God and the Big Bang

Interesting thought I’ve been ruminating over: The Big Bang “Theory”. A lot of people who claim there is no God cite the Big Bang as evidence that God could not have created the universe and it was ultimately a chaotic and rapid exothermic expansion of energy that slowed down to form all matter that now is contained in the observable universe.

Remember that since e=mc2(energy equals matter times the speed of light multiplied by itself, then energy is just matter moving insanely quickly. So after the initial expansion, the energy that was moving outward word have begun to expend itself and slow down forming matter(in theory). Some have theorized that the energy that was responsible for the expansion was electromagnetic radiation, also known as light.

I propose this: what if when God said “Let there be light” he was causing the big bang? Some argue that No eternal God can have created the universe and that the concept of eternity is only an abstract thought that cannot be rationalized. However, time as we understand it did not technically begin until after the Bang. But wouldn’t something have to precede the Big Bang in order to initiate it? Some sort of external force or stimulus to cause the reaction?

Nothing just happens, we can clearly observe that and that has been proven. Something caused it. Could the eternal and uncreated God have caused the Big Bang in order to begin his creation process? Obviously we cannot prove this, but we also can’t prove the Big Bang happened and we can’t prove when, if anything came before. This is where it becomes an issue of either faith or denial. Faith that God did in fact create the universe by whatever means we cannot seem to determine, or denial of anything we cannot concretely prove because we don’t have enough evidence, which we may never actually have.

I do not advocate the denial and exclusion of science and technology from the lives of faithful Christians, but ask them to acknowledge that God did create the universe, the laws of the universe, and since He is a JUST god, He will always follow the laws He Himself set in order. I won’t say that we have to accept everything science has to say, because even not all scientists accept everything science has to say.

Somethings are absolutely unable to be proven and some are just attacks on faith, but we should embrace some the things that we can attribute to God. And to those who deny God exists without proof beyond reasonable doubt, would it not be reasonable to assume that there are things we will never prove yet you believe them in theory? Isn’t this a form of faith? Why then is faith in God so unreasonable? There does not need to be conflict between faith and science, but we should find a way to marry the two beliefs that aren’t actually that far separate.

To Live is Christ, To Die is Gain

Philippians 1:21: “For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain”

Paul wrote this to the church in Philippi while he was in chains. He was a captive for nothing but his faith. He recognized that to live as a follower of Christ is not the glamorous life some expect. You will be persecuted. You will be spurned. You will be treated poorly. But Paul wrote this little bi of wisdom to remind those in Philippi and us that this life that can at times be cold and sorrowful has purpose.

For Paul, to live meant that everything about his life revolved around his devotion to Christ. Everything he did, everything he said, everything that happened to him was part of God’s plan. He was not ashamed and he would not be beaten down by those who would attempt to force his head downward in defeat.

And even if Paul were to die at the hands of those who so cruelly oppressed him, he saw that his death would lead him directly to eternity face to face with Christ Himself. So no matter what, if he continued living he was free spiritually because he focused on what we ought only to focus on and be devoted to, and if he died he received the reward that God promised us and delivered through the death of His Son.

So remember what it is that Paul was espousing in this scripture. We will have pain and hurt and hardship for as long as we live in this world, but it will NEVER consume us for we have a mighty Savior whom has welcomed us into His arms and who builds a mansion for us in the Kingdom His Father has given Him. We have fellowship with He who is truth and was made perfect in weakness.

Never give up. Never back down. Never let your eyes be downcast but keep your eyes on Heaven and on Him who loves us.

Thoughts on our Father and being a father

I believe nothing illustrates what God puts up with better than trying to put a fussy baby to sleep.

Even though said beautiful, sweet little child is a joy most of the time, when the child is tired she becomes very irritable. She knows she is tired but fights it as hard as she can until she finally relents and gives into sleep.

We very often struggle against God when we feel Him moving on our lives because our flesh is in opposition to Him (Galatians 5:17). But a good father doesn’t lose his temper when the hadn’t resists because he realizes it’s just in her nature to resist the same way our Good Father remains calm and loving when our flesh resists Him.

It is part of the nature of our flesh to rebel, but it has been overcome by the blood of Jesus and through the power of God.

