Silver Bullets

THOUGHTS ABOUT SELF-ESTEEM: GUILT AND SHAME

2012-01-29T19:54:00.000-08:00

Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons (Genesis 3:7).

Adam and Eve had just eaten the fruit that God had told them specifically not to eat. Guilt is a legal term. If one violates the law, he is guilty of it. Shame is the feeling of worthlessness that one should have as a result of violating the law. Adam and Eve felt the shame, and therefore, sewed fig leaves together to cover their nakedness. Verse 8 of Genesis 3 tells us that they then tried to hide from God. Their actions indicated their shame--shame accompanies sin.

I've often wondered if all the tattoos that men and women cover themselves with these days are attempts to cover the shame they feel. Perhaps that is a subject for research. Guilt and shame are not always the cause of low self-esteem, but much of the time they are. If one is suffering from low self-esteem, it is worth taking some time to probe around in the past to see if there are some "Adam & Eve" moments of unfaithfulness and disobedience that have been covered in psychological fig leaves that need to be uncovered.

Shame is the feeling of worthlessness that results from wrong-doing, real or imagined. Those suffering from shame must remember that the value of any object is always established by the one who purchases it. Think about it, God has established your worth by purchasing you with the precious blood of his only Son, Jesus Christ! Regardless of your sin, guilt and shame, your worth has been established by God (John 3:16-17).

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

THOUGHTS ABOUT SELF-ESTEEM: SELF-CARE

2012-01-27T19:33:00.000-08:00

Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work . . . (Exodus 20:9,10).

The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath . . . (Mark 2:27).

It should be noted that Christians are no longer under the Sabbath law (Colossians 2:16-23) but there remains a principle of rhythmic rest and worship that refreshes our hearts and bodies enabling us to face life with confidence. Christians celebrate the Lord's Day, the day of Christ's resurrection, on a weekly basis, resting from nonessential labors to fellowship with sisters and brothers in Christ, worship and reflect on the author of creation and salvation, Jesus Christ. When these most-important matters are observed, a person is blessed and refreshed.

Many people suffer from low self-esteem because they violate this principle of regular rest and worship. It is difficult to have positive self-esteem if one is chronically tired. Chronic weariness and pain have a role in causing depression, while rest and worship refresh the heart. A person with materialistic values believes he, or she, only has value because of what he, or she, produces. As a result, there is an idolatry of work, and workers drive themselves beyond limits, becoming anxious, irritable and exhausted.

The sabbath principle was made for human beings so that they can see and appreciate who they really are.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

THOUGHTS ABOUT SELF-ESTEEM

2012-01-27T08:08:00.000-08:00

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27).

I'm sharing some thoughts on self-esteem at the request of a reader and because there is a need for understanding self-esteem at this time. My basic understanding of self-esteem is based in theology, for it is God who gives value to human beings; human beings do not have the final word on the worth of themselves.

Self-esteem may be defined as the feeling we experience as the result of self-appraisal or appraisal by others. This appraisal is either positive of negative; if negative, we usually feel depreciated, deficient, and depressed; if positive, we usually feel elevated, enthusiastic, and exuberant. Thus, positive self-appraisal is crucial to our well being. Negative appraisal from others is less threatening if we can appraise ourselves positively (Bruce Parmenter, 1986).*

We are not the final authority on our own self-worth, nor is the appraisal of others the final word on our own self-worth. The feelings and the values of the appraiser, the glasses through which they view the world, distort the truth of the value of another human being. Do not allow the criticisms of others, or your own negative self-talk and feelings conquer the truth. God says you are created in his image, thus your dignity, value and nobility are established!

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

*Bruce Parmenter was a seminary professor of mine, and a friend. He wrote a book called, What the Bible Says About Self-Esteem. Many of his thoughts will be reflected in this series of self-esteem.

YOGI'S WISDOM

2012-01-23T09:07:00.000-08:00

Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me . . ." (John 14:5-6).

Yogi Berra* had a way of expressing himself that is truly unique--funny, but profound. This saying credited to him was reproduced in a church news-letter. It reminded me of the cited text above. I just had to share it: If you don't know where you're going you'll end up somewhere else! I have a feeling Jesus would laugh and would agree completely.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

*When I was a boy, Yogi Berra was an all-time great catcher for the New York Yankees baseball team. I was a Yankee fan.

METOPROLOL* FOR THE SOUL

2012-01-19T07:36:00.000-08:00

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid (John 14:27).

I receive a health news-letter from Dr. Andrew Weil. In today's letter he cited a Norwegian study about the correlation between church attendance and lower blood pressure: A large new study from Norway suggests that the more time men and women spend in church, the lower their blood pressure. Earlier research in the U.S. suggested a similar association between church attendance and blood pressure, but the Norwegian researchers didn't expect to see the same thing in their country. In Norway only about 4% of the population attends church while in the United States about 40% of the population attends church on a weekly basis.

I do not recommend that people start attending church so that it will improve their health. The reason people should attend church is because the gospel of Jesus Christ is true--immediate salvation or eternal punishment await. The lower blood pressure, that results from having faith in Christ, is one of the immediate blessings of salvation.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

*Metoprolol is a blood-pressure medication.

A LITTLE GOOD NEWS

2012-01-13T18:42:00.000-08:00

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have ever lasting life (John 3:16 my memory version).

He who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer . . .(I John 3:14-15).

Any who have followed this blog know that I had a Carpenter's CD playing in my F-150 farm truck for about a week. I gave it up. Making a long story short, I happened upon an Ann Murray CD. I have had that one playing in the truck for a while now, too. I guess those old love songs make this old man a little sappy, especially when they are sung by the next silkiest, smoothest voice ever, Ann Murry. On this CD is an interesting song called, A Little Good News.

Gospel literally means, good news. The good news is that God has provided a means of salvation for ALL in Jesus Christ. It is through this salvation that hearts are changed and lives are changed so that we can love our enemies and help the disadvantaged. As hearts and lives are changed for Jesus, the world is changed. Isn't that a little good news?

In closing, I'd like you to consider that there are approximately 1.9 billion people* on this earth who have not heard the gospel for the first time. There are approximately 1.4 billion people who live on less than $1.25 a day. There's a great need out there yet for a little good news.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

*Statistics are from the Foster Report in the Christian Counseling Connection, a periodical of the American Association of Christian Counselors.

ADDENDUM TO CALLING MIKE LEDGEWOOD

2012-01-06T07:23:00.000-08:00

When I look at the heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast established; what is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou doest care for him? (Psalms 8:3-4).

In a universe of a billion trillion stars, not counting the planets, it seems that there should be life out there somewhere to contact. In fact, some scientists have asked the question, "Where is everybody?" due to the high probability that there are other earth's out there where conditions are similar to ours so that life could have evolved. Some, like Carl Sagan, have advanced the notion that the reason we have not encountered extra-terrestial aliens is because there is a "high probability that advanced civilizations destroy themselves."* That appears to be the destiny of planet earth. From weapons biological to nuclear weapons falling into the hands of secular dictators and the moon-worshippers obsessed with death, there is the potential for us to do ourselves in and civilization erased from planet earth unless there are "interstellar policemen."

God chose to create life in one place, on planet earth. On this spec of dust in the universe, God chose to create man. If life is found somewhere else, so be it, but I believe the silence in the universe is intended to show us that life cannot spontaneously come from non life. It is only on earth that God has created us with free will to live our lives and make choices. Materialists are desperate to find life elsewhere in the universe because the alternative is God and the notion of a God to whom we are accountable is unacceptable. That we find ourselves in this mess on planet earth is because we have chosen to ignore our Creator and go our own way.

The "interstellar policemen" are coming, and all things will be made right.

Our Father's Warnings,
Tom

*From a column by Charles Krauthammer, Are we alone in the Universe?

CALLING MIKE LEDGEWOOD

2012-01-05T17:37:00.000-08:00

The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and evil doers, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear (Matthew 13:41-43).

Anyone who knows who Mike Ledgewood is either actually knows a person named Mike Ledgewood or has been listening to too much of the Carpenter's music. I am the latter. My Ford F-150 farm truck has a dynamite sound system. My wife left a Carpenter's CD in the counsel. Last week it finally made it into the CD player and I have been listening to the silky-smooth voice of Karen Carpenter for about a week now--Okay, okay, I promise I will give it a rest. It is unbelievable that it has be nearly 30 years since her passing.*

Anyway, there is a fun song on the CD that is the anthem of world contact day called, Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft.

If you took the time to listen you now know who Mike Ledgewood is--the guy on the phone to the DJ announcer. I've always wondered if the name Mike Ledgewood is symbolic of something, or if it was a name plucked out of thin air. One of the things that has always interested me about the song is the assumption that space aliens are friendly and that they are "interstellar policemen." Is there an innate desire in human beings to have order imposed on them by extra-terrestials with super natural power?

The Bible speaks of a day when, at the Lord's command, the archangel, Michael (Mike Ledgewood?), will lead the angels in the harvest of the earth, first taking wickedness, and those who cause it, out of the earth. These are the true "interstellar policemen." Are you ready for contact day?

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

*I have always been a Carpenter's fan. See the Feb. 26, 2010 posting about another Carpenter's song, Goodbye to Love.

THOUGHTS ABOUT LEADERSHIP

2011-12-29T18:29:00.000-08:00

Where there is no guidance, a people falls . . . (Proverbs 11:14).

Farm Journal television interviewed Barry Posner, author of a book called, The Truth About Leadership and I happened to watch that interview at five in the morning. Posner shared four essential qualities for leadership a person must possess if he/she is to lead: 1) To be a leader one must be honest and possess integrity. A lie is generally not hidden for ever; the truth comes out eventually so that a person's ability to lead is seriously compromised, if not ended. Politicians are great illustrations of this point.

2) To be a leader one must possess vision. Where is it that the leader wants to take those who follow? Much of the time leader want-to-be's do not have followers because they have no clear vision of where they want to go and cannot articulate how to get there.

3) To be a leader one must be inspiring. This is a quality of leadership that is a gift and not all people possess it to the same degree though most people possess it to some degree. Charisma, achievement, power, position and relationships are inspirational qualities, but, it seems to me that there is an intangible quality to this quality of leadership. Charisma might come the closest in describing it, but there are some who are recognized as leaders simply by how they carry themselves with self confidence and personal authority.

4). To be a good leader, one must be competent. Each of us is a leader to somebody, so each of us has to make the effort to become as knowledgeable and skillful as we can be. Good leadership does not just happen. One has to be intentional about becoming the best leader he/she can be because there are many who are watching . . . And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit (Matthew 15:14).

5) Dr Posner did not include this one as necessary for leadership, but the Lord did: . . . and the leader as one who serves (Luke 22:26). Leadership is about love and service. I have almost no hope that our politicians will ever get it. They call themselves public servants while enriching themselves in political office, acting like kings and nobles while fleecing the citizens of the United States. Being a servant is leadership by example, teaching by behavior.

You will lead someone in 2012. Do what it takes to become the best leader you can be.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT: WHAT HEAVEN IS LIKE OR KNOWING THE ONE WHO MADE HEAVEN?

2011-12-23T06:50:00.000-08:00

For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him (John 3:17).

Recently, I have had occasion to think about heaven more. I've wondered why God does not tell us more of what heaven will be like--perhaps more people would desire to go there if they had a clearer picture of heaven. We all want to go to heaven, but if the Lord is getting a bus load up today, maybe we will want to take a later bus.

I was thinking about this as I was reading the Bible this morning and decided that what is really important is not so much the destination, but who one will be with at the destination. If one is a disciplined reader of the Bible, then one will get a clearer picture of the nature of the Creator, Redeemer, Father, Brother and Friend with whom we will spend eternity. Anywhere will be Heaven if they are there. Anywhere will be hell if they are not.

The Christmas story reveals the nature of our God. I hope you spend this Christmas getting to know the One who truly loves you.

Our Father's Love,
Tom

IS TEBOW A HERO?

2011-12-16T10:06:00.000-08:00

For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the son of man also be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels (Mark 8:38).

For my non-American readers, Tim Tebow is a professional football player, quarterback of the Denver, Broncos. Since Tebow has been elevated to the starting quarterback, the Broncos have won six games in a row, vaulting the team to first place in the western division. For the Tom Steele family, this has been a wonderful thing because we have been Denver fans since we lived in Colorado--about 35 years.

What has made Tebow such a subject of controversy is that he is a devout Christian and is not afraid to let others know about his faith. He is not an "arrogant twit" about it, but seems to be the real deal; he is quite refreshing. Actually, Tebow is not the greatest athlete in the world, but he is a great one and he seems to have this intangible quality about him that is more than leadership, it is about inspiring the players around him to play better than they are otherwise able; Larry Bird is one of the few other professional athletes who had this gift.

The criticism, mocking and shaming that have been directed towards Tebow have not seemed to affect him at all; he still stands firmly for the Lord. Some have suggested that if real bullets were being shot at Tebow he wouldn't be so brave. I think just the opposite, standing for the the Lord in spite of the onslaught of very public criticism indicates real courage that would be steady under fire.

What about you? Do you have the courage to take the stand that Tebow has?

Go Tebow! Go Broncos!

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

DID JESUS LAUGH OR DOES GOD HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR?

2011-12-14T10:13:00.000-08:00

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27).

The short answer is yes, even though the Bible does not speak of Jesus, God become flesh, as laughing. In the New Testament Jesus wept, but it does not say, "Jesus laughed." In the Old Testament it is recorded that God laughs, but it is a laugh of derision, not a belly laugh of humor. So how can I say that Jesus did laugh and that God does have a sense of humor? First and foremost, human beings have a sense of humor and laugh. I believe because human beings are created in the image of God, I infer from that truth that because humans have an innate sense of humor and laugh, then the God who created us in His image, must have a sense of humor and laugh too. How could we survive in this sinful world without humor? A lot of humor comes from the shared experience of the struggle of living in this world.

All of us laugh. If we do not laugh then we are struggling with twisted theology or mental illness because clean joking and laughing are hallmarks of health. I know that in the world of theology there are those who believe the fall of Adam caused the total depravity and that depravity completely obscures the image of God so that what is seen in the natural man is only depravity; even if a natural person does something apparently good it was from an evil motive.

I believe in original righteousness, not in original sin. There is no question that the fall of Adam does obscure the image of God in our lives, but not completely. God's image, original righteousness, does shine through the clouds once in a while and allows people to do noble things, to cheer each other up, and to laugh. I wonder if when Jesus was eating with sinners or hanging around children he told a joke or two and laughed. There are some stories in the New Testament that, I believe, cannot be properly interpreted without the humor factor.

It is interesting that hell is described as a place of weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth, and it is never said there is laughter there. In contrast, it is said that in Heaven there are no tears, grief, pain or death, but it does not say laughter will be taken away! It appears to me that Heaven will be a place where there is lots of love and laughter.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

FEELING TRAPPED?

2011-12-09T04:23:00.000-08:00

So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern of Malchia, the king's son, which was in the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down by ropes. And there was no water in the cistern, only mire, and Jeremiah sank in the mire (Jeremiah 38:6).

I have been reading through Jeremiah. For some unknown reason, as I read this verse, I thought about the clients who have spoken of feeling trapped in their marriages, jobs and even their lives. It's funny how a single verse can trigger such thoughts--humm.

Sometimes being trapped is not one's own fault. Being trapped can come through simply being faithful, as Jeremiah was a faithful prophet for God. In those situations, one can, at the very least, have a clear conscience about the situation; it goes a long way toward helping one sleep at night! Of course, if it is true that one is trapped because he/she was being faithful to God's word, then God will also make a way out; Jeremiah was pulled from the cistern.

Most of the time, feeling trapped and/or being trapped is of our own doing; we make the prisons that imprison us. I am not blaming here because we all make mistakes and errors in judgement that are not intentional, but, nevertheless, form the bars of our prison cells. It should go without saying that intentional sins have the same result.

Feeling trapped is hopeless anxiety. It is the feeling that a situation will never change and there is nothing I can do about it; I have no resources or power to bring about change. If one believes in the God of the Bible, he/she already has resources to deal with a hopeless situation, even one of our own making. God is our Redeemer, paying the price for freedom from the prisons in which we find ourselves.

So the place to begin is prayer, asking God's help to see and understand. Sometimes the prisons in which we find ourselves are not prisons at all, it is just a matter of perspective. Reframing a situation can make all the difference in the world. If one can meaning in imprisonment, one can find, not only the strength to persevere, but to flourish. It can be that those in a literal prison can be the most free people, the apostle Paul being an example, because there is meaning in the imprisonment.

The prisons of addiction are the most difficult to deal with, not only because of the dysfunctional family dynamics that form much of the prison, but because of altered body chemistry and brain dysfunction. Even with God's help, it is a tough way out.

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit (II Corinthians 3:17-18).

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

CHARACTER FORMATION/SPIRITUAL FORMATION

2011-12-03T21:31:00.000-08:00

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit (II Corinthians 3:17-18).

The goal of character and spiritual formation is Christ-likeness. It is foolish to think that this can be accomplished by pastors, parents, teachers, counselors, coaches and their methods alone. Without the dynamic of Holy Spirit, it is futility to think that we can accomplish more than Pavlovian responses from those in our charge. So, character/spiritual formation has to begin with prayer!

People are more than animals, they are also spiritual beings. John Rosemond, in an article called, Children, Rats and Mazes, pointed out: . . . the principles that govern the behavior of a rat do not govern the behavior of a human being. A rat is subject to the force of reward and punishment. A human is not. Reward a child for obedience and he is likely to turn right around and disobey the first chance he gets. Punish a child for misbehaving and the misbehavior may get worse. This is not because the child carries a gene that makes him impervious to "normal forms of discipline." It is because of all the species on the planet, only human beings are capable of acting deliberately contrary to their best interests, even when they know where their best interests lie. While I do not know the faith-perspective of Dr. Rosemond, I do know that what he has said is consistent with Biblical revelation. I also infer from Dr. Rosemond's quote that external circumstances are not determiners of behavior, only dynamics. It means that a person has it in his power to act completely different from what powerful family and work dynamics seem to dictate.

The purpose of spiritual/character formation is not for the glory and convenience of the parents, pastors or life coaches, but it is for the glory of God and the good of those in whom the character of Holy Spirit is to be formed. It is important to mention this because properly behaving children make life much easier for parents, but good behavior is not for the parent's convenience, it is for the welfare of the children in this life and the life to come.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

COMMUNION MEDITATION FOR THANKSGIVING

2011-11-27T22:18:00.000-08:00

. . . and if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15).

On the Saturday night after Thanksgiving, Helen and I were driving home from Kansas after having celebrated the holiday with Helen's side of the family. Making an effort to keep me awake and knowing I was scheduled to have the Communion meditation the next day, she asked me, "What are you planning for a Communion meditation?" I said, "I've been thinking about Revelation 20:15," and then I quoted the scripture to her. I can't remember the exact words Helen used, but she strongly implied that she thought I was being excessively negative. However, I went ahead and did do the meditation based on that text.

