For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. – John 3:17 (KJV)
What does this verse say about God? What does this verse say about us? What does this free you to do? So what will you do?
The following was written by Kallistos Ware, a Greek Orthodox bishop:
God does not condemn us to Hell; God wishes all humans to be saved. He will love us to all eternity, but there will exist the possibility that we do not accept the love and do not respond to it. And the refusal to accept love, the refusal to respond to it, that precisely is the meaning of Hell. Hell is not a place where God puts us; it’s a place where we put ourselves. The doors of Hell, insofar as they have locks, have locks on the inside.
There is nothing that can keep God from trying to us, because that is the very nature of God. After all God is love! There is one thing that can keep us from being saved, ourselves. It is possible to turn God down even when confronted with the depths of that grace and love face to face. When Warren Sallman painted Christ Knocking On Heart’s Door, someone informed him he made a mistake upon its completion. “What is that?” the artist asked. “There is no door handle on it.” “Oh that is no mistake, that door can only be opened from the inside.” And so God knocks on, and will never stop. Love doesn’t stop; love tries to save even as we lock ourselves up tight in hell. O, let us rejoice in the goodness of God’s steadfast love, and fling open those doors.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Friday, March 25, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
The Need of Unity
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! – Psalm 133:1 (NKJV)
What does unity mean to you? Why do you think the Apostle Paul was so concerned with unity? How can we go about promoting unity? What does it mean to be unified?
The following in an old Aesop Fable:
A father had a family of sons who were perpetually quarreling among themselves. When he failed to heal their disputes by his exhortations, he determined to give them a practical illustration of the evils of disunion; and for this purpose he one day told them to bring him a bundle of sticks.
When they had done so, he placed the bundle into the hands of each of them in succession, and ordered them to break it in pieces. The tried with all their strength, and were not able to do it.
He next opened the bundle, took the sticks separately, one by one, and again put them into his sons’ hands, upon which they broke them easily. He then addressed them in these words, “My sons, if you are of one mind, and unite to assist each other, you will be as this bundle, uninjured by all the attempts of your enemies; but if you are divided among yourselves, you will be broken as easily as these sticks.”
Sometimes it is good to go into Paul’s letters and read what he had to say about unity in the church. He did not mean that we all have to act they same, or do the same things, or look the same. Instead he meant that we have to acknowledge our singular purpose. To glorify God and enjoy our God forever! It is easy to lose sight of that purpose as we go through the course of our days and discover minor disagreements that sometimes turn into “major” issues. However we must not break into individual sticks then. For it is only together that we can withstand a world that would see us broken. Let us glorify God together, and nothing can stand in our way!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What does unity mean to you? Why do you think the Apostle Paul was so concerned with unity? How can we go about promoting unity? What does it mean to be unified?
The following in an old Aesop Fable:
A father had a family of sons who were perpetually quarreling among themselves. When he failed to heal their disputes by his exhortations, he determined to give them a practical illustration of the evils of disunion; and for this purpose he one day told them to bring him a bundle of sticks.
When they had done so, he placed the bundle into the hands of each of them in succession, and ordered them to break it in pieces. The tried with all their strength, and were not able to do it.
He next opened the bundle, took the sticks separately, one by one, and again put them into his sons’ hands, upon which they broke them easily. He then addressed them in these words, “My sons, if you are of one mind, and unite to assist each other, you will be as this bundle, uninjured by all the attempts of your enemies; but if you are divided among yourselves, you will be broken as easily as these sticks.”
Sometimes it is good to go into Paul’s letters and read what he had to say about unity in the church. He did not mean that we all have to act they same, or do the same things, or look the same. Instead he meant that we have to acknowledge our singular purpose. To glorify God and enjoy our God forever! It is easy to lose sight of that purpose as we go through the course of our days and discover minor disagreements that sometimes turn into “major” issues. However we must not break into individual sticks then. For it is only together that we can withstand a world that would see us broken. Let us glorify God together, and nothing can stand in our way!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Friday, March 11, 2011
The Interests of Others
Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. – Philippians 2:4 (NRSV)
What are your interests? What are the interests of others? How do you look to the interests of others? What does that encompass?
