Think Again

Jonah: An Audio Commentary

2011-10-13T15:36:00.003-04:00

Several years ago, I would not have taught the book of Jonah because, frankly, I didn't believe it. In fact, a former pastor of mine once preached a four week series on the book of Jonah, and I can distinctly remember secretly wondering how someone so smart could actually take the book of Jonah so seriously.

Over time, however, I have actually fallen in love with the book of Jonah. Trust is something that takes time - and the Bible is something that you trust.

My prayer is that, through this audio commentary, I can convey just a little bit of my love for this story - and that you might just fall in love with it too.

-Jason

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Book Endorsement Sunday: #3

2011-08-20T07:32:00.006-04:00

Title
"For Men Only: A Straightforward Guide to the Inner Lives of Women"

Authors
Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn

Publisher
Multnomah Books

Copyright
April 3, 2006

Summary
Based on nationwide surveys and hundreds of personal interviews, this small hardback book functions as a man's tour guide through the complex maze of a women's inner life. It tries to answer such questions as,

-Why does she ask, "Do you love me?" even though you just said "I love you." this morning?
-Why does she, out of nowhere, bring up something that happened two years ago?
-Why does she accuse you of "not caring about her", when you're working long hard hours to provide security for her and the kids?
-Why does she say she doesn't want you to fix it, she just wants you to listen?
-Why does she rarely initiate sex?
-Why does she ask "Do these pants make me look fat?"

Audience
If you're looking for a book that will offer some practical tips for how to better understand and love your wife (or girlfriend) - this book is for you. Despite thinking I had a pretty good grasp on how my wife worked, I found this book extremely helpful (and surprising!). If you're prepared to ignore a few generalizations that won't apply to your specific situation, I think you'll find this book very eye-opening.

If you're a woman seeking to understand your man, you can check out the companion book cleverly titled, "For Women Only"

Part One: What's the Least I Can Believe and Still be a Christian?

2011-08-18T21:38:00.005-04:00

I purchased a book today which just absolutely fascinates me. It's called,

"What's the Least I can Believe and Still be a Christian?"

It's written by Martin Thielen, senior pastor of Lebanon First United Methodist Church in Lebanon, Tennessee. In the first part of his book, Thielen lists "Ten things Christians DON'T Need to Believe".

Since I haven't read the book, I'm not going to offer a critique, I'm just going to give you his list for your pondering pleasure!

Here are the ten things, according to Thielen, Christians don't need to believe (taken straight from the book's Table of Contents)...

1. God Causes Cancer, Car Wrecks, and Other Catastrophes
Although God can and does bring good results out of tragedy, God does not cause tragic events to occur.

2. Good Christians Don't Doubt
Doubt is not the enemy of faith but part of authentic Christianity.

3. True Christians Can't Believe in Evolution
Science and faith are fully compatible, and theistic evolution is a perfectly acceptable Christian belief.

4. Women Can't Be Preachers and Must Submit to Men
Women are fully equal with men in marriage, in church, and in society.

5. God Cares about Saving Souls but Not about Saving Trees
God cares about personal salvation and social justice, and so should God's church.

6. Bad People Will Be "Left Behind" and Then Fry in Hell
Left-behind rapture theology is neither a biblical nor a historical Christian belief and should be left behind by mainline and moderate evangelical Christians.

7. Jews Won't Make It to Heaven
The ultimate destiny of non-Christians is in God's hands, and God can be trusted to do what's right.

8. Everything in the Bible Should be Taken Literally
Although we must always take the Bible seriously, we don't always have to take it literally.

9. God Loves Straight People but Not Gay People
All persons, including homosexual persons, are welcome in God's church. Beyond that, however, mainline and moderate churches are not of one mind on this issue. For now, "welcoming but not affirming" best describes most mainline churches, and the discussion goes on.

10. It's OK for Christians to Be Judgemental and Obnoxious
True Christians leave judgment to God.

~~~

As you think about this list, and perhaps formulate your own, remember that just because you believe something, doesn't automatically mean it is absolutely essential to Christian theology. Just because something is true, it isn't automatically granted "core Christianity" status.

What makes (or doesn't make) someone a "Christian" by definition?

Part two of this series will take a look at the ten things, according to Thielen, Christians DO need to believe.

Book Endorsement Sunday: #2

2011-08-14T14:01:00.004-04:00

Title
"131 Christians Everyone Should Know"

Author
Mark Galli (with the editors of Christian History Magazine)

Publisher
Holman Reference

Copyright
October 1, 2000

Summary
Each 2-5 page chapter in this hefty 384 page book focuses on one individual in Christian history. What's helpful about this book is that it divides the 131 people into several different categories: Theologians, Evangelists and Apologists, Pastors and Preachers, Musicians, Artists and Writers, Poets, Denominational Founders, Movers and Shakers, Missionaries, Inner Travelers, Activists, Rulers, Scholars and Scientists, and Martyrs.

Audience
If you're looking for an introduction to some fascinating characters in church history, this is the book for you. The chapters are short so it's great to read right before you go to bed. I really enjoyed reading this book because it helped deepen my appreciation for the diverse stream of Christians throughout history who have taken a stand for Christ.

How to Get Your Husband to Do Something

2011-08-11T15:17:00.011-04:00

Ladies, at the risk of being excommunicated from First Baptist of Manhood - I'm going to let you in on a little secret:

Men can be idiots sometimes.

To be specific, I'm talking about the inability of the male species to detect subtle hints, deft nudges, or nods followed by winks. I'd like to think that men can't pick up on hints because we're honest, hard-working, no-nonsense type of people who tell it like it is and want nothing to do with this mysterious you-would-have-known-what-I-meant-if-you-really-loved-me romanticism.

Sadly, the truth is much less dramatic - we don't get hints because we're kind of dense. (think trying to shoot an arrow through a thick cube of Styrofoam)

For example, let's say your front lawn looks like it could be featured on the cover of National Geographic. So, as you're pulling into your driveway after a nice steak dinner at Texas Roadhouse one lovely evening, you casually remark to your hubby, "Our lawn needs mowed."

Now, here is what YOU are thinking when you say this:

"I'm such a good wife, I didn't even nag him about how lousy he is at yard-work. Nope. I just made a respectful statement of fact. That way, we won't get into a fight about my 'tone'. I know my husband will get the hint, slap his palm on his forehead, and say, 'Oh my! You're right! I'll do that right now! In fact, why don't you run to the nearest Redbox, check-out your favorite chick-flick, and grab some popcorn and candy! By the time you get home, the lawn will be mowed! Then, I'll take out the garbage, take a shower, put on some cologne, and we can curl up on the couch while I whisper sweet nothings in your ear.'"

As ideal as this scenario would be, here is what HE was thinking when you said this:

"Wow, that was the biggest steak I've ever eaten - I'm stuffed."

I know what you're thinking.

"There's no way a man could miss such an obvious clue."

If that's what you're thinking, here's what I'm thinking...

...you're single.

OK, so maybe that's a bit harsh. I suppose not ALL hints go unnoticed by men. My lawn once got so tall my neighbor knocked on my door one night and offered to lend me their mower. (that hint I understood)

But let's get serious, unless you're prepared to pay off your neighbor every time you want a decent looking lawn, we have to look at alternative therapy options for your man.

Three Hints (pardon the pun)

1. Pretend He's Three
"Now Jason, did you see every other lawn on our street as we came home tonight? You did? Oh didn't they look so nice! Wouldn't you like our lawn to look like that? You would? Well Jason, that only happens when a mower gets pushed back and forth over the entire lawn by a big strong man - a big strong man like you. How about you go mow the lawn, right now. And maybe, if you do a good job, you'll get a cookie when you're done? Doesn't that sound like fun?!"

2. Use Visual Aids
"You see this picture? It's of our house. When the lawn was shorter. Three months ago. I want our house to look like this picture by eight o'clock tonight. It's seven o'clock now. I suggest you get busy."

3. Make Stuff Up
"Well, we were going to order pizza tonight but President Obama just signed a bill into law that forbids pizza from being delivered to homes with grass longer than 7 inches. However, the law also states that pizza can be in transit to homes if the lawn is being mowed at the time the order is placed. What's that? You're going to go mow the lawn now? Great, I'll order the pizza."

Then again.

You could always just mow the lawn yourself.

Solo

2011-08-07T23:12:00.006-04:00

Solo
by Jason Hart

~~~~

"God is dead.

And we have killed him."

- Friedrich Nietzsche

~~~~

A stiff, upright tuxedo stood waiting deep in the bowels of Bell South Stadium. The black suit, complete with cuff links, wingtip shoes, and pinstripes, had been hand tailored to be perfectly filled when worn by a very specific person. God, actually. The suit was worn by God.

An anonymous stagehand holding a clipboard and wearing a headset glanced at her watch and called out, "30 seconds!"

Solo shifted His weight and slipped His right hand into His left vest pocket. He pulled out a slightly rumpled 3x5 card He had written a few notes on the night before. Solo silently rehearsed the main points of His speech in His mind.

"15 seconds!"

Solo turned to head down the long tunnel that led into the stadium. As He strode confidently forward, He caught His first glimpse of the massive crowd that filled the far side of the arena. Not a single person was still seated.

"10!"

All across the stadium, flash bulbs started popping as thousands of civilians-turned-paparazzi snapped what one can only assume were blurry photos. Loud music sprinted out of dozens of mounted speakers, anxious to provide the appropriate atmosphere for their Creator. Heavily outnumbered security guards struggled in vain to prevent hundreds of flower bouquets from being tossed onto the stadium field.

But above all the ruckus, a most beautiful sound began to trump the flurry of activity. It started softly, but quickly grew until every other noise in the stadium was drowned out by it's intensity. It was the collective voice of the people. Calling for their King. Shouting His name. Thousands of voices, raised in unison chanting the name of their God over and over.

"Solo!"
"Solo!"
"Solo!"

A grin took Solo's face hostage as He breached the tunnel doorway and stepped into the stadium. He began to ascend the stairs leading up to the platform, but as He turned and waved to the crowd, He sensed something was wrong. The once deafening chant suddenly sounded different. It wasn't, as He had previously thought, the sound of a thousand voices, it was only the sound of one. And for some reason, the voice reminded Him of someone. Finally, Solo realized that the reason He recognized the voice was because it was coming from His lifelong servant, Abad.

"Solo!"
"Solo!"
"Solo!"

"What's going on?" Solo wondered.

Solo tried to steady Himself as He felt the world around Him beginning to crumble. He wanted to turn His head to see if He could spot Abad, but His neck seemed paralyzed. In fact, it was as if His whole body was stuck in quickly drying concrete. As the stadium around Him faded to gray, then black, Solo could just barely make out His name.

"Solo!"
"Solo!"
"Solo!"

~~~~

"Solo."
"Solo."
"Solo, wake up."

Abad stood at the edge of Solo's bed, leaning over His master's frame and gently shaking Him into consciousness.

Solo startled awake, and took a deep breath. He scooted Himself to the edge of His king sized bed and swung His legs over the edge of His thick mattress. He sat there for a few moments, propping Himself up with His hands, and collected His thoughts. Solo closed His eyes, stretched and swiveled His neck, and let His shoulders sag.

"Are you okay, Sir?" Abad prompted.

Solo smiled and let out a sigh. He glanced at the floor, "I guess there are some dreams you just don't want to end."

"A dream?" Abad asked curiously, "And tell me Master, what does God dream about?"

"I dreamed I was famous."

-The End

You can read my other short stories here.

Book Endorsement Sunday: #1

2011-08-07T20:01:00.006-04:00

Title
"Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die" (originally published as "The Passion of Jesus Christ" in 2004)

Author
John Piper

Publisher
Crossway Books

Copyright
January 27, 2006

Summary
This excellent book offers, as the title suggests, 50 reasons Jesus came to die. Each chapter is only two pages long, is introduced by a short scripture passage, and includes a brief commentary by John Piper.

"John Piper has gathered from the New Testament fifty reasons. Not fifty causes, but fifty purposes--in answer to the most important questions that each of us must face: What did God achieve for sinners like us in sending his Son to die?" (from Amazon.com)

Audience
If you're appreciation of the gospel is stagnating, or if you want to gain a deeper understanding of Christ's work on the cross, this is the book for you. This book is very rich theologically, but not too academic for the average reader. It's a great read before bed, or if you want to prepare your heart for the Christmas season, or if you just need something to supplement your daily devotions.

Love Wins: Part Three

2011-08-01T20:27:00.013-04:00

This is the final of a three part book review of "Love Wins" by Rob Bell. If you haven't already, you can read the first two parts by clicking the links below.

