Lead Us Not Into Temptation

I want to start this entry in the series with a question. What is your biggest temptation? It might be those cupcakes that coworker brought into work. It might be speeding. For some it will be a bottle of alcohol, for others heroin or meth. For over half of men the answer to that question would be porn. What I want you to see is that there are temptations all around us. Everyday. We cannot escape temptation. And yet for most this is a petition to God for escape from a life of temptation. But that is not really what Jesus is teaching us.

Forgive Us Like We Forgive Others

It has taken me quite a while to write this. Not because I have nothing to say about forgiveness, but because I have already written on it and I wasn't sure what I could add. When I actually went back and read my previous article I realized that I had left out the very passage from the Lord's Prayer that we will deal with today. In talking about this section of the Lord's Prayer I will of course go over some of what I have said before. But enough disclaimer. On to the intro. (Well that didn't take long did it?)

When we recite the part of the Lord's Prayer about forgiveness, we often focus on the first half: forgive us our sins. We gloss over the second half about forgiving others. It's understandable. Everyone wants to be forgiven by God. Isn't that what the Bible is all about? The issue is that what Jesus actually taught us to pray was a petition to God that was contingent on our forgiveness of others. Said another way Jesus taught us to ask God to only forgive us if we forgive others.

Our Daily Bread

It has been a long summer. I was away from home for most of the summer. I spent a lot of that time thinking about how little we really trust God with everything. How we often think that we can do things ourselves. If the events in Texas show us anything, it is that we really don't have control over much. Building a flood proof house doesn't stop the flood, it just makes you feel safe right up to the point that it fails. Our rock in storms shouldn't be the work of our own hands, it should be Jesus Christ the Son of God

Confessions of a Tech Junkie

I woke up at 4 this morning. For some of you that would be normal. Those of you that know me are probably shocked. The reason I woke up so early is because I went to bed at 9 last night. My wife thinks its because I stayed up late (think early am) the last two nights and my body doesn't know how to actually get enough sleep. Anyway, that is not the point of this blog.

The point of this blog is that I am a tech junkie. I stayed up late earlier this week because I was engrossed in technology. I have been engrossed in technology ever since my parents gave me a 386 that they got from someone else. I was 13. And ever since then I have been technology apologist. 

On Earth as in Heaven

The last two entries in this series have been about the kingdom and will of God. You read about what the kingdom of God looks like and you read that to truly live in that kingdom you need to submit to the will of God. This next entry is one that many commentaries lump in with will. But I think that is a mistake.

There is a problem with the view of many Christians today. Many of you are under the impression that the world we live in will be destroyed. You think that when judgement day happens Jesus is going to come and blow up the earth and some incorporeal part of you is going to live with him in heaven with halos and wings and golden gates. I could say that this comes from the writings of Plato, but that would mean little to most of you. I think a more relatable reality is that we have believed all those movies with Kirk Cameron. I hate to tell you, but that's just not what I see in scripture.

Thy Will Be Done

The last entry in this series was about the Kingdom of God. It was about how that kingdom is drastically different than any other kingdom. It is a place of justice, peace and mercy. The Kingdom of Heaven is the utopia that so many nation states try and fail to create. For some this may seem like a unicorn -- a magical beast that everyone wants, but does not exist. The truth is that the Kingdom of God does exist. It is a place greater than anything we know, but living there is not easy. To live in the Kingdom of Heaven requires giving up every selfish desire. It means that you must submit to the king of that kingdom.

Thy Kingdom Come

When I think about kingdoms I get images of knights and kings and wizards. For some you might think about our neighbor across the pond. Our earthly understanding of kingdom is geopolitical. It must be in a physical location and it must have some form of political power. The United Kingdom can be pinpointed to a specific geographical location. The kingdom of Arthur, though legend, can be characterized by a certain form of politics.

Yet if I asked you to point to the Kingdom of God, you could not find it on a map. If I said what are the politics of the Kingdom of Heaven you might be able to tell me about ideals, but not any treaties that the Kingdom of God has with North Korea. The Kingdom of God does not have a seat at the UN. It does not have a navy or an air force. No, the Kingdom of Heaven is something very different than all other kingdoms.

Holy is Your Name

I didn't sleep well last night. I woke up this morning to the news that one of my friends had died in automobile accident. I was crushed. Not just because a friend was gone, but because it just seemed like one more thing. Lately it seems like the world is falling apart. The news is never joyful. My Facebook feed constantly reminds me that humans have more care for animals then they do for each other. My job is full of conflict.

It seems that everywhere I turn I cannot escape the pain and the sin in this world. So this morning when I heard the news I cried. I cried in bed. I took a shower and cried there. I got out of the shower and I cried. And I realized one thing. This world is shifting and untrustworthy. But I serve a God who is holy. I serve a God whose very name is a rock. And this morning I clung to that rock.