Author: Pastor'sPonderings

Just a guy who asks questions, considers life and tries not to take any of it for granted

Why do bad things happen to good people?

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This is one of the questions many are asking today in the aftermath of yesterday’s horrific natural disaster in Oklahoma.  Almost 60 people were killed as a mile wide tornado struck the outskirts of Oklahoma City/Moore area.  It has been reported that nearly 21 children were among the death toll in this awful destructive storm.

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So many people are questioning many things today.  Many are considering why God would allow something like this to happen.  Others are questioning why bad things seem to happen to good people.  And there really isn’t a good answer is there?  What can you say to a family in mourning when they have just lost a child or a father in the wake of this horrendous disaster?  What soothing words can we offer to grieving people when they’ve lost their entire homes, pets, and loved ones?

One of the best things we can do is to just be there.  We have to show up, without any other agenda than to be a shoulder to cry on.  As many of us view this disaster from a far, we may feel powerless to help…but we couldn’t be more wrong.  We can do a few very useful things at this very time!

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1) Pray.  As I’ve mentioned in previous articles prayer isn’t empty or something we do like rubbing a lamp and making a wish.  When we pray we are going before the Father in Heaven and He actually hears us.  We serve a God who isn’t a distant God but One who is active and living and wanting to hear our conversations.  Prayer for others is called intercessory pray…meaning we are before the Father for others, asking Him to intercede for their concerns.  Prayer is a very powerful thing that we do, it isn’t or should be construed to be a last resort kinda thing but rather a first resort daily connection to God’s infinite power.

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2) Reach out.  How do we reach out to people who are hurting right now in Oklahoma?  There are some very worthy groups on the ground right now that I know and I trust.  The Salvation Army is one of them.  They have been there minutes since this disaster occurred.  They don’t just ask for money and only give a small portion, they use what is given for these  events.  Not only will they offer physical needs to survivors and victims like food, clothing, and basic essentials, but they also counsel and offer spiritual support.

When one has gone through a disaster such as this physical support isn’t enough…one needs moral and spiritual support.  This is what I know The Salvation Army does very well.  Here are a couple ways to support The Salvation Army in these matters:  https://donate.salvationarmyusa.org/uss/eds/aok

or text  Donate Via Text:
Salvation Army by texting: STORM to 80888
Each text is a $10 donation and gets billed to your phone line.

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3) Get involved.

There are many place in your community that you serve to give back.  By helping feed people in a soup kitchen to volunteering at a local food shelf/bank.  You can help in little ways to bigger ways by signing up to help out with Emergency Disaster Teams.  But we can help in many ways by just donating our time to an organization and be available.

Questions:

So why do bad things happen to good people? and Why does God allow bad things to happen?

The easy answer is that God doesn’t cause these things to happen…it’s a natural part of the world around us.  As sad as it is, and it’s awful to witness first hand the destructive nature of these types of disasters, God didn’t make this happen!  Please know that He loves His people and He weeps with us when we lose loved ones and when bad things happen to good people.  That was never His intent or purpose.

We live in a fallen world and because of this, bad things do happen.  One might say then why doesn’t God deliver all people from these things…who’s to say that He didn’t?  Yesterday, as heart wrenching as it may be, God delivered 21 children into the loving arms of Christ.  This isn’t what any of us want, yet as that tornado bore down on that city, God saw fit to ultimately deliver lives from this world.  I wish there was additional comfort for those that were left behind in the wake of this event…yet they don’t mourn alone.  I am convinced that His angels are present and bringing comfort from the Father.  Not only are celestial angels bringing comfort, but the hands of other humans are also doing likewise.

This world in which we live was created perfectly, yet because of the fall we now live in an imperfect world.  Yet through these tragedies I am convinced we will see the determination and victories of humanity and that should also give us hope.

Please pray, please support where and when you can, and know that God weeps with us in these moments.  We aren’t alone in our sufferings and our pains.

“We can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain

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Evolutionary Environmentalist…

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(Art Created by Vik Muniz…he created these photos and art at the land fill outside Rio)

I saw a convicting documentary last night it was called “Waste Land”  and it was about the world’s largest landfill located just outside of Rio De Janeiro Brazil.  Two things occurred when I saw this film, humanity and the slum conditions of this lower class people in Brazil struck me as horrific and surreal…it was a visceral experience.

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The second thing that struck me was the global waste problem we are causing.  From these waste mountains, for that is what they truly are, toxic gases occur, toxic run off takes place, health of both man and beast takes place and we are continually polluting our world through these unsafe practices.

