Against Nothingness

Here are few poignant words from George MacDonald: "What I want to say and show, if I may, is, that a man will please God better by believing some things that are not told him, than by confining his faith to those things that are expressly said... If he is not taught of God in that which he hopes for, God will let him know it. He will receive something else than he prays for... The danger lies not in asking from God what is not good, nor even in hoping to receive it from him, but in not asking him, in not having him of our council... But it is about hopes rather than prayers that I wish to write. What should I think of my child, if I found that he limited his faith in me and hope from me to the few promises he had heard me utter! The faith that limits itself to the promises of God, seems to me to partake of the paltry character of such a faith in my child- good enough for a Pagan, but for a Christian a miserable and wretched faith. Those who rest in such a faith would ...

David Murrow.  Why Men Hate Going to Church . Thomas Nelson, 2011. 256 pgs. We all know that not all men hate going to church. I think we also all know that in most churches there are more women than men. Why is this? Where are the men? According to David Murrow we have made church an overly, and overtly, feminine experience and are now reaping the dubious rewards of such efforts. Through three sections Murrow makes the persuasive argument that we do have a problem, that it is a result of tailoring the church culture towards women, and that we can do something about it. Not only can we but we must, for without men churches slowly, but surely, perish. Or so argues Murrow; I happen to agree. Why Men Hate Going to Church   is an excellent book. It is provocative, well researched, and thoughtful. There were several moments during reading when I nearly gasped, in shock and delight, as Murrow refuses to pull any punches. In speaking of the feminization of worship, and...

I am a failure.  How do you feel when you read those words? Does a part of you revolt, wanting to immediately respond by offering encouragement, telling me how wrong I am, and righting the obvious wrong in the sentence? Or, does a part of you cringe in recognition? Do you see in those words your assessment of yourself?  Either way, I have to tell you this: it is true. I am a failure. So are you.  You may wonder why I am bringing this up. Let me tell you. I am bringing it up because I believe that unless you respond to this statement correctly you have misunderstood the grace of God.  According to Paul we have, in Jesus Christ, redemption and forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace (Ephesians 1:7). It has long been the testimony of Christians that God's grace is nothing short of amazing. We sing exactly that; Amazing Grace. God loved us into being, refused to abandon us when we abandoned Him, made a way for us to not onl...

"Unfortunately for the church, many men see churchgoing as womanly behavior. It's the polar opposite of the risky, dangerous image they try to project. Men don't go to church for the same reason they refuse to carry anything that resembles a purse - it's not something guys do. Imagine this scene one Wednesday night after a long, hot day on the construction site: Bill:  Hey, where you guys going after work? Dean:  I'm going out for a beer.  Jeremy:  I've got tickets to the ball game.  Bill:  How about you, Sam? Sam:  I'm going to Wednesday night church serve.  All:  [ Silence ] Men, do you feel that one in your gut? Dean and Jeremy are planning an evening of manly behavior. But Sam will be doing something  real  men don't do - going to church, and on a weeknight. This is one reason many Christian men hide their faith from other men. They're not ashamed of Christ; they're ashamed of feminization." - David Murrow. ...

I know it is early, but I can't help it. Each year part of me despairs as all of the wrong things about Christmas show up earlier and earlier. Yet, each year another part of me can't wait. It is a joyous season and I enjoy celebrating the incarnation of Jesus the Christ.  At various times in Christian history Christmas has been a non-event, a major festival day, a day reviled as nothing more than a Christian overlay on a pagan holiday (yes, early evangelicals refused to celebrate Christmas! Think about that for a moment), and an overly consumer-ized celebration of consumption, among other things of course.  As I think about the many ways in which Christmas has been misused, at the 'questionable' origins of much of what we now celebrate (from the date itself on to many of the trimmings) I am tempted to bow my head in despair, but then I cannot help but hear that old, familiar, carol play:  ... And in despair I bowed my head: "There is no peace ...

And now, in the same vein as " Contempervant Growtivation " I am proud to pass on another sadly funny video parody of church: " Wrong Worship "

Carl E. Begley.  Afraid to Believe in Free Will: The Human Tendency to Avoid Responsibility for Free Choices . Westbow Press, 2010. 176 pgs.  Don't you wish that there was someone else to blame for all of your mistakes? Of course you do. So do I. In the world of my self-deception I am to be praised for all the good in my life, able to take credit for my success, but all of my failures and bad decisions are the result of some form of determinism; I was raised that way, the social structures I inhabit left me no choice, or the devil made me do it.  In this book Begley argues, from the point of view of psychology, that we are indeed afraid of free will and the responsibility it thrusts upon us. Begley knows that we cannot prove, or disprove, the existence of free will. However, he take son some of the modern trends in science and psychology towards determinism and points out their flaws. He then argues that free will is central to what it is to be human and that we...

Who is God? No, I am not going to attempt an answer to that question in a blog post. In fact, I am not going to attempt to answer that question at all.  Instead, I have a question for you; but first, a prologue. As a Christian I know and believe that the place to go to find out who God is would be the bible. However, I have not always had this faith. I started to look for, and find, answers to this question in other places before I turned to and trusted the word of God. I have been reflecting on that lately, and it has made me curious.  So, I would like to ask you: Where and when did you first encounter God?  And, assuming you have had such an encounter, what did you learn?  P.S. I will be answering these questions myself, just not right now. 

Pull up a chair and play a game with me.   Sounds like fun.   Do you know how to play chess? A bit; I'm not very good. That's OK. We're not going to play real chess.  Huh? Did you catch the mischievous glint in my eye? Nope. We are going to play dream chess. Right... Exactly. Before we can play, you have to tell me  your dream of your future.  What does that have to do with chess? I see your confusion, but trust me.  You'll see. Just tell me your story, the one you hope  to write with your life.  And so, you weave your dream for me, letting me, ever so briefly, glimpse your secret hopes. You tell me the story you want to live out. Maybe I have to tease out some of the details, or stop you to remind that I have asked for a story and not a to-do list, but slowly or quickly, one way or another, your tale is told. You tell me about the work you hope to do and how you wi...

Forgiving means to pardon the unpardonable, faith means believing the unbelievable, and hoping means to hope when things are hopeless. - G. K. Chesterton Top Posts for October: 1. Heaven and Hell - Let the humbling continue. My most popular post of all time, now by a nearly a factor of 4, continues to be a nearly content free one. Hooray! 2. To Whom Do You Compare Yourself  - Herein I offered some reflections on the parable of the publican and the pharisee. I enjoyed writing this; it gladdens my heart that you have apparently enjoyed reading it. Ahh, if only the numbers of hits received could actually tell me what you thought...  3. "Everything the Bible Says About Heaven" by Linda Washington  - Seriously, do you people just like it when I am mean? This was a terrible book and I wrote a harsh review. Reflections: It has been a good month, October. It involved much and many activities with my family, good times in the church wit...