3 Guys, a King, and a Fiery Place!

One of the most beloved stories in the Old Testament, at least in my mind, is the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abdnego. It is found in the book of Daniel (right after Ezekiel and before Hosea, if that helps) chapter 3. Now, before we get into that story, let's go through the brief history lesson.
Daniel begins with a siege and exile of Judah. This is the first of 2 exiles the Israelites will face. The Babylonians, led by king Nebuchadnezzar, takes over the nation, but takes back with them some of the smartest, handsomest, strongest and best of the Israeli men. Four of the young men taken to Babylon are Daniel (whose name was changed to Belteshazzar), Hananiah (whose name was changed to Shadrach), Mishael (name changed to Meshach), and Azariah (changed to Abednego).
(Back to the story now!) Not too long after being taken to Babylon, the king Nebuchadnezzar decides to have a gold statue built in his honour. He is a pretty humble guy, so he decides to have it built 90 feet tall, 9 feet wide...and summon everyone to come to the dedication of this idol. Now, Daniel is never mentioned in this story so it is unclear as to where he is during this time. Perhaps he was away on an assingment, or perhaps he actually was there and decided to go along with the crowd. We don't really know. What we do know, is that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (Rack, Shack and Benny...as told by Veggie tales) are there, and they don't appreciate what they see. As the story goes, the king tells everyone that at the blow of the trumpet, they are to bow down and worship the idol-those that don't will be cast into a fiery furnace. The trumpet sounds, and everyone but the 3 friends bow down and worship the gigantic image of the king. The King doesn't like this...so he summons them to him. Now, as much as he doesn't appreciate their refusal to bow, he does seem to be a generous king and he offers them another chance. He suggests that maybe they didn't hear the trumpet (of course, seeing thousands of people falling to their faces should have been a clue). He gets everyone set up, and again blows the trumpet, forcing everyone to their faces in adoration and worship. Again, the friends refuse. This time, the King is furious and gets the furnace heated up seven times hotter, and brings Rack, Shack and Benny back to him. Now this is where the story gets really interesting in my opinion. These 3 guys have been looked upon as incredible examples of faith. We tell their story, and talk about how they knew that God would deliver them from the furnace. But we seem to miss the part that, they accept the fact that God may not save them. Verses 17 and 18 recount what they say:

"...If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand. BUT EVEN IF HE DOES NOT, WE WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT WE WILL NOT SERVE YOUR GODS OR WORSHIP THE IMAGE OF GOLD YOU HAVE SET UP"

There are a few key words here..."God is able" and "even if he doesn't". This, in my opinion, is the key to what true faith is. We often have this idea that faith is believing without a shadow of doubt that God will rescue us. We believe that God will give us what we want, because we have faith and are asking it. But I don't believe that that is true faith. That is arrogant faith. These 3 men show what true faith is. It is believe that God is able. Believing that God has the power, and has complete control. But then it is also the knowledge that, while God is able, he may not answer the way we want. These guys were willing to enter the fiery furnace. They were willing to DIE!. They didn't know if God would even save them...they knew he COULD, but they accepted that "even if he doesn't".

We can learn a lot from these 3. They aren't mentioned in the Faith Hall Of Fame in Hebrews 11 (wait, let me check again....nope. Not there), but in my mind they are the perfect example of what true faith is. We need to set aside our arrogance. We need to stop telling God how he should respond. We need to lay aside our 100% certainty that God will answer "in this certain way", and instead remember that, while God is more than able to save us...he may not. True faith is accepting that God may not. These 3 guys were willing to die with that knowledge. Now, we know that God did in fact save them, which is an amazing miracle. But the point, in my mind anyway isn't that God saved them. It's that they were willing to stand up, even if God didn't save them.

So next time someone tells you that something is going to happen because they have faith ("I'll get the job because I have faith", "We'll be safe because I have faith...whatever it may be", remember that God is much bigger than this right here right now. He is more than able to provide, protect, and prosper...but he may not! THAT, my friends, is what true faith is. That is what we can learn from this incredible story of 3 friends, willing to stand up when everyone else bowed down.

