<>< Christianity, Simply

OK, so I am not real sure where this one is going. Its probably good that most of you are asleep when this gets posted....

Recently our congregation did a survey of the congregation. The point was to look at what the majority of the people felt were the "high value" ministries. This is a good thing, because as the years go by, churches change. Ministries develop by those who are passionate for that particular ministry. Those people leave, and others are "volunteered" to lead those ministries. Ideally, the replacements would be just as passionate. If not, the ministries tend to not do so good. Anyway, hopefully , you get the idea. Churches change. Leadership should know what the congregations' passions are.

Well, recently I have had a lot of time to think at night. That's a good thing and a bad thing. I get to read a lot. I read a lot of journal articles (what I can get my hands on). I read a lot of polls of direction of Christianity. I read a lot about what people think churches should be doing. The conclusion is not good: Churches are dying. Young people see no reason to continue "in church", because of the examples and actions of the older generations.

I see a lot of churches throwing out all kinds of bells and whistles to get "people in the door". I also see other churches shutting their doors to their neighborhoods, because the neighborhood has changed.

I have developed the opinion that Jesus created a faith in Him and His Father that is actually quite simple. Its us that have made it complicated. "You must believe XYZ in order to be saved." "You must meet with us at this time, in order to be considered worthy of a place in heaven". Christianity is not about earning a spot. Its about living a life now, that shows gratitude for what God did: sacrificing His own Son so that everyone can be saved. So, then the questions start pouring into my head: what does it take to be a Christian? Why are our churches dropping like flies? What do we need to do to grow? What does God expect of me?

Below, is what I believe is the START of a list for a simple way of looking at Christianity. I don't think it is perfect. It can be added to, but it is a start.

1) One should believe in God. By God, I mean God, Jesus, Holy Spirit. One can not ONLY believe in Jesus, and not believe there is a Father. Also, one can not believe in only God. One must believe that Jesus was (is) real, and that He is the Son of God.
2) Jesus died for everyone. Sounds like a duh, but there are a lot of Christians who will "evangelize" with, "Jesus died for His believers". This is true, but He also died for everyone. Even those people that are not so nice.
3) One should be baptized. Again, this is another obvious one for those "raised in the faith". I believe the debate here is that those questioning baptism have an issue with authority. Baptism is, along with other things, a submissive act. We have to accept that.
4) Those declaring themselves Christians should meet regularly with other Christians. I think verses about "do not forsake the assembly of the Saints" and others have been taken completely out of context. Along with that, they have created a negative view that going to a church building is the only way one is consider a Christian. This is simply not true. Are church buildings good? Of course they are. They allow for a large multiple to gather at one time. Many things can be done with a bunch of like minded individuals. At the same time, small groups of individuals worshipping and praising God is just as awesome.
5) One's life should reflect that of Jesus and His teachings. This is done by reading on the scriptures regularly, asking the question, "what would Jesus do?" consistently, and understanding that everyone that one comes in contact with (whether in the US or abroad) is created by God, and has a purpose for God on this planet. Imagine, if we looked at everyone and saw Jesus.... What would this world be like? How would treat the grocer differently? What wold say to the cab driver?
6) Live life. This also seems rather obvious but let further explain. God has blessed us with a world that is absolutely amazing. We have places like the Grand Canyon to go see. We have movie theatres. We get to drive sports cars. We get to drive jet skis. We get to go snowboarding. My point, is that none of these things are bad, done in the right way. This is where maturity needs to step in, and give recognition to God for blessing one with "stuff", talents, and opportunities, that only God allows. He created this world for His glory, but for also our enjoyment.
7) Service vs. Education. I am of the opinion that most churches (for good reason) focus more on teaching Christians, than equipping them with the opportunity to serve others. By "serve", I do not mean passing the plate on Sundays, teaching a class, or leading worship on Sundays. Serving, in this context, is described as assisting someone else because there is a personal need. Let me make it quite clear that we need to have consistent bible study. But there should be a balance of service to go with the formal bible study. I believe that one's life should consist more of serving than being taught. This can be done in minor ways and big ways. Minor ways can include driving someone to the grocery store. Chopping someones firewood. Paying an electric bill. Big ways can include volunteering at a soup kitchen on a weekly basis. Going on a mission trip each year. Mentoring a young college kid. My point is, if all we do is educate ourselves, who are we serving?

So, what are your thoughts? What does it take to be a Christian? Am I making this list too simple? By doing this, am I making much a do about nothing as well?

Reading List

So, what I do when I am in China? Sleep, work, eat, sleep, repeat. My work day is about a 10 hour work day. I also call my boss when I get back to the hotel. So, technically my work day is about 13 - 14 hours. I also brought a lot of books with this time around.

