Bible Heroes?

Sometimes, we idealize people in the Bible…like Abraham or Moses or Paul, for example.

I mean, think of Abraham. The guy lied to a king about the identity of his wife. Twice! Did he forget you’re not supposed to lie? Especially to those in authority? I think that’s called perjury.

And what about Moses? Some people call him the greatest leader in the Bible, save Jesus. But when was the last time you called a murderer a great national leader? Okay Bible buff, I guess that was before his great leadership days, wasn’t it? Ah, yes, but what about making his followers wander through a wasteland for 40 years? 40 years! This trip should have only taken 2-3 weeks by foot. And let’s say with all the caravans involved it takes a month or so to make the trip. Even if we give him the benefit of the doubt, the point is, this trip took 40 years. Now-a-days if a pastor takes a few extra minutes of our Sunday mornings, we’re ready to kick him to the curb. Or if a leader doesn’t have a 1-year, 5-year, and 10-year vision, we’re calling for mutiny. We don’t want leaders to waste our precious time, let alone our entire lives. Forgive me for going on so long about this one, but we don’t usually follow anyone for 40 years, no matter how good they are. So there’s a more human perspective on Moses.

Now for the last guy, Paul. What about good ol’ Paul? Once again, involved in murders and persecutions. Okay, again, those were his B.C. days. But would you have hired this guy for a pastor’s position? First, I don’t think he looked the part. Tradition says he was kind of hunched over, with a gnarly nose, and watering eyes, aka not exactly someone who will draw the crowds while teaching on stage. Maybe you’d hire him as a staff member? But he would have failed the background check with his prison record. Would you have sent him out of your church as a missionary to another country…when he used to be the enemy of the church and a persecutor of Christians? I don’t think we would have given this guy a chance. I know I probably wouldn’t have. He didn’t even know where to put a period when he wrote his letters. 😉

I’m not saying we need to go out and rack up a bad record like these guys did. We don’t need to fail in the same ways. I’m simply saying that God works in crazy and mysterious ways. He chooses unlikely candidates as well as likely candidates. He chooses common folk and privileged folk. Above all, He works miracles in and through imperfect people.

Grandpa

I have a grandpa that I deeply respect. I don’t see him a whole lot because he’s a hermit. And I would go visit him more often, but I can barely breathe in his smoke-filled house. Amazingly, Grandpa is still kickin’ at 70+ years old on a steady diet of cigarettes, coffee, and toast.

But let’s get back to why I respect him. I respect him because he uses his knowledge to be a blessing to others. He fixes people’s computers for them–for free. He builds computers and gives them to people–for free. He also knows a lot about woodworking and building model crafts. Thus, he has built doll houses, barns, train tracks, bookshelves, CD and DVD holders, etc. for people–again, for free.

I appreciate this about Grandpa. He helps people in the ways he can help. He’s not going to sit down and give you life advice like a counselor. He’s not going to go out and give a talk to a large audience and tell them they need to help others. He just quietly goes about his business, doing what he’s good at, helping whom he can, not drawing any attention to himself.

Reasons for respect are much more abundant, but those stories are for another time. I think you get the idea for now. So, “Grandpa, thanks for all you’ve done for me. And thanks for your example.”

Scattering Seeds

One time Jesus told a story about a farmer. The farmer went out and scattered seeds. Jesus made it clear that we who follow Him are supposed to play the farmer. Most of the time, I don’t play the farmer. I have the opportunity, but I keep my mouth shut. Sometimes, I do actually play the farmer. But it’s rare. For example:

