An interview I had with a man named Martin. This is one of my favorites interviews so far. Enjoy!
If you have some reflections, post a comment.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Learning from our mistakes
This weekend I had a very interesting interview with Jeffery, a street artist, on State Street in Madison. He shared very candidly and has a lot to teach us.
Reflections:
First, I really like Jeffery. He tells it like it is. His unpretentiousness is quite refreshing. I believe that it's sad that Jeffery didn't seem to encounter genuine Christianity. There are a bunch of hypocrites, which ironically enough Jesus Christ himself predicts. But without ever seeing true Christianity, Jeffery rejects true Christianity as false. Hmmm...
Jeffery's comments that true Christians should not be self-seeking or judgemental is true. However, to hold others to a standard of being non-judgemental, while allowing yourself to judge them for being judgemental is hypocritical. It's easy to fall into this blinding pattern. But it was the very thing that Jesus Christ was warning about in Mathew 7. "Judge not unless you judge yourself. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." In other words, we can't use God's standards to measure others unless we're willing to measure ourselves by the same standard FIRST. It leaves us all humble before God instead of self righteous.
Jeffery referred to an idea about human suffering as penance. Unfortunately, he's confusing Catholic dogma with authentic Christianity. The verse he's talking about doesn't exist in the Bible. So unfortunately, his idea that our suffering may somehow save us from hell is based on misinformation. Christians trust in the suffering of Christ in our place to save us from the just anger of God for our sins, not our own suffering.
"I have my own beliefs. They have served me well." For how long? Is that the purpose of beliefs; to serve us well? Shouldn't our beliefs be based on truth and reality? If I take drugs and come to believe that I can fly and jump off a tall building, that belief will serve me well for a few moments... until I hit the pavement and am brought back in touch with reality.
If our beliefs aren't based on reality, they will only serve us well for a short time. They won't serve God's purposes eternally. God wants a relationship with us, but if we won't trust Him...???
Jeffery is a sad example of the effects of the poor state of "churchianity". We've added church going, conservative morality, prayers before meals and bedtime to the American dream. The poor, the homeless, the wounded, the addicts need more help than that to transform their lives. They need the reality of God, and they need to see His reality in those who claim to belong to Him.
Reflections:
First, I really like Jeffery. He tells it like it is. His unpretentiousness is quite refreshing. I believe that it's sad that Jeffery didn't seem to encounter genuine Christianity. There are a bunch of hypocrites, which ironically enough Jesus Christ himself predicts. But without ever seeing true Christianity, Jeffery rejects true Christianity as false. Hmmm...
Jeffery's comments that true Christians should not be self-seeking or judgemental is true. However, to hold others to a standard of being non-judgemental, while allowing yourself to judge them for being judgemental is hypocritical. It's easy to fall into this blinding pattern. But it was the very thing that Jesus Christ was warning about in Mathew 7. "Judge not unless you judge yourself. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." In other words, we can't use God's standards to measure others unless we're willing to measure ourselves by the same standard FIRST. It leaves us all humble before God instead of self righteous.
Jeffery referred to an idea about human suffering as penance. Unfortunately, he's confusing Catholic dogma with authentic Christianity. The verse he's talking about doesn't exist in the Bible. So unfortunately, his idea that our suffering may somehow save us from hell is based on misinformation. Christians trust in the suffering of Christ in our place to save us from the just anger of God for our sins, not our own suffering.
"I have my own beliefs. They have served me well." For how long? Is that the purpose of beliefs; to serve us well? Shouldn't our beliefs be based on truth and reality? If I take drugs and come to believe that I can fly and jump off a tall building, that belief will serve me well for a few moments... until I hit the pavement and am brought back in touch with reality.
If our beliefs aren't based on reality, they will only serve us well for a short time. They won't serve God's purposes eternally. God wants a relationship with us, but if we won't trust Him...???
