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Science and/or The Bible

imagesOn February 4, 2014 Bill Nye, The Science Guy, debated Ken Ham on evolution. I must admit that I am not exceedingly familiar with either participant. Most of the factual information in my post is from an MSN internet article and Wiki. Bill Nye had a television program on PBS from about 1993 to 1998 called Bill Nye, The Science Guy. Ken Ham is the leader of a church in Kentucky and founder of the Creation Museum. By most accounts, the Creation Museum has been wildly successful and makes money hand over fist. The debate was held at the Creation Museum in my home state of Kentucky.

I need many disclaimers to say what I think God is calling me to say. Firstly, Bill Nye needs to be congratulated for giving a solid defense of evolution and having the guts to debate Ken Ham on his home turf. Secondly, Ken Ham needs to be congratulated for giving a solid defense of a very rigid, literal interpretation of Creationism. Thirdly, I think Ham presented the Creation exactly the way he thought God wanted him to. God has blessed him significantly through his ideas on Creationism. Why would Ham think he could possibly be wrong? Fourthly, God is doing something great through Ham, and I think God will continue to use him and the Creation Museum for good. Nevertheless, I am a Christian; I am a Creationist, and I completely disagree with many of Ham’s assertions on the Creation.

There tends to be two main camps of Creationists. There are the more literal Creationists, who somewhat believe that the answer to every question about the Creation can be found in Genesis. Then there are the “other” Creationists, who believe in a divine Creation, but do not think that the answer to every question about the Creation can be found in Genesis. The literal Creation argument is full of holes, and it is full of holes because the Bible is not a science book. The Bible “intersects” science, as it was once explained to me. The Bible “intersects” history, as well. And where intersections occur, I believe in the Bible. However, the Bible is incomplete in those areas. To make it complete, we must make too many assumptions. Thus, we get some absurd ideas from some, literal Creationists. However, I truly believe that science and Christianity are not opposed to each other. For example, if God wanted to start the universe, with a Bang, a Big Bang, I am okay with it. If God wanted to allow his creatures to evolve through a process called natural selection, I am okay with it. If God wanted us to evolve from monkeys- with the “finished product” in his own image, I am okay with that too.

Science can be compatible with the Bible. The only place where the Creation runs into serious problems with science is in the timeline. According to most literal Creationists, God created the Earth around 6000 years ago. Also, according to most literal Creationists, God created the world in 6 Earth days. There is simply too much evidence to suggest that the Earth was created 6000 years ago. Perhaps, Earth, as we know it, was created 6000 years ago. Most historians date the rise of civilization to about 4000BC, which is in line with Creation. Maybe that is what the Bible is talking about-the rise of civilization-not the creation of the Earth itself. Also, there is simply too much evidence to suggest that the Earth was created in 6, 24 hour, Earth days. God is eternal. How can mankind comprehend how long a day is from God’s perspective? A day is God’s eyes could be a billion years. We just do not know. Some literal Creationists even contend that humans and dinosaurs coexisted. Until a paleontologist digs up a T-Rex with a saddle, I will reserve my opinion…

All in all, I would advise Creationists, like me, to keep it loose. The Bible, Creation, and science are compatible. We only run into problems with the rigid, literal interpretations. Also, Creationists should embrace science. We would gain more credibility and maybe even find more evidence for our claims of a divine Creation. Furthermore, and perhaps more importantly, I think as Christians, we struggle when we take the emphasis off Jesus. The case for Jesus is a winning argument, whether we are talking about his existence or the significance of his life. Who can read the story of Jesus’ life and not think that the world would be a better place, if everyone acted more like him? You just cannot lose “that” argument.

A Follow-up or More on My Testimony

imagesCA3NSTZG Wow! I was pleasantly surprised at the response to my testimony. Apparently, anxiety affects more people than I realized. Some readers have asked me to be specific about how God cured me. So, here it goes. 

As I mentioned earlier, my anxiety was fueled by caring too much about what other people thought. Notice I said, “caring too much”. It is perfectly acceptable to care what other people think. For example, caring about what my parents thought, kept me out of trouble when I was young. Heck, truth be known, it still keeps me out of trouble. Anyway, by caring too much, I was basically trying to control the opinions of others toward me. Everyone wants to be viewed in a positive light, but people, in general, are quirky, judgmental, and unpredictable. So, how can I possibly expect to control what other people think of me?  Ain’t gonna happen. There is point when I know that I have done all I can do. At the point, I have to stop worrying. 

