It’s not that I advocate Christmas. In fact, Christmas is one of the reasons why I can’t see myself in pastoral ministry. I just can’t bring myself to find some hidden nugget in the Christmas story each year that nobody else has noticed. Once I’ve said that I think Santa is the devil and that the Christmas tree’s roots grow down more into paganism than the Babe in the manger, I’ve really said all I feel I need to say. If a pastor can’t pack the place on Christmas, what good is he? And once you’ve seen my tree and watched us kneel before it on Christmas morn, you’ll write me off as a hypocrite anyhow.
However, I’m noticing more and more, that there’s something special about Christmas. The issues surrounding it have a unique flavour. Many people dislike the holiday because they find themselves alone, or it highlights the breakdown of their relationships. There is a peculiar injustice at work when someone is laid off at Christmas time, or their home burns down. Some people don’t like the Christmas tree in public places because it makes them fell as if they aren’t included.
Please think about those scenarios for a moment. Does anyone ever complain that Halloween decorations make them feel like they’re not included? If someone is laid off before May two-four, do you ever hear, “Wow. How horrible. Laid off. Right before may two four.”?
As pagan and as commercial as it is, there is just enough Jesus in the holiday to offend people of other faiths. The very elements of Christmas that seem to bring pain to many people, are in fact a demonstration of the light given to all people. For those who find themselves alone or estranged from their loved ones, Christmas isn’t the problem. The broken relationships and the loneliness are the problem. The light of Christmas merely illuminates the pain, but that’s what light does.
If you don’t like Christmas, please know that I’m with you. I really am. I’d be glad to celebrate the birth of my Saviour on some other day. I’m really not set on Dec 25th and I don’t even need it to be a stat holiday. Pagans often express bitterness about us claiming the day anyway, so let them have it. Tell next year’s Christmas Planning Committee (CPC) to come up with another day.
Most objections to Christmas stem from the fact that light does in fact reveal darkness for what it is. That is the heart of the Christmas story;
“The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned." Matthew 4:16
If we’re alone, if we don’t feel included in the holiday, or if tragedy has affected our lives, it isn’t Christmas’ fault. If this is your first Christmas without a loved one, my heart goes out to you. The fact that these emotions are heightened at this time, lends evidence to the case that there really is something special about Christmas. It’s Jesus.
What do you do with the light of Christmas? Do you hate the light? Or are you drawn to Him?
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Saturday, December 24, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
What I Learned From Myself
On several occasions, I’ve heard believers in my life share something such as this: “A preacher really can’t speak on something he hasn’t experienced himself”.
I often think about that principle. There might be a morsel of truth in there somewhere, but I can’t completely get behind it. What do you think of that? If I’ve never stolen anything or had anything taken from me, does that mean I can’t speak against thievery? Are we limited in our speech to only things that we have had personal experience with?
I suppose there is an authority we lack whenever we address something that hasn’t touched our lives, but I believe we do ourselves a disservice if we limit ourselves to our own experience.
I’ve spent so many tiresome hours reading through Alien Love. Even though I am the author, there are elements of the work under which I fall completely short. Last night as I read it, for what I hope will be the last time, I came across this question:
“Why bother, if nothing awaits us here on earth other than prison, chains and death?”
The question I was addressing in this specific chapter was, ‘Why bother serving, if we don’t accomplish the goals we set out to do?’ Why not give up when the going proves to be intolerable?’ I’m obviously thicker than most of you. I wrote these words about three years ago, and they finally hit me last night.
You see. I’ve been rather down lately. I’ve been editing Alien Love for like three years and I’m tired. Every time I think I’m done, it becomes apparent that I need to go one more round. Here is how I answered the question three years ago.
“What about the man or the woman serving on your right or your left? What if they needed to see in you, the same kind of perseverance that they needed for themselves in order to accomplish their work in Christ? Would that be worth it? What if, by chance, you needed to take your post in the church, if for no other reason than to hold up that person on your right or your left? What if God never intended you to have followers of your own? (As if that was ever how it was supposed to work.) Even the soldiers of our earthly nations serve out of obligation for their fellow soldiers. How much more should we?”