Let me brag on my church for a moment, because in doing so I brag on God. First Presbyterian Church of Albany, Georgia has a Community Resource Ministry that meets with homeless and needy people in order to help them reach a place of self-sufficiency, providing them proper resources for things such as education, job opportunities, housing, and more. This amazing ministry began because some people saw that others needed help.
We started off two days a month meeting with people for two hours a day. Now through the grace of God (and to God be the glory) it is going on two times a week, soon to be three times a week! Because of those dedicated folk who look to the interests of others, lives are changing through the power of gospel of Jesus the Christ.
A couple of months ago I sat down at a restaurant bar. As often happens I struck up a conversation with people next to me. Inevitably I was asked what I do. I told them. One of them said, “Oh I don’t go to church.”
“Why not,” I asked.
“Because, you guys don’t care about what I care about.” He then told me how he is into the arts. He likes painting and music and pottery, and the church, as far as he can tell, has no place for his interests. The sad part was, he isn’t wrong. “If there was a church that had people painting and sharing their joys and talents, and praising that way, I’d go. But you all aren’t like that.”
What are the interests of others? Have we been looking too much toward our own interests at the expense of those who need a church to call home? In the heart of God there is a place for everyone. “Interest” is a broad term. While no one church can meet the interests of all, God knows there are so many churches because Jesus interacts with everyone differently. Yet inevitably Jesus interacts with us in order that we interact with others as disciples. How will we do that?
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What are your interests? What are the interests of others? How do you look to the interests of others? What does that encompass?
Let me brag on my church for a moment, because in doing so I brag on God. First Presbyterian Church of Albany, Georgia has a Community Resource Ministry that meets with homeless and needy people in order to help them reach a place of self-sufficiency, providing them proper resources for things such as education, job opportunities, housing, and more. This amazing ministry began because some people saw that others needed help.
We started off two days a month meeting with people for two hours a day. Now through the grace of God (and to God be the glory) it is going on two times a week, soon to be three times a week! Because of those dedicated folk who look to the interests of others, lives are changing through the power of gospel of Jesus the Christ.
A couple of months ago I sat down at a restaurant bar. As often happens I struck up a conversation with people next to me. Inevitably I was asked what I do. I told them. One of them said, “Oh I don’t go to church.”
“Why not,” I asked.
“Because, you guys don’t care about what I care about.” He then told me how he is into the arts. He likes painting and music and pottery, and the church, as far as he can tell, has no place for his interests. The sad part was, he isn’t wrong. “If there was a church that had people painting and sharing their joys and talents, and praising that way, I’d go. But you all aren’t like that.”
What are the interests of others? Have we been looking too much toward our own interests at the expense of those who need a church to call home? In the heart of God there is a place for everyone. “Interest” is a broad term. While no one church can meet the interests of all, God knows there are so many churches because Jesus interacts with everyone differently. Yet inevitably Jesus interacts with us in order that we interact with others as disciples. How will we do that?
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Minister's Minute from March Issue of the Journal of Hope and Joy
Someone asked me what I thought about miracles a couple of months back. “What
do you mean?” I asked to try to figure out what the person was actually asking.
“Well did any of those things actually happen, and if so what do you think people
were like when they did?”
We have a tendency these days of writing off miracles. “Oh that just couldn’t
happen.” Sometimes when reading the Bible and the miracle seems particularly
outlandish we get embarrassed. There are some things I like to pass right over, I
don’t even want to try to explain it. Maybe we are that way because we are trying
to figure out why miracles do not occur any more. In a world as filled with pain and
suffering as ours it is not hard to assume the miraculous is nonexistent and never
was.
Or maybe we think ourselves too modern for miracles. Those were things for our
crazy ancestors and we are not so crazy anymore.
I saw the most amazing picture recently. It was a photo in some book of photos Life
Magazine put out for its 60th Anniversary. Many of the photos were stunning, but
this one was the best, at least to me.
A boy, anywhere from 6 to 9, I can’t ever tell, has a hand to his right ear and what
appears to be an earphone in the left ear. He is the object of the photo even if he
is not in the center. His face is contorted into an image that seems to be equally
shock and splendor, if such a look exists. He sits at a little table in what appears to
be some type of laboratory. There are some colored buttons within his reach on the
table.
