15 November 2009
Furyball!
During my time in AUS, I've had a lot of unique experiences. Today I ate kangaroo and crocodile for the first time, and experienced a game that I have to shake my head with a smile and say, "Only in OZ!" It's called Furyball, and I made a video to share a little slice of country life in Canberra. Enjoy the action!
13 November 2009
All in Due Time
It is a great challenge to wait upon the LORD expectantly. We find a great deal of comfort with schedules, future plans, meetings, and appointments. We find joy in looking to the future and saying things like, "This time next year, we'll have a baby" or "A month from now, we'll be living in our new home." There's a certain amount of joyful expectation for me to say, "In five days, I'll be back in the States." I know I have a ticket for a plane departing to LAX next Thursday, so this isn't a stretch. If by God's grace I manage to be at the airport at the right time, I have a seat reserved for me to go home.
People love to predict. Watch any pre-game NFL program and listen to the commentators posture and argue concerning game predictions. Every single week ESPN has predictions of the points each player will score. It seems that predictions seem to give a sense of control in the outcome, even though they do not affect the scoring in any way. We find this same prediction-mongering in politics, government, newscasts, reporters, and even among religions. There is a certain amount of comfort in believing we know how things will turn out in the end.
I remember when I spoke to my wife's parents about marrying Laura. They asked me reasonable questions about my future plans, which at the time centered around joining the Local 5 Insulator's Union. I was asked what I would do if the plan to join the union fell through. I really didn't have a "backup" plan apart from working hard and using all God-given ability to be successful. It turned out that I was able to excel in the trade and I worked up the ranks from pre-apprentice, apprentice, journeyman, and later a foreman. There was a logical progression which was very predictable. At a point I could say, "In two years, I will be a journeyman and make such and such a wage."
It is strange to me that I have no such logical plan laid out before me and my family than obedience to God. The stakes seem higher to people now that I have two boys in addition to my wife, but they remain the same: will I be obedient to God and allow Him to direct my future? God can provide food for the sparrows and knows when a single one falls. Won't He abundantly supply my needs as well as my wife and kids? I can make no prediction about what I will be doing in Australia, where I will be living, or how God intends I serve Him beyond preaching and serving. Is that enough? It is enough for me, and I don't know how much labor I should put into convincing others. It boils down to faith.
Hebrews 11:13 says this concerning the patriarchs of faith: "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth." Here are prime evidences of faith: assurance that God's promises are true, embracing the promises and denying even what is seen, and confession of these promises in word and deed. I suppose we can ask ourselves, how do we measure up to this standard of faith? How willing am I to take God at His word? Am I willing to lay aside all things that my arms might be free to embrace God's truth? Whether we live of die, may we do it for the glory of the God who is, was, and who ever will be. Faith needs no backup plan when faith is placed in God's Word.
People love to predict. Watch any pre-game NFL program and listen to the commentators posture and argue concerning game predictions. Every single week ESPN has predictions of the points each player will score. It seems that predictions seem to give a sense of control in the outcome, even though they do not affect the scoring in any way. We find this same prediction-mongering in politics, government, newscasts, reporters, and even among religions. There is a certain amount of comfort in believing we know how things will turn out in the end.
I remember when I spoke to my wife's parents about marrying Laura. They asked me reasonable questions about my future plans, which at the time centered around joining the Local 5 Insulator's Union. I was asked what I would do if the plan to join the union fell through. I really didn't have a "backup" plan apart from working hard and using all God-given ability to be successful. It turned out that I was able to excel in the trade and I worked up the ranks from pre-apprentice, apprentice, journeyman, and later a foreman. There was a logical progression which was very predictable. At a point I could say, "In two years, I will be a journeyman and make such and such a wage."
It is strange to me that I have no such logical plan laid out before me and my family than obedience to God. The stakes seem higher to people now that I have two boys in addition to my wife, but they remain the same: will I be obedient to God and allow Him to direct my future? God can provide food for the sparrows and knows when a single one falls. Won't He abundantly supply my needs as well as my wife and kids? I can make no prediction about what I will be doing in Australia, where I will be living, or how God intends I serve Him beyond preaching and serving. Is that enough? It is enough for me, and I don't know how much labor I should put into convincing others. It boils down to faith.