As I read that paragraph, it became plain. It took three years, but finally, the attitude of the preacher fell in line with his message. Was it a mistake to have written them, since I had yet to believe the message itself? Even though I hadn’t truly experienced the truth of these words in 2008, I needed them last night.
I realized part of the purpose in what I’m doing, even if my works themselves come to fail. The man on my right and the woman on my left, need me to hold my ground, in the same way that I need them to hold theirs.
So my question for you this evening is as follows:
“Who are the people on your right and on your left? Who are the ones who need you to assume your role in the body of Christ? Are you being faithful in that role, regardless of how tiresome it may be?”
Night!
Kevin
PS By the way. I tend to forget a lot of the lessons I learn. Don't be surprised if I forget this one.
I often think about that principle. There might be a morsel of truth in there somewhere, but I can’t completely get behind it. What do you think of that? If I’ve never stolen anything or had anything taken from me, does that mean I can’t speak against thievery? Are we limited in our speech to only things that we have had personal experience with?
I suppose there is an authority we lack whenever we address something that hasn’t touched our lives, but I believe we do ourselves a disservice if we limit ourselves to our own experience.
I’ve spent so many tiresome hours reading through Alien Love. Even though I am the author, there are elements of the work under which I fall completely short. Last night as I read it, for what I hope will be the last time, I came across this question:
“Why bother, if nothing awaits us here on earth other than prison, chains and death?”
The question I was addressing in this specific chapter was, ‘Why bother serving, if we don’t accomplish the goals we set out to do?’ Why not give up when the going proves to be intolerable?’ I’m obviously thicker than most of you. I wrote these words about three years ago, and they finally hit me last night.
You see. I’ve been rather down lately. I’ve been editing Alien Love for like three years and I’m tired. Every time I think I’m done, it becomes apparent that I need to go one more round. Here is how I answered the question three years ago.
“What about the man or the woman serving on your right or your left? What if they needed to see in you, the same kind of perseverance that they needed for themselves in order to accomplish their work in Christ? Would that be worth it? What if, by chance, you needed to take your post in the church, if for no other reason than to hold up that person on your right or your left? What if God never intended you to have followers of your own? (As if that was ever how it was supposed to work.) Even the soldiers of our earthly nations serve out of obligation for their fellow soldiers. How much more should we?”
As I read that paragraph, it became plain. It took three years, but finally, the attitude of the preacher fell in line with his message. Was it a mistake to have written them, since I had yet to believe the message itself? Even though I hadn’t truly experienced the truth of these words in 2008, I needed them last night.
I realized part of the purpose in what I’m doing, even if my works themselves come to fail. The man on my right and the woman on my left, need me to hold my ground, in the same way that I need them to hold theirs.
So my question for you this evening is as follows:
“Who are the people on your right and on your left? Who are the ones who need you to assume your role in the body of Christ? Are you being faithful in that role, regardless of how tiresome it may be?”
Night!
Kevin
PS By the way. I tend to forget a lot of the lessons I learn. Don't be surprised if I forget this one.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Following Your Heart IS The Problem With The World
Sometimes, I wonder if you notice that I seldom rally around many causes. Depending on how you interact with the world around you, you probably have different voices vying for your attention.
A week ago, as I walked out of Canadian Tire, I was assaulted by someone and their personal cause. They didn’t ask me if I wanted a ribbon to put on my car, or even if I agreed with them. They just shoved the thing at me and told me to tie it around my car’s antenna. As a Gideon, if I did that sort of thing with a New Testament, I’d probably end up in the news.
In the Facebook world, there is an endless array of causes with which to add our voices. Most of them are wonderful. They really are. In Christian circles, abortion is a really big one. I’d probably lose my card carrying Christian status if I wasn’t pro life. (And I am for life)
You may at times hear people make statements such as this: “The problem with the world is ________ .” (feel free to insert your own answer.)