The truth is that the most important blessing that we have for which to give thanks is the pardon and forgiveness we have because of the incarnation, crucifixtion and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ; that is good news! God has warned us about the wrath to come: . . . Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come (I Thessalonians 1:10). Consider also Romans chapter 5 verse 9: Since, therefore, we are now justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

During the Thanksgiving season we often make an attempt to make a list of things for which we are thankful. Prominent on that list should be the salvation we have in Christ Jesus because we are able to look to our own coming death with peace and hope because of him!

The wrath of God has been the subject of many theological debates, but what is undebatable is the existence of hell and that people outside the protection of Christ will find that as their destination. Thankyou, Father, for Jesus Christ.

Our Father's Love,
Tom

CHARACTER FORMATION, NOT BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION

2011-11-21T06:31:00.000-08:00

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6).

The following is an interesting quote from a column by Dr. John Rosemond: "The term 'behavior modification' has been a distraction because it implies that the discipline of a child is all about proper behavior. In fact, the discipline of a child is all about shaping his or her character. Proper behavior will follow of its own accord."*
I will add my own "AMEN" to this, and if I have time, follow up on it later.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

*I read this in the http://www.jewishworldreview.com

FOR THE HEAVEN OF IT

2011-11-15T08:22:00.000-08:00

And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is an unrighteous world among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the cycle of nature, and set on fire by hell (James 3:6, emphasis mine).

Sometimes, listening to the tractor radio stimulates my thinking as I work. Listening to a sports broadcast or call-in show, it is not uncommon to hear it said, "That was a helluva play," or "he's a hell of a coach." But, if one stops to think about it, those descriptions meant to be complimentary are anything but complimentary. Hell is a place for those with no positive self-discipline; there is only excellence in evil. Hell is a place for the destructive. Hell is a place for the self-centered, there are no team players in hell. Hell is the capital city of evil, destruction and torment. I never want it to be said about me, "He's a hell of a guy," though there have been times when that statement would have been true. Thank you, Jesus, for making it not true!!!

Think about it. God's people should be the toughest competitors because they can persevere. They are tough because they are willing to do what it takes to become the best they can be. More than anybody, God people practice teamwork, working together to bring about success for each member, not just for one's self. God's team is not a team of individual stars, but a team made up of people who serve each other. Heaven's team practices teamwork, hell's team is individual stars out for their own glory.

Perhaps it is because there is no single syllable word for Heaven, that Heaven has not achieved the same popularity as hell, but I really believe that the lost really enjoy spitting at God and raising hell, not Heaven. What team are you part of: Heaven's or hell's? Your language indicates the team you are cheering for.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

THERE IS NO TEACHING, ONLY LEARNING

2011-11-14T07:46:00.000-08:00

This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand (Matthew 13:13).

My wife, the lovely and gracious Helen, is an educator. She has spoken to me often of the frustrations of teaching children who are unprepared to learn and who do not want to learn. This is not only true of children, but also of adults. In a news letter I receive, the author spoke of his frustration with adults who would not accept new concepts of investing. That frustration prompted him to say, "There is no teaching, only learning." He went on to say that one must be emotionally prepared to learn before learning can take place. An old school board member who wanted to keep teachers in their place used to say, 'No teaching has been done if the students haven't learned.' There is enough truth in it so his premise sounds logical, but the truth is, if one refuses to learn, no teaching can make him learn; "My mind is made up, do not confuse me with the facts."

Is our culture emotionally preparing our children to learn? If one studies the demographics of our country it will be found that parents are pursuing more self-satisfying lives rather than lives that are in the best interest of their children. With those kinds of parents, how can children be prepared to learn? Our problems in education are more of a crisis of culture than any lack of money.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

CHANGE YOUR THINKING, CHANGE YOUR WORLD

2011-11-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth (Colossians 3:2).

Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do (John Wooden, greatest ever basketball coach).

If I remember correctly, the phrase that is used as the title to this blurb is by Norman Vincent Peale, author of The Power of Positive Thinking.

The Bible says much about thinking, the mind and the heart; Colossians 3:2 is only one of many references. Paul's instruction to us does not have to do with thinking about angels, or what heaven is going to be like, but it to do with thinking about God, what He is like--His nature and His values, and then begin to appropriate them into our lives. Certainly, God is righteous and His desire is for us to be righteous too. God is love and His desire is for us to love like He does. God is all powerful, we are weak but He is strong. Christians are God's adopted children, and, one of the blessings of being His children is that He gives us what we need when we need it much better than Bomgaars.*

I have said all that to say this, Christians should not be negative thinkers, focusing on matters of the flesh. A trite example: A week ago Iowa lost to Minnesota in football; I was bummed the whole week until we beat Michigan. What a silly waste of emotional energy! I am still an avid Hawkeye fan, but, when the game is over it is over, move on. The game didn't change the price of corn nor did it solve the economic crisis.

Positive thinking begins by trusting God and who He is. God has not created His children to be exactly alike, but He is Father to each of them. At no time should we think negatively and believe that we cannot have a significant impact in the world because we are not talented, or we do not have money--we have God as our Father who can do all things beyond what we can even dream (See Ephesians 3:14-21). Do not think negatively and allow lack of money or lack of talent to keep you from doing what you can do!

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

*Bomgaars is a small chain of stores in the upper Midwestern United States with the slogan, "What you need, When you need it."

HABITS OF THE HEART

2011-11-02T06:52:00.000-07:00

You have heard that it was said to the men of old, 'You shall not kill, and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgement . . . (Matthew 5:21-22).

This guy was in a counseling session when he told his therapist about an incident that happened the previous week. He said he was out for his daily walk, as the therapist had instructed him to do, when he came to a thorny thistle patch. He took off all his clothes and rolled around in the thistle patch naked. The therapist asked the man why he would do such a thing. The man replied, "Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time."

Though the story is fiction, yet there are many who roll around in that proverbial "thistle patch" because they cultivated emotions and thoughts that, nurtured long enough over time, resulted in painful and destructive behaviors that "seemed like a good idea at the time." That is why Jesus went to the root of negative and destructive behaviors, our thought and emotional lives, and condemned the nurture of them. One cannot stop a thought from coming into his mind, but he can refuse to nurture negative thoughts and emotions by thinking and doing positive things.

Have you let your heart fall into the habit of negative thinking? Do you nurture negative emotions? Perhaps you could plant and nurture the positive by resolving to read and meditate on God's Word each day, choosing to be a happy person in spite of being surrounded by sin and negativity. There are a lot of depressing things happening in the world, and there will always be until the Lord returns, so, choose not to participate in the depression by developing positive habits of the heart.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

FAITH IS . . .

2011-10-24T08:14:00.000-07:00

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all (Ephesians 4:4-6).

Though there are seven unities listed in this text, I am only emphasising the one faith. There is essential material that must be believed if a person is to be called a Christian. Essential to the Christian faith is belief in the testimony of the four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Faith is the belief of credible testimony. Belief of incredible testimony is credulity, believing too easily. God does not expect us to believe incredible testimony, but he does expect us to believe testimony that is credible, and he has supplied us with much testimony that has all the evidences of credibility.

Belief of testimony is not faith if it does not result in obedience to Christ as Lord, and no trust in him as Savior. It was the mission of the apostle Paul, and every other Christian evangelist to call all peoples to . . . the obedience that comes from faith (Romans 1:5). If belief is truly faith then life-change is a foregone conclusion. One will love what Jesus loves and will hate what Jesus hates. He/she will invest in what the Lord is invested and make sacrifices like the Lord sacrificed.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

COMMUNION MEDITATION FROM THE BOOK OF JUDGES

2011-10-15T07:06:00.000-07:00

In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25).

I just finished reading the book of Judges for my own personal Bible study. Judges is one of the books of Hebrew history in the Bible, but as I was reading it I found myself asking the Lord to help me make something of it--to make sense of what it means because the images of homosexual practice, rape, murder, a war that killed many thousands, etc., was not inspirational to me. What follows is what the Lord helped me to understand.

About four times in the book of Judges the theme is repeated, 'there was no king in Israel.' Why did they need a king? They had the Law. And, if they had the Law, they did have a king who was the Law-giver, Jehovah God. When the Israelites were asking for a king to lead them, Samuel told them, "the Lord God was your king" (I Samuel 12:12b). What is clear is that they did not want God for their king. The Israelites disregarded the priesthood and the Law and, as a nation, sank to the lowest depths of depravity. It is interesting to note that the people of Jesus' day did not want a king from Heaven either. Jesus told them, "My kingship is not of this world" (John 18:36). The Jews of Jesus' time were like those of the Judges, they wanted a king from earth, not of Heaven, and, as a result, crucified Jesus on a cross.

The Lord's Supper, the Eucharist, communion reminds us that Jesus is the King sent from Heaven, but rather than rejecting him, we renew our commitment to him.*

Our Father's Love,
Tom

*Often what I write needs some refinement in expression, but I think the broad outline is sound. Communion is a time for recommitting our lives to King Jesus.

CONTENTEDLY DISCONTENT OR DISCONTENTEDLY CONTENT?

2011-10-09T14:31:00.000-07:00

Not that I complain of want; for I have learned, in whatever state I am, to be content (Philippians 4:11).

Perhaps the real secret of contentment is found more in the context of Philippians 4:11 than in the verse itself, except to say, contentment is something that needs learned. In that I hope this post helps.

Discontentment is not a good thing because it is what makes people over spend which leads people to over work, over play, over stress, cheat, steal, lie and murder. It is as the Bible says, "The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil" (I Timothy 6:10). Hebrews 13:5 gives us a little more insight into contentment: "Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have: for he has said, 'I will never fail you nor forsake you.' " In almost every case, when contentment is spoken of in the Bible it is in the context of money and material wealth. Thinking in this way, contentment is rooted in faith, trusting God, our loving Father in Heaven, to make provision for us. This does not mean that we are to stop working, but it does mean that God will provide the means for His children to have a job and make a living. So, will we trust God or not?

In the dictionary contentment and satisfaction are said to be synonymous, in other words, they mean the same thing. If one is content, or satisfied, there might be a tendency to relax and think there is no need to compete, to achieve excellence, or at least to become the best that we can be. To think that way is to misunderstand Biblical contentment. Contentment is rooted in faith and it grows in gratitude, taking time to recognize the many blessings God has already given us. One of the greatest means of achieving contentment is to count your blessings, intentionally becoming aware of what God has already blessed you with. Because we are His children and His servants, His commands and His blessings spur us on to greater achievement, making the most of what He has given us. Certainly, God is not honored when we bury our blessings and contentedly sit on them.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

PS. We all have a little materialism in us, the idea that if I just had enough money my problems would be solved. When we do not have enough money is when discontentment enters the picture. The truth is that there will never be enough money to solve our problems because very few of our problems are really money problems and money will not solve non-money problems. The One who can really solve your problems is where to begin--person, church or state.

THE VIRTUE OF ACCUMULATING WEALTH

2011-09-30T18:44:00.000-07:00

Wealth and riches are in his house; and his righteousness endures forever (Psalms 112:3).

As much negative as the Bible has to say about material wealth and riches, one would think that there is no virtue in accumulating it. First Timothy 6:9 has this to say, But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. So, it is true that the accumulation of material wealth cannot be the first priority of one who is committed to Christ, but the earning of material wealth is an absolute necessity. Consider these texts: If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his own family, he has disowned the faith and is worse than an unbeliever (I Timothy 5:8); For even when we were with you we gave you this command: If anyone will not work, let him not eat (II Thessalonians 3:10). This was standard Hebrew teaching, every little Jewish boy was taught these work ethics as he grew up--generally, the gentiles were not so blessed.

When a person lives up to his responsibility to God, his family and his community, wealth almost always accumulates: A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich (Proverbs 10:4).*
When a person diligently works at honest labor, spending less that he or she makes, over the years a small fortune will accumulate (Some of the things we need to teach our children about money are: 1. Debt is expensive; 2. The power of compound interest.) Generally, those who try all the get-rich-quick schemes end up in their own personal poverty.

Because of the tendency for material wealth to accumulate when a person is living up to his responsibilities it is easy to make an erroneous assumption, that material wealth, in itself, is a sign of righteousness and salvation because material wealth is a sign of God's blessing. When Jesus said, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God," the disciples were exceedingly astonished and they asked, "Then who can be saved?" (Mark 10:25-26). To the disciples, material wealth was a sign of God's approval on a person's life. When the Lord asked the question, "What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?" he made it crystal clear that the accumulation of material wealth has little to do with salvation so one should not make accumulating wealth the purpose of his life!!!

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

*Where the government allows lawlessness to exist, or the government, itself, is corrupt then the opportunity to accumulate material wealth is severely reduced!

GIVING IS GOOD FOR YOU

2011-09-30T03:27:00.000-07:00

And he said to them, "The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath" (Mark 2:27).

But he answered, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God' " (Matthew 4:4).

Jesus countered the hyper legalistic critics of his time by telling them that the institution of the sabbath was to bless humanity, not to hinder it. While I am not "Lord of the sabbath" like Jesus was, I believe that this principle could be applied to other areas of faith as well, in this case, giving.

It is strange that those who emphasize grace and Holy Spirit the most are the ones who are some of the most legalistic about money--at a minimum one must give 10% of his gross income, not his net income. Often pastoral sermons on stewardship will speak of money as the Christian's treasure. The thinking is that if one gives his treasure to the Lord, his heart will follow it. Such theology is purely materialistic and thus undermines and distorts the message of Christ. Often such pastoral sermons will lament what the church isn't doing because the church does not have the funding. That is the problem with materialistic theology, it makes finances the determining factor on what can or cannot be done by the church. When materialism is emphasized, there is always a shortage of money, whether it be in the church or the state.

All this begs the question: Does God need our money to accomplish His purposes? If God does need our money, then He is not God. Just as God can 'raise up children of Abraham out of the stones,' so God can raise up givers of money to accomplish His purposes--if He wants to use financial means to accomplish them. I believe one of the reasons the Lord wants us to give is to increase our faith and trust in Him. If we give that which is necessary to physical life to Him, how will we be sustained but by Him? As we rely on Him more and more, we will find riches that money cannot buy--giving is good for us!

The truth is that man, or churches, or states, do not live by bread alone! Those who do believe in life by bread alone are always in poverty. If Jesus Christ is our treasure, if we are led by His Spirit, then the money will follow where He leads. If it seems that the lack of money is the biggest obstacle in your life, or church life, then a radical reassessment of one's relationship with Christ needs to be done.

Finally, if one is not giving his money, and his time and talents, to Jesus Christ, he needs to do a radical assessment of his relationship to Christ too! The truth is that all you have follows your heart--if Jesus has your heart, He has your money.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

OUR RESPONSE TO GOD

2011-09-25T19:36:00.000-07:00

Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagles (Psalm 103:1-5).

When you think of all that God has done for you, do you not feel like you owe something to Him? Is there something you could give Him in return? Your heart? If God truly has our hearts, He has everything else!

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

KEEPING YOUR VISION

2011-09-25T18:36:00.000-07:00

If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell (Matthew 5:29-30).

While my minister was preaching on this text, an old saying came to mind: "It is better to lose your sight than to lose your vision." Rather than being led by the flesh, which dulls the vision, the one who is led by the Spirit has a vision of doing what does not seem possible.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

THOUGHTS ABOUT WEALTH

2011-09-18T20:42:00.000-07:00

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment (I Timothy 6:17).

The term wealth comes to us from an old Anglo-Saxon word, weal. When one was in weal, he was in a state of well being resulting from being in a state of prosperity. Thinking about this definition, I thought, "Is it possible for a person to be rich and not be wealthy?" A rich person cannot buy his salvation with money; Jesus asked the question, "What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?" Even though a rich person might be able to extend his physical life many years because of his riches, the truth is one day death will come calling; human beings know that they will die. What then? Many times, in the homes of the rich, there is no love or peace.

We have a rich Father, trusting in Him we are provided with that feeling of well-being even though we might have little in terms of material abundance. During my growing-up years my family was poor. While we were living through those times of poverty, admittedly, there was pain. But, looking back, I treasure my growing up years. We had a good family and we have great memories. God did richly provide for us during those years. It was something that money alone cannot buy--we were wealthy even though we were poor.

Are you wealthy or are you just rich?

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

WHY I AM A CHRISTIAN

2011-09-13T21:12:00.000-07:00

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile . . . But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep (I Corinthians 15:17&20).

The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is a historical truth. Following the rules of evidence, the resurrection of Christ is established as a historical fact. That is why I am a Christian. I am not a Christian because it makes be feel better. I am not a Christian because of the social relationships in the church. I am not a Christian because of the do-gooding opportunities in the church. I am a Christian because Jesus Christ has risen!

Christ's resurrection means that the Bible is God's word and thus its words are true. Therefore, we ought to pay attention to the Bible. The resurrection of Christ means that we have not seen the last of our loved ones who are in Christ--we will see them again! The resurrection of Christ means that God has the last word! No matter how good of a lawyer you might have, God has the last word!

I enjoy church, but that is not why I am a Christian. I am a Christian because of the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth--love, hope, joy and peace follow the resurrection.

Our Father's Blessings
Tom

A PASTORAL PRAYER

2011-09-10T12:26:00.000-07:00

For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks , the door will be opened (Matthew 7:8).

Father in Heaven, may we keep your name holy always.

Father, we ask you for faith; we believe, but in difficult times our faith wavers, help our unbelief. We know that without faith it is impossible to please you.

Father, we ask you for love so that we can recognize the needs of those around us and be truly compassionate towards those in need.

Father, we ask you for wisdom so that we might deal with difficult problems in a way that pleases you; so that we can know when show tough love rather than being enablers.

Father, we ask you for courage so that we will take a stand and live for your truth. We are often tempted to take the easy way out rather than stand for what is right.

Father, we ask for strength so that we might persevere and not faint as we face the continual onslaught of the evil one.

Father, we ask for pardon and forgiveness because of Jesus' sacrifice for us. We have sinned and we cling to Jesus as our only hope for eternity. In His name we pray, Amen.

Our Father's Love,
Tom

CONCESSION TO HARD HEARTS: POLYGAMY

2011-09-05T19:41:00.000-07:00

If he marries another woman, he must not deprive the first one of her food, clothing and marital rights (Exodus 21:10).

Over the course of my ministry I have been asked several times about the men of God in the Old Testament who had more than one wife. There are some, who believe that these men were living in adultery because they had more than one wife. However, no where in the Bible does it say that having more than one wife is sinful. Rather, like divorce, the Scripture actually gives one the idea that polygamy is remedial, levirate marriage being one example. Levirate marriage is spoken of in Deuteronomy 25: 5-10 when a man is to marry his deceased brother's wife, regardless of his marital status, so that there can be children to carry on the brother's name. Jesus recognizes the truth of this law in Matthew 22: 23-32.

