Wednesday, May 13, 2009

California Culture?

The internet is abuzz with talk of the "fatal fridge"; a break-room refrigerator was in need of being cleaned, so one woman took it on herself to throw away the old food inside. The fridge had been unplugged "for some time," and the contents were so corrupt that all 325 people who worked there needed to be evacuated, 23 became sick and 7 were hospitalized. The woman who cleaned the refrigerator didn't even notice; she had severe allergies, and was unable to smell.

It's hard to know for sure (after all, we are talking about California), but it's still not too likely that one of the employees brought a Tupperware container of mold for lunch. So how did this happen? The food in the refrigerator was neglected and ignored, and some nearly undetectable microscopic spores began to spread. Without anybody realizing, it slowly grew until it became so overwhelming that it made national news.

In the same way, nobody wakes up one day suddenly deciding to turn away from God. People let the cares of the world choke the Word of God (Luke 8:14) until they entangle them and overcome them (2 Peter 2:20-22). If this is starting to happen to you, then "clean your house" now, before it's too late; don't let a little problem grow to an epidemic.


Monday, April 20, 2009

How to Ignore the Bible with a Clear Conscience

    I have been working on a Masters degree for over a year now, and I have seen, heard, and read people trying to sound like they know what the Bible says, while at the same time doing as they wish. To make things easier for these "scholars," I have assembled the following list of excuses. All of these are actual excuses used by PMETY*; if you don't like the Bible, just pick one (or more) of these to ease your conscience. Don't worry if they contradict each other; consistency doesn't matter to these people.

  1. Paul might have taught that, but Jesus never did; we should just follow the "red letters."
  2. Jesus might have taught that, but Paul modified it.
  3. There's no explicit command; trying to use logic is replacing God's Word with man's thought.
  4. That explicit command was just for people of that time and place; it doesn't apply to us.
  5. The Bible commands that, but we have no example of them doing that.
  6. We have an example of it, but no command.
  7. That's just a tradition, so we don't have to do that.
  8. There's no command for it, but there's nothing wrong with a tradition.
  9. Scholars reject that because it's too different from other passages.
  10. Scholars reject that because it's too similar to other passages.


 

* PMETY: People more educated than you.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Funny Road Signs: Where I Come From, We Use Dogs



It’s Not My Fault

In January, an appeals court in Newark, N.J., reinstated Doris Sexton's worker-compensation lawsuit against a county-owned nursing home where Sexton had claimed that breathing a co-worker's perfume one day in 2004 had made her permanently disabled and tethered to an oxygen tank. A lower court had decided that it was far more likely that her disability was caused by Sexton's 43-year, pack-a-day cigarette habit than by the brief exposure to perfume. [New York Daily News-AP, 1-9-09]

What has happened, when people are compelled to blame others for everything that happens to them? We laugh when we hear of lawsuits like this, and the famous McDonald's coffee case, but the sad fact is that every injury and every difficulty has become an opportunity to blame somebody else. The psychological terms are "external locus of responsibility" and "external locus of control." In other words, everything about one's circumstances is caused by somebody else, and there is nothing that he can do about it (except file a lawsuit, apparently).

What happened to the ideas of duty and personal responsibility? Many other nations demand mandatory military service of all 18-year-old men – neither a draft nor "selective service," but a 2- to 4-year enlistment, in order to instill these ideas in their next generations. Would this work in America? I think that it would be as effective to legislate that all blind people are now required to see.

And if you disagree with me, let me know. We'll file a class action lawsuit against Blogger, for allowing such things to be posted.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Red Roses Were Her Favorite

I know that people who heard this at the Valentine's Dinner are going to want this, so I'm posting it here.


 


 

Red roses were her favorite,

her name was also Rose.

And every year her husband sent

them, tied with pretty bows.


 

The year he died, the roses were

delivered to her door.

The card said, "Be my Valentine",

like all the years before.


 

Each year he sent her roses, and

the note would always say,

"I love you even more this year,

than last year on this day.


 

"My love for you will always grow,

with every passing year."

She knew this was the last time

that the roses would appear.


 

She thought, he ordered roses in

advance before this day.

Her loving husband did not know,

that he would pass away.


 

He always liked to do things early,

way before the time.

Then, if he got too busy,

everything would work out fine.


 

She trimmed the stems, and placed

them in a very special vase.

Then, sat the vase beside the

portrait of his smiling face.


 

She would sit for hours, in her

husband's favorite chair.