Part One

Part Two

~~~

Rob Bell paints an unconventional, and, frankly, attractive, picture of how the eternal fate of mankind will play out. A part of me would love to embrace Bell's optimistic framework, but I'm hesitant to welcome his views with open arms.

Before I could adopt Bell's theology, there are at least three major hurdles I would need to overcome. These are certainly not exhaustive of the many, many problems I had with Bell's book. But for the sake of time and space, these three will have to be sufficient.

Hurdle #1
Perpetual Chances for the Unsaved After Death

Bell maintains that since the gates of heaven are never shut, the potential for reconciliation of the unsaved remains open well into eternity. Or, to put it another way, nobody is going to be "banned" once and for all to hell.

There are at least two passages of Scripture that make this idea of perpetual chances into eternity hard for me to believe.

Matthew 25:31-34,41,46
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels...And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

This passage seems to make clear that (at some point in the future) the saved and lost will be separated once and for all. Sure, you could throw in a second, third, or even fourth chance to be saved after death - but eventually there's going to be a final judgement that separates the "sheep" from the "goats". One day, you'll be out of chances, and your destiny can't flip-flop anymore.

Revelation 20:11-14
"Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."

Again, this passage seems to be saying that eventually, you have a final destination. There comes a point in the future when you're either in, or you're out.

Hurdle #2
The Object of Faith for Salvation

Bell believes that salvation comes through Jesus Christ. However, he finds a loop hole by arguing that since Christ is God - you only have to believe in God in order to be saved.

Taking it a step further, Bell seems to argue that since God is good and powerful and right and loving - then when you believe in those good and wonderful ideas, you are actually believing in God. Which, means that you could actually believe in Christ without knowing it. This (in theory) opens up the door for people of any faith to be saved - whether they use Christ's name or not - so long as they believe in God.

To sum up then, Bell cleverly shifts the object of our faith for salvation from the historical person and work of Jesus Christ (specific revelation) to the more universally accessible idea of God (general revelation).

The problem I have with Bell taking this logical jump is that the NT writers don't take this logical jump.

The NT writers affirm that Jesus is God - but they still insist that the object of our faith (that which we are to believe in for our salvation) is the person of Jesus Christ specifically, not the person of God generally.

John 3:18 "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God."

Acts 4:11-12
"This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Romans 10:9
"...if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

I John 5:11-12 "And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life."

Furthermore, if simply God in general is the object of faith necessary for salvation, why would Paul say in Romans,

"How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?"

But wait.

What about the tax collector in Luke 18, his object of faith for salvation wasn't Christ. Couldn't the tax collector looking to heaven and praying, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" - and being "justified" -be pointed to as an exception?

Possibly.

Even so, it's just that - an exception. The NT writers didn't view this as the normative means of salvation, and neither should we. Time and again in the NT, Christ is named as the object of faith for salvation. If we find one exception to this and make a massive paradigm shift theologically, and make it the rule - we're playing a dangerous game with the text.

Would we start recommending people go skydiving without parachutes just because we read about one person surviving a jump without one? Of course not.

Hurdle #3
A Good God Wouldn't Send People to Hell

The title of Bell's book, "Love Wins", alludes to the overall premise in the book that it doesn't make sense for a loving God to condemn people to hell. In fact, Bell argues that if history were such that the majority of people went to hell, it would be as if God failed. (page 98)

The emotional side of Bell's argument is perhaps felt the strongest on page 102 when he asks,

"Have billions of people been created only to spend eternity in conscious punishment and torment, suffering infinitely for the finite sins they committed in the few years they spend on earth?

Is God our friend, our provider, our protector, our father - or is God the kind of judge who may in the end declare that we deserve to spend forever separated from our Father?

Is history tragic?"

Isn't this the question that, if we're honest, haunts us as believers?

As emotionally difficult as it might be for me to say it, the bottom line is this - God can do whatever he wants.

When I'm confronted with who God is, I have to find a way to stand under (not over) His character.

I have to conform my view of God to align with what God has revealed about Himself in Scripture, not conform God to my sensibilities and expectations.

In other words, the question of whether or not God will send people to hell isn't a question we can leave up to our emotions. It's a question we have to try to answer by looking at the text of Scripture.

Furthermore, we have to keep in mind that sin has consequences. Twice in human history (first with Adam's family; second with Noah's family) everyone on earth had access to a knowledge of God. However, due to people rejecting this knowledge of God (and by consequence, a knowledge of Christ) there are now entire nations of people who will never know God.

If we're going to believe that God won't banish anyone to hell, it needs to be because we're convinced it's Biblical, not because we're convinced it's a better picture of history.

Furthermore, the issue of God's character, heaven, and hell are too important to rely on what we've always believed, or what we've always been taught. Relying on what we think the Bible says about hell is just as dangerous as relying on how we feel about God sending people to hell.

How is it Going to End?

The question Rob Bell and I have to ask ourselves is the same -

"Am I willing to submit my views about heaven, hell, and the fate of every person who ever lived, to God's Word?"

Am I really interested in the truth?

It's tempting to finish a book like "Love Wins" and ask, "Is Rob Bell a heretic?"

I think that this question has it's place, and that it's way more complicated than a 'yes' or 'no'.

But, the question that ought to take precedence in my minds is, "Am I a heretic?"

It would be easy, and justifiable, to focus on the many places Bell got it wrong. The problem is, I'm not responsible for Bell's theology.

I am responsible for mine.

And you are responsible for yours.

Love Wins: Part Two

2011-07-25T08:51:00.014-04:00

Rob Bell’s theology is difficult to pin down. He is a highly creative thinker and writes on the page like an artist paints on a canvas. The nature of his argumentation is like a beautifully weaved spider web, that you can't really appreciate until you take a step back and can see it all at once. This is great if you want an engaging read, but downright dreadful if you’re trying to jam the square peg of Rob Bell into the round hole of a book review.

But, for what it’s worth, here is what Rob Bell believes. (I think)

The Nature of Hell

Bell is not afraid of the word “hell”, in fact he concludes his chapter on the topic by saying,

“We need a loaded, volatile, adequately violent, dramatic, serious word to describe the very real consequences we experience when we reject the good and true and beautiful life that God has for us…and for that, the word ‘hell’ works quite well. Let’s keep it.” (pg 93)

At it’s root, “hell” is “what happens when people abandon all that is good and right and kind and humane.” (pg 71) Furthermore, since, according to Bell, we can reject what is good in this life, and we can reject what is good in the life to come, Bell concludes that , “There is hell now, and there is hell later, and Jesus teaches us to take both seriously.” (pg 79)

As for exactly how long hell is, Bell asserts that God’s judgment has a purpose - namely, restoration of the judged. Thus, hell will not be forever (without end), but will rather be more along the lines of an “intense experience of correction”. (pg 91) While he isn’t dogmatic about it, Bell leaves open the possibility that, since the gates of the heavenly city in Revelation “never shut”, people are free to come and go as they please.

In other words, Bell is asking the question,

“Can God bring proper, lasting justice, banishing certain actions - and the people who do them - from the new creation (heaven) while at the same time allowing and waiting and hoping for the possibility of the reconciliation of those very same people?” (pg 115, parenthesis mine)

So then, if hell isn’t forever, and if heaven’s gates are open - will everyone be saved? To Bell, this is a question we can’t answer. (pg. 115)

In conclusion then, hell isn’t so much a place (over there) to which you are banished for all of eternity (once you die), but rather, an atmosphere you create right here, right now (in this life, and in the life to come).

For example, when we read about "Gehenna" (one of the Greek words for "hell") in the New Testament, it's referring to an actual valley used as a garbage dump that had fire constantly burning to consume the trash. Or, to use a modern example, Bell talked about visiting Rwanda in 2002 and witnessing the carnage of young children missing limbs as a result of the genocide.

Bell comments,

"Do I believe in a literal hell? Of course. Those aren't metaphorical missing arms and legs." (pg. 71)

What is Salvation?

Bell spends a good deal of time in chapter one discussing the question, "What saves someone?" In fact, the first chapter of his book is almost exclusively questions, but then he says at the end of the chapter,

"...this isn't just a book of questions. It's a book of responses to these questions." (pg. 19)

To answer the question of "What saves someone?", we have to jump over to chapter six entitled, "There are Rocks Everywhere". Bell reminds his readers of the story in Exodus 17 when the Israelites were dying of thirst in the wilderness, Moses struck a rock with his staff (at God's request), and the Israelies were able to drink the life-giving water that came flowing out of the rock.

This story seems meaningless at first, but then Bell connects this story with I Corinthians 10, when Paul claims that,

"Our fathers...drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ."

Bell takes this to mean that,

"According to Paul, Jesus was there. Without anybody using his name. Without anybody saying that it was him. Without anybody acknowledging just what - or, more precisely, who - it was." (pg. 144)

This causes Bell to conclude,

"People come to Jesus in all sorts of ways. Sometimes people bump into Jesus, they trip on the mystery, they stumble past the word, they drink from the rock, without knowing what or who it was.

This happened in the Exodus and it happens today. The last thing we should do is discourage or disregard an honest, authentic encounter with the living Christ. He is the rock, and there is water for the thirsty there, wherever there is. Sometimes people use his name; other times they don't." (pg 158-159)

A couple of examples of these "authentic encounters with the living Christ" are offered at the beginning of the chapter. One is about a guy who was smoking pot when he noticed his "kitchen filling with an overwhelming presence of warmth and love." The power of that moment struck the man to the ground, caused him to realize that God loved him unconditionally, and that he needed to receive that love and become a follower of Jesus. (pg. 139)

Another story is told about man who, after blacking out because of a terrible work accident, "saw a white light". This man "knew instantly that the white light was powerfully good and right, but it produced in him a profound sense that he wasn't that good and right." So he began repeating the words "please forgive me" and then came to, in the hospital. (pg. 141)

To Bell, these are simply modern examples of someone trusting in Christ.

Trusting in what is good, powerful, right, loving, and beautiful.

Trusting in the Rock.

And there are Rocks everywhere.

The Prodigal Son

In chapter seven, Bell uses the story of the prodigal son to pull everything together. As you know, in this story, there are three characters - a father, and his two sons.

The younger son in the story demands his share of the inheritance, skips town, squanders away his wealth, become destitute, and ultimately returns to his father who welcomes him back with open arms. His father even throws him a party, complete with music, dancing, and a fattened calf.

The older son, never leaves homes, serves his father faithfully for many years, lives a life of obedience, and becomes furious when he returns from the fields one day and hears about the celebration for his wayward brother. His father comes out to talk to him, and they have a heated exchange about the fairness of the whole situation.

Bell points out that each character in this parable is telling their own version of the story.

The younger son tells a story. And in his story, he is "no longer worthy" to be called his father's son.

The older son tells a story. And in his story, his father is unfair and should actually be giving the party for him.

The father tells a story. And in his story, both sons are fully loved and accepted in his eyes.

The younger son he welcomes back with love, commanding that a robe, a ring, and shoes be given to him.

The older son he reminds of his love saying, "Son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours."

Now, the two sons are faced with a predicament. Which version of the story are they going to believe? Their own story? Or their father's story?

In looking at this predicament, Bell claims,

"The difference between the two stories is, after all, the difference between heaven...and hell." (pg. 169, ellipsis Bell's)

Bell continues,

"We believe all sorts of things about ourselves. What the gospel does is confront our version of our story with God's version of our story." (pg. 171)

"We create hell whenever we fail to trust God's retelling of our story." (pg. 170)

"To reject God's grace, to turn from God's love, to resist God's telling, will lead to misery. It is a form of punishment, all on it's own." (pg. 176)

The older son was "Refusing to join in the celebration. Hell is being at the party. That's what makes it so hellish." (pg. 169)

Conversely then, heaven is what we experience when we trust God's version of our story. That He loves us unconditionally. When we believe what the father said, "You are always with me, and everything I have is yours."

"The father's love cannot be earned, and it cannot be taken away. It just is. It's a party, a celebration, and occasion without beginning and without end." (pg 187)

"The father has taken care of everything. It's all there, ready, waiting. It's always been there, ready, waiting. Our trusting, our change of heart, our believing God's version of our story doesn't bring it into existence, make it happen or create it. It simply is."

Thus, heaven isn't some harp and wing infested ethereal paradise to which we'll fly away to someday. Rather, it's something we participate in right here, right now.

"Jesus invites us, in this life, in this broken, beautiful world, to experience the life of heaven now. He insisted over and over that god's peace, joy, and love are currently available to us, exactly as we are." (pg. 62)

Then, once we die, we are free to continuing participating in God's version of our story - if we so choose.

Love Wins

The picture Bell paints of life after death is one that looks very much like life before death. You've got some people who choose to believe God's version of history - that He loves us, wants a relationship with us, and has sent us His only Son to make that happen.

And then you've got some people who choose to believe their own version of history - that they don't need God and are going to journey across the landscape of eternity on their own, apart from the father.

For those who choose God's version of history, let the party continue.

For those who choose their own version of history, the gates of heaven aren't shut, and the potential for reconciliation remains.

As he pondered this after-death scenario, Bell commented,

"An untold number of serious disciples of Jesus across hundreds of years have assumed, affirmed, and trusted that no one can resist God's pursuit forever, because God's love will eventually melt even the hardest of hearts." (pg. 108)

"Which is stronger and more powerful, the hardness of the human heart or God's unrelenting, infinite, expansive love? Thousands through the years have answered that question with the resounding response, 'God's love, of course.' At the center of the Christian tradition since the first church have been a number who insist that history is not tragic, hell is not forever, and love, in the end, wins and all will be reconciled to God." (pg. 109)

"If we want hell, if we want heaven, they are ours. That's how love works. It can't be forced, manipulated, or coerced. It always leaves room for the other to decide. God says yes, we can have what we want, because love wins." (pg. 118-119)

~~~

I will respond to Bell's position in part three of my review.

I have tried my best to accurately represent Bell's position in these few short pages. However, I am keenly aware that a position will never be argued as persuasively by someone who doesn't actually believe it. If in reading this review you found Bell's arguments wholly unconvincing, the fault is mine. If you desire to feel the full force of Bell's book I recommend you read it for yourself.

My desire in outlining Bell's beliefs is not so I can turn around and mock or ridicule them, this helps no one. Neither is it my desire to prove Bell wrong, as if this whole exercise has just been a contest which can be won. For one thing, I couldn't hold an intellectual candle to Bell. For another thing, proving somebody wrong DOES NOT make you right. Disproving an atheistic argument (for example) does not in some way prove Christianity is correct.

As we ruminate on what we find in Scripture, may we always compare it first to what we believe, before we compare it to what someone else believes.

As we stand proudly in our ivory towers, pondering the eternal fate of others, may we never neglect to fall face down in the mud before Christ and ponder our own.

And, as we consider this different perspective put forth by Bell, may it cause each of us to give pause, and think carefully about what we've always believed about heaven, hell, and the fate of every person who ever lived.

Love Wins: Part One

2011-07-20T17:41:00.007-04:00

Let's just assume (for the sake of argument) that there may have been one or two things in Rob Bell's book with which I disagreed.

Maybe you've heard about other people who have disagreed with a few things he wrote as well (e.g. Francis Chan, Mark Galli, Bobby Conway, and Kevin DeYoung).

Maybe you've even heard of people who have dismissed the book altogether. (I mean, if Francis Chan wrote a book against it, there's NO WAY it's any good).

Emotions, for one reason or another, are running high at the mere thought of someone releasing an unconventional book about hell.

Given this controversy, I have three preliminary comments before I actually dive into my review of the book.

First, as we approach this book, we can't allow our conversation to become dominated by anger. When we hear arguments we don't like - particularly when they are of paramount importance - we can tend to become quickly agitated. Then, instead of actually formulating a reasoned response, we resort to name-calling.

"This idiot is a scripture twisting maniac who has no idea what he is talking about!"

There's an old proverb that says,

"When you throw mud at people, not only do you get your hands dirty, you lose a lot of ground."

At it's best, anger allows us to channel an intense amount of negative energy into a sincere, heartfelt critique in an attempt to get to the truth.

At it's worst, anger manifests itself in a shouting match designed to flex our intellectual muscles and the truth gets forgotten about altogether.

Second, we can't allow our conversation to become dominated by fear. Nobody likes to think that something they believe is wrong. This can cause us to become terrified of hearing opposing viewpoints. "What if something I've always believed about hell turns out to be wrong?", we think to ourselves. Well, if something we believe about hell is wrong - isn't that the point of learning? To figure out what we got wrong, and what we got right?

Sometimes we're afraid to believe something because other people might label us a heretic. "If I don't believe THIS about hell or THAT about hell, my church will think I've gone off the deep end." If your church means that much to you, perhaps it's time to stop and ask yourself if you're really interested in the truth - or just man's approval.

