There are so many stories that go around everyday about these amazing miracles, from figures with wings carrying children back to their parents to pieces of chalk proving the existence of God. Most of these still remain unverified. And of course, we encounter real miracles in our own lives, an unexplained medical recovery, someone who survived an accident they never should have survived. I myself have witnessed a few of these and been the beneficiary of another. But these have a tendency to be few and far between.
God isn't about size. All sins are equal in his eyes. The first on earth will be the last and the last on earth will be the first in heaven. God has a plan, bigger than human imagining and even the tiniest thing is under his domain.
I was thinking today about all the blessings we miss in life. The ones that we don't even notice anymore, the ones we take for granted. I think it is likely I will get many people arguing with me on what the nature of a miracle is. Many believe that for something to be a miracle it has to be truly remarkable. The catholic church, in order for a miracle to be recognized, limits miracles to physically perceptible miracles (mostly healings but some include interventions by visual manifeststions of heavenly figures and of course other miracles are considered just less often) that are scientifically shown to have no explicable natural cause.
And it is true in our society that we, at least in spoken rhetoric, treat miracles lightly. I would guess that most people have heard someone shout "it's a miracle!" when finding their lost keys or the mate to a beloved shoe that had been missing a long time. I'm not saying that everything good that happens is a miracle either, although the fact that we are alive on this earth is in my mind a miracle of God.
But that said, one of the websites I consulted to confirm the catholic definition of miracle, catholiceducation.org, also mentioned that a miracle is a wonder showing he glory of God. There are many amazing little things that fit into this category, the miracle of birth, the stranger whose faith inspires them to show someone comfort, the teenage boy who gives up his seat on the bus to an older woman is even showing the glory of God. In my mind, acts of conscience, of mercy, these all show the glory of God, the wonder of the soul He gave us. I knew a friend who told a story of a really terrible day in her life (which I will not go into without permission) in which her faith was re-affirmed because the fact there was no traffic on the highway during rush hour inspired her to thank God for the little things. In that case, I would think clear traffic was a miracle.
I am not trying to devalue the word miracle. And I do believe God still does dramatic, physical miracles. I've even witnessed a very small handful. I just think that we need to appreciate every moment of this life as an act of God. Every infant born is a miracle, every life saved is at His hand. These are the things we all too often overlook. And they are also the things on which we should focus!
Friday, December 02, 2005
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
The Cop-out Conundrum
I mentioned my Bible Class before. At the college preparatory academy I attend the first class of the day is Bible Class. This class replaces HomeRoom as it would be in many schools which are not religiously affiliated. My first year Bible covered the old testament from Genesis to Malachi. My second year it covered the New Testament. My third year was basically psalms, praises, and prophesies. This year the class is called Knowing the Times. The class is inspired by the book by David Lloyd-Jones.
This book categorizes and describes the five or six primary types of worldviews. A worldview is more than a religion or a philosophy or a way of life, it is all three. Google defines a worldview as a "a particular philosophy of life or conception of the world." The Free Dictionary says a worldview is "The overall perspective from which one sees and interprets the world and/or a collection of beliefs about life and the universe held by an individual or a group." The Macmillan Dictionary defines it as "the way that someone sees and understands world events, especially in relation to their religious or political beliefs and ideas."
The class is designed to teach these different worldviews from the texts of the advocates of the views, meaning it teaches from direct quotes from manifestos and leading men and women in the worldview. This is so that what we learn is not prejudiced by the potential bias of the authors of the book. The purpose is, however Christian apologetics. So then we study the Christian viewpoint and perspectives on the same parts of life or readings, and often the apologetics of how to refute some of the premises of these worldviews.
In the class I have been working on a summary of Marxist and Socialist ethical systems. We study these systems from direct quotes, as I mentioned, and I will post some.