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The amazing journey of world renown Brazilian artist and photographer Vik Muniz inspired me in my attempts to leave a cleaner world than I found it.  I’m not by any means a ‘tree-hugger’ type of environmentalist but God did place man in charge of this world to take care of it…and we are not doing a  very good job.

Unfortunately corporate greed and cutting costs world-wide is an epidemic that lines the pockets of the very rich and creates continued poor health conditions for not only for those working in land fills such as that in Brazil but for factory workers like those who lost their lives in Bangladesh recently because labor laws are virtually non-existent in most third world countries.

Here are three things we all can do to support a cleaner world for all of us:

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1) Purchase items sold via fair-trade and the fair-trade labels:

http://www.fairtradeusa.org/?gclid=CP6rr5vBpbcCFc9FMgodbgQAnQ

https://www.salvationist.org/poverty.nsf/vw_features/43BA11AAAE7E76CE80256B04004FA663

This gives local farmers and regional workers who get undercut by large companies and corporate markets a fair shot at selling their good products…thereby  being able to feed their families and support their local areas of commerce.

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2) Spend a little more on ‘clean’ earth friendly products.  You might spend a few cents more, but in the long run generations will thank you and you will contribute less waste and/or toxic chemicals in our global environment.  Most of these products are also safer for kids and are also less harmful in the long term in regards to all of our health.

Read though, study what is actually earth/environmentally friendly…some companies are producing ‘like’ products to entice consumers to purchase their goods when in fact they are still harmful and/or toxic, they just dressed it up to look the part.  Study and buy correctly!

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3) Recycle!  Reuse and reduce…it may be a pain in the butt…it may take you a little longer to dispose of your waste…but consider the long term effects.  Consider how much of a difference you are making on the world around you!  If you recycle and you are conscience of things that you use every day you can contribute and help fulfill our roles as good stewards of this world that God has entrusted us with.

-Just a thought…From a non-green tree-hugger, but one who is quite conscious of how beautiful our world is and how God intended it to be.  I guess that’s the evolutionary process of this compassionate conservative environmentalist…btw…thanks go out to my loving wife who has continually reminded me of this important role that we ought to play here on earth.

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How often I lose my way…(Poem)

When I have exhausted all of my words

when each phrase I utter sounds the same

waning on like some sort of warning siren…

when the motions go out without a shout 

of purpose, and all I do with these hands

is caress sweet longings for tomorrow, 

when constant sighs replace the frequent ‘amens’

then I will know I am lost again.

When strength of spirit evaporates 

faster than moisture in the desert, 

when the hallelujah’s pack their bags 

and leave on the eve of morning 

then I will know that I’m lost again.

When my prayers fall short of the ceiling 

when each word on the pages of scripture

fail to capture glimpses between the blurs 

and the worry…then I will know that I am 

lost again.

Seek me and find me Lord…

for how often I lose my way

how often do I take back my burdens

again and again 

when only then do I realize

I’ve picked them up from the place 

I surrendered them to you…

How often do I pick up the hammer 

and nail every time that I fail 

casting my eyes on the storms

rather than the storm tamer? 

How often do I try and try 

in failing strength to do it my way

then each day facing my own 

dejected spirit, broken and hollowed out…

Seek me and find me Lord…

for how often I lose my way

how often I need deliverance anew

refinement and renewal 

restoration and recompense…

it all makes sense now dear Lord

every word that you say to me

encouraging me, delivering me 

Seek me and find me Dear Lord…

for how often I lose my way.

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In the hopefully’s and the maybes (A Poem)

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Walking past the old mailbox

and thinking of how many times 

I’ve traversed there to collect 

the metered mail, the junk mail

the birthday cards and solicitations, 

it’s raining again today

making it feel like an old sock 

worn too thin with holes in the heel 

the sun has yet to make an appearance 

as another round of thunder peels off

into the distance like an encore far away 

yet close enough to hear…

in these solemn moments

when all is silent in the house

stepping back into it, making the door

creak shut, trying not to disturb

the slumbering home with its constant

creaks and whirrs and electric hums

brick and mortar snoring in this sleepy  

corner of the block.  

Casting one last glance outside

I imagine far different days than these

days in which we try to grasp, 

hold onto for dear life, treasure deeply

breathe in their fragrances 

yet they disappear far too soon

but the magic is never too far away

it still resounds, a myriad of choral sounds

beckoning us back to a place that will never

come.

Still we sigh, casting out our hopes and dreams

into a net of maybes and hopefully’s as I shut the door

tomorrow steps up to the front stoop

and begins its knocking.  