Third, we can't allow our conversation to become dominated by pride. Years ago, I loved to debate. But that was because I was a cocky jerk who thought he knew everything.

I still love to debate. But now it's just because I actually do know everything. Seriously though, I think that humility is an open willingness to consider opposing viewpoints.

Pride says, "You're not allowed to seriously question central issues in our faith. If you want to debate about fringe issues that don't really matter anyway - be my guest! But if you're going to talk about things of eternal importance like salvation, heaven, hell, and Jesus Christ - well, I've figured all that out so don't waste my time."

I'll be honest. This book has really given me a run for my money. I feel like I've bitten off more than I can chew, but take heart, a review I've promised and a review I'll deliver! I even started reading a fiction book to ease my mind as I struggle to think through the many, many issues raised in Bell's book.

I hope to explore these issues in part two of my review, stay tuned!

-Jason

Dancing, Fireworks, and Ben & Jerry's

2011-07-11T20:29:00.005-04:00

The other day I found myself, along with what I'm assuming was a fire-code-breaking sized crowd, crammed into the lobby of a local ice-cream shop (Cold Stone Creamery). I stood shoulder to shoulder with complete strangers, all of us focused on the same goal (ice-cream attainment), and thus tentatively putting up with each other amid shallow grins, and subtle head nods.

The atmosphere of the room? Upbeat.

I suspect that this was for three reasons.

First, it was July 3rd, and (I'm assuming) most of us were waiting to see the same fireworks later that evening over the Tennessee River just a few blocks away.

Second, the temperature outside was somewhere in the vicinity (and this is a guess) of around 250 degrees. Seeing as how the ice-cream parlor was air-conditioned, I could have been standing in line for liverwurst for all I cared.

Finally, the staff of this particular frozen treat establishment, had momentarily stopped their work to do a little song and dance, not only for their own sanity, but also for the entertainment of their patrons.

Well, all of the patrons save one.

Like an unexpected clap of thunder on a bright sunny day, my hearing was assaulted by a middle-aged man who had momentarily stepped into our little lobby diamond in the rough to unashamedly announce,

"KIDS! LET'S GO! WE'RE GOING TO BEN & JERRY'S DOWN THE STREET! I BET THEIR LINE IS SHORTER THAN THIS!"

It was obvious to me that this little outburst from our self-proclaimed Ben & Jerry's stockholder was not for the benefit of his, apparently running loose, children, but rather, was directed at all of us Cold Stone lemmings.

As a retailer, I happen to take offense when someone tries to steal business from a company while standing in their lobby (not to mention he was yelling into my left ear).

So, I did what any sensible person would do.

I turned to him, looked him in the eye, and informed him,

"You'd better be careful how loudly you say that."

His reply was somewhat bewildering,

He chuckled and commented, "Yeah, that's what they just told me (not quite sure who "they" were)."

He then went on to say, "Maybe this line would be moving a little faster if they stopped singing and dancing and did some work."

I, trying in vain to make a point using the complex tool of sarcasm, replied, "Yeah, they are having way too much fun."

"Exactly", he said proudly, and walked off.

And as I stood there, self-righteously waiting patiently for my turn at the "Order Here" counter, I could just picture this man, hand in hand with his children, proudly marching towards the best kept secret in Chattanooga, inwardly praising himself for his brilliance.

And I could picture them ordering their ice-cream.

Having successfully cleared all obstacles (and anything even remotely resembling fun) in the way of their intentions.

And somewhere, deep down, I'd like to think I got my ice-cream first.

3 Things NOT to Say to Your Wife

2011-07-05T08:37:00.006-04:00

Listen up, men, if you want those eyes to stop rolling, those eyebrows to stop raising, and those tears to stop flowing - you've come to the right place.

I posses the unique ability of having said stupid things for years. So let me help you out.

Here are three things you should NEVER say to your wife,

#1
"I folded my underwear for you, honey."

I can just hear some poor sap blurting this out, full of pride for his domestic contribution, and then retreating to his man cave for a few hours of SportCenter. In fact, a few of the men reading this are probably scratching their hands, unsure of exactly what social faux pas has taken place.

Listen, as someone who openly confesses to being male, I understand what you're thinking. It was meant to be a kind gesture of good faith - I mean, actually FOLDING underwear - now that's going the extra mile! But you're missing the point, the problem with this statement is those three little words at the end, "for you, honey."

If you're thinking, "Well, who else would I do it for?" ... keep reading.

Let me clue you in on what your wife hears when you inform her of your accomplishment:

"You are the sole responsible party in the event my underwear gets dirtied and needs laundered. In fact, I fully expect it to be sitting neatly folded in my top drawer each and every morning I awake. But today, due to my superior kindness in nature, I have relieved you of your folding duties. So take a load off (and take one out of the dryer too), and let me handle my own underwear today."

#2
"What did you say?"

Ok fellas, let's take a little pop quiz.

Q: "When does your wife expect you to listen?"
A: "Whenever she is talking."

Look, I know this is a unrealistic expectation, YOU know this is an unrealistic expectation, even SHE knows this is an unrealistic expectation. You know what women talk about during all of these ladies conferences, bible studies, and "teas"?

How to get you to listen.

You're outnumbered! But take heart, I've developed a proven one-phrase-fits-all that, when spoken correctly, will solve all of your listening woes.

"Are you serious?"

Whether you're listening or not, just quote this phrase, and you got it made in the shade.

Hey honey, I was thinking about ordering pizza tonight.
"Are you serious?"

Johnny brought home his report card, he is getting a "D" in three classes!
"Are you serious?"

I just bought this cute top at Kohl's for half-price!
"Are you serious?"

I'm so sick of my coworker, she is such a gossip!
"Are you serious?"

I just read what you wrote about listening on your blog.
"Are you serious?"

#3
"Honey, have you seen my ________?"

Put anything in the blank you want - wallet, car keys, shoes. Congratulations, you have now opened yourself up to humiliation. Your wife will drop whatever she is doing, begin laughing maniacally, waltz straight over to where you left said item, and proudly raise it above her head like a trophy. She'll then remind of something she learned at her latest Women's Conference,

"Idiot men look with their eyes; genius women look with their hands."

Listen, any self-respecting man I know would be willing to go DAYS without his wallet, before asking his wife to find it for him. You can last without it. Sure, you may need to cancel a few credit cards, and get the local DOT to issue you a new drivers license - but hey, what's a few extra hours of tedious phone calls and standing in line in order to save face with your wife?

You do know they sell brand new wallets at the store right? Just hop in your car (if you can find your keys) drive to the nearest store, and buy one.

You'll just have to ask your wife if you can borrow some money.

Cast Your Vote! (over there) -->

2011-06-30T15:03:00.005-04:00

That's right folks!

I've stooped to the level of auctioning off my time and energy, if you'll simply click a button.

You (yes, YOU) have the power to enslave me to hours of reading, research, and writing. I'll review absolutely ANY book (of the three listed), and all it has to receive is the most votes. (considering how many hits my blog gets, let's just say your vote will go the distance).

So, what are you waiting for - VOTE!

What's in a Lie?

2011-06-28T10:20:00.000-04:00

"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour." (KJV)

Or, as one modern Bible perversion (heavy sarcasm) puts it -

"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." (ESV)

What exactly constitutes a lie? The other day I got into a "discussion" with a friend of mine about the nature of a lie.

We were discussing the TV show "Survivor" (of which I've only seen maybe 2 episodes). I was trying to argue that if a player in the game said, "I won't vote you off the island." and then did in fact vote said player off the island - it wasn't a sinful lie because it was in the context of a competitive game in which deception is sometimes assumed.

Hear me out.

When Peyton Manning pump fakes in one direction in order to deceive the defense, but then turns and throws the football in the other direction - he's not really lying, because the nature of the game presumes the possibility of deception.

If a coach calls out a fake play, hoping to confuse the other team - nobody thinks he has broken the 9th commandment.

Why not?

Because the very nature of the game dictates that deception might take place (think bluffing in Poker) - thus the onus (responsibility) falls on the other players to not necessarily believe every pump fake they see, every fake call they hear, or every promise made on Survivor.

In the case of Survivor - it would take a naive person indeed, to believe that the other game show members were going to be honest.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me while were competing for a million dollars on nationally televised game show which has deception and trickery at it's core, shame on me.

A lie is that which contradicts reality. But when reality is just a game - a lie, is just a strategy.

So I guess the question is, can this concept find any application in real life?

Two immediate examples jump to mind - war and birthday parties.

1. War

Deception has long been used as a tactic during military combat. In fact, in 2001, Jon Latimer published a book chronicling warfare deceit in his book, "Deception in War: The Art of the Bluff, the Value of Deceit, and the Most Thrilling Episodes of Cunning in Military History, from the Trojan Horse to the Gulf War"

So we know it's used - but does that make it right?

Was it OK for Rahab to lie when soldiers were searching for the Jewish spies? (Joshua 2)

Was it a subtle form of trickery when Gideon surrounded the Midianites with trumpets and torches - sending the Midianites into a self-destructing panic? (Judges 7)

2. Birthday Parties

When you throw someone a surprise birthday party - is that a lie?

When everybody parks at the other end of the street, hides in closets and behind couches, and all the lights are turned off to give the illusion of an empty house (right before jumping out and yelling, "SURPRISE!") - is that a lie?

When you tell your spouse you were running late because of traffic, but you were really picking up a birthday cake - is that a lie?

When you put a small gift in a big box so that they won't guess what it is - is that a lie?

I think most of us would answer, "No."

Why?

Because, just like Survivor, Poker, Football, and War - the possibility of deception is assumed.

So why in the world did I write this?

Because I want you all to start lying like it's 1999?

Of course not.

My point is to simply try to think through the question, "What is a lie?"

We can become so familiar with certain words (e.g. love, sin, good, trust), that we don't stop and think through the implications of what they really mean.

How would you define a lie?

How to Act Like a Jerk

2011-06-21T08:58:00.005-04:00

It's official. Jerks are at an all time low. In fact, according to a recent announcement from the Department of National Rudeness, "Jerkiness" has officially been placed on the endangered behaviors list.

Nowhere has this decline been felt more strongly than in the retail business. Tellers forced to make withdrawals for polite business men. Cashiers charging the wrong price, and customers just "understanding". People parking their cars without even so much as a single honk or crude gesture. There have even been unconfirmed reports of customers calling managers to report a, *gulp*, compliment.

What a tragedy.

If you're thinking, all hope is lost.

If you're thinking, how did it come to this?

If you're thinking, I haven't been doing my part.

Take heart. I'm here to help. Keep reading and you'll discover the secrets to successful jerk-ness. Simply follow my 3 step program and pretty soon, you'll be the one causing a scene as onlookers gasp, and managers duck for cover.

Step 1
Leave your logic at the door.

This one shouldn't be hard. As soon as you cross through those sliding doors, make a mental note to transform into an unthinking behemoth. Now that you aren't thinking clearly, walk to the nearest "buy one get one free" sign. Now, and this is important, grab anything within a ten foot radius of the sign. (be careful to not grab the actual sale item by mistake)

What? You only grabbed two of the items? You sissy. Grab 4, 6, or even 10. I don't care - and you shouldn't either. You need 10 of whatever you grabbed.

Ok, you've got your items. Now you're ready to check out. This brings us to the next step.

Step 2
Wait for the right moment to complain.

This step is a little tricky so pay attention. First, when you set your stuff on the counter - DO NOT acknowledge the cashier. Get out your phone. Flip through a magazine. Peruse the candy bars. Whatever you choose to do, just don't let it communicate that you view the cashier as a human being with any desire for personal contact.

By now, the cashier should have finished ringing up your items. Now, of course, since we followed step 1, the items we grabbed did not ring up as buy one get one free. But wait! Don't complain yet....wait until the cashier gives you your total.

"Your total today is $54.67, sir/ma'am."

Now's your chance! Slam down your magazine. Let your mouth fall open. Scrunch up your face. Let out a deep sigh. Roll your eyes. Throw up your hands in the air and declare,

"You overcharged me!" (Now of course, the cashier simply scanned the items - the computer determines the price, but remember, we've left our logic at the door) "Those items are buy one get one free! There's a SIGN!" It's important to say that last line as if you are the victim of a conspiracy. The cashier in front of you is probably trying to pocket the excess money, or maybe the managers are having trouble meeting their bottom line. Regardless, remember that you are being scammed.

Step 3
Keep your head held high.

Now, I hate to tell you this, but you aren't going to be able to get your product at the buy one get one free price. But, if you've played your cards right - you now have a small audience. This is what it's all about.

Remember, we aren't primarily interested in buying things - we're interested in making people's lives miserable. However, we don't want the cashier to know that. When the cashier tells you that you can't have the product - you'll have do a little acting. I like to pretend that like the cashier just shot my dog. A couple of gasps wouldn't hurt - but don't overdo it. Once you've made a significant stink - it's time to leave. (this should go without saying, but don't, under any circumstances, offer to put the product back where it goes)

Keep your head held high, and march out of the door, muttering mindless babble loud enough for those nearby to hear. On your way out the door, be sure to get your logic back.

Now that you're outside, breathing clean air, and thinking clearly again, you should use this time to let your friends now how much you hate life. Send out a Twitter about your awful experience. Post a Facebook photo of the buy one get one free sign, with a caption that says, "Dirty Liars".

Congratulations! You have now completed all three steps!

You will go down in history as a jerk.

Is Heaven for Real?

2011-06-14T21:55:00.025-04:00

On November 2, 2010, Thomas Nelson publishers released, "Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back" - it is currently sitting at #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list.

"Heaven is for Real", written by Todd Burpo (a pastor), is the engaging re-telling of the amazing events that his son, Colton, claims happened to him during his "three minutes" (page 76) in heaven. It was during a life-saving emergency appendectomy in March of 2003 that three year old Colton says he traveled to heaven and spent time with Jesus Christ.

The first eleven chapters of "Heaven is for Real", simply describe the events leading up to Colton's major operation. Colton was on vacation when he became violently ill and had to be hospitalized. A couple of days (and hospitals) later, Colton finally underwent the surgery he needed to fix his previously undiagnosed burst appendix. After several weeks of ups and downs (mostly downs), Colton finally showed signs of improvement and was able to go home and get back to "normal".

Chapters 12-27 of the book narrate Colton's claims about his alleged trip to heaven. It wasn't until four months after his surgery that Colton first talked to his parents (Todd and Sonja) of his experiences in heaven. Colton's out-of-the-blue statements about heaven first came while he and his family were sitting in an Arby's parking lot. It was there that Colton casually remarked that the hospital was "...where the angels sang to me." A few minutes (and probing questions) later, Colton also announced that, in heaven, he was, "...sitting in Jesus' lap."

