Part of our ability as human beings to learn and grow is taking information and transforming it into something tangible. Information - when I stick my finger in this light socket electricity comes out + electricity hurts = don't stick your finger in the light socket. Pretty basic stuff.
What always amazes me though is how often we take a little bit of information and jump to a conclusion that is way off, sometimes not true at all. A perfect example happened today at NASA. Because we all want to believe we are not alone in the universe so much it takes very little for us to jump to that conclusion.
I want to point out though, NASA, the people who found the information, dissected it and explained it did not jump to that conclusion. They found evidence the ridges on Mars were likely carved out by a briny water of some sort. That's all they said. However, the very first reporter to ask a question: "Does this mean there's life on Mars?"
Generally if someone has to work for the information more they respect it, they look at it, the read it completely, they get a different result than if they just Googled it. We've all seen it, look it up online, forget it and don't care anymore.
So then, if we truly want someone to know God and be loved by Him, do you think it's better to share the information and move on, or give them something to wrestle with?
Btw, still no aliens.
T
Monday, September 28, 2015
Monday, September 21, 2015
Leaving Early
There is something I will never understand about people at sporting events...
When they leave early.
You never know what will happen. Basically, you as a fan have given up (even though you're not even playing). You have told the team you have lost faith. You have decided their fate is sealed and the game is done. Even though it isn't.
I still remember my pastor from the first church I interned at, he took me to a football game (he was a nice guy). It was a Sunday afternoon, we had church in the morning and church in the evening. It was a tight squeeze. And with not too long before the evening service the home team was down. He made the call it was time to go because there was no way we'd come back.
As a kid who had to travel 3 hours to see a professional team play, I couldn't fathom that. It was a greater sacrifice to see the game for me growing up so we stayed, no matter what. We sat through rain delays, 9 run innings by the visiting team, anything because it was a huge commitment to make it to the game. Unlike this pastor, who lived in town and saw games all the time.
The craziness was, on the way to the car in the parking lot some tailgaters had the game on. While walking, the home team scored a touchdown. He said, "we're going back" and we ran back inside to see our team eventually win. We almost missed it because he had given up (he just didn't give up early enough, thank goodness).
Those are the games we talk about too, the big win after everyone thought it was done. That's when the most magical moments in sports seem to happen. And yet, how many times do we miss magical moments, not just in sports, but in life, in faith, because we gave up too soon?
(As I was writing this, all I could think about was the show "The Goldberg's" when the dad wants to leave a hockey game early because the game was "over". He was right, it was over, the home team was wining and would win, but they missed this happening: http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=190549)
Don't leave early. Keep the faith.
T
When they leave early.
You never know what will happen. Basically, you as a fan have given up (even though you're not even playing). You have told the team you have lost faith. You have decided their fate is sealed and the game is done. Even though it isn't.
I still remember my pastor from the first church I interned at, he took me to a football game (he was a nice guy). It was a Sunday afternoon, we had church in the morning and church in the evening. It was a tight squeeze. And with not too long before the evening service the home team was down. He made the call it was time to go because there was no way we'd come back.
As a kid who had to travel 3 hours to see a professional team play, I couldn't fathom that. It was a greater sacrifice to see the game for me growing up so we stayed, no matter what. We sat through rain delays, 9 run innings by the visiting team, anything because it was a huge commitment to make it to the game. Unlike this pastor, who lived in town and saw games all the time.
The craziness was, on the way to the car in the parking lot some tailgaters had the game on. While walking, the home team scored a touchdown. He said, "we're going back" and we ran back inside to see our team eventually win. We almost missed it because he had given up (he just didn't give up early enough, thank goodness).
Those are the games we talk about too, the big win after everyone thought it was done. That's when the most magical moments in sports seem to happen. And yet, how many times do we miss magical moments, not just in sports, but in life, in faith, because we gave up too soon?
(As I was writing this, all I could think about was the show "The Goldberg's" when the dad wants to leave a hockey game early because the game was "over". He was right, it was over, the home team was wining and would win, but they missed this happening: http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=190549)
Don't leave early. Keep the faith.
T
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
American Ninja Warrior
This show is awesome. I never really watched it until this year, just a little here and there, but it's basically an obstacle course for ninja wannabe's. Fun to watch, some you cheer to do well, some you cheer to faceplant in the water below...