Walking on Water

So, for those of you who read my blog on a consistent basis, you know my dislike and disdain for those clever, witty church signs. Anyway, there is a new one that I saw recently, which says "Looking for a life guard? Ours walks on Water". I don't know what it is, but this one really bothers me. I don't know why...it's not like it is offensive, or sacriligeous or anything...but there's something about it that just makes me frustrated. Maybe its because it is comparing Jesus to a life-guard. I'm not sure...maybe I just have such a bias against church signs that I can't enjoy them...perhaps I'm just a negative, pessimistic person. But it did get me thinking a little bit...which I guess is the point of it, about the significance of Jesus walking on water.

First of all I have to say that, too often Christians give too much credit to the miracles Jesus does. What I mean is...they focus so much on the miracle itself, that they miss out on the person performing the miracles. The Miracles Jesus did were never meant to becomes these major specatcles, in fact many times he tells people not to tell anyone about the miracle. The one that seems to get the most publicity from Christians (other than the resurrection) is when Jesus walks on water. They seem to equate walking on water, with perfection. Have you ever heard the saying, "Next time you think you are perfect, try walking on water". We seem to make a huge deal out of this one...I don't really know why. But we make a big deal out of it for the wrong reasons I think. We look so much at the miracle itself, that we miss out what Jesus is actually telling his disciples by walking on water. To fully understand that, we have to understand the significance of water in biblical times.

In biblical times, water (or the oceans) were met with fear. It was a place of horror, a place of terror. A place where people left and didn't return. A place of death, and chaos. In fact, in Genesis 1:2, when it says "...And the spirit of God hovered over the waters", it is referring to the fact that God has control over the chaos. No matter how chaotic and crazy things get..God is in control. That is in a sense what Jesus is showing the disciples here. The disciples are out in a boat, trying to cross to the other side...when all of a sudden, Jesus walks out to them. This story is found in Matthew 14:22-36, right after he feeds the 5,000.

It's night time, the wind is picking up...the boat is probably rocking back and forth, waves splashing over the side of the boat, and the disciples are probably already fairly scared. And then they see Jesus, walking towards them. This scares them even more...they even think that Jesus is a ghost. But Jesus is showing them more than just a magic trick here. It's more than an illusion, or a funny prank. He is showing that he has control over fear. Control over chaos. Over terror. Over death. Over hell. The water, in the disciples mind...and in the mind of most bibilical characters, was scary. It represented evil...everything that was wrong with the world. But Jesus is showing that he is in control of it all. So this makes it that much more key, to when Peter asks to climb out of the boat and walk to Jesus. It's not a matter of just jumping into water, and swimming. Chances are, he didn't even know how to swim. Peter is entering the unknown. He enters the very thing that scares him the most...the dark, terrifying, chaotic waters. He does this, because he begins to understand that Jesus has control over it. Jesus is bigger than the fea. Than the evil, than the chaos. Peter puts his full trust in Jesus. I think we can learn a lot from this story. We often are stuck in a boat...surrounding us is our fears, or worries. Things that scare us, terrify us, hold us captive. And then Jesus shows up, and reminds us that he has control over everything. That he holds our worries, our fears and our concerns in the palm of his hand. He walks all over our troubles. And we have a decision to make. Do we let the fear, and chaos hold us captive in the boat...in the safety of the boat...or do we take a chance. Step out of the boat, step out of the safety net, and right into the chaos. Right into the fear?

Take the step. Step out of the boat. Jesus is in control. Jesus is bigger than our problems. Bigger than our worries, and fears, and the unknown. Trust Him. Jump into the water!

