Charis Christos

Almost the End...

2008-04-12T03:35:00.000-07:00

It is almost the end...at least the end of my time here at TBS. It's an odd mix of exciting and frightening to think of the future, both responsiblities and blessings to come.

Something that has struck me in the last little while, is just how influenced people are by perspective, counting many things as factual because someone told them it was true. I find this particularly interesting because so many people use it as an argument against Christianity, but it is more true of other worldviews, and yet people don't recognize this.

A short time ago a friend of mine posted a comment about a particular dinosaur discovery that was making some headlines in the paleontological realm. A "new" species was supposedly discovered, a story was theorized about it, where it ranged, what it ate, how it captured its prey, what its hide looked like, etc. Whatever you can think of, there were details about it. However, what had actually been found was no more than a fragment of the maxilla (upper jaw, part of the skull). Now here is a case of something that thousands, if not millions will believe is some magical part of the already magical evolution process, and yet it is at best speculative propaganda.

There are numerous other examples of this sort of thing. Environmentalists spout all sorts of "facts" but fail to mention where the information comes from or how it was calculated. Most, if not all, liberal theologians begin their interpretation of scripture with their own ideas that begin with denying scriptural statements (which is also grossly inconsistent).

Where we begin our worldviews and what we base them on is very important. There should be astrong attempt to avoid inconsistencies while accepting that we cannot know or do everything. Lots of theories pop up when people simply can't find any other way to explain something. Just look at evolution...

Been a while, huh?

2007-12-05T12:37:00.001-08:00

It has been quite some time since I blogged apparently. Either no time or no internet for the most part I guess. It's interesting how easily we can become sidetracked from things. I don't specifically mean me and blogging, but it s certainly one example. I think of the number of people i have known who simply lose sight of what is important, or how easily we manage to spend so much time on what we acknowledge to be unimportant things.

It's somewhat depressing to realize what the world considers important, and to see how they evaluate what is important and what is not. There really is no basis for one person to look at another and say that one thing is more important than another, because really, it is all subjective and a matter of opinion. Christmas is coming up soon and Bob could easily look at Fred and tell him that eating turkey is more important than spending time with family or buying presents. Fred ould easily respond that the meaning of life is found in his wife buying him another cordless drill. Both may sound absurd, but what basis is there for any absolute? None.

Our society is one that is dependent entirely on perspective, yet one that realizes that there is a need for absolutes. Everyone would agree that a man who kills his 2 year old daughter has done something wrong, even though they may not be able to state why it is wrong.

As Christians, we have a responsibility to not only proclaim the gospel, but also to live our lives in accordance with scriptural truths. We have been blessed with an absolute truth in scripture, beginning with an absolute God. There is great responsibility that comes with this and if we do not do what we can to be examples not only to others in a church setting, but also to society insofar as we are involved in it, then we forsake not only our society, but also the responsibility of that truth and through that, the truth itself.

Need for the gospel

2007-02-05T09:51:00.000-08:00

I have just returned from a lovely weekend back home in Marmora, ON, with my lovely girlfriend Angela. I could ramble on about various details of our time there together, but then that's not really any of your business (no offense). However I will share a bit of how I think, and hope, I may have changed since leaving.

First of all, my purpose in going home for the weekend was to preach at madoc Baptist Church on Sunday morning, and it was through this agency that the change came. Let it never be said that a preacher cannot learn from what he's preachingon, or that the Holy Spirit cannot convict the heart that he is using to convict others; I tell you it is not the case.
The greatest difficulty inpreaching whe you are not the regular preacher of teh church is what to preach on. As the regular preacher, you determine a book of the Bible to preach through or a topic and simply go through it week by week, which both provides you with the next weeks material as well as giving ample time to think of the next book or topic you would like to preach from. Now there are other difficulties that arise, but for me, this has alway been the biggest; what to preach on when you have only one time to preach?

So it was on this particular occasion. I had eventually settled on Micah 6:8, "He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To do justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (NIV)"
Now after carefully breaking it down to examine the text carefully and look at it in a systematic way that would examine it from a biblical perspective and encourage and convict the people of God , I though I was prepared. Then just a few hours before I preached, as I thought through my sermon it hit me: "What does it all mean if we do these things in a way that does not portray Christ; His sacrifice, His condescension, His love and His Godhood. This then I hope to make the new thrust of my life. It is something that I think all believers understand and strive for, but often take, as I think I have, too passively.

No matter what we do for others, and no matter what we give to others, if we do not give them Christ we do nothing for them and we give nothing to them that is of any importance or significance.

I have thought, as have others, that it enough to live a "Christian" life and not use every opportunity to share, but to wait for those opportunities to arise. But how many chances do we have each day to share the gospel through our lives and we waste them because we do not speak our faith? Perhaps it is fear, or maybe just modern western apathy, I don't know, but I honestly believe that if more Christians actively shared their faith, as well as praying for the unsaved and revival, I believe we would see much more revival in North America and the world.

Back at blogging and a little fed up

2007-01-31T14:43:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I have blogged (ok it's been ages since I've blogged), but I finally have some time to do it.

I am slightly miffed. First of all I should say that I don't normally get political on the net, but this time I've had enough. For the last couple of weeks, all I have heard about is which party is less environmentally friendly than the other, which leader said what in the past, and how it's so very important but they would rather spend time duking it out for an election than actually doing something about the issue. This is one of the problems with party politics, everyone is more concerned about how much power their party has than actually doing anything beneficial.

Don't get me wrong, I think the environment is a very important issue. I think there is inherent in man's God given mandate a responsibility to care for our surroundings, and I think that extends far beyond the ozone layer. What I am saying is that for far too long, the environment has been a political fortress for politicians to hide behind or platform on, but there has been terribly little done about it. We constantly hear about car emmisions, and to that end the drive clean program has been a good idea, at least in Ontario, but how widely implemented is it ini other provinces? Car emmisions only count for a very minute portion of "greenhouse" emmisions, so lets see some higher standards on factories, and more regulations concerning industrial and commercial power consumption.