Renovation of the Heart, D. Willard. I have actually been reading this one for a few months now. Willard is always a good read, but he is so deep. You end up reading his stuff multiple times, just to comprehend what he is saying.
Wisdom of the Native Americans. I got this one after a close friend of mine read some quotes in a recent men's bible study. I decided to read it through. It seems, the Indians may have had a grasp on God and Jesus that we just didn't get. There is some good stuff here.
Cost of Discipleship, D. Bonhoeffer. I have just recently gotten around to reading some of Bonhoeffer's books. Its unfortunate I waited so long.
Generous Orthodoxy, B. McLaren. One of my buddies (gospel playboy) got me turned on to this guy. I don't agree with everything he says, but he makes me think.
Liberty and Tyranny, M. Levin. So, I get to Chicago and remember that Mark Levin just published a book. If you don't know Mark Levin, he is on talk radio. He is a conservative radio host. One of his other books is, "Men in Black: How the Supreme Court is Destroying America." Anyway, I had to go to 2 terminals just to find a book store that sold this book. I am really looking forward to it.
Sandworms of Dune, B. Herbert and K. Anderson. Michelle and I are big Dune fans. They are always good for some politics, fiction, and just overall good read.
Bible, New Living Translation. My NLT is small, so it fits really well in my backpack. It isn't my normal research bible with all my notes and references, but it still gets the job done.

I also have my ipod filled with about 2 weeks of podcasts. I would say that is enough to keep busy for quite some time. I didn't read or listen to much on the way over. I try to sleep on the way to China. I will do more listening on the way home. The podcasts are also good for in the gym. Since I can't carry a conversation while lifting weights, its best to just put the ear buds on and nod.

Will I get through all these books? Probably not. That's fine. Between calling the wife and kids, working, sleeping, listening to God, and shopping, I'll fit some of them in.....

Its the Republic, Stupid...

OK, so this post is political. If you don't care for that, then stop reading now.





Recently, a political activist group seeking to eliminate the Electoral College gloated over the fact that 4 more states looked to adopt laws that would allow them to turn over their electoral votes to the winner of the popular vote. The United States is on its way to a true democracy, by eliminating the Electoral College (....and there was much rejoicing...).

Much to a lot of people's surprise, the founding fathers of our country actually discussed the idea of a Popular vote. It makes sense doesn't it? If the majority of the people want the guy to win, shouldn't he win? But alas, the founding fathers yet again show just how intelligent they were, and how passionate they were in establishing a country where no one person or group (including the majority) can gain absolute power. Ron Paul wrote on this very thing right after the 2000 elections. He points out:

1) Our country is not a democracy, but a republic. "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands.....

2) The word "democracy" does not appear in the Declaration of Independence, or the Constitution. Freshen up on the Constitution here, and do a quick search. Check out the Declaration of Independence. What an amazing document!

3) The Founding Fathers were passionate for liberty, not democracy.

Democracy says, that the majority of a group of people want a certain thing. Liberty focuses on the right of the individual. Democracy, has the potential to create a tyrannical rule over the few by a united belief from the many (or even the more powerful, i. e. Nazi party). A Republic has laws established to protect ones rights as an individual (the Bill of Rights, Checks and Balances, the electoral college). A Republic says, "You as an individual matter. your basic rights as individual matter. What you own matters. Your voice can be heard." A Democracy says, "the majority of the people believe 'this', therefore 'this' is what we will do for everyone."

OK, back to the topic. The Popular vote favors highly congested areas, and pretty much forgets about rural America. Politicians would no longer have to travel through Bucksnort, TN to discuss their views. They can focus their attention to the more populated areas such as New York, Las Angeles, Denver, Chicago, etc. I don't know about you, but I am pretty sure I don't think the same way as the average person that is 2000 miles away from my home. Does that make my voice or their voice any less important? No. This is the beauty of the electoral college: it is the "check and balance" of our republic. Small states have a stronger voice to allow for the rural situation of our vast country!

I found an article where an author tries to show how the correlation of a few point swing in the Popular Vote, correlates to a land slide in the Electoral College. He looked at numerous presidential elections over the last century. Its short, and very informative. I think this helps to better explain why the 2000 election actually worked! To truly appreciate the beauty of the electoral college, one must look at the map of the United States, by county for the 2000 election. To me, this map better shows how amazingly brilliant the electoral college is. If the popular vote winner had been made president, then our country would have been dictated by only slight pockets of the country.

The United States is not a democracy, but a republic, and THAT is something to stand for.

* People of Ghana

Before the trip gets too far away from me I thought I would post some people shots. Most of the children are those who live on the Village of Hope campus. A fabulous place, which you can read about on their site http://www.thevillageofhope.com/ - they house orphans from the ages of 3-18, providing a home, education and a great God-centered focus to life. They are a blessing. The other shots are from the other villages, larger cities and coastal areas we visited at various points in the week.

There has been a slight delay in these photos since I started this post - my external hard drive is possessed and occasionally thinks my pictures should corrupt themselves. When in that mood nothing can be done. Several on/off tries over several days, generally fixes the problem although it seems to be getting more frequent - my very experienced computer friend tells me that my files are not really corrupted - that it has something technical to do with something else, but alas the problem still exists and is most inconvenient to myself. The hard drive is in a good mood today so I am going to post some things QUICK!