Sprititual Buffet

There's something awesome about a buffet isn't there? The seemingly endless choice. The ability to usually eat as much food as you possibly can, and to make the plate of your dreams. You can take meaetballs, apple pie, a lasagna, pizza and shrimp one time, and the next time up choose some soup, a salad, perhaps a piece of roast beef, and cake. It's great. You get exactly what you want, and only what you want.
Lately there seems to have been a religious version of the buffet. People go from church to church, religion to religion and take bits and pieces. Ideas, gods, beliefs and cultures, and mix it together into their own form of "perfect" religion. They create their ideal plate. They have the best of everything, and only what they want. It's called Syncretism. Now, don't get me wrong. I want to say first and foremost that I think there is something that can be learned from pretty much every religion. But when you start taking pieces of this religion, with ideas from that religion and create a religious smorgasborg (I don't know how to spell that), you are living very dangerously. It's like taking Scripture out of context, you lose the intent, the meaning...and you make it mean what you want it to mean. Have you noticed how big yoga has gotten lately? Does anyone realise the religious conotations that go along with Yoga? It's more than just stretching...it's a spiritual action. It would be like if everyone started having baptism groups and we opened up a store that sold baptism tanks and baptism clothes and stuff, and made it into a "cleansing, healing" thing instead of the religious statement that it is. (Note: I'm not tearing into Yoga and thinking people shouldn't do it...I'm just making a point here).
There seems to be 2 waves of thought. There are those people who see all opossing religions as "evil" and "infidels" Like a church in Florida that has people burning the Koran as a show of remembrance for the victims of 911. And saying that Islam is of the devil. Or the Crusades, holocaust, genocides, KKK. All of these stems from a belief that "we are right, and you are wrong and EVIL!". This is the one extreme, and I think that it is just as bad as the other "buffet" extreme I mentioned earlier. The buffet seems more accepting. It seems more peaceful and loving. But is it really? In a sense it is saying, "I like this part of your religion, but the rest of it is crap...so I'll throw that away and add parts of this religion".
Let's learn from other religions yes. I think we should be in awe of the respect Sikhs have to the environment (here in Abbotsford, the walk EVERYWHERE..literally), the quiet meditation that Buddhists observe (meditation is not evil...we have a false sense of what meditation truly is), the passion that Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses have for spreading the "good news". I disagree with their methods, but I can't deny their passion and I wish I was that passionate. Don't be afraid to learn from other religions. When you travel to another country, you learn from their culture and customs. But don't go too far with learning from other religions. Look what happened to the Israelites when they "synced" with all the other religions around them. It tore them apart, and it led to their conquering, and exile. Other religions are not evil. Most religions have a lot of things right...just be very careful to create your own religious "plate". Religion is filled with things that are easy to follow, and tough to follow. There are things that I like about Christianity, and things that I don't like. I can't just throw away what I don't like and add things that I like from Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims or whatever.
I realize I've rambled, and I know I have really repeated myself a lot, and likely confused you. I apologize for that. This is more raising ideas, raising concerns, and giving you something to think about. If you are confused, I am sorry. Leave your comments. What do you think of Syncretism? With the spiritual buffet? Should we learn from other religions, or should we try to avoid them? Leave your thoughts!

Like A Child

One of the most common phrases Jesus says in the Bible is "become like a child". It sounds good, sounds easy and sounds exciting. But what does it mean to have faith like a child? What does that look like?
Being a "camp kid" my whole life, I have been around children constantly. I've seen them at their best, and their worst. And there are a few things I learned while being a cabin leader about being "like a child". First of all, children believe what you tell them.
I remember one time at camp, we told the campers that there were "Bush Sharks" that lived in the bush, and they came out at night...so campers weren't to leave the cabin after lights out. Turns out, they believed us...to the point of getting nightmares and stuff, and so I had to give a public apology to the campers, and tell them that Bush Sharks don't exist (but Lake Chickens do). The point is, they didn't think about it. They just believed it because they trusted us, looked up to us, and respected us. It's got to be the same way with us and God. We have to believe what he says to us. Look at Abraham..God told him to move to a far away land...and Abraham did, without hesitation. God told Abraham to sacrifice his only son...the son that he waited a hundred years for...and he was willing to do that. Now, the challenge is knowing, what is from God and what is only in our head. We sometimes get these ideas in our head that we credit to God, when in reality it is all made up, and has nothng to do with God at all. When you do know it's from God, however...you must act. You can't hesitate (unless God tells you to wait...in which case hesitation is exactly what you should do)...you have to just do it. Go for it. God won't lie to you, or decieve you the same way we did with the campers and Bush Sharks. Trust him..know that he is honest, truthful, and has your best interest in mind.
Another thing about children, is that they ask questions. It almost gets to the point of annoying. My nephew is in the "why?" stage right now, and asks why about EVERYTHING! I think it is important for us to emulate that sense of wonder. As we grow up, we just learn to accept things as they are. We stop asking questions. That can't stop happening. If we don't ask questions, we don't learn, we don't grow, we don't evolve. Ask questions about everything. It's ok to ask questions about the Bible, "why did God do that? what does this mean?", ask questions about God, "how has God been around forever? Does God know everything?"...it's normal, acceptable, and HEALTHY to ask questions, and have an element of doubt.
Finally...well, there are many more characteristics of being a child, but I'm only focusing on three of them..children have fun. They laugh. They joke. While this is easily overlooked as immaturity, I think it is important to take it to heart. I remember reading in the MB herald a long time ago a letter to the editor by someone who said, "Laughter isn't biblical because the bible never mentions Jesus laughing". What a load of BullCRAP! The bible may never have mentioned Jesus laughing, but he hung out with children a lot of the time. It is nearly impossible to be with children and not smile and laugh. Life needs to be fun. Life should be enjoyed. It's a terrible travesty that as we grow up, we become so focused on work, and money, and "surviving" that we stop having fun. Jesus tells us to be like children. ENJOY LIFE! Laugh, joke...have fun. Play games, run around...stare in amazing wonder at the world. I soon will have a new nephew or neice, and it's interesting to watch a baby see things for the first time. Everything is new and exciting to them. The same should be for us. I've found that as I've lived here in BC for a while now, the mountains seem less beautiful and exciting. I need to see them as amazing once again. I take them for granted. We all take so much for granted. Let's enjoy everything, be amazed by it all.
Ask Questions, Trust God, and have fun. 3 key ways to become like a child. What other ways can we be like little children?

