Hey everyone!
I am taking History of Philosophy: Modern Philosophy this semester, and at first, I was like, "UGH! I'm not a philosopher; I'm not even a philosophy major! (Even though technically a Philosophy and Religions major, I just call myself a Religions major)." I could go on and on as to why I don't like philosophy and why I believe philosophy and religions should be two separate majors, but I won't. Basically, what it all boils down to is, in my opinion, studying religions is so much more practical and applicable to life than philosophy.
I developed this opinion mostly because of the endless debates I heard in philosophy, arguing over the definition of the word "perfection" or "infinite". For example, the other day in class we were debating about whether we can even grasp the infinite because we are human, and whether or not one infinity was greater than another infinity (I know, mind-boggling, right?). All I know is that pointless arguing leads to nowhere, and while I do love a good debate, these debates day after day after day just get ridiculous. I see nothing applicable in debating so much.
However, there was something in class the other day that made me really stop and pause. We were going over Rene Descartes' Meditations and discussing the existence of God. Descartes gave three "proofs" of the existence of God. While I won't bore you with them (unless you really want to hear them), one girl said something in class that I thought was rather profound:
"I don't know about all of you, but I think that the greatest fault of an omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient, perfect, benevolent God, would be--if he were so perfect in all his ways--to introduce his creation to something less than perfect. Doesn't that seem cruel to anyone else? Is he really that benevolent if he is just going to expose his creation to such turmoil? Does that make him perfect?"
I totally disagreed with her, and I wanted to say something about it, but six other hands shot up, and I thought, "Shoot... I'm never gonna get called now." So I leaned back and thought about what she said some more. How do you answer a question like that? How can you show someone the love of God when they can't get past the fact that God allowed sin into the world? Many questions went through my mind along those same lines.
This train of thought led me to another area: why philosophy is important (to an extent). Sitting down and thinking about questions like this really challenges our faith and makes us stronger Christians. How many times do we actually sit down and think about what we believe and why? How often do we "wrestle with our thoughts"? (Ps. 13)
Most of the time we just take for granted what our parents tell us, what the pastor preaches, or even what our friends tell us. How often do we sit down with the Bible and really dig into it? I mean, really get in there and see what God is saying about the tough issues. Are we comfortable Christians who sit on the couch and vege, absorbing information like a sponge and not processing it? Do we then sit on the couch and tell other to "do this!" and "do that!", pointing fingers and never once wondering why?
It's my personal opinion (and MANY people challenge me on this) that doubt is a necessary part of faith. First off let me define what I mean by doubt, so we don't get confused. There are two "doubts". One is when you wonder what is going on, but still go on with whatever the person is saying because you trust them. In this doubt, you think, "Well, I don't know if this can actually happen, but I'm going to take a leap of faith and do it anyway." The second doubt is the one the Pharisees had. In this doubt, you don't believe what the person is saying. Your thought is, "I don't believe it. Prove it to me." That form of doubt is not healthy, and Jesus condemned this doubt.When I say "doubt" from here on out, I am using the first one, not the second one.
If you don't doubt anything, than is it really faith? Let's look at faith: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." (Heb. 11:1) So faith is knowing what we hope for will happen and being totally certain in what we can't physically see. But is that blind faith? By blind faith I mean faith without thought to what is going on, just doing it because someone said so. I think true faith requires immense thought. If you can't see something, then how can you know that it is there? You HAVE to think about it. You have to process it and work through it and struggle with some tough questions. Don't get me wrong, I know blind faith is essential in some parts of faith, but that is not our entire, holistic faith.
I know some people can just automatically know God, know He is there, know He has taken care of them, know He will take care of them, etc. They have been in church their whole life and take everything the Bible says just as it says it. Thats great! I'm so happy for them!
But that's not the majority of us. Many of us had seasons of doubt. In fact, MANY Biblical figures had doubt, but they turned out to be some of the greatest champions of faith! Lets look at some guys mentioned in Hebrews 11, the Faith Hall of Fame (we won't do all of them, that's a lot):
- Abraham and Sarah - wasn't sure God's timing was right, so he had a baby with Hagar (oops), but God was faithful and made him the father of many nations with Isaac
- Moses - oh boy... where do begin? Should we start at the Burning Bush or striking the rock in the desert? You get the point.
Ok, so these two HUGE patriarchs are in the Hall of Fame, yet had extreme seasons of doubt. Look at Peter, denying Christ, yet still became the leader of the early church! I'm just saying, many Biblical figures did amazing, powerful things because God worked through them even though they doubted.
I believe doubt to be an essential part of faith. I personally don't think blind faith is true faith. Many disagree with me on this, and that's ok. I have just seen so many people with faith as small as a mustard see move mountains! Why would God say "faith as small as a mustard seed" if we weren't supposed to wonder what He is doing sometimes? Wouldn't He use another analogy?
God asks us to follow Him, to totally trust in Him no matter what, even in our season's of doubt. But he never says "don't doubt me!" He does condemn the second form of doubt (as I mentioned above) (Matt 14:31; 21:21; Mark 11:31; Luke 24:38). But can we question what He is doing? Just look throughout the Bible at all the "doubters" and see how God used them in mighty ways. Even Job was allowed to question God. God returned the favor and questioned him, but God never condemned him for questioning. In fact, God blessed him ten times as much because of his faith through his doubt.
The point is, are you taking your faith for grated? Are you just sitting on the couch and sponging, or are you really processing what you have been told all these years? Also, are you trusting Him through the doubt? Or are you sitting there with your arms crossed saying, "God, I don't think you can do it"? What needs to change?
Following His Call,
Adam
(Hebrews 11:1)
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Missionary
Hey everyone!
For some reason, I have been hearing a lot about foreign missionaries lately. When I went to the leadership overnight, they kept talking about Summer Project and some of the missionaries in Far East. Before that, we listened to a speaker talk about the his mission work in Japan (which was really interesting I might add; sadly, I can't remember his name). Many of my friends are tweeting about their mission trips they are either on or went on over break. My Facebook homepage seemed flooded with mission work my friends are doing or about to do. Even the adds on the side of my Facebook page are advertising mission groups! LOL! Random conversations over the past few weeks have popped up about foreign missions: my friends reminiscing about their past mission trips, my friends telling me about the mission trips they are going on this summer, etc.