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“Teach us to number our days”

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  • 37 years
  • 444 months
  • 1,930 weeks
  • 13,514 days
  • 324,336 hours
  • 19,460,160 minutes
  • 1,167,609,600 seconds
  • You were born on a Friday
  • Age in Dog Years: 161.0
  • Age in Galapagos Turtle Years: 17.6

This is exactly how long I’ve been alive on this planet.

When I look at the time that has passed me it really has an impact on me.  I think of all of the wasted time, the ‘down time’, the time that I let slip through my fingers…But I also think of the miles stones in my life too.  The day I proposed to my wife which was

  • 14 years
  • 177 months
  • 772 weeks
  • 5,405 days
  • 129,720 hours
  • 7,783,200 minutes
  • 466,992,000 seconds

Ago.

I think of the days when my children were born all four of them…I recall the significant friendships that I’ve forged along the way…the meaningful connections of humanity that I’ve had the privilege to partake in and these cross roads that intersected with two or more human beings at one very specific time or place.  I have been a blessed man so far!

TWO VERSES: 
Deuteronomy 30:19-20 Says;
“This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live  and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

And…

Joshua 24:15 says:
“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

We have this one life and my prayer is that we don’t waste it!  We have so many distractions in this life, so much wasted opportunities and wasted time…but don’t take this life for granted or watch it fly by without taking each and every moment to make a difference in this world and to serve the Lord!  We are called to be Christ’s ambassadors in this world don’t be ashamed of the gospel and don’t forget our calling!

Psalm 39:4 “Show me, O LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life.”

How many days have you been alive?  How many minutes…Galapagos Turtle Years?

Use them or lose them…let’s all choose to use them and take each and every moment without regrets!

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“Walk in the Light” Sermon Podcast

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Click on this link for Sermon Podcast:  Walk in the Light (Sermon Podcast)

1 John 2:1-6 (NIV)
1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense–Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 3 We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4 The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

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A Prayer (Poem)

If I hide you will find me Lord

where can I go that you aren’t there?

I know that you require from me 

my heart, my life, my everything 

show me dear Lord what that entails.

I don’t want to be empty

I don’t want to be lost

find me, love me, keep me 

safe in your loving arms

Here I am again.  

Fill me, renew me, and guide me

oh Great Jehovah!  

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‘The Way’ or the ‘LOST’ way

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They gathered there in the stained glass chapel, the final meeting of a group of people from all walks of life.  The stain glass depicted various cultural and religious forms, from Jesus to Buddha, to the prophet Muhammad…they gathered there and reflected, realizing they were dead and they would enter eternity together as the lost members of Oceanic flight 815.  

I absolutely love the show ‘LOST’, I enjoyed the plots, the characters and the notion of being stranded on this amazing deserted island in the middle of the Pacific ocean.  It kept me coming back for more until…This series finale of the show ‘LOST’ which left me with a bitter taste and heavy heart.  Still to this day I look back at this finale and shake my head, ask myself “did I understand that right?”…I tell myself they ended the show poorly…an amazing journey only to end in some cosmic universalistic afterlife experience which pleases everyone from every religiosity yet offers no consequence or judgement upon evil and wrongs…I recognize redemption and acknowledge the plight of man, but this finale truly bothered me.  It bothers me still to this very day because there’s a lie involved within the premise of the final show and I don’t buy the lie!

The lie is “All roads lead to heaven”…this lie is so immersed in our culture today that many blindly accept it without looking deeper.  It’s an attempt to be all inclusive and yet muddies the waters of morality, ethics and theology.  I don’t buy the lie because I’ve read the words of Jesus when He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).  Jesus said I am THE WAY, not one of the ways, or just another path to the Father.  

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Do I believe that Jesus is THE WAY?  You bet I do!  I believe that there is only one path to God and Hindu, Islam, Buddhism or any other ‘ism’ aren’t paths leading to God.  Our Creator and loving Father wants us to accept Him and that of His one and only Son Jesus who is the only way to the Father.  

One day we will see Him and all will know the truth of Christ’s words.  Don’t buy the lie and get ‘Lost’.  Just a thought for today. 

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RSVP: Reserve Space for Victory in Paradise!

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David… Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near…You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” (Isaiah 55:1-3,6,12) 

 

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What do you do when you are invited to a party?  You send the RSVP or call in your RSVP and you confirm (if schedule allows) that you will attend.  Your response is required so that the party host will know who will attend and how many to plan for.  It’s not only polite to return your RSVP, it is an important response and action on your part…in essence you are saying “I will be there!”

