Doug Van Pelt

Religion, Politics, & Don Miller

I've run out of bananas, so it's a pop tart breakfast day. It's also "Website Wednesday," even though it's Tuesday. It'll probably be a Monster Energy Drink day (instead of coffee).

Political Statements:
Let's vote on abortion.
I wonder what would happen if we did. Which side would win.

Ask a fan of the Democratic Party what he/she thinks about Fox News.
You might be able to laugh at the vitriolic response.
I wonder why that is.

Religious Statements:
Are the t-shirts that say something like "No Religion, Know Jesus" missing the point? The concept of "It's not about religion, it's about a relationship" is easy enough to understand (especially for a modern day evangelical), but does it put long-standing "mainline" denominations in a fair light? If you measured which group of believers are doing the most to "look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world," I wonder which "side" would win?

Don Miller:
Okay, Since I'm on my third Donald Miller book in two months (his first one re-written), I figure I might take a break from Genesis for a little while and comment on what I'm reading in Through Painted Deserts.

The Author's Note at the start of the book is short but bold, reinforcing the ideas that life is to be lived and that we change. Hopefully that change is from glory to glory. It's neat how God can use even tragedy or negative things and turn them into growth, education, and perspective.

It's neat to know about the two places Donald Miller talks about in this opening introduction -- Houston, Texas and Portland, Oregon. I would definitely choose Portland over Houston any day, he he, as Houston is kinda gross. I'm not sure what it is about that city, but I've never liked it. Maybe it's too crowded, too polluted, too unfriendly, too hot and humid. I don't know. Miller talks about how people have to leave to live and grow. He says if he grew up in Portland, he would have left that lovely place and probably gone South to discover other things. He loves Portland, though, and that beautiful city with its ever green vegatation all around and mountains on almost every side in the distance. If it weren't so expensive and so far extended on one coast, I could easily live there. I spent my childhood moving about every 4 or 5 years. It wasn't unsettling. Some of my moves were perfect -- like the one from Fairfax, Virginia to Edwards AFB, California right in between junior high and high school. It was a transition right on top of another transition, which fit like a glove. I never had the huge heartbreaks of leaving friends behind and being "homesick" of the place I left. Sure, I missed old friends and stayed in contact with them, but I moved on and discovered the new things around me. It's funny, but once I had a chance to live on my own and make my own (in a manner of speaking**) decisions on where to live, I sunk my roots down deep in Austin, Texas. It's kind of rewarding in a smug sort of way that everyone else has "discovered" in the past decade and a half how wonderful and cool this city is.

The challenge to change and grow can be scary, but when you place it under the Lordship of Jesus, Who knows us and truly cares for us, then it is a comforting thought. We will become more like Him and -- even when we make a bad decision that is not like Him -- we grow through mistakes. All living things grow, and that is change. Reading challenging books is a way to change. Stretching your perspective is a healthy thing, even though it's not always comfortable.

Being comfortable has its advantages, but too much of a good thing is a bad thing. Fruit becomes rotten. Bread grows mold. Muscles become weak. Paint becomes faded. I've always like the phrase: "the journey is the destination." I don't believe God saves us from sin and adopts us as sons just so we can join Him in the "bye and bye." Otherwise, why isn't salvation followed with a kind of instant entrance into heaven; rather than a baptism into a new life here on earth? There's something for us here, and He is actually available to enjoy all along the way. That's cool.

If you have a copy of this book or are brave enough to go buy it and follow along with this blog for a couple of weeks, that would be fun. If you do, leave your own comments.

My Dad

According to my calculations, in nine months my dad will have been born again for half of his life. This is a proportion where I have an advantage, because I got to this point about 3 years ago. But this is a rare occurance, as my dad sets the bar high. While most dads can throw a ball farther than their sons when they are boys, my dad (who turned 69 yesterday) has given me standards of excellence to follow that are way up there. Here are some of his accomplishments, in no particular order:

He's memorized at least one verse in each book of the Bible. You can give him a book's name, like Hosea, and he will quote you the verse and reference.

He once skipped a flat round-shaped rock 31 times across a Kansas pond (I was there).

He scored perfect grades on several test pilot challenges.

He instilled in his three children the value of hard work.

When hearing that I wanted to learn how to play baseball when he got home from work one day, he immediately got in the car and took me to buy a ball, bat, and glove and then proceeded to show me the game of baseball.

He gave me a good role model and "picture" of what a father is like, so I didn't come to God confused with the concept of "the fatherhood of God" being something too hard to grasp. This is a blessing that I'm real thankful for, because it's easy to imagine how a bad or non-existing role model there could create a "vacuum" of understanding our God as a Father.

While riding in a small boat down the river on my uncle's farm, he spotted a large carp and hit it over the head with the boat's oar as it passed by, killing it with one blow. That was impressive.

He built a portable skateboard ramp and took it to skateboard practice every day during my freshman year of high school, helping found the Edwards Skateboard Association.

