The supernatural invitation

Christ calls on us to do that which can only be described as supernatural. The dictionary says supernatural means "of, pertaining to, or being above or beyond what is natural; unexplainable by natural law or phenomena; abnormal." Oswald Chambers wrote "...the relationship which He demands is an impossible one unless He has done a supernatural work in us."1 Chambers said we can only be disciples of Jesus if we are made one, supernaturally and "as long as we have the deadset purpose of being disciples we may be sure we are not." Therefore the supernatural nature of Christ is put within us once we accept him as Lord of our lives. The manifestation of this supernatural blessing in human beings fascinates me because is it so contrary to our earthly understanding while its embodiment is so evident in how lives are changed.

I, like everyone else, was born sinful and self-centered. Until Christ entered my heart I lived my life making sure I got everything I wanted, desired and "deserved" regardless of the effect on others. If someone wronged me, it was only natural to make sure I wronged them back or somehow make their life miserable with a passive-aggressive form of payback. Why was I engaging in this payback? Because the conflict I was engaging in was solely human to human. The other human hurt me, and now, to feed my ego and sense of self-righteousness, I had no choice but to hurt him back, until I felt he paid for it. Of course the amount he had to pay was subjectively based on my mood and how much I liked or disliked him that day.

However what if I was wronged by a person and I decided only to forgive? What if I was at peace with that decision? What if I was wronged and I decided to help the other human paint his house - free of charge? I am certainly not trying to win the battle... right? My earthly sense would tell me I was admitting I was a loser or I was weak. Well what if I said that with these choices, I actually won the battle between the other person and myself? Confused?

Let's look at another example. Take a man who from age 12 was drawn to fill an appetite for pornography and/or drugs. They ruled his life for 30 years. He was doomed to die or end up in jail. His habit had wired his brain so deeply that kicking these addictions was considered impossible from all earthly viewpoints. He accepts Christ's invitation and the day eventually arrives that he no longer desires drugs or porn. Did someone do surgery on his brain to re-wire it? Well, in a sense, yes. But not someone of this earth.

The power of Christ upon taking ownership of a man's heart and mind cannot be explained in human terms. Why does a man who is addicted to drugs or alcohol or pornography lose his desire for them either immediately or over time? Why does a woman who was abused by her mother suddenly no longer feel anger toward her mother but seeks to introduce her to God? Why would a spouse who has not been treated well by or has been neglected by his husband/wife for years decide to rub his/her feet without asking? Why does a man whose history has consisted of using his fists to influence people become a person with whom you want to approach because you now feel safe? In a human sense, these are miracles of the human spirit. What in the world does that mean? Even humanists have to evoke the terms miracle and spirit - both non-physical entities - to describe these changes.

In each case I am sure that Christ's Holy Spirit has entered the heart of each situation I mentioned here. We have an invitation from God that we can accept or deny. We have been told by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount to do that which is supernatural. Do we choose to obey or to continue to seek our own way.


1. "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers.

Black and White Americans are each other's greatest allys

There is a phenomena that I have observed in our American Society today that is evolving and should be acknowledged. Black and white Americans have more in common than many of us think.

There are two major cultural ties that we share and one more that is bringing us closer every generation. The two major ones are Religion and Language. The majority of Blacks and Whites are Christian and predominantly protestant. Nearly all blacks and whites speak English and don't speak a second language. The third one which is not as obvious is pop-culture.

Religion

The fact is the majority of blacks and whites are Christians. Each also values the faith in Christ that they share. I have been to Christian events, like Promise Keepers, where black and white people are drawn close by the sharing of their faith. Islam and Christianity are not the same. Islam in its extreme is quite hostile to Christianity. In the 21st century these two religions are in a battle for superiority. This puts the majority of blacks and whites on the same team.

Language

The majority of blacks and whites in America speak English and only English. In the last 40 years and more so throughout the the 21st century, Spanish speaking peoples from south of the US border are coming to this country and refusing to assimilate. Part of this refusal is not giving up their language for the English language. Language differences are even more balkanizing than religion because of the difficulties of communication. This again puts black and white Americans on the same team. Have you noted that tensions between Hispanics and Blacks seems to be on the rise, especially in southern California? Violence seems to be provoked by the Hispanics who see blacks at their only threat to taking over as the country's largest minority and all the benefits that come with that title. I would suspect in their heart of hearts that white Americans are quietly siding with their black, English speaking brethren.

Pop culture

There was time one hundred years ago when English and Italian Americans were clearly distinguishable but today you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn't consider them both white. Although blacks and white may never have the same skin pigmentation, their friendships and the lines of distinction are fading with each generation.

TV and movies have shown black and white Americans as allies and friends for 30+ years now and it is pretty much ingrained in the minds of our youth that it is the natural order of things for blacks and whites to be friends. George Jefferson had white friends back in the 70's. Raven (of That's So Raven) has a best friend who is white. How about the fact that the largest demographic that listens to and enjoys black rap music is young whites...?

Look at commercials and you will find blacks and whites enjoying the same products, foods, etc. It is everywhere now and the taboos all by "last generation". You will also find that Black/White interracial marriages are far more prevalent today than ever.


I could go on and the evidence is always mounting that in the 21st century black and white Americans need each other more than ever but the first step is to look at those ties that bind us and not focus on our differences.

People just won't do it....

People basically won't do what they don't want to do. If they agree to do something they really don't want to do then they will find some technicality on the way or some anecdotal reason to get out of it - if they are not willing to step out of themselves for another person.

