Admitting Doubt

Preface/Disclaimer: I have written various versions of this post at least four different times. It doesn’t say exactly what I hoped it would as well as I hoped it would, but it is at least a start. I’m pretty sure that, if I were to rewrite it again in a week, I would say some things differently, but hopefully you can understand my main point.

I’ve seen this posted on Facebook a few times:

I understand the point. I get it. I know what you are saying—it is impossible to KNOW that your religious beliefs are correct. After all, we have no proof of what happens after death. We are physically incapable of observing the supernatural. We cannot begin to experience the past or the future. You’re saying that some things are unknowable.

I’d like to think that all of us who were raised in religious families or espouse ourselves to a particular belief system have thought through that particular conundrum. I don’t put any stock in someone’s faith who hasn’t questioned its validity at some point. Unless you have experienced some form of internal faith conflict, your opinions are probably not held deeply or defensibly. We have all realized that most religions are mutually exclusive and passed down from generation to generation and most of us have questioned these teachings.

In my mind there are only five possible conclusions to this inner struggle:

1. My religion is right- So, now affirmed in your faith, you continue on in your belief…until your next moment of doubt when you repeat this process.

2. Another religion is right- So you espouse this new (or at least different) belief system…until your next moment of doubt when you repeat this process.

3. All religions are equally valid- So you go on practicing, or not practicing, whatever religious system fancies you for the moment trusting that the god that is somehow represented by all of them knows your true heart and intent…until your next moment of doubt when you repeat this process.

I’m going to interject a little commentary on this one- This is the worst of all the solutions because, in an attempt to examine the facts logically, logic is somehow completely dismissed from the process. The idea that all religious systems can please a single god is contradictory in itself as many religions are mutually exclusive and their key tenets state specifically that the others are wrong. In fact, it is the primary, stated objective of most religions to convert unbelievers and proselytize other believers.

4. There is no god- Convinced that there is no supernatural being who cares or interferes in the affairs of humanity, you choose to base your life on pragmatism and the scientific method (rough description of humanism)…until your next moment of doubt when you repeat this process.

5. The answer is unknowable- You decide that it is impossible to know which answer is correct. If you come to this conclusion, you will need to choose to live according to the basic principles of one of the four previous conclusions. While you are not entirely certain that it is correct, you must at least have some sort of ethical and moral code…until your next moment of doubt when you repeat this process.

After examining the options, I feel that the people who made this meme are right. In a world demanding tangible evidence, the complete truth about the supernatural is unprovable at best. At worst, you could say it is completely unknowable. All of us, at various levels, live according to option #5. It is as impossible to prove that there is a god as it is to prove there is not a god. We have not been able to prove what we believe so we live according to a specific belief system that we feel is most likely to be correct.

I have no problem with this way of living—the honest seeker. My problem is with the cynic. The one who knows what is right (or at least what is most likely to be truth) and still chooses to live differently on a chance that it may be false. This person chooses comfort over conviction. This person seeks to undermine other belief systems without claiming to have an answer. This person posts religious memes meant to enrage others on social media sites.

I’m not enraged. I’m saying you’re right. And I hope you’ll become more right as you continue to search for truth.

 

Baltimore Ray-vens

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the Super Bowl kickoff about five hours away hours away and Ray Lewis’ retirement about three hours after that, I’m relieved that we can stop hearing about the guy for a while. But before we close the book on that discussion (until 2018 when he is eligible for the Hall of Fame) I think we have missed one important aspect of his life change- contrition.

It’s not often that my opinion on somebody turns around so drastically as it has Ray Lewis. I couldn’t stand the guy after his brush with the law. Like most fans, I thought he had literally gotten away with murder because of his wealth and celebrity status. Although I’m still pretty sure that opinion is valid, I don’t root against him anymore. It appears he really has found God and has made a 180 in his life. I find Ray Lewis to be one of the most exciting, entertaining, and uplifting players in the NFL.

My opinion has changed for many reasons: His positive words, his speaking out for God, his use of Scripture, his encouragement to those around him, his generally good reputation now, his charitable work, the forgiveness of culture as a whole.

There’s only one thing I haven’t heard–”I was wrong.”

I have heard him plead guilty to obstruction of justice. I have heard him say he was sorry. I have heard he paid over $1 million to the families of the men who were killed. I have heard him speak of forgiveness. I have heard about God’s mercy. I have heard him tell of his change.