Whatever the govenment decides right now is irrelevant. The problem is not one of a lack of ideas and potential solutions to the problem, but that no one in Parliament really wants to do anything. If these people who are supposed to be representatives of the people really are representing the people, then why can't they put party differences aside and work together on something they supposedly agree on?

Likely more will follow this post, but for now, that's my rant!

Back to Normal...?

2006-09-15T19:49:00.000-07:00

Well the time for peaceful reflections by the lake seem to be past, as are those firsdt easy days of class. Things havev all too rapidly approached and achieved their "normal" status of hectic and building towards crazy. I don't know how I ever get by without times like these!

Tommorrow marks the beginning of our College and Careers program here at Jarvis St. Baptist church. We will be spending the afternoon passing out tracts and trying to attract some attention for our first meeting which is to follow in the evening. On behalf of all of the leadership involved I would ask that you keep us in prayer as we seek the Lord's will for our direction this year. We hope, at least I hope (our leadership meeting is tommorrow!) that this will be a year to bring in new faces, tocontinue to seek growth for our members spiritualy, to outreach to the community, especially youth and young adults, and to take time to relax and have fun as well. Those who have gone from high school to college will learn all too soon that there is often not as much time outside of school life for fun and relaxation, which is not to say that it will not be there, but it may not come as often. As well, i know from experience that there is a great deal f stress and pressure when you are single and in school, whether at seminary or any other school, and sometimes it is important to take things slow once in a while. And so, while we will be trying to focus on a time of praise and teaching from scripture, we will also be making opportunities to "retreat" or just to have fun some nights as well.

We will be regularly meeting at Jarvis Street Baptist Chruch, at the corner of Jarvis St. and Gerrard St. East, at 7:30 pm every Saturday night. Anyone seeking more information can contact me at donaldvilneff@hotmail.com or our C&C contact person Karissa at kdarvin@gmail.com

Please feel free to invite anyone you know who may be interested.

Thoughts from the lake

2006-09-11T19:33:00.000-07:00

I'm back at TBS again, and apparently I'm blogging again. I coul give an update of what's going on here at school, or I could say what happened over the summer. But right now I want to share a thought or three.

Last week I embarked as one of the many travellers on the TBS student/faculty retreat, held at beautiful Shalom by the Lake, about 1/2 an hour North of Minden, ON.
thursday, while stroling along the beach and admiring God's creation and contemplating His goodness to me, I looked down into the water and out on the lake and these things occurred to me.

While looking at the stones on the lake bottom in the shallow water, it occured to me that those rocks are very much like the problems and difficulties in our lives. We know they are there and sometimes whether we pay attention to them or worry about them or not, they cause us pain and we more often than not wish that they weren't there. But if those small rocks are the struggles in life, then God is the whole lake (don't read any more than I say in here. I know there are problems, but hey, it's a metaphor). The lake moves thos rocks and goes right over top of them as if they weren't there at all. More to the point, it also shapes those rocks. God, in far grander fashion, moves the rocks in our lives around. He puts them where they are for a reason, and He shapes them perfectly for His purposes. And when they seem so big to us, God goes right over them as if they weren't there.

While canoeing across the lake with my friend Philip I thought; the lake is kind of like life and the canoe like our progress through it. When you think that you've gone a long ways and it seems like you've been on the water forever, look around, and you will probably see that you really haven't gone that far. Or sometimes we like to take the motorboat, because fast seems ike so much fun. But in the end we only get to the other side and find out that the ride is over faster, and that we didn't take the time to appreciate the ride.

I could go on, I could explain all of the subtle nuances and take various tangents on these little thoughts of mine. I could, but then you're smart people and I'm sure you'll figure it out on your own!

Even on the Worst Days...

2006-03-13T19:15:00.000-08:00

It's funny how things can sometimes hit you only after they're past. Take today for example. I woke up this morning and had to go to work; it was raining and by the time I made it to the subway, both feet were wet, and my jacket was beginning to soak through. I got to work early, but that only meant that I had time to spend on Greek homework (I like Greek, but first thing in the morning; right before I start work? C'mon!). I was then greeted by the most mundane of tasks and duties that I have thus far encountered at the store, and spent about 60% of my day trying to solve other peoples problems over the phone or tracking down things that we didn't carry in stock. Sounds like a crumby day right?

Here's the thing...throughout the whole day, almost none of this bothered me at the time, because I was simply content to be able to do what I do. I stopped once or twice to reflect on some of the days events, and then it seemed that things had been a whole lot worse than they actually had been. But that isn't my point.

Later on, after even more relatively uninteresting and mundane "activities (?)" I came to a yet greater conclusion concerning the day: God is good!
I hadn't really thought about it much all day, just as I had sort of taken for granted the way that things were going to go at work and put myself in that frame of mind, I think I also had come to take the fact that God is good so much for granted that it simply hadn't occurred to me all day. Which brings me to my point...

Even on the worst days, God continues to be exactly who is is and always has been. I think that all too often we fail to stop and reflect on who God is and what He has done for us, even just in that day since we have gotten out of bed. Everyday I get out of bed. Sounds like a simple thing, and sometimes I don't even want to, yet how many people are unable to do this on their own, or in some cases at all. I complain some days because of classes or homework, or work, or because I'm too busy, but how blessed I am to have the opportunity to go to school, and to be able to do hoimework, and to have a job? All of this is by God's providential sustaining work in my life, and in that same way, He sometimes uses me in the lives of others (such as those people I sometimes have to deal with at work).

All of that just to say that God is as good today as He was yesterday as he will be tommorrow. Leave it to me to find the wordy way to say it!

God gives grace

2006-02-22T10:16:00.000-08:00

A reminder that when we seem beset on all sides by trials, that God is with us and has allowed these things to happen in our lives for a purpose; and that He remains in complete and absolute control of all things.

God gives grace to those in need
to carry on in faith and deed,
cares for those whom he loves dear,
called to Himself and thus drawn near;
greatest conflict for us He's won,
and sanctification in us begun.

