God Debate

On a cloudy California day, the atheist Sam Harris sat down with the Christian pastor Rick Warren to hash out Life's Biggest Question—Is God real? A NEWSWEEK exclusive.

I don't know about you, but I often have my doubts about God. In my most vulnerable and sincere moments, I can only pray "Lord, have mercy on me a sinner", and "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief." This Newsweek article doesn't wipe away all doubt. In college, I read "Evidence That Demands a Verdict", and that didn't do the trick either. I don't think anything will. But I still find myself wishing for something phenomenal to jolt my faith. Longing for some "proof" of God. Hoping that maybe he will give me some spectacular gift or sign. Into all this wishful thinking, God reminded again this morning. It was like Christianity 101.

I was reminded this morning that even if I did have faultless faith, and could move mountains, if I could speak in the tongues of angels, could prophesy, and could understand the mysteries of God; if I gave away all I had, and spent all my time with the homeless; if I died a martyr for the faith; if I saw and felt the power of God moving mightily through me, so much so that my faith never faltered, and yet I DIDN'T HAVE LOVE, then I would be NOTHING (1 Cor. 13.1-3).

I was reminded also that there will be on that Day many who come to Jesus and say "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?" And we all know what he will say: "Depart from me, I never knew you." Surely these prophets, exorsists and miracle workers believed the right stuff, right? I mean, how else would God work through them? Something was missing. Must have been love.

So I wonder, shouldn't the litmus test for faith not be measured in terms of doubt, but in terms of Love. I mean, if people are going to know we are Christians by our love, and if the evidence of our love for Christ is our joyful obedience to God, and if obeying God means a supernatural love for our enemies, then isn't Faith = Love a better example of biblical arithmetic than Faith = not doubting?

Anyway, so here I am again... Weak and wobbling in my faith, humbly depending on God to sustain me, and praying for the life-giving stream of his love to overflow in me. I can't say all my doubts are washed away. I don't live in Eden. But I'll let God have the last word:

"What can be known about God is plain to [everyone], because he has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly percieved, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse" (Rom 1.19, 20).

God of Wonders

When I was just a boy, my dad would take me out to the soccer fields near our home, where we would lie down under the stars for hours. I remember his green army jacket covering me like a blanket, and his soft voice, almost inaudible, drawing my attention to whatever constellation or shooting star was amazing him at the time. I think this is part of the sacred journey that a father and a son share together, the unrushed imparting of an ever-deepening wonder and awe of God's creation.

As recent as a couple of months ago, Dad and I put on our boots and rain coats, and headed out on a nature trail with binoculars and a camera to just stand there and watch....and stand in awe. He still had that same voice I heard as a boy. It's his story-telling voice that made me and my brother, and all of the grandchildren so far, fall asleep in his arms.

Hopefully, I'll have such a voice, a voice that will depart to my children and grandchildren wonder and awe for the story that God is telling through his creation.

NASA described the picture above with this blurb:

"In celebration of the 17th anniversary of the launch and deployment of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, this, one of the largest panoramic images ever taken with Hubble's cameras, is being released. It is a 50-light-year-wide view of the central region of the Carina Nebula where a maelstrom of star birth - and death - is taking place."

But here's what came to my mind when I saw it:

Lord of all creation,
Of water, earth and sky,
The heavens are your tabernacle;
Glory to the Lord on high.

God of wonders, beyond our galaxy,
You are holy, holy!
The universe declares your majesty;
You are holy, holy!

Hallelujah to the Lord of heaven and earth!

(Mark Byrd, Steve Hindalong, © 2000 Meaux Mercy/Stormy Boy Music)

Phil Keaggy - Salvation Army Band

Salvation Army band is definitely not one of my fave Keaggy tunes, but this video is a great example of why I will infinitely admire him. I was just reading in this month's issue of Acoustic Guitar Magazine, where Phil gives an excellent article on his equipment and style. Feel free to go there to the private lesson with Phil, and if it asks for a customer number, use: 01180962. (It's kind of like loaning you my magazine.)