Blame The Media!

I'm sure all of you, at one time or another, have heard someone talk about how the media is corrupting the younger generation. Likely, your parents carefully selected what tv shows, movies and music were acceptable to watch and which were forbidden. If your childhood years were anything like mine, The Simpsons were probably top of the list of shows not allowed to watch, and if the movie wasn't disney or rated G (occasionally PG), it was off limits. As for music...if the artist wasn't a follower of Christ, and said the words Jesus, God, Saved, or Forgiven at least once a verse it shouldn't be on the stereo (I don't know how my sisters got away with listening to Backstreet Boys and N'Sync). Ok...so I am exageratting a little bit, but you can likely relate right? The idea was, the media was trash and if anything "suggestive" got into your head, then it would imediately be followed through, with actions and speech. I actually remember a really lame song that my parents had on cassette tape (remember those things?) called "Input, Output". It was these kids singing in robotic voises (before T-Pain!) about how what goes in our mind comes out, through our words and actions and stuff. In fact, as I write this I have the silly, annoying tune echoing through my brain. But is it really true? Should we really be blaming the media for corrupting us, and our children?

To be perfectly honest, I think blaming the media is a horrible cop out. It's like people who blame God for 9/11, or blaming the ref for losing the game for your team. Yes, perhaps they have something to do with it, but it's not fully their fault. I think the biggest problem with them kids today, is that parents no longer communicate to their kids aobut what they are watching/listening to. In my humble opinion, I believe that if parents would sit with their kids, and watch stuff with them, and then engage them with honest, thought provoking questions about the show or movie, then kids could almost watch anything and not have it affect them in a negative way. I'm not saying that a 4 year old should watch Texas Chainsaw Massacre or anything, obviously it's within reason, but I think that if parents would actually communicate to kids, then things would change dramatically.

I love to go to Plugged In's website. Plugged in is the "media/entertainment critics" for Focus on The Family. Now, I don't go to the website to actually take their advice. Quite frankly, I go there AFTER I watch the movie to see how bad the movie was in their eyse. I often find myself laughing at how negative everything is, and how bad they make small, insignificant things seem. But they strike this fear that the media is to blame for corrupting us. It's not the media's fault. We need open discussion, dialogue, and deal with the issues head on instead of just sticking our heads in the sand. For example, instead of saying that the movie Bruce Almighty is sacriligeous, blasphemous and forbidden...watch it and ask questions. With an open mind, it is a brilliant depiction of why God can't possibly answer "YES" to all of our prayers, and how if we ran the world, things would be a disaster.

To be honest, I think family dynamic has much more to do with the corruption than the media. Kids see their parents constantly fight, their father drink 5 beers a day, everyone swearing, threatening, looking at dirty magazines...and then when they see it on TV, or hear lyrics in songs that match what they see at home, then they assume that it is normal and accepted. On the other hand, a family is loving, occasionaly argues, but always makes up. Swears happen, but not constantly, and onyl at appropriate times, and when alcohol is consumed, it is in a safe limit. These kids will watch the same shows, hear the same music, and yet it contradicts what they see at home, and so they ignore it. The like what they see at home. They love the warmth, the love and the safety. On top of that the parents talk to the kids about how, Media portrays violence as acceptable, and how that violence really isn't the answer to problems. Nor is drugs, alcohol, sex..whatever. Open dialogue, in a loving family and the media's impact is much more minimal. Yes, there are bad things in the media. There are shows that are just disgusting, and pointless. However, there are great shows on TV that kids never get to watch because of a "questionable character" or an "unchristian lifestyle". I think of the shows Modern Family and Glee. They aren't perfect, there are issues with both of them, but both shows depict real life, in a real way. Modern Family shows a very loving family, despite the fact that they are kind of dysfunctional. And Glee follows high school glee club members, who have to face adversity on a daily basis. Yes, it has teen pregnancy, homosexuality and an affair...but it never comes out and condones these things. In fact, in one controversial episode, 3 "couples" are about to go all the way, but only one goes through with it. The one who goes through with it, feels dirty and used. No, it's not a perfect depiction of celibacy, but it does at least push kids into thinking that sex is something sacred, and shouldn't be handled lightly.

