The Truth and Nothing but...

I have four brothers, all of them younger, and we have had some fights over the years. Including one particular fight where I broke my hand. Most of the fights were not physical but instead they were mixed with a litany of insults, half truths, and flat out lies. The way that you knew you won the fight is if you could get the other person to cry or walk away first. This was usually accomplished by saying things that sounded like facts, but were not true. I would give you examples of some of the things we said, but I don't want this blog to be considered hateful or show up as a bad site on the spy software your parents installed so they can check up on you. In reality these comments were laced with opinions which were not valid. When we are walking the halls of our school, sitting in biology or social studies class, or hanging out with our friends at the mall we are bombarded with statements about all kinds of things including religion and spirituality. How can we tell what opinions are good or valid and which ones are not?

Several years ago my daughter came home from school talking about people's opinions and she talked about how each opinion was equal. We proceeded to have a rather long conversation about the value of opinions. America really is free in the sense that we can have whatever opinion we want. Having an opinion does not make it a good or valid opinion. Saying something is true doesn't make it true. Truth is a beliefe that represents reality.

Ya, I know it sounds kind of wierd, but if there is truth (and there is) and it can be known (it can) then it might be important for us to learn how to weed out bad opinions. Let me give some examples:

• "I am typing this blog on a computer" This statement is true or it isn't. It can't be "kinda" true. You don't have to believe it is true if you don't want to, but that opinion would not be valid, it would not be good.
• "Life is hard" This is an example where truth is subjective. In other words a persons perception of life is unique to them. Two people in the same situation might come to different conclusions about how hard life is and it would be true because the issue is the perception itself.
• "I can fly by simply flapping my arms" This statement is either true or untrue and perception doesn't matter. If I think I can fly, but when I flap my wings I don't move then reality does not line up with my beliefe.
• "The universe was created by the God of the Bible" Wow, that is a loaded statement. A lot of people have different opinions about how the universe began. Even if there are all kinds of different opinions this is either true or it isn't. In other words it is an objective statement not dependant on a persons opinion. We can develop an opinion abou this statement based on whatever we want (prejudice, evidence, emotion, sound thinking...) but in the end we will either find out that God actually did create the universe or we will find out He did not. There isn't a gray area.

So how does all this apply to our faith? It applies in this way. Jesus either was God or he was not. He iether did die on the cross or not. He either rose from the dead or he didn't. Those are factual statements. We can have opinions about them, but our opinions are either good or bad based on the actual fact of the matter. In other words we can have mistaken opinions. We should be Christians because we believe those things to be facts. Faith is not a blind leap off a cliff in the hopes there is a big cooshy mattress at the bottom. Faith (biblical faith) is when we consider the evidence and base our beliefes on the evidence available.

I believe the Bible is true and accurate. Because of that (along with my own observations about the world) I also believe all people are sinners and in need of salvation. I bleieve Jesus is the only means of salvation (Romans 3; John 14:6; Acts 10:43). It is for those reasons I tell other people about Jesus and what he did on the cross. I believe these things because there is good evidence. Check out these links for more info:

• Is the Bible trustworthy?
• Did Jesus rise from the dead?

Scammed by a Shoe Shinner

I'm sitting in my hotel room in San Francisco. Today I had a meeting with the CSM folks.  They are the organization we are working with on our mission trip this summer (www.csm.org).  After the meeting my wife and I headed for an afternoon at Fisherman's Warf.  It was a blast.  The street performers were great.  The dancers, spray painters, and musicians were great.  There were two particular guys who really stood out.  Guy #1 you see in the picture to the left.  We'll call him Scare Tactics Guy.  His basic method for making money was scaring everyone who walked by.  He got both Christa (my wife)  and I.  You might look at the picture and think, "how could he scare people sitting on a bucket with just a few branches in front of him?"  I thought the same thing, but my wife and I sat and watched him scare person after person.  Ninety percent of the people who walked by didn't notice him until he grawled at them and moved the branches.  We watched and laughed as this guy scared person after person.  He provided us some great entertainment, so we tipped him.  He also taught me a lesson.  It is amazing what can sneak up on you if your paying attention to the wrong things!!

This isn't just about people on the streets, this is true in our spiritual lives as well.  Beliefes that are unbiblical often sneak up on us when we are focusing on good things, but not really focusing on God and His word.  We might be looking right over the top of some dangerous lies about God, us, or His word.  If we are not careful Satan will sneak up on us and we will not recognize those lies until it is too late.  The thing about Satan is this, he doesn't want to just scare us, he will bite and destroy us if he gets the chance.