It appears that polygamy was a better remedy for marital strife than divorce because when a man divorces his wife to marry another he commits adultery. When a man marries another, according to Old Testament law, he is not released from his responsibility to his first wife.  Real men stand up and take responsibility for their relationships.

In the New Testament, it is never said that polygamy is a sin either, but it does say that church leaders are to be the husband of one wife and they are to parent their households well.  I believe the reason for this is that the ideal marriage is a picture of Christ and the Church, and church leaders are to live that picture out in their lives (Ephesians 5: 25-29).

Is polygamy sinful today? Well, it is against the civil law of the United States.  Modern marriage ceremonies have the couple vow that they will forsake all others, so to have another wife is to forsake the vow, which is adultery. Depending on the situation, when a man has an affair and his wife has come to me for counseling I ask her, "Do you want to be one of his harem? That wasn't part of your marriage covenant." Some will go along with being one of the harem.

I believe that God's plan is one man married to one woman for a life time. There is nothing more romantic than a man and a woman working together, supporting each other to achieve their goals, dreams and purpose. Because of hard and sinful hearts and difficult circumstances there were remedies for the civil governance of society, polygamy being one of them. The best remedy is the changing of hearts, but if there can be no change of heart then law has to bring some kind of order out of disorder.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

CONCESSION TO HARD HEARTS: DIVORCE

2011-09-02T11:57:00.000-07:00

"It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law," Jesus replied. But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female.' 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate . . . Any one who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery." (Mark 10: 5-12 NIV)

While doing my daily Bible reading, I was reading from Mark 10 about Jesus' teaching on divorce and it struck me that Mark's gospel account is the most concise and readily understood, certainly being consistent, however, with the other teachings of Scripture about divorce. It is in the divorcing to marry another that adultery is committed. (Adultery is forsaking, disregarding, the vow. Because we have sex on the brain, we think adultery only has to do with sex.)

The Mosaic law on divorce was intended to be remedial. The options for any woman in ancient times were extremely limited. Certainly, there were beautiful and talented women who were leaders and business women, but they were an extreme minority. The options for a discarded woman was even more limited; cast out of her household, what was she to do? She couldn't even marry because, technically, she was still married. It was understood that the Mosaic law on divorce made it possible for the marriage to be ended so that the wife could legally marry again (Deuteronomy 24:2), having the option of marriage rather than resorting to immorality to sustain herself. The option for divorce was not part of God's plan for marriage, but it was intended to be a practical remedy for those with sinful hearts. One of the interesting facets of the Biblical teaching on divorce is that God views remarriage to the first partner to be an abomination if there has been a subsequent marriage (Deuteronomy 24:3-4).

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, more than Seventy percent of divorces are initiated by women. These days women have a lot more options so they are much less dependent, plus the fact that the hearts of women are fully as hard as men's. Another statistic indicative of that fact according to DHHS is that fully two thirds of child abuse is initiated by the biological mother. Given the Casey Anthony case, I'm not surprised.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

RANDOM THOUGHTS: COWBOYS AND HOGMEN

2011-08-29T08:31:00.000-07:00

For as he thinks within himself, so he is (Proverbs 23:7).

I was in the cow/calf and cattle feeding business for 25 years. In 1994 I entered the hog finishing business, so I know a few things about livestock. Last night Helen and I came home from a church social to find a couple of pigs wandering around in our back yard. I made a quick inspection of the hog building while Helen called the two brothers who own the pigs--I needed their help to get them back in the building. When they arrived they were very gentle as they moved the pigs, as a matter of fact, instead of chasing the pigs, they led the pigs into the building. Helen told me, "they made it look too easy." Being full of picnic supper, there is no way I could have done it myself, but these guys are true hogmen, working with those pigs in a fashion that was inspirational to me. However, having said all said all that, it is still cowboys that they write songs about, not hogmen.

Way back in 2006 our little church (attendance averages in the 90's) in Sutherland, Iowa stepped out in faith and built a gymnasium, classroom and kitchen addition to the church building at a cost of $300,000.00. It was the goal of the elders of our congregation (I am one of them) to pay off the facility in 5 years. This is the fifth year and we still had $70,000.00 to go. It was going to take a minor miracle to pay the balance, but it is a matter that we have been praying about for 5 years. So, last week, a man walked into our local bank that financed the project and wrote out a check for $80,000.00 to pay off the bank note. Praise the Lord!!! Rumor has it that it was a cowboy.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

FAITH AND ANXIETY

2011-08-26T09:53:00.000-07:00

Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6b-7).

Having ranched cattle for 25 years, I know there is a genetic component to anxiety. An anxious cow will give birth to an anxious calf and they are easy to spot. When a human being comes near the herd, their heads are the first ones up; they are hypervigillent. They are the first ones to run and are the ones who will attempt to jump the fence no matter how strong or high it is. Not only is there a genetic component to anxiety, there is an environmental component too. In the cow herd, the ones who tend to have more calm dispositions will tend to follow the lead of the anxious cow or calf; anxiety is contagious. In the cow-calf business, we want to "put wheels under" the anxious critters, hauling them off to the livestock auction, so that the whole herd doesn't become infected with anxiety.

Even though people are created in the image of God, these principles still apply because we are fleshy too, although we are not going to haul anyone off the livestock auction. Coping with anxiety is a responsibility given to human beings, though this is one of the most difficult responsibilities we face, especially if one is genetically disposed to be anxious, it seems as if anxiety is normal life; this can also be true for one raised in an anxious environment as well. Yet our bodies and our relationships tell the story of a life filled with stress: chronic illnesses, a string of broken relationships, addictions, sleepless nights are some of the tell-tale signs of of the role anxiety is playing in our lives.

I consider myself to be an anxious person because some of the classic symptoms of anxiety characterize my life. Nevertheless, the thing that helps me to cope with my anxiety is sound theology; it is the truth of Scripture that gives me comfort. Good Bible study, faith, prayer and meditation, in almost every case, ameliorates anxiety.

Find a group of healthy Christians with whom to fellowship--this should be a matter of prayer. There are some who are so ridged and legalistic with the Bible, and as a result, so judgemental, that they actually increase anxiety. Sound theology increases health, not anxiety or laxity. To me, it is an interesting phenomenon that people seem to follow an anxious leader, for instance, "We have to do something about global warming now or life as we know it is doomed." Sound theology says human life will be going on about normally at the Lord's sudden return. He is coming. Are you prepared to meet Him? That question might raise the anxiety level a little, but it shouldn't. The Lord has made us for Himself and if we find our rest in Jesus Christ, the Lord's return is a comforting thought.

Our Father's Love,
Tom

DEALING WITH PANIC

2011-08-20T10:55:00.000-07:00

Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you (I Peter 5:7).

These days it is easy to panic. With the financial situation being what it is, many are losing their retirement savings at a time when they are old and not able to work. Unemployment is much higher than the government reports so many are in very difficult situations. I could go on and on, but my point is that many people find themselves in situations beyond their control and that is one of the factors that leads to panic. (Panic Attacks Can They Be Stopped? ; John C. Thomas, Christian Counseling Today; Vol. 16 no. 2).

Another factor that leads to panic is simply genetic disposition; it's just in the genes. Dr. Thomas, mentions it in his article. A quick internet search seems to verify it. In studies of identical twins, forty percent of the time if one twin develops panic disorder, the other will develop it in short order (about.com). Genetic disposition is a cornerstone of Dr. Murray Bowen's family evaluation, too. He believed that anxiety is genetically transmitted. There is a theory among medical researchers that an imbalance of neurotransmitters, serotonin, norepinepherine and gammaminobutyric acid, play a large role in this.

So what is one to do? It seems hopeless. 1. Read the Bible, pray, meditate, fellowship with healthy Christian people and do not neglect worship.

2. Do not allow yourself to be shamed because you have panic attacks--God still loves you. A number of pastors have called anxiety and panic sins because if one trusts the Lord enough there is no room for anxiety. What is important to remember here is that God is here in the time of panic and he still cares for us.

3. One of the strategies for dealing with panic is to embrace it. I have read from several different sources about this technique: When in the midst of an attack, actually speak to it saying, "Is this all you've got? Give me some more! Because of Jesus I can take all that you can give me!" One of the factors that give panic attacks their power is the fear of having another one. If that fear is taken away then the number of incidents will dramatically decrease.

4. As always, diet and exercise are factors too, eating and drinking nutritiously, staying fit and getting adequate rest.

5. Though this might be a bit repetitious, enjoy God, He cares for you!

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

DIET AND MENTAL HEALTH

2011-08-09T07:40:00.000-07:00

And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food" (Genesis 1:29).

As a young minister, suffering from a severe sinus infection, one of my elders told me that I would never be sick another day in my life if I followed his nutritional guidelines--he was a disciple of Adelle Davis. He was the one who stimulated my interest in nutrition, even though I have been sick many more days of my life, and his recommendations might have been the cause of some of them--mega doses of vitamin C.

In spite of that, I'm still interested in nutrition and do believe that it does play a role in mental health. So, when I read the title of an article in Christian Counseling Today by Michael Lyles, M.D. (Vol. 16 No. 3) called Dietary Issues and Mood Disorders, it caught my interest. Dr. Lyles makes a strong statement, with which, from my own experience, I completely agree, "It is my opinion that all treatment resistant mood disordered patients (especially with multiple medical problems) should have their vitamin D status evaluated." Vitamin D deficiency correlates with depression, seasonal affective disorder and schizophrenia. Vitamin D deficiency impairs general immune system function.

I am a regular reader of Dr. Andrew Weil. Dr. Weil has recommended 2000 units of vitamin D per day--especially during the winter months. Last winter I followed his recommendation and found a couple of chronic winter conditions, for me, to be alleviated. Sores at the corners of my mouth and seasonal affective disorder are conditions that have troubled me for years that were relieved this last winter. Was this just a placebo affect? While I have not ruled it out completely, I will have to say that I have tried many supplements over the course of my life and none of them have resulted in the kind of changes that I have experienced with increasing the role of vitamin D in my diet.

From the text: Make sure that you have a wide variety of food in your diet, learn to eat your vegetables, and generally, your nutrition will take care of itself.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

THANK YOU, IOWA HAWKEYES

2011-08-06T11:36:00.000-07:00

It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops (2 Timothy 2:6).

During the farm crisis of the 1980's, erstwhile coach, Hayden Fry recognized the real crisis that farmers were dealing with. While there was not much a coach who was building a football program could do, but he did do something. As an awareness raising program, Hayden attached ANF, America Needs Farmers, stickers to the Iowa football helmets, and they still remain. Iowa State didn't do it. Nebraska didn't do it. Ohio State didn't do it, etc., etc. The Iowa Hawkeyes are the only football team in America with the ANF sticker on the helmets. Thanks, Hawkeyes.

Victories have to be won on the field, but perhaps the good Lord could help a bounce or a call go your way this year in close games.

Blessings,
Tom

MORE ON DREAMS AND VISIONS

2011-08-02T12:32:00.000-07:00

For God speaks in in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision in the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, while they slumber on their beds . . . (Job 33:14-15).

What started this discussion on dreams and visions was a discussion with my son in which he related a story about an African student who went to Ozark Christian College because he had a dream with "Ozark" in it. He had no previous knowledge of Ozark, so he "googled" it and found Ozark Christian College. As a result of the story, I "googled" dreams that convert Muslims to Christ and found that the fourth leading cause of Muslims converting to Christianity is dreams and visions. So just for that reason dreams and visions are worthy of discussion.

Does God still speak to us in dreams and visions? With the completion of the canon of Scripture, the Bible, I would assume that the need for such dreams would become much less, but the Bible does not absolutely say these kinds of dreams and visions would end. One has to be careful in determining the origin of those dreams, however. It has always been true that there have been people who have said, "The Lord has said . . ." when the Lord has said nothing. Note Ezekiel 13:7, Have you not seen a delusive vision, and uttered a lying divination, whenever you have said, "says the Lord," although I have not spoken?
The measure of the Spiritual truth of any of our dreams is the Bible. It is by the word of truth that dreams and visions are measured, thus John wrote, Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God . . . (I John 4:1).

While helping at 5th & 6th grade camp as a dorm dad earlier this summer, I had a dream. One of the reasons I remember it so well is that as a result of it, I fell out of bed. In the dream I was fighting another man. The man had no face so that I could identify him as a different person, so my interpretation of him is that he is me--I am fighting myself. I kicked the man I am fighting so hard that I fell out of bed. Both my Spiritual and psychological interpretation of this is that to have any real achievement in my life, I must win the battle with my flesh. I am as prone to being subject to the flesh as anyone. I am not a person with great natural ability, and so to achieve, I must take chances, push and work hard. These are things I do not like to do. I interpret the falling out of bed as part of the dream. Though I did hit the floor hard, it seemed as though all the counselors and boys were laughing at me. My interpretation of that part of the dream is that my efforts to achieve and live for the Lord are laughable to many. As my head cleared up and I noticed that everyone around me was fast asleep, it occurred to me that everyone is so busy with their own battles that they seldom notice the battles of another.

I have not had a reccurrence of this dream. If you would like to take a shot at the interpretation of my dream, you are welcome. If you would like to share your dream you are welcome to do that too. In any case, do not discount your dreams because it might be that something really important is going on.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

WHERE THERE IS NO VISION, THE PEOPLE PERISH

2011-07-24T19:38:00.000-07:00

Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he that keepeth the law, happy is he (Proverbs 29:18 KJV).

Motivational speakers love to use this verse. Life isn't static. If one does not have a vision of what he or she can achieve and aspire to then one is doomed to a life of being ordinary and under achievement. When the motivational speaker talks about vision he is talking about setting lofty goals and having great aspirations because anything less is not fulfilling the purpose for which God put us on this earth for. There is a lot of truth in the motivational approach to this verse, but that is not the purpose for which it was written.

Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law (Proverbs 29:18 NIV).

The New International Version makes the purpose of the verse a little more clear. The vision spoken of in the King James Version is a prophetic vision--it is a word from God. If people do not get a word from the Lord, they cast off restraint, doing what ever seems right in their own eyes. In the days before all Scripture was recorded in the Bible, prophetic vision was essential for the guidance of God's people, but now that Scripture is freely available to anyone who desires, there is no need for additional revelation. After John wrote the book of Revelation on Patmos, the need for miraculous revelation through visions ended.

I'm not saying that God will not give us a vision for what is possible in our personal lives and in our churches because when the Holy Spirit is involved, things beyond all that we can ask or think can happen! However, in terms of new prophetic doctrinal revelation, Holy Spirit pronounces a curse on any who would add or subtract from the words of this book.

Father in Heaven, give me a vision of service and achievement in your kingdom. May I not be found as a lazy and slothful servant because I had no vision.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

WIFE IS GOOD

2011-07-22T10:24:00.000-07:00

A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies (Proverbs 31:10).

Helen and I finally returned home after delivering three of our grand children, Faith, Deacon and Parker home to their parents in California. If was a long drive, but we enjoy driving, and it was even more fun for half the journey with the kids along too. With Helen along, it was all very easy for me, as she did most of the work--and even some of the driving from the "back seat."

So when I saw the guy in Kearney, Nebraska with the T-shirt that was inscribed with "Wife is good," I could concur, Yes! wife is good! Now I have always said, "Life is good and it is going to get gooder," but it could also be said, "Wife is good and she is getting gooder."

There are a million things to do to catch up, but I will be back to dreams and visions soon.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

DREAMS AND VISIONS

2011-07-07T18:39:00.000-07:00

In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams (Acts 2:17).

This is a subject that I will revisit at a later time because present family priorities take precedence over research. What has peeked my interest in the subject was hearing that many Muslims convert to Christ because of the influence of dreams and visions. Indeed, I did a quick "google" search of the factors that influence Muslims to convert to Christ and found that dreams and visions were the 4th leading dynamic which influenced Muslims to convert. Is this a fulfillment of Joel's prophecy as quoted by Peter in Acts 2:17?
Is every dream psychologically significant? Is every dream spiritually significant? These are questions I will attempt to answer when I visit this subject again in a couple of weeks.

I tend to dream a lot, though I remember very few of them. I am of the opinion that one needs to be intentional about remembering dreams and keep a note pad by the bed so that the minute one naturally awakens he is able to write it down. While I was serving as dorm dad a month ago at church camp, I had a very vivid dream of being involved in a fight with another man. When I kicked him I fell out of bed and the very next sensation I had was of laying on the cold concrete floor and it sounded like everyone was laughing at me. As my head cleared from the two-foot fall, I saw that everyone was still fast asleep. Evidently the laughing was part of the dream. My chest and shoulder are still sore as a result of that fall, though I am healing nicely. So far, I have not had a recurrence of this dream, but it was so vivid that it does seem as if it should be significant either spiritually or psychologically. We will deal with this dream, and perhaps, some others in a couple of weeks.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

FAITH IS A SYNECDOCHE

2011-06-30T05:04:00.000-07:00

You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone (James 2:24).

What is a synecdoche? It is not a strange animal. It is not an alien from outer space. It is not a word for a bad politician, of which there seems to be many these days. A synechdoche is a figure of speech in which the part stands for the whole. I have nine hundred head of pigs in my pig barn. It would be a strange sight out of an old science fiction movie to walk into the barn and see only pig heads there. There are also plenty of loins, chops and hams too--that's what I see when I go into the barn. But it is the head that is the predominant feature of most any animal and that is why I have nine hundred head of pigs, not nine hundred loin of pigs. When a buyer buys my pigs he buys them with the full expectation that the loins, hams and chops will come along with the head.

So it is with faith. If a person truly believes in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the change in his/her life is a forgone conclusion. It will happen. Faith is the predominant feature of the Christian life. If a person says that he has faith, but there is no obedience and submission to the Lord, if he does not evidence a life of compassion and a desire to invest in the things of God, his faith is like one of my pigs with only a head and no body. A creature like that only happens in a bad science-fiction movie, otherwise it is dead.

Reading the context of James 2:24, one easily discovers that James is dealing with the believe-and-be-saved mentality that is so foreign to the scriptures. Texts like Acts 16:31 which say, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household" are synecdochial; the context demonstrates the synecdoche. Belief is not something that exists apart from obedience.

No one has perfect faith and thus no one has perfect trust, obedience and compassion, but one of our prayers should always be, "Lord Jesus, I believe, help my unbelief."

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

WE ARE BACK

2011-06-26T20:23:00.000-07:00

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90:12).

Yesterday, my son, Paul married Jenny Franklin of Austin, MN. Helen and I, our children, grandchildren and in laws spent last week staying in the Log-Cabin Inn of Rose Creek, Minnesota vacationing as well as preparing for the wedding. The cabin was made of real twelve-inch logs; it was rustic yet very enjoyable and perfect for our family. On the wall of the cabin was a hanging which said, "Life is not the number of breaths you take, but it is the number of moments that take your breath away." An author wasn't credited on the hanging, but whoever wrote it gave us an important means of evaluating our lives.

