Good Without God

Recently 10 billboards went up in the Sacramento area that read, “Are you good, without God? Millions are.” These ads are sponsored by a coalition of atheist organizations who want their message heard that morality is not the product of religious history or influence. The response has been as anticipated… as divided as our country continues to be over the issue of the separation of church and state. I for one am glad to be a part of a diverse community that gives voice to all its citizens. Not because I like such offensive and superficial in your face propaganda but because I know that open dialogue allows truth its best chance to surface. It often finds its sway in outlandish irony. One of the participants in the billboards is FACTS (First Atheist Church of True Science). This group meets at full moon once a month, sings, has a special drink, wears special clothing and discusses the meaning of life. Yet, doesn’t (ironically) see the influence of God/religion on their practice or rhetoric. Hello there!

To say you can be good without God is at best hypothetical because we all live in a world highly influenced by God’s presence! The atheist may chortle at Adam and Eve’s story in the garden but it’s their story. They want to eat of the tree of knowledge not for enlightenment or closer connection to their world but to displace God the Creator. Mankind in many ways, in many times and in many cultures has buried its head in the sands of its self-proclaimed knowledge to deny its need for God. At the altar of Science many a modern has relegated God as an emotional need or social pawn for the greedy or power hungry. They make broad and unfounded caricatures of believers and what they believe. They attack the Bible by reinventing it as the product of propaganda and legend devised to scare and coerce simpletons into blind belief and devotion. But the irony is their claim to rational and critical thinking is far from fair and balanced.

So where does this leave us? Hopefully, with open dialogue that asks even deeper questions… like, “Why should one be good?” And… “If we all fail to be good consistently –what are we to do? You see I’m not interested in a contest about whom is the most moral among us but rather how can I overcome my sinful ways! The cross was an unexpected place to find the answer to sin but it is there I’m redeemed and humbled so that I never again enter an argument about my goodness based on my own righteousness. Sorry billboard but I’ll never be good without God! -DAN

Valentine

If you want to get into big trouble forget to ask your significant other to be your valentine accompanied by the traditional Hallmark hype of card, candy and flowers. Who is this Valentine guy and what’s he got to do with me telling my sweetheart that I love her? And is he really a saint or is that just cupid arrow shooting, frilly heart stuff? Well, the answer is that nobody really knows how this all came about. Guesses range from the Christian response to the pagan Roman celebration of Lupercalia (or Wolf Festival) that celebrated fertility, to a priest who defied Emperor Claudius II edict that young men remain single and secretly performed marriages. Reality is nobody knows except that during the ever so romantic Elizabethan period the Valentine business took off and we have been stuck holding heart shaped boxes of candy and flowers ever since.

Now, don’t get me wrong… I think celebrating love, relationship and fanning the fires of romance are noble and worthy causes. I’m just fascinated once again that much of what we do we have no idea why we do it. Well, we know that we do it because that’s the way it’s always been done… we say. But we don’t have a sense of its history or genesis. So, here’s my Valentine challenge… let love always be our tradition (“All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another (John 14:35).”). But in our exchange of love may it never be out of tradition, formal celebration or commercialization… but let it be sincere and passionate! Let love not only reign supreme but let it be the first option, the last stand and the abiding principle by which all that we say and do may rest. If God is love then let us aspire to be like Him. If the cross is the ultimate act of love then let the cross guide us and challenge us to higher heights. And last of all may we never fail to be passionate about the object of our love and keep the romance going.

I’m still going to ask (actually already have) my lovely wife to be my Valentine! We’re ooie gooie like that but it’s because we know how blessed we are to have each other and to be united in our love and our faith that is in the true object of our love… our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Happy Valentine’s Day! -DAN

Much In A Name

Shakespeare queried through the heart sick and forlorn teen, Juliet, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Yet, she a Capulet and Romeo a Montague meant their warring families would not let this romance blossom and like the rose it would be a thorny affair. Solomon said, “A good name is more desirable than great riches… (Proverbs 22:1).” There is something in a name! Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Idi Amin, Osama Bin Laden and a host of others fill the air with ill will and collective disgust. “Your name is mudd” is an expression vilifying Doctor Samuel Mudd who aided John Wilkes Booth in his escape attempt by treating his broken leg and wounds. Yes, there is much in a name. Thus Peter surmises, “Salvation is found in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).” And Paul adds, “…at the name of Jesus every knee should bow… and every tongue confess the Jesus Christ is Lord… (Philippians 2:10, 11).” Yes, there is much in a name!

Now sometimes we exalt a name because we are either ignorant of the facts or overlook certain transgressions because one’s cause is greater than himself. Let me illustrate by asking you a question… “Who would you add to this list? Judas, Brutus, Benedict Arnold, Robert Hannsen…???” May I suggest, Josephus whose given name was Joseph Ben Matthias but was legally adopted by Emperor Flavius Vespasian thus his name changed to Flavius Josephus. Josephus was not only a turncoat advocating Jews become Roman Jews but quickly abandoned anyone who got in the way of his success. He went through four wives, three emperors and his most famous betrayal was in the small town of Jotapata in Galilee where he hid in an underground cave with forty others as the city was being besieged. When they were found out he wanted to surrender but to avoid being killed by the others suggested that they commit suicide. Since it would be wrong to take one’s own life they would kill each other by every third person killing the other. Josephus strategically placed himself so he with a servant were the last two alive. He then surrendered. What a swell guy!?!?

We speak highly of him because he mentions Jesus possibly twice lending historical witness to the life of Jesus. His antiquities offer information about the fall of Jerusalem though speculated to be highly exaggerated. But none-the-less, Josephus was no rose and his name should be Mudd! Now, I said all of that to say this… We should guard the name of Jesus with profound reverence and wear it with great pride! His name is above all names and brings dignity and life to all who wear it. Yes, for those who are redeemed there is much in a name! -DAN

Two Brown Hair Beauties

My wife swiped her “Mema card” in my “what were you thinking” meter and with a bewildered and peering looked asked me, “Why didn’t you say anything about your two new granddaughters?!?” I didn’t have an answer and shrugged my shoulders. I had thought about running their pictures at the beginning of my PowerPoint but somehow didn’t get it done and then I had intended to include them in the announcements but forgot… woe, with me, who will deliver me out of this body of forgetfulness and failure? So, too little, too late but on the 19th our tribe increased with little Miss Trystyn Marie Crutcher who weighed in at 6 pounds 13 ounces and sporting 19 and a half inches crowned with long brown hair. Then, just a little more than 12 hours later on the 20th little Miss Finnley Pearl Johnston arrived weighing in at 6 pounds 6 ounces and matching her cousin with 19 and half inches and long brown hair. Yes, Mema and Pappy have two brand spanking new brown hair beauties and we can’t wait to have our chance to hold them!

These babies are not only beautiful because they are our granddaughters but they are babies that parents worked hard for. Both moms suffer with PCOS infertility problems. Forget the initials and medical mumbo jumbo… it’s a Sarah thing. Both Taina and Leah are persistent moms that had to pray a lot and pay a lot to bring these girls home! And now that they are here their Pappy shouldn’t have forgot to announce their arrival to one and all! They are gifts of grace and proclaim the wonder of our Maker! He is to be praised for their safe arrival and His presence in their lives until He brings us all home! In the midst of such terrible events like the earthquake in Haiti it’s a refreshing reminder that God is Creator when we hear about two brown hair beauties!

Now, if you thought this was just about a make-up test for a senile grandparent let me suggest this about our two new gals: “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise… (Psalm 8:2).” New life reminds us all of the wonderful spiritual, “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands!” Yes, He’s got you and me and the little bitty baby in His hands! Could there be a better place to be? Aren’t you glad that God watches over us all and receives His greatest praise from the coo of an infant… the cry of two brown hair beauties! -DAN

Virus Protection

Early last week I discovered that I acquired a vicious computer virus that presented itself as a virus protection program. This cunning virus scanned my computer effectively infecting my files with a death grip that shut off any avenue to halt its annoying blue shield popping up taunting me! I never found out its name but discovered that many people I knew had been infected as well. I took it in to Office Depot hoping for a rescue mission to only have it returned with condolences and a refund. Art Armstrong told me he had met up with this blue shielded menace and discovered that at the end of the week all was well on the home screen front! So, I held out hope and to my surprise found my demon possessed computer dressed and in its right mind this morning. (Yes, I now have new virus protection installed and hopefully poised for any blue shields!).

Lesson learned: Never be without virus protection that is up to date! Spiritual application: Never forget “a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough (1 Corinthians 5:6).” That is, never forget to keep up to date your Satan protection plan by walking in the light and staying as close to God as you can get (cf. 1 John 1:7; James 4:7-10). And never, ever forget this about the enemy: “…Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14).” That is, spiritual protection is fully aware that evil often presents itself as good. It might look like a protective shield but it’s really weapons of mass destruction!

For the life of me I will never understand what drives these computer hacking dweebs (and yes, I said “dweebs”) to create these destructive programs! What’s the thrill here? I think the answer might be one that explains the connection between computer virus and sin. These hackers are motivated by the same degenerate and malevolent motives Paul describes in Romans 1:29-32. They follow their sinister path because they disregard what is right and delight in others following their path. It’s the demented side of 15 minutes of fame. It is all about telling the story that I’m the one who took the cookie from the cookie jar! Sin is not just about taking a wrong turn or missing the mark but sometimes is about becoming a cancerous agent to spread evil. Yes, “be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).” -DAN

Preacher of Righteousness

I often joke with Pam by asking her if she ever in her wildest dreams thought she would be playing house with the preacher. People have such a wide variety of ways they view and think about the preacher. My favorite will always be the youngster in Ukiah who on his first Sunday there came up to me and said, “I know who you are… you’re the creature!” Those who proclaim the good news have brandished many a title from evangelist to pastor to the common but encompassing label, minister. Truth is, they are just labels and ultimately every preacher is who he is… me, I’m Dan. However, I am both challenged and intrigued by Peter’s reference to Noah as a “preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5).” I’m intrigued by it because it not only suggests that preaching is about a message but about living. Now, don’t get me wrong… by living, I don’t mean preachers exude some superior behavior and model citizenship (I’m with Paul that righteousness comes from God –Philippians 3:9) but I do believe in mom’s advice: Practice what you preach!

The mettle of ministry and the art of preaching are in the balance between preaching and practicing. You see, righteousness is about faith in God’s good work in transforming, shaping and developing lost souls. It’s a resolute determination to rest in God’s grace while we work out our salvation (Philippians 2:12, 13). Our rightness is neither self-guided or personally powered but relies on God as He calls our faith to task. We really do need to “trust and obey.” Noah was at the preaching business for a long time while he built the ark. Nothing is said of doomsday homilies or gopher wood placards inscribed with, “turn or burn (oops! I mean repent or sink like cement).” The only thing the text tells us is the repeated refrain, “Noah did everything just as God commanded him (Genesis 6:22; 7:5). His righteousness was in his trust and obedience, or as the text describes it, “he walked with God (6:9).”

So, preaching and preachers are about claiming and proclaiming the good news that in Jesus is found the righteousness of God. Preachers get their beautiful feet (Romans 10:15) not from pedicures but from a message of good news that victory is in Jesus. Victory over sin, victory over arrogance and delusions of self-grandeur and victory that will not let go of the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:37-39)! I’d like to think that such is walking with God and that’s the kind of “creature” I want to be! -DAN

Disabled

The other day as I was driving to work the vehicle in front of me caught my eye. It wasn’t because it was stylish, though it was, or because it was maneuvering like batman on the way to a crime scene, as it was… it was because it had a disabled person license plate and a ski rack on the top. Now correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t those two items seem to be mutually exclusive? As I cocked my eyes to the side gesturing my puzzlement, my imagination took over and I wondered if I was in the presence of the world’s greatest handicapped skier? Or possibly this disabled person had felt a social burden to assist struggling snow bums with rides to the mountains? Or could it be that a disabled mom took enormous pleasure in driving her brood to the snow to vicariously watch her family have great fun skiing? And then in midstream of my ever flowing sarcasm I came to a screeching halt and realized what was in front of me was the gospel!

The good news had opened my eyes to see that I was the disabled one because I didn’t have the full story. The Pharisees couldn’t understand why Jesus would eat with tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 9:11), so Jesus chides them because they ignorantly assumed he was a glutton and a drunkard who chose his company poorly (Luke 7:34). The kingdom of God was not the one-sided law keeping exclusive club they had perpetrated but rather a rebirth and spiritually transformed community that enabled the disabled to see beyond the external. The gospel is “good news” because it speaks of reconciliation, forgiveness, grace, mercy and understanding. The gospel never looks to the story as one-dimensional but coaxes one to look deeper, to dig deeper and to expect deeper meaning to the story to which we can never be outsiders. The gospel is not exclusive but inclusive for the single purpose to draw all men unto God.

I’ll never know the full story of my disabled ski rack toting friend but I thank them for reminding me not to disable my vision by jumping to conclusions. And I am thankful that the gospel is good news the enables the disabled… especially me! May God bless us all with eyes that see beyond the moment and measure all things by heaven’s intrusion into our myopic world! -DAN