My world seems flooded for foreign missions! Yet strangely, through all of that, I didn't feel one ounce of conviction to help. Hear me out before you send me hate mail, close this page, and storm off. I didn't feel the need to give them money, I didn't feel the urge to go to some foreign country and help, and I didn't feel conviction that I had missed out on mission work. It wasn't like the Holy Spirit wasn't speaking to me, because trust me, He was!
What I did feel convicted of was two things: to pray earnestly for those overseas and helping in foriegn missions (which I neglected to do before as much), and to be a better missionary here in America.
We are all called to be missionaries: some of us overseas to foreign lands, but most of us to our own neighbors around us. I know we hear that in church all the time, but do we really apply it? I mean, its easy to go overseas to a radically different climate and culture and minister there effectively. We put our whole effort into it, leave stuff behind in our homes that we won't need, and really try to meet the needs of the people we are serving during the days/weeks/months we are over there. Then we get back home and relax. We chill out, we go back to our normal way of living. We remember those fond memories of "how God moved in ______" but we forget that God wants to move here, in America, too.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing foreign missions! They are amazing and teach us more than we can learn here in America. But what I am trying to say is: why don't we put as much effort in our immediate surroundings here in the states that we put overseas?
This is what God has been convicting me of the past few weeks as I have been hearing these stories of missions: to be a missionary here in America. This conviction hasn't just been all the sudden in my life either: it has been a calling that began years before.
It started when I was in 8th grade and heard one of my friends who was a senior in high school tell about her mission trip to Russia that past summer. She said that she worked in an orphanage over there and was appalled at the living conditions these poor children had to live in. It really changed her life to see what those people went through. But ironically enough, she told me what was most convicting was not the trip, but what the leader of the Russian orphanage told her before she got on the plane to go home: "I vant to zank you for comming to help us; I really do! But consider zis: before you come back to help us again, fix ze problems in your own country. Zen you vurry about our problems." She told me she was blown away by that. Not at his boldness in his statement, because she had gotten used to the boldness of the Russians, but that he opened her eyes to something she had never thought about before: that we have a whole bunch of dying and hurting people in our own country that are in need of just as much help as these orphans in Russia. When she told me all of that, I was stunned. It set me on the path I am currently headed down.
Later on, I attended a Christian conference in high school that dealt with missions. I got uber pumped up about going on a mission trip that summer! I was gonna go to the Far East and minister to the people there! One problem: money. So I went to the associate pastor of my church with full intentions to ask him about a potential scholarship to go to the Far East. Instead, I asked him what he thought about me going. We started talking, and I don't remember much of what he said, but I do remember these words because they changed my life forever: "Adam, you can't be a good missionary overseas until you are a good missionary in your own backyard." Wow..... I never thought of it that way. If I didn't have a heart for people around me, how could I really have a heart for those overseas?
Disclaimer: I know MANY missionaries who have a calling to go overseas to a certain people group. So before anyone gets offended and takes my associate pastor's statement WAY out of context, realize that God calls people where He calls them. But we ALL should be missionaries wherever we are at, regardless of how we feel about it, even if we don't have a heart for the people group.
Talking about missions these past few weeks brought back all that information I was taught over the years. I discovered my calling. When I was first called to into the ministry, I didn't know what I was supposed to do. People all around me were saying that God called them to do _______, or work with _______ group, or go to _______ country. I didn't get any of that. I just was called. Now I understand.
I am an American Missionary. I am specifically called to minister to the hurt, dying, and lost people of the United States of America. That is why I didn't feel convicted to go overseas or give money (mostly because I don't have any). What money I do have I feel I should invest here, in my local group of people, imparting to them what I can, being there for them when I can, and serving them when I can. I love America, but not in the sense of how most people do. I love the people here. I really want to impact the Kingdom of God right here in America.
This is my conviction. Even though you may not be called specifically to minister to a certain people group, just remember, you are a missionary right where you are at. Can people see that in you?
Following His Call,
Adam
(2 Corn 3:6)
For some reason, I have been hearing a lot about foreign missionaries lately. When I went to the leadership overnight, they kept talking about Summer Project and some of the missionaries in Far East. Before that, we listened to a speaker talk about the his mission work in Japan (which was really interesting I might add; sadly, I can't remember his name). Many of my friends are tweeting about their mission trips they are either on or went on over break. My Facebook homepage seemed flooded with mission work my friends are doing or about to do. Even the adds on the side of my Facebook page are advertising mission groups! LOL! Random conversations over the past few weeks have popped up about foreign missions: my friends reminiscing about their past mission trips, my friends telling me about the mission trips they are going on this summer, etc.
My world seems flooded for foreign missions! Yet strangely, through all of that, I didn't feel one ounce of conviction to help. Hear me out before you send me hate mail, close this page, and storm off. I didn't feel the need to give them money, I didn't feel the urge to go to some foreign country and help, and I didn't feel conviction that I had missed out on mission work. It wasn't like the Holy Spirit wasn't speaking to me, because trust me, He was!
What I did feel convicted of was two things: to pray earnestly for those overseas and helping in foriegn missions (which I neglected to do before as much), and to be a better missionary here in America.
We are all called to be missionaries: some of us overseas to foreign lands, but most of us to our own neighbors around us. I know we hear that in church all the time, but do we really apply it? I mean, its easy to go overseas to a radically different climate and culture and minister there effectively. We put our whole effort into it, leave stuff behind in our homes that we won't need, and really try to meet the needs of the people we are serving during the days/weeks/months we are over there. Then we get back home and relax. We chill out, we go back to our normal way of living. We remember those fond memories of "how God moved in ______" but we forget that God wants to move here, in America, too.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing foreign missions! They are amazing and teach us more than we can learn here in America. But what I am trying to say is: why don't we put as much effort in our immediate surroundings here in the states that we put overseas?
This is what God has been convicting me of the past few weeks as I have been hearing these stories of missions: to be a missionary here in America. This conviction hasn't just been all the sudden in my life either: it has been a calling that began years before.