For nearly two years after this initial claim, Colton intermittently told his parents bits and pieces of his time in heaven. He talked about (among other things) "all the colors" in heaven (page 63), meeting John the Baptist (page 63), seeing "marks" on Jesus' hands and feet (page 67), seeing the throne room of God (page 100), witnessing Satan cast into hell (page 138), spending time with his deceased great-grandfather (Chapter 16), meeting his sister who died in his mother's womb five years before Colton was born (Chapter 17), and seeing lots of animals (page 152).

Make no mistake - the experiences described by Colton in this book are spectacular. But are they true? Did Colton Burpo really get a glimpse into the abode of God?

I see no theological reason to dismiss Colton's story on principle alone. Scripture is full of supernatural events happening to everyday people - including God speaking to unlikely characters (think Balaam's donkey in Number 22); Jesus revealing himself to people in a special way (think the Transfiguration in Matthew 17); people making trips to the "third" heaven (think of the man in 2 Corinthians 12); and people having visions of specific details about heaven (think John in the book of Revelation). Furthermore, most of what Colton says about heaven matches up (or at least doesn't directly contradict) what we find about heaven in Scripture. In fact, Todd Burpo went to great lengths to quote any scripture he was reminded of by his son's stories.

Having said that, I personally walked away from the book with a general distrust regarding the events described in the book. I say this for three main reasons.

Reason #1
Colton was repeatedly asked leading questions.

Colton's parents took great pains to reassure us that they tried to only ask open-ended questions (page 70), and for the most part they did. However, try as they might, Colton's parents did in fact ask many leading/close-ended questions.

After reading a bedtime story to Colton (page 100), Todd (completely unprovoked by Colton) asked him, "Hey, Colton, when you were in heaven, did you ever see God's throne?" Not to insult your intelligence - but this is NOT an open-ended question. Open-ended questions can usually have any number of answers (What type of things did you see in heaven? Who did you see in heaven?) But the question Todd asked, required a simple "yes" or "no". After Colton said he didn't know what a "throne" was, Todd picked up a storybook and showed his son a picture of one! It was only after his dad asked him a leading question, and then showed him a picture that Colton replied - "Oh yeah, I saw that a bunch of times."

They also asked many other leading questions, such as...

"You were in heaven?" (page 64 and 71)
"Did you have wings?" (page 72)
"So you saw Pop?" [Colton's great-grandfather] (page 86)
"Did Jesus say anything to you about your dad becoming a pastor?" (page 90)
"Hey Colton, I bet you asked if you could have a sword [in heaven], didn't you?" (page 133)
"Did you see Satan?" (page 134)

To be fair, Colton's parents did ask open-ended questions. But, I found the number and nature of the close-ended questions startling.

Reason #2
Colton's parents consistently approached him for more information.

Let me quickly say that Colton did offer information about heaven all on his own - without needing third party provocation. But what struck me as I read the book was how many times his dad took the initiative to question Colton for more information.

Here are a few examples...

"I wanted to probe deeper, get him talking again." (page 62)
"Hey Colton, can I ask you something else about Jesus?" (page 64)
After inviting Colton to come and sit on his lap, Todd said, "Remember when you were telling me what Jesus looks like?" (page 71)
"I couldn't stand it anymore and hunted the house for Colton until I found him..." Todd then went on to ask Colton a few questions about heaven. (page 79)
Colton's grandma made a special trip "...all the way from Ulysses to hear what her grandson had to say about her dad." (page 90)
When Colton's parents came across a picture of Jesus, they would ask him, "What about this one? Is that what Jesus looks like?" (page 93)
"We asked Colton about Satan a couple of times..." (page 134)

Of course, it's only natural to expect anyone to be inquisitive of a child who claims he was in heaven. But I got the impression as I read the book that Colton began to enjoy how much attention he was getting whenever he would come up with some new tidbit of information.

Reason #3
Colton continued to come up with brand new information, even two years after his surgery.

To give an brief timeline...

Colton had surgery in March of 2003 (when the supposed trip to heaven occurred)

It was four months later, in July, when Colton first told of an experience in heaven.

From that point on, for two more years, Colton told story after story about heaven.

Now, I don't have any children, so maybe it's a common occurrence for a child to have clear memories from when he was 3 years old, two years after the fact - but I doubt it. Colton was still producing brand new information about Satan, a war at the end of the world, and his great-grandfather even after such a long period of time had elapsed.

Having listed these three reasons, the last thing I want to do is somehow give the impression that the book wasn't compelling.

It was.

There are things that Colton was able to describe that are much harder for me to explain away. In chapter 17, Colton talks of meeting his second sister in heaven - the catch is that Colton only has one sister (Cassie). His mom (unbeknownst to Colton) had miscarried a little girl 5 years before he was born.

Colton also claims to have seen his great-grandfather, Pop, in heaven. He seems to confirm this in chapter 22, when he is able to identify a middle-aged Pop in a picture he had never seen before (when Pop would have been in his "prime"). What's more, Colton didn't recognize the "young version" of his great-grandmother in the same picture. All of this came after Colton was unable to identify a picture of Pop when he was much older.

Throughout the book, Colton was shown several pictures of Jesus to see if Colton could identify what Jesus looked like. Colton rejected several pictures of Jesus he was shown as not the "right" one. However, in chapter 27, Colton finally fixated on one picture, proclaiming, "That one's right." The kicker? The picture was drawn by a girl who also claims to have had visions from heaven. (a fact Colton didn't know)

So if there are things in the book I can't explain - why am I still so skeptical? Why is it so hard for me to believe that all of these things happened to this little boy? Why did I go to all this trouble to dismiss the innocent account of a blond haired, bright eyed kid from Nebraska?

If I won't believe his account, whose account would I believe?

What would it take to convince me that someone went to heaven?

That's a tough question. And one every skeptic of a belief must eventually ask.

To me, it would have taken an unprovoked, sustained narrative from Colton, within just a few weeks after his surgery, describing his time in heaven.

So that's it? If Colton had told his story in that way - I would have believed?

I'd like to think so.

But maybe my skepticism runs deep. So deep that the only thing this book has managed to prove was something, not about heaven - but about me.

So let's pretend for a second that I shed all my suspicion.

And opened my heart.

And believed.

Like a child.

That Colton Burpo spent three minutes in heaven.

To be frank, that still wouldn't bring me much comfort.

Colton may be able to assure me that he was in heaven - but that wouldn't assure me that I've secured a spot there.

Colton may be able to assure me that he saw his great-grandfather in heaven - but that says nothing of mine.

Colton may be able to assure me that there are angels in heaven - but are they watching over me?

Colton may be able to assure me that he got the chance to sit on Jesus' lap - but the only lap I've sat in is my mom's.

See, as inspirational as Colton's story may be, it can do nothing for me.

The only thing it might be able to do is offer a little evidence for the Divine.

But if I wasn't convinced of the Divine by the rising and setting of the sun...

If I wasn't convinced of the Divine by the written Word of God...

If I wasn't convinced of the Divine by the person and work of Jesus Christ...

Then, I'll never be convinced of the Divine.

Not even if Someone rises from the dead.

Sheep without a Shepherd

2011-06-01T18:32:00.012-04:00

A few days ago I was on my way to preach at a local church when the "seek" button on my radio happened to stumble upon a preacher in the middle of his sermon.

"This oughta be good..." I thought to myself.

It was.

The preacher was going on and on about how he knows that right there in his very own auditorium there were people who he knew weren't really saved.

It gets better.

He went on to say that these same people who have been "darkening the doors" (such a backhanded compliment) of that particular church, have been there for over 15 years since he's been the pastor.

Really?

And you have the audacity to stand up there and condemn them?

Isn't that just a reflection of poor leadership?

It's not? Not even a little?

How about if your church had tripled in size over the past five years - would that have been a reflection of your leadership?

Why is it that all the bad things in a church get blamed on carnal Christians and not pathetic pastoring?

I've been in planning meetings where the charge is repeatedly leveled against church members that they just "don't get it", or that they simply "don't care".

Isn't that our job as leaders? To make them get it. To make them care.

Isn't that our responsibility?

I once sat through a sermon which was titled "Wake up, Christian!" I'm surprised the title wasn't, "I Lead a Bunch of Morons!"

If a church member falls asleep during a sermon - don't we usually blame the listener?

Maybe the sermon just really, really stunk.

I've personally had 4 of the 8 people I was preaching to fall asleep.

A whopping 50% had gone unconscious while I was preaching.

And that's not somehow my responsibility?

If I'm going to improve as a speaker, and as a leader, I must view that as my responsibility.

See, when you're a leader, you have to take responsibility for things that aren't necessarily your fault.

Of course it might be true that the people in your congregation don't care.

Of course it might be true that they are too lazy to stay awake.

Of course it might be true that there are people lost within our congregations.

But if the only response we can come up with is, "Wake up." - aren't we missing something?

We have to stop hiding behind the safety of a pulpit, pronouncing judgment on the many (yet, conveniently anonymous) heretics within our midst - and start lovingly making disciples one on one.

We have to stop passing the buck of responsibility, forever blaming the masses, and be willing to say (un-arrogantly) - "The buck stops here."

We have to stop bemoaning the fact that our congregations, classes, employees, and followers are just stupid sheep - and start being their shepherd.

Stuff

2011-05-19T18:39:00.010-04:00

Do you ever feel guilty about all your stuff?

I do. And I work in retail. Where I make a living selling people stuff. (albeit "Christian" stuff, but stuff nonetheless)

So what are we supposed to do with all of our stuff?

Should we hoard it all? And then go out on get-stuff missions and return to our castles with a car full of loot? And then build bigger barns to store it all in? Until we have everything we ever wanted?
Or maybe we should forsake it all. Shove up our noses at it, and give away everything even remotely resembling stuff. And then live as a beggar, living off of the people who actually have stuff.

But maybe there is a third option.

Maybe we should view our stuff (no matter how much we have) as an undeserved blessing - designed to be used for the glory of God.

Remember what God told Abraham in Genesis 12:2,

"I will bless you...so that you will be a blessing."

Isn't this what the hit song, "Blessed be Your Name" by Matt Redman teaches?

"Every blessing You pour out,
I'll turn back to praise."

It's harder to catch, and perhaps in the framework of a different worldview, but country music star John Rich said something similar on the Celebrity Apprentice.

"...this show gives me the unique opportunity to take everything I have built with my life and my career, and use it on behalf of children at St. Jude's. [John Rich's charity] And to me, that is a once in a lifetime opportunity."

Interesting.

Use what we have, for a purpose greater than ourselves.

Check out this letter sent to David Platt from one of his church members,

"After spending a week around precious children who eat a small cup of porridge a day, the question I have come back to Birmingham asking God is why he has blessed me when others have so little. And this is what God has shown me: "I have blessed you for my glory. Not so you will have a comfortable life with a big house and a nice car. Not so you can spend lots of money on vacations, education, or clothing. Those aren't bad things, but I've blessed you so that the nations will know me and see my glory." All my life I have completely disconnected God's blessings from God's purpose, and now I realize what I had never seen. He blesses me so that all the earth will see his glory!" (Radical, pg 84)

Maybe the challenge then, is to find the connection between our stuff, and the purpose of God.

And to stop feeling guilty about all of our stuff.

I am Selfish and So Can You!

2011-05-12T00:04:00.009-04:00

No matter how hard I try (maybe even because I try so hard) it seems selfishness finds a way into my life.

For example, sometimes selfishness sneaks into my life disguised as goals.

You know what kind of goals I mean. Good goals. 10-steps-to-a-better-you goals. Contribute-to-society goals. The type of goals we are just sure will make us better spouses, parents, employees, and (of course) Christians. (Not like those other losers who don't even set goals.)

And all along I'm convincing myself that these goals are the "disciplined" thing to do.

That if I could somehow do these things I'd be better for everyone around me. (you know, because they need me)

But maybe all these goals are just about me feeling better about myself. Maybe all this time spent on improving my mind, my body, and my spirit isn't noble at all - maybe it's just downright self-obsessed egotism. Designed to improve myself and nobody else.

The other day I was thinking about myself (something I do a lot) - and I realized just how much I like myself.

Let's face it, I'm an amazingly godly guy.

Who does amazingly godly things.

Because God wants me to.

Like preach and teach and work in a Christian bookstore.

But wait - maybe if I was honest, I'd admit that those are just things I want to do. Maybe God has nothing to do with it.

Because it all has to do with me. And I'm just bringing God along for the ride. Labeling everything I want to do as "God's will".

Maybe I'm blaming my selfishness on God.

Maybe God gets blamed for all kinds of stuff I do.

Maybe I pay lip service to God and His kingdom - so that I won't feel guilty that I'm just building my own kingdom.

Maybe all my best efforts. All my goals. All my good deeds. All my spiritual achievements. Maybe all of these are just filthy rags.

And no matter how hard I try to conform to outward standards - my heart will always be lagging selfishly a few steps behind.

Too bad God looks at the heart.

Don't Go to Church

2011-05-09T20:46:00.005-04:00

I've recently become aware of a subtle flaw in my vocabulary, specifically the phrase, "I go to church."

How can you go "to" church?

The word translated "church" in the New Testament comes from the Greek word "ekklesia" which essentially means "the called out ones" or "an assembly". In the context of Christianity, this would be "a body of believers". Taking our (my) definition a bit further, "church" means "the body of Christ".

"so we...are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another."
Romans 12:5

"Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it."
I Corinthians 12:27

Ok, now that I've chosen my own proof texts for my own soap box, let's get back to the issue at hand....

It makes no sense (grammatically or theologically) to say,

"I go to church."

What does that mean?

"I go to body of believers."?
"I go to body of Christ."?
"I go to group of called out ones."?

Nonsense.

Or what about, "I enjoyed the service at church today."

"I enjoyed the service at group of Christians."?

You could however say,

"to the church of God that is in Corinth" (I Corinthians 1:2)
"to the churches of Galatia" (Galatians 1:1)
"the church throughout all Judea" (Acts 9:31)
"there were in the church at Antioch" (Acts 13:1)

My point is this - the church isn't a place, or a building. It's a group of people.

People who follow Christ.

And do what He said.

As if He was doing it.

Like we were His body. (actually, that's kind of the idea)

Isn't all of this just being a little (or a lot) picky about words?

Eugene Peterson once said, "We cannot be too careful about the words we use, we start out using them, and they end up using us."

See, when we think the church is a building. We start fighting for the building. We get upset about the color of carpet. Or whether or not there's a pulpit on the stage. Or what people wear when they come into the church building.

Side Note: If Christians are the church, shouldn't we wear "church" clothes 24 hours a day?