For you, maybe it’s the sex trade. Maybe drunk drivers are the problem with the world. Violence against women is pretty bad. Oh. And animals. Cruelty to animals is horrid. Serious.
The way I understand it, the problem with the world isn’t the rapists, bullies, child molesters, murderers, Stephen Harper or the CBC. The root of the ills of our world are the wretched hearts of those who live in it.
Jeremiah 17:9
9 “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,
and desperately wicked.
Who really knows how bad it is?"
I wonder how Walt Disney would feel about that. He was really big on following your heart. Wasn’t he?
So feel free to have a banquet if you like. Make sure you serve cake. Cake will make people stop drinking and driving. Or if you start up a Facebook group, maybe you could give away an I-Pad. In the meantime, good look with your cause. Maybe if you get lots of people together, you can change the banking system, or curb the rampant consumerism that’s killing our culture. Let me know how it works out for you.
A week ago, as I walked out of Canadian Tire, I was assaulted by someone and their personal cause. They didn’t ask me if I wanted a ribbon to put on my car, or even if I agreed with them. They just shoved the thing at me and told me to tie it around my car’s antenna. As a Gideon, if I did that sort of thing with a New Testament, I’d probably end up in the news.
In the Facebook world, there is an endless array of causes with which to add our voices. Most of them are wonderful. They really are. In Christian circles, abortion is a really big one. I’d probably lose my card carrying Christian status if I wasn’t pro life. (And I am for life)
You may at times hear people make statements such as this: “The problem with the world is ________ .” (feel free to insert your own answer.)
For you, maybe it’s the sex trade. Maybe drunk drivers are the problem with the world. Violence against women is pretty bad. Oh. And animals. Cruelty to animals is horrid. Serious.
The way I understand it, the problem with the world isn’t the rapists, bullies, child molesters, murderers, Stephen Harper or the CBC. The root of the ills of our world are the wretched hearts of those who live in it.
Jeremiah 17:9
9 “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,
and desperately wicked.
Who really knows how bad it is?"
I wonder how Walt Disney would feel about that. He was really big on following your heart. Wasn’t he?
So feel free to have a banquet if you like. Make sure you serve cake. Cake will make people stop drinking and driving. Or if you start up a Facebook group, maybe you could give away an I-Pad. In the meantime, good look with your cause. Maybe if you get lots of people together, you can change the banking system, or curb the rampant consumerism that’s killing our culture. Let me know how it works out for you.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
What Does God Think About Vasectomies?
A week ago, I posted this piece of scripture on my Facebook feed: “No one whose testicles are crushed or whose male organ is cut off shall enter the assembly of the Lord” Deuteronomy 23:1
The responses I received were rather predictable. There was the usual comical chatter. Some people felt that it was rather gross; not because they’re mean. They’re quite right. It is gross. Isn’t it? However, if all scripture is God breathed, then it’s useful.
In light of the passage, one of my friends asked a question.
“What about vasectomies?”
Seeing as he asked the question twice, and seeing as he is the only person to tell me that he wants me to love him, I feel compelled to answer honestly.
The verse doesn’t say ‘vasectomy’. Does it? So it would be tough for me to go hardcore against family planning. Still, the Bible doesn’t directly mention child molestation, gang violence or many things that are understood to be contrary to God’s will for mankind. So just because it doesn’t say “vasectomy”, doesn’t mean God’s good with it.
It’s not like we are meant to use the Bible as a book of rules, but for a person who sincerely desires to live a life which is pleasing in the sight of our savior, it does give us enough insight into the mind of our God.
Without doing a historical study, I somehow doubt that vasectomies were a common method of family planning back in the day. So I really wouldn’t expect it to be spelled out in the Levitical texts. However, birth control wasn’t a foreign concept to God’s people. I’ll speak on that shortly. What I’ll say for now, is that little is said with regards to birth control in any part of the law. Throughout history, God has been quite vocal and forthcoming to His people with the things that revile him. Take the time to read through Isaiah and Jeremiah. Seeing as very little is said, I wouldn’t toss and turn throughout the night if you have had your cords cut.