It started when I was in 8th grade and heard one of my friends who was a senior in high school tell about her mission trip to Russia that past summer. She said that she worked in an orphanage over there and was appalled at the living conditions these poor children had to live in. It really changed her life to see what those people went through. But ironically enough, she told me what was most convicting was not the trip, but what the leader of the Russian orphanage told her before she got on the plane to go home: "I vant to zank you for comming to help us; I really do! But consider zis: before you come back to help us again, fix ze problems in your own country. Zen you vurry about our problems." She told me she was blown away by that. Not at his boldness in his statement, because she had gotten used to the boldness of the Russians, but that he opened her eyes to something she had never thought about before: that we have a whole bunch of dying and hurting people in our own country that are in need of just as much help as these orphans in Russia. When she told me all of that, I was stunned. It set me on the path I am currently headed down.
Later on, I attended a Christian conference in high school that dealt with missions. I got uber pumped up about going on a mission trip that summer! I was gonna go to the Far East and minister to the people there! One problem: money. So I went to the associate pastor of my church with full intentions to ask him about a potential scholarship to go to the Far East. Instead, I asked him what he thought about me going. We started talking, and I don't remember much of what he said, but I do remember these words because they changed my life forever: "Adam, you can't be a good missionary overseas until you are a good missionary in your own backyard." Wow..... I never thought of it that way. If I didn't have a heart for people around me, how could I really have a heart for those overseas?
Disclaimer: I know MANY missionaries who have a calling to go overseas to a certain people group. So before anyone gets offended and takes my associate pastor's statement WAY out of context, realize that God calls people where He calls them. But we ALL should be missionaries wherever we are at, regardless of how we feel about it, even if we don't have a heart for the people group.
Talking about missions these past few weeks brought back all that information I was taught over the years. I discovered my calling. When I was first called to into the ministry, I didn't know what I was supposed to do. People all around me were saying that God called them to do _______, or work with _______ group, or go to _______ country. I didn't get any of that. I just was called. Now I understand.
I am an American Missionary. I am specifically called to minister to the hurt, dying, and lost people of the United States of America. That is why I didn't feel convicted to go overseas or give money (mostly because I don't have any). What money I do have I feel I should invest here, in my local group of people, imparting to them what I can, being there for them when I can, and serving them when I can. I love America, but not in the sense of how most people do. I love the people here. I really want to impact the Kingdom of God right here in America.
This is my conviction. Even though you may not be called specifically to minister to a certain people group, just remember, you are a missionary right where you are at. Can people see that in you?
Following His Call,
Adam
(2 Corn 3:6)
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Flashmob
Hey everyone!
Ok, I was reading my good friend, Jill's blog today (I finally got around to it Jill, I'm sorry for being so late!), and she had a really good post about flashmobs (Check it out at: http://thoughtsabovethecanopy.blogspot.com/2010/12/flash-mob-love.html?showComment=1295557409194#c1537074060679893807)
If you have never heard what a flashmob is, it is basically a group of people who get together and plan to do something crazy as a group in some public place. Sounds vague, right? LOL! Well, you just have to see a few of them because it has to be seen to be understood. Here is the one Jill posted on her blog (Yes, Jill, I did steal your video. I'm sorry.):
Isn't that awesome!? I have not been apart of a flashmob yet, but I want to be a part of one. I just think they are funny and awesome. Just go to http://www.youtube.com/ and check some out, they are everywhere! Improve Everywhere does a ton of them.
Ok, despite the awesomeness, God spoke to me through this video. I want you to notice something: these students are not afraid to get out there and act crazy and be stupid in front of a bunch of people they didn't know (or hardly knew). Are you seeing where I am going? It's so easy to get out there and act dumb in front of others we don't know, especially if it involves something of not much importance in the long run. I'm sure that would be a cool story to tell your grandkids one day ("Back in my day, we invaded a mall and danced the Mocarina in the middle of Barnes and Noble..."), but what impact did that really have on anyone? I'm sure walking out of that mall that day, everyone who watched would have a great story to tell to their families ("Dad! You would never guess what we saw in Barnes and Noble!"), but were their lives impacted?
What if we could get that excited about Christ? Why do so many people think that God is boring? Why do they think that the Bible is some dull rulebook? What message are we as Christians portraying Christianity as some tedious religion, when it is about an exciting relationship with Jesus? Are we telling people about that exciting relationship with us?
I know, after watching that video, I got convicted. I used to get so excited about talking about Jesus with others! In many ways, I still am excited; once a conversation starts, I dive in and light up. But sometimes I don't. I have many opportunities to tell people about the awesome friendship I have with Jesus, and sometimes I just dismiss it and don't mention it. I think, "Oh, they won't care," "I don't want to start something that could end up badly," "I just don't have the strength right now," "I don't feel I'm at a good point in my life right now with God, so I can't speak about him properly." What a load of crap! Why do I tell myself these things?
I have so much fun with my Christian friends! Being a Christian is a blast! I have laughed harder and louder with my Christian friends more than I have ever seen other people laugh. Why do I keep that to myself? That joy should be spread.
Think about the flashmob (I know, I'm finally bringing it around). Those people had no problem getting out there and risk their reputation to show people how to have fun. Why don't we do that as Christains? Why don't we get out there and tell people about the Love of our life that has changed us? Why don't we do more flashmobs? We need to get out there and show the world what God has shown us. You with me?
Following His Call,
Adam
(Luke 19:10)
Ok, I was reading my good friend, Jill's blog today (I finally got around to it Jill, I'm sorry for being so late!), and she had a really good post about flashmobs (Check it out at: http://thoughtsabovethecanopy.blogspot.com/2010/12/flash-mob-love.html?showComment=1295557409194#c1537074060679893807)
If you have never heard what a flashmob is, it is basically a group of people who get together and plan to do something crazy as a group in some public place. Sounds vague, right? LOL! Well, you just have to see a few of them because it has to be seen to be understood. Here is the one Jill posted on her blog (Yes, Jill, I did steal your video. I'm sorry.):
Isn't that awesome!? I have not been apart of a flashmob yet, but I want to be a part of one. I just think they are funny and awesome. Just go to http://www.youtube.com/ and check some out, they are everywhere! Improve Everywhere does a ton of them.