Jeffery is a sad example of the effects of the poor state of "churchianity". We've added church going, conservative morality, prayers before meals and bedtime to the American dream. The poor, the homeless, the wounded, the addicts need more help than that to transform their lives. They need the reality of God, and they need to see His reality in those who claim to belong to Him.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Objective Moral Standards, God, and Lance
My son and I ran into Lance at a park in Madison, WI. He was willing to take a few minutes out of his relaxing day in the park to share with us his thoughts about morality, God and the afterlife. He was a genuinely nice fellow and I enjoyed the conversation very much. I found his answers straightforward and honest.
Reflections:
I think Lance represents the mindset of many people that I meet, which is basically this: "I learned about Jesus at church when I was a child. I went to school and learned about the real world and am not sure what to believe about religion." My experience exactly. I remember dropping "churchianity" in high school and the early days of college because I couldn't find anyone who could offer me reasonable explanations for reasonable questions. Thankfully, God broke into my wanderings, but many continue to wander. After asking questions without answers for years, many give up searching and move on to living life in the here and now.
God is reasonable and is not afraid of reasonable inquiries provided we're honestly looking for His answers. He gave us our minds and an ordered universe that makes disciplines such as science and philosophy possible. True faith is never a leap against reason, but a step of trust because of reason. For example, in 1 Cor. 15 we read, "If Christ has not been raised from the death your faith is useless." Faith in Jesus Christ is reasonable and based on reasonable evidence. We don't believe because "the Bible says so" but because "these things are so and have been written down for our benifit." Yet faith is still required, but not in spite of reason, but in cooperation with our reason. Faith is simply personal trust in Jesus Christ. If the gospels are true,and I believe they are, we should trust Him.
A few lines of evidence to consider:
- fulfilled prophesy: see Isiah 53 and Psalm 22. Detailed descriptions of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ and surrounding events, including the resurrection, 100s of years before the events took place. Only a God outside of time/space could do this.
- The Resurrection of Jesus Christ: Authenticates His identity as God in the flesh, a true revelation of the unseen God who has power over evil and death and the authority to forgive our sins and to judge all mankind.
Are there reasons to believe these things are true? Yes. That's part of the real world, but unfortunately we don't usually get a chance to take time to search out answers to the questions that matter most. Hopefully some will.
Check out a few of the links under resources for reality. I'd especially recommend
"Whose truth is True?", "Is the Supernatural real?" and "Is the Bible real?"
Reflections of your own? Post a comment.
Reflections:
I think Lance represents the mindset of many people that I meet, which is basically this: "I learned about Jesus at church when I was a child. I went to school and learned about the real world and am not sure what to believe about religion." My experience exactly. I remember dropping "churchianity" in high school and the early days of college because I couldn't find anyone who could offer me reasonable explanations for reasonable questions. Thankfully, God broke into my wanderings, but many continue to wander. After asking questions without answers for years, many give up searching and move on to living life in the here and now.
God is reasonable and is not afraid of reasonable inquiries provided we're honestly looking for His answers. He gave us our minds and an ordered universe that makes disciplines such as science and philosophy possible. True faith is never a leap against reason, but a step of trust because of reason. For example, in 1 Cor. 15 we read, "If Christ has not been raised from the death your faith is useless." Faith in Jesus Christ is reasonable and based on reasonable evidence. We don't believe because "the Bible says so" but because "these things are so and have been written down for our benifit." Yet faith is still required, but not in spite of reason, but in cooperation with our reason. Faith is simply personal trust in Jesus Christ. If the gospels are true,and I believe they are, we should trust Him.
A few lines of evidence to consider:
- fulfilled prophesy: see Isiah 53 and Psalm 22. Detailed descriptions of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ and surrounding events, including the resurrection, 100s of years before the events took place. Only a God outside of time/space could do this.
- The Resurrection of Jesus Christ: Authenticates His identity as God in the flesh, a true revelation of the unseen God who has power over evil and death and the authority to forgive our sins and to judge all mankind.