He stayed married to my mom for over 50 years now, giving me an incredible gift of modelling life-long marriage.

He prays for me every day. The day after I "came back" to the Lord at the age of 20 through the influence of a close Christian friend, he showed me his prayer journal, where he had been praying for a "Christian friend" for me during that month.

He's shown a low tolerance for mediocrity in all that he does -- especially the work of his hands, like building our back patio or my sister's quansent building over the pool in her old backyard.

When I was 18 I got arrested for marijuana possession and I made my one phone call home around dinner time. I told my mom I was in jail, which we had joked about a few times, and she didn't believe me until I told her the details about the $250 bail: they didn't accept checks, only cash. My grandparents happened to be staying with us at the time, and my dad had to ask his dad to borrow the necessary cash to come bail me out. That took a lot of humility and love for him to do that for me.

He got top grades in his high school and college studies, applying himself diligently to his studies.

In 1969 or 1970 he gave a speech at the Society of Experimental Test Pilots symposium, which featured a public speaking competition. He had to follow Neil Armstrong, who had just walked on the moon. Utilizing slides, film, and audio he gave a "multi-media" presentation that pre-dated today's powerpoint technology, winning the top award over some very tough competition.

There is much to admire about this man. I am blessed to have him as a dad, that's for sure.

God tested Abraham

In Genesis 22 God speaks to Abraham and tells him to go to a mountain that He'll show him and sacrifice his son, Isaac, there. Abraham obeyed Him directly and immediately. People rightly attribute praise to Abraham's great faith. He tied his son up and reached for the knife to kill him. That is so hardcore that it is amazing. One advantage Abraham had over us, though, is that Isaac was obviously God's gift to Isaac. For Abraham to have a child at his old age and his wife Sarah's old age was just impossible, so this "miracle baby" was perhaps slightly easier to think of as "God's property" instead of their own. If the situation had been 65 years earlier and Abraham and Sarah were in their 30s when Isaac was born, he would have been thought of more as a "natural child" than a "miraculous" one that is obviously a gift from God.

Even with this advantage, though, Abraham still faced the consequences of ending the life of his only son. That's crazy.

If anyone thinks God is telling them to kill someone, especially one of their children, let me go on record and say "that's not God, you're mistaken," and "don't even consider it."

The angel of the Lord, which again some scholars think might've been a pre-incarnate Jesus, said, "I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."

This was a major event in the history of all mankind, reinforcing the plan that God had for us. The Story of God was just beginning to unfold. Pretty amazing.

Norma Jean Photos Needed

Hey, as you may have noticed, we brought a new feature to HM Magazine -- "Classic Moments in Christian Rock History," where we highlight some great moments that may or may not be well known ... or at least as notorious as they probably should be.

And we'd like to get your help with this next one. In January and February of 2003 the band Norma Jean played several "sans-vocalist" shows, while their current vocalist, Brad Norris, was home recuperating from a sickness. Instead of cancelling their tour dates, the band pushed on, performing some instrumental shows and others with microphones facing the crowd where the band invited anyone who knew the songs to get on stage and give it a shot.

For this specific feature, we'd like to get any REAL photos of this event that you might have captured. Do you or anyone you know have any such photos? If possible, please send us a "high res" (300 dpi) scan of the photo; or snail mail the print. We'll send it back as soon as we scan it. Now, we probably can't pay you for the use of this photo, but we'll try to make it worth your while with some cool swag. Of course, we'll also print your name next to the photo and send you several copies, so you can show your mom that all these hardcore shows you go to aren't without any lasting fruit.

Also, if we can't get some actual photos of any of these historic shows, we've designed some substitute photos laid out. If we need to go this route, please help us choose one of the following two versions:

a) isolated microphone

b) crowd shot

Please send me an email (or comment below) with your vote!
Thanks!

Women

I've been listening to the recent Ann Coulter book, Godless: The Church of Liberalism. I've checked out the audio book on cd from our local public library. I love hearing her sensible arguments that shoot so many holes in illogical arguments made in the political arena. She's fun and doesn't shrink back from a fight. It's funny how narrow-minded some supposedly "open-minded" people can be when it comes to the subject of Christianity. The exclusivity claims of Christ really bother people. It's not politically correct to speak openly about an outright hatred for Christianity, but it definitely seems to be prevelant amongst certain circles.

I'm listening to the new album by Iona right now. This brilliant band of skilled musicians always bring their "A Game" to a studio album, and The Circling Hour is no exception. Good times. Joanne Hogg's vocals are like a fine-tuned instrument that mixes well with the progressive and Celtic flavored rock and mesmerizing Pink Floyd-ish music.

I just put the latest issue of Heaven's Metal Fanzine to press late last night. Now it's time to get more organized and face the 23 days left of the next issue of HM Magazine's production schedule. Whew!