Ok, despite the awesomeness, God spoke to me through this video. I want you to notice something: these students are not afraid to get out there and act crazy and be stupid in front of a bunch of people they didn't know (or hardly knew). Are you seeing where I am going? It's so easy to get out there and act dumb in front of others we don't know, especially if it involves something of not much importance in the long run. I'm sure that would be a cool story to tell your grandkids one day ("Back in my day, we invaded a mall and danced the Mocarina in the middle of Barnes and Noble..."), but what impact did that really have on anyone? I'm sure walking out of that mall that day, everyone who watched would have a great story to tell to their families ("Dad! You would never guess what we saw in Barnes and Noble!"), but were their lives impacted?
What if we could get that excited about Christ? Why do so many people think that God is boring? Why do they think that the Bible is some dull rulebook? What message are we as Christians portraying Christianity as some tedious religion, when it is about an exciting relationship with Jesus? Are we telling people about that exciting relationship with us?
I know, after watching that video, I got convicted. I used to get so excited about talking about Jesus with others! In many ways, I still am excited; once a conversation starts, I dive in and light up. But sometimes I don't. I have many opportunities to tell people about the awesome friendship I have with Jesus, and sometimes I just dismiss it and don't mention it. I think, "Oh, they won't care," "I don't want to start something that could end up badly," "I just don't have the strength right now," "I don't feel I'm at a good point in my life right now with God, so I can't speak about him properly." What a load of crap! Why do I tell myself these things?
I have so much fun with my Christian friends! Being a Christian is a blast! I have laughed harder and louder with my Christian friends more than I have ever seen other people laugh. Why do I keep that to myself? That joy should be spread.
Think about the flashmob (I know, I'm finally bringing it around). Those people had no problem getting out there and risk their reputation to show people how to have fun. Why don't we do that as Christains? Why don't we get out there and tell people about the Love of our life that has changed us? Why don't we do more flashmobs? We need to get out there and show the world what God has shown us. You with me?
Following His Call,
Adam
(Luke 19:10)
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
"Sermon"
Hey everyone!
I have the privilege of preaching a sermon this Sunday at my church. I've been thinking all week about what to preach on and have been asking God for what He wants said, and I have a rough idea about what He is going to speak through me. But God always changes things up last minute with me anyway and gives me a totally new sermon the night before. (I wish He wouldn't do that so often! For a person like me who likes my schedules and everything planned out, He sure has a way of messing with me! LOL!)
Strangely enough, I also read another "sermon" this week that was written out in the book Looking Backwards by Edward Bellamy. If you are unfamiliar with the book, it was written in the late 1880s and is about a man who has insomnia. His insomnia was so bad, he slept in a secret, special chamber deep in the ground beneath his house to block out all sound. He relied on a hypnotist to put him to sleep each night. One night, he was put into a deep sleep and his house burned down, burring him alive under the rubble. He was safe, but he was left in a state of suspended animation for the next hundred years, where a construction worker found him while trying to dig the foundation for his building. After waking the man up, the man discovers he is in the year 2000 and has slept over a hundred years. In this, he is coping with the new 21st century and finding out how perfect the modern society is. Bellamy wrote his book at the time as if it were a Utopian future.
In chapter 26, the main character wakes up on a Sunday and his caretakers ask if he wants to go to church. Thinking the church of the future was part of some government-run universal church, he wanted to go to see what it was like. They explained to him it was quite the opposite; the church was very independent and was run mostly over the radio. They continued to explain that people could attend the actual church if they wanted to but most just stayed at home and listened to the sermon.
My first thought after reading that was, Huh... this guy is way off! The church looks nothing like that today! People still go to church just like they did years and years go! Then I thought some more and it dawned on me: this is EXACTLY what people are doing today! Instead of going to church to worship God as a community of believers, they would rather stay at home in the comfort of their house and "see what God would speak to them today" like they were entitled to some divine message from God. What has the church come to today?! People aren't coming to church because they're "not getting anything out of it" like God owes them some kind of an epiphany or something. I'm sorry, but last time I checked, God doesn't owe us anything! Just sayin'.
So the characters in the book sat down in the living room and listened to this preacher's "sermon". I keep putting the word "sermon" in quotes because, although it was labeled as a "sermon" in the book, it lacked every element that I normally attribute to a sermon. First off, it did not follow the traditional outline. Second, there was no conviction or challenge in it. Third, there was no Scripture used. And forth--which is probably the most shocking--God was only mentioned four times. Yeah. I said it right. FOUR TIMES. That was not a typo. It wasn't forty, it was FOUR. In 10+ pages, He's only mentioned four times.
We talked about this "sermon" in the class I was reading the text for: Religion and the Future. I found it shocking that it was called a "sermon" because all he talked about was how great it was to live in the 21st century compared to living in the 19th century. One student said that you could remove God from this text and it wouldn't change anything about the message. Most everyone in the class agreed that it wasn't a sermon. Except one guy. He made made the comment, "Well, when I was growing up I was raised in a(n) (arbitrary denomination) church, and our pastor preached sermons the same way: if you removed God from them, it wouldn't change the message at all."
How sad! That literally breaks my heart! When I heard that, I looked at him and my mouth fell. I'm sure I looked weird, but I was in shock. A church that didn't preach God?! What has the church come to today?!
All I know after taking this class for a week that I'm not liking the church's future. I'm noticing trends that make my stomach churn. I'm seeing statistics that make me taste bile. I don't like it, and there is only so much I can do. I'm asking you all, because you as a body can do something. Please, keep the faith, hold onto the Truth, read the Bible, cling to it, preach the Word, get out there and serve, show the world who Jesus really is! I will try my best as well. Keep me accountable to this. It's time we stop sitting by and letting the world invade and contaminate our churches. It's time we get down on our knees and really seek God's face. Are you with me?
Following His Call,
Adam
(2 Chronicles 7:14) (I wonder how many people actually look up these verses I have at the end of the post...)
I have the privilege of preaching a sermon this Sunday at my church. I've been thinking all week about what to preach on and have been asking God for what He wants said, and I have a rough idea about what He is going to speak through me. But God always changes things up last minute with me anyway and gives me a totally new sermon the night before. (I wish He wouldn't do that so often! For a person like me who likes my schedules and everything planned out, He sure has a way of messing with me! LOL!)