"Law, morality, religion, are...so many [prejudices of the upper class] behind which lurk in ambush just as many [of the upper classes' interests]" -Marx
"We know perfectly well that the...landowners...invoked the name of God as to further their own interests as exploiters" -Lenin
"So long as classes exist on the earth, there will be no such thing in life as something good in the absolute sense...what is good for the 'imperialists'" [In this context he means every not socialist, communist, or marxist part of the world] " is disastrous for the working class...." -Khruschev
For those of you who don't know, these are the very founders of Marxism and Leninism. To give you a little background, I am a red-blooded capitalist. That doesn't mean I don't think a commonwealth, or socialistic system wouldn't work in an ideal world. Sharing and freely taking care of ones fellow man is a beautiful ideal. But I also believe in the sinful nature of man, and that such a system cannot possibly function in the world as it is. And I truly believe history backs me up.
But even ignoring my capitalistic tendencies, having read that, don't those quotes sound like the statements of conspiracy theorists. "It's all the upper class." I know many people in the upper class. They don't get together in meetings trying to crush the little guy. Most of them have gained their wealth in ways so varied they don't even resemble one another. They don't travel in the same circles or speak to the same people or attend the same clubs and churches. When exactly did they get together to plan this intentional, large-scale suppression of the rights of the middle and lower class? And not a single one of them that I have met has ever minded that we have the most dramatically graduated income tax in the world in the United States.
I am not so naive as I sound. I know there are good men and bad men from every walk of life. But that does not mean that the wealthy are all bad, or mostly bad. Because they're just not. A wise man once told me the wealthy don't do anything TO the lower class they do something DIFFERENT than the lower class. While this is of course not universally true, I think the villainization of the upper class is a trap. (I also acknowledge that there are many in the world in poverty who need the help of spirit-filled Christians to jump start their life and take control, whether this is from sin or from poverty or from something else.)
FINALLY, I got to the point. Sorry, but I had a little more back story than usual.
The same man who said that told me that we as humans tend to sabotage ourselves. We know that if we step up and put ourselves out there we might fail. Perhaps we are even likely to fail, many times, before we succeed. We need to stop making excuses and get moving.
Abraham Lincoln (and I am sure you have heard this before) lost his job, failed at his own business, and was defeated for eight political positions before becoming president. But ultimately he reunited the country and ended slavery. (while severely limiting states rights and expanding federal control, but we can't have it all can we?) All of us we are bound to mess up at some point. But an error does not become a mistake until we refuse to correct it.
Lamentations 3:36 says, “To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not." (KJV) Later in the same passage it says "Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD."
When we find ourself sabotaging ourselves, or even others, we need to turn away from our own doubts and claims and excuses, we need to turn to the Lord. We need to evaluate what we have been doing and seek God through prayer and change OUR path, instead of blaming others for our misfortune.
2 Peter 2:10 says "Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble." We are responsible for our own actions. And 2 Corinthians 5:10 says that when we appear before the Judgment Seat we will all be held accountable for our own actions, whether for good or for ill.
OK, so my example is a little too overarching. I said that not all wealthy people are responsible for the poverty of others, and I am well aware that many of the impoverished are facing circumstances beyond their control. My point, however, is sound. We often seek to make excuses, to take the easy way out. We blame others for our failures and don't own up to our actions if we even take action. Because it is far easier to do nothing. After all, "Those who don't try, never look foolish." -Fiyero But neither do those who do not try accomplish anything.
And to steal another man's wisdom "It has been said that for evil men to accomplish their purpose it is only necessary that good men should do nothing" -Reverend Charles F. Aked.
You may recognize the quote's later version "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."-Edmund Burke.
Matthew 7:3-5 offers an additional admonishment: we should not spend our time focusing on what others do wrong at all but rather make sure our heart, lives, and actions are in the right place first before helping others do the same.
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye." Matthew 7:3-5 (NIV)
This book categorizes and describes the five or six primary types of worldviews. A worldview is more than a religion or a philosophy or a way of life, it is all three. Google defines a worldview as a "a particular philosophy of life or conception of the world." The Free Dictionary says a worldview is "The overall perspective from which one sees and interprets the world and/or a collection of beliefs about life and the universe held by an individual or a group." The Macmillan Dictionary defines it as "the way that someone sees and understands world events, especially in relation to their religious or political beliefs and ideas."
The class is designed to teach these different worldviews from the texts of the advocates of the views, meaning it teaches from direct quotes from manifestos and leading men and women in the worldview. This is so that what we learn is not prejudiced by the potential bias of the authors of the book. The purpose is, however Christian apologetics. So then we study the Christian viewpoint and perspectives on the same parts of life or readings, and often the apologetics of how to refute some of the premises of these worldviews.