I received some good stuff on Monday. I went to a hearing, where I found that I'll get the Agricultural Exemption back on the land here at the HM Ranch, which is going to be farmed by a local guy that currently farms the two lots next to us and the larger lot to the West of us. It's a perfect fit. Sometime between now and January 31st he will have the land plowed and -- depending upon the weather -- will either plant and grow hay or graze cattle on this land. I'll have to pay for the "sprigging" or a fence around the 1 acre of the office's yard around that time. The other piece of good news was seeing the package at the ranch waiting for me, which the Fed Ex courrier had left in a plastic bag by the gate. The brand new issue is cool. I'm very excited about it. The upside-down design of half the mag turned out right. I see recurring themes throughout the magazine and am so thrilled to have been a part of it. Maybe it's the best issue ever (though it is hard to top that 20th anniversary issue that came out last year).

In Genesis 21 we see God fulfill His promise to Sarah and Abraham: Sarah gives birth to Isaac. It was good that God forbad Abimelech from touching Sarah, as there would be no doubt that Isaac was Abraham's child. During a celebration, though, Hagar's son from Abraham -- Ishmael -- began mocking, which upset Sarah. She wanted he and his mother to leave. Abraham was distressed, as Ishmael was his son.

It appears that Abraham was a people pleaser, a peace maker that wanted to avoid conflict. God spoke to him and basically told him to do what his wife asked, also reminding Abraham that the boy would become a great nation, which in a sense, secured his well being. So Hagar and Ishmael took off and wandered in the desert of Beersheba. After the water in the skin (old fashioned water bottle or canteen) was gone, Hagar laid the boy under a bush and went off, sat down and wept. She sobbed.

"God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, 'What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.' Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink."

Here we see an incredible divine intervention and provision for the father of the Arab nation. What does this mean for one of the world's largest religions (Islam)? Will there ever be peace between Muslims and Jews? Why do they hate Jews? Why do they want Israel wiped off the face of the earth? What about their laws that forbid converting to Christianity? Will there ever be peace with that religion and the rest of the world? Or will it lead to a showdown that destroys everything?

Later on in the chapter we learn that Hagar got Ishmael a wife from Egypt. Abraham also made a treaty oath with Abimelech at a place that was called Beersheba.

Fairies Wear Boots, well ya gotta believe me...

...I saw it, I saw with my own two eyes..."
(or so says Ozzy)
:?)

In Genesis 20 we see Abraham repeating a past sin. What was he thinking? I recently was watching a movie or something and I thought about my self-righteous rantings about the failure of Abraham to defend his wife, giving her away to Pharoah and now to Abimelech by telling others that Sarah was his sister and not his wife. It's easy to condemn the man for these cowardly actions, but like most anything, "there, but by the grace of God, go I." I cannot imagine how I would behave with a machine gun shoved in my face and the real and present threat of impending death hovering over me and my family. Even if I could point back to a past event where I was the hero, disarming my attacker and capturing them, that would not guarantee the same behavior in the future. I can only hope that God will give me the strength (and that I'll know enough to ask for it) in such a terrible and violent situation. Nevertheless, it was still a pretty chicken thing for Abraham to do.

"Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. FOr a while he stayed in Gerar, and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, 'She is my sister.' Then Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her."

Sarah must've been beautiful, for the big celebrity "rock stars" of her day were always sending for her. Maybe Abraham didn't really like her much. Maybe she was like a model Barbie -- beautiful to behold, but "too precious to touch" and a unpleasant hothead that made everyone around her miserable. Who knows? It's just hard to explain why Abraham keeps making this mistake. But God had his back.

"But God came to Abimelech in a dream one night and said to him, 'You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman.' Now Abimelech had not gone near her, so he said, 'Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? Did he not say to me, 'She is my sister,' and didn't she also say, 'He is my brother?' I have done this with a clear conscience and clean hands.' Then God said to him in the dream, 'Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you touch her. Now return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all yours will die.'"

Sarah was complicit in this wrong-doing, it is true, but I still blame Abraham as the one who instigated the plot/scheme. It's pretty amazing that God talked like this with Abimelech and that He acted this way, protecting Sarah's virtue. That's pretty cool. Note that God told this guy that Abraham would pray for him.

This text reveals something very important we shouldn't miss (which is also a principle repeated in Scripture):

YOU ARE IMPORTANT. GOD DEPENDS ON YOU TO SEE HIS WILL DONE ON EARTH.

This is a mystery, to be sure, and it begs the question: 'Why would God limit Himself and His work on earth by using intercession and the prayers of His people to accomplish things?' Surely He could wave His magic hands and make stuff happen, but instead He chooses to answer prayers and work through His people, His ambassadors, His apostles.

A word of caution: Don't go calling yourself an "apostle," because you will be rebuked and treated like an idiot.

Does God hate fags?

The text we read yesterday, Genesis 19, tells the famous story of Sodom and Gomorrah. The cities were destroyed by the judgment of God. People debate whether or not the condemned sin of the cities was homosexuality or a combination of that behavior and others. You might have heard the news about a website called godhatesfags.com, where the conclusion made is partly based on this text. This is a ridiculous website that really makes a mockery of the teachings of Christ.