So parents...talk with your kids about what they are watching. No, don't let them watch EVERYTHING, but do be a bit open minded. Watch with the kids. Talk with them after, and tell them what is different about the media portrayal and real life. Even those of us who aren't parents...we can still have open discussion and talk about what we watch and listen to. We don't have to be scared about everything. Watching a violent movie isn't going to make you go out an murder people. Trust me, I watched 300 on opening day, and while I was full of adrenaline and testosterone after...I didn't try to kick some guy into a deep well, and shout "THIS IS SPARTA!". A lack of dialogue, and a failure to comminicate, in my mind, are much more to blame than the media. But that is only my perspective...what do you guys think? Is the media to blame?

Homosexuals and the Church

So today, I did a quick glance through the MB Herald and read some letters to the editor about an article that was posted a few issues ago. I haven't read the original article, so I can't give a full honest opinion about everything, but the article was about homosexuality, and it asked the question, apparantly, about whether our perspective is right. Most people wrote in, hateful, spiteful, and angry (I don't want to comment about the inherant nature of MB's to complain...cause that will get me in trouble with a lot of people, so I'll just move on). Anyway, I don't really remember what everyone said, but it did get me thinking about how I feel about the homosexuality issue, and how I think that the church, as a whole (not just the MB church the worldwide church), has made it a much, MUCH bigger issue than it ought to be.
To be perfectly honest, I think the debate about whether it is genetic, or sinful, or that you are born with a gay gene, or it's due to parenting or whatever is pointless. I think it doesn't matter. Too often Christians feel that it is their duty to call certain things a sin, or certain people as sinners. We take it as our mission to judge and condemn certain people. Tiger Woods, who was once a role model is now doomed to eternal damnation. Bill Clinton is likely the spawn of Satan himself. Of course these are exagerations, but I think you get the point. The problem is, it shouldn't be our concern. We aren't supposed to be the judge. That's God's job. So going back to the homosexual issue, Christians have gone on a rampage protesting gay marriage, picketing the PRIDE parades and festivals, and most unfortunately, judging homosexuals out of the church. The very place that they should feel accepted and loved for who they are, they feel like scum. They feel judged and condemned. We quote Scripture and say that the Bible condemns homosexuality...but the Bible also condemnes calling our brothers (and sisters) names, disobeying parents, God HATES divorce, adultery, idolatry. And yet all of these things are not only in the church, they seem to be accepted. No one kicks out someone who tells a lie, or a child who disobeys their parents. Divorce, perhaps they may get the cold shoulder...unless they are a vital part of the church, in which case it is tossed aside and forgotten. Same goes for adultery, greed, lust. We have the worst double standard ever. We are, in a sense, saying that everything is permissible, and forgivable...except homosexuality.
Now, I do think that homosexuality is a sin. It's my opinion, and I could very well be wrong with it, but I think regardless, homosexuals need to be treated with love and respect from the Christian community. We may not agree with their lifestyle choice, or the fact that they want to be married, but they are still children of God. God loves them...He CREATED them. If homosexuality is in fact a sin, it is certainly not worse than any other sin. It's too bad that we have this heirarchy of sins, a list that progresses from "not too bad" to "AWFUL". In God's eyes, it's all the same. Sin is sin. Why do we think we are so much above the law that we can choose what is acceptable and what is not.
We don't have to agree with the lifestyle, we don't have to agree with everything about anyone...but we do have to show love. We have to show acceptance. We need to be willing to cast judgment aside, and just build a relationship. Build a friendship. Look at the life of Jesus. He hung out with tax collectors, prostitutes, drunkards, sinners. There are cases in which we seemed to "preach" to them, but there are many times he was just their friend, being with them and accepting them for who they are. Instead of focusing so much on the lifestyle, let's focus on the person. See them as the loved, respected, and beautiful person that they are. Let God deal with the rest. Let God do the judging.
That's just my thoughts on this issue. I realize it's a very touchy thing, but it's what I think. Feel free to disagree with me, if you so desire.