I haven’t heard him admit guilt or tell the whole story of how he was involved in an altercation that left two men dead. Even after the obstruction charges, he didn’t testify against his friends and they walked. Two men were stabbed, three other men were there when it happened, and no one was convicted of murder.

There are generally two schools of thought regarding Ray Lewis:

1. Let it go. It was a long time ago and he has obviously turned his life around. Everyone deserves a second chance.
2. Your actions determine who you are. He made a huge mistake and that should be a huge part of his legacy.

My opinion is somewhere in the middle- I would love to move on and forget about his wrongdoings, but I can’t forgive someone who hasn’t done anything wrong.

¹ Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.^[a]
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

³ Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
⁴ He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
⁵ You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
⁸ You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

⁹ If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
¹⁰ no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
¹² they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
¹³ You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

¹⁴ “Because he^[b] loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
¹⁵ He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”

- Psalm(s) 91 (NIV)

 

Mary’s Gift

Remember this song?

What can I give Him
Poor as I am
If I were a shepherd,
I would bring a Lamb
If I were a wise man,
I would do my part
So what can I give Him
I’ll give Him my heart

Probably no human has given more to Jesus for Christmas than His mother Mary. In order for the Messiah to be born she not only gave of her physical self, but she gave up her plans, her dreams, probably her friends, and definitely her reputation. Why was she willing to do this? Why was she willing to alter her entire life for this baby?

The answers to those questions are evident in the first sentence of Mary’s praise to God that we call the Magnificat:

My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
-Luke 1:46-47 (KJV)

She understood that her purpose was to glorify God. The very nature of her being was to magnify His greatness. Her joy was not found in the temporal but the eternal. Her focus was not on her mortal life but on the promise of salvation that Jesus represented. The reality is that her earthly circumstances no longer mattered because this birth was about to change eternity for Mary and anyone else who would believe. Mary understood that her life was meaningless compared to what God wanted to do for all of humanity.

And so, this Christmas, I know what I should give Jesus, but I probably need to ask myself this question:

What am I focused on to the point that it is keeping me from truly understanding the importance of that baby’s birth?

 

30 Days of Thanks #30- God’s Plan

Throughout the month of November I am writing about the first thing for which I am consciously thankful each day. I am doing this simply as a way to be more intentionally grateful. For more on this project, check out the first one or even last year’s 30 Days of Thanks.

Throughout this month of thanks, I have been fairly specific. For the most part I have avoided writing about gratitude for big picture ideas or existential concepts. I have narrowly focused my thoughts toward the here and now, the small things that make life more pleasant, and the day to day blessing that are so abundant.

Truthfully, the first thing for which I was grateful this morning was God’s plan for reconciliation. Several separate thoughts (about afterlife, the severity of sin, and the Old Testament sacrificial system) had, for various reasons,  all been bouncing around in my head for the past few days and finally gelled into an overwhelming feeling of gratefulness to God for His generous, if undeserved, offer of salvation. That’s what I was going to write about whenever my day allotted a few minutes to let those thoughts move from my mind to my fingers.

And then the day got busy.

I finally conceded to the realization that there was no way I was going to be able to do this topic justice until after Gateway’s opening home basketball games tonight. Around 9:15 I was driving home and Jack, completely out of the blue, asked “Dad, why did God make us?” I figured this was something he had talked about in school or church and he was just wanting to show off what he had learned so I threw the question back at him. He said “I don’t know. That’s something that no one has ever told me. Why would God make us?”

And that’s when it hit me. I am thankful for God’s offer of redemption, but more importantly, I am grateful that God desires for me to be redeemed. The whole purpose for my being created is to have a relationship with God–for me to be able to reflect His glory and awesomeness in some small way. I want that too, but God wants to be personally connected with me more than I want His salvation. And there’s the amazing part:

I need a Savior who doesn’t need me, but still wants me more than I want Him.

Today, November 30, I am thankful for a God who has a plan to redeem those incapable of recognizing the magnitude of our need for redemption.

 

30 Days of Thanks #25- My Wife

Throughout the month of November I am writing about the first thing for which I am consciously thankful each day. I am doing this simply as a way to be more intentionally grateful. For more on this project, check out the first one or even last year’s 30 Days of Thanks.