But when we understand that the church is a group of Christ-followers, we start fighting to make disciples. We start fighting to keep each other accountable. We join arm in arm with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to love God and love people.

We start fighting for the gospel.

So do yourself a favor - stop going to church.

When they Come for You

2011-05-02T19:26:00.005-04:00

I found out about the death of Osama Bin Laden the same way I found out about the death of (interestingly enough) Michael Jackson - Twitter.

I was busy contributing to society by sitting on my couch playing golf on my XBOX, when my phone chirped with the breaking news.

"Osama Bin Laden is dead?" (I only follow the most highly informed members of society.)

Everyone else quickly jumped on the bandwagon, and I received several tweets from others trying to get in on the "he's dead" action.

Just when I was feeling good about myself because of the accomplishment of others, I happened to read a tweet designed to keep my overflowing emotions in check.

"don't celebrate death, celebrate justice"

This scolding came from Christian musical artist, Derek Webb.

Celebrate justice?

The justice of someone dying?

And this is better than celebrating someone dying?

Evidently Derek has discovered some massive moral chasm (missed by the rest of us lemmings) between celebrating the justice of DEATH and celebrating the JUSTICE of death.

Confused?

And what kind of "justice" is this anyway?

Osama dying is justice?

Would it have been justice if Osama had died of old age in a cave? Or the walls of his compound had fallen in on him? Or if he had choked on a piece of steak?

Osama would have died eventually. (right?) But since the mighty United States of America made it happen a few years sooner, President Obama is vindicated for announcing in his 9 minute speech that "justice has been done"?

Don't get me wrong, I loved Obama's speech. If a ballot had been in front of me when I heard it, I'd have voted for him right then and there. (What? You want me to vote for Trump?)

Back to the subject at hand.

Maybe justice is just a word we throw around to make ourselves feel better.

Hey, I, for one, was feeling better until Derek Webb ruined all my fun.

Maybe we don't cause justice because justice is something God does.

Maybe justice has to happen in eternity.

Maybe justice wasn't served when a notoriously sinful man died a few days ago - but when a completely sinless man died 2,000 years ago.

Lied

2011-04-12T23:19:00.006-04:00

Lied
by Jason Hart

~~~

I’ve always found riding shotgun to be inherently contemplative. When you’re chosen path is at the mercy of another, and you’re just watching the world go by - it’s both unnerving and soothing at the same time. Today, my chosen path was running an errand with my lifelong friend, Eric, and the world going by was a collection of businesses, restaurants, shops, and gas stations. As we traveled down the road, conservatively following the speed limit, my thoughts began to wander back to something my mother used to say.

“A lie is addicting.”

That phrase had somehow clawed it’s way out of the archives of my mind and slapped itself on the front page of my consciousness. It’s amazing how certain things from your childhood just disappear, while others find a way to stay with you for your whole life. Then, completely unprovoked, they just pop into your head.

And they always seem to come at the worst times, don’t they? Today was one of those times.

“We’ll be there in five minutes.” Eric interrupted my shotgun-riding thoughts by stating the obvious.

I cleared my head of any instructive motherly quips and focused on trying to soak in what was going past my window at 32mph. In what seemed like just a few seconds, Eric eased our white van into the parking lot of the Bank of America in Marshall, NC.

I stepped out of the van and glanced around - heavy traffic for a Wednesday at 2pm. A stiff breeze ruffled the edges of my jacket. It was around 45 degrees outside, and despite my layers of clothing, a shiver went up and down my spine. I adjusted my Tarheels hat, pulling it a little lower, and headed into the bank.

“A lie is addicting.”

There it was again. The moment I gripped the cool handle of the disproportionately big door of the bank, my mother’s words once again found a way to move into the foreground of my thoughts. I was vaguely aware of Eric pulling out of the parking lot, no doubt to drive around the block and return; the inhabitants of the bank all turning to stare at my timely entrance; and my swift walk up to the first available teller.

My mind, which should have been occupied with the task at hand, was hijacked by this one simple phrase. I’ll be honest, I’m still not quite sure what it means. I’m not sure if my mother was trying to say that once you tell a lie, it’s hard to stop. Or, maybe she was trying to say that people enjoy lying to you. Or, on a more sinister note, maybe she was saying that sometimes we prefer to believe a lie over the truth. In one way, all three seem true to me. I’ve told plenty of lies, I’ve been lied too, and I can certainly think of times when I’ve believed a lie because the truth seemed less tempting. I’ll bet you’ve told lies too. Or maybe you just believe them.

I suddenly realized the teller behind the counter was waiting for me to say something. As I set my bag on the counter, I noticed that we were making eye contact. She was a few years younger than I was, and now, she was looking intently into my eyes. There was a second or two of awkwardness as we both realized the other had noticed the intensity of our gaze.

“I’d like to make a withdrawal.” I said, breaking the silence.

The young girl, Tara, according to her name tag, seemed suddenly intimidated as she began to process my request. She quickly gathered up the necessary paperwork, this time making a point to avoid eye contact. We probably would never see each other again, barring a random chance encounter, so why prolong any romantic undertones with more meaningful glances. Once she was done, I grabbed my bag and turned to head out of the bank. Through the large glass doors I could see that Eric had now returned and was waiting for me.

“A lie is addicting.”

This time I didn’t fight the thought. I still wasn’t thrilled with it, but I decided to just embrace it. A smirk washed over my face due to the irony of matriarchal wisdom filling my mind at this moment. As I headed for the bank door, I brushed past the security guard and wiped a bead of sweat off my forehead before pushing through the double swinging doors. Eric was still idling in the parking lot and, as a courtesy, shoved open the passenger door once he saw me come strolling casually out of the bank.

Another smirk.

I tossed my bag into the van, hopped into the passenger seat, and settled deep into my chair as Eric slowly pulled our clumsy van into the lazy afternoon traffic.

I let my mind wander.

I thought about riding shotgun, chosen paths, and worlds that pass by windows. I thought about Tara back at the bank, and I thought about the bag in the backseat. I thought about Eric, our van, and our errand.

And then, I thought about my mother, and I thought about her phrase.

But most of all, I thought about lies.

The one’s I’ve told, and the one’s I’ve believed.

-The End

Epilogue
The Marshall Times
Thursday, October 14, 2010
by Will Young (staff writer)

NO LEADS IN BANK ROBBERY
Local police are still looking for two men involved in the robbery of the Bank of America in downtown Marshall yesterday afternoon. Chief of Police Dean Taylor says the robber is a 6’ white male in his early thirties, and was seen wearing blue jeans, a gray sweatshirt, and a light blue Tarheels hat. The suspect, who was armed, entered the bank around 2pm and held one of the tellers at gunpoint while she filled a black duffel bag up with cash. The suspect then fled the scene in a white minivan being driven by a heavyset white male.

Anyone with information is asked to call the local Marshall police department.

Mark 5

2010-12-22T23:29:00.001-05:00

Here's my non-scholarly, just for practice, don't base any doctrine on it, translation of Mark 5. Enjoy!

~~~

Key:

{Words not in the Greek text I added for clarity}

(Words in the Greek text I viewed as parenthetical)

[The authenticity of these words is in question]

The Gospel According to Mark

Chapter 5

“My name is Legion...”
1 And they came to the other side of the sea, into the region of the Gerasenes. 2 And when he came out of the boat, immediately a man with an unclean spirit {came} from the tombs to meet him. 3 He made his dwelling among the tombs, and no one was able to bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 4 For, he had been often bound with chains and shackles, but he would tear the chains apart, and the shackles he would break into pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 And throughout every day and night, among the tombs and in the mountains, he was crying out and cutting himself with stones. 6 And seeing Jesus from far off, he ran {up to him} and worshipped him. 7 And crying out with a loud voice he said,

“What do you want with me, Jesus, son of the most high God? I implore you by God, do not torment me!”

8 For he was saying to him,

“Unclean spirit, come out of the man!”

9 And he asked him,

“What is your name?”

And he said to him,

“My name is Legion, for we are many.”

10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. 11 Now there was on the mountain a large herd of pigs, feeding. 12 And they begged him saying,

“Send us into the pigs so that we may enter into them.”

13 And he permitted them, and the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs. And the herd (about two thousand) rushed down a steep bank into the sea, and drowned in the sea.

“Tell them all that the Lord has done...”
14 And the herdsmen fled and announced it in the city and in the country, and they came to see what was going on. 15 And they came to Jesus and saw the demon possessed man (the one who had the legion) sitting, clothed, and thinking clearly - and they were afraid. 16 And the ones who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon possessed man (and {also} concerning the pigs). 17 And they began to beg him to depart from their region. 18 And while he was setting out in the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed man begged to be with him. 19 But he did not permit him, and said to him,

“Depart into your house, to your own friends, and tell them all that the Lord has done for you, and the mercy he had for you.”

20 So he departed and began proclaiming in the Decapolis all that Jesus had done to him, and they were all amazed.

Jairus: Part One
21 And when Jesus crossed over again to the other side [in the boat], a large crowd gathered around him, and he was alongside the sea. 22 And one of the rulers of the synagogue came (his name was Jairus), and seeing him {Jesus}, he fell before his feet. 23 And he passionately urged him saying,

“My little daughter is almost dead. Come, so that you can lay your hands upon her, in order that she might become healthy and live!”

Parenthetical Healing of Woman
24 And he went with him. And a great crowd was following him and was pressing against him. 25 And there was a woman with a hemorrhage for twelve years 26 and had suffered greatly under many physicians and had {spent} all of her {money}, and was not helped, but rather became worse. 27 Hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind {Jesus} and touched his clothing. 28 For she said,

“If I touch even his clothes, I will be saved.”

29 And immediately the flow of her blood dried up, and she realized in her body that she had been healed from her affliction. 30 And immediately, Jesus, knowing in himself that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and said,

“Who touched my clothes?”

31 And his disciples said to him,

“You see the crowd pressing against you, and you say, ‘Who touched me?’”

32 And he looked around to see who had done this. 33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came with fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole story. 34 But he said to her,

“Woman, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be healed from your affliction.”

Jairus: Part Two
35 While he was yet speaking, they came from the ruler’s house saying,

“Your daughter has died. Why trouble the teacher further?”

36 But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, said to the ruler of the synagogue,

“Do not fear, only believe.”

37 And he permitted no one to accompany him except Peter, James, and John (the brother of James). 38 And they came into the ruler of the synagogue’s house, and he saw a commotion and many {people} weeping and wailing loudly. 39 And entering in, he said to them,

“Why are you making this big commotion, and weeping? The child has not died, but is sleeping.”

40 And they laughed at him. But casting them all outside, he took the child’s father and mother (and those with him), and entered into where the child was. 41 And taking the girl by her hand, he said to her,

“Talitha koum!”

which is translated,

“Little girl, I say to you, arise!”

42 And immediately the little girl arose and walked about (for she was twelve years old), and they were [immediately] amazed with great astonishment. 43 And he made a specific point to ask them that no one should come to know this, and he asked them to give her something to eat.

Advent Devotions

2010-11-27T18:30:00.001-05:00

First Sunday of Advent

First Candle Color: Purple
Theme: Hope / Expectation

(Light one purple candle)

Prayer 1:

"Lord God, we light this candle to thank you for your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world. We who have sat in darkness have seen a great light, the light of Jesus Christ, our salvation. We give you thanks and praise in Jesus' name, because he lives and reigns with you in your glory, and in the unity of the Holy Spirit, Amen."

Scripture Reading:

Isaiah 60:2-3

"For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising."

Jeremiah 33:14-16

"Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: 'The LORD is our righteousness.'"

Psalm 25:1-10

"To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O LORD! Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies."

1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

"For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith? Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints."

Luke 21:25-36

"And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." And he told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. "But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."

Prayer 2:

"We beseech thee, O Lord, pour thy grace into our hearts; that, as we have known the incarnation of thy Son Jesus Christ by the message of an angel, so by his cross and passion we may be brought unto the glory of his resurrection; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

Hymn:

O Come, All Ye Faithful - 249

O Come All Ye Faithful
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of Angels;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

O Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing all that hear in heaven God's holy word.
Give to our Father glory in the Highest;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

All Hail! Lord, we greet Thee,
Born this happy morning,
O Jesus! for evermore be Thy name adored.
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

Prayer 3:

"O Lord, raise up, we pray thee, thy power, and come among us, and with great might succor us; that whereas, through our sins and wickedness, we are sore hindered and obstructed in running the race that is set before us, thy bountiful grace and mercy may speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honor and glory, world without end. Amen."

Second Sunday of Advent

Second Candle Color: Purple
Theme: Love / Repentance

(Light two purple candles)

Prayer 1:

"Lord God, we light this candle to thank you for your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, who is the way. We who like sheep have gone astray have found the way to you through Jesus Christ. We give you thanks and praise in Jesus' name, because he lives and reigns with you in your glory, and in the unity of the Holy Spirit, Amen."

Scripture Reading:

Mark 1:4

"John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins."

Malachi 3:1-4

"Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years."

Luke 1:68-79

"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."

Philippians 1:3-11

"I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."

Luke 3:1-6

"In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"

Prayer 2:

"Merciful God, who sent thy messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen."

Hymn:

Be Thou My Vision - 562

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Prayer 3:

"Almighty God, by whose providence thy servant John Baptist was wonderfully born, and sent to prepare the way of thy Son our Savior by preaching repentance; make us so to follow his doctrine and holy life, that we may truly repent according to his preaching; and after his example constantly speak the truth, boldly rebuke vice, and patiently suffer for the truth's sake; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

Third Sunday of Advent

Third Candle Color: Pink
Theme: Joy / Life

(Light two purple candles, and one pink candle)

Prayer 1:

"Lord God, we light this candle to thank you for your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, who brings us great joy. We who have walked in the shadow of the valley of death have found life in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We give you thanks and praise in Jesus' name, because he lives and reigns with you in your glory, and in the unity of the Holy Spirit, Amen."

Scripture Reading:

Isaiah 35:10

"And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away."

Zephaniah 3:14-20

"Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil. On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: "Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak. The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival, so that you will no longer suffer reproach. Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. At that time I will bring you in, at the time when I gather you together; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes," says the LORD."

Isaiah 12:2-6

"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation." With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day: "Give thanks to the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted. "Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth. Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel."

Philippians 4:4-7

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Luke 3:7-18

"He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." And the crowds asked him, "What then shall we do?" And he answered them, "Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise." Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Collect no more than you are authorized to do." Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages." As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, John answered them all, saying, "I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people."

Prayer 2:

"Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of Your only-begotten Son, that by His coming we may be enabled to serve You with pure minds; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen."