Are there reasons to believe these things are true? Yes. That's part of the real world, but unfortunately we don't usually get a chance to take time to search out answers to the questions that matter most. Hopefully some will.
Check out a few of the links under resources for reality. I'd especially recommend
"Whose truth is True?", "Is the Supernatural real?" and "Is the Bible real?"
Reflections of your own? Post a comment.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Finding Comfort in an unknown Higher Power
I really appreciated Christy and Danielle spending a few minutes of their day with me to discuss their views of reality. They even interrupted what looked like a fairly intense game of scrabble and indulged my many questions, for which I'm truly thankful.
Grab a cup of java and enjoy the interview. Let me apologize in advance for some of the awkward camera angles. Juggling the microphone and camera and trying to listen proved to be a challenge.
It may come as a surprise, but I too reject organized religion. Let's not forget, it was Bible believing religious clergy that crucified Jesus Christ. They were trying to use the holy things of God to hold on to their religious power and they resented Jesus exposing their hypocrisy. But rather than humble themselves and seek forgiveness, they chose to kill the Son of God.
However, rejecting man made traditions, rules, and clerical hierarchy is not the same thing as rejecting God, truth and authentic spiritual community. I reject the man made fake stuff because I've been brought to embrace Divine reality.
Hypocrisy comes in many forms, sometimes religious, sometimes irreligious. Holding onto personal power is usually the issue. Jesus Christ put it this way, "I am the Light of the World. Whoever loves truth comes into the Light. This is the verdict; that Light has come into the world but men loved darkness because their deeds are evil and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed."
Danielle is right that faith should be reasonable and based on evidence. God's not out to convince us against our wills, but He does assure us that if we will seek we will find; if we will humble ourselves, we'll find His grace and forgiveness in Jesus Christ. But this may actually be closer to the heart of the matter. What are you honestly seeking? Is it the true and living God? What could be more worthwhile?
Jesus Christ conquering death is solid evidence of His Divine authority and the Scriptures that prophesied His coming, His life, death, resurrection and return. By all means, investigate the evidence. Check out some of the links on this page under "Resources for reality". But don't neglect to search your heart as well.
Got reflections of your own? Post a comment.
Grab a cup of java and enjoy the interview. Let me apologize in advance for some of the awkward camera angles. Juggling the microphone and camera and trying to listen proved to be a challenge.
It may come as a surprise, but I too reject organized religion. Let's not forget, it was Bible believing religious clergy that crucified Jesus Christ. They were trying to use the holy things of God to hold on to their religious power and they resented Jesus exposing their hypocrisy. But rather than humble themselves and seek forgiveness, they chose to kill the Son of God.
However, rejecting man made traditions, rules, and clerical hierarchy is not the same thing as rejecting God, truth and authentic spiritual community. I reject the man made fake stuff because I've been brought to embrace Divine reality.
Hypocrisy comes in many forms, sometimes religious, sometimes irreligious. Holding onto personal power is usually the issue. Jesus Christ put it this way, "I am the Light of the World. Whoever loves truth comes into the Light. This is the verdict; that Light has come into the world but men loved darkness because their deeds are evil and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed."
Danielle is right that faith should be reasonable and based on evidence. God's not out to convince us against our wills, but He does assure us that if we will seek we will find; if we will humble ourselves, we'll find His grace and forgiveness in Jesus Christ. But this may actually be closer to the heart of the matter. What are you honestly seeking? Is it the true and living God? What could be more worthwhile?
Jesus Christ conquering death is solid evidence of His Divine authority and the Scriptures that prophesied His coming, His life, death, resurrection and return. By all means, investigate the evidence. Check out some of the links on this page under "Resources for reality". But don't neglect to search your heart as well.
Got reflections of your own? Post a comment.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Darell, A Former Unitarian
Darell was a very friendly and kind man, whom I met at the park Sunday. He was playing a board game with a friend and agreed to do an on camera interview with me to discuss his views of reality. Thanks Darell! Please take a few minutes to watch.