We are home now, tired and weary, but it is a weariness that is good because of all of those good moments associated with it. Those moments took our breath away--what a blessing!

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

PROVIDING FOR YOUR FAMILY

2011-06-16T23:25:00.000-07:00

If any one does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his own family, he has disowned the faith and is worse than an unbeliever (I Timothy 5:8).

With Father's Day on Sunday, and QE2 arriving on June 30th, I thought it necessary to share some of my thinking.

From the context of the verse, it is obvious that Paul is speaking of providing necessary material things for the family. Nevertheless, spiritual provision is a necessary provision for the family because, as Jesus said, Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. If a Christian man does not provide spiritual leadership in his home then he is not truly providing for his family.

The end of Quantitative Easing 2 is when the Fed stops printing money. Because of the financial crisis in Europe and the huge amounts of deficit spending at home, no one knows what will happen when the printing presses stop on June 30th. The mood of congress is for austerity measures and with a tighter money supply it might soon become very difficult to provide for one's family. Of course the reason that the U.S. is in this mess is precisely because there are many people who feel entitled to other people's money. There are many family members who can pay for the support of their family, but want the government to do it for them. When the basic law of providing for one's own family is violated then, eventually, a whole nation can be destroyed. Look what is happening in Greece--the U.S. is almost there.

My investment advisor (I subscribe an investment newsletter that will remain nameless) shared 3 things to prepare for QE2:

1. Hold plenty of cash; up to 40% of your investments.

2. Hold gold and silver bullion.

3. Sell risky stocks.

Obviously, if one doesn't have a lot of net worth (me), those three steps do not help a lot. However, it sure wouldn't hurt to stock up on basic necessities as a precaution. Ultimately, the Lord is our provider. Christians need to be ready to take hold of the opportunities that a loving Father provides his children so that they can provide for theirs.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

HOME FROM CAMP 2

2011-06-14T20:34:00.000-07:00

And they were bringing children to him, that he might touch them; and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it he was indignant, and said to them, "Let the children come to me, do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God" (Mark 10:13-14).

The legal definition of a child in the state of Iowa is a person under the age of 18. In the culture of Jesus' time a person was well into adulthood by the time he/she reached the age of 18. Even the 11 and 12 year-olds who Helen and I worked with at camp were older than the children Jesus was speaking about in this scripture text. But 11 and 12 year-olds still have some innocence about them because there is so much of life that is still new to them.

For some of them, the trust that should characterize the relationship they have to their parents is gone because the parents have pursued their own selfish agenda rather than what is best for their children. Trust is the most important characteristic of children that make them part of the Kingdom of Heaven. The picture Jesus paints here of children is not one of total depravity, but one of innocence, love and trust. Children become sinful because of the influence of the world, the flesh and the devil.

Another characteristic of a child that makes them dear to the Lord is that they see things in black and white. They make their decisions much more easily than adults who see everything in various shades of grey. Often, adults are so nuanced that they stand for nothing.

So, working with kids at church and at camp helps one to stay young. In them I see some of the things I have lost and need to get back. Lord, give me the strength to go back next year.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

HOME FROM CAMP

2011-06-11T06:16:00.000-07:00

Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:3).

Helen and I just returned from a week of being dorm parents for 5th and 6th graders at NEBOWA Christian Camp. It was a great time. The two hot days nearly did me in, and we are worn out now, but the investment in the lives of the young is worth it!!!

The children whom Jesus was talking about were probably younger than the 11 and 12 year-olds that Helen and I worked with, but there is still some of that "children" in them that Jesus was talking about. Life is new to children. As each phase of maturation is entered, it is an all new experience to them. They are creative and see life in a new way. Those who have said, "experience is the best teacher," are wrong. Sometimes experience teaches bad things, not good things. Sometimes experience hinders openness and curiosity. Part of the job description of a teacher/counselor is to help the child interpret the meaning of an experience so that he/she can grow from it, not be hindered by it. It was a privilege for me to be able to participate in that process at camp.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO VALERIE?

2011-05-31T07:38:00.000-07:00

For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." But if you bite and devour one another take heed that you are not consumed by one another (Galatians 5:14-15).

A couple of days ago I was checking out some of my archived material (perhaps I'm my own biggest fan) when I happened on a "Bullet" that was posted March 24, 2006 called THE VALUE OF MARRIAGE TO KIDS. A lady named Valerie commented on it and for some unknown reason I did not respond to her. (It might be good to go to the archive and read it for yourself.) Here is her comment:

I agree with most of your post, but how long does one stay in marriage being ignored, taken advantage of, and serving as maid and whore?

If people are mature, educated adults, they can make a divorce "work" for kids. Of course its not the ideal situation; but putting the kids first in marriage AND divorce is imperative. remaining civil with each other after a separation is far better than ignorance and bitterness in a marriage.

Dear Valerie, if you were my client one of my first priorities would be to determine whether or not you and the children are safe in your marriage relationship. If there is abuse, addictions and on-going affairs then a spouse and children are not safe. If basic safety exists then mom and dad need to understand the dangers they are presenting to their children when they divorce. Though many children are able to deal with the divorce of their parents okay, there are many children who are not and I am not sure any children get through a divorce without being scarred--my own case work bears it out.

The argument that children fare better when mom and dad are happy living separately rather than living together in bitterness sounds logical sounds reasonable, but in fact, it is not. Because of the loss of income that is a consequence of most divorces and the loss of a place to call their own, children suffer material loss. Because of the sexualized atmosphere of their parent's new romantic interests, children are predisposed to early sexual behavior and sexual abuse. Because the new "significant others" have no investment in the lives of the children, physical and verbal abuse is much more likely. Emotional and psychological harm result from the grief of the loss of relationships as they were, and the thought, in the children's mind, that they caused the loss. No matter how much the parent's tell them that they are not the cause, the children still believe it because the parents have lied about other things. The children believe they are not loved too.

Finally, your response indicates that, though you and your husband might be educated adults, emotionally you are not acting like mature adults. Your children have the greatest stake in your marriage. It is time to grow up for the sake of the children. If, when your youngest child is 18, you still feel as you do towards your husband, then go for a divorce but your children need you and your husband to provide a stable home life for them now. From the tone of your letter, it sounds like your communication style is that the husband demands and you withdraw. You are about to extremely withdraw in divorce. Do not. Rather, learn to set boundaries and clearly communicate what you expect of him. If you do that, in 18 years you will probably enjoy being his wife.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

COMMUNION MEDITATION INSPIRED BY HAROLD CAMPING

2011-05-22T13:53:00.000-07:00

And as they were eating, he took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them, and said, "Take; this is my body." And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly, I say to you, I shall not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God" (Mark 14:22-25).

It was my turn on the rotation to bring the communion meditation. As I pondered what thoughts to bring it struck me that something connected with what has been on most people's mind this last week might be most meaningful. Because of the publicity given to Harold Camping's prediction of the rapture on the 21st, I thought these thoughts would be meaningful.

The celebration of the Lord's Supper is a backward look. Jesus said that the purpose of the Lord's Supper was a memorial to him (I Corinthians 11:24&25). We must never forget the reason for our hope, pardon and forgiveness!

The celebration of the Lord's Supper is an inward look. The celebration of Communion in a worthy manner includes self-examination. There cannot be any appreciation of what Jesus has done for us if there is not an honest appraisal of one's own heart. While our evil thoughts and actions might not be evident to others, God knows and we know. Any one who thinks, "I'm good enough to make it to Heaven" will likely not be there!

The celebration of the Lord's Supper is a forward look. If Harold Camping was right, we would all be celebrating the Eucharist together with the Lord Jesus right now, but we are not. How do you feel about that? I am disappointed! I would rather be raptured than to die. However, I knew that Camping was wrong the minute I heard the date and the time because Jesus said, But of the day and hour now one know, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only (Matthew 24:36). How is it that otherwise intelligent people can be so stupid as to contradict the clear teachings of Scripture. In an effort to discourage the date-setters of his time, Isaac Newton said that the Lord will not return before 2060. Nevertheless, datesetters still abound. Celebrating the Lord's Supper does remind us to look ahead to the time when we will all celebrate it together in Heaven with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. What a celebration that will be!!!

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN

2011-05-16T07:16:00.000-07:00

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1 KJV).

While there are much better translations of Hebrews 11:1, the King James Version provides a truth about faith that is missing in the other translations and that is the evidence of things not seen. The faith that we have in God is not a leap of faith, it is not blind faith, but it is a reasonable faith based on evidence.

God has always required faith as the basis of a relationship with Him. And without faith it is impossible to please God. Those who come to Him must believe that He exists and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). Faith in an invisible God is a tough sell, but that faith has always distinguished Hebrews and Christians from others. Paul writes a wonderful benediction to Timothy: Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen (I T. 1:17).

God has not left us without evidence of His existence and presence! The heavens declare the glory of God and the skies proclaim the work of his hands (Psalms 19:1). For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made so that they are without excuse (Romans 1:20). There is plenty of evidence in our universe of intelligent design. Even though that evidence "slaps them in the face" many refuse to see because of the implication of what life means if there is a creator God.

God has left us with the evidence of fulfilled prophecy. The Bible is full of examples of prophecy fulfilled. Daniel's seventy-weeks prophecy comes most readily to mind in Daniel chapter 9, but there are many others. Because of Daniel's prophecy, there were many like Anna and Simeon waiting in expectancy for the promised Messiah when Jesus came (see Luke 2:21-38).

Ultimately, the evidence of things not seen is the resurrection of Christ from the dead. Christians have always said that without the resurrection there is no Christianity: and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless . . . (I Corinthians 15:17). The risen Christ was seen by more than five hundred people. They are credible witnesses because they were martyred for their witness. People do not knowingly die for a lie.

Blaise Pascal was a Christian, philosopher and mathematician. He is famous for his wager that goes something like this: If one lives his life as if God is and He isn't then he has lost nothing. If one lives his life as if God isn't and He is he has lost everything. While Pascal's wager is true, it should not be the reason for why a person is a Christian. Pascal's wager is not the basis of a relationship--faith is. We have a faith relationship with God, confident in the expectation of Heaven because of what Jesus has done for us. It is confidence in a relationship, not in a wager.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

A LATE MOTHER'S-DAY THOUGHT

2011-05-11T08:06:00.000-07:00

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27).

Because of the season, I have been very busy on the farm. As a result, I have not kept up on my writing responsibilities as I should; please forgive me.

One of the thoughts I wanted to develop for Mother's Day was this: Even though Jesus taught us to address God as our Father, the complete expression of God's personality is both masculine and feminine. Both males and females are created in the image of God. Though my study on this subject is far from complete, I will share four verses that point to God's desire to nurture, and care for people as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings to protect them.

I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings (Psalms 61:4).

Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings (Psalms 63:7).

The Lord recompense you for what you have done, and a full reward be given to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge (Ruth 2:12).

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! (Matthew 23:37).

Much more can be said about this, but the point I want to emphasize it this: Those women who manifest the image of God in their lives of loving and nurturing children are mothers whether they have given birth or not.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

WALKING WITH MY GRANDSON

2011-05-03T19:23:00.000-07:00

Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so? (Amos 3:3).

Helen and I do not have many grandchildren (Only five) but the ones we do have are the best! This past weekend, Helen and I drove to Iowa City to attend grandparents day at Heritage Christian School where Alex and Samantha attend. We were able to visit the classes that Alex and Samantha attend and have a first-hand look at academics from a Christian perspective. It was well worth the time to do this!

The remainder of the weekend we just had a good time "hanging out" together. It is part of my daily routine to take a walk, so Alex volunteered to walk with his grampa. As it turned out, grampa walked with Alex more than he walked with me. Alex is just 12 years old, but he already stands 5' 10" and has long legs. He nearly walked my legs off! I have never been a fast walker, liking to think, meditate and pray as I walk. Walking with Alex, one has to concentrate on keeping up with the pace--no time for dallying! For Alex we were just walking his normal pace.

Often people cannot walk together because they have cut themselves off from each other so that even a simple walk in the park is not doable because of anger, bitterness, and false beliefs. While I was walking with Alex I was thinking how blessed I am to be able to enjoy something so simple as a daily walk with my grandson.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

THE BUDGET MESS

2011-04-22T08:22:00.000-07:00

See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of the Father who is in heaven (Matthew 18:10).

As a result of the recent budget battle in Washington, I am not optimistic that we will ever balance the budget. The result of deficit spending is always inflation. Inflation is a cruel thief, stealing from the poor and the elderly, those who can least afford it. The irony is that liberal/progressive politicians, who claim to be the champions of the poor and the elderly, are the ones who are responsible for the huge deficits that are the cause of the high inflation rates staring us in the face. In spite of the rhetoric, these politicians have done as much to hurt the cause of the poor and elderly as to help them.

The reason I am so negative about our financial future is that we cannot even stop tax-payer dollars from going to support planned population control--I should say planned parenthood. Planned parenthood is the single largest abortion provider in the United States and the single largest abortion promoter in the world. PP has challenged common-sense legislation such as right-to-know laws and has backed partial birth abortion. In 2009 PP took in $149.9 million of revenue just from doing abortions which accounts for more than a third of the the $404.9 million of total PP revenue. In terms of the total US budget that is small potatoes, but life is a core value. How we, as a society, look at the value of the unborn is indicative of how we, as a society, arrive at our other values. If we refuse to protect the right to life of the unborn, the rights of every other person are expendable too. I think as we begin to know more and more of what is in ObamaCare we will understand how expendable our rights are.

Materialists view every problem as a money problem. But there are some problems that money cannot solve no matter how much is spent. The real problem is a "heart" problem that will be resolved in Jesus Christ or in judgment. The angels of the "little ones" might not prevent their abuse and deaths, but they certainly make a record of their abusers, preparing for them the hottest places in perdition.

Our Father's Love,
Tom

WHY GOD MATTERS

2011-04-13T07:27:00.000-07:00

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep (Psalms 127:1-2 RSV).

I am reading through the Psalms, but not reading very fast. This was in my reading yesterday and I thought it appropriate to share with you, my dear reader.

As we live our lives there are some basics that must be in place so that our lives can be lived with confidence and in peace of mind. The most important basic is God, believing in Him, trusting in Him and obeying Him. Without God as the foundation, the building of your life will come apart. Without God as the watchman the city of your life will be invaded by every enemy and no defense mechanism can stop it.

With God as our co-builder and as our co-watchman we can be assured that our lives will matter, giving blessing and peace to those around us.

I like how the New American Standard Version translates the last line of this text: for he gives to his beloved even in his sleep. When God is made the foundation stone of our lives, he blesses the labors of our hands so that, even while we are getting a normal night's sleep, God is working for us. It is not to say that there will never be a time when we do not put in loong hours, but the anxious working of long hours to get ahead can destroy the most important things in life; like a family.

So remember this verse from the book of Hebrews: Without faith it is impossible to please God. Those who come to Him must believe that he exists and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6 Tom Steele's Memory Version).

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

THE BENEFITS OF BELIEVING

2011-04-08T10:19:00.000-07:00

The 103rd Psalm is a Psalm of David. If anyone needed these blessings from the Lord, he did! David committed the "big" sins of theft, adultery and murder. David was much like us. Though his sins were big and many, he tried to cover them up just as we do. We might not have committed the "big" sins, but we have deceived ourselves into thinking that lust, gossip, greed and laziness are not quite so bad as the "big" sins. God doesn't see it that way, so we are just as much in need of God's pardon, forgiveness and other blessings as David was. Because of His grace and mercy, God supplies these blessings to those who believe in Him and seek Him:

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's (Psalms 103: 2-5).

I encourage you to read the whole of Psalms 103--it is one of my favorite Psalms.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

COMMUNICATION IN MARRIAGE: (PART 3): Self Evaluation

2011-03-30T08:55:00.000-07:00

Let a man examine himself . . . (I Corinthians 11:28).

Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other (Psalms 85:10).

One of the assignments I give to clients who are having marital problems is to take a week and keep track of how many positive communications occur and how many negative communications occur. My purpose is to help them to become aware of how they communicate. I have never had a couple actually complete the assignment, but it is one of the most important assignments to be done in marriage counseling.

Self evaluation is not easy because it requires intentional awareness of the give and take of communication, and often we communicate in ways in which we are not aware. For instance, what does it mean when a spouse walks into the room and his/her partner does not acknowledge his/her presence? It might mean nothing, but if it is part of a pattern of ignoring, it could be more than discourtesy and be actual passive aggresive behavior. When I was taking my student practicum in seminary, the counseling sessions were video taped. Though this was painful for me to watch me, video taping was an excellent way to become aware of the non-verbal communication that was being covered up by the verbal.

There is as much non-verbal communication, if not more, than verbal. A twinkle or wink of the eye, a touch or a love pat, a little kiss or a smile on the face says to the spouse, "You are important to me" or "I love you." However, if one is busy and the husband or wife walks in the room and there is no verbal or non-verbal acknowledgement then what is being communicated is, "My work is more important than you right now." That is an example of negative communication.

Predicting the success or failure of a marriage is almost as simple as doing the math. It takes no less than 5 positives to one negative in marital communication or the marriage will become problematic. Negatives weigh more than positives so it is absolutely necessary to make sure positives far out weigh negatives--it has to be intentional.

Our communication reflects what we believe about our spouse, and/or others, so perhaps marriage therapy should begin by dealing with those beliefs. However, one of my rules for marriage and family therapy is that the couple or the family members communicate with respect. It is not possible to change beliefs if the communication is disrespectful, so the first lesson they learn in therapy is that of respectful communication.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

COMMUNICATION IN MARRIAGE (PART 2) Direct Communication

2011-03-26T12:01:00.000-07:00

A continual dripping on a rainy day and a contentious woman are alike; to restrain her is to restrain the wind or to grasp oil in his right hand (Proverbs 27:15-16).

With 700 wives and 300 concubines, many men might look with envy on Solomon, but Solomon knew very well what he was saying from experience. I'm sure that there were more than 2 or 3 of his women who fit that description.  This is quite a contrast to the ideal wife of whom he would write about in Proverbs 31. I should add that there are many men who are just as contentious and would fit Solomon's description just as well.

Helen and I had the privilege of serving on a marriage panel at a Christian conference workshop. I spoke briefly of the value of direct communication in marriage while Helen spoke negatively, and by her facial expressions, expressed strong disagreement with what I had said. So, you could rightly say, "Physician, heal yourself."  Helen's real problem is understanding what direct communication looks like, so that is where I will begin.

Direct communication is not saying directly whatever one feels like saying. For people who tend to be driven by their emotions, that is how they see direct communication, saying what they feel at the time. They will insist that it is not honest communication if one cannot say what he/she feels. However, emotionally driven communication is almost always negative in its effect.