Does God hate fags? Absolutely not. There are seven things listed in the Word that God hates:
1. haughty eyes
2. a lying tongue
3. hands that shed innocent blood
4. a heart that devises wicked schemes
5. feet that are quick to rush into evil
6. a false witness who pours out lies
7. and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.

King David broke #3 when he had Bathsheba's husband killed. #4 would fall under that, too. #5 was probably broken when he had her brought to his chambers; and surely he broke #2 and #6 when he attempted to cover up the crime later. Yet David was a "man after God's own heart."

David repented of his sins, but it wasn't in a worship service where the Spirit spoke softly to his heart. It was after the prophet Nathan confronted him in a bold move of speaking the truth in love.

People have thrown out the word "abomination" as a way to attach special focus on the intensity and severity of homosexual sin. I think a consistent reading and study of Scripture would find numerous practices that could be called abominations. If we were to be honest with God, our life of poor choices and sins are an abomination unto God. Thanks be unto Him that reconciliation is possible. Being broken before God in confession of sin is an act that God responds to with forgiveness and mercy and grace.

Sin that is not repented of can lead to destruction right here on earth -- the miserable, tangled web of poor-choice-after-poor-choice kind. Whenever someone can gently correct someone caught in tresspass, it can be a wonderful thing when they are restored. Picketing the funeral of a person that died of AIDS is certainly not gentle, nor wise. This group from Topeka, Kansas is now apparently picketing the funerals of fallen soldiers. These soldiers aren't professed homosexual soldiers. These are simply men and women who gave their lives in battle in the war in Iraq. The reasoning these people have for their actions is that God is killing these soldiers because they are fighting for a country (America) that condones homosexuality. It's also apparently payback for the bombing of their church. Seems God is killing soldiers because someone bombed their church in Kansas.

I tell ya, there are some things worth fighting for; and picketing something can be a good and useful tactic. But picketing someone's funeral because they are associated with our national defense? If I was a relative of the deceased at such a funeral, I might "lay hands" on these picketers, and probably come close to breaking #3!

I overheard my daughters asking my wife, "What's an apostle?" And it made me think. An apostle is an ambassador for Christ. This is what we are called to be -- each believer in the body of Christ. Like an ambassador for a country, we are representing God and His kingdom. We should behave well for this reason, as our shameful acts might bring shame to God and His kingdom. I believe that this godhatesfags group is bringing shame to the body of Christ. One can assume that they mean well, but so did racists who thought dark colored skin wasn't as advanced as lighter shades. They're just decieved and very misled.

HM Magazine 2007 Editorial/Advertising Calendar

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What happens when we cry

We become broken when tears come. If someone else is around, we've determined that this resonating feeling is more important than "saving face" in front of whoever it is we're near. WHen we cry, something inside of us says, 'This is the truth," and we rejoice in love or the truth or grace or mercy or sadness and loss. Something opens up and floods our beings with a cleansing flow of saltwater tears. It's an interesting phenomenom that most all of us experience from time to time. I remember feeling like letting a tear flow when I saw or heard about someone helping another. The gift of that love expression touched me. I didn't end up crying, but I was touched in a similar way, slightly deeper than saying, "Awww!"

I think tears are cool. Part of the attraction might be that it's a fairly rare thing.

Genesis 19 starts off with the declaration that "the two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening..." Maybe this helps define who the "three visitors" were. Perhaps two were angels and one was the Lord...? Lot was at the city gate when they arrived and he went and bowed down to them, calling them "lords." They were going to spend the night in the square, but Lot insisted that they stay with him.

Then Lot performs another goofball mistake that seems to define many of our biblical heroes. It says that "all the men from every part of the city of Sodom -- both young and old -- surrounded the house. They called to Lot, 'Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.' Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him and said, 'No, my friends. Don't do this wicked thing. Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don't do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.'"

Homosexuality apparently so defined the men of Sodom that this is why the practice of gay sex is still called "sodomy." The Word of the Lord doesn't really water down this story. It's pretty blunt and to the point. Lot is apparently full of fear. He closes the door behind him and goes out to talk to his friends. It's probably a good thing that he calls them "friends," for a righteous person should love those around him and be liked and respected by his neighbors. But when he offers these men his own daughters as some sort of bribe to keep the crowd from his angelic visitors, he displays true cowardice. I guess he doesn't really know the strength and power of these two angels. Maybe they came incarnated in some weak looking bodies and he just didn't have the insight or faith to realize that they surely could've handled themselves in the town square that night. But Lot treats his daughters like so much meat and trash that he should really be ashamed of this event (too bad it's chronicled in Scripture for all time, huh?).