My wife set up our Christmas tree on Thursday, November 15. For those of you too lazy to look at a calendar or so disinterested that you won’t even hit your iPhone’s home button twice and ask Siri, I’ll tell you that November 15 is 40 days before Christmas. Although I love Christmas (hear that, AFA? You can stop sending me the annoying emails!), I have been annoyed at how much earlier it gets every year.

When I saw Janet dragging in the tree on that Thursday evening all I did was raise my eyebrows and she started defending herself. I’ve got to admit that her reasoning is sound. Every year she takes a Saturday to decorate her grandma’s house for Christmas. That was last Saturday. Every year she takes a week to decorate the church for Christmas. That will be this week. After she’s done with those two projects, the last thing she wants to do is more Christmas decorating, so she decided to do our house first. Her words- “I want to invest some real energy in my own family’s Christmas this year.”

This morning our 2gether Bible study talked about the Proverbs 31 woman and a few interesting points stood out to me:

• This passage was not written to women, but to men in order that they might seek out the right kind of woman and appreciate the ones they have found.
• The ideal woman is described as “virtuous”- seeking excellence and right.
• She uses what she has for the benefit of her family.
• She works hard until the job is done.
• She gives to others as well.
• Her family, especially her husband, praises (boasts about) her.

In verse10, Solomon implied that this woman is rare, and when you read that list it is pretty obvious why: The Proverbs 31 woman, along with her husband, must be completely selfless. I have one of those wives who will work for her family as well as others and makes us look better than we actually are. Maybe I have finally located my heart or whatever gland it is that is supposed to make you feel emotion, but like the proverbial husband, I want to praise her for being the wife I need.

Today, November 25,.I am thankful for a selfless wife.

 

 

30 Days of Thanks #16- A Good God

Throughout the month of November I am writing about the first thing for which I am consciously thankful each day. I am doing this simply as a way to be more intentionally grateful. For more on this project, check out the first one or even last year’s 30 Days of Thanks.

My plan to be intentionally grateful must be working because I woke up this morning singing a song of thanksgiving despite the condition of my sinus passages. The specific song I was singing was Psalm 107 put to tune by my dad. He used to make up catchy tunes all the time when he was in charge of children’s church and it’s amazing how many I still remember.

¹ O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
² Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;
³ And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.
⁴ They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in.
⁵ Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.
⁶ Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.
⁷ And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.
⁸ Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
⁹ For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
-Psalm 107 (KJV)

That one passage says a lot about our God. I’m going to attempt to meditate on that the remainder of the day and remember that…

Today, November 16, I am thankful for a good God who has redeemed me and gathered me to Himself.

 

30 Days of Thanks #13- God’s Conditional Promises

Throughout the month of November I am writing about the first thing for which I am consciously thankful each day. I am doing this simply as a way to be more intentionally grateful. For more on this project, check out the first one or even last year’s 30 Days of Thanks.

This past Sunday in our 2gether Bible study group, we talked about Proverbs 3. To be honest, I really didn’t expect to learn very much because I have been able to quote the key verses in that chapter (5-6) for as long as could talk. What more could I possibly see that I haven’t figured out in the first 31 years of my life?

¹ My son, do not forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep my commandments,
² for length of days and years of life
and peace they will add to you.

³ Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;
bind them around your neck;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
⁴ So you will find favor and good success
in the sight of God and man.

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
⁶ In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
⁷ Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
⁸ It will be healing to your flesh
and refreshment to your bones.

⁹ Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with the firstfruits of all your produce;
¹⁰ then your barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will be bursting with wine.

Proverbs 3:1-10 (ESV)

I’ll tell you what I could see—the other conditional promises in the first part of that passage:

live by God’s law → live a long and peaceful life (1-2)
be merciful and truthful → have favor with God and men (3-4)
trust completely in God → He will give you direction (5-6)
humble yourself → have a refreshed spirit (7-8)
honor God with your possessions → never experience want (9-10)

Today, November 13, I am thankful that God promises to reward our devotion to Him.

 

30 Days of Thanks #7- A Backward Gospel

Throughout the month of November I am writing about the first thing for which I am consciously thankful each day. I am doing this simply as a way to be more intentionally grateful. For more on this project, check out the first one or even last year’s 30 Days of Thanks.