Direct communication is not emotionless, but its purpose is to convey information. Air-traffic controllers, hospitals, police departments are examples of where direct communication has to be used--marriages are no less important. Direct communication has no implied meanings or mixed messages. Direct communication is not sarcastic or defensive, it does not have a tone of voice or a facial expression that says one thing but means another. In other words, there is congruence in direct communication. Direct communication fosters intimacy because one knows that their thoughts will be handled with respect by the other who is listening, and vice versa.  Intimacy is very difficult when communication is emotionally driven.

Marriages require intimacy and communication is the road to intimacy. When a spouse feels safe sharing his/her innermost thoughts with someone other than the marital partner then there will be an affair.   I tend to be emotionally driven, so I am including myself in this, there will be times of conflict in marriage. It is easy to let emotions take over the conflict. Then one of the spouses has to say, "My emotions have taken over, let's not talk about it until we can cool down." This is direct communication that preserves each other's dignity.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

COMMUNICATION IN MARRIAGE

2011-03-23T07:52:00.000-07:00

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone (Colossians 4:6).

Communication is essential to relationship. The success or failure of a relationship can be predicted by the communication patterns in that relationship. Some marriage communication experts have said that they can predict with as high as 96% accuracy whether or not a marriage will succeed based on the communication patterns in the premarital relationship, so you can see how important this subject is. Communication patterns in the premarital relationship are not likely to change very much for the better in the marital relationship.

First, I will discuss some negative communication patterns, and then, in a sequel, write about positive communication. The following are communication patterns that are extremely destructive to a marriage:

1) Withdrawal. It is impossible not to communicate in a relationship. When one of the partners withdraws, the other partner is left guessing what this withdrawal means, but it does mean something. Withdrawal can take the form of working long hours, being over involved in hobbies or other activities, giving the spouse the silent treatment. Withdrawal can be extremely frightening to the other spouse because he/she is left guessing what it means. So, withdrawal is a kind of spousal abuse.

2) Escalation. Escalation is increases the conflict. Raising the voice, slamming the door or throwing objects are intended to intimidate the spouse, or putting the most positive spin on it, get the spouses attention, but yelling, screaming and throwing objects will never strengthen a relationship. Escalation will destroy a relationship!

3) Invalidation. Invalidation is name calling, putting down spouse in front of others, ignoring the spouse for a time, rolling eyeballs and heavy breathing when spouse asks to do something apparently stupid. Constant criticism is another hall-mark of invalidation.

4) Negative interpretation. Negative interpretation is when a spouses positives are interpreted negatively, for example, if a husband brings his wife flowers and the wife says, "Oh, you just want to have sex tonight." This might be the most dangerous pattern because the spouse has judged the motives of his/her partner and found it wanting--it reveals the value placed on the relationship.

I share this with you so that you can become more aware of how you communicate. It isn't just profanity that is unholy communication, but each one of these communication patterns as well.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

SEX IN MARRIAGE: PORNOGRAPHY

2011-03-14T08:32:00.000-07:00

You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I say to you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart ( Matthew 5:27-28).

Many things could be said about this text, but I am using it to emphasize the point that the use of pornography undermines an intimate relationship between husband and wife in marriage.

More so in our time than any other, sexual images are so freely available. Perfect bodies, sexual prowess and free, "no-strings-attached" sexuality, are on display daily on television during family viewing times. Add to this internet pornography and it is a wonder that not everyone has a distorted view of sex. Perhaps what we have is a necessary consequence of free-speech rights, but we do pay a heavy price for it.

The result of all of this is plunging our kids into a world of sexual fantasy that is not real--sex that is wild passion. The worst part of this is, that for many, unless the fantasy becomes reality, then it is boring. In my case work I have encountered several marriages in which the underlying problem was the use of pornography on the part of the husband. Men tend to be more influenced by visual images than women, but addiction to pornography is not limited to men. When pornography is a factor in marital relationships there is an attempt to make fantasy reality. If the wife is not pretty enough to match up with fantasy, then there will be an attempt to find a way to include someone who is, or there could be a fantasy scenario that will be attempted to act out. Fantasizing is an act of self absorption and an attempt to escape reality; it does not lead to greater intimacy, but to greater isolation, emptiness and selfcenteredness.

There are quite a few reasons to restrict sexual behavior in society, but one of them is that restriction enhances sexuality. Too much candy makes a person sick. Too much of a good thing makes it ordinary. In the words of Dr.Val Farmer, a psychologist, Sex "punctuates a relationship instead of being the entire dialogue."

The measure of good sex is this: Does it enhance emotional closeness with one's spouse? Though this sounds like circular reasoning, emotional closeness will enhance good sex. Pornography will undermine both good sex and emotional closeness.

If pornography is a problem with you, find a counselor who can help you with it--you will be blessed!

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

SEX IN MARRIAGE: THE IMPORTANCE OF

2011-03-08T09:45:00.000-08:00

But because of the temptation to immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not rule over her own body, but the husband does; likewise the husband does not rule over his own body, but the wife does. Do not refuse one another except perhaps by agreement for a season . . . (I Corinthians 7:2-5a).

Marriage is a complex relationship between a man and a woman. A great sex life, by itself, will not save a relationship, but the lack of an adequate sex life is a symptom of other problems in a marriage. The lack of sex in marriage might simply be a symptom of failing physical health and should be checked out. If one is to obey the Scriptures, there is an obligation to maintain physical health as long as possible in order to meet the sexual needs of the spouse. Married couples who have regular sex have a life expectancy that is 5 to 7 years longer.

The lack of sex in a marriage is a symptom of the lack of intimacy in a marriage. Intimacy is giving yourself away--it is feeling safe enough to become vulnerable and share the most deep feelings of one's heart without having them ridiculed and made fun of. While sex itself is not intimacy, sex makes intimacy more likely and the end of sex is a signal of the end of intimacy.

Low sex and no sex marriages are not as happy. In a New York Times interview with Dr. Denise Donnelly, associate professor of sociology at Georgia State University, Dr. Donnelly asserted that according to her research she found that, "People in low sex and sexless marriages are not as happy and are more likely to consider divorce."

The sex-drive of both men and women is a bell-shaped curve; that is a normal distribution. There are some men and women with high sex drives and some with low. Given the laws of attraction it is very likely that a low sex-drive man will be attracted to a high sex-drive woman, and vice versa. One's sex drive is nothing to be ashamed of--God made us this way. Nevertheless, when these kinds of matches are made, how can they be resolved? For the low sex-drive partner sex has to become intentional. One has to intentionally make time for it. One has to intentionally get in the mood for it. The low sex-drive partner will have to intentionally stay in good physical condition, and the man might have to take "Viagra" for it.

One of the purposes of marriage is to help deal with the temptation to sexual immorality. Both the Corinthian culture and our culture is highly sexualized--it is easy to fall into sexual immorality. A healthy marriage is a marriage that has a healthy sex life. How much sex is needed for a healthy sex-life? The amount on which both partners agree.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

Addendum: Sex-drive can be conditioned to be either greater or lesser. Sex abuse as a child can condition a child toward a greater or lesser sex drive. Much of sex is in the psychology of a person, that is why this is the case. Pornography can have the same kind of influence. Of course, physical ailments influence sex drive too. If any of these things are influencing your married sex life, it is worth seeking professional help. Your marriage will be blessed because of it.

SEX IN MARRIAGE: A DISCLAIMER

2011-03-07T10:11:00.000-08:00

Do not refuse one another except perhaps by agreement for a season, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, lest Satan tempt you through lack of self-control (I Corinthians 7:5).

In subsequent posts about sex in marriage, the reader might get the idea that this writer thinks that sex is the cure-all for everything that ails a marriage. I do not believe that, but I do know that a sexless marriage is not a healthy marriage--no sex means that there is little real intimacy in a marriage. Nevertheless, it is just common sense that there are times in married life when sex should be abstained from. In times of sickness, surgery, after birth and even for seasons of fasting and prayer it is right to abstain from sexual activity with a spouse. Those times can be very lengthy so self-control becomes a huge issue for the one who has the strongest sex-drive; most of the time it is the male, but in many cases it is the female that has to contend with sexual self-control.

As time goes on and a couple ages, sexual self-control becomes less of an issue because sexual hormone production decreases. Sex doesn't seem to be as urgent as is reflected in these statistics: The average amount of sex by married couples over all is 58 times a year. The average amount of sex by married couples under 30 is 111 times a year. To me it looks like the under 30 crowd is making up for a lot of the over 30 crowd. When George Burns, the comedian, was in his eighties and was commenting about octogenarian sex he said, "The one in the spring is the best one." My goal is to be as good as Moses (Deuteronomy 34:7) though it might be that I'm only as good as George Burns.

In married life there are times from which sex should be abstained. For either spouse not to recognize that is to violate the vow to love and cherish. Though sex is very important to married life, if there is really love and respect for each other, and for God, there will be times of sexual abstinence. I hope you all remember this as you read the sequels of sex in marriage.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

SEX IN MARRIAGE: Introduction

2011-03-03T07:33:00.000-08:00

And God saw everything he had made, and behold, it was very good (Genesis 1:31).

I have written little about sex in the postings of Silver bullets, its neglect is a glaring omission. Because one cannot turn anywhere in our culture and not be confronted with sexual themes, it is important to have a Christian perspective on sex and sex in marriage. As well, the competition between sexual issues and money issues as a cause of divorce is nearly equal, so for this reason it is important that I write something about sex in marriage. Much has been written in other venues about sex, perhaps I have nothing to add that is new, but in any case, a Christian perspective provides an important balance to the ubiquitous worldly perspective.

God made men and women sexual beings, telling them to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth (Genesis 1:28). It was after that that God pronounced his creation as being very good. Sex was truly good before the fall of mankind into sin. The way some think about sex is that it only became fun after the "fall," but in truth, it was before the "fall" that it was very good and really fun. My personal opinion is that like Adam and Eve knew that they were naked and so tried to cover themselves after their fall into sin, so sex itself fell into shame and has been a cause of power plays, abuse, and controversy ever after. But God intended that sex be a blessing, not a curse, something by which bonding and mutual strengthening would occur.

According to the Bible, sex is a good thing in the context of marriage. It was in that context that sex is introduced and it is in that context that sex is healthy and good. Sex is like fire. When fire is in the fireplace fire is good, bringing warmth and comfort to all in the house. If the fire gets out of the fireplace it burns the house down. So it is with sex. As long as it is kept in the context of marriage, husband and wife are warmed, comforted and strengthened by it--indirectly, even the children are blessed because the bond of dad and mom is strong. For those who think that the best sex is outside of marriage, there is no research that I know about that indicates that it is. The history of sex out of marriage is one of illness, poverty, alienation. The research shows that married couples have the most sex and the best sex. However, in more than a third of marriages sex is a problem and it is for that reason a sequel will follow.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

ON WINGS LIKE EAGLES

2011-02-23T09:19:00.000-08:00

But they who hope in the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31).

President's Day weekend, Helen and I flew to California to help celebrate daughter Rebecca's, son-in-law Kirk's and grandson Parker's February birthdays. Even though the California weather was on the gloomy side, we had a great time together! Flying is not one of my favorite things to do, but if we allow our fears and dislikes to dictate our lives we will never eat of the best fruit!

One of my dealing-with-anxiety strategies is to say the 23rd Psalm as the big jet engines begin to roar and the plane begins it ascent into the heavens. Knowing the one who cares for me and provides for me is very reassuring. Actually, the flying part of the trip was without a problem this year as compared with other years when we flew another airline--I do think that some are better than others! But, the driving part of the trip did have its perils. Helen and I had to be on the road at 2 in the morning to be ready for a 6:40 departure in Omaha. It was a foggy morning and I was driving a little faster than I should have been driving given the conditions. Suddenly a small herd of deer appeared on the road. I'm still not sure how we made it through them without damage, but we did, passing between the 2nd and 3rd ones with only a hard brush.

The other driving incident was in Stockton, CA when our son-in-law, absorbed in conversation, ran a red light. Wow! In California traffic, to not have a bad collision was something almost miraculous! Before I begin a trip, I always ask the Lord for traveling mercies and I am certainly glad I did on this trip!

Helen and I are glad to be at home, back in our routines, but we are certainly thankful for the wonderful weekend with which our Heavenly Father blessed us!

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

AN UNEXPECTED BLESSING

2011-02-15T20:20:00.000-08:00

The righteous man perishes, and no one lays it to heart; devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from calamity, he enters into peace; they rest in their beds who walk in their uprightness (Isaiah 57:1-2).

The building where my counseling office is located has been sold so I have to move my office. I have to be moved by March 1st. As a result I have been weeding through old files and books and am confronted by the age-old dilemma, "What should I keep and what should I throw away?" I found a devotional book by Max Lucado that a friend had given to me when I graduated from seminary. The book fell open to a devotional on Isaiah 57:1-2 from the Living Bible. The Living Bible says it this way: The good men perish; the godly die before their time and no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to realize that God is taking them away from the evil days ahead. For the godly who die shall rest in peace. This scripture helped me come to terms with my own personal questions and grief.

I've seen it happen several times in the course of my pastoral ministry where a family member will die and the "wheels" seem to come off the family. The family will fall into immorality, alcohol, substance abuse and estrangement, rejecting the very values by which the family apparently lived. It has often been my question to God, "If that person wouldn't have died, his family would still be functional. Why did you let him die?" In many cases, family unity on family values is only apparent. It wouldn't have made any difference if the family member lived or died, eventually the family would have come apart. The death of the righteous one spares him from the heart ache and sorrows of the evil days ahead. It might be that the grave is God's protection from a terrible future.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

A ROMANTIC THOUGHT FROM THE BIBLE

2011-02-14T19:47:00.000-08:00

My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of Engedi (Song of Solomon 1:14).

I thought that short verse might inspire some one to use the remaining hours of Valentine's Day in a romantic fashion. So get to it, the time is short!!!

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

AN ADDENDUM: Seriously, there is nothing more romantic than a husband and wife working together to achieve the same goal and purpose. The reason so many marriages fail is that the couple has differing expectations that are often unspoken, and no unifying purpose as to what they want to accomplish in marriage. Real romance is not feeling in love, but is knowing why you are together and appreciating each other for it. Feeling in love is not enough.

I've been to the Engedi--it is an oasis in the desert. That may be a clue as to the meaning of the verse.

YOUR PERSONAL APOCALYPTIC MOMENT

2011-02-13T14:15:00.000-08:00

It is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgement (Hebrews 9:27).

If you are a prophecy enthusiast you are probably looking for signs of the coming apocalypse. Personally, I believe there are some general signs, but no specific signs indicating the decade, year, month, day or hour. That is why the apocalypse is spoken of by Jesus and the Apostles as coming as a "thief in the night." There are no prophecies yet to be fulfilled, the Lord could return at any moment. Though the Lord Jesus' return could be today or in a hundred years, we forget that our personal apocalypse could be at any moment as well; death could come calling today!

Russell Boatman, in his book What the Bible Says About the End Times, tells a story about a salesman's personal apocalypse. While sleeping a salesman dreamed that he had an encounter with death. The dream was so real that he thought it to be a Divine warning to change his ways. He could not bear the thought of dying so he thought he might outwit death. Instead of changing his ways he thought he would change his work routine. In his dream he had seen the time and place of his death, and so he thought, "If I get another salesman to take this route and I take his there should be no problem." It was not a problem to trade routes with another salesman because more money could be made on his route. As the day ended on the different sales route he decided to quit a little early to avoid the traffic rush and the risk that went with it--he didn't want to push his luck. When he parked his car in the hotel parking garage and stepped out the car door he felt a rush of cold air, just as he had felt in his dream just before an out-of-control car hit him and killed him. Just before the out-of-control vehicle rammed into him he found himself looking into the surprised face of death. "What are you doing here?" Death asked, "I had scheduled an appointment with you in Boston later this afternoon, and was wondering how I was going to keep it."

The whole story was a dream, but it was a dream with an important point--we cannot escape death! No matter how one connives, how good of a diet one has or how much exercise one does, unless the Lord comes first, Death will have his due and you will have your personal apocalyptic moment. Is Jesus Christ your Savior?

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

DEFINING MENTAL ILLNESS

2011-02-01T20:42:00.000-08:00

Then the people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind . . . (Luke 8:35).

In my copy of the American Psychological Association's DSM-IV there is no classification of a mental illness due to demon possession, but that is exactly what afflicted the Gerasene demoniac. He did suffer from mental illness because he was not in his right mind. Jesus healed him by casting out the legion of demons that inhabited this man. This case presented by Dr. Luke is not intended to suggest that every case of mental illness has a demonic cause, but one cannot escape reading the gospels and come to the understanding that whatever the cause of any illness, Jesus has power over it.

NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, defines mental illness this way: Mental illnesses are medical conditions that disrupt a person's thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning. Just as diabetes is a disorder of the pancreas, mental illnesses are medical conditions that often result in a diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life. True mental illness is a result of a bodily dysfunction, and some of those bodily dysfunctions we bring upon ourselves because of the mistaken and sinful choices that we make. For some mental illnesses we bear personal responsibility--addictions come most readily to mind in this regard.

Dr. David Bean, M.D. is a professor of psychiatry in the Sanford School of Medicine at the University of South Dakota. Dr. Bean presented some interesting statistics to our class on Ministering to the Mentally Ill at Sioux Falls Seminary: 1. 45 million Americans, age 12 or older, will experience mental illness over a year's time. 2. Only 38 % of them will receive mental health services. 3. The uunemployed have an elevated risk with 28% of them suffering with mental illness as compared to 17% of the employed. 4. In 2009, 11 million adults experienced mental illness serious enough to interfere with major life activities. 5. 8.4 million adults thought seriously about committing suicide, thinking of plans for it. 6. 26% of those with serious mental illnesses are also substance abusers.

These statistics help me make two points: 1. People can move in and out of mental illness like one catches a cold and gets over it. My mother tells a story about my grandmother. Grandma was having hallucinations of ants crawling up and down her arms. Mom took her to see Dr. Koser, our family doctor, and he said, "She's having a psychosis (this took place back in the 1950's) but she will get over it," and she did, without medication. That doesn't mean that every mentally ill person will get better, however. 2. YOU HAVE IN YOUR CHURCH SOMEONE WHO IS DEALING WITH MENTAL ILLNESS. Do you pray for them? Do you watch for them? Do you make your church a welcoming and safe place for them? Do you understand that just having a healthy relationship with them is one of the best treatments there is? Do you understand that they need to feel loved and respected? Oh, I think these are things we all need aren't they?!?

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

THE PROBLEM WITH ALCOHOL

2011-01-31T15:45:00.000-08:00

For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Galatians 5:13).

Christians are a free people, so free that we are subject to no one, but we are servants so we are subject to every one. Most of that first sentence is attributed to a statement that Martin Luther is alleged to have said. In any case, I believe it to be true. The law of the Spirit is love, the kind of love that seeks the best for everyone, just as we seek it for ourselves. In is in a spirit of love that I write, and in a spirit of love that each one should consider everything they do.