Hebrews 11:13 says this concerning the patriarchs of faith: "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth." Here are prime evidences of faith: assurance that God's promises are true, embracing the promises and denying even what is seen, and confession of these promises in word and deed. I suppose we can ask ourselves, how do we measure up to this standard of faith? How willing am I to take God at His word? Am I willing to lay aside all things that my arms might be free to embrace God's truth? Whether we live of die, may we do it for the glory of the God who is, was, and who ever will be. Faith needs no backup plan when faith is placed in God's Word.
10 November 2009
Only God Knows
"He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. [5] As you do not know what is the way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, so you do not know the works of God who makes everything. [6] In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening do not withhold your hand; for you do not know which will prosper either this or that, or whether both alike will be good."
Ecclesiastes 11:4-6
One aspect of following Jesus Christ in faith is not knowing exactly where He is heading. We know that all things work for good to those who love God, but we often don't know how He will make good of a situation. It is not until much later we begin to recognize the hand of God leading, guiding, and protecting us. During my evening reading last night, I came upon this verse and was very blessed. I have been asked many times by people in OZ how the LORD is leading me in future decisions: if I have a sense where I will move, how I will obtain a visa, or if God has revealed His ultimate plan for my family and myself. I know this is a small precursor to the barrage of questions I will no doubt face upon my arrival back in the States, and frankly I'm not prepared to answer them.
What goodness and peace we gain from the Word of God! As I was reading, this verse was a great comfort to me. With all of my travels, personal connections, and newly forged friendships, I don't know how God will use them in the future. But just like I don't know how the bones of a child form in the womb of a mother, so I cannot comprehend the ways of God. Solomon paints a picture of a reluctant farmer who will not plant because the wind is too strong, or will not harvest because the sky is overcast. In his wisdom Solomon exhorts that we not be slack in our labor because of supposed hindrances, but labor while it is day. It is God who will bring the increase. Jesus said in John 9:4, "I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work."
I have no doubt the connections I have made throughout Australia will be instrumental in my future by the grace and mercy of God, as true as I know that a healthy pregnancy results in a baby. I don't know how God knits the baby together, but I know that He does. Conception preceeds new life. When the call of God is fertilized with faith, new life develops that can only be imagined at first, not explained. But as the child emerges into the world, the parents rejoice to see the little person God fashioned according to His perfect design. In the same way, I don't know how God is using this trip. But I know He is using it to change me and prepare everyone for the work He wants to do. And when this baby ministry is brought to the birth, all will see and rejoice in what God has done. It is a miracle that God includes man in His plan.
I encourage you to trust God whether you know how He is using your present situation or not. When God has spoken truth to your heart through His Word and Holy Spirit, add to that truth faith in Him. He says in Isaiah 66:9: "Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God." God makes all things beautiful in His time, and childbirth is a painful, laborious process. A life of faith is a difficult one, but wrought with countless blessings. A life of faith is one without end, for Christ gives all those who trust in Him eternal life. Only God knows the difficulties and struggles you face, and He is able to use every one of those for good that He might be glorified. Rejoice in the process, for the end result is beyond compare!
09 November 2009
Truth Without Change (over time)
I read an interesting book recommended by Bob, my host in Sydney. He has a lovely family: Jacqui his wife, Samuel (7) and Kate (4). The book is called "Already Gone" by Ken Ham and Britt Beemer which claims the teaching in most churches today does not answer fundamental questions and doubts that people have. Children are taught Bible "stories" and emphasis is not placed on their historical, scientific, and archaelogical fact. When kids continue to go through school, they are bombarded with scientific "facts" which often contradict a Biblical worldview. Due to these doubts not being directly addressed from the pulpit or Sunday School classes, many people leave the church during their college years on in their 20's. Since I have worked with youth for many years and have seen the staggeringly high attrition rate among "churched" youth, this book did not come as a surprise or shock.
Darwin's "Origin of Species" published in 1859 shook the foundations of the common belief that the world was relatively young. The scientific community had given the world a theory of the origin of mankind and world without the necessity of God. This theory of evolution of the species was not a result of reading the Bible, but the idea of a man. Many today have tried to inject evolutionary teaching into the Genesis account, saying that the ideas are not opposed to one another. Others say that it does not matter if the earth is billions or thousands of years old: only belief in Jesus Christ is important. I heartily disagree with these modern views.