In the class I have been working on a summary of Marxist and Socialist ethical systems. We study these systems from direct quotes, as I mentioned, and I will post some.
"Law, morality, religion, are...so many [prejudices of the upper class] behind which lurk in ambush just as many [of the upper classes' interests]" -Marx
"We know perfectly well that the...landowners...invoked the name of God as to further their own interests as exploiters" -Lenin
"So long as classes exist on the earth, there will be no such thing in life as something good in the absolute sense...what is good for the 'imperialists'" [In this context he means every not socialist, communist, or marxist part of the world] " is disastrous for the working class...." -Khruschev
For those of you who don't know, these are the very founders of Marxism and Leninism. To give you a little background, I am a red-blooded capitalist. That doesn't mean I don't think a commonwealth, or socialistic system wouldn't work in an ideal world. Sharing and freely taking care of ones fellow man is a beautiful ideal. But I also believe in the sinful nature of man, and that such a system cannot possibly function in the world as it is. And I truly believe history backs me up.
But even ignoring my capitalistic tendencies, having read that, don't those quotes sound like the statements of conspiracy theorists. "It's all the upper class." I know many people in the upper class. They don't get together in meetings trying to crush the little guy. Most of them have gained their wealth in ways so varied they don't even resemble one another. They don't travel in the same circles or speak to the same people or attend the same clubs and churches. When exactly did they get together to plan this intentional, large-scale suppression of the rights of the middle and lower class? And not a single one of them that I have met has ever minded that we have the most dramatically graduated income tax in the world in the United States.
I am not so naive as I sound. I know there are good men and bad men from every walk of life. But that does not mean that the wealthy are all bad, or mostly bad. Because they're just not. A wise man once told me the wealthy don't do anything TO the lower class they do something DIFFERENT than the lower class. While this is of course not universally true, I think the villainization of the upper class is a trap. (I also acknowledge that there are many in the world in poverty who need the help of spirit-filled Christians to jump start their life and take control, whether this is from sin or from poverty or from something else.)
FINALLY, I got to the point. Sorry, but I had a little more back story than usual.
The same man who said that told me that we as humans tend to sabotage ourselves. We know that if we step up and put ourselves out there we might fail. Perhaps we are even likely to fail, many times, before we succeed. We need to stop making excuses and get moving.
Abraham Lincoln (and I am sure you have heard this before) lost his job, failed at his own business, and was defeated for eight political positions before becoming president. But ultimately he reunited the country and ended slavery. (while severely limiting states rights and expanding federal control, but we can't have it all can we?) All of us we are bound to mess up at some point. But an error does not become a mistake until we refuse to correct it.
Lamentations 3:36 says, “To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not." (KJV) Later in the same passage it says "Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD."
When we find ourself sabotaging ourselves, or even others, we need to turn away from our own doubts and claims and excuses, we need to turn to the Lord. We need to evaluate what we have been doing and seek God through prayer and change OUR path, instead of blaming others for our misfortune.
2 Peter 2:10 says "Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble." We are responsible for our own actions. And 2 Corinthians 5:10 says that when we appear before the Judgment Seat we will all be held accountable for our own actions, whether for good or for ill.
OK, so my example is a little too overarching. I said that not all wealthy people are responsible for the poverty of others, and I am well aware that many of the impoverished are facing circumstances beyond their control. My point, however, is sound. We often seek to make excuses, to take the easy way out. We blame others for our failures and don't own up to our actions if we even take action. Because it is far easier to do nothing. After all, "Those who don't try, never look foolish." -Fiyero But neither do those who do not try accomplish anything.
And to steal another man's wisdom "It has been said that for evil men to accomplish their purpose it is only necessary that good men should do nothing" -Reverend Charles F. Aked.
You may recognize the quote's later version "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."-Edmund Burke.
Matthew 7:3-5 offers an additional admonishment: we should not spend our time focusing on what others do wrong at all but rather make sure our heart, lives, and actions are in the right place first before helping others do the same.