Hymn:

Joy to the World - 270

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Prayer 3:

"O Lord Jesus Christ, who at thy first coming didst send thy messenger to prepare thy way before thee; Grant that the ministers and stewards of thy mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready thy way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that at thy second coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable people in thy sight, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit ever, one God, world without end. Amen."

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Fourth Candle Color: Purple
Theme: Peace / Comfort

(Light three purple candles, and one pink candle)

Prayer 1:

"Lord God, we light this candle to thank you for your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, who is the Prince of Peace. We who live in discord and strife have found peace in the promise of eternal life, through Jesus Christ. We give you thanks and praise in Jesus' name, because he lives and reigns with you in your glory, and in the unity of the Holy Spirit, Amen."

Scripture Reading:

Isaiah 9:6-7

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this."

Micah 5:2-5a

"But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace."

Psalm 80:1-7

"Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth. Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up your might and come to save us! Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved! O LORD God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people's prayers? You have fed them with the bread of tears and given them tears to drink in full measure. You make us an object of contention for our neighbors, and our enemies laugh among themselves. Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved!"

Hebrews 10:5-10

"Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, "Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, 'Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.'" When he said above, "You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law), then he added, "Behold, I have come to do your will." He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

Luke 1:39-55

"In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord." And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever."

Prayer 2:

"Lord Jesus Christ, we implore You to hear our prayers and to lighten the darkness of our hearts by Your gracious visitation; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen."

Hymn:

Jesus, Name Above All Names - 86

Jesus, name above all names,

beautiful Savior, glorious Lord.

Emmanuel, God is with us,

blessed redeemer, Living Word.

Prayer 3:

"Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may by thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

Christmas Eve or Christmas Day

Center Candle Color: White
Theme: Christ

(Light all candles)

Prayer 1:

"O Lord, we light these candles in honor of your birth. Blessed be you, Our Lord and Savior. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord Jesus Christ, you came to earth by the will of the Father, and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Blessed be Your Name. Thank you for being our Savior, and for humbling yourself by coming to serve."

Scripture Reading:

Luke 1:68-79

Luke 2:1-20

"In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them."

Prayer 2:

"We praise you, Lord God, because on this day, your Word became flesh in our Savior Jesus Christ, was born of a woman, and walked among us as a man. Help us to imitate your incarnation, by manifesting our faith in our conduct as well as in our speech. To you, O Lord, we give our honor, praise, worship, and love, in the most holy and precious name of the One who is born today; because He lives and reigns with you in your glory, and in the unity of the Holy Spirit, Amen."

Hymn:

O Holy Night - 285

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friends.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!

Prayer 3:

"Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen."

Mark 4

2010-11-16T23:29:00.000-05:00

My non-scholarly translation of Mark 4

~~~

Key:

{Words not in the Greek text I added for clarity}

(Words in the Greek text I viewed as parenthetical)

[The authenticity of these words is in question]

The Gospel According to Mark

Chapter 4

A Parable is Introduced
1 And again he began to teach by the sea, and a great crowd flocked to him, so that he set out on a boat in the sea and sat down. And the whole crowd was by the sea on the land. 2 And he was teaching them many things using parables, and in his teaching he was saying to them,

3 “Pay attention! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And it just so happened, in the process of sowing, that some {seed} fell alongside the road, and a bird came and ate it up. 5 Some other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of soil. 6 But when the sun rose, it was scorched, and because it had no root - it withered away. 7 Some other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns rose up and choked it, and it produced no fruit. 8 But some seed fell on the good ground, and rising up and increasing it yielded fruit, producing thirty, sixty, and a hundred {times the norm}!

9 And he said,

“He who has an ear to hear - let him hear!”

The Parable is Explained
10 And once He was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11 And he said to them,

“The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those outside, everything is in parables. 12 So that, ‘Seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand - lest they turn and be forgiven.’”

13 And he said to them,

“You don’t understand this parable? How will you understand all the {other} parables?

14 The sower sows the word.

15 And these are the ones alongside the road where the word is sown, when they hear - Satan immediately comes and takes away the word which was sown in them.

16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground, the ones who, when they hear the word - immediately receive it with joy. 17 But they have no root in themselves, but are temporary. Then, tribulation and persecutions come because of the word, immediately causing them to stumble.

18 And others are the ones sown among the thorns - these are the ones who hear the word 19 and the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desire for other things enter in and choke the word, and it become unfruitful.

20 And those that were sown on the good ground, are the ones who hear the word and receive it and bear fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixtyfold, and some a hundredfold!”

“Let him hear!”
21 And he said to them,

“Is a lamp brought out in order to be placed under a basket, or under a couch, and not in order to be placed on a stand? 22 For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest, nor is anything made secret, except in order to be manifested. 23 If anyone has ears to hear - let him hear!”

24 And he said to them,

“Be careful what you hear - by the measure you use, it will be measured to you and even more will be added to you. 25 For to whoever has, more will be given. And whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

Sower of the Kingdom
26 And he said,

“The kingdom of God is like a man who tosses seed onto the ground. 27 Day and night he sleeps and rises, and the seed sprouts and grows - he doesn’t know how. 28 The earth bears fruit by itself, first it’s just the blade, then it begins to bud, then it ripens. 29 But when the fruit is ready, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest is at hand.”

The Mustard Seed
30 He continued,

“To what can I compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use {to describe} it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown on the earth, is smaller than all the seeds {sown} on the earth. 32 Yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the other garden plants, and produces large branches so that the birds of the air can dwell under it’s shadow.”

Parables
33 And with many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. 34 But he did not speak to them without parables, but on his own, he explained everything to his own disciples.

“Why are you afraid?”
35 On that day, when it had become evening, he said to them,

“Let us cross to the other side.”

36 And leaving the crowd, they received him into their boat as he was, and other boats were with them. 37 And a large wind storm arose, and the waves crashed into the boat, so that the boat was already filling up. 38 And he was in the stern of the boat, sleeping on a pillow. And they woke him and said,

“Teacher! It doesn’t bother you that we are perishing?!”

39 And getting up, he rebuked the wind and said to the sea,

“Silence, be quiet.”

And the wind stopped and it became very calm. 40 And he said to them,

“Why are you afraid? You still have no faith?”

41 And they were terrified and said to one another,

“Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

Mark 3

2010-09-11T19:50:00.001-04:00

Hope you all enjoy!

Again, this is just for my practice - don't start a new denomination based on anything you read below :)

The Gospel According to Mark

Chapter 3

Healing on the Sabbath
1 And he entered again into the synagogue, and a man was there who had a shriveled hand. 2 And they watched closely {to see} if he would heal him on the Sabbath so that they might accuse him. 3 And he said to the man who had the shriveled hand,

“Stand up, {right} in the middle {of the crowd}.”

4 And he said to them,

“Which is lawful on the Sabbath? To do good, or to do evil? To save a life, or to kill {one}?”

But they were silent. 5 And looking around at them with anger, grieved by their hardness of heart, he said to the man,

“Stretch out your hand.”

And he reached out, and his hand was restored. 6 Immediately, the Pharisees went out and took counsel with the Herodians against him, in order that they might destroy him.

The Crowds
7 And Jesus departed to the sea with his disciples, and a great crowd - from Galilee, from Judea, 8 from Jerusalem, from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan, from around Tyre and Sidon [followed him]. When the great crowd heard what he was doing, they came to him. 9 And he said to his disciples that a boat should be ready for him because of the crowd, so that they might not overwhelm him. 10 For he had healed many, so that those with afflictions were falling on him just so they might touch him. 11 And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out saying,

“You are the Son of God!”

12 And many times he rebuked them hoping that they would not publicize him.

List of the Twelve
13 And he went up to the mountain and called to himself those whom he willed, and they came to him. 14 And he appointed twelve [whom he also named, “apostles”], in order that they might be with him, and so that he might send them to preach 15 and have authority to cast out demons. 16 [and he appointed the twelve] Simon (to whom he gave the name, “Peter”), 17 James (the son of Zebedee), John (James’ brother) - and to them he gave the name, “Boanerges”, which means, “Sons of Thunder” - 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (the son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, Simon (the “Cananaean”), 19 and Judas Iscariot (who betrayed him).

“He has Beelzebul...”
20 And he went into a house, and a crowd gathered again, so that they were not able to even eat a meal. 21 And when his own friends heard {of it}, they went out to gain control of him, for they were saying,

“He’s lost it.”

22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying,

“He has Beelzebul {in him}!”

and

“He casts out demons by the ruler of demons!”

23 And he summoned them, speaking to them in parables,

“How is Satan able to cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 If Satan rises against himself and is divided, he cannot stand - but is finished. 27 No one can enter into a strong man’s house to steal his stuff, unless he first binds the strong man. Then he can plunder his house.

The Eternal Sin

28 I am speaking truth to you - all sins of the sons of men will be forgiven, even whatever blasphemes they might blaspheme. 29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not experience forgiveness in this life, but is guilty of an eternal sin.”

30 For they were saying,

“He has an unclean spirit.”

Define, “Family”
31 And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent {word} to him, calling him. 32 And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him,

“Look, your mother and your brothers [and your sisters] are outside looking for you.”

33 And he gave this answer to them,

“Who are my mother and [my] brothers?”

34 And looking around at those sitting in a circle around him, he said,

“Look, my mother and my brothers. 35 [For] Whoever does the will of God, he is my brother, sister, and mother.”

______________________

Key:

(Words in the Greek text I viewed as parenthetical)

{Words not in the Greek text I added for clarity}

[The authenticity of these words is in question]

Mark 2

2010-08-24T10:49:00.005-04:00

Hey Everyone,

Here is my layman's attempt at translating Mark 2. Please compare to a trusted translation before making any major life changes :)

Enjoy!

~~~~

The Gospel According to Mark

Chapter 2

“Which is easier to say...”
1 And when he had come again into Capernaum after a few days, it was heard that he was at home. 2 And many had gathered together, so that there was no longer room - not even at the door - and he was speaking the word to them. 3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four men. 4 And not being able to bring {the paralytic} to him because of the crowd, they de-shingled the roof {above} where he was, and after digging a hole, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying. 5 And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic,

“Son, your sins are forgiven.”

6 But there were some of the scribes sitting there, reasoning in their hearts,

7 “What is this man talking about? He’s blaspheming! Who is able to forgive sins except God alone?

8 And immediately, Jesus, knowing in his spirit that they were reasoning in themselves in such a way, said to them,

“Why are you reasoning about these things in your heart? 9 Which is easier to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins have been forgiven?’, or to say, ‘Get up! Grab your bed, and walk!’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...” (he said to the paralytic) 11 “...I say to you - Get up! Grab your bed, and go home!”

12 He arose, and immediately took up his bed, and departed before them all. Therefore, they were all amazed and glorified God saying,

“We’ve never seen anything like this!”

Levi Follows Christ
13 And he went out again alongside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. 14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collection office, and he said to him,

“Follow me.”

and he arose, and followed him.

Jesus’ Choice of Friends
15 And he was reclining {at a meal} in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many following him. 16 And the scribes who were Pharisees, after they saw that he was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, were saying to his disciples,

“He is eating with the tax collectors and sinners?”

17 And after hearing these things, Jesus said to them,

“It is not the healthy ones who have need for a physician, but the sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Analogies of Fasting
18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, so they come and say to him,

“Why is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”

19 And Jesus said to them,

“The wedding guests don’t fast while the bridegroom is with them, right? As long as they have time with the bridegroom, they cannot fast. 20 But the days are coming when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. 21 No one sews an unshrunk cloth patch on an old garment; otherwise, the patch tears away from it - the new from the old - and the tear becomes worse. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine breaks apart the wineskin, and the wine and wineskins are ruined - new wine goes into new wineskins.”

Lord of the Sabbath
23 One day, on the Sabbath, he was passing through the grain fields, and as they made their way, his disciples began plucking heads of grain. 24 And the pharisees were saying to him,

“Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”

25 And he said to them,

“Haven’t you read what David did when he had need and was hungry, and his companions also? 26 How he entered into the house of God (in the time of Abiathar the high priest) and ate the designated bread, which was not lawful {for any} to eat, except the priests, and he gave it also to those who were with him?”

27 And he said to them,

“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 Therefore, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Key:

(Words in the Greek text I viewed as parenthetical)

{Words not in the Greek text I added for clarity}

[The authenticity of these words is in question]

~~~~~~

Key:

(Words in the Greek text I viewed as parenthetical)

{Words not in the Greek text I added for clarity}

[The authenticity of these words are in question.]

~Jason

Mark 1

2010-08-07T16:57:00.004-04:00

The following is my translation of Mark 1 using the Nestle-Aland 27th edition of the Greek text. Where I was unsure of how to translate a particular section, I relied heavily on the NASB and ESV for guidance.

I have chosen to translate Mark for the sole purpose of improving my Greek comprehension, NOT because I have something better to offer than the many excellent versions on today's market. As such, I encourage you to read my translation alongside a more scholarly, trusted version.

Enjoy!

The Gospel According to Mark

Chapter 1

Introduction
1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ - [the Son of God].

One Prophet Predicts Another
2 Just as it is written in Isaiah the prophet,

“Behold I send my messenger ahead of you,

who will prepare your way.

3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness,

‘Prepare the way of the Lord,

Make his paths straight.’”

4 John [the] baptizer appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea, and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan river, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel hair and a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And he preached saying,

“After me comes one who is mightier than I, one who I’m not even able to bend down and loosen the strap of his sandals. 8 I baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Baptism of Jesus Christ
9 And it came about in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And immediately, coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens open and the Spirit, as a dove, descending upon him. 11 And a voice came from heaven

“You are my beloved son, I am very pleased with you.”

Temptation of Jesus Christ
12 And immediately the Spirit cast him out into the wilderness. 13 And he was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan, and he was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to him.

Disciples, Fishing, and Galilee
14 Now after John had been arrested, Jesus came into Galilee preaching the gospel of God 15 saying,

“The time has been fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near - Repent! Believe in the gospel!”

16 Passing alongside the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net into the sea (they were fisherman). 17 And Jesus said to them,

“Follow me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.”

18 And immediately they left the nets and followed him. 19 After going a little way he saw James the son of Zebedee and John (his brother), who were in their boat mending their nets. 20 And immediately he called them, and they left their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

Jesus in Capernaum
21 And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered into the synagogue to teach. 22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23 And immediately there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit, and he cried out,

24 “What do you want with us? Jesus of Nazareth? You’ve come to destroy us? I know who you are - the Holy One of God....”

25 But Jesus rebuked him saying,

“Silence! Come out of him!”

26 And the unclean spirit, shaking him to and fro, cried out with a great voice, and came out of him. 27 And they were all astonished to the point that they debated among themselves saying,

“What is this?! A new teaching with authority! He commands the unclean spirits and they obey him.”

28 And immediately, the report about him went everywhere throughout all the neighboring regions of Galilee.

Jesus Heals One
29 And immediately after they departed from the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon’s mother-in-law, suffering with a fever, was lying down, and immediately they told him about her. 31 And he came, took her by the hand, and raised her up - and the fever left her, and she began waiting on them.

Jesus Heals Many
32 When evening had come, when the sun had set, they brought to him all who had an ailment, and those who were demon-possessed. 33 And the whole city was gathered at the door. 34 And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and he cast out many demons. And because they knew him, he would not allow the demons to speak.

“Everyone is Looking for You”
35 And in the morning, while it was mostly dark, he arose, departed, and went out to a deserted place and began to pray there. 36 And Simon and his companions searched for him. 37 And they found him and said to him,

“Everyone is looking for you.”

38 And he said to them,

“Let us go elsewhere, into the nearby towns, in order that I may preach there, for that is why I came out.”

39 And he went into their synagogues throughout all of Galilee, preaching and casting out demons.

Unavoidable Popularity
40 And a leper came to him [and falling on his knees] and beseeching him he said to him,

“If you so desire, you are able to cleanse me.”

41 And moved with compassion, he stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him,

“I do so desire, be cleansed.”

42 And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. 43 And he sternly warned him and immediately sent him off. 44 And he said to him,

“See to it that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”

45 But he went out and began to talk all about it and spread the word around, so that he {Jesus} could no longer openly come into a city, but was outside in deserted places; and they were coming to him from every direction.

