Whatever Takes Us Away

Well, not knowing what I had started, or what I had gotten myself into at first, here I am three years past and I am still adding posts to this blog. For those few readers I have, I hope that I have at least provided some interesting reads during that time; and I hope to give you more as time progresses further.

A brief history lessen for those new to "Whatever":

Much has taken place over three years. I have taken up hunting for one thing, and quite enjoy the time I spend outdoors in the fall and winter time doing such. I have added school to my life once again, and am nearly done with degree #1 in religion (Christian religion to be more precise). Degree #2 will be in the works starting this summer and will further my pursuit of the same as the former. I get the question all the time, "Are you going to be a preacher or something?" To which I answer, "I don't know." But I will say, that through my studies my faith has been strengthened and my knowledge of things (all things) has been greatly expanded. I still have four kids of my own and have added our affectionately called Number 5, our pseudo-adopted fifth who will be graduating high school this spring (congrats #5). We are still in the same house, and have now been here for nearly five years, the same as the job I have.

For looking forward with this blog: if any of my few faithful readers have any ideas or thoughts of which you would like my input, post a comment on this post as to what you might like to have me wax on about, that is, what would you like me to write about in the future. While this blog is mainly about my thoughts, for my own sake of keeping tabs on my life, it is also about you who read - and I am grateful for those that do and want to care for your thoughts and ideas as well as my own.

For those who pray much and are looking for a good cause to pray: in only a few days my dad will be leaving for Vietnam for a two week mission trip, he and a small group from Ohio will be going to help establish places to call "home" churches and to help distinguish certain people that may come to the states for theological training in the future. As he is a pastor (mine to be more exact) he will be sharing his faith journey with those he comes in contact with. Keep him and his traveling companions in your thoughts and prayers.

For everyone: keep reading here and posting comments.

I look forward to the next three years and hope to read your comments during that time.

We are a nation, rather, a world in chaos. Things have seemed to have been ideal for most of us living in developed nations, but suddenly a change has swarmed like a plague over the entirety of the planet. Economies are not just faltering a bit, they are failing in many places. How did this happen? Many would say that here in the U.S., the fault belongs to the banking industry, Wall Street, or other industries with large financial interests, but is this really why we are so beleaguered? We love our things. We love ourselves. We detest anyone that tells us we cannot do what we want to do. We abhor what is truly right and honest, yet we wonder why we have gotten into the mess we now find ourselves in.

For nearly two millennia the Bible has seen and foretold what would happen when we look to ourselves for answers. A book that has been scrutinized for giving good, decent, life saving information has been thrown to the wayside – in order that we might live life in a way that it was not meant to be lived. We used dishonest means to gain a foothold over those less fortunate. The book of Proverbs is packed full of wisdom, wisdom that most neglect to read or take to heart. It tells of how children are to listen to and obey their parents (something that has gone by the wayside). It tells how laziness leads to nowhere (something that has become very common). Proverbs tells how wicked men bring disaster upon themselves (look at our own nation right now). This book is packed full of knowledge that gives insight to how and why we have gotten to the place we are currently.

Proverbs isn’t the only book in the Bible that talks in this manner. Much of the Bible explains human nature and its desire to be detestable in most respects. In the New Testament, Romans is a good example of this. Romans 1:18-32 is a prime example and tells us why we are the way we are today. We have been given over to a depraved mind (a statement that applies to the whole of mankind). “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” (Rom 1:21) We have exchanged the truth of God, His Word, and His commands for our own enjoyment – a fleeting span of lusts and desires that will perish with us. Fact: 1 out of every 1 person on the planet will die. 100% participation. What can we take with us? Not one thing.

Truth is, the problems we face are not caused by some financial problems, but it is our own desire to “advance” ourselves and our agendas that have led to the current crisis. We advance unnatural behaviors as if they will make things better. We advance the desire for more (more of everything) as if they will brings us more happiness. We feed our lusts and our perversions as if they will keep us around longer. This has proved to be a fatal blow to us all.

I’m not pointing the finger outward only. I myself have fallen in the trap, and been led astray by my own desires. Call this a confession if you want, but I too want things. I too desire more and better and faster. While many in our country don’t have a computer or have one that is nearly a decade old, I have three – the oldest of which I am using right now at three years of age; and yet, I wish I had a new one. I have a job right now, yet wish I could have a job that paid better. I have a house and am able to make the payments on that house, but I wish I had a bigger house with more land. I, my wife, and our pseudo-adopted daughter all have a vehicle that run quite well, but you bet I wish I had a newer car that got better gas mileage. I too, am to blame for our current situation. It has been this think that has led to our demise.

We don’t stop, at any point in our day, to thank God for allowing us to have what we now have. We don’t thank God for our lives. We don’t thank God for our families. We don’t thank God, frankly, for anything.