For example, let’s take a job interview. Most everyone can agree. Job interviews can produce anxiety. I do my part to prepare for the interview. I dress appropriately; I rehearse some interview questions; I get there on time. In essence, I do my part. Then I pray and ask God, “Can I do anything else?” If nothing else pops into my head, I stop worrying. Here is a popular verse about worrying: Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? (From Matthew 6) 

Prioritizing my thoughts also helped my anxiety. Prioritizing meant putting God first and everything else second. Let me illustrate. One day I came to a realization, and I discovered that King Solomon had come to the same realization years ago. The following verse is from Ecclasiastes1: It is useless, useless, said the Philosopher (Solomon). Life is useless, all useless. You spend your life working, laboring, and what do you have to show for it? Generations come and generations go, but the world stays just the same. The sun still rises, and it still goes down… If one reads the rest of the story, Solomon is basically saying that everything is useless, except serving God.

Don’t get me wrong. I understand the necessities of modern life. We still need to get an education. We still need to have jobs. We still need to support our families. But when our brief lives of 75-80 years are over, we take nothing with us. The college degree stays on the wall. The 401k stays in the bank. The kids stay too, until God calls them up. So basically, we toil 75-80 years for what? Useless. Useless. It is much better to serve God. That way, we can take something tangible with us to eternity. Therefore, when I finally said that God was most important, and everything else (job, money, education) was secondary, the pressure subsided. Suddenly, all my stressors were not as important to me. And, it is hard to be anxious about things that are not as important as they used to be. 

So, with any stressful situation, I prioritize my thoughts (How important is this situation in the grand scheme of eternity?). I do my part, pray, and stop worrying. I also have one other tactic. The following Bible verse is my secret, anxiety-busting weapon: For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but of power, love, and self-control (Timothy 1:7). That, my friends, is an all-powerful statement. It means that my anxiety is not coming from God, I can stop blaming him for it, and he has given me the ability to do something about it.

I hope this post helps you. Remember, it was a process for me. My anxiety was not cured overnight. You may have a relapse or two, but, God willing, you will get better and better.

A Testimony or The Best Evidence for God’s Existence

Testimony-FAQ-Inline1-2012-06-29I had originally planned to write a post on God’s existence and how I make the Bible, most notably Genesis, jive with science. And I may eventually do just that. However, I was drawn to an article that I read a few months back. I cannot recall the article’s name or the author’s name. Nevertheless, a quick summary reads like this: a Christian is trying to convince an agnostic that God exists through various philosophical arguments. The agnostic tells the Christian that his best evidence for God’s existence is the Christian’s testimony about what God has done is his life. So, this post is my testimony.

This is also, without a doubt, the hardest blog post that I have ever written. In fact, I convinced myself to write it. Then I un-convinced myself. And now, I have re-convinced myself. Why is it so hard? PRIDE. And to be truly honest, the main reason that I re-convinced myself is my sister’s testimony (Love you, Sis). She testified on facebook how God straightened her life out, after years of drug abuse. It takes guts, and a genuine love for Jesus to do that. So, thanks to my sister for setting a good example.

I struggled for years with anxiety. I would throw-up just before a stressful situation. I can remember the first time it happened. I was 12 years old. I was the starting center for a biddy league basketball team. Just before the game, I felt myself get nauseous. I went to the restroom and threw-up. I thought it was an isolated incident. I had no idea it would be a pattern in my life for the next 20+ years. Now, do not feel sorry for me. I was extremely blessed. Many Appalachian families were in poverty. My family was not. We had everything we needed and then some. I had great parents. I was athletic and intelligent. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that I was going to grow up and become successful.

Fast forward 20 years. I had, in fact, become successful. I had four dogs, a house with a fenced-in back yard, a pretty wife, two college degrees, and a career that allowed me to work with one of the most prestigious law enforcement agencies in the world. I had obviously learned to cope with my problem, but throwing up really sucked. I tried to fight the nausea, but I learned that sometimes it was easier to just throw-up and get it over with. I often felt better that way. I threw-up about 10 minutes before nearly every job interview in my life. At other times, I simply would not eat, when I knew that I had a stressful situation coming up. My thinking: How can I throw-up, when I do not have any food in my stomach? Not eating worked until I started dry heaving. Sometimes I could actually keep myself from throwing up during stressful situations, but the nausea and the fear that I would throw-up were always present.