On the other side of the table is a woman in a white blouse. The photo cuts her off a
bit, but what I could see of her she seemed to embody pure joy. Her hands are lifted
high like she is in some charismatic church where they do such things. Her head is
thrown back and she seems to be laughing, and I mean hysterically laughing. The
laugh is a hearty one. It looks like the type of laugh that if I heard as I walked by
would cause me to stop so I could see what could be so good.
Then I read the caption.
“Deaf Boy Hears for the First Time”
Glorious indeed. It seems that miracles still happen, or if I am inclined to think that
miracles never happened I guess they do now. Apparently they are cause for great
joy and celebration. And even if we could explain them and take all mystery out of
what happened, I don’t think that keeps such things from being miraculous for a boy
who hears for the first time and a woman who watches it happen.
I wish I had that picture when asked about miracles by a genuinely interested
person. That person wanted to know about miracles because to some degree we
all want to know about them. We all want to know if they happened or better yet if
they happen still. I could have taken it and showed it off.
I hope that those miracles in the Bible actually happened. Maybe that is why they
were written down in the first place. Someone thought they were too good to keep
to themselves.
As for what people are like when a miracle happens around them I think that boy’s
face and woman’s reaction says it best, some grand combination of shock and
splendor that is a cause for great joy and celebration. I hope we each recognize a
miracle for what it is and celebrate because of it.
Riding the Wave of the Holy Spirit,
Garrett
do you mean?” I asked to try to figure out what the person was actually asking.
“Well did any of those things actually happen, and if so what do you think people
were like when they did?”
We have a tendency these days of writing off miracles. “Oh that just couldn’t
happen.” Sometimes when reading the Bible and the miracle seems particularly
outlandish we get embarrassed. There are some things I like to pass right over, I
don’t even want to try to explain it. Maybe we are that way because we are trying
to figure out why miracles do not occur any more. In a world as filled with pain and
suffering as ours it is not hard to assume the miraculous is nonexistent and never
was.
Or maybe we think ourselves too modern for miracles. Those were things for our
crazy ancestors and we are not so crazy anymore.
I saw the most amazing picture recently. It was a photo in some book of photos Life
Magazine put out for its 60th Anniversary. Many of the photos were stunning, but
this one was the best, at least to me.
A boy, anywhere from 6 to 9, I can’t ever tell, has a hand to his right ear and what
appears to be an earphone in the left ear. He is the object of the photo even if he
is not in the center. His face is contorted into an image that seems to be equally
shock and splendor, if such a look exists. He sits at a little table in what appears to
be some type of laboratory. There are some colored buttons within his reach on the
table.
On the other side of the table is a woman in a white blouse. The photo cuts her off a
bit, but what I could see of her she seemed to embody pure joy. Her hands are lifted
high like she is in some charismatic church where they do such things. Her head is
thrown back and she seems to be laughing, and I mean hysterically laughing. The
laugh is a hearty one. It looks like the type of laugh that if I heard as I walked by
would cause me to stop so I could see what could be so good.
Then I read the caption.
“Deaf Boy Hears for the First Time”
Glorious indeed. It seems that miracles still happen, or if I am inclined to think that
miracles never happened I guess they do now. Apparently they are cause for great
joy and celebration. And even if we could explain them and take all mystery out of
what happened, I don’t think that keeps such things from being miraculous for a boy
who hears for the first time and a woman who watches it happen.
I wish I had that picture when asked about miracles by a genuinely interested
person. That person wanted to know about miracles because to some degree we
all want to know about them. We all want to know if they happened or better yet if
they happen still. I could have taken it and showed it off.
I hope that those miracles in the Bible actually happened. Maybe that is why they
were written down in the first place. Someone thought they were too good to keep
to themselves.
As for what people are like when a miracle happens around them I think that boy’s
face and woman’s reaction says it best, some grand combination of shock and
splendor that is a cause for great joy and celebration. I hope we each recognize a
miracle for what it is and celebrate because of it.