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye." Matthew 7:3-5 (NIV)
The Hubris of the Helpless
So here's what happened. Today I had some friends over to work on a project for school. It just so happens that I have a dog, a young golden-doodle, who is extremely hyper. Loving, but hyper.... and psychotic, who jumps all over the place.
One of these friends, lets call her Emmaline, has an older brother who plays football. He arrived to pick Emmaline up and I rushed to the side door to warn him about our dog.
"She is really hyper, if you go around, she won't bother you, she is on a line!" I said.
"It's OK, I am not afraid of dogs," he said; very macho.
The irony was not lost on me when less than two minutes later the same macho football player was coming toward me at a dead sprint, trying to beat said dog to the door. He slid around the corner, slamming the door shut behind him.
Isn't that so like life! We say or think we can handle things that we just CAN'T, and God has to be there to save us, or straighten us out.
After my beloved maternal grandmother passed away my grandfather moved in with us. My grandpa is a great man and a brave veteran. But without his wife of nearly 60 years he was and is completely lost. Not too long ago out of sheer boredom (I suspect) he began to remove the scrub brush from between our house and our neighbor's house. He considered said scrub brush to be an eyesore. While these plants were not especially appealing, they did serve one purpose, as a privacy screen.
It soon became clear that my grandfather had bitten off more than he could chew. And our privacy screen had three random holes in it that he managed to clear out, and a few thin areas. Not only was it far uglier than before, it no longer functioned as a privacy screen.
Ultimately we had to remove the rest of the brush, put in a retaining wall, and plant six trees to serve the same purpose. It took four family members and two friends two months to complete the process.
Yet again, we see that often times we bite off more than we can chew. We say or think we can do things that we can't. Whether we do so out of pride, boredom, a mistaken sense of our own abilities, or a dozen other possible reasons, the result is the same: the people who love us step in and bail us out.
So too does God step in when we need Him. In Exodus (starting at chapter 15) the Israelites messed up over and over and over again. They literally wandered in the desert because they refused to listen to God's directions. But God gave them one chance after another after another. We too are God's chosen people and he will give us many chances and he will help us and stand by us.
So, watch out for when you think you can do things on your own, for without Christ we are nothing, and with him, we are strong.
I'll leave you with a verse I feel is so very important, and yet so many people overlook it, not because they have never used it but rather because it is over used. "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength," Philippians 4:13. But also remember how little you can do without him.
One of these friends, lets call her Emmaline, has an older brother who plays football. He arrived to pick Emmaline up and I rushed to the side door to warn him about our dog.
"She is really hyper, if you go around, she won't bother you, she is on a line!" I said.
"It's OK, I am not afraid of dogs," he said; very macho.
The irony was not lost on me when less than two minutes later the same macho football player was coming toward me at a dead sprint, trying to beat said dog to the door. He slid around the corner, slamming the door shut behind him.
Isn't that so like life! We say or think we can handle things that we just CAN'T, and God has to be there to save us, or straighten us out.
After my beloved maternal grandmother passed away my grandfather moved in with us. My grandpa is a great man and a brave veteran. But without his wife of nearly 60 years he was and is completely lost. Not too long ago out of sheer boredom (I suspect) he began to remove the scrub brush from between our house and our neighbor's house. He considered said scrub brush to be an eyesore. While these plants were not especially appealing, they did serve one purpose, as a privacy screen.
It soon became clear that my grandfather had bitten off more than he could chew. And our privacy screen had three random holes in it that he managed to clear out, and a few thin areas. Not only was it far uglier than before, it no longer functioned as a privacy screen.
Ultimately we had to remove the rest of the brush, put in a retaining wall, and plant six trees to serve the same purpose. It took four family members and two friends two months to complete the process.
Yet again, we see that often times we bite off more than we can chew. We say or think we can do things that we can't. Whether we do so out of pride, boredom, a mistaken sense of our own abilities, or a dozen other possible reasons, the result is the same: the people who love us step in and bail us out.
So too does God step in when we need Him. In Exodus (starting at chapter 15) the Israelites messed up over and over and over again. They literally wandered in the desert because they refused to listen to God's directions. But God gave them one chance after another after another. We too are God's chosen people and he will give us many chances and he will help us and stand by us.