"'Get out of our way,' they replied. And they said, 'This fellow came here as an alien, and now he wants to play the judge! We'll treat you worse than them.' They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door." Wow, I bet Lot's heart was racing with fear. He was about to be lynched and disgraced by an angry and lustful mob. The men inside reached out and pulled him back into the house and shut the door. This must've been some kind of drama. "Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door."

Now Lot's faith probably grew.

"The two men said to Lot, 'Do you have anyone else here -- sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the Lord against its people is so great the He has sent us to destroy it.' So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters..."

I wonder how these future son-in-laws felt about Lot's near giving away of their brides to an angry mob? Maybe they didn't know what he had offered them...

"He said, 'Hurry and get out of this place, because the Lord is about to destroy the city!' BUt his sons-in-law thought he was joking. WIth the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, 'Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished.' When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the ands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them. As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, 'Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!'"

Lot pleaded with them to not go to the mountains, but to a small town, which is called Zoar. The angels didn't do anything until Lot safely reached the city. Then burning sulfer rained down on Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot and his family settled in the mountains later, living in a cave; because Lot was afraid to stay in Zoar. His two daughters decided amongst themselves, 'There is no man here to get us pregnant and carry on the family line. Let's get dad drunk and lay with him so as to carry on our line through our father.' They got him to drink wine and he must've been pretty drunk, because it says that "he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up." After two nights both daughters got pregnant by their father this way.

This is another pretty lame sin that Lot's family committed. It's interesting that the old cry of, "Why judge homosexuality worse than other sins" or "Why didn't God destroy Lot's family after this, like He did with the two cities?" Maybe we can conclude that one or two mistakes are not equal to entire generations of mistakes and sinful living. Perhaps the consequences of sin are always negative; but the abundance of a breeding ground of sin, so to speak, is worse. A small amount of mistakes can be repented of and mercy-fied and changed, can it not? How does a cess pool of debauchery ever change? Perhaps a mob given over to sin is too far gone? I don't know. We don't see this kind of judgment = destruction too much more in the Bible and in history since then.

We do see or hear about people crying out against the sins of homosexual communities, perhaps with signs that say "God will destroy this place," but I have a feeling that these words are not prophetic nor from God's mind. If it were, it seems, it would have happened. I'd be embarrassed if I uttered a phrase, stating "Thus sayeth the Lord" and then it not happening. If I'm going to speak for God, I better darn well be sure that God is indeed telling me to.

It's hard to make complete and accurate conclusions from these stories, but perhaps two of them that are relevant would be:

1. A remnant of righteous people (especially if it's a decent family/crowd, like ten or more) will have a tremendous impact on how God views a city or region.

2. Individuals sinning and failing seem to be dealt with more mercifully than entire crowds given over to sin. Perhaps transformation does happen in the heart of man one at a time. When a group-wide transformation happens with many individuals at nearly the same time, this is a miracle (and a "renewal" or "awakening" or "revival").

Wouldn't it be cool if a group of Christians got together in a city of sin (like Austin or Houston or SF or NY or Orlando or Miami or...the list goes on) and prayed together over the city, weeping over its condition. Letting the sorrow of the condition of lost souls overwhelm them to tears, pleading with God to bless them with the conviction of sin by His Holy Spirit, and then perhaps being the same people serving this community, maybe in a soup kitchen, maybe serving children with mentor programs. Something about the silent Christian serving in love, paying with tears in private has somehow also empowered them with something incredibly powerful. When a tender heart reaches out in love, I call that genuine. I think that's what God wants in His people. Then, if God calls that person or persons to speak out, there comes an authority and a respect that's earned.

Three Visitors = One God

In Genesis 18 we see that "the Lord appeared to Abraham." He was sitting at the entrance of his tent and he looked up and saw three men standing nearby. "When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground..." Thus far in the story, it could be describing three normal men and an honorable greeting of bowing down. But the next verse finds him addressing them as God: "If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way -- now that you have come to your servant."

Three men, God? What's the deal? And why haven't Jews and Muslims the world over concluded that the Lord their God is one God ... but manifested in three persons? Scholars have studied many of these Old Testament appearances of God. Some call them "Christophanies." This conversation with Abraham was surely one such appearance. It's no small detail that we see the trinity at work in the creation account, Noah, and now Abraham. Concluding that this is indeed the fullness of the Godhead in the trinity is not necessarily the right conclusion, but it does say that God was there.

It's interesting how Sarah is eavesdropping on the God conversation. When she laughs to herself and thinks in her mind that the idea of her having a baby at her age is ridiculous, God read her mind and called her on it. Then she was busted and everyone inside would know that she was eavesdropping.

When the men got up to leave, Abraham began to see them out and on their way. God confered with His company and asked if He should reveal to Abraham what they were about to do. According to their words, they were on a scouting mission of sorts, to "see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached Me." This is puzzling when you match it up against the omnipresence of the Lord. Other times that this is brought up, like when He asks Adam in the garden, "Where are you?" it can be explained as a rhetorical question for Adam's benefit. Here it seems at face value as if God wants a closer look for Himself. Perhaps God could have made the events in Sodom and Gomorrah display a high resolution live feed on a giant widescreen flat cloud up in heaven, but perhaps He relished the thought of a roadtrip of sorts with close companions.