As I mentioned, birth control isn’t something new. I urge you to consider this story.
Genesis 38:8-10
New Living Translation (NLT)
8 Then Judah said to Er’s brother Onan, “Go and marry Tamar, as our law requires of the brother of a man who has died. You must produce an heir for your brother.”
9 But Onan was not willing to have a child who would not be his own heir. So whenever he had intercourse with his brother’s wife, he spilled the semen on the ground. This prevented her from having a child who would belong to his brother. 10 But the LORD considered it evil for Onan to deny a child to his dead brother. So the LORD took Onan’s life, too.
It’s a story which leads many people to believe that birth control is against God’s will.
To answer the question, “What does God think of vasectomies?” directly, here is what I’ll share….
I don’t know.
As people, we tend to fall in either one of two camps with regards to issues such as these. There is normally the, THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT (NWWI) camp. And there is usually the IT’S A SIN (IAS) camp.
“I don’t know. Ask God.” (IDKAK) isn’t a comfortable answer. Is it? Both the NWWI and IAS camps offer a kind of human comfort that faith does not. The NWWI camp helps us to feel good about ourselves, even if something is wrong with it. When we throw in our lot with the IAS camp, we feel assured because we have taken what appears to be the moral high ground.
So how does, “I DON’T KNOW. ASK GOD.” Make you feel?
My personal take on the story of Onan goes something like this. I’ll begin by reminding you of a common truth. I’m not your God. Please keep that in the forefront of your mind as you listen to my take.
God killed the guy. That’s normally pretty serious. The account of Onan’s life seems to have less to do with communicating God’s mind on birth control, than it has to do with a man’s obligation to his brother. Was there any law about birth control? Not that I’m aware of. The law required Onan to “produce an heir for his brother.”
Take it up with God. He’s not dead. Personally, if birth control was such a big deal to Him, I think we’d see at least another specific reference or two somewhere else is scripture.
Remaining intentionally fertile often allows us to live with the mindset thinking, “I’ll let God decide how many kids I have.” Here’s my personal story.
My Story
My fourth child came rather quickly. I was playing the Farming Game with three friends from the youth group when Barb told me that we needed to leave. I was so close to winning the game, and only needed a few more minutes, but she really didn’t have the time.
By the time we made it to the hospital, my wife was too far along for the medical staff to administer any real pain relief. Her labour was quite painful. I know that very few women die anymore in childbirth, but it does still happen. There were moments where I wondered if she would have enough energy to press through.
Before delivering our fourth child, she squeezed my hand and told me, “I can’t do this again.” In that moment, it became clear to me, that I was unable to see her endure this pain for another child. I had my chords cut shortly thereafter.
I’ve never had a clear sense from the Lord one way or the other. I do know, that if anything were to happen to my wife, that I don’t think I could live with myself. I’m still willing to receive children from God if that is His will for us. It does happen on occasion.
I love my kids. In fact, I'd love nothing more than to have 20 kids and I'd buy a bus so we could all travel together. I could even have my own TV show. I didn’t undergo the procedure in an act of defiance. I did it because I loved my wife and really couldn’t bear to see her go through that again.
I do have more to say, but can’t really share it publicly. There are some aspects of my decision that really do lend themselves to purity and holiness. Yet, there is a place for discretion.
The responses I received were rather predictable. There was the usual comical chatter. Some people felt that it was rather gross; not because they’re mean. They’re quite right. It is gross. Isn’t it? However, if all scripture is God breathed, then it’s useful.
In light of the passage, one of my friends asked a question.
“What about vasectomies?”
Seeing as he asked the question twice, and seeing as he is the only person to tell me that he wants me to love him, I feel compelled to answer honestly.
The verse doesn’t say ‘vasectomy’. Does it? So it would be tough for me to go hardcore against family planning. Still, the Bible doesn’t directly mention child molestation, gang violence or many things that are understood to be contrary to God’s will for mankind. So just because it doesn’t say “vasectomy”, doesn’t mean God’s good with it.