It's About Hymn!

"Today's modern worship songs are just all about 'me, me, me' instead of being about 'him, him him'. We need to go back to the hymns". We've probably all heard an argument like that. Followed by the rebuttle, "Hymns are outdated, we need to keep up with the changing culture, and stay relevent". The argument would continue, neither giving up ground or gaining ground. Both would leave frustrated, feeling that the "other generation just doesn't get it". Sound familiar? I wish I could write a blog that would settle the debate once and for all. I wish that I could come up with the pros and cons of both, compare and say "The church needs to do this...". Unfortunately, I can't do that. I'm not writing this blog to settle the debate. I'm not going to preach about the reedeming qualites of one or the other. What I do want to get at is this...when we focus on what we want. When we are only thinking about "I can't believe we are singing another hymn", or "Why are we singing this new song for the hundredth time", we lose focus on what is important. Worship...whether it be hymns, modern worship songs, or even dance, preaching, art, drama...whatever the form of worship may be (I am focusing on the music aspect here, but worship is SOOO much bigger than that), the focus needs to be on Him. On God. Creator. Master. Father. As soon as we begin to focus on our preference, on our desires, on our wants and needs, then we have lost it. We have moved from worship of God into idolatry (as we begin worshiping ourselves, or the music).
To be honest, I enjoy both hymns and the new worship chorus'. I think they are both meaningful, and serve an excellent purpose. I heard a comedian a while ago (I can't say his joke word for word...but you'll get the gist of it), who was talking about hymns. He said, "I used to love hymns...singing them in church. They sounded great. And then I realized that the underlying message in all of them is, 'God is good, and we are [crap]'". As funny (or unfunny, depending on personal taste), as that is...it has an element of truth to it. Yes, there are exceptions, but at the heart of most hymns is the idea that "We are crap...we are worthless without Christ". Which is a great message, I don't want to refute that. But does it really evoke any confidence in the human race? Does it give us self-esteem..make us feel valuable? Not really. Today's worship songs do have elements of that as well, but they focus instead on the love of God, on the amazing splendor of God's creation. And of our desire to be close to God and build that relationship with him. Yes, modern worship songs do tend to seem to be about "self" and "us"...but at it's heart, it is our cry for us to be close to God. Our plea for help. David did this in the Psalms all the time:
"Hasten, Oh God to save me; O Lord, come quickly to help me" -Psalm 70:1
"Keep me safe O God for in you I take refuge"- Psalm 16:1
"Do not withold your mercy from me, O Lord" -Psalm 40:11

Do these not sound selfish? Is this not the type of thing that modern worship songs ask for? Yes David also spends a lot of time writing things that sound similar to the hymns too...but the point is, David (the original song-leader), wrote Psalms and songs from every perspective. He even has many angry, lamenting songs. We never seem to get frustrated at David for these, we just say that "it's what was in his heart...how beautiful". Why can't we do the same for the songs we sing in church...whether they be hymns, or chorus'? Every song that we sing has a story behind it. Unfortunately, we usually only know the stories behind the great hymns, which then evoke more emotion into them. But even the simplest worship song has a great story behind it. Let's not forget that. The point once again, however, is to not focus on what we want. To not just see the lack of hymns, or the lack of worship songs, or the volume of the drums, or the speed, tone or key that the songs are sung in. Let's just gather together and worship. One form is not better than another. One Psalm is not greater than another..perhaps we have our favourites, but all were written with just as much heart, just as much puprose, and just as much worship (yes...even the laments, and curses. David was worshipping God in his frustration, he was legitimately telling God how he felt. Honesty. A huge part of worship). Let's focus on Him, and not on Hymns. Let's worship God, and not worship songs. Let's bask in God's glory, realize that God is great, and we are faulty, and yet also see God's love, and our beauty. Don't lose sight of the purpose. Like a football player focuses on the endzone, a track star keeps his eye on the finish line, and a hockey player keeps his sights on the goal...let's keep our eyes on God, our minds on his majesty and our gaze on his beauty. That is what worship is truly about. Who cares if we sing a song that I don't like, or if the band is out of key. Let's just worship, serve, and praise the one who created us, who loves us, and is AWEsome.

