thousand or so people in the room erupted with a volume I've only ever heard in auditoriums of 10 - 20 thousand. The intensity of the singing was overwhelming. The sermon went on from there and was a perfect followup. After, that service was over, Michael and I moved over to another auditorium where we were going to play for the "Adoration" service (it starts at about 9:15 PM). The seats quickly filled with probably 200 people or so. We cycled between times of fun and times of worship and then the time ended. Our song leader paused and everyone got up and started to leave because it was "officially" the end. But then, as people were stepping out, our song leader (whom I also admire as a great man of God) said quietly into the microphone "do you want to keep singing?" followed by a resounding roar of "yeah!" as people rushed back to their seats. From there, the worship took off in a way I can't describe. I can only say that it was God lead.

I look back up and see I've spent awhile writing but it is hard for me to keep silent. I hope that you are encouraged as I am to see God working in awesome ways. He is inspiring a passion in the hearts of people that moves beyond the levels of church and music and gets down to the core of our existence. All of this excitement that I have been describing is not just excitement but a movement of people for the glory of God. Lives are being changed daily because of the joy of God's people. Even today in my religion class, our teacher said that two students came to him one day last week and said they wanted to give their hearts to Jesus. Pretty cool!

How do we live our faith?

The other day, I found myself browsing through my myspace "friends" list and came across the profile called "The Adventists Space". Basically it's a discussion forum for Seventh-day Adventists (my denomination) so I decided to check out the blog page to see how it was going. I was scanning through the discussion all the way back to May 2007 when I suddenly became intrigued by the umber of responses to each topic (the full list is at the bottom of this post for those who are curious). Two most popular were "Ten Commandments – obsolete" and "Sunday, mark of the beast" with 34 and 30 responses respectively. I'm sure these discussion were very captivating and I have no problem with discussions on these topics. But I looked down the page a little and came to a post called "How do you live your faith?" (posted Jun 2, 2007). It is very succinct and asks two specific and relevant questions.

1. What are some things that you or your church community do to live out the life of the kingdom of heaven?"

2. What are some things that the Adventist Church could do to further extend our influence on behalf of the causes Jesus advocated?

As of today – over 3 months later – there are only 8 comments to this post. The two most popular posts were listed within just a few days of this one. Is it because we automatically assume that everyone already knows how to live their faith or because we don't feel it is that important or because it's too hard.

I find it so easy to talk about what I believe – theology – points of doctrine. It's safe. But to actually put into action the life of Christ, this is hard. Jesus was asked what the most important commandment. We all know the answer. Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. (Matthew 22:37-40)". We know in our heads but do we believe in our hearts. Jesus certainly spent time teaching doctrine but His "doctrine" mostly encompassed the practical application of holiness and love. God says to Israel in Hosea 6:

"What can I do with you, Ephraim?
     What can I do with you, Judah?
     Your love is like the morning mist,
     like the early dew that disappears.
Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets,
     I killed you with the words of my mouth;
     my judgments flashed like lightning upon you.
For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
     and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings."

And in Jeremiah 22

This is what the LORD says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of his oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the alien, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.

I could go on and on with Bible verses from all corners of the Bible showing God's desire for love in action. Jesus spent his entire ministry spending time with the despised, and showing mercy to the unloved.

Yes it is hard. Living our faith requires us to go to uncomfortable places, give of our time, and do the unpopular. So my challenge is this: pray – I mean really sit down with God and pray and see what he has for you. Then, take action. Don't let fear hold you down because "if God is for us, who can be against us?"

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. (I John 4:16-21).


As promised, here is the complete list in chronological order. Intriguing isn't it?

• 20 posts - "What 27 Adventists are doing" – basically what it says. General discussion of people talking about what they're doing
  
• 15 posts - "How do we approach former Adventists"
  
• 18 posts - "When it's time to move on" – a question about a pastor at a church
  
• 9 posts - "The Bible – Roadmap or…?" – discussion about the purpose of the Bible
  
• 23 posts - "Which version do you use?"
  
• 18 posts - "What to do with MADventists"
  
• 34 posts - "Ten Commandments – obsolete?"
  
• 8 posts - "How do you live your faith?"
  
• 30 posts - "Sunday, mark of the beast right?"
  
• 20 posts - "To move in or not to move in…that's the question"
  

God in a music stand

It was one of those times when you feel like you're the hero of an action movie. You know, when he's being held captive and the world is only seconds away from being destroyed. Everything seems to be going bad; the crisis has come. This time though was without the drama of a daring escape, a massive gun battle, followed by the inevitable destruction of the evil hideout.

A group of us were setting up sound equipment for a late evening time of worship in my university's cafeteria only we didn't get near the time we wanted because we had to wait until supper was over. Time progressed very rapidly to about 30 minutes before start time and the band still hadn't gotten a chance to run through even one song. Each of us was running around frantically trying to complete the setup. I couldn't get the monitors to work, there mix was sounding horrible, the lead singer couldn't find any music stands, the drummer couldn't find drum sticks, and the program we were to immediately follow was ending. Stress was very near boiling. The band finally managed to get a couple songs partially played right as people were starting to arrive, but roughness was apparent.