Stop. Listen. Be Thankful. Take that dusty Bible off the shelf and read what has been passed down to us. You might find some true insight, something that might just save your life - or someone else’s.

What is required of us to enter heaven?

This is a tough question, and one that raises many more. The answers, you may find, are varied from denomination, but don’t most Christians come to believe the same thing based on the same book, the Bible? Yes and no.

In the Cincinnati Enquirer online, Sunday, February 15, 2009 was an article about the Catholic church reviving an old practice, one I have read about and heard about, but did not believe was still viable today. Plenary Indulgence anyone? Here's the article http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090215/NEWS01/902150...

Not familiar with this term? Fear not, oh sluggish Protestant. Most Catholics seem to not even understand this practice. Here is where the great schism has had a lasting effect on a knowledge based faith, and where sense and sensibility have been broken. For the Protestant, getting into heaven is a matter based solely on faith. Protestants are justified by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. For the Catholic there are a myriad of other requirements that must take place prior to a soul entering into heaven. There is purgatory that must be gone through. If you confess your sins the eternal punishment for those sins is removed, but the temporal punishment (the physical, time centered punishment that is paid for in purgatory) remains. The indulgence removes either in whole, or in part, that temporal punishment.

I’m not trying to offend either side in this, but I believe most of you are good thinking people that can read through and between the lines here. Open your Bibles once in a while and find out if these things are true. Don’t read anything into the text, but rather, seek the historical background of a book or chapter, find a commentary to help expand your knowledge of a particular book of the Bible. Some doctrines seem way off base and not even closely related to the Christian faith – if it seems odd, find out where it comes from and research it. Many heretics were cast out of the faith centuries before we came about, but here we are nearly 2,000 years after Jesus and some of those heresies still linger on.

We are justified by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves. Read through Ephesians 2 sometime to see what role we play in our salvation. We bring nothing more than our sins that need to be forgiven and an empty hand of faith. I feel for you if you feel that you need to DO something in order to receive the gift of God in salvation. Do you honestly think you would have anything of value for Him to begin with? In my estimation He needs nothing from you or I and is more than powerful enough to accomplish above and beyond what I could ever conceive, this includes my salvation. No amount of works or deeds will ever pull me into a right relationship with my Creator.

What is required to enter heaven? Faith in Jesus Christ. This, I submit to you is what is necessary.

I'm not one to look for handouts, but sometimes you've got to do something that will help. Over on the left side of the blog are a few links to various websites you may find to be of interest to you. I have recently added another link . . .

I do not expect everyone that reads this to hurry up and start buying the items found in my Amazon.com wish list, but anytime you feel so led to do so would be more than appreciated. This list is for me, as a way of keeping track of what I would like to read, and I intend to use it frequently to remind myself of what I still need to read up on. This also helps me from having to search through the miriad of book cases through the house to check a book. You will notice that nearly all of the listed items are related to the Christian faith, its history, important figures, and apologetics. From time to time I may include some CD's or DVD's as well.

Again, don't think I am sticking my hand out for the sake of saving a buck (though it is nice to do so), but as I have a house full of kids and am a college student, sometimes the budget just isn't there to acquire the books I would like to include in my personal library. I know there aren't many that read this and therefore I am not expecting a truckload of books to arrive at my door anytime soon. However, if you do feel so led to help out I will appeciate it and will note here on the blog anytime someone does send me something.

Thanks in advance. God bless.

The bulk of this post was originally put up in December 2006. After reading an article of a friend (http://ceruleansanctum.com/2009/02/not-so-good-samaritans...), I decided to revisit this post. After reading my own story I decided to repost it. At the end of this post I will be adding some additional information/follow up on the post. For those of you who may have read this before, read it again and read my friend Dan's post over at Cerulean Sanctum.

Original Post:

Sometimes we are, as Christians, put to the test. Our convictions are tried and our ability to do the right thing and make the right decision are truly tested. Today was one of those tests for me, and a reminder of something in the past.

I got ready, like I do most every Sunday morning, helped get the kids ready and headed out the door to start the van - in hopes it would be warmed up by the time we all got in to go to church. As it would turn out I said "hello" to a passer-by on the sidewalk. He stopped, greeted back and said he was on his way to church. "So am I," I replied. "Where do you go to church?" he asked.

I told him where I went to church, exchanged some pleasantries, and then he threw out the question: "Could I go with you?" Mind you I had some trouble hearing and understanding him; he's a little older and has a slight speech problem. Well, as I turned and looked at our van, warming up, counting heads I dumbly replied, "We don't have much room." And then conviction set in. "Hold on just a second," as I turned to the front door. I called to Tina, explained the situation briefly, set myself straight and headed back out. "We'll take my van so there's room enough. Let me get it started and warmed." I still had an odd feeling, but went with it anyway. I brushed the frost from the front windshield, told Tina I'd see her in a little bit and we headed to church, Jepp and I.

