Tag: Jesus

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.

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.

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.

You, too, can be Peter – Just Show Up.

On the night before Jesus died on the cross, He was hauled off for a sham of a trial and hours of abuse. Peter and John – two of His closest friends – managed to follow him secretly and witnessed the unjust trial and subsequent persecution. Peter was clearly afraid and famously betrayed Christ by convincingly denying three times that he knew Him. When Christ later rose from the dead, He reaffirmed His love for Peter and gave him an awesome commission that changed Peter’s life and, in many ways, wrote the future of Christianity. This is an amazing encouragement for those of us who need to know that an incredible legacy is still possible for each of us, even if we have done some pretty bad things.

But that’s not what I’m writing about today.

Today, I’m thinking about the fact that Peter showed up. Just that. John, too. They knew they would be facing a tough crowd, but these guys buckled on their spurs and came to the party. Not much is said about John that night, simply that he knew the high priest and was able to get himself and Peter into the so-called trial. But for Peter – it’s all about his personal Armageddon.

I confess that I seriously admire Peter and John just for showing up; their beloved and controversial leader is hauled off under circumstances that would surely end in some kind of an unjust conviction, probably a whipping, maybe a beating, possibly death, and they follow along knowing there is a reasonable chance they might share in the accusations against Him. We kind of expect John to be cool under pressure, but Peter had a bit of a problem with falling prey to his emotions. That night, showing up was a massively courageous thing for him to do.

It’s a pretty safe bet that most of you have days when the very thought of showing up is an overwhelming concept. I am absolutely with you – some days, I can only function if I sluggishly remind myself of my blessings, barely haul my fanny out of bed, paste a smile on my face, and reluctantly force myself to be present. Nothing fancy, nothing momentous, nothing bold. I’m just showing up. But know this – even just showing up is an act of faith and courage when your heart is burdened and fearful and your greatest desire is to roll over, bury your face in the pillow, and stay put for the rest of the day, or possibly the rest of your life. If you just give what little you’ve got to give to the Lord in those moments, He will do more with it than you can imagine. Really.

It is true that God wants so much more from us than just showing up (I’m not gonna lie about that!), but I know from experience that His wonderful grace shines on days we simply fail to pull it all together. Sometimes just having the courage to show up can lead to blessings and opportunities that would have been otherwise unavailable. God knows your heart. Jesus, above all people, understands what a scary, crazy, painful, messy world this can be. Peter showed up that night lacking the courage to shine in any way and even betrayed his friend and Savior at the worst possible moment, yet a few days later Christ extended Peter the powerful grace and salvation that turned his life into a wellspring of passionate ministry. Scripture tells us that those who are forgiven much, love much. Showing up on the night of the trial gave Peter the chance to fail so that Christ could offer the grace that would change Peter into a rock of faith – an example that still shines for us 2000 years later.

So today and tomorrow and the next day, try this – even if you haven’t got a shiny atom in your body, even if your heart is burdened and every other minute you want to break down in fears and tears, even if you absolutely know you can do absolutely nothing on your own, I still challenge you to show up and give all the moments to God – the worst as well as the best. You may not see the results right away, but just by showing up you are giving Him the opportunity do something through you today. Maybe something that will change a life. It might even be yours.

Let’s Start Here . . .

Sometimes life throws so much at you that there is a need to step back, ponder, recover, and renew. Like the mythological phoenix, you learn to have faith that you can arise anew from the ashes left by the changes and struggles of your past, no matter how far back, or how recent.

The past is behind you, the future is unwritten, and you can only live in just this moment – in the very breath you are taking right now.

So, welcome to my blog! This is me.

Breathing.