~~~

Key:

(Words in the Greek text I viewed as parenthetical)
{Words not in the Greek text I added for clarity}
[The authenticity of these words are in question]

~Jason

So Long, Facebook

2010-07-27T21:46:00.011-04:00

Over the past several months, a discontentment with all things Facebook has been gradually building in my mind. If I haven't yet exhausted your brainwashed-by-typical-status-update-length attention span, allow me to explain.

1. Cost vs. Benefit

To be sure, benefits a la plenty exist in social networking. Usually in life, however, the benefits outweigh/equal the cost. For example, if you pay $.99 for a 5-layer burrito from Taco Bell, the benefit FAR OUTWEIGHS the cost (no arguments allowed on this point).

However, in the case of Facebook, the amount of time I have shamefully poured into Facebook is hugely disproportionate to the benefits I receive. (Oh look, Aunt Lily just poked somebody I've never heard of, again.)

I have concluded that ANY benefit received in checking my Facebook as often as I use the restroom can also be received if I check Facebook (hold on to your hats) only once a week.

Gulp.

Once a stinking week?

RESOLUTION #1 - I will only sign in to Facebook once a week.

~~~~

2. Friend Count

I just had to break Resolution #1 to check and see how many "friends" I have - 241.

What a joke. Maybe, just maybe, there are 241 people in the ENTIRE world who could pick me out of a crowd, and know my first name (Josh, right?). Is this what friendship has become?

I was thinking about this, and there is a guy I haven't talked to in over 5 years. I don't think we've ever messaged on Facebook, and yet, I have this odd sense that we are still connected because, "Hey look, he changed his profile pic!" Folks, we aren't close. This is an illusion of intimacy created by an illusion of communication. I'm tired of it. Is it possible to maintain even a mediocre level of meaningful interaction with 241 people? I submit that it is not.

Another illusion created by Facebook is that you can actually update people as to what you are doing.

Uncle Jason's gonna tell it to ya straight.

Unless someone happens to be watching the "Most Recent" news within 15 minutes of your groundbreaking news - they (ahem) DON'T SEE IT!!!! Of course, someone could always choose to specifically take the time to visit your page. But seriously, how many different people are actually checking my page? 10? 20? 50? Oh wait, that's right - 241. (heavy sarcasm)

The point I'm trying to make here is not that your statuses aren't being read. Quite creepily, they are. Rather, I'm trying to argue that the idea that you're "broadcasting" yourself to all of your friends is simply an illusion.

I have decided that I simply cannot (and do not) maintain 241 friendships on Facebook. So if you get de-friended by me, it's NOT personal. I'm simply trying to make Facebook a tool again. I'm going to tell you something Mark Zuckerberg doesn't want me to tell you - we can still be friends even if (here it comes) we AREN'T friends on Facebook. (My own father isn't on Facebook, and I consider him one of my closest friends.)

RESOLUTION #2 - I will reduce my friends to only 100, and maintain this level.

These rantings are just the tip of the iceberg. I'm sick of the Face-stalking. I'm sick of the lack of privacy. I'm sick of the rude comments. I'm sick of the politics.

I want Facebook to be a tool again, and lately, it's been my taskmaster.

~Jason

Jason Hart

2010-06-29T21:49:00.005-04:00

You are now reading what is most assuredly the least important bio known to man.

Think of me as, "Joe the Writer" (except I would have stumped for Jed Bartlett) - just an everyday guy working for you (and "the man").

I'm employed at a local Christian bookstore where I use my four years of Bible college training to help the elderly pick out greeting cards. I like to think I'm making a difference...which is kind of like saying, "At least I don't deal drugs."

In my spare time, I love to think, read, write, and teach. (according to the Wikipedia article I created for myself, I've won awards in all of these areas)

I am a Christ-follower, which is cooler than saying, "I'm a Christian" - but they basically mean the same thing. I'm someone who is trusting in Christ for my forgiveness - which, if true, means my entire life, behavior, and character are being conformed to His image.

I live in Hixson, TN with my beautiful wife, Emily.

Short Stories

2010-06-29T21:15:00.002-04:00

Stories for Twitter

Dark - Above everything else, Sara just wants to be loved

Task - For his whole life, Seth has failed a very important task.

Stories for Blog

Townspeople - A commentary on "good" and "bad".

Lied - A lie is addicting.

Solo - God is dead.

"Townspeople" (Part 6 of 6)

2010-06-17T09:05:00.003-04:00

***Spoiler Alert***

This is the final part of a six part story. Read the beginning by following the links below.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

***Spoiler Alert***

"Townspeople"
by Jason Hart

Part 6 of 6

-Present Day-

Nate used his own key to enter the back door of his house. Should have changed the locks, Lara. Waves of memories came crashing down on him as he made his way through his house. A picture of him and Trey grabbed his attention. He was sitting in a hospital room, hair and clothes disheveled, proudly holding his newborn son. "He has your eyes.", Lara had told him. Nate vigorously shook his head the way one might shake an Etch-a-Sketch to erase the memories, and pressed on through the house. He paused at Trey's bedroom door and listened to Trey's rhythmic breathing, watching as his little chest rose and fell with each breath. He leaned his medium sized frame halfway through Trey's doorway, grabbed the doorknob, and slowly closed the door. It was to be his last humane act of the evening, maybe even his entire life.

He continued on down the hallway towards the master bedroom. Once again, he was caught off guard by a picture - his wedding picture. Any normal man would have had great difficulty looking at his own wedding photo right before murdering his wife - but not Nate. It was like there was a literal connection missing in his brain. He had been in the house now for almost 10 minutes, and now, Nate found himself standing at the threshold of Lara's bedroom door. He paused, then crossed the room and stood beside his sleeping wife. Nate grabbed his gun and gripped it with both hands. He pulled back the hammer, pointed the gun directly at Lara's sleeping body, and squeezed the trigger.

****

-Sometime in the Past-

Abby successfully finished her treatment and returned home somewhat rehabilitated. Paul's love for Abby had deepened while she was away, and when she came home, he had a diamond ring waiting for her. "Hopefully this one won't draw quite as much attention." he quipped, "You can wear it whenever you feel comfortable." She put it on that next week, and even ventured into town a few times on her own. Slowly, things returned to normal for Paul and Abby. Paul continued his fishing business, and Abby became stronger and more emotionally stable with each passing day. Then, totally unexpectedly, something happened that Paul and Abby had always dreamed of - they got pregnant. The pregnancy progressed without incident, and before he knew it, Paul was sitting in a hospital room, hair and clothes disheveled, proudly holding his baby. "It's a boy!", the doctor informed the proud parents.

Once they had gotten settled in at their home, a crowd of friends gathered to offer their congratulations. One of them spoke up to be heard over the small audience that had formed,

"What is his name?" an indeterminate figure called out.
"His name is Nate.", Paul answered, beaming.

And all the townspeople declared, "Paul, this is very, very good."

- THE END

****

Thank you so much for reading, "Townspeople" - I hope you enjoyed it! Stay tuned for "Townspeople: An Analysis" coming early next week.

-Jason

"Townspeople" (Part 5 of 6)

2010-06-16T09:05:00.001-04:00

"Townspeople"
by Jason Hart

Part 5 of 6

-Present Day-

Nate checked his watch as soon as he saw Lara's bedroom light go out. 20 minutes He thought to himself, then I'm going in. Nate paused and considered what he was about to do. His calm spirit surprised even himself. He pulled a Ziploc bag out of his pocket, plucked each cigarette butt from off the ground, and dropped them one by one into the bag. He sealed the bag and put it back into his pocket. He wasn't a criminal mastermind, but he figured he'd seen enough police shows to know he shouldn't be leaving cigarettes just lying around.

Nate tilted his head slowly from side to side, and shrugged his shoulders. It was time. He reached behind his waist and pulled out a revolver which had been wedged between his pants and the small of his back. He pressed a lever and the six-chambered cylindrical block swung out from underneath the barrel. He dug into his pockets and found the six bullets that he had brought. He gripped them between his thumb and pointer finger and slid each one into it's respective chamber. He pressed the cylinder back underneath the barrel, and slid the gun snugly back into his waistline. Nate took a deep breath, braced himself on the ground with his right hand, and slowly rose to his feet.

****

-Sometime in the Past-

After their "survival" of the train crash, Paul and Abby felt compelled to focus on what was important - and now, a family seemed more important than ever. But the roller coaster of events, not to mention emotions, the past several years started catching up to Abby. Even though a casual observer might have never caught on, inwardly she was falling apart. She never wore any jewelry, hardly ever laughed, and NEVER walked anywhere alone. Even though Paul and Abby made a comfortable living, Abby forced herself to wear simple clothing, and tried her hardest to draw as little attention to herself as possible. After months of quiet suffering, Abby was completely overcome and suffered a complete mental breakdown.

Paul was devastated. In a final act of desperation, he paid for her to receive 6 months of treatment at the best psychiatric hospital in the country, which just so happened to be located 300 miles away. At first Abby wasn't up for it, but after she could bear the pain no longer, she finally agreed to try it. "I guess we'll just have to put our family plans on hold." Paul told her as he was kissing her goodbye, "When you come back, and you WILL come back, I'll be waiting." He wiped away the tears from his eyes, and quickly slipped a pocket watch from inside his jacket. "Here," he explained, "take this, to remember me." And so it was, Paul and Abby, after weathering storms of all stripes were now forced to be separated.

And all the townspeople declared, "Paul, this is bad."

****

...to be continued.

"Townspeople" (Part 4 of 6)

2010-06-15T09:03:00.004-04:00

You can click on the links below to read the beginning of "Townspeople"

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

"Townspeople"
by Jason Hart

Part 4 of 6

-Present Day-

Lara wandered through her house tidying up. She grabbed a newspaper from off a chair, folded it, and set it down on her coffee table. She straightened the couch cushions, put a few dishes into the sink, and moved some of Trey's things into the hall closet. Lara yawned and tried to rub the fatigue out of her eyes, Time to call it a day. She moved silently through the kitchen, reached back and flipped off the kitchen light, and headed toward her bedroom.

She brushed her teeth, quickly slipped into her night gown, and crawled into bed. Had Nate still been around, she might have brushed her hair, painted her nails, or spritzed on a little perfume - but not tonight. Tonight she couldn't even force herself to look at her unkempt reflection in the mirror. As she lay staring at the ceiling, water built up at the base of her eye, stumbled over the edge of her eyelid, and began journeying down her cheek. Lara smothered her sobs with her pillow, and let the tears purge the dark memories locked up inside of her mind. She began mumbling random words strung together into sentences that only she could interpret.

Suddenly, an unnatural noise from outside her window startled Lara out of her emotionally induced stupor. She sat up abruptly and quickly brushed the tears from off her face. She held her breath as she strained to hear any more noises. Nothing. Lara rolled her eyes, You're losing it, girl. Pull yourself together. Lara eased back onto her pillow, reached across the bed, turned off her lamp, and drifted off into a fitful sleep.

****
-Sometime in the Past-

Paul's patient love and devotion was the fuel that powered the engine of Abby's steady recovery. Despite her improvements, she still wasn't feeling good enough to do any traveling, and they had to make the unfortunate decision to cancel their planned train ride. The week of Paul and Abby's would-be vacation came...and went. During that time they just sat around their house moping as if they were scheduled to die at the end it. The web of confusion weaved by the recent string of events left them feeling trapped, ready for what remained of their lives to just be sucked from their bodies.

But one morning, while reading the newspaper at the breakfast table, a headline commanded Paul's full attention - "NO SURVIVORS IN TRAIN CRASH TRAGEDY". Paul speechlessly handed the newspaper to Abby and simply pointed to the article. The very train that they had originally planned to vacation on had crashed. As the full realization of their decidedly generous fate sank in, they sat stunned, totally overwhelmed by emotion. As they pondered the implications, they began shedding tears of joy - We're alive!

And all the townspeople declared, "Paul, this is good."

****

...to be continued.

"Townspeople" (Part 3 of 6)

2010-06-14T19:00:00.004-04:00

"Townspeople"
by Jason Hart

Part 3 of 6

-Present Day-

Nate, lost in the complicated cavern of his mind, hardly noticed the pile of cigarette butts huddled at his feet. As his thoughts carried him step by step into the darkness, it was as if the ground behind him plummeted into a bottomless pit, forcing him to continue his trek inward. Where have you been!? It haunted him like a recurring childhood nightmare. A nagging question from a nagging wife. Where have you been!? He'd heard it dozens of time, and he could hear it now. Playing over and over again like a mouse stuck on a wheel. Where have you been!? He gritted his teeth, his breathing was quicker now, and his heart was pounding. There weren't enough cigarettes in the world to drown out the pain. Where have you been!? Such a controlling question, asked with all the doubt she could muster. And every time Lara asked that same stupid question, he wanted to slap the disrespect right out of her.

Nate paused the train wreck of anger in his mind and let his mind wander back to the beginning. Their marriage had been happy, once. But now, "happy" was just a word. Like a lame punchline at the end of a long joke. The train started rolling again. Where have you been?! He could remember it all. He saw her standing in the kitchen, with her hands on her hips. He could hear her tone of voice. He could see Trey ducking into his room. He could feel the massive weight on his chest, the pain of being hated by his own wife. Where have you been!?

Suddenly, the "Caw! Caw!" of a crow startled Nate as it took flight from a nearby tree. Nate breathed in sharply, his hands trembling, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. He wiped the sweat from his brow, I'll tell you where I've been. he thought to himself, I'm sitting next to this pile of brick and wood that we used to call home. I'm out here, because you don't want me in there. He broke from his thoughts long enough to light another cigarette, and glance towards Lara's bedroom window. Her light was still on. Nate snorted and shrugged his shoulders, Probably reading her Bible. He leaned back and closed his eyes, "I can wait, I've got all the time in the world." he muttered aloud.

****
-Sometime in the Past-