Strangely enough, I also read another "sermon" this week that was written out in the book Looking Backwards by Edward Bellamy. If you are unfamiliar with the book, it was written in the late 1880s and is about a man who has insomnia. His insomnia was so bad, he slept in a secret, special chamber deep in the ground beneath his house to block out all sound. He relied on a hypnotist to put him to sleep each night. One night, he was put into a deep sleep and his house burned down, burring him alive under the rubble. He was safe, but he was left in a state of suspended animation for the next hundred years, where a construction worker found him while trying to dig the foundation for his building. After waking the man up, the man discovers he is in the year 2000 and has slept over a hundred years. In this, he is coping with the new 21st century and finding out how perfect the modern society is. Bellamy wrote his book at the time as if it were a Utopian future.
In chapter 26, the main character wakes up on a Sunday and his caretakers ask if he wants to go to church. Thinking the church of the future was part of some government-run universal church, he wanted to go to see what it was like. They explained to him it was quite the opposite; the church was very independent and was run mostly over the radio. They continued to explain that people could attend the actual church if they wanted to but most just stayed at home and listened to the sermon.
My first thought after reading that was, Huh... this guy is way off! The church looks nothing like that today! People still go to church just like they did years and years go! Then I thought some more and it dawned on me: this is EXACTLY what people are doing today! Instead of going to church to worship God as a community of believers, they would rather stay at home in the comfort of their house and "see what God would speak to them today" like they were entitled to some divine message from God. What has the church come to today?! People aren't coming to church because they're "not getting anything out of it" like God owes them some kind of an epiphany or something. I'm sorry, but last time I checked, God doesn't owe us anything! Just sayin'.
So the characters in the book sat down in the living room and listened to this preacher's "sermon". I keep putting the word "sermon" in quotes because, although it was labeled as a "sermon" in the book, it lacked every element that I normally attribute to a sermon. First off, it did not follow the traditional outline. Second, there was no conviction or challenge in it. Third, there was no Scripture used. And forth--which is probably the most shocking--God was only mentioned four times. Yeah. I said it right. FOUR TIMES. That was not a typo. It wasn't forty, it was FOUR. In 10+ pages, He's only mentioned four times.
We talked about this "sermon" in the class I was reading the text for: Religion and the Future. I found it shocking that it was called a "sermon" because all he talked about was how great it was to live in the 21st century compared to living in the 19th century. One student said that you could remove God from this text and it wouldn't change anything about the message. Most everyone in the class agreed that it wasn't a sermon. Except one guy. He made made the comment, "Well, when I was growing up I was raised in a(n) (arbitrary denomination) church, and our pastor preached sermons the same way: if you removed God from them, it wouldn't change the message at all."
How sad! That literally breaks my heart! When I heard that, I looked at him and my mouth fell. I'm sure I looked weird, but I was in shock. A church that didn't preach God?! What has the church come to today?!
All I know after taking this class for a week that I'm not liking the church's future. I'm noticing trends that make my stomach churn. I'm seeing statistics that make me taste bile. I don't like it, and there is only so much I can do. I'm asking you all, because you as a body can do something. Please, keep the faith, hold onto the Truth, read the Bible, cling to it, preach the Word, get out there and serve, show the world who Jesus really is! I will try my best as well. Keep me accountable to this. It's time we stop sitting by and letting the world invade and contaminate our churches. It's time we get down on our knees and really seek God's face. Are you with me?
Following His Call,
Adam
(2 Chronicles 7:14) (I wonder how many people actually look up these verses I have at the end of the post...)
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Come
Hey everyone!
I was just listening to this song by Pocket Full of Rocks, and every time I hear it, it speaks to me. Loudly. I know I just put a music video up, but I really feel this song encompasses exactly what I was going to talk about anyway. Just remember, no matter how bad it gets, no matter what you have done, no matter how unworthy you think you are, you can ALWAYS come to Jesus, and His arms are ALWAYS open wide. It is that knowledge that has gave me comfort through all the crap I've been through. It is still helping me now. So, I pray you are blessed by this song, and that you really focus on the lyrics and what it means to you.
To see the bigger video click here
Come As You Are
VERSE 1
He's not mad at you
He's not disappointed
His grace is greater still,
than all of your wrong choices
He is full of mercy and he is ever kind
Hear his invitation, His arms are open wide
CHORUS
You can come as you are,
with all your broken pieces
And all your shameful scars
The pain you hold in your heart,
bring it all to Jesus
You can come as you are
VERSE 2
Louder than the voice that whispers your unworthy
Hear the sound of love,
that tells a different story
Shattering your darkness and pushing through the lies
How tenderly he calls you,
His arms are open wide
CHORUS
BRIDGE
You can come as you are
CHORUS
I love you all!
Following His Call,
Adam
(1 Corinthians 13:8)
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Avalanche
Hey everyone!
I just really wanted to share this song with you. I feel it really applies to my life right now. (And it's just an awesome song!) I have been struggling with some personal sins, and this song really jumped out to me when I was getting ready one morning. Anyway, I hope it speaks to you like its speaks to me.
I just really wanted to share this song with you. I feel it really applies to my life right now. (And it's just an awesome song!) I have been struggling with some personal sins, and this song really jumped out to me when I was getting ready one morning. Anyway, I hope it speaks to you like its speaks to me.
Avalanche
INTRO
Get me out, (out)
Get me out (out)
VERSE 1
Preacher, preacher what you got for me, save my soul
See beneath, and clip my wings I'm not an angel
I try and try to be good, I've lied with pride, I'm a crook
Turn the lights down, burning up the night now
Sign my life out, I'm sick of livin' in a shell
If you can help choir boy ring the church bells
I'd turn back if I could; erase the pain if I could
But I'm an animal and I don't know if I can
CHORUS
Hey!
Cause I'm the prodigal man of this avalanche
I'm going down, I'm going down, down
Hey!
And if you turn me in
I'll confess my sins
I'm going down, I'm going down, down
Before I'm six feet deep
I'm washing my hands clean
Just get me out of this avalanche!
