Monday, February 26, 2007

Right Knows No Time Limits



There are those who try to convince us that "New and Improved" is the way society moves. It is easy to find all kinds of literature, both old and contemporary, that assures man of this: God is in control, and man is still searching for avenues of holiness and salvation. Many try to make religion a spiritual smorgasbord, picking and choosing pieces of the gospel they are comfortable with, and eliminating facets of scripture that are hardest to follow. There are a plethora of different "flavors" of religious belief. There are an equal amount of people who see the Bible as God's communication with man and the substance of their spiritual foundation.




Men like Thomas Browne, a renowned writer of seventeenth century England, in an essay titled Religio Medici has the same grasp of Christianity that we find in the 21st century. "...I am of that reformed new-cast religion, wherein I dislike nothing but the name; of the same belief our Saviour taught, the apostles disseminated, the fathers authorized, and the martyrs confirmed;..." and then goes on to say how politicians, the rich and powerful, and society in general have corrupted the world and it's religion. Browne stands in a gap - he's not anti-Catholic or anti-Puritan. Today's examples of those men are Chuck Swindoll, James Dobson, and Rick Warren.




Today many see the promises of God as a list of "THOU SHALT NOTS". Christians see change as a necessity. The term in the Bible is Repentance. It is not a change of convenience, but a change of heart and mind. Religion is not a spiritual bakery where you stand at the counter to pick and choose. Mary Baker Eddy, Joseph Smith, and Tom Cruise are just examples of Mr. Browne’s non-orthodoxy. Confucius said "Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change." C. S. Lewis said, "It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad." I hope to stand in the gap, where the true faith and spiritual well being of man is located, not in man's didactic overhaul of Scripture.

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Loving Learning and Life

I am a very lucky man. The adage is oh, so true: "It's better to be lucky than good." I was given another chance, could be the 100th, and my wonderful, beautiful, and intelligent wife has backed me up, supported me, and even prodded me at times toward this career I am working toward. The best metaphor of my life is a "trip tik" from AAA auto club. A map with the starting point, taking a specific road, to a destination.

I am traveling down an educational superhighway, California Baptist University, with my little stops every semester, and a big stop at the Bachelor of Arts degree, turning toward a classroom as yet unknown, teaching English, life, and anything else they need to a group of unusually ungrateful teenagers as my destination. I look back and see the paths I've taken until now, and while I had minimal successes, overall my life up to now was in the category of potential, not production. Luckily, man is given the ability to change. I now have just one more year until I can realize a personal dream of a career, not just a job, or a dream.

It has been quite a journey to figure out what I could do, put my energy into it, and actually complete the task. Ministry was my idea, as all the roadblocks to success have proven. In fact, hindsight has shown me that once I dropped the idea of full time Christian ministry, the peace that captured me and the ability to move on in my life helped me out of the pit I was in. Never have I felt so free, so vital, and so important as when I was working toward this teaching credential.

Friday, February 2, 2007

Who Will Tell Them

written in 1991 by me

Oh Father, how do they ignore You?
After all You've done for them -
Will they ever learn,
Will they ever learn?

A little boy in the yard at play,
three years young -
needlessly taken away
by a lone stray gang's bullet -

Why don't these young men know
Jesus loves them so -
Who will tell them?

Oh Father, why do we ignore You?
After all You've done for us -
Will we ever learn,
Will we ever learn?

A young girl looks for some love to feel -
The baby has come -
Now the responsibility's real -
And she's more lonely!

Why can't this poor mom see
Jesus will always be
Her peace and salvation -

Oh Father, how can I forsake You?
After all You've done for me -
Will I ever learn,
Will I ever learn?