God gives grace to those He loves,
sometimes guides and sometimes shoves,
to work in us those things we need,
drive to His word with heart to heed
where we need to be He sends us go,
but halts our life that grace we'll know.

God gives grace to those in haste,
our lives are His, He shall not waste;
but accomplish in us every need,
and for His sake through us in every deed
for we are loved by His sovereign will,
He saved us and He guides us still.

God gives grace to those He tests;
strengthens and prepares for us a rest,
as impure Gold seeks to refine
by precious grace, O sweet divine!
By trials He strengthens, tries and thus
completes His work begun in us.

How to blog...

2006-02-21T10:24:00.000-08:00

In a recent conversation with a friend of mine from school, one Peter No by name, we turned to the topic of blogging. He told me that while he freuented blogs, he did not yet have one of his own, due to the fact that he did not know what to use as a theme, and did not want to be so sporadic and random as to have no overarching theme to give it some unity. I pointed to my blog as an example of this; simply an extension of my need to rant from time to time, and to get things off my chest. Alternately I could view it as a way to express myself to the three people who actually read my blog from time to time, but let's face it, there are easier way to do that.

So why blog? What is the ultimate motivation to do this in the first place. If we were to face reality, we would have to admit that there is at least some degree of pride involved, insomuch as we who blog honestly think that we have something worthwhile to say, while my own experience is that about 90% of the time this is not true. So do we blog to express ourselves, or perhaps as Christian bloggers we do it for the edification of fellow believers and as a form of outreach for those who are not; or do we do it in the hopes that our creative and writing genius as expressed through solid and deep theoogical and philisophical themes set forth in a witty and entertaining, yet informative and helpful medium will get us discovered by someone and land us a three book deal with a major publisher. Reality, something we bloggers have no great taste for, tells me that I'm writing this blog today just because I can. I don't know that that measures up well for motivation, but it does set a good standard for honesty. I can guarantee that if you read this through to its entirety you won't really learn anything, but then again, what are our motivations for reading blogs? Deep as this is, even i don't have that much time to waste!

So how should we blog? Should we have an overarching theme to our blog pages, or should we just allow ourselves the freedom of expression that blogging grants to us, constrained only by Christian conscience and how long we actually feel like typing something that others are likely to only mock anyway? If you've read this far and yuo think I have an answer then you haven't been paying attention. Obviously I don't know. Seriously for a second though, I think that god has made us in such a way that we are not constrained to be of such continuously stoic nature that we never allow ourselves to have fun and let loose with some silliness once in a while. We have no end of publications that are devoted to serious material and to people ranting about all of the serious issues of life, and while I have no problem with that per se, or with people blogging about those things as well, I don't think that means that we have to hold opurselves to a set routine at all times and never deviate from a particular course of style or topic. If that is your goal then don't blog, at least not as a freelancer, maybe if you are one of those people who are "serious bloggers", but allow yourself to have some fun with it, or get a job working for one of those publications. If you think you have to take yuorself seriously at all times then follow the following steps (or even just run it through in your mind). Stand in front of a mirror. Now look at yourself carefully, taking in every serious and well trimmed prima nd proper feature of your face. Notice carefully you have groomed yourself to look as professional and serious as you can in preparation for the coming day. Now stick out your tongue. Notice now how ridiculous you look now. Now you are ready to not take yourself so seriously.

Go on and blog about it why don't you!

Pastoral Theology class on marriage

2006-02-17T18:43:00.000-08:00

O Gertrude! Wherefore art thou O Gertrude? Laments my soul for the indescribable Gertrude!

Does this mean I'm cultured now?

2006-02-13T12:05:00.000-08:00

It finally happened! One of those things that no one ever would have expected...that's right, I went to the opera!

Friday night, accompanied by a few close friends, I attended the Canadian Opera Company's rendition of Richard Wagner's Gotterdamerung at the Hummingbird Centre. It was interesting to notice, although pointed out to me beforehand by Clint Humphrey of Cowboyology, that there is present in so many classic mythologies and even in revisitations of such things as we see presnt in Wagner's work, that there are themes that run in such close parallels to scriptural themes, but in a fallen perspective. One can notice in a moment such themes as a fallen condition, the need for repentance and ultimately death, in virtually every mythology that the world has ever produced. In this I think that the Norse in particular are close in their thinking of some of their themes in comparing them to scriptural truths.

Now I do not want to be accused of stating that there is a direct gospel message from norse mythology, but there are some interesting points to notice such as the mortality of thje norse gods. Although in myths the norse gods are given to be beings of immense power and ability, especially where concerns their given sphere, they ultimately are not much more than mortals, having both a beginning and an end. This may not appear to be scriptuarl, but it proves that there is really only one true God who has been present since before the beginning of eternity. There are also stories of the births of the gods in most other mythologies as well, and as far as I have ever been able to tell, there is no other religion where deities are eternal in the way the God is.

Another thing to notice is the idea of a final redemption through death. Only barely touched upon in Gotterdamerung, there is a long drawn out theme of fallen creation and godhood in norse mythology that continually gets worse unbtil at last the final day comes with the destruction of everything, even the gods themselves. Ragnarok, the day of destruction is the end of all that is, but through it comes about the rebirth and renewal of the world. This however, does little to inspire hope as ultimamately there will come about still another fall and another end to things and another rebirth. Essentially, history of the world becomes cyclical, and there is no hope o be found at all.

What a wonderful truth we have in scripture, that although we are a fallen world and a fallen creation, and there does come to all things that are created a death and destruction, our rebirth only happens once. There will in fact come a time when God will remake everything new, but that remade creation will be perfect, and will not be given license to fall from grace. We will then dwell forever in the presence of our God and heavenly Father for all eternity. It is a wonderful thing that our God is a God who is not mortal, and that He is not created by us in our image, but we are made in His. Our hope is not found in our own feeble dreams and hopes, but in he word of God and His glory and sovereign will;

Amen.

Haven't blogged in a while...

