Jesus

Does God Really Give a Crap?

December 20, 2014 2Comments

1)Did you know that there is about 92 billion light years of observable universe? A light year is the distance light travels in a year. And light travels just over 186,000 miles PER SECOND…. Obviously, that’s a lot of real estate. Here’s the entire article: http://www.space.com/24073-how-big-is-the-universe.html

2) Did you know that there are actually more stars in the universe than grains of sand on all of the beaches in the world? Here’s the entire article: http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/dec/03/astronomers-mystery-universe-missing-stars

3) There’s also about 7 billion people on Earth, according to Wiki.

In summary, that’s quite a bit for someone to create and to manage. So, is it possible that a God big enough and all-powerful enough to create and to manage the universe, would give a rat’s rear end about one person writing a blog in Kentucky? Well, not only is it possible, I believe it’s a fact.

I have two instances in my life where I’m absolutely sure that God exists AND that he cares about my life. Instance number one happened about 6 years ago. I had very bad encounter with a co-worker that almost ended in a fistfight (yes, I am talking about two grown men). Regardless, after a few days of decompression, I felt like God was telling me to “make it right”. I can remember sitting outside a shady apartment complex doing surveillance. I had decided to call my co-worker. However, I know first hand how prideful and stubborn law enforcement people can be. So, I was praying to God that he would give me the patience and humility to remain calm, if my co-worker spurned my peace overture. Here’s what happened. I was literally about to press the call button on my phone, when it rang. It was actually my co-worker calling me to apologize. You simply can’t calculate the probability of that happening by chance.

Nevertheless, I guess if someone was a hardcore atheist, he/she might call the preceding instance coincidence. That’s why I have yet, another instance….

Two Thursdays ago, I had another instance where I was absolutely sure that God exists AND he cares about my life. By that Thursday morning, I had already written my previous blog about loving my enemies, citing Matthew 5:43-48. However, I hadn’t published the blog yet. On that Thursday morning, I was sick, and I really didn’t feel like being at the church at 0630 for my men’s group. In fact, it took some ill-received encouragement from my wife to get me out of the bed. When I arrived at the church at 0640, my group was reading bible verses. Therefore, I picked up a stray, anonymous Bible from the counter. After the group ended, I noticed that someone had bookmarked a page. The page contained verses, Matthew 5:43-48. Not only was the page bookmarked, the verses were also UNDERLINED.

What are the chances that I found a Bible with that particular page bookmarked, with those particular verses underlined, just after I wrote an unpublished blog with those particular verses? Isaac Newton couldn’t calculate the odds of that happening by chance.

You just can’t call that a coincidence. That was God’s little way of telling me, “I exist and I care”.

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My Ultimate Challenge – Loving my Enemies

December 13, 2014 0Comment

In the brief time that Jesus walked the Earth, he threw up some challenges to mankind. “Do unto others”, “rejoice when persecuted”, and “turn the other cheek” are just a few of the challenges that Jesus laid out. Perhaps the most daunting challenge, especially for me, is “love your enemies”.

Here is the complete verse from Matthew 5:43-48.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect”.

Wow. Talk about raising the bar. If I had to give myself a report card, I’d get a B for loving people who love me. I’d get a C for loving my neighbor. I’d get an F for loving my enemy. Now, when I say “enemy”, I’m not necessarily talking about someone that I’m at war with. The term enemy should be expanded to anyone with whom I have issues. An enemy could be a co-worker, the person who cuts me off in traffic, an ex-spouse, or the grouchy lady at Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). How do I “love” these people? How do I respond with love to someone who responds to me without love?

I wonder if Peter had the same reservations when Cornelius called for him (the entire account is in Acts 10). Cornelius was a Roman Centurion. The servants whom he sent for Peter were probably soldiers. Peter’s first thought was surely, “Are they here to kill me?”. As the account unfolds, Peter learns the God wants him to lead Cornelius to Christ. At that point he had a decision to make. The Romans were an enemy of the Jewish people. Does he love his enemy and lead him to Christ or not? He made the wise choice and changed history. Truth be known, the Romans, who started as staunch enemies of Christ, became a proliferating force for Christianity.

Another Biblical person who changed history was Ananias (the account is in Acts 9). Basically, God told Ananias to find Paul and cure his blindness. Paul, of course, had been blinded during his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. Ananias, knew that, up to that point, Paul had been a fierce, violent enemy of Christ. He then had a choice to make. Does he love his enemy and cure him or not? He made the wise choice and changed history. Paul transforms from Christ’s greatest opponent to Christ’s greatest proponent.

No, I will likely not change history if I am nice to the grouchy lady at DMV, but I may brighten one speck of the world. It takes discipline and practice though. Firstly, I have to realize opportunities. That shouldn’t be too hard. A clue for me is when my mouth starts to fill with profanities. Then I have to fight my instincts to respond without love. After that, I have to train myself to respond opposite of my instincts. Finally, I have to sit back and let God do his work. I may or may not see the result of acting with “love”, but I’ll have the satisfaction of knowing I did right thing. And as I get older, that kind of satisfaction gets more and more comfortable.