The mission of the trip surely wasn't about fun and games, but any experience with close companions is usually better than the same experience alone. As Abraham hears about the cities being destroyed, he asks God if He would spare them if there were 50 righteous people amongst the wicked. God affirms that He would surely spare them if 50 were found. Then Abraham asks, "What about if there were five less than fifty? Will You destroy the whole city because of five people?" Abraham sounds like a lawyer here, taking the details and facts and turning them sideways. God shows that He is capable of math by replying, "If I find forty-five there, I will not destroy it." Abraham keeps it up until the number is whittled down to ten. God agrees that if He finds ten He will not destroy it.

It's neat that God's heart is moved towards His people, even being willing to spare a pair of cities if there were only ten people serving Him there. If we can use that concept to our culture, we can take heart in the fact that there are large numbers of people serving God all over the world.

You want me to do WHAT!?!

In Genesis 17 God pays a visit to Abram.


"I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers."


Abram did what was appropriate: he fell facedown.


"And God said to him, 'As for Me, this is My covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendantss after you; and I will be their God.'"


I can imagine Abraham thinking, 'Alright! This is good. I like the sound of that.' Then God continues and reveals Abram's part of the covenant.


"As for you, you must keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. This is My covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner -- those who are not your offspring..."


Wow. I'm sure it was immediately clear to Abraham what God was asking for him to do. We see no real questioning of this part. Some scholars say that this sign of the covenant was kind of similar to the "so-be-unto-me" style covenant that God made to Abram in chapter 15, where He walked between two slaughtered animals. The custom was to walk between the separated parts as a symbolic way of saying, "So be unto me if I don't keep this covenant." By cutting off his foreskin, the man is saying, "So be unto me if I don't keep this covenant." With both symbols/signs, it's a way of saying, "I get cut up if I don't keep this promise."


"God also said to Abraham, 'As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a song by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.'"


Abraham again fell facedown, but then he started laughing, saying to himself,
'Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old (he was 99 at this time)? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?' And Abraham said to God, 'If only Ishmael might live under Your blessing!' Then God said, 'Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.' When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.


Abraham took Ishmael and all the males in his household and had them circumcised. It's interesting that God allowed slavery to continue by not forbidding it. It's also interesting how He changed His tune a little bit in how He talked about Ishmael, no longer specifically called a person that everyone will be against. It's kind of cool that God changed Abram and Sarai's names, kind of like giving them a new birth or a born-again experience -- a fresh start. It's also cool that God asked Abram to walk blamelessly before him, as if it were possible, which I believe it is.


I think there is a fine balance between arrogance and false humility. On one hand, each of us must come to a point of broknenness, where we realize that we are nothing, we are trash, we are pieces of poop before God and His holiness. We need Him. We are lost without Him. We should never lose sight of this aspect of our identity. But God also gives us a new identity. All things are made new. We are reborn and given a fresh start, as well as an incarnate-like relationship with one member of the Godhead -- the Holy Spirit. If we wallow in our fallen nature, we can never walk in newness of life. Somehow we must appropriate this gift and walk in blamelessness.


I'm not saying that we'll stroll in holy perfection the rest of our lives, but with the gift that is the grace of God, we can obey God and walk blameless before Him. When we walk this way, we do it knowing it is a gift from Him and not our own strength. And when we fail, we face up to it in true humility and offer thanks that we can get up and start fresh again. The cycle could possibly wear someone out that loses touch with the love behind the grace. But by staying in touch with that magical love from God, somehow we can maintain this balance of walking with the Living God.

Ooh, shadoo-bee

I'm not trying to be smutty here -- I promise! But this story of Abram and his wife Sarai is kind of ... should we say questionable? Sarai comes up with a plan to bear Abram a son: "Sleep with my Egyptian maidservant," she says. Abram agrees. I wonder if he had to think very long before he agreed to sleep with another woman. I'm not sure what the customs and culture were like back then, but I imagine this scenerio raised an eyebrow or two. It comes as no surprise that once this maidservant knew she was pregnant that she began to despise Sarai. Sarai picked up on this and went to Abram. He told her to do what she wished, so she began mistreating Hagar. Like her later descendant Sammy, she got on her bad motor scooter and rode away...


I'm sorry. Bad joke.


God sent "an angel of the Lord" to speak to Hagar. Many scholars interpret this visitation as being God Himself (i.e. Jesus, the second Person of the Trinity). This messenger told her to go back and submit to her mistress (Sarai), and that her descendants would be "too numerous to count."


"You are now with child
and you will have a son.
You shall name him Ishmael,
for the Lord has heard of your misery.
He will be a wild donkey of a man;
his hand will be against everyone
and everyon's hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
towards all his brothers."