  1. I met a model on a plane. We were sitting together talking about life when the plane experienced some turbulence. She was afraid she was going to die. I wasn’t. She wondered why. I told her why. She thought that was cool.
  2. I met a guy leading a small group Bible study. He opened up the Bible, read a passage, and asked everyone what they thought. After a half hour of disorder, he said a prayer and everyone left a bit confused. I stayed around and talked to him for a short while. I said, “Bro, if you’re going to teach, you need to spend some time in preparation. Come up with specific, poignant questions. You don’t have to prepare a sermon, just help guide the discussion into truth.” He thought that sounded like a good idea.
  3. A guy invited m to go downtown with him and talk to people about Jesus. The guy came up to a group of teenagers and asked them how many commandments they had broken. Then he told them what kind of punishment that deserved (aka hell). I took one of the guys aside and asked him how his life was going. He told me it sucked. I asked him what he believed. He told me he was an agnostic. I told him I was once in a similar boat. I recommended that he read Ecclesiastes and John’s gospel. He said he would.
  4. At a campfire, I talked to another agnostic guy. We chatted about science, evolution, history, God, current events. After a couple hours of discussion, we went to our separate tents. I prayed for him for about a month later. A year or so later, he and Jesus met up. Now they are friends and he visits jails and goes to colleges having these same types of discussions.

Of all these stories, the last one is the only one where I know the outcome. Often times, we share and we will never know the outcome. Regardless, scatter on!

The Vanity of Bigger Accomplishments

What I pointed out in the last post, I believe, is quite obvious. The plaques, the pieces of paper, the trophies, none of these are meaningful in and of themselves. But I think we’re deceived if we don’t recognize that we’re still playing for rewards.

As we grow older, our plaques become bigger. The wood now has vinyl siding over it. Instead of just having our name on it, we also have a few extra letters and numbers–like 835 Plum Street. And if you do a little bit better, your plaque might be covered with brick and mortar instead of wood and vinyl. As for the piece of paper, it just turns green and shrinks a bit. And the trophy that you raised for all to see after winning the contest is now the car you drive for all to see.

Once again, please don’t misunderstand me. Shelter is a necessity. Transportation is a great convenience. And money is what makes the exchange of goods possible these days. But when we see our houses, money, and cars as achievements or accomplishments or crowns of glory, we are way off base.

When we’re willing to neglect our children or lose our wife so we can have bricks instead of vinyl, or have a taller stack of greenbacks, or have a shinier piece of metal to drive, then I think we’re missing the point. Actually, I know we’re missing the point. Because it is not about how many toys you have when you die. It’s about the people who mourn losing you and how you affected them. It’s about the God you will meet and what He will think of how you spent the time He gave you.

The Vanity of Accomplishments


Over the weekend, I visited my parents’ home for Christmas. Before the big dinner, my dad and I went upstairs to play a game of fooseball, while my wife, daughter, and mom stayed downstairs to talk. Upstairs, I noticed I still had quite a collection of old trophies and plaques. I had noticed them the last time I was at my parents’ home, but this time, at Christmas, I began to muse on my vain accomplishments.


For example, the first plaque I noticed was a three-year varsity letter award. That is, in high school, I played varsity football for three years. They put my name on a piece of wood. Amazing, huh?The second plaque was for being a 10-year 4-H member. That is, for 10 years of my young life, I drew pictures, worked with wood, and showed animals in 4-H. Another piece of wood with my name on it. Whoa nelly!

The third plaque was for lettering as a freshman at Taylor University. That is, I played varsity football as a cornerback and received a big purple “T” glued to a piece of  wood. Talk about good compensation!

The fourth award was a trophy I earned for selling a lot of knives. Yes, in my senior year of college, I became a knife salesman for CUTCO, and I was a top-10 salesman in the state of Indiana for the month of February. Can you believe that?!

The fifth award was a “Dean’s List” certificate. That means the Dean of the university appreciated my high grades and hard work so much that he decided to click print on a pre-formatted Microsoft Publisher template. And he signed his autograph on it. Just what I wanted!

The final awards were the two degrees I earned as an undergraduate. That is, I earned an Associate’s in General Studies and a Bachelor’s in Biblical Studies, so the academic institutions each printed a document on vellum and then gave them to a lot of big, important people to sign them. Whoop-de-freakin-doo!

Now please don’t misunderstand me, I’m not trashing a college degree. Nor am I trashing good grades or high performance in other areas of life. What I’m trying to point out is the vanity of the awards that we work for. The two degrees are sitting in $1 frames. The plaques sit on top of a bookshelf and gather dust. I have two more boxes in storage that are full of trophies from winning tournaments as a youth in different sports. What I’m saying is that the awards are not what it is all about. It is about the lessons you learn and the experience you gain through the activities, as you travel along the journey we call life.

