American Idol?

Did anyone see American Idol tonight? Dolly Parton was belting out a song about her love for Jesus and the Clark Brothers were singing “This little light of mine” and praising the Lord the whole time. I love Jesus and I love seeing Him worshiped on a show that targets so many young people. Hallelujah!

Questionning Karma

This evening I am going to an event at the Main Branch of the Ottawa Public Library that I’m sure will raise my blood pressure. It’s a talk about karma and it is promising to be enlightening. In preparation for this evening, I have thought of 5 questions that I hope to ask the presenters. I have posted them below. If anyone has additional questions, or if you even want to challenge/answer my questions, please feel encouraged to post.

Question 1 – How is karma viewed in Eastern cultures, and how does that compare to the West’s understanding? Assuming there are significant differences in both perception and practice, why do those differences exist?

Question 2 – I understand the idea driving karma and ultimately the concept of reincarnation, is to get what we deserve as a way to learn from mistakes, or pay for evil that we have failed to pay for in past earthly lives. If this is true it seems to be contrary to common sense as well as educational psychology that says we cannot learn something if there is no continuity of memory. Isn’t it only true that if we are to learn from our mistakes, we need to remember them?

Question 3 – How does karma and reincarnation account for itself? In other words, how do they each explain their origin? What did we do (and to whom) that caused our bodies to be prisons for our souls?

Question 4 – How does karma explain mass death and tragedy (911, Rwanda, Holocaust, etc.)?

Question 5 – Karma dictates there are NO innocent victims. This is a very morally disturbing absolute. If someone has been assaulted or raped, or a student dies a tragic death (as recently happened at Carleton University), how can you stand before that victim (if they are still living) and tell them that they are responsible for their own circumstance, or even worse, that something they did in a previous life is the cause of their suffering?

Living by Faith

We live by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7

This is a passage that I find myself continually wrestling with. It is so simple and straightforward, yet incredibly challenging in terms of applying it to our lives; and I don’t think I’m alone in feeling this way. Spiritually mature Christian leaders I talk to also find “belief” at the core of their growth in the Lord. Do we really believe what God has promised if we loosen our grip on things of this world?

A few days ago I had the privilege of spending some time with the person responsible for pastoral care at The Salvation Army men’s shelter in downtown Ottawa. An incredible man, Major Bruce has been serving the men at the shelter tirelessly for 5 years. He graciously spent an hour with me, sharing examples of things he has experienced in ministry; stories of men who could surprisingly quote the entire bible, men who struggled with processing grief or tragedy, and men of other faiths challenging what it means to be a Christian. But regardless of the starting point for spiritual conversation, for these broken and vulnerable men, it seemed to often circle back to what it means to have faith. I was surprised to realize that their spiritual struggle was not much different than mine.

Major Bruce reminded me of the story we find in Mark chapter 5, of Jesus healing a woman with leprosy who had tried everything to find a cure. There she was, pushing her way through a crowd of people in order to have a chance to touch Jesus. As she reached out Jesus felt her touch His robe and she was cured instantly. It was not because she simply touched Jesus that she was healed. The scripture tells us that the crowd was large and that Jesus was bumping up against many people as He tried to walk. It says nothing of others that touched Him being healed. It does say that the woman was healed because she believed. She had faith. “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

This simple illustration, coupled with hearing the stories and struggles of the men in the shelter, really had a significant impact on me. Do I really trust and believe in Jesus and the peace and freedom He has made available to me, or am I just hoping it’s true, all the while confident that back home I have a bed to sleep in and food to eat?

That morning at The Salvation Army, as I looked around at the faces of men that have been stripped of everything they once valued, I realized they had no choice but to believe. They had nothing else but their faith.

Whether you are living on the street, sitting silently in a congregation, or caught up in the overwhelming wave of student life, we are all God’s children with access to His saving grace and powerful love. But do you really believe it? What can you release from your life today to demonstrate that you do believe in what God has promised you?

 

The Sweet Christian Fragrance

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?  2 Corinthians 2:14-16

In a Roman triumphal procession, the Roman general would display his treasures and captives amidst a cloud of incense burned for the gods. To the victors, the aroma was sweet; to the captives in the parade, it was the smell of slavery and death. When Christians preach the Good News, it is good news to some and repulsive news to others. Believers recognize the life-giving fragrance of the message. To nonbelievers, however, it smells foul, like death – their own.

This week, we pray that Christians on campus will stand together and take the opportunity to reach out to our Muslim friends; taking time to engage their questions and respond with the truth about Jesus Christ.

Join us at the Yoked booth in the UniCentre on Wednesday to show your support and let us know how you are doing.

God bless you!