Many scholars point to this as the division between Judaism and Islam, pointing to Ishmael as the father of Islam, whose later descendant, Mohammed, would found the religion sometime between 570 and 632 A.D. It's interesting that God comforted this woman and that He cared to explain part of the future to her (just as He did Abram, even fore-telling the slavery in Egypt and Moses' leadership out of Egypt). I wonder if God has a plan for Muslims, as He hinted that He does for the Jews in Romans 9-11 and specifically in 11:25:


"I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: 'The deliverere will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my coveneant with them when I take away their sins.' As far as the Gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God's gifts and His call are irrevocable. Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you. For God has bound all men over to disobediencece so that He may have mercy on them all."


Very interesting... Maybe God has a plan to give revelation and saving knowledge to the Muslims near the end of the age. I don't know.

God's Covenant With Abram

In Genesis 15 God speaks to Abram several times:

"Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield,
your very great reward.


"...a son coming from your own body will be your heir... Look up at the heavens and count the stars -- if indeed you can count them. So shall your offspring be.


"I am the Lord, Who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.


"Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation, your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.


"To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates -- the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."


This kind of reiterates what God told Abram in chapter 12 ("I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing..."), but it specifies that this great nation will begin with his very own son. It says that Abram believed the Lord, and God "credited it (believing) to him as righteousness. This is like a foreshadowing of us believing the Lord and being credited with the righteousness of Jesus, Who lived a sinless life and became a sacrifice for us.


It's like God looked at His Son while on the cross and saw us; and He looks at us right now and sees His Son. We've been imparted with an incredible reputation and been "credited" with righteousness. This is no small thing.

Abram to the rescue

Genesis 14 has some exciting stories to tell within its story. Several kings were fighting amongst each other in and around where Abram and Lot lived.

It's interesting to point out that Jesus didn't speak out against war. He really remained pretty much apolitical. He talked about the army as if it was a given: "If a soldier asks you to carry his pack 1 mile, carry it 2..." He never spoke out against war, as if His new covenant was going to abolish it. Men seem to always find a way to quarrel with one another. Peace is wonderful and should be persued, yet wars continue to happen...I guess because all men will never come and surrender to God's love. Not everyone is going to get saved.

Anyway, four kings went against five. The four won, with some of the kings' men fleeing and falling into tar pits (gross). The people of Sodom and Gomorrah were carried off, including all the goods and food. Abram heard about this and called out 318 trained men born in his household to pursue and rescue Lot. In a place called Dan, Abram divided his men at night and routed his enemies. They did so and recovered all the goods, too. After returning, the king of Sodom came out to meet Abram.

Then this strange-named fellow named Melchizedek, king of Salem brought out bread and wine. "He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, 'Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, Who delivered your enemies into your hand.' Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything."

This is another Messianic passage. Jesus is called "a priest in the order of Melchizedek." (Hebrews 7) This priest had no lineage, no geneology, "but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life." His name is akin to "king of righteousness" and "king of peace." Isn't in uncanny that he brought out bread and wine?! I'm not making this stuff up. Every Jew's Torah has this passage and these details. If there were people that made up a story and "invented" Christianity, they couldn't have snuck passages like this into the Old Testament. The Bible is real, folks! This is intense stuff.

It's also interesting that Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything. He tithed to him before the Law was given to Moses several years later. This underscores the principle that tithing is something that Christians should do -- giving God 10 percent of your income, because it's not "Old Testament Law" that they are "free from." It's a principle of God's kingdom that we would do well to follow. Will we forfeit salvation and go to hell if we don't? PLEASE...that's a silly question (of course not). Should we tithe? Absolutely.

Later on near the end of chapter 14, Abram is asked for "just the people...keep the goods" from the king of Sodom. Abram basically says, "No way. I won't keep anything of yours. I don't want you to be able to say, 'I made Abram rich.'" Later on there comes trouble with that king and his city, which we've heard before.

K-LOVE and I

I stayed out late last night, catching a cool set from Viva Voce at Emo's. I got in bed at 2am and was awakened by my wife's alarm clark at 7am. She was already dressed and out of the room as I wondered why the radio was left on fairly loud. After the shock to my system began to wear off and I slowly awoke, I listened to the morning dj's talk in friendly tones. They remarked at how a movie Facing The Giants was. One mentioned that it was rated PG simply because it was Christian based. I guess parents of agnostics or Hindu's need to be "warned" that it presents Christian values. Wow. Anyway, they laughed and talked light-heartedly like all morning djs do, and then they played a song that was like a prayer of a mother who watches her son sleep. I thought to myself, 'I wonder if anyone ever serviced and tracked any Neal Morse songs to Christian CHR and AC radio...?' I think he would go over fantastic. And they reported the tragic news of the massacre in Amish Lancaster, PA. They mentioned how Michael W. Smith went and played, like he did at Columbine after those shootings. Then it occured to me: 'I'm enjoying this. I like this. This is refreshing.'