It’s not like we are meant to use the Bible as a book of rules, but for a person who sincerely desires to live a life which is pleasing in the sight of our savior, it does give us enough insight into the mind of our God.
Without doing a historical study, I somehow doubt that vasectomies were a common method of family planning back in the day. So I really wouldn’t expect it to be spelled out in the Levitical texts. However, birth control wasn’t a foreign concept to God’s people. I’ll speak on that shortly. What I’ll say for now, is that little is said with regards to birth control in any part of the law. Throughout history, God has been quite vocal and forthcoming to His people with the things that revile him. Take the time to read through Isaiah and Jeremiah. Seeing as very little is said, I wouldn’t toss and turn throughout the night if you have had your cords cut.
As I mentioned, birth control isn’t something new. I urge you to consider this story.
Genesis 38:8-10
New Living Translation (NLT)
8 Then Judah said to Er’s brother Onan, “Go and marry Tamar, as our law requires of the brother of a man who has died. You must produce an heir for your brother.”
9 But Onan was not willing to have a child who would not be his own heir. So whenever he had intercourse with his brother’s wife, he spilled the semen on the ground. This prevented her from having a child who would belong to his brother. 10 But the LORD considered it evil for Onan to deny a child to his dead brother. So the LORD took Onan’s life, too.
It’s a story which leads many people to believe that birth control is against God’s will.
To answer the question, “What does God think of vasectomies?” directly, here is what I’ll share….
I don’t know.
As people, we tend to fall in either one of two camps with regards to issues such as these. There is normally the, THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT (NWWI) camp. And there is usually the IT’S A SIN (IAS) camp.
“I don’t know. Ask God.” (IDKAK) isn’t a comfortable answer. Is it? Both the NWWI and IAS camps offer a kind of human comfort that faith does not. The NWWI camp helps us to feel good about ourselves, even if something is wrong with it. When we throw in our lot with the IAS camp, we feel assured because we have taken what appears to be the moral high ground.
So how does, “I DON’T KNOW. ASK GOD.” Make you feel?
My personal take on the story of Onan goes something like this. I’ll begin by reminding you of a common truth. I’m not your God. Please keep that in the forefront of your mind as you listen to my take.
God killed the guy. That’s normally pretty serious. The account of Onan’s life seems to have less to do with communicating God’s mind on birth control, than it has to do with a man’s obligation to his brother. Was there any law about birth control? Not that I’m aware of. The law required Onan to “produce an heir for his brother.”
Take it up with God. He’s not dead. Personally, if birth control was such a big deal to Him, I think we’d see at least another specific reference or two somewhere else is scripture.
Remaining intentionally fertile often allows us to live with the mindset thinking, “I’ll let God decide how many kids I have.” Here’s my personal story.
My Story
My fourth child came rather quickly. I was playing the Farming Game with three friends from the youth group when Barb told me that we needed to leave. I was so close to winning the game, and only needed a few more minutes, but she really didn’t have the time.
By the time we made it to the hospital, my wife was too far along for the medical staff to administer any real pain relief. Her labour was quite painful. I know that very few women die anymore in childbirth, but it does still happen. There were moments where I wondered if she would have enough energy to press through.
Before delivering our fourth child, she squeezed my hand and told me, “I can’t do this again.” In that moment, it became clear to me, that I was unable to see her endure this pain for another child. I had my chords cut shortly thereafter.
I’ve never had a clear sense from the Lord one way or the other. I do know, that if anything were to happen to my wife, that I don’t think I could live with myself. I’m still willing to receive children from God if that is His will for us. It does happen on occasion.
I love my kids. In fact, I'd love nothing more than to have 20 kids and I'd buy a bus so we could all travel together. I could even have my own TV show. I didn’t undergo the procedure in an act of defiance. I did it because I loved my wife and really couldn’t bear to see her go through that again.
I do have more to say, but can’t really share it publicly. There are some aspects of my decision that really do lend themselves to purity and holiness. Yet, there is a place for discretion.
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