Deep water devotion...

One of my passions is sailing. A few days ago, I had an opportunity to go sailing with a friend of mine. We were plotting an escape for a few days to the Allegany Reservoir. Once the details for that trip were discussed, the conversation drifted to faith.

He is Catholic, and he told of a book he was reading by Thomas Merton. He enjoys the contemplative prayer that Merton wrote of. He has also read several books on spirituality of the early church leaders (St. Theresa, etc). He has been to the Abbey of the Genesee monastery and has had long conversations with Brothers there. I enjoyed our conversation because I could tell he was trying his best to get closer to God, and that’s the best anyone can hope for.

We talked about some of the Bible readings he does, and prayers, etc. It was encouraging and even exciting to see that we do some of the same disciplines each day. It’s exciting to know that when I read through the daily office, that hundreds or thousands of others are doing the same. While I spending time alone with God, I am yet spending time with thousands of others as well. That’s something to think about…

I know that some of you might write off this conversation as soon as you heard that he was Catholic, but let me assure you that I have no doubt that he is born-again, and he is as serious about his faith as anyone else I know.

Let me ask you, are your disciplines bringing you closer to God? Are you reading your Bible daily, spending time in prayer, daily devotions, or other meditations? I would love to know what you do to grow your faith. Leave a comment, you will be encouraging many others.

A deep thought on health and medical science...

Yesterday I mentioned a book I was reading on Family Systems Theory (Family Evaluation, by Michael Kerr and Murray Bowen). I came across another line in that book that got me thinking, so I thought I would pass it along and you think about it as well.

After making a case for Family Systems Theory in explaining psychological conditions, they go on to indicate that just maybe we could use the theory to explain physiological abnormalities as well. Here is something to think about:

…thinking of the body as an emotional system may enhance our understanding of a clinical problem such as cancer. If the body can be conceptualized accurately as an emotional system, then cancer may reflect some sort of disturbance in the balance of that system. This way of thinking about cancer is quite different from the way of thinking upon which most cancer research has been based. Research on finding the cause of cancer has tended to focus on what is occurring inside the cancer cell. The research question has generally been, “What has gone wrong with this cell to cause it to behave abnormally?” Research based on the assumption that cancer is caused
by a defect or disturbance within the cell may eventually provide an adequate explanation. On the other hand, an adequate explanation may possibly depend on being able to conceptualize the body as a biological unit, for example, as a colony of cells. Cancer would reflect a disturbance in the unit as a whole. The disturbance observed within the cell would be a reflection of a disturbance in the larger system of which the cancer-containing organ is part.

I know this passage is a little deep, but what do you think? It kind of makes sense to me. Perhaps cancer isn’t caused by something that goes wrong inside the cell, perhaps it’s caused by the cells reaction to something occurring elsewhere in the body. We already know of some things that increase the chances of cancer – exposure to sun, improper nutrition, there are several examples.

If this is ever proven to be true, and we can identify those things that cause the abnormalities in cells, we could prevent cancer forever! And I suspect that heart disease and diabetes could be right behind. There is a thought!

I don’t know much about this, but it seems to make sense to me. I know that God has created us in a marvelous way – and I suspect that the illnesses we suffer from are probably caused by something we’re doing. Maybe I gave you something to think about!

Evolution: The most dreadful blow to the human ego???

I am reading a new book, Family Evaluation, by Michael Kerr and Murray Bowen. Murray Bowen came up the Bowen Systems theory, or Family Systems Theory as it has come to be known.

Family Systems Theory essentially tries to explain human behavior in the context of the various systems that we are a part of, such as our family system, our employment system, etc. I knew that the theory was deeply imbedded in an understanding of evolutionary theory, but I didn’t realize how much until beginning to read this book.

As it unfolds how the theory was developed, Kerr wants to make sure that we understand the importance of evolutionary theory, so he quotes Loren Eiseley’s book, The Immense Journey, where Eiseley writes, “…(Darwin) engineered what was to be one of the most dreadful blows that the human ego has ever sustained: the demonstration of man’s physical relationship to the world of lower animals.”

That statement shocked me! The thought that evolution was the most dreadful blow that the human ego has ever sustained. I personally don’t buy the evolutionary theory. It doesn’t make sense to me for a variety of reasons that won’t get into here. Still, I suspect that they may be overstating the significance of the theory of evolution. And for the purpose of the book, any statements they bring up proving evolution can just as easily be explained by the fact that animals and humans have a common creator, so they are similar.

I believe in the Bible, and I think that there is teaching in the Bible that deals a much more dreadful blow to the human ego than Darwin ever intended. Statements like our being created in the image of God, balanced with the statements that say none are righteous, all have sinned and fallen short.