Thou Shalt Not Fear!

Do you guys remember Y2K? I remember that whole year, hearing about the doomsday prophesy. All the computers were going to reset, information would be lost, planes would crash, the world would explode and that would be it. The world would end at the stroke of midnight, January 1, 2000. I was13, so I was a little bit freaked out. I didn't really expect anything to happen. I wasn't rushing out to buy gallons of water and thousands of cans of food like some people did...but I had this small idea that "just maybe something will happen". Of course, the ball dropped, the clock struck midnight and nothing happened. We celebrated a new year, and laughed at all the fear based propaganda. Now, the new Y2k is 2012. Apparantly, the Mayans predicted that, in 2012, the world was going to end. In fact, I recently watched a Discover Channel special about this, and they included other prophesies as well (including the book of Revelation...which I never realised mentioned the date 2012 anywhere). So now the fear is mounting once again. The "end of the world" movies are being released, "The Day after Tomorrow", "Knowing", and the aptly named "2012". In fact there were so many of them, that me makers of the Scary Movie franchies came out with "Disaster Movie" to poke fun at them (they are soon releasing "Vampires Suck", poking fun at Vampire Movies...which is about time). Anyway, all of this is causing massive panic. Ok, maybe no massive...but theres a lot of subtle fear. And the closer we get to 2012, the more the fear will build. And I'm not just talking about the London 2012 olympics and their creepy mascots. Anyway, the point is, even outside of the doomsday prophesy, North America, and I'm sure the rest of the world as well, thrives on fear. It's why we watch Horror movies, go on roller coaster rides. We love the thrill. Newscasts generally show all the bad news first, because they know it's what people want to see. Since 9/11, every major event has been met with the speculation that it would be attacked by terrorists. The World Cup in South Africa was filled with security, every Super Bowl is expected to be blown up, the G8 summit in Toronto was feared, the Olympics in Vancouver were in danger of an explosion. Everything is about fear.

But the truth is, there is nothing to fear. We made it through Y2K without any incident, we have moved past 9/11, gotten through the holocaust, the Oklahoma city bombing, the Columbine shooting, WW1 and 2, apartheid...we have made it past all of these things, and more. The world goes on. It continues to revolve around the sun, and will continue to revolve around the sun until God decides to end it. Could it end in 2012? Possibly...but I highly doubt it. God tells us not to fear. He will take care of us. Do not worry about tommorrow, let tommorrow worry about itself. Jesus could practically be saying, "Don't fear 2012...It will all be ok". God also says, "No one knows the day or the hour of my return". I strongly believe that God will return before the world ends...as if the world ends before God returns, he has nowhere to return to. If no one knows the day or the hour, then why are we expecting the world to end in 2012? Why do we predict these things? I'm not saying that this is the first prediction...there have been thousands, probably millions of people predicting either the end of the world or Jesus' return. In fact, a few summers ago, I heard a speaker predict that Jesus would return in the next 20 years. In fact he guaranteed it. Who is he to guarantee Jesus' return? Are you an angel buddy? cause not even they know the day or the hour.

So, I realize this blog is kind of all over the place, but I just want to leave with a few thoughts. Don't Fear. God is in control. As the song goes, "He's got the whole world in his hands". We have nothing to worry about it. And secondly, stop guessing when the world is going to end or when Jesus is going to return. It's stupid, insulting and just creates needless fear. We need to just let things go, move on and live life. We spend so much time in fear that we can't enjoy life. We spend so much time longing for heaven, that we miss out on so much while we live on earth. We fear helll so much, that our whole life becomes a form of hell. We are always loooking to the skies for Jesus, that we neglect to help those lying at our feet. Let's just enjoy life, do our best to live without fear (obviously some fear is good...but you get the idea), and just enjoy life. The world will turn, life will go on, and no matter how crappy and tough your life is now, eventually you will get through it. As Celine Dion sings, "the heart will go on". So will life. Don't worry, don't fear. Everything is under control. Trust God.