VERSE 2
You scared the junk out of me man
The Ghost Rider, hold my soul tighter
Jehovah take the ropes; I'm a
Fly a plane out of the atmosphere
I've attacked this fear
This scar still here
I'm going on to the end
I'm holding onto a friend
I'm going I'm going
I don't care
I cursed a lot
The worse, the black sheep of the lot
Christopher Scott prepare to meet God
CHORUS
BRIDGE 1
Get me out, OUT
Get me out, OUT
Just get me out of this avalanche!
Get me out, OUT
Get me out, OUT
Just get me out of this
BRIDGE 2
You guided me when I was
Blind with pride, a right off
Knocked me off my saddle
Sabotaged and overshadowed
Watched you chase a man down
Watched you raise a man out
Mercy on me, forever I'm free
CHORUS
BRIDGE 1
Following His Call,
Adam
(1 John 1:9)
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Depths
Hey everyone!
I had another interesting dream the other night. But different from my last one (Ants: http://edge-x.blogspot.com/2010/11/ants.html), I didn't know what was going on until after.
I was walking down the beach with this older gentleman who could have been my dad. It wasn't my dad because he looked nothing like my dad, although his skin was dark like my dad's. He was a few inches taller than me, with short, dark brown hair and a dark brown goatee. He was of average build and wore a white shirt tucked into khaki pants with a brown belt. I don't really remember what I was wearing.
For a while, we walked down the beach, just talking about life and various arbitrary things I don't remember. We were alone on this beach, not a person for miles that we could see. In fact, there weren't even any buildings along the shore or boats at sea. As I looked down, there were not any footprints or any signs that anyone else had been on this beach but me and this gentleman (who I still cannot remember his name, if he even gave it).
After walking for a long while, I heard a voice call out from the ocean. I couldn't make out what it was saying, but it sounded high pitched and distant. Somewhat shocked, I stopped and looked. The man walked a few more steps before he too stopped and looked back at me. Following my gaze out in the ocean, he put his hands into his pockets and just stared, a neutral look on his face. I strained to see if anyone was out there, but I saw nothing.
"Huh...." I said, trailing off. I joined the man and we kept walking down the beach. A few minutes later, the same voiced called out again. Although I couldn't make out what it was saying, I looked immediately out at the ocean and took a few steps towards the waves, placing my hands above my eyes to see if anyone was out there.
"Did you hear that?" I asked the man, turning around to see him. He was staring off at the waves, scowling. He looked down to me and his expression softened into a small smile, but he said nothing.
I turned back around and strained to see. Finally, I saw a young girl in a blue dress swimming out in the middle of the waves. I couldn't hear what she was shouting, but I could tell she was yelling at me and motioning for me to go out to her. I started to head out to her, but before I could place my foot in the ocean, I felt a firm hand grab my arm and gently pull me back. I looked over my shoulder to see the gentleman with a concerned look on his face gently shaking his head "no".
"What's wrong?" I asked him as he let go of my arm. "Is something out there?" He said nothing. Just had a stern look on his face as he looked out at the ocean.
When I looked back out there again, I saw the girl swimming towards us. She seemed like she had given up trying to get me to come out to her. After a few minutes, she got into the shallows and started walking towards me. Surprisingly, she was not wet; her dress, her hair, everything, was totally dry. She looked at me and smile a big smile.
"What to play?" she asked in a high pitched voice.
"Sure..." I replied hesitantly. I looked at the man. He crossed his arms with a neutral look on his face. "What did you have in mind?" I asked her. "There is not much to do out here, and I'm not supposed to go out in the ocean." I glanced at the man and he gave a small smile back.
"Oh, thats sad..." she said, trailing off and walking away. "Because I just came from a HUGE boat full of awesome stuff!"
"What boat?" I asked, confused.
"That one!" she said excitedly, pointing at the horizon. And sure enough, there was a massive cruise liner in the middle of the ocean. I could tell by looking at it that it had an entire amusement park on top of it, full with a carousel and several roller coasters. My mouth dropped.
"How... how did that get there?" I asked in awe. I know it was not there just a few minutes before! One minute I looked at the ocean, I looked back at the girl, then looked where she was pointing and there it was!
"Oh, it's been there, silly!" she giggled. "Want to go with me and ride the coasters?"
Still stunned, I stared at the liner, taking everything in. This liner easily was several miles wide, and even several miles longer from stern to bow. Despite the strangeness of its mysterious appearance, I really wanted to go and ride the rides. If the liner had a amusement park on its deck, what other mysteries and wonders were beneath?
"Well, how will we get there?" I asked, my heart racing, excited to get on the deck and start looking around. "I can't swim there." I looked at the man again to see him staring at the liner with a look of both disgust and disappointment. I was confused.
"Oh! That's no problem!" she said cheerfully. "We can take one of their lifeboats!"
"Lifeboat?" I asked looking around, then looking at her. "Where?"
She sighed, and pointed. "There, silly! Open your eyes! I can show you so much if you will just open your eyes!"
I followed her finger, and sure enough, there was a small wooden canoe painted white, decorated with gold and light blue trim. Two white paddle stuck out from the sides. I just stared again at the mysterious appearance of the lifeboat. Was it there the whole time and I just missed it? What else am I missing? I looked down the beach again to see if I was missing anything else.
"So are you coming?" the girl asked, heading toward the boat. I started towards the boat, but hesitated. I looked at the man, who still had his arms crossed. He had a scowl on his face and was shaking his head "no". I was drawn. I really wanted to go on the ship. But I had been talking with this man all day. He knew me, I knew him. I didn't want to disappoint him. He seemed wise beyond his appearance, like I should just trust him.
I stood there for a full minute, looking at the ship, at the girl, then back to the man, going between the three in rapid succession at times. The man still was shaking his head, the girl was calling and beaconing me towards her, the rides were starting on the ship.
Just when I thought about heading back to the man, I started to hear the sounds of the amusement park growing louder. I moved my vision to the ship, and saw it much closer than it was before. I could see people on the ship, running back and forth, calling to each other, laughing, and screaming on the rides.
"So are you coming or not?" she asked, and crossed her arms as well, giving a spunky grin. "We'll only be there a few minutes and you can come back."
I gave in, I walked towards the canoe and started to climb in, careful not to touch the ocean as the man seemed to indicate. I looked towards him as I was climbing in the boat. The look of sorrow and pain on his face almost made me jump out then. I quickly looked away and sat down. "I will be right back!" I called to the man, careful not to look at him in the face again.
