The numerous legends of the kelpie - a Scottish water-creature - are, for the most part, really creepy. This is one of the less-creepy ones.
In the northern part of the country, flows the Conan, a beautiful
river with many sunny spots and shaded nooks on its banks. There are
trout a plenty, and mussels in its fords. Many children have
long-passed their days on the banks of the Conan - their days, but not
their nights. For while it may be pleasant during the day, at night,
there are many fearful places to be found along the course of the
Conan.
One of the most frightful places can be found
amongst the woods of the Conan House, where a swampy meadow lies in the
midst of rushes, and, rising out of the middle of the river, is a
willow-covered hillock. On either side of the river, the woods grow
thick and dark, and the waters swirl around the moss-covered rocks in
dark, fearsome eddies. On top of the island lie the ruins of an old
church and its graveyard.
About two-hundred years
ago, farmers were busy about the church, harvesting the corn from the
field that grew adjacent. Around about midday, the workers heard a
voice from the river proclaim: "The hour but not the man has come."
Looking about, they spotted a ford near the church, where one might
cross the river quite easily. Standing in the middle of the ford was a
kelpie, who repeated her phrase before disappearing beneath the waters.
As they stood, bewildered and scratching their heads, a man on
horseback appeared, making for the ford.
Well, they
understood the kelpie's words, and tried to dissuade the man from
fording the river. He would not listen, so the stoutest of them dragged
him from his horse and locked him away in the dungeon of the church -
for safe keeping, you see. After the hour had passed, they unlocked the
door of the cellar and called out to the man, but they received no
answer. Again they cried, and again their cries were met with silence,
so they descended into the cell. There, they found the man face down in a
stone trough of water, drowned to death. So, though they had tried to
save the man, the kelpie's words rang true.
This wrestles with the age-old question: can we change the future? Obviously, according to this story, no. Try as they may, the men could not save the lone rider's life - indeed, it was their very attempt to save him that took his life. While the many aspects of the future are, indeed, set in stone, how they get to that point may very well change depending on people's actions. If, for example, the men in the story had not captured the man on horseback, would he have drowned trying to cross the river? Perhaps. His "destiny," therefore, was set, but how it was fulfilled could have changed.
Bear in mind, I'm not making a philosophical statement of certainty here, just offering up a possibility to the aforementioned question, because I really don't know, nor is there any way to know whether or not the future could have turned out differently. In the end, I suppose it's really a moot point. Either we can alter and influence the future, or we cannot, and none of us have any way of knowing whether or not we are. It sounds like maybe instead of worrying about tomorrow, we should deal with today, first.
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
The Bob Dutko Show
Hey, everyone! Awesome news! Radio personality Bob Dutko will be interviewing me about Giants. You can catch a live stream of it here on Friday, August 21st, from 1:00-1:30 EST. I hope you can tune in!
Saturday, August 15, 2015
Hypocrites Anonymous
I once received a bitter salvo from an anti-Christian. "You
Christians are nothing but a bunch of hypocrites," he spat (one, he
actually did spit when he talked, but two, I like the word "spat"). Ever had that accusation thrown at you?
"You're no better than the rest of us!"
"You have this high 'moral code' and don't like when anyone violates it, but you violate it yourselves!"
"You're hypocrites!"
My answer to all three of these accusations is always the same: yes. The meaning of the word hypocrite is two-faced. To believe one thing and do another is a two-faced thing to do. We know it's wrong to worship anything other than God, but we do it anyway. We seek out money in the hopes that it will bring us joy and security, even though we know that God alone "fills [our] heart[s] with greater joy than when . . . grain and new wine abound" and that we "lie down and sleep in peace for You alone, O Lord, make [us] dwell in safety" (Psalm 4: 7-8). We worship food and sex.
We know it's wrong to lie, but we lie: "Hi! How are you?" "Fine, thanks! Everything's wonderful! God's really blessed me!" (okay, so God has blessed us, but how often do we say it without believing it?).
