A Preposterous Faith

Christ-followers live in an increasingly secular world where we are loudly told our faith is stupid, unbelievable, and pointless, and that we should not voice opinions or vote our beliefs because our views are reactionary and preposterous. These voices blast us with the message to sit down, shut up, and be tolerant.

Wait – what?

Tolerance? As Inigo Montoya would say – I don’t think that word means what you think it means. In our weird, uneducated world, many believe tolerance only works one way, as in (and I have actually been told this): “You need to be kind and tolerant and vote according to MY opinions because I am a victim and I am right. I do NOT have to tolerate YOUR opinions – you are privileged and wrong, so you have no right to speak.”

In the name of a false tolerance and under threat of verbal (and sometimes physical) violence, opponents of Christianity do their best to silence us with shouts, ridicule, and guilt-triggering – which often works because we actually do care about others.

But submitting to this kind of beatdown is not what Scripture teaches. Our faith is magnificent, not preposterous.

We are to love profoundly – not just our friends, but also our enemies. We are to pray for those who hurt us. We are to boldly speak about Christ and live our faith courageously, because here’s the truth: Life is short and eternity is forever. Good news for us, but not so much for the nonbeliever (although they don’t know it). Think a minute – is there anyone you really dislike enough to wish them in Hell? I think not.

In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul said, “I have become all things to all men, so that by all means I might save some.” This is not a call to compromise (or live in “tolerance”) because – of all people! – Paul lived an uncompromising life. Instead, it meant he was contented with a hard life, accepting suffering as a result of speaking boldly about Christ, and continuing – no matter the risk – to make every effort to understand, befriend, teach, and relate to those from all walks of life in an effort to bring as many as possible to his magnificent faith – even his persecutors and jailers. Paul knew that every soul is worth saving.

So be Paul every chance you get. Follow Christ, love others, speak boldly, pray hard, be intolerant when necessary, and live your faith to a preposterous degree. Be magnificent.

Save some.

32 Million

According to a recent Barna Poll, 32 million church-going Christians will fail to vote on November 5, 2024.

No. Words.

Kidding.

I always have words. 

But I am pretty appalled. Because – what does this mean?

32 Million Christians will fail to attempt to correct injustice. Hmmm . . . Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, and plead the widow’s cause. Isaiah 1:17

32 million Christians will, in essence, passively vote for things they don’t want by failing to actually vote their conscience. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. James 4:17 (No whining later!)

32 million Christians will fuss about problems with the major parties and whine about flawed candidates. So – Hey! Let he who is without sin among you cast the first stone. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Do your best – work with what you’ve got.

32 million Christians will fail to impact our incredibly flawed political culture by honoring their legal obligation. Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Romans 13:1

32 million Christians will stand aside, claiming that God will handle it all. These people do not know their Bible because God acts through His children. For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Philippians 2:13

The 2020 election came down to an average of 60,000 votes in five states. That’s 300,000 votes. Let me repeat, in case you missed it: 32 million will fail to vote. Correct my math, if you will, but I am pretty sure 32 million swamps 300,000. In spite of what your cynical brain (or your cynical friends) tells you – your one little vote actually really, really matters.

Yes, both political parties are rife with issues – obviously. Vote, anyway. Select the party that most closely aligns with your Biblical principles and vote. I really don’t care if you feel the election is fixed. Vote. The more overwhelming the numbers, the harder it is to fix – so vote. I also don’t care if you’re mad about the available choices, the corrupt government, or problems in America. Vote, anyway. Actually, I DO care if you’re mad about those things, because that means you have convictions – so why aren’t you voting them?

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. Romans 8:18

Remember who you are and set the example.

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16

You are an overwhelmingly blessed child of our wise, passionate, and eternally loving God. Read your Bible. Educate yourself about what matters to Him and vote.

Prayer List Update

We have enjoyed watching the Olympics! However, the rest of the world goes on, and here is a very short list of recent events and updates. It’s not warm and fuzzy. Consider adding these to your prayer list.

– Huge wildfire in Jasper, Canada has destroyed much of the town of Jasper. Residents have been evacuated. One firefighter has died.

– After weeks of deadly clashes between thousands of protesters and the military in Bangladesh, the Prime Minister has resigned and fled the country. An interim government has been established.

– The UN’s investigation into UNRWA (UN agency for Palestinian refugees) staff members found evidence that in nine cases employees “may have” been involved in the armed attacks of 7 October 2023. These nine employees have been fired. The UN reports that nine additional staff members have some evidence of involvement, but not enough to fire them.

– Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has been killed in Iran. Iran is arming proxy forces as a threat to escalate the war against Israel. US is asking Iran to stand down and is sending ships and fighter jets. Hezbollah leader Ali Jamal Aldin Jawad has been eliminated in southern Lebanon. Russian troops have entered Sudan.

– The Inflation Rate in the United States was 3% in June 2024, down from 3.3 % in May. However, consumer price inflation in the United States increased 21.78% from January 2020 to the present, and USDA’s recommended monthly food budget for a family of four has risen 27% since 2020.

Time to hit your knees!

You Matter

On those days your life direction and choices seem to teeter precariously on that terrifying and soul-destroying line between inspiration and insanity, success and failure, self-esteem and self-loathing and you are unsure which path will not totally wreck you, remember this:

Your choices absolutely matter, but regardless of your choices today and their outcome, your life always has infinite value. You are precious to God, so let go of discouragement and anxiety and do not let self-doubt (or the voices of others) convince you that you don’t matter. This earthly life can be precarious and, in any given moment, any one of us could be a raging success, glide peacefully along, or stumble, crash and burn. Still, events on earth are temporary and eternity is permanent – so whatever today brings, look up to see and accept who you are in the Heavenlies, because in God’s eyes you are precious, you are loved, your life matters. Always. Rest in that, be confident, and choose what is eternal.

A Night Before Christmas Survival Guide for Parents

Quite a few years ago when I was having yet another MFM (Mom Failure Moment), I wrote this under the inspiration of the poem A Visit from Saint Nicholas. With a few edits, here it is again for Christmas 2023. May you have a joyful and as-relaxed-as-possible Christmas!

Dodging Hell

It was recently brought to my attention (again) that there are quite a few people who argue against Christianity because they can’t understand why an allegedly loving God sends people to Hell. So, I just want to clear this up:

God doesn’t send anyone to Hell.

Really. Hear me out –

Let’s start with a brief rundown of Plan A: God created a perfect world designed to meet all human needs, gifted humans with the ability to make their own decisions, gave clear and simple Instructions on easy Perfect World Maintenance (along with an explanation of what would happen should Maintenance fail), and offered a loving family relationship with Himself providing the highest level of Interpersonal Support to keep things running along. God’s Plan A was for this arrangement to continue as it was enjoyable for Him and very beneficial to the children He loved – but He had, as stated, created independent beings with decision-making powers, and they chose (and still do) to ignore the Instructions, reject the Support, and rebel against the family. So Maintenance failed, and the world and humanity (as foretold in the Maintenance Instructions) began falling into increasing levels of disrepair.

At this point, there is no maintenance and no good deeds, personal or environmental or otherwise, that will reverse the damage. But that’s ok, because God still loves humans and enacted Plan B. The only permanent salvation from the consequences of our own poor decisions lies in each of us making a better one: Instead of remaining separated from God, we can choose to accept His promises through His Son and regain a personal relationship with God. This does not make life perfect here on earth because the decision is individual, not global, so the world will continue to flounder and slide into disrepair and we still have to deal with it. But God is the creator and giver of all good things so choosing God does provide an amazing relationship with Him, a remarkable guide for living, incredible relief, and the promise of a future. You’ve heard of faith? This is it.

Where does that leave those who are concerned with God sending people to Hell?

Well, we each get to decide what to do about God’s offer of a relationship. He takes all comers but He doesn’t choose for you. Our parents and life situations are certainly an influence, but ultimately each person has the option to be near God or not. Those who elect to remain separate from Him do not enter Heaven since that is God’s home and they have chosen not to be near Him. Although God is grieved by this, He does not go against their choice. Hell is the place of separation from God and thus is the voluntary eternal landing zone for those who decide against God. And, yes, the Bible clearly states that suffering is involved with that choice because God is the only giver of all good, so to separate from God is to separate from everything good, and Hell is what remains – but going to Hell is still a choice anyone can make. Going to Heaven is also a choice anyone can make, and God is delighted to take anyone who wants to come.

So, really – your choice.

What We Take

It is said we come into this world with nothing and we take nothing with us when we leave, but that’s not true. We actually take with us just what we leave behind — all we have given, the good we have shared, everything we have poured into the lives of others in the name of the God of love. The more we leave, the more we take. This is not the way of the world, it is the way of the Lord.