I'm a critic. I've hated Christian radio and haven't listened to it in years. Heck, I don't even like morning djs on ANY station -- let alone Christian. I'd rather hear music. I basically have not listened to Christian radio for years...and when asked I've been quick to point out: "I hate Christian radio!" I'm just not in the same place as Becky (the nickname for the soccer mom demographic that Christian radio and cCm music gets targeted to. But, you know what? I can actually appreciate it. I doubt I'll listen to it all the time or anything, but I can listen to it and enjoy it. There's something about the life of God that can transcend my trendy heart. Being able to truly fellowship and relate to others that don't share my musical tastes without looking down my nose at them with a condescending attitude -- this is possible and it's freeing!

I still have my tastes and my opinions, but it's cool to think outside my own little box every once in a while -- especially when I can truly enjoy it.

In Genesis 13 we see Abram and Lot settle a dispute. They both had grown in wealth, with much livestock and such. Their herds were so large that the ground they travelled on could not serve them, and there was quarrelling amongst Abram and Lot's herdsmen. So they agreed not to quarrel, but to split up and take different direction and land.

The Lord said to Abram afterwards: "Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted." This was spoken to a man with no children. He regularly built altars to the Lord and thanked Him.

It's pretty cool to see an example of two men settling a dispute amicably.

Large Bowls of Cereal

That's right...when I eat cereal (like Rice Crispies with banana slices), I eat a lot. I don't like soggy cereal, so I usually try to barely put any milk in the bowl. If I do put more than I wish, where there actually is some milk at the bottom with little pieces of cereal floating in it, I'll grab the box and add more cereal. It helps provide my mouth with some crunchy bits, which drowns out the soggy pieces.

Genesis 12 gets into some exciting details, as Abram is called of God, which sets in motion a foundation that still shakes our world.

On their most recent tour, U2's Bono deftly pointed out that "Jesus, Jew, Mohammad, too -- all sons of Abraham." (forgive me if I didn't quote him exactly) With the vastness and breadth of these world religions, with the majority of the world falling into one of these three camps, these numbers point to a conclusion that one of these three must have it right. There's too many things connected here for all three of these religions to simply be myths like the Greek gods of ancient Rome -- figments of the imaginations of their fathers. This beginning of the Jewish nation set so much into motion. It's incredible.

"The Lord had said to Abram, 'Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.'"

This is an amazing covenant that God makes with Abram (who after he has Isaac is called Abraham, which signifies his fatherhood). This was a messianic prophecy and covenant, too. For it was through his bloodline that Jesus was one day born, Who truly has blessed all the nations of the earth. Abraham's faith to obey God was great, but his propensity to screw things up royally was just as present, too. When a famine drove him and his people to Egypt, he concocted a plan to lie to people when they saw how beautiful his wife, Sarai, was. "She's my sister," they'd tell people. Abram was afraid that people would kill him to take his wife from him. Sure enough, people gawked at her beauty and reported it to the local rock star -- Pharaoh. She was taken into his palace. By Pharaoh's outburst after finding out the truth, we can deduce that he had sex with Sarai ("...I took her to be my wife"). While Sarai was commiting adultery with the greatest ruler in the world, Abram was receiving gifts of sheep, cattle, camels, and slaves. While what he accomplished in the big picture of his life is commendable, I think he made a mistake that's low and pathetic. I trust that Sarai let him have it (with fists, words, and long hours of the silent treatment) after they went on their way together.

I tell ya, this story authenticates the accuracy and reliability of the Bible in another way, too. It shows the leader/father of the Jewish faith (which is the foundation of Jesus' life and the New Covenant God made with man) being a complete idiot and failure. If I was writing a fake/pretend book of myths with which I could "control the masses" by believing my myths, I certainly wouldn't make my heroes look like idiots. I would "clean them up" and make them look real good.

Another thing that I can glean from this story is that I, who have failed and been an idiot in many ways myself, can look to God for a second chance, grace, and redemption. Praise be to His Name!

Genesis 10 & 11

Noah's sons and their descendents formed nations, which spread out over the earth after the flood. Then, after men settled in Shinar, they set out to make a tower, a skyscraper.

"But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. The Lord said, 'If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.'"

Here God put a stop to technology. Perhaps our technological advances now will usher in His return? We have pretty much created a "global village" in that scientists and medical experts are conversing in the same language. In the past 70 years or so we have seen incredible technological advances. Some of which are almost hard to imagine. We are experimenting with cloning and outer space. It almost seems like we are living in an aged where nothing is impossible for us.

It's also interesting how God is speaking in the first person plural. He says, "Let us..." I wonder how Jewish scholars, who state that "the Lord is one" view this theological implication of the trinity.

I saw an amazing concert last Friday -- Woven Hand. I hope to have a review up on the website later today. Then hopefully later this week I'll eradicate a bunch of those stupid spam comments.