So, watch out for when you think you can do things on your own, for without Christ we are nothing, and with him, we are strong.
I'll leave you with a verse I feel is so very important, and yet so many people overlook it, not because they have never used it but rather because it is over used. "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength," Philippians 4:13. But also remember how little you can do without him.
Monday, November 28, 2005
An Auspicious Inception?
So, I go to a Christian school, and today I was sitting in Bible Class, listening to the teacher lecturing on Humanist ethical bases; or rather, the principles upon which Humanists base their ethical codes. The fantastic part about it is that the quotes from leading humanists actually said that they had no basis for an ethical system without God. Of course I found this very interesting because I find that I believe this as well; namely that without an overarching authority determining right and wrong, what is right and wrong? But these Humanist speakers took this one step further, saying that without God, there was no point to an ethical system because there was no one to enforce it. Whether there is a literal enforcer for a moral code or not, a code requires consequences or rewards to be effective.
In Christianity these are provided as well as an overarching “enforcer” so to speak of a moral code. While at times this may seem daunting, this ensures we don't go to anarchy or worse chaos. (Because I must admit on a rare occasion anarchy sounds just the tiniest bit fun.) If there were no right, there would also be no wrong. And just think of all the wrong things you would rather remain that way, morally wrong that is. Makes ya glad you have someone up there watching over you huh?
Yes, that's right, I jumped right into my first post. My introduction to you. This is my chance to talk about my faith. I think of this as an intersection of theology, Christian Apologetics, common sense, and personal opinion. There is so much to be learned. I hope to offer some common sense for those of us who still have difficulty discussing our faith with non-believers, or debating it with those holding other viewpoints. No, I am no expert, but these are my thoughts and some hard-earned experience that might help out.
Contrary to common belief, Christianity is just as, if not more, defensible by science than any and every other worldview. It has as much (and in most cases more) historical fact, logical reasoning, and followers as any other religion, philosophy, belief or standpoint. This is just a place for me to post my musings on the subject, and give some tips whether you're doubting, or you are trying to convince someone else! Feel free to post to this with questions, or other comments :)
Essentially my goal here is to encourage, to organize my own thoughts, and to hopefully get people thinking. My biggest aspiration here is to launch an advice column side-by-side with this page to address specific issues, particularly those facing Christian youth.
I will try to keep this as typo, grammatical-error, and spelling-error free as possible, but I tend to write posts in the wee hours of the morning (or in my opinion really really really late at night).
My Biblical basis:
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” - Hebrews 24:10-25 (ESV)
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”- 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV)
In Christianity these are provided as well as an overarching “enforcer” so to speak of a moral code. While at times this may seem daunting, this ensures we don't go to anarchy or worse chaos. (Because I must admit on a rare occasion anarchy sounds just the tiniest bit fun.) If there were no right, there would also be no wrong. And just think of all the wrong things you would rather remain that way, morally wrong that is. Makes ya glad you have someone up there watching over you huh?
Yes, that's right, I jumped right into my first post. My introduction to you. This is my chance to talk about my faith. I think of this as an intersection of theology, Christian Apologetics, common sense, and personal opinion. There is so much to be learned. I hope to offer some common sense for those of us who still have difficulty discussing our faith with non-believers, or debating it with those holding other viewpoints. No, I am no expert, but these are my thoughts and some hard-earned experience that might help out.
Contrary to common belief, Christianity is just as, if not more, defensible by science than any and every other worldview. It has as much (and in most cases more) historical fact, logical reasoning, and followers as any other religion, philosophy, belief or standpoint. This is just a place for me to post my musings on the subject, and give some tips whether you're doubting, or you are trying to convince someone else! Feel free to post to this with questions, or other comments :)
Essentially my goal here is to encourage, to organize my own thoughts, and to hopefully get people thinking. My biggest aspiration here is to launch an advice column side-by-side with this page to address specific issues, particularly those facing Christian youth.
I will try to keep this as typo, grammatical-error, and spelling-error free as possible, but I tend to write posts in the wee hours of the morning (or in my opinion really really really late at night).
My Biblical basis:
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” - Hebrews 24:10-25 (ESV)
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”- 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV)
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