That last sentence is the key. When these same people look outside themselves to a higher power, namely Jesus Christ, then there is the sole motivating factor that makes a self-focused person an other-focused person. Then and only then will they consistently do what they don't want to do because it is the right thing to do for a loved one.

Fight the common enemy

Spouses need to work together to fight a common enemy. You have a common enemy and he wants to destroy your marriage. You might say that it is not your problem but your spouse's. Well that may be true to a point. They may be the one being tempted thus when the choice comes to listen to satan's lies or flee, they must choose to flee. They must be able to tell you when their temptation level is high - not as a means of manipulation but as a means of keeping you connected and close and to keep the foxes out.

"Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom" Song of Songs 2:15

Shame be gone – Forever

I more and more believe that Satan uses shame as one of his greatest weapons against a man struggling with sexual addiction. The enticement is the false promise; The act is the false intimacy; the subsequent shame is real. Satan got to another one of God's people. Satan does not care about you and me. he only cares about using us to get at God.

As years go by and the shame is never dealt with a man begins to believe that he will never do enough penance to relieve himself of this shame. I am here to tell you friends that that is simply not true. The cross is not just a symbol of what the Romans did to people. The cross is where Jesus went to pay for your shame and my shame so that we can be free to love God and spread His good news. Spreading the good news is just about impossible and not very believable when it comes from a man who is full of his own shame. God knows this and he gave the ultimate sacrifice - the brutal death of His Son - in order for everyone, everyone to come to Him through Christ as a new creation. A new creation with no shame forever more.

When man listens to the enticement of Satan he begins the road back to feeling shameful and feeling unworthy of what Christ did for ALL of us. Thus the battle begins for a lifetime. We have the armour of God through Christ to forever be free from shame and forever turn away from the daily enticements of Satan.

The Cross is waiting for you.

God Bless.

What will hindsight be in 2020?

I look at my young children today and I look at what we are facing in the world today as well; terrorism spread world wide, border problems in the south, Europe slowly dying away, etc. I will sometimes think to myself 'is this going to be end of the world or the end of anything good ever happening to this country again?'

At this point I like to sit back and try to drop my hysterical perspective and attempt to get an historical perspective. I was born in the very tumultuous year of 1968. There were protests in the streets over the war in Vietnam. There was rioting in the south for civil rights. TWO prominent figures, including a presidential candidate were assassinated. There were riots in Washington DC. There were more riots at the Democratic National Convention. Those who were adults then were probably saying the same thing - what kind of world are the children born today going to see? Well hindsight showed us that that 1980's and 1990's were not a bad time to live in.

Let's look back even further to a more tumultuous time. How about the 1940's? The world was at war! Food and fuel and other things were being rationed at home. America was fighting a war on 3 fronts. My parents were born in 1942. What did the adults think then of the children born in those years? Did they ask the same question; 'what kind of world will these children see?' Well the 1950s were a nice decade from what I have heard and read...

We could probably go back generation after generation when the world seemed like it was "really" going to end and the children were believed to have a bleak future, but these prophecies never came to fruition. The truth is that the youth are going to want to have a full life. They don't want the world to end because they want a full life. The ones waxing on about the kids born today not having a nice world to grow up in have no idea what the future actually holds. Nor do they know what the 2010's will be like.... we will have to wait for hindsight in 2020 for that.

For those who love the "porn body"

For those men whose introduction to the female anatomy was through porn it would be cliche for me to tell you that your thinking may be tainted.

But you know it is deeper than that.

For those men who love the "porn body" you have no idea what you are missing. You are eating a spoonful of your favorite frosting while not realizing how good the whole cake is. Your mind is so terribly powerful when it comes to what you think excites you. When you think only a perfect BODY will excite you then you will always focus on the body and your pleasure will always be earthly and finite.

When you move away from shallow nature of porn and allow your brain to heal from this limitation then you will begin to see the women's soul. It goes without saying that this is a place where most porn addicts dare never tread. Being vulnerable is worse than death in most cases but to be attracted to a woman because she loves God and/or because she treats people with kindness and compassion is so much deeper. To see her less than perfect body and want to please her like no other because her inner beauty is so incredibly striking is frankly a "God thing". When this person is your wife then you will truly feel the closest thing to God on this side of heaven.

What about the year 2268?

Eternity is such a long time....

I picked a year in the future. A year that I would have turned 300. That will be at least 3 times the amount of time I spent alive on earth. 2268 will be a full year, with full days, with sunshine and trees and mosquitos and people. But everyone who reads this blog and the one who wrote this blog will not be here. Where will be be?

If I take a humanistic approach I will believe that my human body will be long fed to the worms and my soul was just the result of chemical that ran through my body when it was functioning. Thus, in 2268 I do not exist anywhere. By gosh I need to start partying and making money and living crazy now because once my body is gone then I am gone. What a desparate and depraved way to approach the short time we have on earth...

If I take the Christian approach then I believe that because I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior while here on earth then my body will still be long gone in 2268 but my soul will be with God. Now think again about the time. Frankly God's time has been debated but by earthly standards hundreds and thousands and millions of years is a long time. That is a long time for my soul to be with or be without God.

This leaves us with the infamous "Eternal Choice", a choice that we must make (or not make) while we still live here. What about the year 2268? What about the year 2340938749823? Where do you want to spend eternity? Long gone after living a meaningless life or with the Creator of everything forever?