As for Paul, the fish gods continued to shine on him and his boat. As for Abby, she was never shy about showing off her better-late-than-never ring. A little shyness however might have done her some good, because the ring began catching the wrong type of attention. One day, while taking an afternoon stroll through the town, a man mugged Abby and physically took the ring from off her finger. Abby should have known to just leave it alone, but instead, she let out a scream so violent that any bird within a quarter mile took flight. Her assailant silenced her with a brutal blow to the face, then, in a fit of rage, began hitting Abby over and over as she struggled helplessly on the ground.

Paul was out to sea that day, and when he came home long after the sun had set, his house was empty. After making a few phone calls, and creating quite the ruckus at more than one house, Paul was able to finally find someone who had heard about what happened to Abby. Paul rushed to the hospital, but hadn't adequately prepared himself for seeing Abby battered and bruised, lying motionless on the bed. "She's suffered extensive injuries." the doctor remarked, fully lacking any quota of bedside manner, "She'll live, but she's got a long road ahead of her."

Paul was furious. He cursed his wife's attacker, that gaudy ring, his "lucky" boat, his money, and himself.

And all the townspeople declared, "Paul, this is bad."

****

...to be continued.

"Townspeople" (Part 2 of 6)

2010-06-14T09:05:00.006-04:00

"Townspeople"
by Jason Hart

Part 2 of 6

-Present Day-

Lara leaned over and pecked her son on the forehead, "I love you, Trey." she whispered.

"I love you too, mommy." Trey replied, his eyes struggling to stay open.

"Did you like the story?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"What was your favorite part?"

"The part where Jesus told them to throw their fishing net on the other side of the boat and they caught all those fish!" Trey giggled.

Trey's mother smiled, "I liked that part too. Sweet dreams." She reached up to turn off the lamp beside Trey's bed, but was interrupted.

"Mommy," Trey asked curiously, "When is Daddy coming home?"

She forced a smile, "Oh sweetie, we talked about that, don't you remember? Daddy's not coming home."

"Why not?" Trey asked, genuinely confused.

"Daddy..." Her voice faltered. She thought of everything she wanted to say. She thought of how much he had hurt her - how much he had hurt them. She wanted to scream, to tell Trey the truth, tell him that Daddy was a bad, bad man and that Trey wouldn't want anything to do with him. Lara gathered herself and continued, "Daddy, doesn't want to be here anymore. Daddy doesn't love us like he used to...but you know what?"

"What?"

"We can still love Daddy. We can still pray for Daddy - do you want to pray for him right now?"

"Sure..." Trey said softly.

Lara closed her eyes and waited to hear what this innocent little boy would say about her husband, his father. After a few seconds, Lara glanced down to see why Trey hadn't started praying. He had fallen asleep. Despite the somberness of the moment, she couldn't help but smile just a little bit. Just as well, she thought to herself, I didn't want to pray for him anyway. Lara reached up and finished what she had started to do a minute ago, and switched off the lamp next to Trey's bed.

****

-Sometime in the Past-

Paul's relationship with currency, not to mention Abby, was worsening. Since, he didn't have the time or money to learn a new trade, he was forced to do the only thing he knew how to do - fish. About the time Paul began wondering if their marital vows would be made into a mockery by their next anniversary, as if on cue, the fish starting biting. They started biting, and they wouldn't stop. It was as if the fish knew how badly Paul needed to catch them, and they just obliged. That year he brought in more income than the previous 3 years combined. The year after that, he tripled what he had made the previous year. Paul paid off his debts, bought a bigger boat, and even purchased a round-trip train ticket so he and Abby could take a much needed vacation.

As the money rolled in, happiness seemed to come along for the ride. No longer shackled by financial restraints, Paul and Abby connected in a whole new way. They were like newlyweds again. One night, after a romantic evening together, Paul got down on one knee and produced a small velvet box from his pocket. It had taken nearly 5 years, but Paul had finally delivered on that promise to get Abby her wedding ring.

"It's so gorgeous!" Abby gushed, "I've just got one question for you.", she teased.

Paul played along, "Oh, really? What's your question?"

Abby leaned in close and interlocked her fingers with his, "When do you want to start a family?" she whispered.

And all the townspeople declared, "Paul, this is good."

****

...to be continued.

"Townspeople" (Part 1 of 6)

2010-06-13T08:00:00.003-04:00

"Townspeople"
by Jason Hart

Part 1 of 6

-Present Day-

Nate pulled a half used pack of Lucky Strike cigarettes from the pocket of his button-down shirt with his right hand, and smacked the pack rapidly several times against the palm of his left hand. He loved smacking that pack of cigarettes. On a practical level, it packed the tobacco tighter so the cigarette would burn slower, but on an emotional level, it was his way of being defiant. He slipped a cigarette out of the pack, set the pack back into his shirt pocket, and lit the cigarette. He placed the cigarette between his lips, sucked just the right amount of smoke into his mouth, paused for a second to allow the smoke to cool, and then, finally, inhaled the smoke into his lungs.

Nate shifted positions restlessly. He laboriously stretched out his legs, massaging his thighs in a vain attempt to speed up his circulation. A full hour had almost expired, and Nate was still waiting for her to go to bed. Anyone who might have had the unfortunate pleasure of spotting his dark crouching figure would have have immediately suspected his sinister intentions. But he wasn't going to be noticed, and he knew it. He sat outside the house with his back pinned up against the east wall, virtually invisible to any cars that might have passed by, or the casual scan of a nearby neighbor. The sound of laughter drifted through an open window of the house. Nate scowled and exhaled slowly. It was going to be a long night.

****

-Sometime in the Past-

Paul's fishing business was in decline. This statement may actually prove to be somewhat deceptive, because it implies that there was a point in history in which Paul's business was actually thriving (which would be the deceptive part). Paul began fishing with his father when he was 14, and when he was 20, Paul bought his own fishing boat, named it "Lucky", and sailed out to see if he could make it on his own. Paul ate, drank, and breathed fishing - and fishing allowed him to eat, drink, and breath. Despite his utter lack of budgetable income, Paul chose to marry the love of his life, Abby. So poor were the two of them that they couldn't even afford to buy each other a wedding ring. "One day," Paul promised, "I'll buy you a diamond ring, and your finger will never be naked again."

Several months passed, and the promised ring never materialized. They tried to convince themselves that they were happy with a modest living, but things took a turn for the worse after their one year anniversary. That first year, they struggled to break even, and after another year, they began losing money. Then, what they thought only happened to other couples began happening to them - they drifted apart. After months of bickering about things large, small, and in between, they made the unspoken agreement to co-exist under the same roof. Their plan of starting a family, once hindered due to financial reasons, was now hindered by a much more pragmatic reason, they despised one another.

And all the townspeople declared, "Paul, this is bad."

****

...to be continued.

Count Your Blessings

2010-05-19T07:23:00.005-04:00

Some thoughts from my devotions in Ephesians:

Passage:
Ephesians 1:3-14

Thoughts:

Paul starts off this section praising God, "Blessed be...God..who has blessed us...with every spiritual blessing." (notice, he didn't say "earthly" blessing).

Notice that most of these blessings have something to do with our salvation.

1. He chose us to be holy and blameless. v. 4
2. He predestined us for adoption as sons. v. 5
3. He redeemed us through Christ's blood. v. 7
4. He forgave us of our sins. v. 7
5. He lavished us with his grace. v. 8
6. He made known to us the mystery of His will. v. 9
7. He gave us an inheritance. v. 10
8. He sealed us with the Holy Spirit. v. 11

Application:

It is so natural to get caught up in earthly blessings (cars, homes, computers, clothes, etc.). These things can, and probably should, be enjoyed. But that enjoyment must be placed in the broader context of our enjoyment of spiritual blessings (e.g. our salvation).

To come at it from a different angle, I usually thank God everyday for food (at mealtime) - but do I thank God everyday for my salvation? I encourage you (and me) to make thanking God for the blessing of salvation a regular habit.

~Jason

With Him

2010-05-11T11:03:00.005-04:00

Some thoughts from my devotions in Ephesians:

Passage:

Ephesians 1:20 "that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,"

Ephesians 2:6 "and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,"

Thoughts:

Please note: two incredible things happen to Christ in 1:20:

1) He was raised from the dead.
Imagine the look on Satan's face when death's grip couldn't hang on to Christ! Christ came to the earth, gained some followers, gained some haters, and died. Case closed? Not on your life.

2) He was seated at God's right hand in heaven.
I don't think we have to be an expert in Biblical imagery to know that being at God's right hand is a GOOD thing. God stamps his approval on this slain lamb and says, "He's with Me."

What's even more incredible, is that the same two things happen to us in 2:6:

1) We are raised from the dead with Him.
Don't let earthly distractions (Economy, Health, Power) deceive you - our greatest enemy is death. We live our life, we gain some followers, we gain some haters, and then we die.

2) We are seated with Him in heaven.
If God is for us, who can be against us? Again, it's not hard to see the significance of being seated with Christ in heavenly places. Undoubtedly a good place to be considering eternity is a long time.

So the first is a conquering of earthly death, and the second is the sealing of our eternal destiny.

Application:

Oh, please don't miss that ever important prepositional phrase - "with Him". Or that other one at the end of 2:6 - "in Christ Jesus".

These two facts that bring an everlasting peace (power over death, and eternity on God's side), can only be fully realized though the person and work of Jesus Christ. Fortunately, Paul doesn't leave us to guess about how to know that we are saved -
"For by grace you have been saved through faith." (Ephesians 2:8a)

If you want to know more about how to be saved, check out this video.

If you are already saved, let these two truths bounce around in your mind as you go about your day.

-Jason

Music for Thought: Part 3 of 4

2010-05-10T23:55:00.010-04:00

Our reflective journey via musical case studies continues with a Johnny Cash classic.

Johnny Cash performs "Hurt" a cover of the song by Nine Inch Nails.

I'm afraid that the more I say about this song, the less meaningful my comments will become. Let me just point out the two most powerful moments in the music video.

I will Make you Hurt (2:35-2:40)

When June (Cash's wife) looks down at him from the stairs, it's a look that says a thousand words. When I see that expression on her face, it's like I can feel it too. It's like she lets out a big sigh that says, "It pains me so much to hear you say all this - but I love you. I love you too much to reach out and make you stop. I'm going to let you journey down this path of healing and redemption. And as you do, I'll be here for you. Waiting. Ready to love you, no matter what."

My Empire of Dirt (2:53-3:09)

If you didn't react in some way physically (sit up in your chair, grunt in surprise, raise your eyebrows, put your hand over your mouth, ANYTHING) when Cash started pouring out that wine - you better call an ambulance because you're a dead man walking. Notice the priceless stare down from Cash as his shaky hand pours out the contents of his glass. That wine spills all over the place and we can see the utter disgust of a man determined to abandon everything he once held as valuable.

What Have I Become?

That question, "What have I become?" is the most applicable. To me, performing an internal inventory can be purging and damning at the same time. As we look back at where we've gone wrong, we can confess it before God, and ask for forgiveness - and this purges us of our sins. However, when we take an honest look, not at our gross sins, but at our subtle ones; not at our actions, but at our motives - it is damning.

But God's grace is greater than all our sin. When we approach Him through Jesus Christ, we unlock the floodgates of God's infinite mercy with the key of faith.

Anger and Wisdom

2010-04-27T10:20:00.004-04:00

Some thoughts from my devotions in Ephesians:

~~~

Passage:

Ephesians 1:17
"...that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him..."

Thoughts:

Put simply, Paul prays that God would grant his readers wisdom.

To be fair to the context, the reason Paul prays for a "spirit of wisdom" is so that they would understand the things he talks about in verses 18-19 (hope, inheritance, and power).

Application:

Even though Paul wasn't praying for generic wisdom here in Ephesians - he does do so in Colossians 1:9-10 which says,

"...we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him..."

Make no mistake, it is a GOOD thing to ask God for wisdom (see James 1:5).

Hang with me as I take this application one step further - we should pray for wisdom when we're angry.

I'm ashamed to admit it, but I can get really upset about some really dumb things. If something major happens, I can usually keep a cool head - but it's the little things that drive me nuts. One thing I've started trying when I get angry, is praying and asking God for wisdom.

This usually cools me down for two reasons,
1) It breaks the cycle of negative thoughts, and gives me a second to process.

2) God gives me wisdom which seems to say, "Jason, stop and think for a second. Is it really wise to be upset about this? Is it the mature thing to do? Is this something of eternal importance? " The answer to all of these questions comes back no, and it helps calm me down.

So the next time you seem to be getting upset about the smallest things - try saying a simple, genuine prayer for a "spirit of wisdom" from God.

~Jason

Thanks for You

2010-04-24T10:07:00.008-04:00

Some thoughts from my devotions in Ephesians,

~~~

Passage: Ephesians 1:15-16
"For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,"

Thoughts:

Notice the simplicity of what is going on in these two verses -

Paul responds in TWO ways, because of TWO things he sees in the believers.

Because Paul heard of their 1) faith in Christ, and 2) love for the saints; Paul responds with 1) thankfulness for them, and 2) prayers for them.

Application:

There are so many ways to go with this, but for the sake of brevity, let me just leave you with a couple of things to consider.

Isn't it sometimes difficult for us to do what Paul did? Sometimes, when I think of people who have faith in Christ and love for the saints, I'll focus on some minor issue and think to myself, "They're not doing their music right." or "They only use a certain Bible version." or "I can't believe they're SO Calvinistic." or "That would never happen at my church." or "They aren't the same denomination"

Obviously, a complete and healthy Christian experience goes beyond these two things Paul lists here. But, when I see someone who genuinely has 1) faith in Christ, and 2) love for the saints - why can't my initial response be, "God, thank you for this fellow believer, I pray that you would strengthen them in their walk with You."?

Sadly, my first response is sometimes,
"Dear God,
Why do I have to put up with these idiots. Why can't everyone just be perfect like me.
- Amen."

~Jason