In the above passage of Isaiah, the invitations for forgiveness have been sent out by God.  He wants to make what was broken whole again.  The prophecy of Messiah (Jesus) is evident in two key verses two chapters back:

 Isaiah 52:13 “See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.” &

Isaiah 53:12 “Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”

Forgiveness is at hand, the RSVP has been hand delivered to all of us, and the Host of this Redemptive party is awaiting our response.  The most telling portion of chapter 55 in Isaiah is verse 6…it says “Seek the Lord while he may be found...” It is a frightening proposition here because He seems to be saying to us, ‘make up your minds while you can.’  The implication is that our RSVP has an expiration date and we ought not postpone our response.

Forgiveness and redemption is ours, the Host of Heaven stands at the front door inviting us in…what will your response be?  Either we enter and accept His love and forgiveness or we don’t because soon that door will be closed…soon we will all be standing before Him, and in contrast, probably the most frightening passage in all of scripture is Matthew 25:31-46 when Jesus himself states clearly that the day is coming  when the King will separate the sheep from goats and He will say to the goats (those who have not accepted His invitation to forgiveness and redemption)  “‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.'” (Matthew 25:41)  

We have this contrast of those who will accept the invitation and those who will not.  Yet there is hope…there is time, but if you haven’t accepted the invitation, don’t let this time slip away.  Redemption draws near, your RSVP is requested…what will your answer be?

 

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“Like-minded…but not like the Borg!”

“Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.” -Philippians 2:1,2

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What does ‘being like minded’ mean?  I’m a science fiction geek I freely admit it!  And I recall the old Star Trek Next Generation when the Enterprise faced off a number of times with the terrifying aliens called the ‘Borg’.  The thing that stood them apart and made them so dangerous was that they were of one mind.  They were all connected to the ‘collective’ and they would absorb and assimilate other cultures and worlds, thereby gaining knowledge and understanding.  The Borg were terrifying and yet effective because of the ‘like-minded collective.

But truly, science fiction aside, what does being like-minded mean?  Are we to be God’s “collective” here on Earth?  Not for any evil purpose mind you, but for His Holy purpose?  What does being like-minded mean?  Especially when we see so many church splits, divisions and varying thoughts of ideology.  How is it that what began as one body of believers coming together to worship, testify and make other disciples has ended up being many bodies and many sets of worship practices?  Is this what Christ had in mind?  If I were to take it a step further, if this wasn’t what Christ had in mind then did He make a mistake?

The answer to both of those questions is ‘NO’!  His prayer ‘that they may all be one” (John 17:21) is still a prayer for us today.  The problem with this earthly body of believers is that we have free will.  When it comes to deciding and making our choices in worship and practice, we fall short of attaining this unity.  Let’s be honest, church has in the past, present and most probably the future been run by those within the spectrum of human authority.  Sure God has been present within churches, but not all decisions made by man have been God led or God honoring.  It is safe to say that politics is alive and well within the Church.  Both on the large and small scare this is true.  From leadership selection to the color of the carpet in a chapel there is politics involved.  I think Paul had experienced politics that was of selfish intent through various towns and cities when he went on to say in this same passage, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.  Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” -Philippians 2:3-4

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Unfortunately the down side is that some, not all, leaders are bent to self and selfish motivations.  It’s the nature of humanity that is not fully surrendered which becomes evident through the choices of man sugar coating it to be what God has intended.  But I am confident that God can take that which man has marred, that which man has broken, that which man has truly messed up and turn it into something remarkable.

It’s not that I  willingly place my faith and trust in leaders who lead this way, but rather in my submission to the Father in Heaven.  So that when I say “Thy will be done” I really mean it even if I am subjugated to a system or to leaders who are fallible and often make decisions based politically rather than biblically.

Paul implores us all to serve selflessly rather than selfishly.  When we can actually practice selflessness in word and in deed then being like-minded can actually occur within God’s body here on earth.

Confession time:

I too struggle with this in my life.  There have been times when I have made decisions based on how it will impact me rather than others.  Sometimes that full surrender isn’t made complete in me.  It’s a daily thing that must take place, in which we force our selfishness back in the box, we kneel before the Father and give Him the box again and we allow His love to shine through us instead of the light of selfish intentions and moral failings.

I want to be a transformer in my world how about you?  I want to be like-minded with others who are in the truth but this can’t be done if I’m looking out for me, myself and I.  If we are to function and thrive as His ambassadors we have to stop playing church politics and the selfishness game and instead face the mission of Christ that He beckons us to.

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