Buried Talents

So, Kristi and I have been watching America's Got Talent. It's been pretty interesting, and for the most part we are happy with the way things are turning out so far. Watching the show has got me thinking, however, that while not all of us have crazy, unique talents, we all do have gifts, and more importantly, spiritual gifts. I don't know how many of you have ever taken a spiritual gift test, but it is a real interesting way to figure out where your strengths are, and I think it's really important to have an idea at what sort of spiritual gifts you have. But the most important thing is, once you discover your spiritual gifts...to use them. I'm going to tell a story now that, at first will seem irrelevant and as if it has no purpose here...but give it time and it will all make sense. Trust me.
When I was in High School, my friend Paul and I were driving close to Winnipeg to go to a concert. We were both excited for the concert, as he had seen the band before and assured me that they were great live. We were meeting the rest of the youth group at the concert. To save some time, we were taking a back road, in the middle of nowhere. All of a sudden, the front passenger tire blows. Paul, a great driver, manages to recover and pull the car over to the side of the road. We were frustrated, but had a spare tire so weren't too worried. We jack up the car, and begin taking the bolts off of the tire so we can change it. We get all of them off...but one. One of the bolts was rusted on and wouldn;t budge. Now, I'm a pretty big guy, with quite a bit of muscle...and I couldn't budge it at all...nor could Paul. This raised our frustration quite a bit. Foiled by a freakin' bolt! Paul continued to try to budge the bolt, while I flagged down a car to see if we could borrow a cell phone, as this was still the pre-"everyone in the world has a cell phone" age. Finally, I get a car pulled over and use his cell phone. I decide to call my sister, who would be at the concert, and let her know that we were going to be late so that they wouldn't worry about us. Unfortunately she didn't answer, so I had to leave a message. I handed the phone back to the driver, and watched him drive off. Hours later, frustration mounting, finally some people help us out and we get the bolt off and the tire changed. Unfortunately, we missed the concert.
Now...what the heck could that story have to do with spiritual gifts? Well, the funny thing is (at least to me..Paul didn't find it funny in the least), was that I had a CAA card in my wallet the whole time. With the cell phone, I could have called CAA, got a truck there quickly, and got us on our way in a few short moments...we would have made it in time for the concert. Instead, I hid it in my wallet, forgot about it, and it served no purpose. The point is...we all have a spiritual "CAA card" in our pockets. God has given us many gifts and talents, with the expectation that we will use them, and strengthen them. Spiritual gifts that are never used serve about the same purpose as a CAA card that stays in a wallet during car trouble, or a Stanley Cup parade map in downtown Toronto...it's pointless. (Note, I am a leaf fan...I am just joking and trying to relate to the majority of the readers who despise the Leafs). Jesus tells a parable about this, sort of, in Matthew 25:14-30. It's the parable of the Talents. To paraphrase the story, there is this man who has three employees. He is a rich man, and he is going away for a while. Instead of just leaving his money (talents) and not have it being invested and used, he decides to give it to the three employees of his. To the best employee, he gives 5, to the next best 2 and to the third he gives 1. He tells them to invest the money and use it wisely, and he goes away. The first 2 invest the money, and it doubles. The third one, scared that he will poorly use it, hides it away. When the man returns, he blesses the 2 who doubled their money, and curses the third one. In fact he takes away the one talent, and gives it to the first employee.
I realize that most people use this parable to talk about money, and wisely investing the money that we are given...but I think that it is no coincidence that the word for money used in the parable is "talent". As I said before, we all have talent. We all have gifts. Now, God gives some of us more talent, than others, but the purpose is the same. Use it. Use it well, bless others, and the talent will improve. It's too bad that so many people in the church have talent, have great spiritual gifts but never use them. Perhaps the church doesn't do well enough to encourage people to utilize their gifts. Maybe people just don't know what their gifts are. Perhaps people are just lazy and think that there's no harm in keeping their gift to themselves. But that's far from the truth. As the parable shows, the worker who hides the talent away, gets cursed and actually loses the talent. No, I'm not saying that God will take away our talents and gifts if we don't use them...but I do think that, like a skill that doesn't get used, the quality of the talent will decrease. for example, a singer who doesn't sing for a while will lose a bit of the ability to sing. I mean, it will probably sound ok, but it wouldn't sound as good as if they had sung constantly, practicing and perfecting their skill. We must use our gifts, our talents and our skills. God gave them to us for a reason. To bless others, further the kingdom and as a form of worship. Imagine getting a gift for someone, giving it to them for Christmas or their birthday...and after they open it, the set it aside and never use it. Or worse yet, they take the gift and never even open in. Never knowing what is inside. God has given us gifts...have you opened them yet? Do you know what is inside them?