Right before everything started, I stepped around the corner and leaned my head against the wall to pray. I didn't know what to say, I just had this feeling of intensity that I hoped would project to heaven. The lead singer, Eduardo, whom I greatly admire as a prayer warrior and passionate worshipper, had followed me around the corner and placed his hand on me. So the two of us stood there silently in the corner taking a moment with God. We stepped out of prayer feeling slightly better.

The issues still remained. Eduardo commented to me that he was feeling more stressed out than usual before playing and singing and that he really wished he had a couple music stands to feel more comfortable with the lyrics. I commented back somewhat in jest that we should pray, and that maybe there were music stands around the corner. You know how we get with God sometimes, especially when stressed. So Eduardo and I look at each other and walk around the corner to face an open closet with two music stands. My eyes barely stayed in my head. If that wasn't even enough, we walked back into the cafeteria to see the drummer proudly holding a set of drum sticks that someone had brought just minutes before.

Part way through the set list, the band played an awesome arrangement of the old hymn "The Solid Rock"

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus' Name.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

I was completely drawn in to the words as I thought about the whole evening. All the songs were played that night, all the equipment worked correctly and the mix didn't sound that bad. Though it began as the most stressful nights of music I had ever had, it ended as a incredible reminder that God is our Rock and that we only need to trust in Him.

Back to the movie. Somehow, when all is grim, the hero does something extraordinary and saves the day. This is who God is. Though the journey may be tough and the outcome totally unexpected, God has a way of taking those things and molding them into something beautiful.

"The God of all grace who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong firm and steadfast." I Peter 5:10

All Consuming God

It's Sunday morning when I walk up to a store front church next to Diary Queen. As I step through the door with guitar in hand, gentle praise music from a CD player fills the white cinder block room. A wooden stage runs the length of one side of the room with a full band complement of drums and guitars. I move to set my instrument down in the corner and notice a young woman in front of the left side of the stage, hands folded and head reverently bowed. She seems to be intensely focused on something. My eyes shift to a man in front of the center portion of the stage with hands and eyes raised to the ceiling, stepping side to side, singing along with the song in the background and then shouting Worthy! You are worthy! Yes Lord! Finally another woman near the right side of the stage, knees and face to the ground. I find myself barely able to move or breathe as if afraid to disturb something so fragile yet so beautiful. The Spirit of God is in this place. I have not walked in on the middle of church, but band practice an hour and a half before church.

As I stand to the side of the room, not really knowing what to do, thoughts begin flooding my head. These people are here to worship. How easy it can become to make casual our daily and weekly routines work-school-church-friends-eat-sleep. How easy it is to make God into a child's favorite toy. Fun and amusing at times but then set aside when not convenient. But not here, not now. I know these people. It's the youth pastor and worship pastors. They live and breathe worship 24|7 - not just for convenience's sake. God comes first in their lives whether it means going somewhere they don't want to go, giving up something they desire for themselves, or showing up to church an hour and a half early to seek God for themselves so that they can lead others in genuine worship.

Within a few minutes, the song ends and the band members take their place for sound check. Today's worship service is going to be an awesome encounter with God.

What is our response to God? Does God fit our schedule or does our schedule fit God? God is not a stack of beliefs we pick up whenever we have time but a living and dynamic being who desires intimacy with each of us. God desires to commune with us in a special way. He is only waiting.

Random Thoughts: Relationship

The sun crept slowly through the slits in the window blind and the air conditioning unit murmured softly as I slept. All was at peace...that is until dream land was interrupted abruptly by "beep! beep! beep! beep!". Again? Already? As I laid there and contemplated how many more minutes I could squeeze before class, the thought occurred to me that I really needed to eat breakfast. Just a few more minutes. But as I argued with my own sense of reason, time was passing by, so I decided to get up to face the day. By the time I was actually ready to walk out the door, I had about 30 minutes until class. I usually try to take at least that much time to spend with God each morning - talking to Him, reading the Bible. This morning though, food was firmly implanted on my mind. God would really want me to eat breakfast wouldn't He? I mean, if I don't have any food, I won't be able to focus quite as well on God. My reason droned on as I walked towards my university's cafeteria. I climbed the stairs, and turned the corner only to see the cafeteria door close just ten feet in front of me. I quickly walked around to all the other entrances only to find them also closed. I had missed breakfast by mere minutes. I began to feel angry that such an injustice could occur but stopped short with the feeling of someone who has been had been a well planned practical joke. Ok God, I get the point. So I sat down, opened my Bible and began to read. It should be no surprise what was up for me to read in my journey through Mark.