We know it's wrong to steal, but we pirate movies and music.
We know it's wrong to be hypocritical, but we are anyway.
In fact, we do have a "moral code" (we just call it God's Word), and we often fail to live up to it. We are, in fact, no better than anyone else. But here's the deal Mr. Anti-Christian: that doesn't let you off the hook.
You see, God doesn't look at you and judge you by the way I live. God looks at you and judges you for your life, He looks at my neighbor and judges him for his life, and He looks at me and judges me for my life. In Ezekiel 18, God makes it abundantly clear that our choices - that is, whether we submit to Christ in humility and discipleship, or continue on in our sin, unrepentant - determine our eternity. Our eternity is not determined by our comparison to others. God does not look at me and then look at the atrocities of World War II and say, "We'll, he didn't take part in that, so I guess I'll let him in!"
Revelation paints an interesting picture of what the Judgment will look like. Check it out:
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire (20:11-15, NIV).
Two of the five verses state that we will all be judged according to what we have done. So know this, if I am a jerk, or a hypocrite, or any number of other things, it's going to come up when I stand before God. My sins will be read, out loud, before the Creator of the universe. So will yours, my friend.
All of them.
But, thank God, the judgment doesn't end there. Notice the end of that passage: If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. This tells me two things. The first is that no one goes through the first judgment with an acquittal. "If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life. . . ." The fact that they have to move on to the second book tells me that everyone is found guilty in the first book. Our deeds come up wanting.
The second thing that this tells me is that salvation is dependent on my deeds, but only if I deny the grace of Christ. Why do I say this? Because if my name is not found written in the book of life, the first judgment stands: guilty. If your name, Mr. Atheist, is not found in the book of life (and how could it, if you don't even believe in the Author of the book?), your deeds will determine your judgment: guilty. And then there's grace.
Grace is why Christ's death is so important. It demonstrates His love for us - a love that is so great that He is willing to serve your guilty sentence on your behalf. But more than that, He takes His innocence and puts it on you. So when the charges are read, Christ is there to say, "That's already been served. Check the record and see for yourself." And so there, in the book of life, is a name. A name that could be yours.
So while yes, I am often a hypocrite, and yes, that is unacceptable, know two things: first, I'm in a program to help me with that - it's called discipleship. Sometimes (often times) I fall off the wagon, but I still keep on keeping on. Second, know that your deeds are your sentence, but God, Who desires that no one would ever go to Hell, has died and taken those deeds upon Himself. All you have to do is believe that.
Get your name written in the book of life.
"You're no better than the rest of us!"
"You have this high 'moral code' and don't like when anyone violates it, but you violate it yourselves!"
"You're hypocrites!"
My answer to all three of these accusations is always the same: yes. The meaning of the word hypocrite is two-faced. To believe one thing and do another is a two-faced thing to do. We know it's wrong to worship anything other than God, but we do it anyway. We seek out money in the hopes that it will bring us joy and security, even though we know that God alone "fills [our] heart[s] with greater joy than when . . . grain and new wine abound" and that we "lie down and sleep in peace for You alone, O Lord, make [us] dwell in safety" (Psalm 4: 7-8). We worship food and sex.
We know it's wrong to lie, but we lie: "Hi! How are you?" "Fine, thanks! Everything's wonderful! God's really blessed me!" (okay, so God has blessed us, but how often do we say it without believing it?).
We know it's wrong to steal, but we pirate movies and music.
We know it's wrong to be hypocritical, but we are anyway.
In fact, we do have a "moral code" (we just call it God's Word), and we often fail to live up to it. We are, in fact, no better than anyone else. But here's the deal Mr. Anti-Christian: that doesn't let you off the hook.
