A Good Laugh

With all of the big intense things happening in our world these days it can be hard not to focus on them. In

fact, we can even feel guilty for not allowing them to fill up our thoughts. We can feel ‘insensitive’ or ‘out of touch’ if we are talking about other things that might seem trivial in comparison to some of these ‘larger’ stories. You know the ones I mean.

But here is something really important about our God. He is so big that He can be on top of everything, the big and small alike. While He is most certainly aware and involved in global issues of catastrophic impact, He also sees each tear you cry. He has the hairs on your head numbered. He sees the tiny sparrow fall.

And there is a sense of balance in all of this. Because sometimes we need the mental break that comes from some of the more trivial matters of life, whether that’s doing the laundry or having a good laugh.

Laughter is an important case in point. God created us with a sense of humor. I think we have all (I hope we have anyway) been entertained by that delightful video of the quadruplet babies on the bed with their mom laughing at their silly dad. To laugh is to take things lightly. And sometimes we need that. Don’t get me wrong. We don’t take God lightly, but we need to learn not to take ourselves so serious. And the Bible does tell us to make light of our troubles.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.    2Cor 4:16,17

Is it too much to say that laughter is biblical. I don’t think so…

“When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’ The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.”    Psa 126:1-3

And as for the big stuff? Well, it’s rather comforting to remember that there are no big things for God.

And, for those who haven’t seen the video or just want to watch it again (it’s only 1 minute long) here’s a link to provide you with your daily laugh.

quadruplet babies laughing

42

It’s playing right now in theatres everywhere. It tells the inspiring true story of number 42, baseball Hall Of Fame legend, and civil rights icon, Jackie Robinson. I haven’t seen it and I probably won’t. I would if I thought they would tell the true story; the real story.

True, the movie may well portray a good sense of the incredible injustice and abuse suffered and the triumph of the man who would become the first black man to play major league ball effectively breaking what was called the baseball ‘color line’. In 1947 Jackie Roosevelt Robinson did just that playing first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers. But the problem with the movie is not what it tells but what it leaves out. How did he do it? Where did he find the strength to endure? And why? They left out the most important part. And why would they do that you may be wondering? Well, in case you didn’t know, Jackie Robinson’s strength of character came from his personal faith in God.   

Not only that, but Dodgers’ General Manager Branch Rickey who, at the time, chose Jackie Robinson to be the man to ‘break the color barrier’, did so based, not only on Jackie’s Christian faith and character, but also because of his own personal faith in Christ and his desire to seek social justice for black Americans because of it.

Knowing that the first black man who would break into the racist world of big league ball in twentieth century America would have to endure horrendous abuse, Rickey not only sought out a man he believed had the kind of faith convictions to persevere under such attacks, but used his initial meeting with Jackie to read from Jesus’ teachings in the sermon on the mount to confirm the need for a man who would have the God given ability to ‘resist the temptation to retaliate’ having ‘guts enough not to fight back’. Robinson agreed committing himself to be that man. These men weren’t just playing baseball! These men were setting out to conquer social injustice for the cause of Christ!!! (Apparently, the film does give a nod to Rickey’s faith, like throwing a scrap to a dog.)

Why would the producers leave Robinson’s faith out of this movie? It wasn’t because Robinson was quiet about his faith. He talked openly about it. In a 1950 newspaper interview he explained how he got down on his knees beside his bed to pray before going to sleep. The fact is that personal faith in God played a CENTRAL role in Jackie Robinson’s life and they left it out of a movie that is supposed to tell his story?! How negligent (is deceitful too strong a word?) is that? You decide.

But, it’s not just this movie. Go to Wikipedia and there is a lengthy article on Robinson and all of his accomplishments, which are many and great, along with a section on his personal life. Do a search for the words ‘faith’ or ‘God’ or anything related to his beliefs and you won’t find anything.

So, where is the integrity in that? The secular world constantly dismisses believers as hypocrites, and yet they have no hesitation to rewrite history to support their own views.

So, if you do decide to go see this movie, at least watch it with the understanding (something those sitting around you won’t have) of the back story, which is the real story; the true story of Jackie Robinson.

Keith Green

So, this past Sunday during the sermon I made reference to Keith Green and asked for a show of hands for those who knew who he was. I was shocked when such a very few hands went up. But, since then I did some checking and realized that it has been over 30 years now since his untimely death.

Keith Green was a Christian singer/songwriter who died in a plane crash when he was only 28 years old.

If you aren’t familiar with his music, then you really owe it to yourself to check it out online. He was so much more than a musician. He had a profound impact on me personally as a new believer and I know that to be true for a great number of others as well.  

And, for fun, I’d be interested in some of you sharing with me your favourite Keith Green song. So respond with a comment and let me know and we’ll share some memories.

I couldn’t find my own favorite, ‘The Grace By Which I Stand’, because there seem to be some copyright issues attached to it. I know that Keith wouldn’t be impressed by that as he consistently gave his music away.

But there is no shortage of his songs online. That’s for sure. So, here is one you might recognize even if you didn’t realize who wrote it.

'O, Lord, You're Beautiful'  Live audio 

Social Media

I’m really thankful for all of the wonderful technology that we have ready access to. And when it comes to communications technology I am thankful for the incredible advances made in my lifetime that have brought us things like the internet and social media. I am thankful because it allows us to share our lives like never before. What a blessing!