My reflections:
Darell seemed a bit reluctant to identify specifically why he converted from a Unitarian background and was attracted to Christianity in particular. An indefinite higher power and a general belief in life after death is consistent with Unitarian views. But at some point a belief that God is related particularly to Jesus Christ rose to the surface in Darell's spiritual journey. If God has revealed Himself clearly in Jesus Christ, there's no reason to be ashamed of speaking about what you believe and why, provided you do so with gentleness and respect. However, if we give undo respect to the opinions of others, we will find ourselves compromising our faith or suppressing our love for God and people (who may need to learn from what God has shown us).
When asked about "Why should God let you into heaven?" Darell originally gave an answer that revealed that his faith was in his own goodness; "good deeds out weighing his bad deeds". Do Christians trust in their own good deeds to save them? Or do Christians trust in Jesus Christ, who died for their sins and rose from the dead, to give us forgivenss and the gift of eternal life?
Keeping in mind that this was a spontaneous interview, and many people don't always clearly know how to express what they believe, my sense was that the relationship between Jesus Christ and being forgiven, accepted and loved by God may not be very clear for Darell. I'm guessing that's perhaps a part of why he's uncomfortable sharing why his faith is particularly directed towards Jesus Christ. For anyone who identifies with that, I'd recommend watching "Can you help this man?" under my "Resources for Reality". Got reflections of your own? Post a comment.
My reflections:
Darell seemed a bit reluctant to identify specifically why he converted from a Unitarian background and was attracted to Christianity in particular. An indefinite higher power and a general belief in life after death is consistent with Unitarian views. But at some point a belief that God is related particularly to Jesus Christ rose to the surface in Darell's spiritual journey. If God has revealed Himself clearly in Jesus Christ, there's no reason to be ashamed of speaking about what you believe and why, provided you do so with gentleness and respect. However, if we give undo respect to the opinions of others, we will find ourselves compromising our faith or suppressing our love for God and people (who may need to learn from what God has shown us).
When asked about "Why should God let you into heaven?" Darell originally gave an answer that revealed that his faith was in his own goodness; "good deeds out weighing his bad deeds". Do Christians trust in their own good deeds to save them? Or do Christians trust in Jesus Christ, who died for their sins and rose from the dead, to give us forgivenss and the gift of eternal life?
Keeping in mind that this was a spontaneous interview, and many people don't always clearly know how to express what they believe, my sense was that the relationship between Jesus Christ and being forgiven, accepted and loved by God may not be very clear for Darell. I'm guessing that's perhaps a part of why he's uncomfortable sharing why his faith is particularly directed towards Jesus Christ. For anyone who identifies with that, I'd recommend watching "Can you help this man?" under my "Resources for Reality". Got reflections of your own? Post a comment.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
A Time for Kindness
A Dramatic re-enactment of a former college professor realizing that death is emminant. After a conversation with the nurse while eating a popsical, Professor Bering decides to give her own DNR order. In this short clip, she reflects on what lies ahead.
There is a great deal of wisdom in facing the reality of death before we're on our death bed. What happened when the reality of death set in? 1) To flaunt great knowledge seemed stupid, 2)simplicity and kindness seemed more appropriate, more necessary. Indeed, 'tis true.
There is a great deal of wisdom in facing the reality of death before we're on our death bed. What happened when the reality of death set in? 1) To flaunt great knowledge seemed stupid, 2)simplicity and kindness seemed more appropriate, more necessary. Indeed, 'tis true.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Next time you're tempted to be impatiant...
The beauty of justice is that it is at work when we least expect it. Sometimes we all need a little taste of our own airbag to let us know that we're out of touch with reality. It's a pity to say, but I've needed a shopping bag to my front fender quite a few times. God forgive me for running people over emotionally with all my honking.
Real love is patient. Real love might make us late to our meeting. Real love may require stopping what we're doing to give someone a hand.
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