Last night history was made for the show. For the first time in it's seven year run someone finished the course. Think about that for a second. This has been going on seven years and for the first time ever someone finished (actually two guys). That's how hard this is and how much dedication it takes to make it.
Throughout the season you see this dedication. People build home ninja courses, there are ninja gyms with courses in them you can join, there are even a few people who have quit their jobs so they can train full time so they can be American Ninja Warriors (now that is a supportive spouse).
The thing I kept thinking about: it takes work to be amazing. I started wondering what our faith would look like if we put this type of effort into it. How holy would you be if you "trained" every day, maybe quit your job and did it all day every day? The problem is, it's easier to be the guy on the couch eating barbecue chips watching ninja's fly than it is to try and become a ninja.
But imagine how awesome it would be that you could be officially announced as an American Ninja Warrior...
T
Last night history was made for the show. For the first time in it's seven year run someone finished the course. Think about that for a second. This has been going on seven years and for the first time ever someone finished (actually two guys). That's how hard this is and how much dedication it takes to make it.
Throughout the season you see this dedication. People build home ninja courses, there are ninja gyms with courses in them you can join, there are even a few people who have quit their jobs so they can train full time so they can be American Ninja Warriors (now that is a supportive spouse).
The thing I kept thinking about: it takes work to be amazing. I started wondering what our faith would look like if we put this type of effort into it. How holy would you be if you "trained" every day, maybe quit your job and did it all day every day? The problem is, it's easier to be the guy on the couch eating barbecue chips watching ninja's fly than it is to try and become a ninja.
But imagine how awesome it would be that you could be officially announced as an American Ninja Warrior...
T
Monday, September 07, 2015
Dig Just A Little More...
In the news today, Neolithic stones like the ones at Stonehenge have been found nearby. Only there are a hundred of them forming a gigantic semi-circle.
You can read more about it here: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-wiltshire-34156673
What really got me was the first sentence. They were discovered a whopping 3 feet under the earth.
3 feet.
Think of how many people for hundreds of years had no idea there were these massive stones right under their feet. 3 feet below them. So incredibly close but with no idea they were there. Millions of people were satisfied with just Stonehenge and those few stones where there was so much more to be known and discovered.
It's amazing what could have been found with just a little digging. I wonder how many people are content with what they believe about God or their relationship with Jesus when all the while they are so incredibly close to a break-though, something more that could completely change them forever. But they don't know because they won't do just a little digging.
What if you did a little digging into your faith, what would you find?
T
You can read more about it here: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-wiltshire-34156673
What really got me was the first sentence. They were discovered a whopping 3 feet under the earth.
3 feet.
Think of how many people for hundreds of years had no idea there were these massive stones right under their feet. 3 feet below them. So incredibly close but with no idea they were there. Millions of people were satisfied with just Stonehenge and those few stones where there was so much more to be known and discovered.
It's amazing what could have been found with just a little digging. I wonder how many people are content with what they believe about God or their relationship with Jesus when all the while they are so incredibly close to a break-though, something more that could completely change them forever. But they don't know because they won't do just a little digging.
What if you did a little digging into your faith, what would you find?
T
Tuesday, September 01, 2015
Jesus Outside The Gospels
So often we think of the Gospels as the story of Jesus, which is true. But in realty the entire Scripture points to Jesus...
It always amazes me when we tell stories like Ruth or Mephibosheth and people don't see how they point to our Savior. We just don't know the Word of God well enough to see it always. Until now.
There's a great new Bible that just came out that helps us see Jesus in the Old Testament. I'd highly recommend it.
http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Centered-Life/pages/default?pageId=TO2CD720JJ5FM2T
http://www.simplyyouthministry.com/resources-adult-leaders-development-jesus-centered-bible-nlt-charcoal.html
Give it a try, you may be surprised how much more of Jesus you see.
T
It always amazes me when we tell stories like Ruth or Mephibosheth and people don't see how they point to our Savior. We just don't know the Word of God well enough to see it always. Until now.
There's a great new Bible that just came out that helps us see Jesus in the Old Testament. I'd highly recommend it.
http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Centered-Life/pages/default?pageId=TO2CD720JJ5FM2T
http://www.simplyyouthministry.com/resources-adult-leaders-development-jesus-centered-bible-nlt-charcoal.html
Give it a try, you may be surprised how much more of Jesus you see.
T
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