The girl pushed the canoe out into the waves and jumped in in one graceful motion. I reached for the oars and she quickly grabbed them and laughed, "I want to row!"
The waves seemed to die down as we headed towards the liner. Once we were about 50 yards out, I looked back on the shore, to see the man standing there, arms by his side. I couldn't make his face out well, but I could still see the look of pain on his face. I shivered a bit. I grabbed my arms, closed my eyes, and hung my head. As I opened my eyes, I saw there was a thin layer of water on the bottom of the boat. Huh... that wasn't there before.... I kept looking, and I noticed the water was getting deeper in the boat.
"Um," I said, starting to panic a bit, "I think you have a leak in your boat."
"Oh, that's nothing," she said, still rowing. She smiled a bit, and her face looked more pale and less attractive as she once was. I looked at her dress, and the ends were more frayed than they were before.
Panic rose to my chest and I stood up quickly, rocking the boat. I almost lost my balance and fell in, but after regaining my balance, I exclaimed, "This was a bad idea. I'm sorry, but I want to go back now!"
A twisted smile came over the girls face as she dropped the oars. They slid off the boat and into the water. I tried to reach for them, but I was too slow. "Its too late," she said, her voice slightly deeper. "You're mine now."
My heart sank as I realized the mistake I had made. Strangely, the boat still moved towards the liner. I turned around, and even more shocking was that the liner was no longer there. Nothing was there, just open ocean. Trying to remain calm, I shouted toward the shore, which was barely visible at this point.
"He can't hear you," she said, her voice suddenly more raspy. Sounded like an old woman. I looked at her to see her beautiful blue dress suddenly in rags and her blonde hair a wispy grey. He skin was pale and sunken in, like it hung off her bones. The entire time, the water kept rising in the boat. It was up to my mid shins now.
"Help!" I called. "Help! Help! HELP!" The water continued to rise and the boat went further and further away from the shore. The entire time, the woman was laughing this piercing, eerie laugh that cut straight to the bone.
Feeling helpless, I sat down and started to cry. The water continued to rise. It was over the top of the canoe now and up to my chest. I looked at the girl who was still laughing. She stood up, suddenly much taller than the girl who was there before, and stopped laughing. She still smiled this twisted smile looking down on me.
As the water came up my neck and onto my face, her voice suddenly became a deep bass and she laughed a deep bellow laugh that went right though me. "You're mine now..." was the last thing I heard before my head went completely underwater. The voice just made me feel totally helpless and dead.
I looked up through the water at the woman above me shimmering thought the distortion of the water.She did not sink with the boat as I did. Fallingl further from the surface, I realized I was stuck to the boat and I couldn't leave. I struggled to get free, but my eyes were fixed on the woman above me. She bent down, getting her face just inches from the water. She smiled again and said in a deep bass, "YOU"RE MINE!" and when her face broke the water, immediately it became a distored, black demonic looking creature looming closer and closer to me.
---------------
I woke up in a cold sweat right after that. I didn't see the resolution to the story. I didn't get to see if the man came in after me, which I imagine He did. If you didn't catch it, the man was Jesus, always looking after me, always with me and directing me, when I listen.
The the girl was Satan, always tempting me with illusions. The ocean was the vastness of sin, overwhelming and dangerous.
Here is the deal I learned from this. Don't even give in a bit: one little slip and it is too late. Sin is like the snowball effect: start down the path, and it grows and grows until it becomes an avalanche, consuming entire villages. Catch your sin early on before it is too late. Or, don't do it to begin with. That is the best option. Stop it now before you too are carried down to the depths...
Following His Call,
Adam
(Matthew 4:17)
I had another interesting dream the other night. But different from my last one (Ants: http://edge-x.blogspot.com/2010/11/ants.html), I didn't know what was going on until after.
For a while, we walked down the beach, just talking about life and various arbitrary things I don't remember. We were alone on this beach, not a person for miles that we could see. In fact, there weren't even any buildings along the shore or boats at sea. As I looked down, there were not any footprints or any signs that anyone else had been on this beach but me and this gentleman (who I still cannot remember his name, if he even gave it).
After walking for a long while, I heard a voice call out from the ocean. I couldn't make out what it was saying, but it sounded high pitched and distant. Somewhat shocked, I stopped and looked. The man walked a few more steps before he too stopped and looked back at me. Following my gaze out in the ocean, he put his hands into his pockets and just stared, a neutral look on his face. I strained to see if anyone was out there, but I saw nothing.
"Huh...." I said, trailing off. I joined the man and we kept walking down the beach. A few minutes later, the same voiced called out again. Although I couldn't make out what it was saying, I looked immediately out at the ocean and took a few steps towards the waves, placing my hands above my eyes to see if anyone was out there.
"Did you hear that?" I asked the man, turning around to see him. He was staring off at the waves, scowling. He looked down to me and his expression softened into a small smile, but he said nothing.
I turned back around and strained to see. Finally, I saw a young girl in a blue dress swimming out in the middle of the waves. I couldn't hear what she was shouting, but I could tell she was yelling at me and motioning for me to go out to her. I started to head out to her, but before I could place my foot in the ocean, I felt a firm hand grab my arm and gently pull me back. I looked over my shoulder to see the gentleman with a concerned look on his face gently shaking his head "no".
"What's wrong?" I asked him as he let go of my arm. "Is something out there?" He said nothing. Just had a stern look on his face as he looked out at the ocean.
When I looked back out there again, I saw the girl swimming towards us. She seemed like she had given up trying to get me to come out to her. After a few minutes, she got into the shallows and started walking towards me. Surprisingly, she was not wet; her dress, her hair, everything, was totally dry. She looked at me and smile a big smile.
"What to play?" she asked in a high pitched voice.
"Sure..." I replied hesitantly. I looked at the man. He crossed his arms with a neutral look on his face. "What did you have in mind?" I asked her. "There is not much to do out here, and I'm not supposed to go out in the ocean." I glanced at the man and he gave a small smile back.
"What boat?" I asked, confused.
"That one!" she said excitedly, pointing at the horizon. And sure enough, there was a massive cruise liner in the middle of the ocean. I could tell by looking at it that it had an entire amusement park on top of it, full with a carousel and several roller coasters. My mouth dropped.