Riding the Wave of the Holy Spirit,
Garrett
Friday, March 4, 2011
Strong and Courageous
“I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9 (NRSV)
These words are God’s to Joshua. Do you think that commandment was only for Joshua, or could it be for you? Are you strong and courageous? Is the Lord your God with you wherever you go? Can such faith keep you from being dismayed or discouraged?
The following story is called “Satan’s Garage Sale” and was sent to me:
Once upon a time, Satan was having a garage sale. There, standing in little groups were all of his bright, shiny trinkets. Here were tools that make it easy to tear others down for use as stepping-stones. And over there were some lenses for magnifying ones own importance, which, if you looked through them the other way, you could also use to belittle others, or even one's self. Against the wall was the usual assortment of gardening implements guaranteed to help your pride grow by leaps and bounds: the rake of scorn, the shovel of jealousy for digging a pit for your neighbor, the tools of gossip and backbiting, of selfishness and apathy. All of these were pleasing to the eye and came complete with fabulous promises and guarantees of prosperity. Prices, of course, were steep; but not to worry! Free credit was extended to one and all. "Take it home, use it, and you won't have to pay until later!" old Satan cried, as he hawked his wares.
The visitor, as he browsed, noticed two well-worn, non-descript tools standing in one corner. Not being nearly as tempting as the other items, he found it curious that these two tools had price tags higher than any other. When he asked why, Satan just laughed and said, "Well, that's because I use them so much. If they weren't so plain looking, people might see them for what they were." Satan pointed to the two tools, saying, "You see, that one's Doubt and that one's Discouragement -- and those will work when nothing else will."
Maybe God was telling Joshua not to be dismayed, frightened, or discouraged because those are the things that will most quickly bring anyone down. Joshua had a lot on his shoulders, leading the people after Moses, and God knows we have a lot to deal with too. Doubt and discouragement always creep in when things get hard. “Can I do this?” “How much more can I take?” Mother Teresa once said, “I know God won’t give me more than I can handle, I just wish he didn’t trust me so much.” I think sometimes we all feel that way. Still God says, “Be strong and courageous, for I am with you wherever you go.” Sometimes we need to hear it again.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
These words are God’s to Joshua. Do you think that commandment was only for Joshua, or could it be for you? Are you strong and courageous? Is the Lord your God with you wherever you go? Can such faith keep you from being dismayed or discouraged?
The following story is called “Satan’s Garage Sale” and was sent to me:
Once upon a time, Satan was having a garage sale. There, standing in little groups were all of his bright, shiny trinkets. Here were tools that make it easy to tear others down for use as stepping-stones. And over there were some lenses for magnifying ones own importance, which, if you looked through them the other way, you could also use to belittle others, or even one's self. Against the wall was the usual assortment of gardening implements guaranteed to help your pride grow by leaps and bounds: the rake of scorn, the shovel of jealousy for digging a pit for your neighbor, the tools of gossip and backbiting, of selfishness and apathy. All of these were pleasing to the eye and came complete with fabulous promises and guarantees of prosperity. Prices, of course, were steep; but not to worry! Free credit was extended to one and all. "Take it home, use it, and you won't have to pay until later!" old Satan cried, as he hawked his wares.
The visitor, as he browsed, noticed two well-worn, non-descript tools standing in one corner. Not being nearly as tempting as the other items, he found it curious that these two tools had price tags higher than any other. When he asked why, Satan just laughed and said, "Well, that's because I use them so much. If they weren't so plain looking, people might see them for what they were." Satan pointed to the two tools, saying, "You see, that one's Doubt and that one's Discouragement -- and those will work when nothing else will."
Maybe God was telling Joshua not to be dismayed, frightened, or discouraged because those are the things that will most quickly bring anyone down. Joshua had a lot on his shoulders, leading the people after Moses, and God knows we have a lot to deal with too. Doubt and discouragement always creep in when things get hard. “Can I do this?” “How much more can I take?” Mother Teresa once said, “I know God won’t give me more than I can handle, I just wish he didn’t trust me so much.” I think sometimes we all feel that way. Still God says, “Be strong and courageous, for I am with you wherever you go.” Sometimes we need to hear it again.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
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