God has created mankind to have a perpetual relationship with himself. But we are so self-occupied and self-centered that we rarely think of God. He asks us to trust in Him completely, yet we continue to struggle and suffer because we won’t call on the one that can deliver us. That should convict our egos far more than any theory of evolution...

Bearing the burdens of others...

Today, I came across something in my daily devotional that really struck me. I seems that this week I have been struggling with some problems that have been rather annoying, and this devotion really convicted me. Perhaps you will get something from it as well… It is from Experiencing God Day-by-Day, by Henry T. and Richard Blackaby, and it’s titled Bearing One Another’s Burdens:

When God places people in your life who are in need, He is aware of what they lack, and He knows He has given you the resources to meet those needs. You know God does nothing by accident. When a need surfaces around you, immediately go to the Father and say, “You put me here for a reason. You knew this was going to happen. What did You intend to do through me that would help this person become closer to
You?”

Recognizing a need in someone’s life can be one of the greatest invitations from God you will ever experience. It’s easy to become frustrated by the problems of others. They can overwhelm you as you become aware of need after need. Rather than looking at each new problem as one more drain on your time, energy, or finances, ask God why He placed you in this situation. Allow God to help you see beyond the obvious needs of others to the things he wants to accomplish in their lives. Don’t miss God’s activity because you’re reluctant to carry the load of others.

Is God blessing you materially? It may be He is developing a “supply depot” in your life through which He can provide for others. Has God granted you a strong, healthy family life? It may be that He requires such a home to minister to the hurting families around you. Has God released you from sinful habits? Has God’s peace comforted you in a time of great sorrow? Has God miraculously provided for your needs? It may be that He has been purposefully building things into your life so that you can now be the kind of person who will carry the burdens of others.

I have to confess, that I have frustrated by the problems of others. Perhaps God has placed me in this position to help them overcome their problems, and experience Him in a new way. Perhaps you have read this, and something struck a chord, and you may now know how to reach out to someone in a way different than you have in the past, a way that will minister to them.

Side by Side...

I found this poem, forwarded to me from email ministry. This should give food for thought...

They lie on the table side by side,
The Holy Bible and the TV guide.

One is well worn and cherished with pride,
Not the Bible . . . but the TV guide.

One is used daily to help folks decide,
No, not the Bible . . . but the TV guide.

As the pages are turned, what shall they see,
Oh, what does it matter, turn on the TV.

Then confusion reigns, they can't all agree,
On what they should watch on the old TV.

So they open the book in which they confide,
No, not the Bible . . . but the TV guide.
The Word of God is seldom read,
Maybe a verse as they fall into bed.

Exhausted and sleepy and tired as can be,
Not from reading the Bible . . . from watching TV.

So then back to the table side by side,
Lie the Holy Bible and the TV guide.

No time for prayer, no time for the Word,
The plan of Salvation is seldom heard.

But forgiveness of sin, so full and free,
Is found in the Bible . . . not on TV.

-- Author Unknown

In your house, which is more used, the Bible or the TV Guide?

Congratulations Dave & Crystal!

I had the honor to officiate at a wedding last weekend for my niece and her now husband.

What a great day, the weather was great, we had a wonderful service, and the celebration afterward was fitting of the event itself.

These two are great people, and I pray that God will grant them a long and happy life together!

Congratulations Dave & Crystal!

A thought on worry...

I’ve been worrying lately. There is a situation in my wife’s family that has caused a rift, and I am really worrying about it. I’m not going to get into details, but I don’t know what to do, if anything, about it.

Since this has started, I’ve heard (over and over again) those passages that talk about giving our concerns over to Jesus, and for the most part, I do that. But I also remember Rick Warren’s quote in The Purpose Driven Life, “The problem with a living sacrifice is that it keeps crawling off the altar.” Perhaps I’m dropping this concern at the altar, only to pick it up again as I leave.

I’m not unusual. Many of you may do the same thing. Many are filled with worry, when we should be enjoying the fruits of the Spirit. In my quite time this morning, I came across the passage in Matthew commonly called the parable of the sower. In this parable, we see that the seed of the kingdom is scattered to all. But many don’t receive it. Some of the seed feel among thorns, where it grew, but the weeds and thorns choked it out. Later in the passage, Jesus explains this to His disciples. “The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.”

As I was thinking on this passage, I began to see how worry chokes us of the Spirit and makes us unfruitful. Am I being unfruitful because of this family concern? Is God withholding fruit because of my worry? Are you as fruitful as you could be, or is worry choking your fruit as well?

There is another verse we can cling to, from Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him…” Let’s all of us, you and me, allow God to work through these things that worry us, that good might come of them. Let’s let go and let God work.

I know it’s a lot easier to say than to do this, but we can, if we are confident in God’s word to bear fruit in our souls. One thing for sure, our worrying can’t help the situation. It only hinders God’s work.