What finally brought the situation to a breaking point was my career. Like I said, I was working for one of the most prestigious law enforcement agencies in the world. I had a job where deadly force was very possible….everyday. I had fear, but I was never afraid of the bad guys I had to arrest. My greatest fears were letting down my co-workers and being embarrassed. I mean, who wants to work with a guy who might be throwing up, when he should be shooting someone? I knew that was unlikely, because my problem was straight anxiety. Once the feces hit the fan, the anxiety left, and I was money. Nevertheless, I knew that if the situation were reversed, I would be leery about working with someone with my problem. So, it is easy to understand how much pressure I had put on myself.

It was also embarrassing that I could not control it. I knew it was all in my head, and I knew that I had done a pretty good job controlling my life up to that point. Why could I not control this? At this point in my life, I had no intention of asking God. I had been there and done that. I can remember being in a bathroom stall in high school praying with all my might. I had already asked God to take it from me, and my prayers were NOT answered.

When I started attending church regularly in 2005, I was not looking for a cure to anxiety. I did so because I felt guilty over a divorce. My kid was living with my ex-wife, and I felt like I abandoned him. Regardless, I went on a mission trip to New Orleans in 2006, about one year after Hurricane Katrina. The trip also happened to coincide with Easter. It is difficult to explain to someone who has not experienced it, but there were two things that changed my outlook on life. One was seeing how the survivors were just thankful to be alive. Two was doing something good for people (just for the sake of doing it). Those two things allowed me to put my world in proper perspective. I learned that my career, my finances, and my possessions were not the most important things. Coincidentally, those things were causing me the most stress. When I gave my career, my finances, and my possessions less importance, God changed me. I had his peace. Doing God things had to be number one. Everything else was secondary. It was not an instant healing, however. It was a process, but it was a very fast process. I still get anxious, but it is a healthy level of anxiety. I am ecstatic to say that I cannot recollect that last time that I threw-up from anxiety.

I feel somewhat guilty that I have not testified earlier. I am not talented enough to truly explain how bad my anxiety was. I also tried to fix it with everything, short of a psychiatrist (way too much pride for that). I have kept this testimony secret because I care too much about what other people think of me, especially my co-workers. In my line of work, we have to portray ourselves as invincible bad asses. My co-workers are also my friends. I do not know if or how they will react. I have also kept it a secret because I have too much pride. I am simply embarrassed, and I do not want people to know. In the end though, I had to go back to what I learned on my New Orleans mission trip. God is first. Everything else is secondary. If one person finds inspiration in my testimony, then all the risks and all the embarrassment is worth it.

 

 

Forgiveness or Freedom from Anger

imagesCAK7RPWOI am in a church huddle. A huddle is a tad smaller than a small group. Besides my wife and I, our huddle is comprised of five other couples. A few days ago, this question was asked to our huddle: What do you need to do in order to be a better disciple of Christ? I cannot recall precisely, but I think that I was the last person to answer the question. I was last to answer because I was somewhat embarrassed of my response. I said that I need to FORGIVE better. Considering that forgiveness is the fundamental principle of Jesus Christ, one would think that I had conquered it by now. One of my huddle members, who is also a really good friend, suggested that I write a blog post about forgiveness. So, here it goes.

I get angry quickly. Generally, the things I get angry over are things that happened in the past. They are things that I should have “put away”, so to speak. I found that I am good at deflecting problems, and I forgive on the surface. It is kind of like walking through the woods. I deflect the branches from the trees as I walk, but they do not go away. They simply spring back into place. Then I have to deflect the branches again when I return. 

In a nutshell, I am basically “deflecting” my problems and not “defeating” them. I am not really forgiving. I just put it out of head until a later date. Therefore, I get angry quickly over past wrongs. Some people “keep score”. They have an argument. They come to a resolution, but the next time they have an argument, they bring up wrongs from the first argument. These people probably have forgiveness issues as well.

So, where do people look for help with forgiveness issues? The best example comes from none other than the man, himself, J.C. After Jesus had been beaten and nailed to a stick, people were making fun of him. Not only the Roman soldiers, but even one of the thieves who was crucified with Jesus, was making fun of him. Jesus’ reply: FORGIVE them father, for they know not what they do. That, my friends, is hardcore forgiveness. Though I will strive for that standard, I will never achieve it. Nevertheless, there is help for people like me who are a little less perfect and struggle with forgiveness. It is called practice. It takes a lot of…..practice.

PS. There is also a great course called “Freedom in Christ”. I think step three is about forgiveness. I included a link. Many churches have included the course in their curriculum.

http://www.ficm.org.uk/the_fic_course

PSS. The picture is by Mike Joos. I saw seven in his set called, “Forgiveness”. They are hilarious. Check them out.