If Jesus wrote a Christmas letter…..

(found this on the internets today…. thought I’d pass this one on)

It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season.

How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own. I don’t care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth, just GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Now, having said that let Me go on. If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn’t allow a scene depicting My birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santas and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn. If all My followers did that there wouldn’t be any need for such a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees. You can remember Me anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if you wish: I actually spoke of that one in a teaching, explaining who I am in relation to you and what each of our tasks were. If you have forgotten that one, look up John 15: 1 – 8.*

If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth here is my wish list. Choose something from it:

1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me all the time.

2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don’t have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.

3. Instead of writing the President complaining about the wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, why don’t you write and tell him that you’ll be praying for him and his family this year. Then follow up…. It will be nice hearing from you again.

4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can’t afford and they don’t need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth, and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love them.

5 Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive him or her.

6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since you don’t know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile; it could make the difference.

7. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren’t allowed to wish you a “Merry Christmas” that doesn’t keep you from wishing them one. Then stop shopping there on Sunday. If the store didn’t make so much money on that day they’d close and let their employees spend the day at home with their families

8. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary– especially one who takes My love and Good News to those who have never heard My name.

9. Here’s a good one. There are individuals and whole families in your town who not only will have no “Christmas” tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or receive. If you don’t know them, buy some food and a few gifts and give them to the Salvation Army or some other charity which believes in Me and they will make the delivery for you.

10. Finally, if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don’t do things in secret that you wouldn’t do in My presence. Let people know by your actions that you are one of mine.

Don’t forget; I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love Me and do what I have told you to do. I’ll take care of all the rest. Check out the list above and get to work; time is short. I’ll help you, but the ball is now in your court. And do have a most blessed Christmas with all those whom you love and remember :

I LOVE YOU,
JESUS

U.S. Christian leaders slam Uganda’s anti-homosexuality act

Our Christian faith recognizes violence, harassment and unjust treatment of any human being as a betrayal of Jesus’ commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves. As followers of the teachings of Christ, we must express profound dismay at a bill currently before the Parliament in Uganda. The “Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2009″ would enforce lifetime prison sentences and in some cases the death penalty for homosexual behavior, as well as punish citizens for not reporting their gay and lesbian neighbors to the authorities.

Regardless of the diverse theological views of our religious traditions regarding the morality of homosexuality, in our churches, communities and families, we seek to embrace our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters as God’s children worthy of respect and love. Yet we are painfully aware that in our country gays and lesbians still face hostility and violence. We recognize that such treatment degrades the human family, threatens the common good and defies the teachings of our Lord — wherever it occurs.

Take that, Rick Warren!

Read the full text here

Quick thoughts on Psalm 109

The newest, coolest thing in far-right circles is to tweet, post, have a bumper sticker that says “Pray for Obama: Psalm 109:8″.  While it seems innocent on the surface, what this verse says is:

“Let his years be few; let someone else take his position.”

Cute, huh? Praying for the end of Obama and/or his administration.  What these people don’t tell you is this……

…..those are the words of David’s enemies.  Back up a couple verses and this is what David says:

O God, whom I praise, don’t stand silent and aloof while the wicked slander me and tell lies about me.
They surround me with hateful words and fight against me for no reason.
I love them, but they try to destroy me with accusations
even as I am praying for them!
They repay evil for good,and hatred for my love.
They say,“Get an evil person to turn against him.
Send an accuser to bring him to trial.
When his case comes up for judgment, let him be pronounced guilty.
Count his prayers as sins.
Let his years be few; let someone else take his position.

- Ps109:1-8

“They” are David’s enemies. “They” also wish that his children become fatherless and wander as beggars.  “They” also wish that his offspring die and his family name “disappear from human memory.”

All through Psalm 109, David relays what his enemies say yet he never stops praying for them.  He never stops loving them.  He prays to God to give him strength and says he will never stop rejoicing.

So, the next time you see this cute little saying, kindly tell them that Ps 109:8 are the words of those out to destroy King David, the enemies of God and his people, and NOT from those that follow and worship the almighty God.

Conservative Christian Group Calls for “No More Muslims” In Military

The American Family Association, a conservative Christian group, has published an article on its website calling for Muslims to be barred from military service. Bryan Fischer, AFA’s Director of Issues Analysis, argues that the Fort Hood shootings are a signal that “It it is time to stop the practice of allowing Muslims to serve in the U.S. military”:

The more devout a Muslim is, the more of a threat he is to national security. Devout Muslims, who accept the teachings of the Prophet as divinely inspired, believe it is their duty to kill infidels….