My friend, Gowdy Cannon, posted a series of statements about the Beatitudes on Facebook that were extremely challenging. He took each criterion to be blessed and paired it with its promise to construct an illustration of what a modern Facebook post might look like if we were truly living out Jesus’ teachings. Although I have comprehended the message of the beatitudes I have always struggled with a proper application of these seemingly-strange conditions for blessings. Perhaps his thoughts will provide some clarity for you the way it did for me.

Matthew 5:3-11 (ESV)
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

With much gratitude for his work and permission, here is the discussion from Gowdy Cannon’s Facebook:

I hear people often talk about and write about how their great family life or their safety or their freedom makes them “blessed”. And not that they don’t but the Bible is largely silent on calling us “blessed” because of them. And in studying Matthew 5:1-16 for Persecuted Church Sunday this week, I wonder what Facebook would look like if we considered ourselves blessed based on what Jesus said:

Today I faced a situation in a relationship that caused me to feel helpless, weak and without control. I couldn’t do anything but cry out to God. #blessed (Matthew 5:3)

Today I cried for 20 minutes after my English class because one of my students is having trouble with the material and desperately needs English to get a job and I don’t know what to do. #blessed (Matthew 5:4)

Today I felt tempted to cave to lust in a way that could end my ministry. I am crafty enough to get around my accountability. I cried out to God to “lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil.” #blessed (Matthew 5:6)

Today I have been struggling with bitterness over the way people have treated me when I made myself vulnerable. I remember how much I have been forgiven and that helps me to let it go a little easier. #blessed (Matthew 5:7)

Today I found out about a woman who has small children and just lost her husband – her only source of income. I did something anonymously to help her because I think she is Jesus. #blessed (Matthew 5:8)

Today someone asked me why I based my whole life around what Jesus did and I replied because only he can provide peace that comes from the turmoil of sin. #blessed (Matthew 5:9)

Today one of my friends prayed with her child in public and someone told her she was wrong to do that because it is like brainwashing the child. #blessed (Matthew 5:10)

After studying them [the beatitudes], I have determined that they are culturally-backward, inside out, upside down and counter-intuitive, just like “lose your life to save it”, “the first will be last”, “gains are losses”, and “love your enemies”. I have learned from the best resources available for word studies that the word “blessed” means things like “happy” and “having favorable circumstances” and “to be envied.” That is amazing to me when you look at the list! Should I be envious of people who are persecuted?

_________________________________________
Thanks for the message, Gowdy.

Today, November 7, I am thankful that the blessings in my life are not dependent upon worldly success or my own ambition, but upon my willingness to live as Christ commanded.

 

30 Days of Thanks #4- A Starting Point for Wisdom

Throughout the month of November I am writing about the first thing for which I am consciously thankful each day. I am doing this simply as a way to be more intentionally grateful. For more on this project, check out the first one or even last year’s 30 Days of Thanks.

This morning, like most Sundays, I will be leading the 2gether Bible study at our church. It is definitely my favorite hour of the week. The group is awesome and welcoming and we spend as much time laughing as anything else. We usually learn something, too. I’m sure I’ll get back to talking about that group sometime later this month.

Using the D6 curriculum from Randall House, we are about two-thirds of the way into a six-year journey through the Bible. This morning we will be introducing the book of Proverbs, and this statement from the Fusion Teaching Guide has changed the way I am looking at it: “The goal of the book of Proverbs is to know wisdom in an intimate way and weave it into the fabric of your life so it cannot be separated from you.”

You can check out our online Bible study notes on YouVersion Live, but the main gist of the lesson is that wisdom comes from a proper understanding and reverence for God. That takes a lot of the pressure off. If I focus on the foundation and make sure my thought processes are grounded in a relationship with God, wise decisions and actions will follow. And if I get stuck there’s a whole book full of wise statements waiting for me.

Today, November 4, I am thankful for the practical wisdom in God’s Word.

 

Grandpa John

I dislike “RIP”. When I see it on Facebook statuses or Twitter posts about certain celebrities who have passed away I can’t help but cringe. I realize that most of the time it is simply used to acknowledge a death and show sorrow over the loss of life. I don’t have a problem with the intent, but words mean something and, unfortunately, resting in peace is not what many of those are doing.

My “Grandpa John” died last Sunday. We all miss him but know he is with the Lord he served for most of his 86 years. While preparing for the funeral, my Aunt remembered that she had recorded this video of him back in August. He knew where he was going.

For the first time in many years he is resting in peace.