I was motivated to write this because I know that there is a pretty high percentage of Christians who drink and I wonder if they consider what they do in a spirit of love. It was a letter in a recent "Dear Abby" column that moved me to interrupt my series on mental illness to write this. Here is what the letter said: . . . "I am the president of a construction company, and it was standard practice for us to give alcohol at Christmas to a number of our customers. Then one day, I received a call from a tearful woman who asked if we had given alcohol to her husband. When I answered yes, she said that in the future, she would appreciate it if we wouldn't do that anymore. Her husband, an alcoholic, had consumed the entire bottle, gone home and beaten her up. We discontinued the practice immediately. I would not advise people to gift alcohol unless they know the recipient very well and know it will not cause harm to him or her, or those around them. --SAFER IN TENNESSEE."

How can one ever know that alcohol will not cause harm? Here are a few facts gleaned from a brief Internet search. For the year 2005, alcohol dependence cost the U.S. economy $220 billion. Half of U.S. adults have a relative who is presently or was an alcoholic. There are 14,000,000 alcoholics in the U.S.. More than half a million alcoholics are age 9 to 12. Four in ten of those who begin drinking before age 15 become alcoholics. Thirty seven percent of all traffic fatalities are alcohol related. The last one is really interesting: married drinkers have a 9% chance of becoming alcoholics, living-together drinkers have a 30% chance of becoming alcoholics.

In terms of marriage and family, I'm sure I could have come up with more alcohol related statistics with a more detailed search, but I think there is enough here to make one think about how alcohol use effects those whom we love. People do not drink alcohol because it tastes good, they drink it because it makes them feel good; it is a self medication. Alcohol is a depressant to the central nervous system so it deadens the pain of depression and anxiety. Every person who drinks, drinks for this reason--yes, even social drinkers.

Does this mean that I think every one who drinks alcohol is going to hell? No, but I do believe that if we would fulfill the law of love we must carefully weigh the consequences of its use. God gave the Rechabites (Jeremiah 35:14ff)* a special blessing because they did not use it; evidently, God appreciated their abstinence.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

*Wikipedia has an interesting entry about them.

MY SHORT THEOLOGY OF MENTAL ILLNESS

2011-01-27T08:31:00.000-08:00

May the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (I Thessalonians 5:23).

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27).

then the Lord formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being (soul) (Genesis 2:7 RSV).

If scientists are given only the raw chemistry of life, they cannot create life in a test tube. For scientists to "create" life there has to be material included that has life force in it, and that comes from God. Anything living, plant or animal, has life force in it and only God can provide that. But, of all living things, it is only said of human beings that they are created in the image of God; God has breathed spirit into every human being that is like himself.

Scientists have tirelessly researched the genome of the human body and have a pretty good understanding of the genetics that make it "tick." While there is a lot of genetic variability among human beings so that no two of us are exactly alike, we are more alike than we are different so that basic genetic principals apply to us all. When the God-created-in-his-own-image human spirit enters the body, the unification of body and spirit makes a soul. The human spirit impacts the body and the body impacts the spirit in such a way that both spirit and body will never be the same again--even after the body dies, the impact of the body on the spirit will always remain. The spirit of a dead person will remain a soul. Even though in our residence in Heaven we will have perfect bodies, living in the earthly body will have had a role in shaping our character. Through the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in our environment we are shaped little by little into the likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ (II Corinthians 3:18). Think of the sweet character of a downs syndrome person or one who has battled schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, or any other physical problem, God has worked in their lives, because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, shaping their character into the likeness of Christ.

In its self, the flesh is not evil. The flesh serves as a house for the human spirit (II Corinthians 5:1-5). The problem with the flesh is that it is very demanding so that it tends to want to dominate our lives! The flesh has needs; it tires easily, needs to be fed, it ages. Not only that, it has its desires too, so the flesh is very demanding, wanting its needs and desires met NOW! One very important principal that every child of God has to understand is that this body that we live in is to be our servant, not our master. We make our decisions by faith in God, not by the demands of the flesh. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace, says Romans 8:6. It is sin to allow the flesh to be the primary dynamic of decision making.

So what does this have to do with mental illness? There are times when our brains and glands fail. The body does not respond to the directives of the will of the spirit. Is the spirit accountable for something it can do nothing about? Only to the degree that there can be some control. As I wrote in Mental Illness and Personal Responsibility, there are those who are mentally ill who take personal responsibility for their behavior and perform very well. To have no expectations of responsibility for the mentally ill diminishes their person hood, and diminishes the possibility that they can ever function responsibly.

Mental illness is not a picnic for anyone--for the patient, his family and others to whom he is connected. Mental illness is a result of the body not working properly. Because the brain is so closely connected to the will, the will being the product of the human spirit's activity*, there is a stigma of the demonic or activity of the evil one attached to it. Also, because it is beyond our control, and not understood, it is stigmatized and shunned. The person afflicted with mental illness is still a person created in the image of God whom God loves. God alone can accurately judge the degree of responsibility of each mentally ill person, but it would be wrong for those who are treating the mentally ill not to have some expectations of responsible behavior because the ill will not progress without them!

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

* A neurosurgeon can strategically place electrodes on a patients brain and move the patients arms, but the patients will is absent--something is being done to the patient, not something done by him.

MENTAL ILLNESS AND PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

2011-01-21T10:24:00.000-08:00

And on the morrow an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand; and Saul cast the spear, for he thought, "I will pin David to the wall." But David evaded him twice (I Samuel 18:10-11 RSV).

Note: 1. The "evil spirit from God" is an example of a Hebrew verticalism. Since God is all powerful, he could have prevented the "evil spirit" from dynamically influencing Saul, but he chose not to and thus God gets credit for the evil spirit. 2. Was it an evil spirit that assailed Saul or was this just a matter of religious language being used to diagnose king Saul's mental problem? My thinking is to take the Bible at its word, but in either case, personal responsibility is an important factor.

Often we think that those who suffer from illnesses are innocent victims, being unable to bear any responsibility while they are sick. But, anyone who is sick has to bear some responsibility for getting well. It might be nothing more than being quiet so that the body's natural immune system has a chance to defeat the infection. It might be just to follow doctors orders and take the medication as directed. In any case, there is an appropriate level of personal responsibility to which a person can be held accountable. When I was the director of a juvenile residential treatment facility, some of the women workers would insist that there were times when they couldn't help it if they were irritable. I told them that, regardless of how they were feeling, I expected them to act like professionals while they were on duty. It diminishes person hood to not hold others accountable for their performance--even one's self.

I've said all this to lead into a quote by a member of a panel that presented to my mental health ministry class. This lady was afflicted with a true mental illness, bipolar disorder. She was functioning at a very high level, though a psychologist once told her that she wouldn't be able to function at more than a minimal level. She was a woman of achievement, running her own business and being president of a service organization. She was asked, "How do you take care of yourself so that you can function so well?" She responded very emphatically, "Personal responsibility for how I live my life, for my goals and for what I am working on! You have to have them! When I take personal responsibility I find that I need to take less medication." This woman did not see herself as a victim. She understood that she had a disease, but she was not going to allow herself to be defined by it.

I will never forget what she said and I hope you don't either!

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

THE CHURCH'S MINISTRY TO THE MENTALLY ILL

2011-01-15T10:11:00.000-08:00

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:37-39).

Every winter I try to do something to continue my education. Last year I went to fire school to learn how to do prairie burns, next year, the Lord willing, I will either re tour the Holy Land or do the "seven churches in Asia" tour. This year I did a 220 mile round trip commute each day for five days to Sioux Falls Seminary to take a class on the Church's ministry to the mentally ill. I think this is an important subject because a lot of us are not comfortable in dealing with mental illness, yet 25% of us will deal with it in a years time. Some of us will move in and out of it like one deals with the flu, while others mental illness will be life-long. It is important for those who are dealing with mental illness to understand that God doesn't love them less than anyone else!

One of the things it means to live in a fallen world is that human beings have to deal with illness and body parts that get broken and do not work right. The brain is one of those body parts. The brain is one of the organs of the body, a very complex one, but an organ, nevertheless. Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are a couple of examples of true mental illness that result from dysfunctional brains. It could be said that we all suffer from mental illness, and quite probably, we do, from time to time. For the Schizophrenic and those bipolar, though they have better days than others, they will always have to deal with their illness. Should they be loved less? No! They certainly are not valued less by God; the population of Heaven will reveal that!

The Church on earth, to be true to the ministry of Christ, has to be a source of hope to the mentally ill!

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

A GENOGRAM CAN HELP

2011-01-09T19:53:00.000-08:00

. . . for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments (Exodus 20:5-6).

An indispensable piece of my counseling treatment modality is to do a genogram with my client, or in the case of marriage counseling, a genogram with each spouse. Some counselors might spend as much as four hours completing genograms for a married couple. I try not to spend that much time, but the time spent doing a genogram is time well spent for it can make invisible family dynamics visible and be an aid in helping the client understand the dysfunctional dynamics with which he or she is dealing.

A genogram is similar to doing a family tree. It is a family map of at least three generations, outlining births, deaths, miscarriages, abortions, personality types, marriages, divorces, addictions, conflicts, over involements, military service, occupations, education, disease and medical problems, etc. In other words, every aspect of a person's family life for three generations, that can be recalled, is discussed and diagrammed so that inter generational patterns come to light. It might very well be seen that the problems the client is dealing with are problems that are being repeated from previous generations. It is not uncommon for a client to reap the consequences of a grand parent's behavior.

At some point the client, when he or she recognizes the dysfunctional emotional and behavioral patterns of the preceding 2 generations, has to commit to breaking the dysfunctional cycle in the family. It is never easy to do and, I think, can really only be done with God's help because the dysfunction has become second nature, and once one of the family members begins to move toward health, another family member will, almost always, try to sabotage the attempt to become healthy because if one member of the family becomes healthy, every member will have to change.

The best way to bless yourself and your children, and your children's children, is to humble yourself before the Lord Jesus Christ, seeking his pardon and forgiveness, and follow him in the obedience of faith.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

THE GOOD CONFESSION

2011-01-01T17:22:00.000-08:00

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that the Son of man is?" And they said to him, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah and others say Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, but who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the son of the living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:13-18).

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world" (John 11:25-27).

With this post I am merely sketching out a sermon, it will be a broad outline for my sermon. If you would like to add to it, dear reader, you are welcome.

Getting the identity of Jesus of Nazareth right is essential to the Christian faith. That is why the traditional prebaptismal confession, "I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God" is necessary for a valid baptism. One isn't expected to have a mature faith at baptism, but one is expected to have a sufficient faith at baptism. The truth of this confession is the foundation stone of the faith of God's people.

Though each member of God's family must personally possess this faith, I am not sure that many could defend it, let alone treasure it. God has no grandchildren, only children. Under normal circumstances, no one will make it into God's kingdom on the faith of a relative or loved one. I know a family that is proud of the fact that a couple of its members are ministers of the gospel, but many of the family's members live like the devil; not like people who possess this faith.

One of the things that many orthodox Jews believe about Jesus is that he is a hoax, that he never really existed so their remarks about him and those who believe in Jesus are venomous. Some things never change. When Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do men say that I am?" they did not reply with all the venomous things that men had said about him, but only the more respectable things. Jesus did not intend to be a "respectable" person, he intended to be a polarizing person. Either his is who he says he is, or he is a liar, or something worse. Though the evidence for the historical existence of Jesus is abundant, there are those who fall into the same category as the Holocaust deniers and will never be convinced otherwise--they have a vested interest in keeping things the same.

The "Christ" is a rough Greek equivalent of the Hebrew term, "Messiah." They both mean, "anointed one." High Priests, Kings and Prophets were anointed in the Old Testament. Jesus is the king of God's kingdom (Ephesians 1:20-23). He is the perfect high priest (Hebrews 2:17-18). He is a prophet in the sense that he was one like Moses (Acts 3:22). Jesus was anointed with God's Spirit at his baptism in water (Matthew 3:13-17) similarly to a Christian's baptism.

Jesus is the Son of the living God. Hebrews 1:1-3 gives us a clue as to what that means: In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things through whom he also he created the world. He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power. There is only one living God--all other gods are dead or bring death! The living God is the only one who can bring life out of death!

We do not know what 2011 will bring, but whatever it brings, the confession is true. It will bring strength in time of hardship and sorrow. As Martha was grieving the loss of her brother, Lazarus, she confessed her faith in Christ. Whatever happens in 2011, always hold fast to the good confession.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

THE GOOD WIFE

2010-12-31T12:44:00.000-08:00

A good wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels . . . Strength and dignity are her clothing . . . Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised ( Proverbs 31:10, 25 & 30).

It is New Year's Eve. The house is quiet and I have a little time to reflect. Our Iowa children were home for a few days for Christmas. The house was full and we just had a great time being together. I always feel a little empty inside after the celebration is over and everyone goes home--lonely might be a better word than empty to describe my feelings. Still, I have a great wife to keep me company, and I am grateful for that!

To prepare for our Christmas I pretty much cleaned the house, though Helen did a lot of cleaning, her job was stressing her out as she spent a lot of time at work. I scrubbed and waxed the floors by hand. I learned from a woman whom I respect as a cleaner that to clean floors right they must be done by hand. So, I donned a set of knee pads and went to work. Even with the knee pads, my knees hurt as I did the job, and my back hurt too. Though age has something to do with it, even if one is young, cleaning is a taxing job. Then I imagined myself as a young housewife with three children to care for, how hard it must be. Young wives and mothers have to be very disciplined in order to run an orderly household. I think many husbands simply do not appreciated what their women to. Men need to be involved in the cleaning too, so they can appreciate what their wives do.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

JUDGMENT OR NOT?

2010-12-21T08:23:00.000-08:00

. . . we make it our aim to pleas him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive good or evil, according to what he has done in the body (II Corinthians 5:9c-10).

This is one of the more sobering scriptures in the Bible because it was written to Christian people. From my theological perspective it does mean that Christians will stand before Christ in judgement, but because we have trusted in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on our behalf, repentance and baptism being our witness, then Jesus counts us as his and does not see our sins. My sins are as great as any man's so the only claim I have on salvation is on the basis of what Jesus has done for me.

One of the great enemies of the gospel is secularism because secularism suggests that when a person dies there is nothing of the person that lives on except for the children he/she has brought into the world and the family teachings and dynamics they live out. They, and those who commit suicide assume that death is the end of it all. Phenomenally, it might seem that they are right because after death the physical body is only so much dead meat, but God says otherwise. Imagine the surprise of those who die without Christ. First they go to sleep. Then, they go through the experience of a dying brain, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, seeing relatives and other loved ones embedded in the memories of their brains. Finally, being escorted by angels to their abode to await final judgment, though this temporary abode is a judgment in its self, being a foretaste of eternity.

The 5th chapter of II Corinthians is one of the great chapters of the Bible, I just finished reading it as a daily Bible reading. It begins with these words of hope with which it is good to close this Bullet: For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. Here indeed we groan, and long to put on our heavenly dwelling, so that by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we sigh with anxiety; not that we be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee (II Corinthians 5:1-5).

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

CHARACTER AND COMPETENCY, IS THERE ONE WITHOUT THE OTHER?

2010-12-17T07:47:00.000-08:00

A righteous man turns away from evil, but the way of the wicked leads them astray (Proverbs 12:26 RSV).

What precipitated this bullet was an interview in Christian Counseling Today of Dr. Tim Irwin. The interview simply set me to thinking about the role of character in counseling competency--or any competency for that matter. The subject of the interview was, "Character Trumps Competence." My thoughts are not intended to disagree with what was said in the interview, but merely add my perspective.

Rather than being two different categories, I believe that character is a necessary quality of competency so that one cannot be fully competent without it. A dictionary definition of competency is having the necessary qualities and skills. Is character a necessary quality for competency in any arena? Yes!

Skill development requires a degree of character. Some are so gifted that the development of skill requires little effort so the quality of their character is not revealed until significant stress sets in--it's a tragedy that this often happens when someone is desperately depending on him/her. Those not so gifted might cut corners or cheat in their skill development, and thus do their work with compromised competency.

In my Ethic and Legal Procedures class in seminary we talked of the ethics of sharing our faith in Christ with a client. There are times in counseling when that might be appropriate, but basically the truth is that the counselor's faith and value system cannot help but be revealed indirectly; it just is part of the counselors personality. Though the counselor might not speak of Christ directly, Christ is in the counselor, coming out in empathy, and how we respond and direct. However, a compromised character is revealed in the same way. A Counselor might very well be competent in the art and science of counseling, but if he/she is not a person of character, that will come out in their counseling too, thus short-term existential success can give way to long-term failure.

I hope my thoughts made sense. Though I applied this to counselors, I think it is applicable to all areas where competency and leadership is required--even on the football field. The beloved Iowa Hawkeyes found that out this season.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

REFLECTIONS ON PARENTING 101 (part 2)

2010-12-11T08:05:00.000-08:00

He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him (Proverbs 13:24).

The scripture here is often used as a proof text for spanking. I do believe that spanking is an effective tool of discipline when used appropriately, but can be destructive when used inappropriately. The emphasis of the text is on discipline and spanking is only one of the tools in the effective parent's disciplinary tool box. Rosemond has more thoughts on effective discipline upon which I will reflect.

The parent must be at the center of the child's attention, not the other way around. As a general rule, the more attention you pay a child, the less attention the child will pay to you. It is much easier to discipline a child who is paying attention than one who is not. What has been said should not be interpreted to mean that the child is out of your awareness as a parent--but the child should believe that he/she is not the center of your attention.

Your child must have a meaningful role in your family. That means the child must have responsibilities known as chores. Rosemond says that by the time a child is 4 years old, he/she should be contributing significant time and effort on a daily basis to the maintenance of the household. This means keeping his/her own space clean and orderly as well as the common areas of the home--dusting and vacuuming. Helen and I did not do well at this, but our children have grown to be responsible adults in this regard. I think Helen would wish that her own husband would do much better himself about cleaning up around the house. Having said that, without chores, children are mere consumers who think they are entitled to having the parents serve them. Entitlements do not strengthen people or grow strong children.

"Keep television and other electronic media out of your child's life until your child as learned to read well and is self-entertaining. The research is clear that electronic media shortens attention span, interferes with the development of certain critical thinking skills and develops a dependency that leads to frequent complaints of boredom." This is one thing we did do well during our children's growing up years--we didn't have a television. We read to the kids and the kids did a lot of reading--may be that's why they do so well now.

"From day 1, keep clutter out of your child's life by keeping toys and other 'stuff' at a minimum. Paradoxically, children who entertain themselves well (low-maintenance children) tend to have few toys. These children also are more grateful for and take better care of what they have." Even among poor families, children tend to have too many toys--as did our children. Too many toys make for too much clutter. If children can learn to make their own entertainment, they will not require a lot of toys as adults. They will tend to become more givers than takers.

