October 31, 2005: Beware of the Jedi Traps

A lot of people are up in arms...literally scared to death:

The bird flu might cross over to humans, might prove fatal, and might kill millions.

Global warming might be occurring, may be caused by us, and could result in tragic consequences.

The problem is, like so many worries people have, these possibilities are based on guesswork piled on top of more guesswork, all by fallible man. Remember the 1960s fear of a population explosion? This year France is paying women to have children because all of Europe is facing a population decline with dire results. The population explosion crowd predicted that by our time we'd be starving because there wouldn't be enough food produced to feed the masses. Instead, today we have an obesity problem!

In the 1970s, a prominent national news magazine ran on its cover "The Coming global freeze--" and predicted we were about to enter another ice age!

We humans have a terrible propensity about fearing things that might never happen while ignoring real problems right in front of our face!

In fact, one of Satan's tools is to get us to devote our energies to the pseudo- fear while we ignore the real threats. In the novel Revenge of the Sith, the Jedi Obiwan-Kenobi is lured into a "Jedi trap." The book makes the statement that a Jedi trap is effectively judged not by whether or not the Jedi escapes from it, but by whether it keeps the Jedi occupied somewhere when he is desperately needed somewhere else.

What diversions do I fall into?

1) Worrying about things I can't control or change. I'm constantly amazed how freeing it is to realize there are certain things that are not my fault or my responsibility.
2) Obsessing on minutiae. Polishing the deck rails on the Titanic after it hits the iceberg.

Both of these "Jedi-traps" keep me occupied doing something needless instead of attacking problems I can solve.

Whether as a person, a nation, or a church, let us beware of the Jedi traps. Learn what to really fear, learn what really needs to be done, and stop wasting time worrying about the made-up or dubious fears that we can't do anything about anyway.

In so doing, we'll be sharper, more effective, and more at peace!

~Pastor Brian

October 24, 2005: Give Thanks in All Things

While I was on vacation, I was thinking of the fall of Satan (the crazy things that run through a pastor's mind on the beach!) Anyhow, as I contemplated what led to Satan's sin, I thought of pride (I Timothy 3:6). And I suspect that the way pride crept into Satan's heart was through ingratitude.

Most scholars believe Ezekiel 28:11-19 tells us how Satan fell. The person described in the passage was the "seal of perfection," the most excellent of all God's creations. He had beauty and influence. But he was lifted up in pride. I think the root of that pride was that at some point in time he stopped thanking God for making him. He forgot to show gratitude.

It's interesting that in Romans 1, the Bible says that all of mankind's sin started when we "did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful...(v.21)." Then, I realized that every time I sin--every time--ingratitude toward God is at the heart of my sin. I'm not thankful for my friends or family or wife or Savior; I'm not thankful for my health or vision or hearing or breath...instead of expressing gratitude to God, I focus on me. On what I deserve. On what I need. On what I lack. On what I want. And I fall.

All evil in the universe would have been averted if Satan simply was grateful; the moment he ceased to give thanks, his doom was sealed. God help us avert our own evil and personal doom by "giving thanks in everything, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (I Thess. 5:18).

~Pastor Brian

October 18, 2005: Round and round we go...

Just visited the Grand Canyon. A remarkable place, that you have to see to believe. The best place on the earth to view the layers of the geologic column...you know, all those layers of rock deposited one on top of another above the bedrock of our continent.

Today, geologists tell us these layers of rock were deposited over millions of years. They know this because each layer contains fossilized remains of dead things that were killed when each layer was deposited. They know the fossils are millions of years old because they're deposited in rock years that are millions of years old, which they know are millions of years old because the fossils in them are millions of years old, which they know are millions of years old because the rock layers--wait! Something is wrong with this circular reasoning!

What do we know?

We know that fossils must be formed when something is buried alive, or buried soon after death (otherwise the carcass would rot and wouldn't become a fossil). We know a fossil must be buried in rock while the rock is in solution (dissolved in water, like fresh concrete). We know that these layers of rock were deposited by water and later hardened. Everyone agrees on this. What we disagree on is when and exactly how were these muddy rock layers deposited, killing these poor creatures.

The Bible states that God once grew so weary with our sin that He decided to destroy every living creature by bringing a global flood on the whole earth. Now, if the Bible is really right that the whole planet was covered with water, what evidence would we expect to find to support that claim? That's easy. If the Bible's true, we'd expect to find billions of dead things buried (fossilized) in rock layers that were laid down by water all over the whole earth. The Grand Canyon is unique because all the rock layers are exposed there. But no matter where we go on the planet, when we dig, what do we find? Billions of dead things buried in rock layers laid down by water all over the earth.

Now, if that's so obvious, why do so many learned scientists (by no means all) say instead that these rock layers were gradually deposited over billions of years of geologic time?

There's one basic reason, and it has nothing to do with science. It's because we humans want to intentionally forget that there was once a time when God judged sin in a catastrophic way, because if we admit He did that once, then we must admit He is going to do so again. And if that's true, we can't just go on in all of our violations of His law with no fear of consequence. The Bible says it like this, "For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment." (I Peter 3:5-7)

When I see the beautiful canyon, I'm reminded that we serve a God who is Just as well as loving. He will repay the evil on this world fully. As Noah only found refuge in the ark, so we only can find refuge in Jesus Christ, who on the cross has already suffered the penalty for sin for any who believe in Him.
~Pastor Brian

10/03/05: BIG FANFARE

I love movies. I love movie soundtracks...the way the music always crescendos with some grand theme anytime anything important happens...or warns you when something scary is about to happen!

Wouldn't it be awesome if there was a musical soundtrack we could hear that would go along with our lives?

Imagine walking into a deserted parking lot, and hearing some sinister sounding score start up...you'd know to high-tail it out of there...or, when you meet the person you're going to fall in love with, the first sight of her would be accompanied by a full orchestra of violins...or, when you're facing a decision, a soundtrack would emphasize what a critical choice you're about to make.

Perhaps the neatest thing would be to hear a triumphant score every time you do something right that will leave an eternal impact...since these are the things we most often don't realize are important. You know, praying with your kid at their bedside before you tuck them in; saying something about Christ to someone who doesn't know Him, reading your Bible at night instead of dropping into bed. Telling your spouse you love her, or helping with the dishes, or letting him know how special he is.

These are things we do often without thinking of it...going to church, giving to a missionary, etc. We often forget about them after we've done these things. But yet, these small, insignificant things are the things that have the greatest impact on time and eternity. And perhaps in heaven, when we do them, God hears the fanfare.

~Pastor Brian

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