2007 Pulitzer Prizes - FEATURE PHOTOGRAPH

The Sacramento Bee - Renee C. Byer

Take a few minutes and look at this sobering, heart-wrenching collection of pictures of single mother, Cyndie French, caring for her son 10 year old son, Derek, as together they fight his cancer. Be sure to read the short text at the bottom of each picture. I promise you, it will put your life in perspective.

Peace,
wb

Tony Campolo on Taxes

Tony Campolo offers some thoughts on "rendering to Ceasar what is Ceasar's" at Beliefnet.com. I personally am very thankful for the many benefits I receive as a US citizen, and am more than happy to fulfill my obligation to pay taxes. As you'll see, Campolo, a sociology professor at Eastern University, justifies Christians not paying their taxes as a stance against the war (or any other act of the government that the Christian disapproves of).

Time In a Bottle

Taking the Swagger Out of Christian Cultural Influence :: Desiring God

Click the title of this blog to go to a wonderful mini-article on the way the Christian is to live in the world today. A very relevant word in the light of the Virgina Tech massacre.

Suzanne Tickling Ben

Visit with our dear friends

Suzanne and I took Abby and Ben to hang out with our close friends Kim and Tullian Tchividjian and their kids on Wednesday. We had a sweet and wonderful time.

Resurrection Sunday blunders

Everyone knows Easter is the most important day on the Christian calendar. This is a holy day, a day the Church will always celebrate on the Sabbath (unlike Christmas, for instance). No matter how sanitized or commercial the world tries to make it, with Easter bunnies and Easter eggs, and songs like this classic:

Here comes Peter Cottontail
Hoppin' down the bunny trail,
Hippity hoppity,
Easter's on its way

Bringin' ev'ry girl and boy
A basketful of Easter joy
Things to make your Easter
Bright and gay

He's got jelly beans for Tommy
Colored eggs for sister Sue
There's an orchid for your mommy
And an Easter bonnet too. Oh!

Here' comes Peter Cottontail
Hoppin' down the bunny trail
Hippity hoppity
Happy Easter Day

Look at him hop and listen to him say,
"Try to do the things you should"
Maybe if you're extra good
He'll roll lots of Easter eggs your way

You'll wake up on Easter morning
And you'll know that he was there
When you find those choc'late bunnies

That he's hiding ev’rywhere, Oh!

Here' comes Peter Cottontail
Hoppin' down the bunny trail
Hippity hoppity
Happy Easter Day

Easter celebrates the crux of the Cristian faith, the resurrection of Christ.

Well, I can only expect the world to blunder, and invent such mindless craziness to distract and numb fellow humans from the even crazier (but true) concept that a perfect Man who claimed to be the Son of God was murdered, dead for three days, and rose again in power on this very day, conquering death, and promising that those who bow before him now will inherit eternal life.

But I have my own blunderings for the record, that are of no real consequence, but still terrified me enough that I wanted to let the world know.

I set my alarm this morning for 4:45, but somehow, neither my wife nor I heard it until 5:35, leaving me 25 minutes to get my zoot suit on, out the door, to the church and ready to lead our Easter Vigil service at 6. I comfort myself with thoughts of how this was how Jesus must have risen - very suddenly and purposefully, it being the most important day of his life and all. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think he "woke up", groggily, as if asleep for three days, needing some angels to slap him around or throw water on his face. Like I got up today, I knew what day it was. I jumped out of bed with urgency. Christ had risen! I had to get up and meet his disciples to celebrate and share in this resurrection power. Getting dressed and flooring it to the church this morning, running red lights in the cold, sunless morning, was the way to do Easter.

The second blunder has no real redeeming quality to it. When I typed in "On Christ the Solid Rock" to project on our screens during worship, I somehow, even with proofing my work, had typed "On Christ the Solid Rick". There it was, for 2000 people to see my handiwork. Nice. Real nice. I've rehearsed every awful thing that could be going through people's minds: "Wow. This church is really careless. What an obvious mistake!" I figure visitors now have a pretty low opinion of the church, and maybe even Christians in general. But it does work to humble me. I found such pride in my heart this morning, that I was actually mentally accusing others for changing what I know I had done right. I thought it was a joke. But I must accept the fact that this was my doing, and pray that the Lord did not let it hinder his worship, or the drawing of others to himself.

He is risen!

He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

West