This is not Islamophobia, it is Islamo-realism….

And just as Christians are taught to imitate the life of Christ, so Muslims are taught to imitate the Prophet in all things. Yesterday, Nidal Malik Hasan was simply being a good Muslim.

I completely agree with the MJ writer that this pile of dung from the AFA is a “vast wasteland of stupid”.

It’s absolute bigoted garbage… as a Christian, it disgusts me.

Christianity and the death penalty are incompatible

Period.

Those who quote “an eye for an eye” have got it wrong and obviously have forgotten the words of Jesus and Paul.

The OT concept of “ayin tahat ayin” comes in direct response to Lamech’s claim in Genesis 4:

One day Lamech said to his wives:
“Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;
listen to me, you wives of Lamech.
I have killed a man who attacked me,
a young man who wounded me.
If someone who kills Cain is punished seven times,
then the one who kills me will be punished seventy-seven times!” Gen 4:23-24 (NLT)

“Eye for an eye” was to ensure that punishment would be equivalent to the crime, and was intended to be a prohibition against vengeance.

Since, obviously, man screwed this all up, when Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount, he said this:

38 “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. Matt 5:38-40 (NLT)

Then, following the Two Great Commandments, we see this story:

21 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven! Matt 18:21-22 (NLT)

Note the similarity in language between Lamech’s lament and Jesus’ answer to Peter.

Paul understood this, and in Romans 12, he says:

Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.

Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” Romans 12:14-20 (NLT)

The underlying point here is that only love can truly change people’s hearts and the world. We may not immediately see the change, however. But responding in love shines a spotlight on the “wickedness” in the hearts of people who “do bad things”.

Atheists and Evidence for God – An Update

Back in July, I wrote a post asking “What kind of evidence of God’s existence would Atheists accept?“. I also asked this same question in a religion/theology forum of a political discussion board I participate in.  Now, since the New Atheists are so firm in their insistence that there’s “no evidence” for God’s existence, I had faith that they’d be able to answer this question honestly and, well, realistically.  Judging by the majority of the answers I got, I was sooooo wrong.

So, let’s go the tape, shall we?

• An omnipotent being who refers to themselves as God, on-camera and in english, and i’m operating the camera, with screened-for-rationality witnesses from every religion on earth, and submits to an interview. like Close Encouters, but with Yahweh

• An amputee regrowing a limb, now THAT could count.

• A man rising from the dead, long after brain and heart failure, now that could count.

• To wake up tomorrow morning and find that every single human being (believers of all religions and non-believers) had perfect knowledge of what god is and how it should be worshiped/followed/etc. No more religious wars, disagreements, etc.

• He literally has to come down, knock on my door, and hand me a business card.

…..and then there was this answer….

1) a visitation from an entity powerful enough to convince me of omnipotence. Maybe it would destroy a planet or something.
2) the entity would have to convince me it was “personal”, that it had a personality like I do, thinks in a linear, human like, fashion. A prolonged conversation with such an entity would be a start.
3) The entity would have to convince me of the truth of the assertions in the Bible about it. So it’d need to execute some kind of time travel that could be convincing enough that I would not suspect an illusion.
4) I’d have to meet each of the persons of the trinity, or be convinced that this one entity I was talking with was comprised of three persons. Again, conversation is a good way to do this.

So, essentially what we’ve determined so far is that God has to be the “genie God”…..although the last answer is the best one so far, particularly making God equal with Darth Vader, complete with planet destroying Death Star abilities. But wait, it gets better.

First we have the “shuck and jivers”, responding with:

• First define God. I don’t believe in God because I don’t think the word has any meaning. Give me a hard definition, and I’ll tell you exactly what evidence I would need to acknowledge believe in it. Because right now you’re asking me to tell me what it would take for me to believe in hurmdiddle.

• Nobody really defines what god is, so talking about the existence of god is fraught with issues.

• it’s a hard question to answer because nobody seems to agree on what is meant by “God”

It’s interesting to see that the New Atheists are eager to claim there is no evidence for God, yet when pressed for what would constitute evidence, they switch to the “define God” argument.

If they can’t define God, then how can they say there’s no evidence either way?

Then, just when you thought things were silly enough, they cross over to the completely ridiculous:

• I’ve read many old texts, many of which discuss other sorts of deity. I don’t believe them any more than you do. Kali, Krsna, Ahura Mazda.