You see, God doesn't look at you and judge you by the way I live. God looks at you and judges you for your life, He looks at my neighbor and judges him for his life, and He looks at me and judges me for my life. In Ezekiel 18, God makes it abundantly clear that our choices - that is, whether we submit to Christ in humility and discipleship, or continue on in our sin, unrepentant - determine our eternity. Our eternity is not determined by our comparison to others. God does not look at me and then look at the atrocities of World War II and say, "We'll, he didn't take part in that, so I guess I'll let him in!"
Revelation paints an interesting picture of what the Judgment will look like. Check it out:
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire (20:11-15, NIV).
Two of the five verses state that we will all be judged according to what we have done. So know this, if I am a jerk, or a hypocrite, or any number of other things, it's going to come up when I stand before God. My sins will be read, out loud, before the Creator of the universe. So will yours, my friend.
All of them.
But, thank God, the judgment doesn't end there. Notice the end of that passage: If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. This tells me two things. The first is that no one goes through the first judgment with an acquittal. "If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life. . . ." The fact that they have to move on to the second book tells me that everyone is found guilty in the first book. Our deeds come up wanting.
The second thing that this tells me is that salvation is dependent on my deeds, but only if I deny the grace of Christ. Why do I say this? Because if my name is not found written in the book of life, the first judgment stands: guilty. If your name, Mr. Atheist, is not found in the book of life (and how could it, if you don't even believe in the Author of the book?), your deeds will determine your judgment: guilty. And then there's grace.
Grace is why Christ's death is so important. It demonstrates His love for us - a love that is so great that He is willing to serve your guilty sentence on your behalf. But more than that, He takes His innocence and puts it on you. So when the charges are read, Christ is there to say, "That's already been served. Check the record and see for yourself." And so there, in the book of life, is a name. A name that could be yours.
So while yes, I am often a hypocrite, and yes, that is unacceptable, know two things: first, I'm in a program to help me with that - it's called discipleship. Sometimes (often times) I fall off the wagon, but I still keep on keeping on. Second, know that your deeds are your sentence, but God, Who desires that no one would ever go to Hell, has died and taken those deeds upon Himself. All you have to do is believe that.
Get your name written in the book of life.
Thursday, August 13, 2015
It's the End of the World As We Know It
The more I read the Scriptures, the more convinced I am that things are going to get out of hand very, very rapidly. And since I'm not sure if we'll still be around to explain to everyone what's going on, I figure I'd do a quick series on "The End Times." Look, things in the Scriptures are a little vague at times, so I'm going to be straight up honest and tell you that a lot of what I'm going to say is debatable.
As just a few examples:
Timing of the Rapture - Debatable
Timing of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb - Debatable
Who Attacks Israel - Debatable
When Whoever it Is that Attacks Israel Actually Attacks Israel - Debatable
The Meaning of the Beast - Debatable
The Meaning of the White Horseman of the Apocalypse - Debatable
Daniel's Timeline - Debatable
Meaning of the Seals/Trumpets/Bowls - Debatable
Meaning of Revelation 2-3 - Debatable
There are other aspects, too, but that's the gist of it. Now, I'll give you my opinion on the subjects, but I'll also introduce opposing viewpoints, just so you can decide for yourselves. But remember, with this, as with any other topic in the Bible, the point of it is always God. It is always His mercy, His majesty, His grace, His power, His wrath, and - the culmination of it all - His love. I don't want us to get too caught up in the details of eschatology, and miss out on the most important part: God loves us, even though we don't deserve it.
The purpose of this series, then, is not to philosophize about whether or not Obama is the Antichrist, but to lead people to the real Christ, whether I'm still around when they stumble upon this blog, or not. And if you disagree with some of my views (or others'), feel free to say so in the comments. Just keep it polite, please.
The first post will be up soon!
Update 09/21/15
The first post is up now!
As just a few examples:
Timing of the Rapture - Debatable
Timing of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb - Debatable
Who Attacks Israel - Debatable
When Whoever it Is that Attacks Israel Actually Attacks Israel - Debatable
The Meaning of the Beast - Debatable
The Meaning of the White Horseman of the Apocalypse - Debatable
Daniel's Timeline - Debatable
Meaning of the Seals/Trumpets/Bowls - Debatable
Meaning of Revelation 2-3 - Debatable
There are other aspects, too, but that's the gist of it. Now, I'll give you my opinion on the subjects, but I'll also introduce opposing viewpoints, just so you can decide for yourselves. But remember, with this, as with any other topic in the Bible, the point of it is always God. It is always His mercy, His majesty, His grace, His power, His wrath, and - the culmination of it all - His love. I don't want us to get too caught up in the details of eschatology, and miss out on the most important part: God loves us, even though we don't deserve it.
The purpose of this series, then, is not to philosophize about whether or not Obama is the Antichrist, but to lead people to the real Christ, whether I'm still around when they stumble upon this blog, or not. And if you disagree with some of my views (or others'), feel free to say so in the comments. Just keep it polite, please.
The first post will be up soon!
Update 09/21/15
The first post is up now!
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Book Review
Author and speaker Tim Chaffey wrote a very generous review of Giants! You can read it here.
Saturday, August 1, 2015
War on Women, Part 2
A few weeks back, I wrote a post trying to explain what, exactly, Christians and anti-abortionists are saying when we say we're against abortion. I'm afraid, though, that there was one thing I didn't explain: that most of us don't hate women who have had abortions. While I readily admit that some do, the vast majority don't. Unfortunately, we're not very good at conveying that in the heat of the moment, when we're defending the right of an unborn child to live.
It's funny, but as I was mulling this idea over, I received a private message from a friend containing this cartoon:
Since it spoke directly to what was on my mind, I figured it was an important topic to bring up at this point. The fact is, for most women who receive abortions, I put very little blame, because I don't believe they truly know what they are doing. They have been lied to so many times by so many people that they truly do not believe that they are taking/have taken a human life. I place the blame, therefore, squarely on the shoulders of those responsible for misinforming men and women. And those people will answer to God.
But for those women who, knowing what they are doing, and do it anyway, I still do not hate them. Nor do I want to come across as condemning those who made a tough - and ultimately, wrong - choice. The simple truth is that all of us choose wrong on many occasions, and abortion is no different. Yes, it is murder, and yes it is wrong, but lying is wrong, worshiping false gods is wrong, and being self-righteous is wrong.
The good news is that Jesus' Grace covers all. So, please hear me, if you are a woman who has had an abortion, understand that I am in no way trying to devalue you. I do not look down on you. I do not hate you. Your sins - no matter what they are, have been, or will be - can be bought and paid for by Jesus. Remember the only rule of grace that we ever need:
God loves you, even though you don't deserve it.
Embrace that, realize that, and mold your life as a response to it.
It's funny, but as I was mulling this idea over, I received a private message from a friend containing this cartoon:
Since it spoke directly to what was on my mind, I figured it was an important topic to bring up at this point. The fact is, for most women who receive abortions, I put very little blame, because I don't believe they truly know what they are doing. They have been lied to so many times by so many people that they truly do not believe that they are taking/have taken a human life. I place the blame, therefore, squarely on the shoulders of those responsible for misinforming men and women. And those people will answer to God.
But for those women who, knowing what they are doing, and do it anyway, I still do not hate them. Nor do I want to come across as condemning those who made a tough - and ultimately, wrong - choice. The simple truth is that all of us choose wrong on many occasions, and abortion is no different. Yes, it is murder, and yes it is wrong, but lying is wrong, worshiping false gods is wrong, and being self-righteous is wrong.
The good news is that Jesus' Grace covers all. So, please hear me, if you are a woman who has had an abortion, understand that I am in no way trying to devalue you. I do not look down on you. I do not hate you. Your sins - no matter what they are, have been, or will be - can be bought and paid for by Jesus. Remember the only rule of grace that we ever need:
God loves you, even though you don't deserve it.
Embrace that, realize that, and mold your life as a response to it.
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