2006-02-06T12:47:00.000-08:00

When hearts are broken, and hope seems lost
and feebled hearts and minds are tossed
and all the world, cold, hard as ice,
and souls lay upon it, burdened thrice,
the foes and troubles all compressed
and pressing 'pon this now troubled breast
till all the life has ebbed away
and faith holds not for light of new day
but buried far 'neath cares so deep
the spirit, hopeless, longs for sleep.

What now upon this earth can save,
from out its sorrows and escape the grave?
There is no comfort hidden here,
but only fuel for pain and tear.
All that once didst bring me joy
has now my heart sought to destroy;
friends have left and love's forsaken;
all earthly comfort from me taken.
Trials trials seek me all around
as I lie there cold, within that ground.

Yet as cares and fears should darken,
a sweet voice I hear and to it hearken,
and to it come with all my soul,
and that once broken becomes whole;
and every shattered piece replaced,
not by my will but by His grace.
Now glorious end of pain in sight,
His face so radiant, shines so bright,
that greatest darkness, much less night,
can e'er presume to usurp His light;
but my spirit looking 'ponHim is lifted,
up to highest heaven and there is gifted
with blessed life for evermore,
with n more pain, famine or war.
Merely human in life I am flawed,
but Holy and mighty is my God.

Another year older....

2005-12-13T16:55:00.000-08:00

And all the potential to be my most depressing blog to date!

It was, as was noticed by a small group of friends and well wishers, my birthday yesterday. And once again I find myself contemplating (not brooding I said contemplating) on the North American penchant for the celebration of days that go like any other day but with a reminder that you're far less significant than you would lik to think. Really, it's just another day, albeit one that commemorates life, and as far as the world at large is concerned, it's nothing but another weekday. But we turn it into a thing of promises. It's like New Year's Eve or something, with promises of starting a new year of life, and the whole superstition of "making a wish" and the ideal of getting something that you really wanted. Let's face it, we never get what we really want.

Birthdays are made out to be something of a dream day; a day to fantasize about what could be and what might be, and ultimately it comes short and ends up being just another day of reality coming crashing down on dreams and aspirations.

Sorry for the rather uninspirational blog. We all have our days. Mine just happened to be yesterday. And by all means, enjoy your birthdays. Please!

O Love Divine

2005-12-07T13:11:00.000-08:00

After a long time since it was first mentioned to me I finally post one of my poems:

O love divine, that grace which saves,
the road to God through Christ is paved;
that love which God to God ascribes,
has saved both servants, kings and scribes.
Blessings like rain from heaven fall,
displays His glory, to man, to all.

O love divine, that sweet, sweet grace,
which brings us hope to see His face;
That hope which when is done this life
and comes to end this worldly strife,
knowing some day that when I die
It's by His side that I'll be by.

O love divine, this glorious thing,
that on that day we'll praises sing,
to God the king who reigns on high;
whose glory fills both earth and sky;
to Him who brought me out from hell,
I'll sing His praise and with Him dwell.

His great triumph salvation's bought,
by grace it's His sweet face I've sought,
through Christ's death there upon the cross,
on that day of seeming greatest loss;
yet by Christ's suffering upon that tree,
His blood from sin has made me free.

Distractions...

2005-12-04T14:18:00.000-08:00

Its funny the things that can pull us away in life; some for good, some for bad and some...

It's amazing sometimes the sheer number of things there are for us to be distracted from. It seems to me that this is especially true for Christians, and even more so for those who are studying for the ministry. There are things to distract us from our studies, and those are plentious; things to detract from our time spent in scripture; things that take us away from our friends and family; and then there are those major things that take our minds off of just about everything in life. In hindsight, those are often both the most dangerous types of distractions, and the most enjoyable.

First of all, i am not talking about the little distractions, like staring at the pattern of your wallpaper for half and hour, though if that's your thing then fine. I am concerned here more with those large hulking distractions that have a tendancy to occupy both large portions of our time and our mind. For some it's movies or television or computers, for others it's a hobby of some sort, and there are other notable examples as well...

What is the point of me writing about this? After all, we all experience distractions at times, and dwelling on them after the fact is, well...distracting. But there is a point, and again, this is especially for Christians. We go through different things for a reason, and we quite often come out on the other side without knowing what the reason for it was, and this is often something we do not even consider when distractions come up. But we do have the assurance that God is in control of all. If God allows us to go through something, we know that there is some value to it, whether it is something that we are to learn or that we are to experience; this varies widely from case to caes I'm sure, but the point is, there's always a point.

Sometimes I think it can be a good thing to look back on something that may have been distracting us for a while, and focus on what good may have some out of it, and not focus so much on what you may have missed out on because of it, or see it as time wasted, but see if it served in any way to cause growth in a particular aspect of our life. Was it beneficial, even if the end result left something to be desired? When all was said and done, could we still glorify God with all our hearts?

Certainly the most difficult part of overcoming distractions is moving on beyond them. This can be difficult, and often painful as well; but it is necessary if we are to overcome it as a trial and persevere as we ought. God willing, we come out stronger on the other side.

Basis for Faith

2005-11-22T11:31:00.000-08:00

In my continued exasperation in the realm of those who argue over the issue of intelligent design, I have come across two interesting figures; George Coyne, the Vatican's top astronomer; and Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn of Austria. Both are men from the Catholic Church, and both have taken interesting stances on the ID debate, at least from a believer's perspective.

Coyne argues that ID isn't science, an interesting argument that never seems to get backed up by much in the way of actual argumentation. Schoenborn goes even further, stating that the Biblical theory of creation cannot be a scientific one.
Now why bring up a couple of prominent religious figures into the ID issue? Not to poke holes in the evolution argument (they do that on their own), but to ask the question, "what do we base our faith on?"