While staring at his picture, and

the roses sitting there.


 

A year went by, and it was hard to

live without her mate.

With loneliness and solitude, that

had become her fate.


 

Then, the very hour, as on

Valentines before,

The doorbell rang, and there were

roses, sitting by her door.


 

She brought the roses in, and then

just looked at them in shock.

Then, went to get the telephone, to

call the florist shop.


 

The owner answered, and she asked

him, if he would explain,

Why would someone do this to her,

causing her such pain?


 

"I know your husband passed away,

more than a year ago,"

The owner said, "I knew you'd call,

and you would want to know.


 

The flowers you received today,

were paid for in advance.

Your husband always planned ahead,

he left nothing to chance.


 

There is a standing order, that I

have on file down here,

And he has paid, well in advance,

you'll get them every year.


 

There also is another thing, that I

think you should know,

He wrote a special little card...he

did this years ago.


 

Then, should ever I find out that

he's no longer here,

That's the card...that should be

sent, to you the following year."


 

She thanked him and hung up the

phone, her tears now flowing hard.

Her fingers shaking, as she slowly

reached to get the card.


 

Inside the card, she saw that he

had written her a note.

Then, as she stared in total

silence, this is what he wrote...


 

"Hello my love, I know it's been a

year since I've been gone,

I hope it hasn't been too hard for

you to overcome.


 

I know it must be lonely, and the

pain is very real.

For if it was the other way, I know

how I would feel.


 

The love we shared made everything

so beautiful in life.

I loved you more than words can

say, you were the perfect wife.


 

You were my friend and lover, you

fulfilled my every need.

I know it's only been a year,

but please try not to grieve.


 

I want you to be happy, even when

you shed your tears.

That is why the roses will be sent

to you for years.


 

When you get these roses, think of

all the happiness,

That we had together, and how both

of us were blessed.


 

I have always loved you and I know

I always will.

But, my love, you must go on, you

have some living still.


 

Please...try to find happiness,

while living out your days.

I know it is not easy, but I hope

you find some ways.


 

The roses will come every year, and

they will only stop,

When your door's not answered, when

the florist stops to knock.


 

He will come five times that day,

in case you have gone out.

But after his last visit, he will

know without a doubt,


 

To take the roses to the place,

where I've instructed him,

And place the roses where we are,

together once again.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

The Importance of a Title

It's a small world, especially within the church. Last night at Bible study in Montgomery AL, I heard about events in a congregation where I used to preach. I was not surprised to hear that they had appointed elders; they had been working toward that for quite some time, even before I had preached there. I was not surprised to hear which men had been appointed elders. Unfortunately, I was also not surprised to hear that nearly half the congregation had left as a result of these men being chosen. (Admittedly, most of these people were one very large extended family.) These people believed that at least one of these men, and perhaps both, did not meet the Biblical qualifications for elders. Knowing this, they still went ahead and accepted the position of elders, willingly splitting the congregation.

The true irony: these men, to a large extent, already controlled the events at that congregation. With very few exceptions, whatever these men wanted, they got. They gained no power or authority from becoming elders. The only difference between the situation before and the situation after is a title. For the sake of a title, the church in that place was split in half. The fact that the title of elder was more important than the welfare of the church is, in my sight, proof that these men were not qualified for the position.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Death and Atheism

It's not unusual to find that somebody who is now an atheist was once quite religious. I have found that there are usually two triggers that make somebody reject the very idea of God.

  1. They examined their religion and found it to be inconsistent with the Bible. (As far as I can tell, this says far more about their religion than it does about the existence of God. Getting a counterfeit bill doesn't mean that real money doesn't exist).
  2. Somebody close to them has died. A.N. Wilson is a well known biography writer, who also gained a reputation for his book, Against Religion: Why We Should Live Without It; he said, concerning the death of his father, "From the moment he died I stopped being religious."

While this is not an unusual motivation to reject God, it is completely nonsensical. The logic seems to be, "If God existed, then nobody close to me would ever die; only those I don't like or never knew would die." In essence, those who think this way place themselves at the center of the universe, and a perfect world would keep them from ever feeling any sort of pain or suffering. I've often said that there is pain and suffering in this world so that we won't want to stay here forever; we'll look forward to going someplace better. Death might be unpleasant for those left behind and it might be unexpected if the person is fairly young and healthy, but it shouldn't be seen as a sign that God doesn't exist; if anything, it's a sign that you're not God.