"Emphasize manners, not skills. Sixty years ago, most children came to overcrowded first grads not knowing their ABCs; yet, at the end of the year were reading at a higher level than today's kids, most of whom already are reading in kindergarten. That happened because parents of 60 years ago taught proper behavior, not skills; therefore, teachers taught skills, not proper behavior. Grow a polite child." My wife is a teacher--I know she, and all of her colleagues, would agree. They have to spend so much time teaching proper behavior that there is little quality time left for teaching skills. Academic scores in the US have declined in direct correlation to the disintegration of the home.

"Love your child enough to grow a happy child." This is the most important--it is in direct agreement with the cited scripture text.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

REFLECTIONS ON PARENTING 101

2010-12-09T07:16:00.000-08:00

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6).

In the area of child psychology, John Rosemond is a hero of mine. He does not worship at the alter of contemporary thought, but he does respect the tried and true wisdom the was reflected in the parenting of those who made our country great. Rosemond recently wrote a two-part series called, "Parenting 101." My reflections are in two parts as well.

If you are married with children, put your marriage first. Dr. James Dobson always said the same thing. Helen and I grew our family up on Dobson--he came into prominence just at the time we were growing our family. Though we believed this, we did not do well at it. Money was a big issue. Small-church ministers, it seems like, live on the edge of poverty so the needs of the children come first. Date nights with the spouse were hard to come by. In any case, single parent or married parents, the children have to know that they are not the center of your universe, rather, you are the center of theirs. Your children have a much greater feeling of security when they know that mom and dad are taking care of their marriage and other necessary business first. It must be remembered that workaholism and the romantic flings of a single parent are destructive.

By the time your children are three years old, you should build a boundary between yourself and them, one that limits their access to you. Children need to understand that they are not at your beck and call. I believe that it is impossible to spoil a child under two. If he/she cries they should be picked up, but that third year is critical, they need to begin understanding that you have a life beyond them. One shouldn't pick a child up every time he cries. Differentiation is necessary!

Say "No" more than you say "Yes." Rosemond says that the proportion of No's to Yes's should be about five to one. Helen and I weren't aware of the ratio of no's to yes's, but we tried to say "Yes" as often as we could because we had to say "No" so often. Children who will not take "No" for an answer have parents who do not say "No" often enough and with conviction!

"Put the horse of leadership in front of the cart of relationship." This was probably my greatest failing. During my years as a youth worker at a residential treatment facility I tried to build relationship with the residents first. It is impossible to build a meaningful and therapeutic relationship if the child does not have a clear understanding of who is in charge. If the leader is easily manipulated so that a relationship can continue, then the child becomes the leader. As a result, there is relationship sickness rather than health. The children must understand who makes the decisions and who is in charge.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

VICTORY IN JESUS

2010-11-30T07:02:00.000-08:00

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ . . . (II Corinthians 2:14).

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us (Romans 8:37).

When read in context, these words of Scripture do not mean that Christians will not face adversity, but they do mean that when we are facing adversity we can take courage and hope because of our relationship to Christ. In Christ we have already won! We are in his victory parade! Bring it on! The final celebration is yet to come--be there!

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

DEALING WITH DIFFICULTY

2010-11-24T20:16:00.000-08:00

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed (I Peter 1:3-7).

Presently, the lovely and gracious Helen and I are in Kansas celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday with her parents. During the time since we have arrived we have received word of two families who are dear to us who are presently facing crises. Helen's parents are elderly and because of the changing state of health care are dealing in the confusing world of bureaucracy. Helen and I are getting an education as we have spent the last 2 days helping with that.

I'm sharing all this, not because I have any profound insights, theological or otherwise, but just to remind you all that while we live in the flesh we will suffer--we will not get through this life without it! But, we have a reasonable hope because of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Our best days are yet ahead of us!
In Christ we are family so let us rally to the support of each other, being the Holy Spirit with skin on as we support each other in this life so that we can be together in the life to come!

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

FOR YOUR COMFORT

2010-11-19T07:45:00.000-08:00

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too (II Corinthians 1:3-5).

And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counselor (Comforter in KJV) to be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor know him; you know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you (John 14:16-17).

In my daily Bible reading I just started the book of second Corinthians today. I had underlined verses 3-5 of chapter one from previous readings so they drew my attention again. I stopped and thought of the times when it seemed as if I was all alone--that no one cared enough to even make an attempt to understand. There have been several times in my life when that was the case, BUT, this experience is not unique to me. Further reading in second Corinthians one Paul says that he and his companions were "unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself" (vs 8).

God has sent the Holy Spirit to be the comforter of Christians, the one who walks along side of us. How does he bring us comfort? Sometimes it is just the feeling of reassurance of grace and peace in the middle of trials and tumult. Sometimes it is through the words of hope in the Scripture when all evidence seems to be to the contrary--hope truly is an audacious thing! Sometimes it is the arm of another believer around your shoulder, the Holy Spirit with skin on, one who isn't afraid to come into understanding distance and share his/her faith and life experience. As you receive comfort, share it with someone else.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

WHAT DO YOU TREASURE?

2010-11-16T08:30:00.000-08:00

For the love of money is the root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced their hearts with many pangs (I Timothy 6:10).

Do not love the world or the things of the world (I John 2:15).

Set your minds on things above, not on things that are on the earth (Colossians 3:2).

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Matthew 6:21).

All quotations are from the Revised Standard Version.

My daughter posted her offering meditation on her blog, Sleepy Thoughts . . . It shows that the apple does not fall too far from the tree. Though I have expressed similar thoughts I would like to expand/expound on the subject.

Traditional interpretation of Matthew 6:19-21 has assumed that money is the treasure, and if one gives his money, the heart will follow it. As an intervention for those who love money, it is not a bad thing to tell them to give their money away and follow Jesus (Matthew 19:21); sometimes behavioral therapy on adults does work, changing them from the outside in rather than the inside out. But, even in 19:21 the emphasis is on following Jesus; notice what the rich young ruler could not do--be obedient to Jesus. His possessions were his treasure, not Jesus.

God doesn't need our money. God will not go out of business if we stop giving; He owns the cattle on a thousand hills; He owns the world and everything in it. Often our preaching conveys the idea that God needs our money; He doesn't!!! What God desires is our hearts! What one treasures is where his heart is. Ask any young man who is madly in love; he will gladly spend all his money on the love of his life.

Often the message of the church is: "We will go out of business if you do not give," or "If you would just give more we could do . . ." That message is a message of materialism, that the Church of Christ is more dependent on money that the power of the Spirit for its existence. Preachers have yet to learn the meaning of Zechariah 4:6, Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. The church can be just as guilty about loving money and coveting it as any person. I have known several people who have quit a church because the church was all about trusting money rather than the Spirit of God.

If money is our treasure, then almost every time, money will be given with a begrudging heart, not a cheerful heart. A whole lot more money will be given when Jesus is our treasure because it will be given with a cheerful heart and not a begrudging one. The Lord loves a cheerful giver!

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

GIVE THANKS WITH A GRATEFUL HEART

2010-11-11T07:47:00.000-08:00

Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (I Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Chris Peterson is a psychology professor at the University of Michigan. Several years ago Psychology Today had a blurb about an assignment he gives class. He has his class members write a gratitude letter. It's a kind of thank-you note to any one, including God. Peterson says his students feel happier 100% of the time. This exercise provides a long-lasting mood boost to the students.

There are exceptions. If a student is skeptical that the exercise will work, it will still work, but if a student is cynical, it will not work. Cynicism is the attitude that, "I really do not have anything to be thankful for," or "I have to be thankful for this?" If cynicism is the attitude then the gratitude not will not work.

When I was a graduate student in seminary, there was a young secretary who was afflicted with Multiple Sclerosis. She spoke to our class one day about how she dealt with her disease. She made sure that thankfulness was in her attitude. One of the things she was thankful for was that her "personal plumbing" still worked. If you have ever had to deal with incontinence you would be thankful that your "personal plumbing" still worked.

With disciplined diet and exercise, she is still doing all she can for that to continue. One of the ways to find something for which to be thankful is to make a list of the things you would like to continue. How would you feel if food, clothing, shelter, freedom, love and other relationships, hope for eternity, etc. were taken away?

God's will for His family is that they be a thankful people. When they are thankful they are happy!

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

IT IS BETTER TO BE THOUGHT A FOOL THAN TO SPEAK AND REMOVE ALL DOUBT

2010-11-08T08:01:00.000-08:00

Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent (Proverbs 17:28).

Sometimes the comments to an article are more profound than the article. I found this gem in the comments section of Town Hall. There is no space so vacant as an actor without a script.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

A SISTER IN CHRIST

2010-11-04T08:27:00.000-07:00

I commend to you our sister Phoebe . . . (Romans 16:1).

It was a cold snowy day in Amman, Jordan. Our flight was to be the first flight out that morning. We sat on the plane for nearly two hours while the crew attempted to de-ice the plane to prepare it for flight; the plane had about two inches of snow on it. To me the plane looked the same after their de-icing attempts as before, but the flight crew decided it was time to fly. The plane taxied to the runway and readied for take-off. The big jet engines roared when the pilots throttled up for take off. The big Boeing 747 was lumbering down the runway carrying the weight of the snow as well as spoiling the air flow over the wing; it was taking longer than usual for the plane to lift off. I noticed one of the stewardesses was as anxious as I was as she made the sign of the cross on herself. I immediately felt kinship with her as she, in her sign, expressed faith in the same One in whom I believe.

I thought of this incident as I heard of the massacre of Christians in an Iraqi church. While there are doctrinal differences of faith that are important, these people died for their faith in Christ--that makes them kin of mine. Carl Ketcherside, one of my spiritual heroes when I was a young minister, used to say, 'I would rather be wrong about including a person as a brother or sister is in this life than to arrive in heaven and find that I had wrongly excluded them.' To live as a committed Christian in a muslim nation is difficult!!! The little stewardess was not ashamed of her faith in Christ, so there is a kinship that is meaningful to me to this day.

The family of God is found in every nation and every race and every tongue. What a wonderful day it will be when we are all at home together.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

MEDIOCRITY

2010-10-27T07:20:00.000-07:00

. . . are you not of the flesh, and behaving like ordinary men? (I Corinthians 3:3).

It has been a busy harvest season, and we in the upper Midwest have to get ready for winter. Other responsibilities, as well, have left me with a huge writing block, so I apologize for writing with much less frequency than I should. The way one breaks through a writing block is to write, so that is what I am doing.

This is a little desperate, but I saw this quote by Joseph Heller in the Jewish World Review this morning that made me laugh--and it is true. I thought it to be worthy of sharing with you: Some men are born mediocre. Some men achieve mediocrity. And some men have mediocrity thrust upon them. How has it come to you?

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

NOTES ON HOW THE GOSPEL CHANGED THE WORLD

2010-10-17T04:34:00.000-07:00

.How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news! (Romans 10:15).

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sigh to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord (Luke 4:15-18).

For God so love the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through him (John 3:16-17).

My thoughts have not been refined on this topic so they might sound a little awkward when you read them--feel free to comment, though I'm sure that Husker Red will comment in any case.

Literally, the word "gospel" means, "Good message." Now what is a good message to some is not a good message to others. Those who have a vested interest in keeping things as they are do not welcome a message that can be life-changing! When a member of a dysfunctional family begins to act positively and bring about change in the family, one other member of the family will always undermine and sabotage the functioning family member so that nothing will really change.

It is important to understand that concept as I talk about how the gospel changed the world. Significant positive change will never happen without opposition, so it is understandable that the first Christians faced great opposition and persecution as they began to live their lives for Christ.

But the gospel about Jesus Christ really did change the world! I have been perusing a book my son Paul gave me called, The Rise of Christianity by Rodney Stark. Having been through a Bible College church history class and a seminary church history class, I thought I knew a lot about church history, but Dr. Stark gave me a few things to think about. My thoughts written here are reflections from reading his book.

The first Christian missionaries first went to the Greco-Roman cities. Because city walls were expensive to build, they limited expansion. Thus, the population behind them became very dense with densities approaching modern-day Calcutta and Bombay. Add to that the animals that were required for transportation and business and crowding was intense. The streets were less than 10 feet wide. Roman law limited the upward limit of housing to about 60 feet--these houses frequently collapsed. There was no privacy. A family might have only one room. Though sewers were built, they were for the wealthy, otherwise they were open pits. Those who found the stairs to steep and the journey too long to the pit simply emptied the contents of the chamber pot on to the street. Good water was very scarce as well, so a bath seldom, if ever, occurred for the poor. Crime rates were extremely high so venturing out after dark was extremely dangerous. All of this needed to be said so that it is understood that disease was rampant and life was hellish behind the city walls. The average life expectancy was less than thirty. Adding to this was the different ethnicities in the city. In Antioch, the fourth largest city in the empire, there were 18 different ethnic divisions. It was into this environment that Christians brought the gospel. The result of the gospel was a culture that made life in the city more stable and tolerable because the gospel is about God and the life to come!

First, the good message says that God loves people. The simplicity of John 3:16 was astounding to those of the first centuries of the Christian era. The gods only demanded service, then they might do something good for the worshipper, but they did not care for the worshipper. OTOH, the basis for human behavior is the love of our Father in Heaven. The worship and the moral behavior He demands is for our good and our welfare. The change in behavior resulting from the preaching of the gospel was the birth of a counter culture which brought a better life here as well as ensuring a life to come.

The gospel was good news to the children. Both Plato and Aristotle taught that infanticide was legitimate state policy. As a result, unwanted children were routinely exposed, left to die. Of course, it was Christian teaching that the killing of innocent life is murder. There were two kinds of people who picked up exposed infants to care for them, those from the pagan temples who reared them to be prostitutes and the Christians who took their faith seriously.

The gospel was good news for women. It might seem strange that the life expectancy for a woman was shorter in those times than for men, but there were reasons for this. In the Roman world there were about 135 men for every 100 women. Reasons for a higher female mortality rate were infanticide, females were not as highly valued as men, sexually transmitted diseases and abortion. Only the women of Sparta in the ancient world enjoyed much higher esteem and thus lived longer as well. Christianity demanded sexual fidelity of men in marriage, condemned infanticide and abortion and entitled women with the same inheritance as men (Galatians 3:27-29).

The gospel was good news to the poor and the sick. Because of the gospel, they were seen as objects of God's love. In 165 during the reign of Marcus Aurelius, what is thought to be the first smallpox epidemic swept the Roman empire. During the 15 year duration of the epidemic, between a quarter and a third of the population died of the disease. Then in 251 a new and equally devastating epidemic that is thought to have been the measles swept over the empire again. These mortality rates are of the book-of-Revelation proportions! Depopulation was severe not only because of death, but because people of means could flee the plagues, but Christians did not flee. They practiced their Christian faith, giving a drink of water in the name of Jesus, not fearing death because of the heavenly life to come. Generally, the pagans left the sick to die, but Christians nursed the sick. The gospel gave meaning to their work because they viewed heaven as their destination and the epidemic was merely schooling for the life to come. The gospel says that God demonstrates his love through sacrifice and that Christians must demonstrate love in the same way. The plagues did not "passover" the Christians, but their mortality was much less, about 20% less, due to simple nursing, food and water. The pagans noticed this and many were converted as a result.

CONCLUSIONS: A culture is what it believes. The more I study history the more I believe that had Christ not come into the world, it would be a vastly different place than it is now; not advancing beyond the "Greco-Roman" level of advancement because a sufficient foundation for advancement could not be built. Without commenting on Islam, which is another study that verifies my conclusion, the pagan cultures could not explain or give reason why one should be charitable to the sick and the dying. The emperor, Julian, who hated Christians, nevertheless admired their charity, tried to mobilize the pagans to charity, but could not because they had no reason to.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

DOES PSALMS 51:5 SUPPORT THE DOCTRINE OF ORIGINAL SIN?

2010-10-08T19:40:00.000-07:00

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me (Psalms 51:5).

Short answer, no. As is often the case in the Psalms and Proverbs, this is a Hebrew parallelism. The second half of the sentence defines the first. The circumstances of the conception do not mean that the results of the conception are tainted with sin. Actually, David understood the systemic nature of sin, sin is my family history. David could have said, "Ten generations ago (see Ruth 4:12-22; Matt. 1:2-6; Genesis 38:12-30; Deuteronomy 23:2) my family was conceived in sin and I did what my family has always done." A sinful family system has an immediate influence on a conceived, innocent baby, unborn and newborn. A pregnant woman who smokes, drinks, over eats, is unmarried has negatively influenced the little one immediately after conception. At birth, anger, lack of self discipline, over work and under involvement, dysfunctional relationship with dad, etc. all are part of a sinful family system and exert a huge amount of sinful influence on the baby. When I counsel, on the second session, I have the counselee do a genogram, a 3 or 4 generation family history that helps me to understand both the negative and positive dynamics that have influenced my client.

Truth be told, we are all in sinful family systems, but that does not mean that the new-born is a sinner at birth! It only means that he/she was born into a sinful family and as a result, will become a sinner.

In short, the new-born will experience some of the consequences of the parent's sin, but none of the guilt of the parent's sin.

Regardless of what I have said above, the genre is poetry and thus highly emotional. That's hardly the basis on which to build Christian doctrine.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

FOR WHOM TO VOTE?

2010-09-25T12:44:00.000-07:00

. . . choose this day whom you will serve . . .but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15).

The Bible does not speak about what form of civil government is superior to another, but in God's dealing with human kind, He gives human beings the freedom to choose who they will follow. The freedom to choose our civil leaders in one of those God-given, inalienable rights with which human beings have been endowed.

For whom, then, should we vote? For me, the litmus test is life; where does the candidate stand on protecting the most innocent and vulnerable life, the unborn? I do not consider myself a single issue voter, but it seems to me that a candidate's stand on the "life" issue is a window into their soul; is the life in the womb nothing but an unviable tissue mass good only for infant stem cell research or is it a unique human being with its own DNA? First, being pro life means that the candidate will likely be a person of faith, one who is sensitive to God's perspective. Thus the judge up for retention will not legislate matters of faith from the bench; civil unions are for the state, marriage is for the institutions of faith.

Second, if a candidate will stand for the unalienable rights of the unborn, he/she will most likely stand for my rights and freedom. One who is pro abortion will likely think I am not worth the money when I am elderly. Notice that Medicaid is already being defunded.

Third, the candidate who is pro life is more likely to understand the economics of freedom. When people are most free to pursue their vision, working at what interests them, and doing the jobs that step up to their dreams, a great economic dynamo is produced, making more and more prosperity. Government does not produce jobs and money, but government sure can destroy them! While understanding, because of human nature, that government cannot be completely lazze' fare, the pro life candidate understands the sanctity of the fruits of one's risk and labor, knowing that it is not the government's money!