The reason I ask this is this; if we base our faith, even regarding something that relates to science; if we allow modern or current scientific theories to impact our faith, we have a very unstable baisi for our faith. In the same way I would even argue that at times citing science to prove certain areas of scripture to be true can be dangerous. If science today proves something true, then tommorrow if scientists change their mind and decide it is not true, do I follow suite and change my mind as well? This makes for a very shaky foundation for faith. Seldom however, does science ever disporve scripoture.
Consider: in the early 1990's there had been no previously discovered evidence to the historicity of King David. However, in the mid 90's a tabelet mentioning the "house of David" was unearthed, giving archiologists their first likely evidence that David was a real king. For the Christian who believes that scripture is the word of God and infallible, there was never a question.
Likewise; science has changed in so many things in the past 100 years, that it would be more than a little foolhardy to assume that scientists now know all that there is to know regarding creation or anything else in the Bible. Does the fact that popular science and the Bible disagree on things meant hat here is nothing scientific about the Bible?

Well, in a sense yes; in that there are no formulas and no explanations for how God created such fascinating things as whales, macaws and dung beetles. But in other ways, the Bible is strongly supportive of much science. Much of the book of Leviticus could be defined as a survival guide for desert living for the next forty years. Things such as infectious diseases and spreading mold were dealt with in effective ways that several centuries later could have prevented the bubonic plague from ravaging Europe.

In wonder then, if as popular science again changes it's mind, if Coyne and Schoenborn will change their views as well. How can we claim to believe in a god who exists in the Bible as a loving, compassionate god; and yet fail to recognize that god as being creator and redeemer. When we leave out aspects of God's nature that make Him God, we turn God into god, and He becomes nothing more to our minds than another religious idea. We cannot presume to throw out those parts of God, orHis word that do not fit with our presuppositions of who He is. There is only one true characteristic of God, and that is God.

Been Awhile...

2005-11-20T19:37:00.000-08:00

It's been awhlie since I've last blogged, but I'm still here. Simply astounded at God's grace when it comes to bringing us through difficult times. Not to go into any detail here, but I've been going through some personal struggles lately and I know it is God's grace that continues to bring me through.

I was reminded by one of my readers (or maybe I should say my one reader) that I haven't written anything here in a while. Considering it now, I don't know if that's because I've had nothing to say, or because there seems to be so much to say that I simply don't know where to start! The intelligent design debate, always a key issue for me, especially in the States, continues to rage on all over the place. One of the things I have to give the States credit for is the fact that htere is a debate. In Canadas it seems that there's not enough interest in Intelligent Design, or in God for that matter or truth, to even begin such a debate.
The same sex marriage issue has popped up in Maine, where it seems that gay rights activists are not planning to push for same sex marriage just yet, although many acknowledge that it wouldn't take much to get the ball rolling, just one couple to bring it to court.
Toronto of course is still in shock from the recent gang shooting that took place outside a church during a funeral. Some things just go on senselessly and violence begets violence.

So aside from depressing everyone, what's the point of my brief rant on recent events, notably the more discouraging ones?
That despite all of this, God is still in control!
Now I could go on about God's judgment on our nation and society's depravity, but you've probably already heard about that today, and if you haven't figured it out by now, me telling you again isn't going to help!

Rather, I desire to encourage people, especially believers, that the plight of our wicked society is not a hopeless one. It is one that the people of this nation have brought upon themselves, and certainly is deserved, but not one that is beyond the effects of God's grace.
What can we do? We can pray. Never forget that our god is the God who hears the prayers of His people and is fully capable of answering those prayers. Pray for our leaders and politicians. Just imagine the efect on our country if Paul Martin (the Prime Minister, not the pastor) were to suddenly become converted.

We can read our Bibles and take great comfort from what is written there. Can't find comfort or encouragement in the Bible? Try reading Psalms, remembering what David went through at times; or Job, and uhnderstand how bleak his life looked; or read the New Testament and all the wonderful truths regarding salvation and God's compassion on His elect. If these can't bring you some measure of comfort, not much will.

Finally, don't be so bleak about things all the time. There is still joy to be found and things to encourage us even here in Canada. We still have freedom to worship. We still have the right to possess Bibles. I don't know how long those rights will continue, but we should thank God for them while we do have them. Take the joy that can be found in scripture out into the world, to the workplace, to the bus stop, to wherever you go. Our joy in Christ should be such that even the most desperate situations in our lives cannot outweigh our joy for long.

Remember that the greatest battle of our lives, that against our sin, has already been won for us by Christ. What are all of the concerns of the world compared to that? Praise Him in all things. Amen!

Thanksgiving again?

2005-10-26T08:40:00.000-07:00

I know that with the exceptions of our American cousins to the South, Thanksgiving is now over with. However, as I mentioned awhile ago, I don't think that constitutes a reason to stop being thankful. In fact I would say that God has creatd us to worship, and part of that worship is in the being thankful for all things, according to our understanding of God; both who He is and what He has done.

I recently had a couple of days to consider these things while away from school, where I coud stop from the hectic schedule and life of seminary and consider just what God has done for me in my own life. Just the blessing of somewhere to go and some old friends to visit, and God's provision for the trip, was more than enough to get me thinking about how much praise and worship I don't give God simlpy because I fail to consider His workings in my life.

How often do things happen in our lives that are wonderful and we rejoice in them, but do not give God any glory; or we give Him jus enough glory to keep our conscience clear. We ought to be glorifying God in all things; if in rejoicing, then thank Him and praise Him that we have cause to rejoice; if in suffering, then knowing that our suffering is for a purpose.

God is good in allthings, how acn we possibly diminish that goodess to just one weekend a year to give thanks to Him? we can't, at least not if we are sincere. Let us worship and give thanks in all things.

God is good

2005-10-18T10:32:00.000-07:00

Of course this goes without saying, but I have a reason for saying this. Please bear with me.

Here at TBS, the occasional opportunity arises to get out and see another little corner of the theological world. Some weeks ago, one such opportunity came across my path to go to Grand Rapids for a library dedication ceremony. For many reasons I jumped at the chance and eagerly accepted the invitation.
Yesterday brought the news that the trip had been cancelled, much to my great dismay and disappointment. Yet in the midst of this disappointment I find great joy. My work was going to be condensed for the entire week into three days, I had to find someone to replace me for a couple of duties, and I would be faced with the momentous decision of what books to buy and what books to leave (possibly a psyche shattering decision in itself).
Instead, I am now ahead (ok, caught up) in my work, I no longer have any of the burdens that had presented themselves, and the reasons for the trip being cancelled, which were wholly laudable reasons, can be addressed and taken care of.