• I guess, then that you believe in Zeus, Apollo, Aphrodite, Athena, et al., because of the archeological evidence that Greek civilization existed … or Thor, odin, Frea, etc.

• Letting me win the 36 million dollar lottery tomorrow would be a good start.

• I would need to see the ORIGINAL vault copy Birth Certificate.

• Magically banishing all country music from the world.

• For example, if god made the sky plaid for a day and told everyone it was he/she/it who did it by giving us all the same dream, then this should probably be done once every 20 to 50 years.

There were numerous other conversations, including more of people telling me what I believe, variants of the old standby “believers are dumb”, and  alot of deflecting when it’s pointed out that most of the answers qualify as personal revelation, which is soundly rejected by most atheists.

The lone bright spot is there was one person who admitted that there was nothing that could convince him God exists.  I actually appreciate that answer more than the others simply because it’s honest.

While I have no doubt that there are a substantial number of atheists who don’t, and won’t ever, believe, as time passes I’m convinced more and more that these “New Atheists”, or Dawkins disciples, are simply following a fad in order to sound smarter than they really are.

Favorite NLT Translation: Romans 5:3-5

Romans 5:3-5 is, perhaps, one of my favorite passages in scripture. It’s something I look to whenever life gets me down, and I often refer to it when talking friends through their rough times.

I grew up in the Catholic church and the translation I had growing up was NASB. Now, in the NASB, the passage reads like this:

And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Pretty bland.

Now, the last two years of my studies have been NIV, which is a little better:

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

However, I’ve noticed that NLT is appearing more and more, both in Church and on the radio and in emails, so I’m only recently becoming familiar with it. I thought NIV was easy to read and understand, but the NLT surpasses it and also makes it easier to teach scripture to the youth group I lead:

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

The language is beautiful, easy to understand, and doesn’t leave one with the sense of “huh?” that other translations sometimes do.  I find that even middle school students have an easier time understanding scripture from the NLT.

The richness of the NLT translation of this scripture enhances the message that we are to rejoice in the Lord always, and that the tough times we face as believers do serve God’s purpose for the work He is doing within us.

Mosaic launches today!

To be perfectly honest, it feels weird to me to be excited about the release of Holy Bible Mosaic. However, after two years of study, which resulted in well worn and substantially highlighted copies of an NIV study bible and my old favorite, my NASB “Catholic” bible that I’ve had for 20+ years, I gotta say, this is pretty slick.

Over the last two years, I’ve read a ton from Church Fathers and other modern voices. The one problem I keep having over and over, though, is that it’s been in so many different books, that I have a hard time remember where I read what.

Mosaic helps fix that.

Almost everyone has a “one year Bible” that they’ve started reading but after a while lose interest because it’s so….bland.

Mosaic changes that.

It’s arranged so that the reader can follow along with the church year, with each week having its own suggested readings, devotionals, meditations, full color artwork (which is awesome in of itself), and a space for personal reflection.

My own personal frustration with studying theology is having a half a dozen books and notebooks out at the same time while engaged in study. Also, even though I love my NIV, it is a little busy, combining extra content in with scripture.

Mosaic conquers most of these shortcomings and takes Bible study to a whole new level. I’m actually looking forward to owning my own Mosaic.

When I had seen some of the previews, I thought it looked pretty cool. The separation of content and scripture impressed me. However, when I saw the online demo… I was sold.

So, if you’re a theology nerd like me, or are simply looking for an easy to read, engaging Bible, Mosaic is definitely something to check out.

As an added bonus, the NLTBlog is hosting a contest where you can win a deluxe edition of Mosaic and an Amazon gift card valued up to $500. Not bad, eh?

So, check it out. You won’t be disappointed.

Teenagers, Sex, and the Church

There’s an awful lot of noise over the results of a new study to be released in the next issue of the journal Reproductive Health. In it, the survey found that:

U.S. states whose residents have more conservative religious beliefs on average tend to have higher rates of teenagers giving birth, a new study suggests. (MSNBC story)

Looking at the top 10 states, according to the survey, it’s not all that difficult to argue with this conclusion. The top 10 states in teen pregnancy are, in order: Mississippi, New Mexico, Texas, Arkansas, Arizona, Oklahoma, Nevada, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Georgia. Of those states, only AZ, NM, and NV don’t register in the top 12 most religious states.

This should be sounding alarm bells in the heads of every church-goer who reads this.  The simple fact is this…..