The Case for the Real Jesus

 

Book: The Case for the Real Jesus (published by Zondervan)

Author: Lee Strobel 

A great book that looks at current attacks on Jesus from various intellectual and academic communities. Some of the topics he addresses include whether or not the church tampered with Biblical text, whether or not Jesus was actually resurrected, whether Christianity’s beliefs were copied from Pagan religions, and my personal favourite, whether or not people should be allowed to pick and choose what to believe about Jesus?

Lee is a brilliant writer, and he has proven again that his format of combining genuine interest in the skeptic or critic’s point of view, with strong, evidential answers, is effective at uncovering and communicating the truth. I would strongly recommend this book for anyone interested in understanding more about the current attacks on the Christian faith and how to provide thoughtful, well-researched answers.

If you have read this book, please add your review. 

The Words of Jesus

I was recently at a great conference in the US that had some strong Christian pastors and authors speaking. There was one presenter in particular who was incredibly captivating and inspiring. His name was Erwin McManus and he was actually a co-host of the event. That meant those attending had the privilege of hearing him speak a number of times over the course of the three day event.

Every time Erwin spoke, he balanced his presentation so beautifully between preaching the truth of the Gospel and scolding those listening for not fully living the truth in their own lives. As he spoke, you could look around and see the audience hanging on his every word. In fact, when he was finished and taking questions, several people stood up, including myself, and publicly thanked him for making such a great presentation, and for challenging the audience. Afterward, I thought to myself how strange it was to be giving this type of attention to someone that was simply sharing the words of Jesus Christ. Why weren’t we praising and thanking Jesus the same way we were Erwin? And then I realized what was really happening. Here was someone just like us – touchable, broken, vulnerable – and we could relate to him. He spoke, not pretending to have avoided the dangers of temptation, but rather, as someone that knew what it was like to be staring directly into a pagan culture. It was very powerful.

I have been home now for a couple of weeks, and the excitement and inspiration of those conference moments has begun to fade. I only have my memory to count on to bring back what I had experienced, and even that is no guarantee I will remember for much longer. Thankfully, I do have something else to draw from that is even greater than my memory of what Erwin shared, and that is my relationship with my Savior Jesus Christ. I take comfort in the knowledge that God sent His Son Jesus, to live among us as fully human, so that we would have someone to relate to that understood what it meant to struggle with temptation, to battle secular thinkers and religious legalists, and to serve those in need with compassion and respect. And the best part is I don’t have to rely on my memory. As promised, I have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit to continue to prompt and guide me in the direction of our Lord. I just have to listen.

Imagine if we looked to Jesus with the same intensity we seem to look to leaders in business, social services, or politics. What if we hung on His every word, excited about implementing the things He taught, and trusting that He has the answers to dealing with life’s challenges? I’m not suggesting it’s easy. In fact, I know it’s tough because it has meant that I have had to move in a direction that was opposite to my own human desire, but it has been worth it.

So when you hear someone quote Jim Collins, John Maxwell, Stephen Lewis, or Barack Obama, consider instead what Jesus has to say!

Are you kidding?

The future of campus media at Ottawa U sure seems bleak when you spend a minute reading our student newspaper, The Fulcrum. Each week I check out what qualifies as campus news, and I’m saddened to say that it continues to decline in substance and style! Is there nothing worth reporting that doesn’t celebrate sex, drugs, drinking or people’s selfish attitudes?

So how are Christians to respond without seeming righteously indignant? Are we to just pretend it doesn’t exist, or that no one reads it? Should we become more involved and try to introduce basic decency? What do you think?

It’s a battlefield and the enemy has a strong hold on young minds.

Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.  Romans 13:13-14

The Father in Search of the Son

God plays so many roles in our lives. Creator, King, Lord, Judge, Shepherd, Saviour and many more. Of all of these roles, Father has been the most difficult for me to embrace and accept. I think it’s because the role of Father brings with it power and authority, while also embodying a human and relational aspect. It’s a role that instantly brings God closer to each of us. Recognizing God as our Father means we can’t ignore Him or consider Him irrelevant in our lives. We all have an earthly father and in some cases, we may even be fathers ourselves, which immediately brings meaning to the important life role. He created us, He understands us, He loves us more than we can imagine. No matter what we do, or how we behave, He still loves us. We can’t hide. Now that can be frightening.

In my life, I have made some poor choices that have really challenged my relationship with God. I grew up appreciating God as King, Judge, Lord, but not really as Father. I didn’t give myself permission to be vulnerable in His arms. But now, after having been broken and witnessing how my life has impacted others, I have come back to my heavenly Father and wake up each morning looking forward to spending time with Him.