My point is this; that even in times of extreme disappoinment and regret, God is every bit as active as He is at other times in our life. God is good, looking after not our wants, but our needs. What I wanted was to go to Grand Rapids, what I needed was to get ahead in my studies and have some time to relax (as though that ever happens!).
While I was so caught up in my own desires, I had failed to live by faith in regards to what was going on in my life; thank God for His grace in bringing me back to where I should have been the whole time.

God is good, and greatly to be praised.

part of our liberty...

2005-10-17T13:19:00.000-07:00

As Christians, one of the terms that is frequently bandied about is "Christian liberty", but what we mean by it is often obscure. We often use teh term to excuse our behavior, or the lack thereof, but it is all too seldom that we use it to excuse that behavior that we should already be engaged in.

Realizing that this sounds more than a little cryptic right now, let me elaborate. We say "Christian liberty" so that we can either have an excuse to do something which we know we shouldn't, or to excuse us from doing something that we know that we should be doing. There is a problem with this attitude, but it is not my intention at this time to rebuke this anti-nomian sentiment. It is however my point hat we should intsead use Christian liberty as an encouragement to engage in those things which we ought to have a part in. Notably, it comes to mind, our involvement in our community and environment, both on a local and national, if not global, scale.

Driving in the car this morning, a comment was made about the presence of evangelicals in the US. I retorted, with an immediacy that precludes the truth of the situation in my mind, that there were evangelicals in Canada, but that the problem is that they are too busy trying to be good, quiet, polite Canadians to ever bother voicing an opinion.
Think about it, as Canadians, we grow up under the impressionthat quiet and polite is the way to go about everything, which is not a bad thing necessarily. We often chide our loud, arrogant cousins to the south, considering them to be rude and ill-mannered, while failing to recognise that at the very least they do not hesitate to share their opinion.
Not to warrant their attitudes, but their is something to be said sometimes about frankness, and the willingness to tell others when they are wrong, and there is certainly a place and manner to do this within the gentleness and humility that needs to accompany Christian conduct.

One cannot help but wonder though, since there are allegedly so many evangelical Christians in canada, why is it that we never, or at least ver seldom, hear from them? Is it that the media in Canada is so far gone that whatever voice we do have is utterly silenced outside of certain circles? Maybe, but this seems unlikely given that there is always some reporter or newspaper willing to listen to the evangelical perspective if only to take a shot at the government and established authorities. No; I would suggest it is because when something comes up, we either fail to stand united on an issue, or because we feel that things will go how they will go regardless of our imput.

By this point, if you are still reading, you're either wondering what my point is, or have already figured it out. We have a Christian liberty in this matter; in fact I would argue that we have a Christian duty in this matter; and that is to have a voice in the things that affect our country and cities. We as Christians have a duty to represent our faith in all things, not just in personal afairs or church life, but also politics and all aspects of life. This is not to say that we ought to take up arms and storm parliament, but that we ought to use the means that are available to try to affect change.

The time of sitting back as evangelicals and conservatives in Canada and simply complaining about what's going on must come to an end. If we do not start taking some action in this country, we are going to find things becoming a lot worse than they are now.

Thanksgiving...do we really?

2005-10-10T20:29:00.000-07:00

Not that anyone reads this anyway, but if they did, they would notice that I've not posted for a few days. There is reason for that; I was home for thanksgiving. One of the things that seems to come up over thanksgiving is that we often fail to stop, except maybe before a meal, to give thanks to God for what He has done for us, and the truth is there is so much if we just stop to think about it.

So here's some of my list from just the past weekend.

I'm thankful for:
My friends Mark and Debby, and their children, who came down to
pick me up to go home for the weekend, and the time I was able
to spend with them later

The wedding of my friend Shawn and his new wife Theodora

My friends Andrew and Kara, who provided my lodgings and much of
my food over the weekend

Time spent with my family today

Time to share with some friends what's going on in our lives and
some moments of encouragement

God's provision for manty of my friends and myself just over
what He's done in the past weekend

The pastor of my home church, who has been a huge encouragement
to me

A safe return to school tonight and some quiet time with a few
friends, including the chance to buy Phil supper

And the list goes on, but let's face it, you have more important things to think about than what God has done for me; think about what He has done for you in the past year; the past month, probably even the past day or so there are things that should come to mind.

We have a holiday (holy day?) that we call thanksgiving; but how often do we stop to give thanks? And when we do, who is that thanks given to? Let us give thanks to God, and Him alone.

To God be all glory, honour and praise!

Things I'm thankful for: friends

2005-10-06T21:59:00.000-07:00

As mentioned a blog or two ago, sometimes its good to stop and have a quiet time with the Lord. Sometimes as well its good to have quiet times with friends and find out what's really going on in the hearts and minds of those we care for.

One of the great blessings I enjoy is the way that God has surrounded me with friends. Not just any friends, but really supportive friends; the type that you can open up to and share what's going on in your life with, as well as have a good time with.

I had a really good discussion with one such friend this evening, and we both found out quite a bit about the other; although I think he found out more about me than I about him; and its just such a relief to be able to get things off my chest with someone I can trust.

Friends are just one more thing for which I am continually thankful to God. I hope and pray that we all take the time to evaluate our friendships and how much they mean to us, and that we would be constantly in prayer for those whom we care for.

God gives us so much every day to be thankful for; may we praise Him always and in all things.

Why the minority?

2005-10-05T13:04:00.000-07:00

Have you ever noticed how our society tends to cater more to the minority than not? Some examples: gay marriage in Canada; the creationist ban in public schools in the U.S.; and the seemingly myriad other issues that continually pop up in the news almost every day (or so it seems).