The Bible says that God created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them in six twenty-four hour periods and rested on the seventh day. He made every star, plant, animals both male and female that live on land and in the sea, and breathed a living soul into man. No one in the Old Testament, nor Jesus or any disciple in the New Testament suggest that macro-evolution (one species changing over time into a different species) was the way that God made all we see today. Jesus says in Mark 10:6: "But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female." Both the species and two sexes were created from the beginning as they remain to this day. Though we see varieties within a species today, every species was distinct and fully-functional from the beginning. The chicken came before the egg.
As I walked through the Melbourne Museum and saw reconstructed skeletons of dinosaurs, the supposed ages of the bones ranged in the millions of years. God operates outside of time and can create in an instant, but He chose to create the heavens and the earth in a seven day period, one week. For macro-evolution to even be considered in a theoretical sense, enormous amounts of time is needed. It is my belief that an infinite amount of time is not enough for macro-evolution to take place, but that is another matter. It was not until 1859 that people began to suggest, "The earth may be much older than we might have thought" to allow the possibility that Darwin's theory might be considered plausible.
You might think, "But what's the big deal? Couldn't the world be 4.5 billion (this number changes all the time!) years old and God used creation without evolution?" Remember, God doesn't need time. The current scientific community is convinced that evolution without question is the way things work. The current age of the universe (which is considered billions of years older today than it was twenty years ago) is based on new discoveries and data which push back the prospective time of the "big bang." The more we learn the more difficulties are forced upon the theory of evolution, so more time is allotted to work out these problems. A kid walks into Sunday School and hears a "story" about how God created the heavens and the earth in a literal week, and then on a class field trip hears "facts" from experts that the world is billions of years old and the dinosaurs that excite his imagination became extinct millions of years ago. His doubts begin to grow during middle school and high school as he weighs these contrary views, and these doubts progress into unbelief of the Word of God in college. That is why it is critical that the Word of God is held forth as fact supported by science, not as fairy tales.
If the beliefs of people in the Genesis account are eroded by modern-day scientific teachings concerning the age of the earth, it is likely they will not believe the Bible is the Word of God without error or flaw. If the Bible is seen as a flawed book written by men, the Gospel itself will be brought into question. The Bible is the true Word of God delivered by the Holy Spirit through men inspired by God. 2 Peter 1:21 says that God's Word did not originate from man, "...but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." In Jude 1:3 it is written: "...I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." It has held up under fierce scientific, moral, historical, prophetic, geological, archaeological, and biological analysis. It is completely perfect concerning earthly things, and equally insightful and flawless concerning spiritual things. There is no book in the world which so perfectly explains the nature of a man, moral and social issues, and how God not only created all things but sent Jesus Christ to seek and save the lost. The resurrection of Jesus Christ still cannot be disproved by any means.
As Bible-believing Christians, we must hold fast to the truth of scripture without yielding to the pressure of those who do not believe. Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 6:20-21: "O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: [21] which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen." As the saying goes, "Truth can bear examination." Good science involves observation, formation of a hypothesis, the testing of a hypothesis in a controlled environment, and conclusion based upon the evidence. Neither creation or evolution can be validated through the scientific method, because no one knows the conditions that were in place before time began. But unlike scientific journals that change from year to year, the Word of God has never changed. It has never been proven false. It is on the merit of its unshakable truth I believe the Bible is the inspired, unchanging Word of God through which we learn who God is, what He has done, and teaches all the way of salvation through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. As Romans 3:4 says, "Let God be true, and every man a liar..."
Don't take my word for it: test the Word of God for yourself and be convinced in your own mind. God has revealed His truth, and we are all without excuse! It's time to stand up for the truth of God's Word, and teach our children what is right. I refuse to be bullied by people who choose not to believe what is true, and neither should you. The truth will not change over time! What's true will remain true, and God's Word will never pass away!
