Thoughts on sin

It's interesting how we regard ourselves so highly. In fact, I've often discussed Christianity with unbelievers who see themselves as "pretty good people" or they say "I'm not a bad person." The whole point seems to be that they don't need God, so why believe? They don't need God because they don't see their sin or the need for God to forgive them.

It's also interesting to read some of the stories of sinners in the Bible. The woman who was clearly a sinner, dared to go see Christ at the Pharisee's house, where they were all gathered at a feast. And Nicodemus, who saw himself as a righteous man, dared go to him only at night.

SK wrote in his journals, "When a man is sick or indisposed, the first thing he does is to send for the physician, and medication is what he wants; spiritually it is just the opposite. When a man has sinned, the last thing he wants is the physician and medicine."

More baby stuff

For those of you who want to see more baby video's here are some you might enjoy. After Seth and Noelle sent these to us, Nancy wanted to book a trip to Lexington.

Orbit this!

While reading Orbiting the Giant Hairball I realized some new things, some with personal distress and some with laughter. While the book was filled with amusement, I observed something different. Perhaps I would take it a step further.

I think there is a sense in which business requires the help of others... employees. At some point the leadership of business must submit its plans and ideas to the reflections of its people before casting them in concrete. Anyone who is so full of conceit regarding his ideas and abilities as to fail to encourage the remarks of his workers will find himself embarrassed with new difficulties. Is it tested, can it be done, how long does it take, etc. etc? This I have observed.

I have also had occasion to observe that the ego so completely distracts and suppresses knowledge that it declares heaven is useless without its "truth." A great fall is due any company that doesn't regulate its actions by its own conscience and the opinions of its employees along with those who care.

Memphis

I just returned from Memphis and our company Train The Trainer week long session. They asked me to teach an hour and a half session on relationship building. I taught the class but focused more on business coaching skills as opposed to building friendships.

During my time in Memphis this last week I observed that every person who is asked to give his own opinion will in the end, find himself or herself aligned with the person who valued them enough to ask it. It is unfortunate there seemed to be a fear of "opposite winds" and the time allotted for good advice, cost saving ideas, questions, and helpful opinion was only an hour.

Biblical Evolution

My father writes in his new book The Grand Canyon, Evolution, and Intelligent Design, that the evidence of evolution in fossil bearing rocks is plain enough. He says, "different forms of life appear in stages. Fossils of simpler forms of life first appear in older rocks, then more complex forms appear in younger rocks. The sequence of fossils does not by itself prove evolution. It does, however, provide a history that is compatible with the concept of evolution." How does this square with the idea that all life was created in one week?


Nancy and I attended Cherry Hills Community Church the other day. And guess what the pastor was discussing in his sermon...evolution and the Bible. He began his sermon by reminding everyone that Copernicus, who first said that the earth is not the center of the universe, was ex-communicated from the Church for heresy and then Galileo proved him right and was placed under house arrest. I think it's probably wise to have a little broader view of the world and be a little less dogmatic. Even a first year geology student understands the law of superposition. Look at the photo on the cover of the book and you'll see it.

The good news about the book is, the issues we have as believers in Christ with reconciling the Genesis account of creation in the Bible and science are largely resolved. At least as far as I'm concerned. You can order the book on Amazon.com

Thoughts on miracles

At a lavish banquet there is the practice of smashing the crystal glasses to indicate affluence. Jesus made something big out of something small when he fed the 5000. He asked his disciples to collect the scraps. Jesus performs the miracle serving up a banquet as if he could perform it at any moment. But here even the scraps were important. And the poor person says, the richest one gathers up the scraps as if he were the poorest of all.

Dostoyevsky said, "The genuine realist, if he is an unbeliever, will always find strength and ability to disbelieve in the miraculous, and if he is confronted with a miracle as an irrefutable fact he would rather disbelieve his own senses than admit the fact. Faith does not...spring from the miracle, but the miracle from faith."

And so Jesus has the crumbs collected and he has no disdain for the crumbs. He gives them a banquet showing divine abundance, and in the end he is the one who is broken and smashed.

God

Crabb says, "when we pursue the satisfaction God provides more than we pursue God, we get neither." There may not be anything I can do to fix things. Am I still satisfied in God? I believe that I need to be satisfied in God regardless of my present circumstances. While I do believe he has something great in store for me and he does provide peace and joy. Is it not however, a coup de mains that God's mighty hand, laid upon a human being in order to humble him, is in the same moment the hand of blessing?