"How... how did that get there?" I asked in awe. I know it was not there just a few minutes before! One minute I looked at the ocean, I looked back at the girl, then looked where she was pointing and there it was!
"Oh, it's been there, silly!" she giggled. "Want to go with me and ride the coasters?"
Still stunned, I stared at the liner, taking everything in. This liner easily was several miles wide, and even several miles longer from stern to bow. Despite the strangeness of its mysterious appearance, I really wanted to go and ride the rides. If the liner had a amusement park on its deck, what other mysteries and wonders were beneath?
"Well, how will we get there?" I asked, my heart racing, excited to get on the deck and start looking around. "I can't swim there." I looked at the man again to see him staring at the liner with a look of both disgust and disappointment. I was confused.
"Oh! That's no problem!" she said cheerfully. "We can take one of their lifeboats!"
"Lifeboat?" I asked looking around, then looking at her. "Where?"
She sighed, and pointed. "There, silly! Open your eyes! I can show you so much if you will just open your eyes!"
I followed her finger, and sure enough, there was a small wooden canoe painted white, decorated with gold and light blue trim. Two white paddle stuck out from the sides. I just stared again at the mysterious appearance of the lifeboat. Was it there the whole time and I just missed it? What else am I missing? I looked down the beach again to see if I was missing anything else.
"So are you coming?" the girl asked, heading toward the boat. I started towards the boat, but hesitated. I looked at the man, who still had his arms crossed. He had a scowl on his face and was shaking his head "no". I was drawn. I really wanted to go on the ship. But I had been talking with this man all day. He knew me, I knew him. I didn't want to disappoint him. He seemed wise beyond his appearance, like I should just trust him.
I stood there for a full minute, looking at the ship, at the girl, then back to the man, going between the three in rapid succession at times. The man still was shaking his head, the girl was calling and beaconing me towards her, the rides were starting on the ship.
Just when I thought about heading back to the man, I started to hear the sounds of the amusement park growing louder. I moved my vision to the ship, and saw it much closer than it was before. I could see people on the ship, running back and forth, calling to each other, laughing, and screaming on the rides.
"So are you coming or not?" she asked, and crossed her arms as well, giving a spunky grin. "We'll only be there a few minutes and you can come back."
I gave in, I walked towards the canoe and started to climb in, careful not to touch the ocean as the man seemed to indicate. I looked towards him as I was climbing in the boat. The look of sorrow and pain on his face almost made me jump out then. I quickly looked away and sat down. "I will be right back!" I called to the man, careful not to look at him in the face again.
The girl pushed the canoe out into the waves and jumped in in one graceful motion. I reached for the oars and she quickly grabbed them and laughed, "I want to row!"
The waves seemed to die down as we headed towards the liner. Once we were about 50 yards out, I looked back on the shore, to see the man standing there, arms by his side. I couldn't make his face out well, but I could still see the look of pain on his face. I shivered a bit. I grabbed my arms, closed my eyes, and hung my head. As I opened my eyes, I saw there was a thin layer of water on the bottom of the boat. Huh... that wasn't there before.... I kept looking, and I noticed the water was getting deeper in the boat.
"Um," I said, starting to panic a bit, "I think you have a leak in your boat."
"Oh, that's nothing," she said, still rowing. She smiled a bit, and her face looked more pale and less attractive as she once was. I looked at her dress, and the ends were more frayed than they were before.
Panic rose to my chest and I stood up quickly, rocking the boat. I almost lost my balance and fell in, but after regaining my balance, I exclaimed, "This was a bad idea. I'm sorry, but I want to go back now!"
A twisted smile came over the girls face as she dropped the oars. They slid off the boat and into the water. I tried to reach for them, but I was too slow. "Its too late," she said, her voice slightly deeper. "You're mine now."
My heart sank as I realized the mistake I had made. Strangely, the boat still moved towards the liner. I turned around, and even more shocking was that the liner was no longer there. Nothing was there, just open ocean. Trying to remain calm, I shouted toward the shore, which was barely visible at this point.
"He can't hear you," she said, her voice suddenly more raspy. Sounded like an old woman. I looked at her to see her beautiful blue dress suddenly in rags and her blonde hair a wispy grey. He skin was pale and sunken in, like it hung off her bones. The entire time, the water kept rising in the boat. It was up to my mid shins now.
"Help!" I called. "Help! Help! HELP!" The water continued to rise and the boat went further and further away from the shore. The entire time, the woman was laughing this piercing, eerie laugh that cut straight to the bone.
Feeling helpless, I sat down and started to cry. The water continued to rise. It was over the top of the canoe now and up to my chest. I looked at the girl who was still laughing. She stood up, suddenly much taller than the girl who was there before, and stopped laughing. She still smiled this twisted smile looking down on me.
As the water came up my neck and onto my face, her voice suddenly became a deep bass and she laughed a deep bellow laugh that went right though me. "You're mine now..." was the last thing I heard before my head went completely underwater. The voice just made me feel totally helpless and dead.
I looked up through the water at the woman above me shimmering thought the distortion of the water.She did not sink with the boat as I did. Fallingl further from the surface, I realized I was stuck to the boat and I couldn't leave. I struggled to get free, but my eyes were fixed on the woman above me. She bent down, getting her face just inches from the water. She smiled again and said in a deep bass, "YOU"RE MINE!" and when her face broke the water, immediately it became a distored, black demonic looking creature looming closer and closer to me.
---------------
I woke up in a cold sweat right after that. I didn't see the resolution to the story. I didn't get to see if the man came in after me, which I imagine He did. If you didn't catch it, the man was Jesus, always looking after me, always with me and directing me, when I listen.
The the girl was Satan, always tempting me with illusions. The ocean was the vastness of sin, overwhelming and dangerous.
Here is the deal I learned from this. Don't even give in a bit: one little slip and it is too late. Sin is like the snowball effect: start down the path, and it grows and grows until it becomes an avalanche, consuming entire villages. Catch your sin early on before it is too late. Or, don't do it to begin with. That is the best option. Stop it now before you too are carried down to the depths...
Following His Call,
Adam
(Matthew 4:17)
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