Is it just because these minorities are more vocal than the rest of teh nation? Surveys during the same sex marriage debate i Canada showed that over 60% of Canadians were opposed to the bill that would legalize same sex unions, yet it passed. Now a similar stat is presumed over teaching of creationism alongside evolution. Yet despite the majority vote the government always seems to swing the other way.

Not that the majority is always right, but when the difference is so obvious and the choice seems so simple, the numbers should only confirm the right thing. Nor is there anything wrong with being in the minority, but again the issue should not always be the numbers alone, but what is actually right in the situation.

If for example, the city of Toronto put forth a proposal to design and build a new park as a memorial to...whatever, and the majority of tax paying residents of Toronto were in favour of it, the sensible thing to do would be to go ahead with the park; not to listen to one person who has a problem.

Yet for some reason, when a similar situation arises and there is a "moral" or "religious" issue at stake as well, even if teh majority are still in favour, the one person (or percentile equivalent) tends to win out.

Now I'm not saying its the best system, though its the best we have, but doesn't democracy work on th eprinciple that the members of the government are elected to represent the concerns and issues of the people who voted for them? Is it not then a gross misrepresentation of that authority which has been given to them to simply ignore the concerns and requests of the people and listen to those who likely did not vote for the elected officials in the first place (if in fact they voted at all, a rare minority in canada it seems).

In days gone by, the way that troublemakers and rabble rousers were dealt with was either exile or execution (not that I either endorse or condone such action), but now it seems we just give in and hope they go away.

But enough of my complaining about it, the real issue is what is to be done about it? I strongly encourage those who actually read the posts on my site (that's right, both of you) to take a more active interest in what goes on in your country. In this information age all it often takes is an email or a phone call to make your opinion known. But the important thing is to be heard. We cannot stand idly by and allow our country to be dictated by everyone who has a problem with a tradition or law, yet slowly, that is exactly what is happening.

Be active and be aware.

Quiet Moments

2005-10-04T19:45:00.000-07:00

This has been a busy week. And it's only Tuesday.

I know we all have those times when life goes by so fast that it seems like you do all that you can just to try and keep up and you still fall behind. Times when no matter what you do it seems like things pile up faster than you can possibly do them. This has been just such a week.

Homework, classes, fieldwork, social life (?) all pile up, one against the other and then all of a sudden I stop and consider; where is my time for God?
It all happens so suddenly that it catches me like a brick to the head, and stumbling I realize that the more I allow myself to be sidetracked by the other things in my life, the more I cannot catch up because I rely on myself, and not on God.
I would like to think that I am not that foolish; nor that arrogant to think that this is true, yet it seems to be.

I find that it is during these particularly chaotic times when we seem to have no time for God that we most need Him. Just as Martin Luther was always too busy NOT to pray, so I think we often find ourselves in situations where we would benefit greatly by taking a few minutes to quiet our hearts before the Lord.

What can we pray for during these times? What is your situation? Pray accordingly; but often it is good to remind ourselves that it is God who is in control, not us. A calm and peaceful spirit are probably good things to pray for as well, but by the time you've come to the point of realizing God is in control, hopefully there will be a sense of peace to accompany that realization as well.

I try to continually remind myself that no matter how bad things seem at times, God is still sovereign in all things, and has purposed all my struggles and trials out for a good that I probably can't even begin to imagine until it comes. My constant prayer is that in all things I would willfully glorify God. May this be the prayer on all our hearts.

May God richly bless each and every one who calls Him Lord.

Evolution versus Intelligent design versus Creation...sigh

2005-10-03T15:49:00.000-07:00

Alright, so there's a whole lot on this "intelligent design equals creationism" debate going on, and on top of that there seems to be this lingering notion in the minds of some people that evolution at some point has actually been a real science.

First of all, intelligent design (ID) is not the same as creationism. However, the natural conclusion (at least from a Christian perspective) of ID is that God created the world (and everything else for that matter). As a matter of fact, many of the proponents of ID are not even confessing Christians; they are simply people who are fed up with the lack of evidence to evolution and the way that it is taught as though it were a fact based science.

Secondly, evolution is continually being touted as a real science, or at least a branch of one, when in fact it is little more than one theory based on another theory based on another theory. The little bit of science that has actually crept into evolution has more or less been theorized into it in order to add credibility to an otherwise unsupported context.
When the first fossils were found in the 19th century, it was seen by evolutionists as supporting of their theories; speculation and testing led to the theory that fossilization took place over millions of years. Yet not scientists have discovered that under the proper circumstances, fossilization can occur over a period of less than 50 years.

Likewise, the most brilliant minds in the world come to conclusions that debunk evolution using both mathematics and (currently accepted) scientific theory and yet it is disregarded. Even Albert Einstein said that he considered his statement concerning the universe having no end to have been one of the bigest mistakes of his life. Something he regretted for the rest of his life.
Now Stephen Hawking, the farthest thing from a God fearing man last I heard (which doesn't mean I'm done praying for him yet!), acknowledges that the earth and in fact the entire universe could not have come about as the result of a random chain of events, causing him to put forth an idea of ID.

Quite notably of course, is Michael Behe; author of "Darwin's Black Box", in which he refutes Darwinism from a biochemical perspective. His two strong points are irreducible complexity and thermodynamics. In irreducible complexty he uses the analogy of a mousetrap and how it cannot be broken down into a simpler yet slightly less efficient mousetrap, but requires all of its parts to work as one in order to function. I read a refutation (attempted?) of this argument the other night, and it was quite possibly the weakest argument I have ever heard, but at present I will not get into it here.

His second point is based on the 2nd law of thermodynamics, AKA the law of entropy, which states that all things over time become less complex, and eventually break down. Essentially, everything dies eventually, even systems and galaxies. This strongly contrasts the Darwinian view of simple systems becoming complex.

In case anyone cares about my view on things (not likely, I know); I hold to a very old and yet unrefuted (at least practically) view that is nonetheless considered extremely radical in this day and age. I maintain that God created the universe in 6 (six, not a typo) days, and that He rested on the 7th. Of course this view is not for everyone, as it tends to remove ones ability to devalue human life and hold a rather callous worldview. For so long as I believe that God created the universe, I also believe that He created mankind; and me personally as well, not to mention you and everyone else. As a result, I cannot help but look on people as God's creation; things to be cherished and valued as He values them and cherishes them. But this is a whole 'nother posting...