American Politics and Independence

I'm not sure as believers in God it's appropriate to demand too much independence. As Americans we overvalue this trait of independence and associate it with strength and even leadership. Perhaps we could even say political leadership, based on the debates I've seen and what's written in the media. Too much independence is a pause in one's faith and a sudden cessation of dependence upon God. I think what caused Satan to fall was his claim to independence and we could no doubt, point to former political leaders who were slow to seek God's insight. Shakespeare wrote the following in The Life of King Henry The Fifth:

But tell the Dauphin I will keep my state,
Be like a king, and show my sail of greatness
When I do rouse me in my throne of France.
For that I have laid by my majesty
And plodded like a man for working days,
But I will rise there with so full a glory
That I will dazzle all the eyes of France.

The bad news is he says, "I will." Only God can say "I will" in this way. The good news is our character the King later says, "But this lies all within the will of God." And I suppose as soon as soon as an American political candidate exposes his trust in God, he becomes unelectable. The media's bigotry toward a candidate's faith does little more than gratify their desire for continued independence and liberty of censure.

Christians and Pagans

Here is a poem I ran across again. I thought you might enjoy it. It was written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer and published in his Letters and Papers from Prison. This short poem touches me in a special way.

Men go to God when they are sore bestead,
Pray to him for succour, for his peace, for bread,
For mercy for them sick, sinning, or dead;
All men do so, Christian and unbelieving.

Men go to God when he is sore bestead,
Find him poor and scorned, without shelter or bread,
Whelmed under weight of the wicked, the weak, the dead;
Christians stand by God in his hour of grieving.

God goes to every man when sore bestead,
Feeds body and spirit with his bread;
For Christians, pagans alike he hangs dead,
And both alike forgiving.

Politics

As I've watched the political drama unfold in Iowa and now New Hampshire I'm convinced that politics consists of two sides and a fence. It's amazing what they say about each other during the debates. Someones got to be lying. It makes me wonder what would happen if everybody believed what the candidates said about one another and nobody won?


Someone made Hillary "feel bad" during the debates when they said no one likes her in New Hampshire and then Obama said, "it's not so bad" which proves most politicians can't stand on their own records until they get their feet out of their mouths. But I don't really care for Hillary. Wasn't she the one who said "my opponent has been stealing you blind for eight years. Give me a chance!"?

College days

I mentioned earlier about finding my old college friend, Deane Terry. He is the guy in the middle. He's working for General Atomics in San Diego in the defense business and is working on a new type of aircraft carrier catapult. I knew your were smart Deane, but I didn't know how smart.

The thing that Deane probably doesn't remember is that I have some extraordinary photos of him. Some of these photos he may not want me to post on this web site, unless he's maintained a great sense of humor. But I have no doubt he's still a good sport. More on this later...

The Political Debates

Nancy and I watched the debates last night. All of the candidates attitude reminded me of the words of the great political observer David Brinkley. Even Bob Dole admitted in his book, "Brinkley calls them like he sees them, and minces no words - as can be seen in his observation that 'Washington D.C. is a city filled with people who believe they are important."

And while I don't like quoting Gary Hart, after watching the debates I just can't help myself. Hart's idea was; "What ought to happen in this country to even things out? Reporters ought to have to run for office. Politicians ought to have to write political stories."

Found a friend from NAU

Yesterday was a fun day for me. Over the years it's easy to lose track of people you know and then you just can't find them again. I found a good friend from College through a business network. I haven't seen or heard from him in over 33 years. Deane Terry went to NAU with me and after graduation I guess we just didn't exchange addresses, etc. I think a number of my readers will remember him.

He's living in San Diego, has three boys, the youngest is 16 and the oldest is married. I don't have too many details yet but he's an engineer at some nuclear research place I think. We just exchanged a few emails and hope to get together this spring.

Happy New Year

I'll never know why people celebrate the ending of a year. It only means that your car depreciated again! Last year we had a bunch of friends over at the house to celebrate the new year. We toasted the New Year at home with our friends. Nancy had rye and I had whole wheat.

We went to bed at 10:00p last night. I know how pathetic this sounds but I've just lost interest in celebrating the New Year. I do pray for one thing at New Year's - I want my troubles to last as long as my resolutions. Well at least I'm praying, and so should you.

Happy New Year to all of my readers. I trust that in 2008 you find yourself in alignment with God almighty. Please pray I would have the same outcome.