Darwin's "Origin of Species" published in 1859 shook the foundations of the common belief that the world was relatively young. The scientific community had given the world a theory of the origin of mankind and world without the necessity of God. This theory of evolution of the species was not a result of reading the Bible, but the idea of a man. Many today have tried to inject evolutionary teaching into the Genesis account, saying that the ideas are not opposed to one another. Others say that it does not matter if the earth is billions or thousands of years old: only belief in Jesus Christ is important. I heartily disagree with these modern views.
The Bible says that God created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them in six twenty-four hour periods and rested on the seventh day. He made every star, plant, animals both male and female that live on land and in the sea, and breathed a living soul into man. No one in the Old Testament, nor Jesus or any disciple in the New Testament suggest that macro-evolution (one species changing over time into a different species) was the way that God made all we see today. Jesus says in Mark 10:6: "But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female." Both the species and two sexes were created from the beginning as they remain to this day. Though we see varieties within a species today, every species was distinct and fully-functional from the beginning. The chicken came before the egg.
As I walked through the Melbourne Museum and saw reconstructed skeletons of dinosaurs, the supposed ages of the bones ranged in the millions of years. God operates outside of time and can create in an instant, but He chose to create the heavens and the earth in a seven day period, one week. For macro-evolution to even be considered in a theoretical sense, enormous amounts of time is needed. It is my belief that an infinite amount of time is not enough for macro-evolution to take place, but that is another matter. It was not until 1859 that people began to suggest, "The earth may be much older than we might have thought" to allow the possibility that Darwin's theory might be considered plausible.
You might think, "But what's the big deal? Couldn't the world be 4.5 billion (this number changes all the time!) years old and God used creation without evolution?" Remember, God doesn't need time. The current scientific community is convinced that evolution without question is the way things work. The current age of the universe (which is considered billions of years older today than it was twenty years ago) is based on new discoveries and data which push back the prospective time of the "big bang." The more we learn the more difficulties are forced upon the theory of evolution, so more time is allotted to work out these problems. A kid walks into Sunday School and hears a "story" about how God created the heavens and the earth in a literal week, and then on a class field trip hears "facts" from experts that the world is billions of years old and the dinosaurs that excite his imagination became extinct millions of years ago. His doubts begin to grow during middle school and high school as he weighs these contrary views, and these doubts progress into unbelief of the Word of God in college. That is why it is critical that the Word of God is held forth as fact supported by science, not as fairy tales.
If the beliefs of people in the Genesis account are eroded by modern-day scientific teachings concerning the age of the earth, it is likely they will not believe the Bible is the Word of God without error or flaw. If the Bible is seen as a flawed book written by men, the Gospel itself will be brought into question. The Bible is the true Word of God delivered by the Holy Spirit through men inspired by God. 2 Peter 1:21 says that God's Word did not originate from man, "...but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." In Jude 1:3 it is written: "...I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." It has held up under fierce scientific, moral, historical, prophetic, geological, archaeological, and biological analysis. It is completely perfect concerning earthly things, and equally insightful and flawless concerning spiritual things. There is no book in the world which so perfectly explains the nature of a man, moral and social issues, and how God not only created all things but sent Jesus Christ to seek and save the lost. The resurrection of Jesus Christ still cannot be disproved by any means.
As Bible-believing Christians, we must hold fast to the truth of scripture without yielding to the pressure of those who do not believe. Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 6:20-21: "O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: [21] which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen." As the saying goes, "Truth can bear examination." Good science involves observation, formation of a hypothesis, the testing of a hypothesis in a controlled environment, and conclusion based upon the evidence. Neither creation or evolution can be validated through the scientific method, because no one knows the conditions that were in place before time began. But unlike scientific journals that change from year to year, the Word of God has never changed. It has never been proven false. It is on the merit of its unshakable truth I believe the Bible is the inspired, unchanging Word of God through which we learn who God is, what He has done, and teaches all the way of salvation through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. As Romans 3:4 says, "Let God be true, and every man a liar..."
Don't take my word for it: test the Word of God for yourself and be convinced in your own mind. God has revealed His truth, and we are all without excuse! It's time to stand up for the truth of God's Word, and teach our children what is right. I refuse to be bullied by people who choose not to believe what is true, and neither should you. The truth will not change over time! What's true will remain true, and God's Word will never pass away!
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