To be Christ Centred

2005-10-03T11:48:00.000-07:00

Last post, I started talking (typing) about the Christian need to have a defined focus. Lately, I have been looking and thinking a lot about the focus that Paul had, particularly as he puts it in Philippians 1:21. Consider "For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain."

This is not just a focus but a definition. Paul equates his life with Christ. To take this phrase literally is to say that life=Christ. This is also to say (since an equation must always be balanced) that to be in life=to be in Christ, or to not have life=to not have Christ.

How much do we as Christians actually tend to live our lives according to Christ? How many of us can actually say that our life is defined by Christ and what He has commanded and what He has done for us? I should be inclined to think that the reality is far fewer than we would like (myself included).

I have heard C.S. Lewis quoted (though I could not give a reference) as saying that "the devil's greatest feat is to convince 20th century amn that he does not exist." I would say that this acurately sums up Satan's great ploy for teh 20th century, but here in the 21st century he seems to have a different ploy; distraction. We have more things to occupy our time than any other generation in the history of the world. We have television, computers, movies, games, instant messaging, instant pictures, instant dinners; we have more things to do, and more time to do them than was ever imaginable before. Somehow in all of this, we do not have time, nor does it seem inclination, for God.

I do not have a problem with technology, or with any of the things mentioned above, so much as I have problems with the callous human hearts that become addicted to such contrivances (yes the irony of complaining about addiction to technology over the internet is not wasted on me!). The problem is that we no longer come home from work, eat supper withour families and then spend time reading God's word, or in prayer, or in teaching our children; instead we come home, eat in front of the tv, and then spend the rest of the evening either watching tv or in front of the computer. The issue is not what we do or don't do, but how we prioritize them.

Most of us have no idea what it is to be truly committed to Christ; to actually live a different life because of His role in our lives. My encouragement to all believers would be to strive daily to grow in our relationship with Him to the point where someday we can say as Paul that "for me to live is Christ."

Where's our focus?

2005-09-30T12:44:00.000-07:00

One of the things that has driven itself into my head over the last few weeks is the relevance and importance of where and what our focus is. This is relevant from a Christian perspective in both the areas of worship and application of scripture, but also on a life determining and life changing level as well.

Who we are is comprised of two elements: what our focus is on, and what our motivation is. As a simple reading or contemplation of these two things will reveal, they are quite inextricably linked. What our focus is, that will also become our motivation.

The problem seems to be that for most of us, our focus is either on ourselves directly, or on the things that concern our desires. For exmple, we are focused on our health, our strength, our wealth; or we are focused on the health of those we care about, the companies we have interest in, and the crime rate in our neighbourhood.
Simply put we are self centred.

What then is to be done about this?
Well, since this site is directed primarily at Christians, I would offer the following advice: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your strength" (Deut. 6:5). For all of you who deny any relevance of the Old Testament for modern believers, consider that Christ quotes this verse to the pharisees when He is asked "what is the greatest commandment?"

to be continued...

Intelligent design

2005-09-29T19:31:00.000-07:00

This seems to be the new scientific phenomenon that is sweeping across western society like an epidemic. The really amazing thing is that Christians have known about intelligent design for thousands of years. I guess the rest of the world is just catching up.

But seriously, it is somewhat refreshing to see that there is some responsible action being taken now to actually get intelligent design (ID) into the school systems. Do I think that it's as good as creationism? No; but I do think that carried through to its natural conclusion, creationism is the end result; one that many are not willing to either accept or acknowledge. I just read an article at www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9536260/ where a woman in Pennsylvania was upset about ID being introduced to the school system. What children are being taught in evolution is being presented as fact; something which many secular scientists are now refuting as having no scientific basis.

Aside from the multitude of creationist books that are published regularly, I would recommend some of the books being published on ID; notably "Darwin's Black Box" by Michael Behe, and "The Universe in a Nutshell" by Stephen Hawking. Above all else, I would seriously recommend that more Christians in researching the matter, turn to that oft-overlooked book, the Bible, as an actual solution to Christian disputes over faith. After all, after 3500 years, scientists are finally beginning to realize that Genesis chapters 1&2 were right. Maybe it's time we started paying more attention to what scripture says, and less time listening to the world.

What the Lord has done...

2005-09-28T20:21:00.000-07:00

I'm still not sure exactly what it is that I will have to post on this site; but I do have something that I can share and that is what God has done for me in my life.

Without getting into any major details, suffice it to say that every morning when I get up, I know that God has seen me through another day. When I get through a week of schoolwork, I know that He has been with me all the way, whether I realized it or not. And every time I have ever preached, I know that if there is anything that comes from my lips that is true of Him, or that blesses someone; it is only beause He has been with me in saying it.

I could give some major examples of God's grace in my life, but I'm not going to do that here. Instead I'm going to encourage those who come here to think about the little graces in your life. We so often become enmeshed in the big things ( or at least things that we think are big) that we totally lose perspective of what God is actually doing in our lives.

Remeber, the big things are made up of all kinds of little things, and so it's the little things that make up life.

This is blogging...?

2005-09-27T13:37:00.000-07:00

I suppose with t he crafting of this, my own blog, I have finally, in some way, joined the ranks of the elite; though truth be known I am surely no more than "standing on the shoulders of giants."

The puposes of this blog are threefold; (1) to allow me to criticize what others have to say (the real purpose for the internet existing is so that people can tell other people that they disagree with them and have no fear of retribution). (2) to provide other, as well as myself but primarily peers and friends, a forum to share opinions and leave comments; and (3) just because I wanted one. That is to say that I enjoy the overinflated sense of ego that I get from having my own blog. Looking around I see I am not the only one.

God willing, other updates on this blog will be of more relevance, but right now I just feel the need to rant a little. TBS homework can have that effect on someone!