There was another guy, this shoe shine guy.  He was pretty slick.  As we walked by he offered to shine my shoes.  I of course said no.  He then told me, "Let me see your shoes and I can tell you where you got your shoes."  I was intrigued.  The conversation went on and after a minute he was bending over to look closer and as he put his shoe shine liquid on my shoes he said, "you got your shoes on the bottom of your feet."  of course he was right and I had been taken.  I let him finish shinning my shoes and listened to him lecture me about not listening to my mom when she told me not to talk to strangers.  I then gave him five bucks and laughed at myself (my wife laughed at me too) for about an hour.  There is another spiritual lesson in this, don't get sucked in by smooth talkers.  He didn't have good grammer (actually it was terrible), but he has learned some tricks regarding working people.  This guy was a fun guy to talk to, and I would love to be his friend.  He is not evil in any way, he is just trying to make some money.  

Still Satan works in a similar way some times.  He will use people who can deliver a message in an attractive way and lower peoples defenses to decieve us.  Keep your gaurd up, don't recieve spiritual advice from people who are not strong in their Christian faith.  Always consider the source.  You wouldn't take advice about relationships from a person who has always had bad relationships, so don't take advice about morality, life decisions, or spiritual things from a person who does not know and understand God's word.  

Take Jesus to Prom

It's prom time and girls are out spending hundreds (dads don't swallow your tongue) of dollars on dresses and guys are trying to figure out how they can get their hands on a 68 Camaro or a stingray corvette to drive to prom in. Prom, just say the word an girls start giggling. For whatever reason it is the defining moment for many high schoolers. If you are lucky enough to be the king or queen it is a distinction you will carry with you the rest of your life. If your like most people that isn't you. Some people might be tempted to lower their standards for just one night. I wonder if that is you. Let me suggest that of all the decisions you make regarding prom make this one, take Jesus to Prom.

I know it sounds crazy. I am not suggesting you wear a big sign on your chest that says "John 3:16" or that you purchase a Jesus Bobble Head and put it on the dash of the Camaro (although that could be pretty sweet). Instead I am suggesting that you remember whatever you do will either bring glory to Jesus or it won't. The Bible tells us that whatever we do should be to God's glory.

What is evangelism?

Last night we promoted the "Each On Reach One" campaign we are doing at the Rock. Some students were excited and some were...well, they were annoyed. Still some were indifferent. The question is, "what is evangelism?" I think evangelism has been misunderstood. Reaching someone for Jesus doesn't mean you have to grab a blow horn and head to a street corner. It doesn't mean being confrontational and mean. Nor does it mean correcting every little detail of someones theology.

One student I spoke with said they didn't want to try and convert their best friend because they didn't want to lose the friendship. They also told me that they often have spiritual conversations discussing what they believe. I have to tell you I was floored in a positive way. Simply having a conversation is half the battle. Evangelism isn't trying to convince someone to believe in a cause we ourselves don't believe in, it is an attempt to share with others what we ourselves have come to know and experience. It is about helping others experience the grace and love of Jesus.

Evangelism isn't something that should be forced, it is something that flows out of who we are as Christians, as lovers of Jesus.

Let's all be evangelists!!!! Let's love our friends no matter what they believe, but let's love them enough to speak truth to them. One of the saying we have here at the Rock is Jesus loves you just the way you are, but he loves you too much to let you stay that way!!! let's love our friends in the same way.

Homosexuality, Why Does it Matter to me?

Over the years I have met many people who have chosen to live a homosexual lifestyle. Most, if not all of them, have been nice people. The question about homosexuality is not one of discrimination, we discriminate against people all the time. We discriminate by age, people can not vote until they are 18, they can't legally smoke until they are 18, they can't drink until they are 21, and they cannot be president of the United States until they are 35 years old. We discriminate against people with disabilities, we withhold drivers licenses from people who are blind or have some other disability that would prohibit them from operating a vehicle safely. We discriminate based on gender, men and women are prohibited from taking certain prescription drugs. We discriminate all the time and many times it is a good thing.

When it comes to homosexuality is it good to discriminate by not issuing a marriage license for same sex marriage? The short answer is yes. Let's be clear about what is being done when this happens. First, no rights are being withheld from one person while being given to another. No person regardless of their sexual preference is given a marriage license by the state. That means this is not a civil rights issue. In addition anyone can marry whoever or whatever they want to, it just might not be recognized by the governement.

So why should we care? We should care because of the impact this will have on society overall and eventually on kids and teens. In Canada it is illegal to say anything that might be considered to be offensive to a homosexual. It is considered hate speech even if it is not hateful. You can be thrown in jail. This is not tolerance at all. There has been this kind of legislation proposed in the United states as well, up to this point it has not gotten very far. It would impact our cultures view of marriage and kids living in single parent homes would increase. In Norway close to 80% of first born children are born out of wedlock and 60% of subsequent births. In other words when homosexual partnerships or marriages are accepted by the government, marriage itself is harmed and children are harmed. Children are being born in situations that are note helpful to their development. Lifetime commitments are not present.