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The Foreigner

December 8, 2014 0Comment

Ever get that feeling that you just don’t belong somewhere? Being a country boy, I felt that way when I moved into my cookie-cutter suburban home. Sometimes I get that feeling around extremely wealthy people….not that there is anything wrong with being wealthy or extremely wealthy. I just feel uncomfortable around them. But now I have that feeling on a much larger scale. Sometimes I feel like that I don’t belong in this world. No, I’m not suicidal. Sometimes I simply feel like a foreigner… or a “fer-ner” as my grandmother sometimes said.

A few years ago, I travelled to Bolivia on a mission trip. It was a great experience, but I have never felt more out of place. The language was different. The customs were different. The food was different. I truly felt like a foreigner. Thank God for my church group. Imagine how alone I would’ve felt if they hadn’t been with me.

Yesterday, I travelled to Wal-mart. Now I know that Wally World can sometimes be a lesson in anthropology all in itself, but it’s still nothing like Bolivia. I shop at Wal-mart at least once per week, and yesterday I felt like a total foreigner.

I think that I feel that way because as I get closer to God, I can’t understand the world’s language as well. The world has this weird, secular, Godless culture. Since I was at Wal-mart, let’s take advertising, for example. Think of almost anything that’s for sale. It could be sporting goods, pharmaceuticals, or clothing. All of the products have beautiful or famous spokespersons. You just don’t usually see ugly people in advertisements. And although I’ve never really considered it before now, the beautiful spokesperson has absolutely no connection to the product. There’s only one reason that the beautiful spokesperson is there: to make you think that you will look like him/her when you buy the product. Don’t get me wrong. God loves beauty, too, but he doesn’t care if you have the body of Victoria’s Secret model or the physique of an NFL linebacker. He is concerned more with spiritual beauty.

So, I guess this question begs to be answered: What do I do when I feel like a foreigner? I go to church or hang out with other Christians, just as I did in Bolivia. It helps to share struggles with people who are in similar positions. Following Jesus was never meant to be done alone. No one likes to be lonely. If we are lonely, we will seek companionship somewhere. The world is a tricky place. Two thousand years ago, the apostle Paul talked about Demas and said, “for Demas, because he love this world, has deserted me…”. Don’t fall in love with the world. Find other believers to lean on. We may feel a bit lonely from time to time, but we know that our ultimate reward does not lie in this world.

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Who is the Prisoner

November 24, 2014 0Comment

As some of you already know, I work in law enforcement. A few months ago, on a particular morning, I met a few prisoners. In my profession, it is very common. The prisoners were donned with green jump suits, leg shackles, handcuffs, and belly chains. An alien from some distant planet could have surmised that the prisoners’ liberties had been taken. Upon meeting the prisoners, I asked, “How’s it going?” I was trying to be nice, not facetious. Nevertheless, the obvious answer for most people would be something like this: “I’m in green jump suit for Pete’s sake, how the hell do you think it’s going?” However, the first prisoner looked at me, smiled, and said, “I’m blessed”. Then he began to testify to the rest of the prisoners. After my co-workers and I had unhooked the prisoners and placed them in holding cells, one of my law enforcement colleagues, said gruffly, “If I ever need to find Jesus, I know where he is. He’s always locked up somewhere”.

I have to admit that the “Jail-house Jesus” is as common as the “Jail-house Lawyer” in the criminal justice system. Some people use their newfound status in God’s kingdom to change their ways. Some don’t. Regardless, this prisoner in the green jump suit is going to be my neighbor in heaven someday. When he made the decision to accept Jesus, angels were rejoicing in heaven. It may not be a big deal in the local jail, but there was a Derby Party in heaven.

The prisoner was also enjoying his “freedom”. He was smiling “from ear to ear” as my mom would say. He was at peace, and he knew it. It was probably purest form of joy that I have ever seen. Furthermore, he was so happy that he had to share the good news with other people. Folks, that’s what being a Christian is all about. And I witnessed it in a very unlikely place.

I’m not an expert in anything, but I think that I know why people find Jesus in jail. Unfortunately, most people think that they can run their lives without help. They think that they can accomplish anything through their wit and determination…..until something happens that’s out of their control or until they have hit rock-bottom.

It could be anything. For some people, it may be a serious illness. For some people, it may be looking at 20 years in prison. When things are out of control and/or people have hit rock-bottom, they start looking for comfort. That’s when they find Jesus.

Then I thought about my colleague who said, “If I ever need to find Jesus, I know where he is. He’s always locked up somewhere”. These adjectives came to mind: stubborn, close-minded, arrogant, and blind. And I felt sorry for him. He simply couldn’t realize that the prisoner was, in fact, “free-er” than he was.

Does God Really Give a Crap?

My Ultimate Challenge – Loving my Enemies

The Foreigner

Who is the Prisoner

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