What did I learn through these things? I learned…well, where do I begin? I learned commitment, diligence, patience, and the value of pushing your body and mind and soul to the max. I learned how to value diversity, how to form an argument, how to write well, how to teach well. I learned a lot about the Bible, about Liberal Arts subjects, about caring for animals, about the way the world works. I also learned some silly things, like how to tackle someone, how to convince people they need high-performance cutlery, how to build and shoot off a rocket. (I learned that in 4-H, not in college. I’m not a rocket scientist.)

I guess the more I think about, the more I realize I’m trying to get at something deeper. I want to continue learning and gaining experience, but I don’t want to get caught up in earning awards here. I want to get caught up in earning awards that will last. Awards where the dust and moths are not.

Love Wins (3)

It is true, God is love. But God is also just. And just for fun I have decided to create a list of the other references where it says, “God is…”

So, here is the list, along with the references:

  • God is love- 1 John 4:8-10
  • God is a jealous God who will not share our affection with any other god- Exodus 20:5
  • God is a devouring fire, a jealous God- Deuteronomy 4:24
  • God is an awesome God, greater than any other- 2 Chronicles 2:5
  • God is Spirit- John 4:24
  • God is the one who made the world and everything in it- Acts 17:24
  • God is Lord of heaven and earth- Acts 17:24
  • God is true- Romans 3:4
  • God is so rich in mercy- Ephesians 2:4-10
What does all this mean? It means God is not only love. He is also all of these other things. He is righteous and just. He is sovereign and true. He is rich in mercy, and he also judges when necessary. As Solomon concluded, “God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.”
 
What I’m getting at is this: if you happen to read Rob’s book, I’m afraid you may come away with only “heads” of a 2-sided coin. The “tails” is that God has set up a judgment day. When is that? How does it all work? Who gets to go where? Is there the possibility of changing your mind later, as in after death? I don’t know. I only know its worth your time to look into these issues and make a decision soon. Very soon.
I’ll close with this. A professor of mine, who is a Christian, was once asked to have a dialogue/debate with a prominent Buddhist leader. After a few minutes of dialogue, the Buddhist turned toward my professor and poignantly asked,  “Do you think I’m going to hell?” The room fell silent as everyone waited to see how the Christian would answer. He answered with this, “I’m not the judge. Jesus is the way. And heaven will be full of surprises.”

Love Wins (2)

I finished Love Wins over Thanksgiving Break, and honestly, I gave thanks for that. Not because it’s a difficult or laborious read, but because I feel a great sense of accomplishment when I finish a book.

So what did the book say? Or rather, what did the author, Rob, say?

Rob essentially said that love wins, which is the same thing (in his argument) as saying God wins. God desires that all people be saved. And Rob says God’s desire will be fulfilled. Whether you experience salvation in this life, or in the next, or somewhere in between, you will at some point, be won over by the love of God. Eventually, you will see it, understand it, accept it, and come into relationship with Him. You see, in the end, God gets what He wants. But He never does so through coercion, as Rob is careful to point out. The big idea of the book is summed up by Paul in 1 Corinthians, love never fails. Which means it/He always wins. Love wins.

That’s the basic argument, supplemented by plenty of Scriptures, set in their proper context. It is also supplemented by the notion that there are hells on earth and heavens on earth. And don’t forget, the argument also hinges quite a bit on the Greek word for “eternity” or “forever,” which is “aeon.”

So what do I think about all of this? I think there are hells on earth and heavens on earth. I think we can experience eternal life now if we begin to follow the ways of Jesus. And I think “aeon” is a tricky word to translate, especially in situations where Jesus is speaking in parables or using hyperbole.

I also think a strong understanding of context is crucial in interpretation. I think God wants us all to experience life eternal. I think heaven will be full of surprises. I think it’s hard to know exactly what happens when we die and how time and space and all of that will work once we are no longer in physical bodies. And last, but not least, I think God is love.

(Love Wins Part 3 will be coming soon.)