What should you do about it? First, stay true to the Biblical teachings regarding marriage and homosexuality. Second, make sure you treat all people with love and respect even if you disagree with the choices they are making. Third, be willing to speak truth when it is not popular to do so. Third, don't believe everything you are told about this issue, much of the time you will be misled by the media and by your teachers.

Where can I go in the Bible to see what it teaches about this issue? Leviticus 18:22-23; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9; 1 Timothy 1:10. There are other passages, but these are the most clear.

How Far is too Far?

The age old question. Let's be honest, sex and everything that leads up to it is fun. We want to have as much fun as possible without sinning. I guess in some ways that is a good thing! Sinning is not so much crossing a line drawn in the sand as it is an attitude and a way of thinking. Jesus hit this very notion in His most famous message the Sermon on the Mount. This is why the question, "How Far is too Far?" is a bad question.

If we believe that the purpose of mankind is to in fact "to glorify God and enjoy Him forever" then we must ask a different question when we are setting physical boundaries in a relationship. Our question in any decision we make must be "What will glorify most glorify god?" We are better able to enjoy God when we are glorifying him.

I am not going to suggest that I know where the line is. Here is what I do know. We will glorify God much better if our judgment is not clouded by an emotional draw to do what does not glorify God. In other words the more you can save for after the wedding the better for your relationship with God and the better for your relationship with each other.

I have said over and over agian that if I were to start at the beginning of all my dating relationships I would not kiss until my wedding day. You may think that sounds crazy, but consider this. I have been married for almost 16 years. My marriage is not perfect, but it is good and strong. I believe that my marriage would be even better had I never kissed my wife until the wedding day. Also consider this, I am not saying the opposite. I am not saying I wish we would have had more "experience" before we got married. Actually come to think of it I don't know of anyone who has ever suggested that. I am sure there are some, but no one I respect has ever suggested that.

It is much more important to learn about a persons character than it is to learn about a persons body. Do they love Jesus? Are they committed to raising kids in a Godly manner? Do they have a Biblical view of manhood and womanhood? These questions are of the utmost importance.

The Dating Game

Dating, it's fun and exciting...it's nerves and excitement all in one! The thing is, it isn't a game. As long as I can remember there have been game shows about dating. Really it is sad to let some game show host decide what your love life will be like. I imagine those kinds of shows are exciting for the people on them, but my guess is they are rarely effective.

When you have a girlfriend or a boyfriend you feel loved and accepted, maybe in a way that you don't at any other time. That is what marriage is like in some ways, only marriage is much better. You are loved and accepted in the context of a life long commitment. Unconditional love can only be truly experienced in that context. If it is love you are seeking (and we all are) then you should start by making sure you have developed a good relationship with the one who is most committed to you...Jesus! His commitment was completely sacrificial and He is committed to your well being more than anyone ever will be. In the story of Ruth she gets here relationship with God right before she ever meets Boaz.

In the end dating isn't about feeling loved for a moment, a day, a week, a month, or even a year. Dating is about finding that person with the right character and values. Dating is about finding a person who will be comitted to loving you for the rest of your life, not a person who "falls" in love with you and might just as easily "fall" out of love with you. Boaz went to great lengths to make sure that Ruth was taken care of, he was committed to her for as long as they lived. He wasn't the kind of guy that was going to give up and go away nor was he the kind of guy that would later turn his back on a commitment he made. Ruth was the same way she was in it for th long haul. That's what dating is about. As soon as you realize that the person you are dating is not that kind of person...end the dating relationship. The longer you put it off, the harder it gets to end it. If your not careful you will end up married to someone you should never have married.

One last thing. A couple of people have asked me how you go about asking a girls dad if you can date her. Let me give you a couple of ideas:

• First, you may want to go on 1 or 2 dates to make sure she is interested. Going on one or two dates is not a relationship. On those dates I would highly recommend not even holding hands. Holding someones hand only tells you the temperature of their body which is probably close to 98.6 degrees (mine is closer to 97.6...must be Minnesota blood).
• Second, if there seems to be a desire on your part and her part to actually have a relationship, then it is time to go and talk to dad. If it is possible do this in person
• Third, her mom and dad are always "Mr." and "Mrs." Be respectful and honest.
  
• Fourth, let dad know your commitment to his daughter is honorable and that you take a dating relationship seriously. Because of that you are committed to being honest and forthright in the relationship.
• Fifth, make a commitment to yourself, your girlfriend, and you her parents to stay pure...but make sure you follow through on it. As a dad who has a daughter who will one day be dating I can assure you that if that commitment was made to me I would want to do everything I can to help the couple accomplish it and I would be very upset if that commitment was broken. That doesn't mean there wouldn't be grace and forgiveness, but I might have to go off by myself and cry for a couple days.

I am going to do another post later this week about how far is too far.