"Let me say it one more time: Placing anything above the kingdom of God will have its consequences as surely as worms attack a dead body or a forest fire burns trees. Every person's loyalty will be tested, and every sacrifice made to maintain your love for me will be a PRESERVING AGENT FOR YOUR SOUL, just as salt preserves food. Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, what good is it? Every sacrifice offered on the altar is salted with salt as a symbol of the covenant. So don't lose the relationship with God hat you have. If you do, your discipleship is worthless. Now be at peace with each other." Mark 9:48-50

Heaven

I had a dream a few nights back about heaven. I don't remember a whole lot about it - at least not streets of gold, or gates of pearl. What I do remember is how I felt being there. Joy is the only way I know to describe it. It wasn't just being happy, but also satisfying like getting a drink of water after a hard day's work, or finally getting a fire started on a very cold night. My thought was that if my mind can get such an amazing glimpse like that during sleep, then how much greater when it really happens - the time about which God said "no eye has seen, no ear has heard what God has in store." I'm also reminded of Revelation 22 and Philippians 3:12-14 (I leave those for you to look up). It'll be worth it, both here and there. How I want to be there, and how I want everyone to come with me. Come Lord Jesus, come.

New Name

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it."

Revelation 2:17

This last week, I was listening to a preacher talk about how it is a good idea to learn about the culture from the Bible because things that happened in the Bible would then make more sense. I then recalled a couple of things I had learned before about Biblical culture. In Revelation, God says that to those who overcome, he will give a white stone. In that day, stones were used to make known decisions. For example, if I was accused of a crime and went to court, a black stone would mean guilty, and a white stone would mean I had been acquitted. So by God saying He will give us a white stone, he's saying that He will declare us innocent.


The other part of God's statement here is a new name written on the stone. In today's American culture, names aren't as significant as they were in the Bible and in other cultures around the world. If I don't like my name, I just go to court and change it. When Jesus was on earth, names had special meanings that might have to do with some event that happened when you were born, or something going on in your family when you were born. Names also had additional meaning. Each person carried their family name. I carry the name Meyers, but that doesn't tell you a whole lot about who I am. When you read through the Bible, you'll see that lineage is very important. Jesus was not just Jesus, but Jesus, son of Joseph and this carried a lot of responsibility. A persons actions not only affected himself but the also the reputation of the family. If your Grandparents had a poor reputation, you would carry that wherever you went. So by God saying He's going to give us a new name, He's not just saying a change from Jeff to John, but a change in reputation. God will transform us so that we are no longer known by our sins and failures but by the name of Jesus who is holy and righteous.

"For Zion's sake I will not keep silent,
for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet,
till her righteousness shines out like the dawn,
her salvation like a blazing torch.
The nations will see your righteousness,
and all kings your glory;
you will be called by a new name
that the mouth of the LORD will bestow."

Isaiah 62:1-2

Random Thoughts - Part II

God. So who is God...or what is God? Is God literal or imagined; abstract or concrete; human-like or alien? Does God exist as a person I can talk to or does God exist as a state of being. Can I meet God? Can I be God? Does God have a personality and emotions? If God is a literal being, how does God relate to me - does God love me, hate me, forgive me, punish me, pay attention to me, or ignore me. Does it really even matter? Lots of questions and for many, no obvious answer. I am a Christian, so I see and hear all the time what other Christians are doing and saying. Some live very detached from God, as if God maybe exists but isn't really involved in what is going on in this world. others I see live as if God is a pretext to advance personal agenda, whether it be in family, school, politics, or workplace. As a Christian speaking, it seems that us Christians have totally missed the point of who God intended to be in this world. The Bible says He came to earth to set the captives free, loose the chains of the bound, and spread light on dark places. He left earth after spending a lifetime preaching and LIVING complete SELFLESS LOVE and yet our lives, my life demonstrates something very different. I leave no conclusion, only questions that I hope will rise within your heart to seek and find the God who came in selfless love to demonstrate to the universe His plan for overcoming the powers of darkness and spreading light to EVERYONE regardless of race, religion, or creed.

Random Thoughts - You and Me

I've been reading this book in the last couple of weeks called "Blue Like Jazz" by Donald Miller. I highly recommend every Christian read it. While reading through this book as well as certain passages in the Bible, I have been greatly impressed by two things. First, I am hopelessly selfish in my thoughts, words, and actions. I find that no matter how hard I try I cannot escape the desire for self-attention, self-satisfaction, and self-gratification. I could begin listing numerous examples but only to the effect of boring my readers. I have a problem that entwines my heart, working coercively to undermine every principle that Jesus fought to preserve and sometimes I even trick myself into the illusion that I've got it licked, only to remain a constant undercurrent in my daily struggle.

If I were to stop here, this would be a rather depressing blog entry, leaving a reader to wonder what in the world is going through this brain. But it doesn't end there...the second thing I have been impressed by...

God is hopelessly in love with me. Not only that, but in His everlasting mercy and compassion, He has provided the solution to my problem...my selfish thoughts, words, and deeds. He wants to put His likeness within me so that I may live a holy life for Him, a life of overflowing love to those around me. What I need to understand is that I was born with my problem and it permeates every portion of my being so it's not going to easily give way to selflessness. It's like when I get Christmas lights out every year. Somehow through spring, summer, and fall they manage to become a tangled mass that takes time to sort out. My selfishness is an even greater tangled mess that is going to take some time to untangle. God can do it, even though I cannot. So when I display my selfishness, instead of getting discouraged and choosing to continue in my selfishness because there's no way I can conquer it, I can have confidence in God that if I'm patient and if I'm willing, self will give way to love.