“We read to know we are not alone” wrote C. S. Lewis. We could say the same about writing. The use of the written word has been elevated to amazing heights by the new technologies. Just think about how the spoken word (unless it is recorded) simply goes off into the air never to be reheard (except allowing that God is able to recover those very words spoken to the wind  - for example see Matthew 12:36). But the written word is a recorded word that is saved for posterity and perpetuity. Writing … the printing press… computer key boards … it’s all old technology now, but these technologies as they continue to develop allow us to share with others in more and more powerful ways.

Are there problems? Oh yeah! But, it is really no different than any other technology. The chainsaw comes to mind; a very powerful tool and one worthy of immense respect. So are words. Technology itself is amoral. It’s all in how we use it. Anything can be used for great harm or for greater good. I was reminded of this some time ago when a young lady made the news because she had gotten herself in trouble for posting some of her indiscretions online. Her words ended up coming back on her and used against her. The purveyors of conventional wisdom at the time were preaching their version of the moral of the story - be careful people what you post online because it becomes so public. Not bad advice but it does miss the more important point – be careful what you think, say and do, whether you think it might become public or not. The real problem isn’t that someone might see what we have done/posted. The real problem is that we would do/write it in the first place. The real problem is not that we might be found out. The real problem is that God already knows. As it is, our present culture seems far more concerned about being found out than it does about us being what we are supposed to be.  

These are powerful tools for sure. And they can be used for great harm or great good. They can be used with wisdom, skill and virtue. They can be used carelessly, ruthlessly and with poor judgment. The technology is there. It’s up to us how we use it. It can be a great friend, other than the fact it knows nothing of forgiveness.

The Gospel In 4 Minutes

Hey everyone,

What an amazing time of year! There is just so much going on and so much to think about, but it’s all good. This weekend is a big weekend for gathering of course. Friday evening we are looking forward to a tremendous and thoughtful time together as we celebrate Good Friday and the Cross by which we are saved. Denis Clay is speaking that night but there are other special things about the evening too. And then this Sunday morning we’re doing Easter breakfast together and then we have a pretty big surprise for the Easter service.

So today I’m just going to post this link here. It’s an amazing video – The Gospel In 4 Minutes – produced by a ministry called Dare2Share. Have a watch and pass it on.

Here’s the link: 

The Gospel In 4 Minutes

That Sinking Feeling

Every once in a while you hear stuff in the news that is almost unthinkable. Earlier this month the ground opened up underneath the bedroom of thirty seven year old Jeff Bush while he slept in his bed in his home in Seffner, Florida. Just like that, Jeff was gone. Rescue workers were not even able to recover his body!

It was only days later when forty three year old Mark Mihal was playing golf with his three buddies at the Annbriar Golf Course in Illinois. They turned around and Mark was gone! Fortunately, his friends who could hear his moaning were able to pull Mark out of the eighteen foot deep sink hole that had suddenly swallowed him alive. He suffered a dislocated shoulder from the ordeal but testified later what it felt like to be falling and not knowing how far down he was going to go and then the feeling as the dirt began falling down over him. 

It’s hard to imagine anything much more terrifying really isn’t it. For sure, these are unusual events, (though sinkholes are apparently much more common than we might expect … in 2012, a 15-year-old girl died when her family's car fell into a sinkhole in Utah) but they do give credence to that old saying (maybe even one of the oldest) – “You just never know!”

It’s more than a saying though. It’s an axiom of life. And even more than that, it is Scripture.

“13 Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’”  James 4:13-15

Now, it is interesting that believers and unbelievers alike share completely in the reality that our lives could turn or end at any point. We both know it full well. The expression ‘You just never know’ is absolutely universal. However, there IS a distinct difference isn’t there. Notice how in the passage we are exhorted to say, “If the Lord wills…”. And that’s the difference right there isn’t it. Those of us who trust Christ have the assurance we belong to Him and as His own, our futures are in His hands. We need to learn to trust and obey. But those without this faith are compelled to believe in fate instead – impersonal, blind chance. As such they must resign themselves to a hopeless sense of despair. The late great thinker Francis Schaeffer referred to such unfortunate souls as ‘cosmic orphans’. Better to have a heavenly Father I think.

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 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? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:25-34

Poped Out

We’ll, I’ve restrained myself for the past few weeks but here goes. I’m poped out. I’m tired of seeing it and hearing it, day in, day out, balding men in long flowing robes with beanies, religious pomp and politics, the endless nattering about nothing really… it all leaves me stone cold. A sense of history is one thing, regression is another.

Some would think I should be more sympathetic. Don’t I identify myself with all those millions of Catholic faithful tuning in with anxious anticipation? No, I don’t. I know that the world identifies me with it, and that’s probably why it bothers me the way it does. The fact that this is what comes to most people’s minds when they hear the word Christian is a disservice to the cause of Christ. I’m not being mean. It’s just a very sad thing. Lots of good people misled.   

The simple truth is that the Roman church hierarchy lost its way more than 1500 years ago and has never recovered from it. The vain traditions and misguided rituals they continue to promote above all else have little to do really with Christianity because what they are so zealous to preserve bares no resemblance to the Christian faith and practice of the New Testament. It’s mere religion.  

Doesn’t it strike you that the world media which is always unashamedly and unreservedly anti-Christ is falling over itself to cover all of this? Why is that? It’s because it doesn’t bother them at all. In fact, they kind of like it. They seem to even relish it! Why? Because it doesn’t convict them at all because they don’t recognize anything of Jesus in it.

Counterfeit has always been one of the devil’s most effective means of keeping people from discovering the truth. I shouldn’t think that I am the only one who would just like to see it all go away. Again, a lot of good people, misled. Makes my heart sick.