…..the Church’s current approach to discussing sex with teenagers is not working.  Period.

What’s the common consensus church position on teens and sex?  Simple.

1) Don’t do it.

2) Save it for marriage.

That’s it.

Now, as parents, what is the quickest way to get your kids to do something?  Tell them not to do it.  Trite as it sounds, I would be body parts that that’s at least part of what’s going on here.  However, I believe there’s something deeper going on here, and we, as adults, parents, and leaders in the church, bear the responsibility for it.

I don’t know any parent that looks forward to having “the Talk” with their kids.  I don’t.  I’ve got 3, including a 14 year old daughter who just recently has her first boyfriend.  The thought of having that talk with her frightens the crap out of me.  I’m sooooo incredibly thankful that my wife has begun that conversation with my 14 year old.

I think that, in the church, that same attitude prevails.  We’re so scared to have that conversation that our advice to the teens in the church body is simply “Don’t!” or some other equally empty platitude.

Ok…deep breath….

The Church needs to fundamentally rethink its approach to teens and sex.  The behavior modification (Just Say NO) method is antiquated and ineffective.  We must go beyond abstinence pledges and purity rings and begin to develop a well rounded approach….and, yes, this means we need to start talking about things like safe sex.

Now some will say “isn’t that just encouraging them to have sex?”  No, it’s not.  I once heard someone say “A condom is like a seatbelt….it may not be the hand of God that saves you, but it significantly improves your odds!”

Now, we teach our kids how to do everything else safely, even those things we don’t like them doing, so I question why sex is different?  Part of it, I believe, is because we’re scared to talk to them about it.  But we need to stop pretending that kids don’t have sex…. we all need to move out of the state of denial and back into the reality based community.

We also have to do a better job at explaining why.  Going beyond scripture and diving deep into the “icky” issues, such as the emotional consequences not only for them, but for the other person as well.  We need to do better in helping them to develop a strong sense of self-esteem and respect not only for themselves, but for others.

TV and movies portray sex as ‘no big deal’ and, for some, it may never be a big deal.  But I truly believe that the Church fails the teens in their congregations when they ignore the deeper and more difficult issues surrounding sex and instead, stick their fingers in their years and shout “Just say NO!”

We also have to be better about counseling them when they DO have sex.  We need to cast off the attitude that teens who have sex are not really “Christian” or they’re “dirty” or they’re a “bad influence”.  Shaming them is not going to solve anything.  In fact, it’s only going to drive them from the church, drive them from their parents, and make them less likely to talk about things or seek advice when they’re scared or in trouble.  We need to remember the story of Jesus and the adulterous woman at the well…. “let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”  One by one they all left until she had no more accusers.  Jesus then told her he doesn’t condemn her, loved her, and sent her out with a “Go and sin no more.”  We, as adults, should learn from this story.

As a parent, and as an adult leader in our Church’s youth ministry, the prospect of opening this can of worms is a little intimidating.  Not because of what the students will think, but because of what the parents would think.

Teens today have access to more information than any previous generation.  If we don’t open this dialogue with them, it’s almost guaranteed they’ll get bad information…particularly from friends and the internet.  We all want them to wait until they’re physically, emotionally, and spiritually ready….but if we don’t talk to them, how will they know when they are?

It’s time for us, as adults in the Church, to stop being scared.  The teenage years are tough enough, and it’s time for us to walk with them and guide them into adulthood and stop treating them exclusively like children.

Ok, God….now what?

Seriously… I know it’s begging the question, but what else could possibly be piled into this steaming, festering pile of crap called 2009?

My best friend loses his teenage daughter in a freak accident, then his wife loses her mom…..layoffs, divorces, separations, almost unbearable amounts of stress at work, my gramma goes to hospice, upheaval at church, and now my uncle’s liver failure….. and the best part…. I’m sure there was plenty more that I’ve forgotten.

My uncle heads to the Mayo Clinic tomorrow to see if there’s anything they can do, and barring that, letting us know how long he’s got and what his quality of life is gonna be.  This is the same uncle that survived an aneurysm about 12 years ago.  Seeing him tonight, belly bloated but gaunt everywhere else, was awful.  My aunt is terrified of losing her husband of….32 years, I believe, and I don’t blame her.  I couldn’t bear losing my wife and we’ve only been married 2 years.

Now I know Romans 5 says:

…we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us. (Romans 5:3-5)

I just don’t feel like rejoicing much today.

Maybe tomorrow…. but not today.