Many things were going through my head as we drove along. One such thing was a Newsboys song, "Entertaining Angels" and there was another thought right behind that one . . .

While we still lived outside of Chicago we had a visitor at our church one Sunday morning. That morning about 30 minutes before the service started a person began hanging around outside, walking around as people headed inside. She asked for spare change, food, work, anything that may be given. Many people walked by trying hard not to take notice of her. Others told her to simply leave. One of the last people to come in had noticed her, walked to her and asked her to come in for the church service. And so she came.

We did the usual. Sang songs, shook hands, did "church" things. The pastor started to give his message and then to the many, shock set in. He had asked this woman to come up front with him, gave her a microphone and began asking questions about her life, how she got to where she was in life, what was in store for her future, etc. What most of the congregation didn't know was that this was all planned. This woman wasn't a homeless person, but a social worker that worked with the homeless in and around Rockford, IL. Many in church that morning found themselves looking introspectively, asking themselves what they had said, or not said to this person and how they may have treated many others like her throughout their lives. It was a definite eye opener for many, myself included - even though I knew about it before hand.

Jepp and I shared, though he didn't know it, a moment this morning that made me realize that I needed to be tested. My faith in action had laid dormant for a while and required a little dusting. I brought him to church, introduced him to those we encountered, showed him the fellowship area (complete with freshly brewed coffee) and a familiar face to boot. You see, Jepp walks the streets of Bethel all day long. Each morning he visits McD's and sees some of those faces (from church this morning) while they are having their breakfast and coffee. From what I gather he seldom ventures outside of our little village - and his known world - but this morning, God put him in my path, to check me and my Christian action. After church, I gathered my things, watched Jepp chat (very little) and watched as those around him shake hands, hug and greet him with love, inviting him to come back again. We walked to the car, quietly got in and drove off.

He isn't much of a talker, and that's okay with me. I can handle comfortable silences with friends and strangers alike. We got a couple miles away when he pulled out a small wallet, showed me a McDonalds symbol and asked if I could take him there - you see, in addition to the speech problem, Jepp is also illiterate. But, again without his knowing, Jepp and I shared a moment. He has a routine, and each day that routine includes McD's.

I still felt bad about our initial encounter, even after returning home and having had a few moments to myself to take it all in. After all, at first I wanted to send him on his way, walking around the streets of Bethel. With this simple testimony I am reminded of two things that Jesus taught: 1. Luke 6:43-45 No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. 2. The parable of the Good Samaritan. I am sure many have simply walked by this man, day after day without even giving him a single glance. I was convicted this day to be the Samaritan that stopped.

And there we were, Jepp and I.

Follow up commentary:

Well, it has been a while since I first posted this/read it. After I read Dan's article about the Good Samaritan I was immediately reminded of this post and set out to find it in my archives. Once I read it I realized I hadn't posted much about Jepp in quite a long time. Sadly, I haven't seen Jepp around in several months. Once in a while after I had taken him to church with me he would stop by. Usually, Tina or I would give him some food (brown bag lunch if you will) and occasionally some spare money (if we had anything to share). He went to church with us one other time, and he was greeted with just as much love the second time as the first. People remembered him, shook hands, and talked with him as best they could. However, at some point over this past summer Jepp no longer came by. I do not know what has become of this man, if he moved on to another town nearby (which is doubtful) or if he had passed on, gone to meet his Father in Heaven. Whatever the case, I am again reminded of the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

Sometimes our Christian walk seems virtually unrewarding, like we have said "yes" to something, but never get to share that with someone outside the walls of the church, someone with whom we could make a difference. This was a chance in a lifetime for me, and I am glad I did what I did. Having seen poor children in Mexico, Korea and Thailand beg for anything they can get their hands on, I know too well that feeling when you know you can do something decent, but don't. That cold December morning, a man approached me with a query and I had to make a decision, and fast. The decision I chose to make impacted me then, still impacts me today, and will most likely impact me for the rest of my life. Once again, without his knowing, Jepp and I share a moment - the blessing may have been his on those days when I took him to church or shared a meal with him, but without his implicit or explicit knowledge I will have the blessing of having known and provided something for him the rest of my life.

I sometimes look for Jepp in places I would see him around town, but I see him no longer. Sometimes when there is an unexpected knock at the door I think it might be him, but it no longer is. Not all stories will be so good, but if you step out in faith from time to time, you might have a Jepp story of your own - one that will have a positive impact on your life and the life you reach out to care for.