I like my tea hot. I like my tea iced. But know this, no "Bart Stupac" will get my vote! Stupac was not willing to stand against his party for life. That kind of luke-warm stand for life will not get my vote.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

WATER BAPTISM OR SPIRIT BAPTISM: A FALSE CHOICE (Part 5 in a series).

2010-09-21T20:25:00.000-07:00

And the Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and join this chariot." . . . Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this scripture he told him the good news of Jesus, And as they went along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "See, here is water! What is to prevent my being baptized?" (Acts 8:29,35-36).

The anti water baptists would have you believe that every reference to baptism in the New Testament is Spirit baptism; they would have you believe that I Peter 3:21 is Spirit baptism if the context didn't prevent it, so then they try to tell you why it doesn't mean what it says. As I have taught earlier, water and Spirit baptism are two facets of the one baptism (See part 4). From the text above, the providence of the Spirit moves people to be baptized as well as being the baptizer (I Corinthians 12:13).

Preaching the gospel also demanded teaching a response to the gospel, and baptism was taught as part of the response to the gospel. In the conversion stories of Acts, faith isn't always mentioned because it is obvious that it exists when a person asks in response to hearing the gospel, "Men and brethren, what should we do?" It is interesting that in the conversion accounts, not once is a person instructed to pray the sinners prayer, or bow his head and raise his hand, or some equivalent. Baptism in water with the acaccompanying Holy Spirit was the normal response to the gospel. That was the understanding at the writing of the New Testament and is how it should be understood when one encounters baptism when studying the New Testament, unless it is an obvious metaphor.

for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:26-28).

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

Note: Whole books have been written on this subject, but I have decided to end the series with this post. I have painted with some very long and broad strokes, but I can back them up with credible scholarship. I understand why there is disagreement on this subject, but as teachers and preachers of the gospel we have the responsibility to rise above the creeds and systematic theologies and teach truthfully from the Bible.

BAPTISM AND THE HOLY SPIRIT (4th in a series)

2010-09-18T11:59:00.000-07:00

. . . one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all . . . (Ephesians 4:5-6a RSV).

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the othe apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:37-38 NIV).

For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--Jews or Greeks, slaves or free--and all were made to drink of one Spirit (I Corinthians 12:13 RSV).

One of the characteristics of Christian baptism that is different from John's baptism is the Holy Spirit. John's was, like Christian baptism, an immersion in water on condition of repentence for the forgiveness of sin. The Holy Spirit was not a part of the promise of John's baptism (Note: Acts 19:1-3. Rebaptism was necessary in this case.). If the Holy Spirit is not involved in the baptism, it is not Christian baptism.

So how is it that there is but one Christian baptism, yet it appears that there are two baptisms that are a part of conversion, one in water and one in the Spirit? John 3:5 gives us a clue: . . . unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God (RSV). There is one baptism with two facets, the outward baptism in water which dramatizes ones faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the inward baptism of the Spirit, which is the surrender our our spirit to the renewing of the Holy Spirit. Romans 6:6 indicates the baptism of the Spirit when it says, For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin--because anyone who has died has been freed from sin (Roman 6:6-7).

Have you received the one baptism?

Our Father's Blessings
Tom

CHRISTIAN BAPTISM IS BAPTISMA NOT BAPTISMOS (Third in a series)

2010-09-16T21:53:00.000-07:00

Baptism is not the washing away of bodily pollution, but the appeal made to God by a good conscience; and it brings salvation through the resurrection of Jesus Christ . . . (I Peter 3:21).

The image of baptism is one of being overwhelmed, whether it is by water, fire or Spirit. Baptisma is the word used 22 times by the inspired writers of the New Testament to describe whole Christian baptism. It is interesting that baptisma is never found outside of the New Testament in ancient literature. Baptismos is a word used both in the New Testament and in ancient literature to describe washings, ceremonial and otherwise, but it is not used to describe Christian baptism because it only focuses on the act. The ma suffix of baptisma indicates the state of mind that accompanies the act of baptism.

What baptisma describes is the surrender of our bodies to the engulfing, overwhelming water as a visual dramatization of our personal trust in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is also descriptive of our personal surrender of our spirit to the Holy Spirit that we might be led of the Spirit from that point on in newness of life.

Some call Christian baptism only an external rite that can easily be faked, but prayers to receive Christ, something never commanded in the New Testament, can be easily faked as well. Pledges to defend and protect the Constitution are easily faked by elected officials. Marriage vows are easily faked too. The fruit of the Spirit is easily faked during low-stress situations. That something can be easily faked does not mean that it is less valid. The qualities essential to true Christian baptism are faith in Christ and a repentant heart.

When a believing and repentant person is baptized he/she is appealing to God (I Peter 3:21), calling on the name of the Lord, to be saved. Baptism is calling on the name of the Lord, and thus Acts 22:16 makes sense: Get up, be baptised and wash your sins away, calling on his name (NIV). The participle explains the action. Baptism is the appeal to the character and promises of God in Jesus Christ for salvation.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

DOES CHRISTIAN BAPTISM HAVE ANY THING TO DO WITH SALVATION? (Second in a series)

2010-09-14T21:30:00.000-07:00

Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ . . . (I Peter 3:21 RSV).

It should be noted that other translations translate this differently "pledge of a good conscience" or "answer of a good conscience." Read several different versions.

First, I believe that whatever side of the debate, Christians understand that without the gracious incarnation of Christ, his sacrificial and redemptive death, burial and resurrection, there would be no hope of salvation!!! There is not one who is a Christian who thinks otherwise!!!

Having said that, the question remains, does baptism have anything to do with salvation? I Peter 3: 21 should be sufficient to answer the question, but there are numerous Dr's. of divinity and theology who say otherwise because I Peter 3:21 does not fit their systematic theology and creed. Having no creed but Christ, no book but the Bible and no name but the Divine, I only need to preach, teach and defend what God has said in His Word.

Most popular expositors of I Peter 3:21 are embarrassed by it and teach why it doesn't say what it says, "Baptism . . . now saves you . . ." The question about baptism is this, if Jesus saves, what does baptism have to do with that?  Understanding the grammar of I Peter 3:21, the answer is self evident. The Greek word that is translated, appeal, answer or pledge, is a legal word. It was used in interrogations, How do you answer? It was used in making a pledge, Do you take this woman to be your wife? I do! It was used in making a profession, I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God. Baptism is covenant making. A reading of Romans 6:1-6 bears it out.  First, baptism is into the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ; baptism connects us with Jesus who is the only Savior. Second, baptism is our own crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection so that we might not any longer be enslaved to sin. In Christian baptism, the new covenant is signed in the blood of Jesus and our own blood.

One of the characteristics of the new covenant, according to Hebrews 8:11, is that upon entrance into the covenant relationship with God, all would know Him. No longer were people physically born into a covenant relationship with God, as in Israel and had to be taught to know the Lord.  Knowing the Lord was requisite to entering the new covenant relationship. In Christian baptism, one is answering God's question, one is professing faith, pledging allegiance

Can one be saved without baptism? Can a couple be married without a ceremony? A lot of folks would rather try to have a common-law relationship with the Lord than to humbly submit to Him in Christian baptism.   What kind of relationship with Him do you have?

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

Note: Some say that since baptism is the answer of a good conscience then the person is already saved since one cannot have a good conscience without salvation. But, that is not true, and it is dangerous to believe that a good conscience is indicative of salvation.  There are many people who do evil and wrong things in good conscience, the apostle Paul being one of them. One thing that could never be said of Paul is that he went against his conscience. In Acts 23:1 and 24:16 Paul said that is was the practice of his life to live in good conscience--even when he was persecuting to the death believers in Christ! He believed he was doing God's will, but he was not saved.

Baptism is the answer, profession and pledge of one's sincere faith in Christ. Many substitute the sinners prayer for Christian baptism rather than humbly submit to the request of God to meet us in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

CHRISTIAN BAPTISM

2010-09-13T06:30:00.000-07:00

The baptism of John, whence was it? From heaven or from men? (Matthew 21:25)

Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, well versed in the scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John . . . Priscilla and Aquilla heard him, they took him and expounded to him the way of God more accurately (Acts 18:24-26).

I just finished reading a blog by a Dr. of ministry or theology or divinity, it was never made clear, on why baptism had nothing to do with salvation. Now who am I to argue with a Dr.? Many are the doctors out there who are able preachers of the gospel that stumble over the response to the gospel of Christ because they are more in love with their systems of theology and creeds than the word of God. For them baptism is something that needs to be explained away rather than accurately taught. They need to answer about Christian baptism the same question that Jesus posed to the religious leaders of his day on earth about John's baptism, is it from Heaven or is it of men? If Christian baptism is of men then it is not important, but if it is of God, then it must be understood and taught accurately!

Apollos was a great gospel preacher, but he taught the baptism of John. What was the matter with that? The difference is only a triviality--nothing to get excited about. But any preacher and/or teacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ must teach it accurately. Prisilla and Aquilla, in a spirit of love, took the time to explain the difference between John's baptism and Christian baptism so that Apollos could preach the good news of Christ, and the response to it, more accurately.

Because my time for writing is limited, over the next 2 or 3 "silver bullets" I attempt to teach more accurately about Christian baptism than is generally taught from the pulpits of our churches. Almost every church preaches the gospel, the good news that we can have salvation; it is found only in Jesus Christ who is the Lord and Savior. But when it comes to how one is to respond to the gospel, the answers are different. How important is Christian baptism in the response to the gospel? That is the question I will attempt to answer over the next 2 or 3 postings.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

TRY FORGIVENESS

2010-09-09T05:53:00.000-07:00

And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against any one; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses ( Mark 11:25 RSV).

Some of the goals of marriage counseling are to improve communication, to increase understanding in each spouse and to build conflict resolution skills. While being successful in accomplishing these goals in marriage counseling is a good thing, and is exceedingly helpful, nevertheless, healing will never be complete unless there is forgiveness.

When Jesus taught about forgiveness he tended to frame it in financial terms; "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." People are familiar with finance so it makes forgiveness a little more easy to understand when he pictures forgiveness this way. When a debt is forgiven, the note is put through the paper shredder; there is no longer a legal basis to hold the debtor accountable for his debt. Though the debt might not be forgotten, it cannot be brought up again.

That two sinful people can be united in marriage and not hurt one another is nearly impossible and that is why forgiveness is so necessary. Most of the time the hurts are minor, sometimes they are major, but always they will be sources of anger and conflict unless they are forgiven. Forgiveness is a core value of being a Christian; to forgive is to love like God loves in Jesus Christ.

One of the hindrances to effective prayer is when forgiveness is withheld even when it is asked for by the spouse. God will not hear our prayers if we do not forgive the one who has hurt us.

My understanding of Christian forgiveness is that it is not unconditional; there must be a change of mind which is repentance. Sometimes there are pathological abusers out there who take advantage of forgiveness as a means to continue the abuse, but to ask for forgiveness implies a desire to change. According to first John 1:9 forgiveness is conditioned on the offender recognizing his behavior as sinful and thus asking for forgiveness.

God loves each person; Jesus died for all. The sins of every person are paid for in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ--while we were yet sinners Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). God stands willing to forgive anyone who recognizes their sin and embraces Jesus Christ as their lord and savior. Apart from that they stand unforgiven. Likewise, we must be so ready to forgive that forgiveness is a foregone conclusion if one asks us for forgiveness!!!

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

DANGERS INHERENT IN WALKING THE HIGH STEEL

2010-08-29T15:34:00.000-07:00

He who digs a pit may fall into it . . . He who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and he who splits logs may be endangered by them. If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success (Ecclesiastes 10:8-10).

This post is more of a personal note than anything, but, in case that posting suddenly stops, you, my gentle readers, will know why--I have fallen. I have 400 feet of hog barn to put a new roof on. I have worked about 5 days and have completed about 75 feet. What takes most of the time is tearing off the old roof so that the new steel roof can be installed. I will have to say that this hard and demanding physical work is good for this 62 year old body. I have a lot of aches and pains but I feel like I am getting a little stronger and am able to work with much greater agility 10 feet off the ground. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and my skills will increase so that I can complete this task before winter. There is nothing worse than trying to drive screws with numb fingers.

There are blessings that come with hard work and there are dangers; it is good for us to rise to the challenge!

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

GETTING TO KNOW GOD

2010-08-25T07:20:00.000-07:00

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made (Romans 1:19-20 RSV).

They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness and their conflicting thought accuse or perhaps excuse them . . . (Romans 2:15 RSV).

In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son . . . (Hebrews 1:1-2 RSV).

There are many in the scientific community who see God's fingerprints on the universe. That is what God intended, he wanted people to become aware of his presence through the things he has made; nature speaks of nature's God. Nature cannot call itself into existence; nothing cannot become something on its own. Only God can create something out of nothing and it is he whom we must worship. Those who deny the reality of a creator God worship the creation rather than the Creator.

There are those who reduce human beings to being nothing more than animals and only products of evolution out of nothing; only products of heredity and environment. Thus, the value of a human being is not more than that of an animal and that is why abortion is not troubling to a naturalistic evolutionist.

There are religionists who emphasize the doctrine of original sin so much that they reduce a human to being so totally depraved that he cannot do anything right, everything he does is wrong. Again the reductionism is so thorough that a human being is completely incapable of being aware that there is right and wrong, and thus is not responsible. Original sin has been so emphasized that original righteousness has been forgotten. Human beings are created in the image of God and, as a result, though the image has been dimmed by sin, it still exists! Humans do have a conscience, meaning that there is a little bit of God in every person's heart. Human beings are depraved, but they are not totally depraved; they have enough of God in them to seek him and to do some good and beautiful things.

It is God's will that we know him, so the ultimate expression of his communication to us is Jesus Christ. Jesus "reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature," according to Hebrews 1:3. To know Jesus is to know God. To know Jesus first means to know about him. Is it possible to have a deep, fulfilling and enduring relationship without knowing about another? No. So it must be with Jesus. He is revealed in the Bible. Study about him, relate to those who know him and then you will surrender to him in a relationship that will last for eternity.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

FORTY YEARS

2010-08-22T05:15:00.000-07:00

Forty years ago today, the lovely and gracious Helen and I were married. When John Wooden dedicated his book, They Call Me Coach, he said: "This book is gratefully dedicated to my wife, Nellie. Her love, faith and loyalty through the years are primarily responsible for what I am--be that good or be it bad." What an influence wives have on their husbands! Wooden's thoughts ring true for most men in long-term marriages, at least they are for me. Thank you, Helen!!!

Your Blessed Husband,
Tom

CONFLICT AND EMOTIONAL MATURITY

2010-08-17T05:11:00.000-07:00

And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds . . . (Hebrews 12:24).

It is often said that the "causes" of marital conflict are disagreements over such things as children, sex, and money. If no issues surfaces in any of these ares, people would probably get along better. However, people do not have trouble getting along because of issues in these areas. These issues tend to bring out the emotional immaturity of people and it is that immaturity, not the issues, that creates the conflict (Family Evaluation, Kerr/Bowen, 188).

One of the symptoms of low levels of emotional maturity is chronic conflict. In a marriage where there is low emotional maturity, each of the spouses believes that it is the other that needs to change to bring about a change in the relationship. Even though opposites attract, one of the laws of attraction is that people with similar levels of emotional maturity are attracted to each other so, for example, when one of the spouses is aggressive, most often, the other will be passive-aggressive; each will contribute equally to the conflict.

Except for extreme situations, divorce is not a solution, finding someone else is not a solution because the "someone else" will be a person of similar emotional maturity so the conflict will begin all over again. Learning to deal with conflict is not easy, but learning to do these four things will help:

1. Recognize that you are responsible for much of the conflict.

2. Learn to listen so that you understand. Often, we react emotionally before we understand and, as a result, there is conflict.

3. Recognize the effect of your emotional reactivity on yourself and your spouse. To do this, try to be an observer of your own interactions, noting what actually occurs in your conflicted interactions.

4. Be thankful for the good things that are brought to the relationship. On this earth, there are no perfect human relationships. Look for the positive contributions that the other brings to the relationship and be thankful for them. Attempts to coerce a desired behavior in a relationship might appear to be successful, but feed resentments that will eventually manifest themselves in destructive ways. Teach, for the most part, by example and pray that each of you are sensitive to the Spirit's prompting and become the spouses that they need to be.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

AVOIDING THE MARK OF THE BEAST

2010-08-10T19:38:00.000-07:00

Now the weight of the gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty six talents of gold . . . (I Kings 10:14 RSV).

. . . no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let him who has understanding reckon the number of the beast, for it is a human number, its number is six hundred and sixty-six (Revelation 13:17-18 RSV, Emphasis mine).

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well (Matthew 6:31-33 RSV).

Solomon was the wealthiest king in the history of Israel. Just the income of gold was 666 talents, or very roughly, 59,940 pounds. They had so much gold they didn't count the silver. Did all of Solomon's wealth make him into a more devout man of God? Absolutely not! He became more a man of the world. The wealth of the world falls short of the true wealth God wants us to possess. Understanding that the Old Testament is a foreshadowing of the new, I do not believe that is was any accident that Solomon's annual income in gold was 666 talents, it is an important lesson to us all of what happens when one devotes all the labors of his mind and the labors of his hands to the accumulation of wealth.

Those who see money as the solution to every problem are the one's who wear the mark of the beast. The "beast" is an "it" as the Revised Standard Version correctly translates it, not "his" as every other translation glosses it. The beast is materialism and when materialism becomes becomes the dominant focus of a person's, family's, nation's or church's life, things can get ugly! Church's? Yes, Church's!!! To listen to many pastors talk about giving, one would swear that God was going to go out of business if the people didn't "pony up" the required amount of money. The church can be just as guilty of materialism as anyone--watch for the church with the mark of the beast on it! Giving is a matter of worship, it is not a matter of fundraising!
When people join with God, in the obedience of faith, in his enterprise of sharing the gospel and helping people, giving comes freely, joyfully as a matter of worship.

The "Gentiles" are materialistic, God's family is not. I fully understand that there are brothers and sisters in Christ who are in desperate situations, needing food, clean water, clothing to wear. We who have been blessed can be answers to their prayers, but God does not want any of his children to view money as the solution to his or her problems. As the Lord has said, "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

PRESERVING MARRIAGE

2010-08-07T12:29:00.000-07:00

Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them (emphasis mine, Colossians 3:18-19).

Way back in1987, Olin Hicks wrote a book called, What the Bible Says About Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage. His book was instructive to me and I have used it as a reference many times. In his book he affirmed some thoughts that I was already thinking; it is always good to be affirmed by a real scholar. I'm sharing a quote from his book.

A marriage that is serving the purposes God intended marriage to serve will indeed be unbreakable, not for legal reasons but for emotional reasons. The partners in that marriage simply will not separate. A marriage that is failing to serve those purposes cannot be held together by the edicts of pope, priest, elder or preacher. For too long church leaders have been treating the symptom and not the illness itself. In most cases the "medicine" prescribed seems more harmful to the patient than to the disease.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom