Human Happiness and the Humble Heart

We error incredibly as Christians when we assume happiness and joy are synonymous. No doubt you have heard sermons on the subject and perhaps you can even make some verbal distinctions between the two. But if I were to ask you for a clear pathway to joy as opposed to happiness could you give a concise biblical teaching on the subject? Further could you objectively put your own life to the self tests prescribed by the apostle John and be pleased with the results?

Have you ever considered the rollercoaster ride of highs and lows found in every person’s life? The deviant theology of the Word of Faith movement has taken advantage of these emotional fluctuations and created a powerful following, who long for that “Jesus high” that does not fail. Yet, inevitably the formulas of words prescribed disappoint. In those moments of despair the chant from these Word of Faith teachers has become predictable: “the Faith did not fail you, only your personal faith failed.”

The people that have been sold the Word of Faith bill of goods are often disillusioned, more often hurt and more often than not look for relief in all the wrong places. As a result depression is easy and the seeds of bitterness, anger and defeat are commonly the unsought fruit.

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelly, the British novelist said:

“No man chooses evil because it is evil. He only mistakes it for happiness, which is the good he seeks.”

I believe for the most part she is correct. Other than those suffering with certain kinds of mental disorders and those that have allowed themselves to be subject to demonic works, the desire of most people is not to pursue evil for evil’s sake. While I do not believe in the natural goodness of the human heart (“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked…” Jer. 17:9), neither do I believe that most people have evil as their stated goal and purpose in life. Evil is much more deceptive than that. People often find themselves doing evil things as a result of 1) pursuing a good end at any cost, or 2) pursuing happiness and finding evil the shortest distance between where they are and the feelings they long for. In this effort they either conveniently ignore the evil or justify it in their minds as a “necessary evil”.

One can even set out in the work of Christian ministry teaching the truths of God’s word with accuracy but find his own actions and personal words defy the very teachings he professes. 1^st John calls this person a “liar”. This is perhaps the saddest and most hurtful of all evil. False teachers can eventually be exposed and left to defend themselves in the emptiness of perverse relativism. But, the one who teaches with accuracy and then allows his life to defy his own teachings, finds only cleaver sophistry his ally in defending his divergence. His words eventually ware then, and in their wake we find hurt and destruction. Sadly those hurt often hurt others… and the beat goes on, all in the name of Jesus.

Believers seeking the easiest way to defeat evil were likely the plague that, somewhere between Paul’s commendation of them, and John’s condemnation of them in Revelation 2, caused the Church at Ephesus to fall far short of God’s approval. They stood up against false teacher and did so with persistence and patience. In pursuit of good works, like the Ephesians, we can find it easy to accept the adage that the ends justify the means. We often forget that the results are the Holy Spirit’s work, and that the means we chose are the reflection of our true submission to God’s Word and His Holy Spirit in our lives. Often our efforts to defeat evil are really nothing more than a pursuit of happiness and the means we choose become secondary, if considered at all. In the end, like the church at Ephesus, if we are not attentive we will find that in our good work we have lost our first love.

Where the humble heart finds joy, the hardened heart mistakes evil for the good he seeks. As we work our way through 1^st John, we will find those that walk in this darkness (whether false teachers or teachers of truth whose lives defy their words), consistently end in places of evil. Finding themselves there unexpectedly, they will either repent (turn and go the other way) or in a knee jerk reaction, dig in for the fight. Those walking in the light may be hurt by their own actions and embarrassed but are repentant. Those walking in darkness, cover their sins in the cloak of night and find it easier and easier to justify who they are and what they are doing… usually in the name of Jesus.

1^st John teaches us to test our own lives against true north. It provides us an acid test of the genuine Christian Faith. It may not be easy to subject ourselves to this standard, but it will result in joy that is lasting where all pursuits to find human happiness fail.

Can I Really Forgive?

Perhaps as much as any sermon series I have ever preached, this subject of Forgiveness has generated questions. The title of this article is the question that seems to be hiding beneath most of the others. The question is actually a good one. We have been conditioned to believe that forgiving and forgetting go hand-in-hand and if we continue to remember anything concerning the offense we have somehow failed at the attempt to forgive. Here, in a nutshell, is the key for us to think about: it is not that we won’t remember; it is rather that we won’t remember it againstthem. Of course you will remember the event. God does not forget our sins in that sense either. He simply does not remember them against us.

These kinds of basic misunderstandings concerning biblical forgiveness reinforce the reality that we have a ton of work to do just to get to a place we are ready (emotionally, mentally, spiritually and psychologically) to begin the process of forgiveness with any real anticipation of living in a forgiving spirit. This will not be a short or painless journey, should you choose to take the challenge.

You will note that forgiveness was just referred to as a “process.” For the most part, the people I have spoken with about this subject over the years have viewed forgiveness as an event in time… something we do and then move on. They see it as a time when they said to someone (or thought to themselves): “I forgive you.” The first question to address here should be; is this confession (speaking good words) sufficient to getting the job done? And how do I know when the job is really accomplished?

Some have suggested by their questions recently, that in positing this “first question,” I have actually gotten ahead of myself. They ask questions like: “Is it not true that only God can forgive sins?” and “What about the imprecatory Psalms (those Psalms where King David and others are praying for the destruction of their enemies)… is this type of prayer no longer appropriate on this side of the cross?” Or “Can I pleasestill pray these kinds of prayers without guilt?” What about correcting (or even punishing) our children, if we forgive them, does this not presume they will avoid punishment? So, perhaps as we lay the foundations for this study we will attack these kinds of subjects earlier than I had planned. We won’t get to all the answers in this article as space will not allow for even all the questions heard so far, but we will attempt to plant a few of the seeds of answers in the rich soil of the scriptures. As we attempt to surround these difficult issues with practical suggestions (if not exacting answers), it is my prayer that you will have the courage to make this personal. Not just personal as you ruminate on all those that have offended or sinned against you, but even more personal than that. So personal that you determine to both seek forgiveness and seek in your heart and mind to forgive others their most egregious sins against you.

Be reminded that there are only two places to live in this journey, they are: bitternessor forgiveness. One of the most profound realities I have faced on this journey is how trivial some of the offenses are that have resulted in the most exaggerated forms of bitterness. But whether these offenses are trivial in my eyes or not is irrelevant. The nature of unforgiveness and the bitterness (dirt) required to grow unforgiveness is the first reality that must be faced in the process itself. To partially answer one of the questions above: God commands us to forgive and we cannot do this living in bitterness. Some people think they can compartmentalize their bitterness and only experience it when they choose to think about a particular person or event; and all the rest of the time live in peace and joy with God and their fellow man. God’s word seems to strongly indicate that this deception only keeps us burdened, blind & emboldened in our bitterness. Some of us have even come to think of that bitterness as a “Right” to be clung to. These poor souls actually enjoy the process of belittling, berating, and brutalizing the offender (in their minds and hearts, if not by their words and deeds). One of the questions asked recently was: “If it is not right to be bitter, why do I find it so therapeutic?” Isn’t this the way of the world and the way the enemy works? More often than not the excuse that it feels good only leads to more abusive thoughts and actions. To rewrite a popular song from the past, we often get to the place practically (if not theologically) that reasons: “If destroying you is wrong, I don’t want to be right.” When we arrive at this demonic “X” on this worldly treasure map, we love using anything (in or out of context) that justifies our actions and if we cannot find those, it really does not matter. Our justification then becomes; “but what they did is just not right” or “it is not fair.” From there it is only a short trip to pronouncing judgment based on nothing more than opinions or a twisted interpretation of words or events. Some have even come to see this particularly heinous form of bitterness as their “ministry.” When bitterness has grown to this point it, is easy for the offended to judge, by presumption, the motives of the offender. After all, if we can just judge the motive of the offender evil enough, nothing we can do to them seems too bad. It should be pointed out that this journey into bitterness is easy. It is all downhill. It is also interesting that bitterness creates quite an adrenaline rush, endorphins are set off and in a very physical way a chemical high is created that most of us can easily come to embrace and enjoy. Some sociological professionals recently have even suggested that it is addictive to both individuals and cultural environments. Thus, it can be rightly said that bitterness within the framework of fallenness is not only addictive, but also contagious.

It needs to be stated here that psychologically, biblically and scientifically, it has been determined that bitterness is notcaused by the offense or the offender. Before you go any further in this article please read that very bold statement again. It is a shocking, and, for some, a disturbing truth. So, if neither the offender nor the offense causes bitterness, what does? Gary DeLashmutt says that bitterness is “prolonged retributive anger toward another person because of an offense committed.” While that seems to contradict what was just stated consider this truth: There is only one part of any relationship that you currently have that you can control. Guess what part that is. Of course it is your actions or (in this case) your reactions. It is not the offense or the offender that has “caused” your bitterness; it is your reaction to the offense or offender.

“But I just can’t help it, that guy just ticks me off.” Well if that is the case we, as Christians, serve a disturbingly abusive God, because He commandsthat we forgive exactly that person. Sometimes it is precisely God’s commands that are set-aside in His Name, in order to more comfortably do Hisministry. Setting this command aside is destructive to His work: so forgiveness becomes the precursor to any genuine work that is His.

We should set high standards in dealing with God or talking about God or doing ministry, but our personal lofty and admirable objectives, imposed on others, can result in us living as angry participants in never ending religious wars that bring no glory to God. The destructive nature of these major wars hosted on the battlefields of minor issues, kills more than it ever heals. When will we heed the call of Augustine? “In the essentials, unity; in the non-essentials, liberty; and in all things, love.”

Recently it was my privilege to be one of the 150 or so original signers of the Manhattan Declaration. Most would be shocked at the amount of email I received from around the world from “Christians” calling me a heretic, or worse! While some of those emails were civil and reasoned, a healthy number were breathing strong hints of retaliation. I will not repeat some of the language used in that correspondence but suffice it to say that it would not take anyone who was reading them long to understand the unquestionable bitterness that was being manifested simply because Roman Catholics and Evangelicals came together around common causes. These people have made their anger at the Roman Church not only an “essential” but thepredominate focus of their work.

Some bitterness, like that just described, is easy to see. Some, however (probably the most dangerous kind), are those bitters steeped in the cup of “what just seems right,”or that are hidden behind holy causes, or are bred in the high standards of men for excellent purposes. How do we recognize this kind in others and ourselves and what do we do about it if we begin to glimpse it?

Here are a few symptoms of bitterness. Remember as you look at this relatively short list, that all of us are susceptible to bitterness and that bitterness is a clear indicator of unforgiveness. Symptoms seem to fall into two basic categories:

.Justifying your retributive anger: Ruminating and/or exaggerating the offense; thinking about the negative effects of the offense; finding others to join you in what has been made a sport.

.Expressing retributive anger: Finding pleasure in any misfortune of the offenders (most particularly, any misfortune to which the embittered one has contributed). This pleasure is only slightly behind that of withdrawing from any relationships with the offender while helpingothers to do the same. Rehearsing to one’s self what it would be like to say or do this or that to the offender. The person rooted in bitterness additionally finds themselves in disproportionate anger over unrelated issues: plotting and/or even taking revenge (either overtly or covertly), gossiping and/or slandering the offender.

Angerand Bitternessare empowering emotions. They feel good short-term, can become self-perpetuating, but don’t ware well long term. They will exact their revenge on the one that embraces them and in the end become inevitably draining to one’s emotional reserves, thus setting up an emotional free fall. The adrenaline and endorphins do their job in the chosen hatred of the moment, but like alcohol or drug addiction there is a very dark reality on the other side of the high. Somehow after a time, a bitterness fix is needed just to feel the day is normal. Long-term bitterness poisons one’s personality with negativity (self-pity; cynicism; tone of voice; facial expressions) that has the effect of repulsing people – which of course gives the embittered person that many more people to be bitter toward. Psychologists now tell us that often the end resultof a prolonged spiral downward, deeper and deeper into this kind of bitter state is either: a particular type of psychosis or paranoia.

Spiritually, the consequences are most devastating. Practicing this kind of disobedience moves us away from any healthy relationship with God. While it is true that nothing (including bitterness) can take the Christian out of God’s ultimate care. Eph 4:30 warns us to “. . . grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” Here are the instructions to avoid this divisive nature becoming part of yours: v. 31 & 32 “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

In the months ahead, in the series on Forgiveness, we will answer many of the questions posed at the first of this article. Some of us will choose to do the right and the difficult thing rather than the humanly natural thing. Consequently, the road will be a bit more difficult as we learn to respond in the nature and by the grace of our heavenly Father. I pray you will join me in the journey.

Applied Apologetics / Pre-Evangelism & Discipleship

Often in Christian apologetics we realize that definitions and the re-defining of words are the cause of great misunderstanding and even the cause of heresies. We have even referred to this reality as an abuse of our theological language. We can point to this error as part of the problem of re-writing history and the cause of much of the problem within many of the cults. Let’s face it, when language is manipulated – doctrine suffers, perspective is twisted and doctrines of the faith are left to be taken out of their true context or they are so perverted as to become abusive of our faith and to people (saved and unsaved).

As a pastor, this has long been a concern of mine as I experienced real people living in real circumstances face extreme difficulties because of having suffered the re-writing of doctrine via the re-defining of both common language and theological terms. It is with this care and concern that I now turn my focus toward modern day apologetics and the apologists we are producing, some of which I pray will go into pulpits.

Some of the greatest modern Christian apologists have called Christian apologetics: “pre-evangelism”. I would go a bit further and add to that definition: that proper Christian apologetics …should also be part and parcel of good discipleship. Christian apologetics should bring believers closer to God and thus add to healthy ongoing discipleship. For too long apologists have been rightly criticized as clinicians that practiced an exercise whose ends were found within the technical pursuits of the exercise itself. That is to say, if we as Christian apologists find our desires and propensities fulfilled at simply correcting someone’s questions (to make them appropriate or structured correctly) or answering the questions without helping the individual make application toward real life change toward Jehovah God, then at best we practice hollow discipleship and at worse, we are displaying our arrogance in an attempt to show off our knowledge. As Hank Hanegraaff stated in a luncheon of pastors (Sept. 22, 2009): “Apologetics was never intended to satisfy the soul by intellectual accent, but for the purpose of reaching people for Christ.”

I have long held that almost any platform can be used to evangelize and/ or disciple people, but that some of those platforms more often than not fall flat because neither evangelism nor discipleship is ever done. Churches and other religious organizations, for example, often send out teams to do clean up after a flood, tornado or hurricane; but if the work done ends with those good works then I contend that we could have done more good by giving the money spent on those works to Habitat for Humanity or other such organizations and let them do what they do best! In the same light if we as Christians do apologetics (whether in conferences or debates or classes) and the only result is a good show and knowledge built for the sake of knowledge, or for the sake of the display of that knowledge; then we can find ourselves in the company of others that are nothing more than clanging bells or ringing cymbals. My question is: “what happens when the sound ends”? In other words: have we really done pre-evangelism or discipleship at all?

If you have been in Sunday morning services lately at CFC, some of these themes may be familiar to you. I am concerned that as trained apologists we often find ourselves satisfied at the point that we have either corrected the question or given an answer that is technically masterful, yet spiritually unfulfilling to the questioner.

When we miss connecting to both the head and the heart of the one asking the questions or challenging our beliefs, then we can win the battle (by our own definitions of victory), yet loose the soul. I fear that far too often I have been so caught up in the theological jousting and the technical manipulating of rooting out fallacies, that in my personal satisfaction, I have left others spiritually cold. When in our efforts to dazzle (because we are so focused on self), we leave other folks dazed in our dust, and all that is accomplished in the eyes of God is the puffing up of an arrogant heart; our own.

I have personally been blessed to have the tools of the studied Christian apologist in the work of reaching those deceived by some of the most perverse cults in this country and others. I genuinely appreciate those tools but have come to appreciate even more how those tools are applied in the most difficult of situations. I have seen the heart ache, the pain and the physical & emotional anguish caused in families torn apart. Perhaps because our ministry has been grass roots, dealing directly with those caught up in the deceit, we know how hollow that simply knocking down arguments can be to the one on the receiving end. Far too often, I have found myself so impressed with the technical precision of my answers only to find the one spoken too, intellectually stunned and emotionally devastated. Take it from me, stunned & devastated people don’t often think clearly and often experience only the consequences of their own knee jerk reaction to the apologetic offered. It is then the relativistic world’s pleasure to assure them of the legitimacy of that reaction, thus rooting the questioner’s false beliefs even deeper than they were prior to the interaction.

In his truly impressive book: “Spiritual Depression” D. Martyn Lloyd Jones gives credence to these thoughts in this way:

“I regard it as a great part of my calling in ministry to emphasize the priority of the mind and intellect in connection with the faith; but though I maintain that, I am equally ready to assert that the feelings, the emotions, the sensibilities …are vitally important. We have been made in such a way that these play a dominant part in our make-up. Indeed, I suppose that one of the greatest problems in our life in this world not only for Christians, but for all people, is the right handling of our feelings and emotions. Oh, the havoc that is wrought and the tragedy, the misery and the wretchedness that are to be found in the world simply because people do not know how to handle their own feelings.”

I am impressed that Jones here not only strikes the head of one of the largest problems in applying apologetics outside the class room or the extended class room which we call: debate, but also one of the most unaddressed problems in the history of the church. We are often bred (educated in such a way) as apologists, to be so busy fighting over the non-essentials and seeking acknowledgement for our perceived victories in those battles, that we are missing the opportunity of connecting with real people harboring emotional pain which is buried deep in the masquerade of intellectual questions.

In the days when I was in seminary I remember the jousting and attempts to score points with the other students and when possible the faculty. I remember a time in an apologetics class, when asking a heartfelt question I was so abused by the professor, who I can only guess thought I was challenging him personally, that in getting an accurate but angry answer, I found myself belittle and left bruised and battered. To be honest, a decade later I cannot remember the question or the answer (they were lost in the emotion of the moment), but I am left with a horrid remembrance of the event, the embarrassment I had before my classmates and the hesitancy I had in asking important questions of that professor from that time forward.

The question for us is: “…of what purpose is apologetics”? I contend that Hank Hanegraaff is correct: it is to reach real people and not just to impress the academic or publishing communities. If that is Paul’s contention (and I believe it is) then rather than the selfish ambitions of a jouster, perhaps we need to be more aware of our propensities, adjust our own minds and hearts, and then focus on our answers being made useful to those on the receiving end. This often requires us knowing their propensities & the purpose of their question; and thus asking them questions & listening to their answers before giving our apologetic. Paul in essence does this on Mars Hill when he answers the un-verbalized (but memorialized) question of the “unknown god”.

Ravi Z., in my opinion, has made an art of this objective over the last several years. His ability to connect with people has thus been elevated to the level of seeing real change in lives as a result of their having encountered him and those he has trained up through his ministry. I highly recommend, if you want to witness this craft perfected, that you listen again and again to his Q&A sessions on college campuses around the world. I would also commend to you the masterful work Ravi did as the first evangelical to take the pulpit at the Mormon Tabernacle since D.L. Moody. I believe that recording is still available through his RZIM web site. We should not only admire the beauty of this masterful work but seek to weave it into our own encounters with all “those who ask”. His work is both peaceable and un-compromising, and genuinely beautiful to witness in its accuracy and artistry.

Recently I began a Sunday morning message by asking the congregation their definition of “failure”. I got all kinds of answers, but the one I stole from Pastor James Merritt (Atlanta, Ga.) I still think is best. He says that “failure is succeeding at the wrong thing.” While I tend to point the finger of failure (as defined here) at many strict Calvinists (my propensity), I think in some cases all those fingers pointed back at apologists might be legit as well. I suspect and fear that it is. Let’s get better at what we do about reaching the lost, equipping the saints, developing disciples, and not just better at winning the jousting matches among the academics in the spotlight, all the while, missing those in the dark that apologetics was intended to lead into deeper relationships with Christ.

Happy Mother's Day

Pastor Dave and His mother one year ago. Mrs. Seaford is still doing well and living in Weddington Park.



BUT THEN, there are times when it is just as important what mothers don't do. Check out the next video.

Can a Christian do that?

How can we be in the world but not of the world? It seems perplexing at times that we, as Christians, seem to have embraced such strange kinds of liberalism and legalism in Postmodern America. It appears we prefer to attach ourselves to the more comfortable polar positions, rather than deal with the very central and transcendent nature of a holy God. I just want to challenge you today to begin to ask yourself where the line is drawn between being legalistic in our practice of a form of christological snobbery and genuine Christianity? What is the difference between cultural relevance and pagan ritualism? Is the God of the Bible not transcendent and piercingly relevant in every culture and within every scripturally neutral cultural practice, music, and language?

Billy Graham has said that he would be exceedingly happy if at the end of his life 5% of the people that came forward in his great evangelistic crusades were actually saved as a result. As I watch people function within the church today, I believe that his comments, which match up with the Barna research, are very accurate. It seems a very high probability to me that there are very low percentages indeed that sit in our churches that actually have a relationship with Jesus Christ. The fruit, the power and the patience found in most of those lives just is not reflective of the Christ which supposedly lives within.

Look at the humorous first video (at the beginning of this article) and then the not so funny second video (posted at the end of this rant). When you finish; ask yourself: "Where is the line between holier than thou churchianity and the real deal? What is the difference between a faith that lives, breaths and has found a reality in Christ transcending the walls human nature; and that which has purposed to built walls around their more customized religious practices? Lastly, do our religious practices have more to do with culture and preference than the worship of the transcendent God of the Bible?

It is mind boggling that a person that would argue “irreducible complexity” with regard to creation could find such comfort in a god that is so culturally reducible and culturally narrow. I should be clear here that I am not arguing that anything goes… or that all roads lead to an eternal life with God in heaven. To the contrary, I am quite simply saying that where God is not excluded by practices He has specifically forbidden, He can be enjoyed and even worshiped. It is our cultural and preferential walls that cause us to reject this worship and to be so determined by those walls as to eliminate our efforts to reach certain people for God. Strangely enough it is those same people that we seek to convert first to our preferences and cultural practices before we will accept them enough to offer our personal god. Further I am arguing that we do have a God that is personal, but when we personalize that god, he ceases to be God.

Enough from me…. Please take the time to watch the videos, think for yourself these issues through. If you are a student of the Bible, consider the God that took in the gentiles (dogs that we were) and then ask yourself what cultural or even bloodline barriers you are building that precludes some from finding this transcendent God.




Interesting; is it not?

Now ask yourself; if we are not careful in this cause for godly relevance which penetrates every cultural and preferential barrier, how long will it be till the slippery slope takes us to the kinds of reason we find in this next video? Neither an "easy believism" nor a cultural phariseeism is reflective of the Christ of the Bible. Where do you stand?



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Great Audio Interview

Brandon House Interview Ex-Marxist (audio)

Crisis and Priorities

It is interesting what crisis in life does to us. With all the tornado devastation we have seen over the last couple of weeks, it has become easier for many of us to focus in on what is really important. That meeting we judged as “critical” for our future, the appointment with a business associate, or the purchase of that new luxury item suddenly and with little warning was outranked by the one and only picture of Grandpa that we pray made it through the destructive winds and was some how miraculously preserved somewhere beneath the rubble that use to be our home.

In moments like these we learn that while time does not heal all wounds, that clear thinking and moral priorities are brought into focus and that genuine love is clearly more precious than gold. These moments of focus are often God’s prescriptive lenses designed to help us re-prioritize our lives and by so doing bring real purpose and meaning to the lives we lead.

This is really all about what we value and how we E-valuate success and failure with regard to our living daily. It has been through a series of destructive winds in my life that my value system has been formed and my relationship with God has been transformed (see Romans 12:1 & 2). We are all a product of our genetics and our environment. When God steps into our environment and either directly causes or allows destructive winds of any kind (not always actual physical wind), He has a purpose that without exception is for our ultimate good and His ultimate glory. I can tell you both as a student of theology and a product myself of many disasters, that there are no exceptions to this rule. Further it needs to be said that when I have not been able to see either the good or the glory, that it has been because I have been focused on what I value and not on what God has designed for my good and His glory, which is of the ultimate value.

In God’s value system things and homes and cars and even our comfort is of infinitely less value than our relationship with Him and others He has placed in our lives. When our focus becomes diverted and our purpose in living becomes acquisition, preservation and pride, we often find God’s hand directed at getting our attention and bringing us back to these primal issues of importance.

In the Beatitudes Christ gives a clear set of values that stretch our mental abilities to the extremes because of their paradoxical nature. In Matt. 5:4 He says: “blessed are those that mourn, for they shall be comforted.” The context of the message is on the one element that separates us from God and that removes us from relationship with God. That element is sin. The mourning He is speaking of here is a deep mourning over sin, first in our own lives and then over sin in others lives. This specifically shows us that God so highly values relationship with us that the pathway to genuine joy can only be found on the road of mourning that which is sinful to the point of our repentance. God Himself so mourned that which is sinful that He willingly gave His Son to die so that we can have relationship with Him now and forever.

The question that must be ask is: “if God who is Sovereign and Holy so values this relationship above all else, including the life of His Son, should we not place that value above all else?

So why would a good and loving God allow such devastation as some of us have experienced this past couple of weeks? …because His focus was never fogged by the bright shinny things that so easily captured our attentions, taking us away from what is genuinely of value.

It should be noted that not everyone will learn from these lessons. Some will even become more callous and rebellious from the experience. God knows this and has even given you the free will to make that decision for yourself. But some of us have seen and smelled and tasted enough in the weeks just past to experience His presence and to enjoy once again His priorities. I have seen some relationships restored and some who have gone out of their way to avoid God’s placement of them and God’s work to get their attention. Both kinds of people are experiencing exactly what they have chosen even in the midst of God’s clear work.

Has God gotten our attention? Are we listening? …as importantly, are we changing to adapt to His value system? My Grandfather use to say: “Boy, you can learn the hard way or the easy way, its your choice.” Smart man! …by the way, his picture is back in a prominent place in my office this week.