Just some thoughts on life as a believer

Dan McCollum said “the life of a Christian isn’t hard, it’s impossible”. Now, if you’re not part of our culture this may seem a little esoteric, so someone might add “the life of a Christian is impossible without our faith in God and Jesus because we are no longer citizens of this world”, or maybe something more concise but I feel my bit sums it up pretty well. The closer you get to God and the purpose He has for you, the more the enemy will try to throw lies and deception at you to rob you of your inheritance that God has ordained for you ephisians 1:11). Problem for old Lucy( or Luci) is that you can’t steal an inheritance because it’s not something we’ve earned and is imperishable in Heaven (1 Peter 1:4). The enemy can’t rob Heaven. I’m reminded of a line from the video game “Kingdom Hearts” that said “the closer you get to the light the greater your shadow becomes”. The closer you get to the light of God the greater your shadow becomes and the enemy wants to hide in that shadow and throw sucker punches at you because your victory has already been won and he cannot engage in conventional warfare because the battle belongs to the Lord. Yes the life of a Christian may seem(keyword) to grow more and more difficult with each passing breakthrough. You may face persecution, slander, loss of friends, and other unfortunate happenstances, but you will gain salvation, eternal life, grace, the Holy Spirit, strength through God, abounding love, destruction of fear, and so much more. I’d say that equation is unbalanced in favor of God so take your pick of what you’d rather walk in.

Sometimes, Just Say “I Don’t Know”

Whether you realize it or not, when you tell someone to just try and “move on” before they can be healed of whatever hurt they received, all you are in fact doing is devaluing their pain and their perspective.

Whether the hurt is real or imaginary, it still hurts and making it seems like it’s just not that important makes them feel unimportant. When they ask for answers and you give them the politician run around and dance around a topic, the whole while evading the truth, all you are really doing is making them feel stupid.

Sometimes you just have to say “I don’t know” because sometimes you really may just not know. Sometimes you just have to hug someone and love on them without trying to say anything or adding any kind of two cents in. Whether or not you are in a leadership position or not or you just feel the need to “step up” and show them why what they did is wrong and why your point of view is backed by experience and knowledge, all you are making them feel is that their opinions and revelations are worthless.

Even though you may “know better”, sometimes you need to just let things play out until somebody who is obviously under an intense amount of duress calms down. Then you can rectify the situation and pick of the pieces, but if you try to fix things with your own personal brand of “guidance” before that right time all you will end up doing is shattering their peace and self-confidence even more until you have an extremely volatile situation and an even more volatile person who feels completely unjustified and worthless because they’ve been shown their opinions or pain don’t matter when compared to how right your opinions are.

We talk about a culture of honor, right? Sometimes honor is leaving someone alone until they know what to do with themselves.

For the Good of Mankind?

I just read a story about an 11 year old child admitted to Texas Christian University (TCU). There are many mixed emotions I have about this and many conflicting opinions within myself.

First, I am astounded and amazed at the wonderful intellect and gifts God has placed in this young boy. He is truly a wonderful person that gives rise to pride in the human potential and honor to God’s intentional endowments on His children. This young boy is nothing short of miraculous. But that’s just the thing: he is a young boy.

While I know he without a doubt has many wonderful and exciting things to offer the world and can make many changes for the better of mankind, I fear for his innocence. Everything, and I mean everything, has a process.

I have talked on this before, but if you try to reap what’s not ready you will have not-so-profitable consequences. Yes I know he can change the world and push humanity forward with the discoveries I’m confident in believing he will make, but what about him? He can do so much for us, but at the sacrifice of his age and innocence. Young buys should be climbing trees and playing soldiers, not studying quantum physics.

While he may have the capacity to graduate college at the age of 15, I sincerely believe it is something he is not truly ready for and it will harm him more than anything in the long run. While he may have the intellect of a man, he still has the developing mind of a child and should not be put the through the rigors and stresses of college, let alone try to stand up to the challenges and decisions college student lifestyle and culture presents while at an age where most people are only beginning to realize that they are individuals capable of thought outside what their parents tell them.

God, it is my sincere and earnest prayer that you steel his heart and mind and protect him from the many challenges that lie before him. Protect his innocence and help him retain that spark of childhood and wonder that many of us lost too early. God, I know you can make good out of any situation, so I’m believing you will turn this startling publicity stunt into a great opportunity as well as a gift. Lord, in your name I pray, amen.

Be blessed brothers and sisters, and never forget that God is here

Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Why The Good News is Better Than T.V. News

If you watch any news station for more than 5 minutes, I’m sure you’ll notice that the bad news far outweighs the good. America is addicted to bad news. Every time you go to the grocery store or to the gas station on the corner you see the tabloid magazines advertising who is cheating on who and which celebrity packed on a few too many pounds.

Why is this? Is it because so many people’s lives are boring and so lackluster they try to escape the monotonous groove of their lives? Well, maybe that is part of it, but I think it goes deeper than this.

God said in His word “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV)

Many, many, many believers know these verses, or at least the first of those. They hold it true because it is God’s promise to prosper us and help, and that He would never do anything bad to us and that anything wrong that does come into our lives is not Him. It is His promise to take care of us, that our lives aren’t just some random cosmic mistake, that everything that has come to pass and will come to pass is not just some entropic phenomenon. Our lives are guided, and He has promised to to be that light in the dark we only have to acknowledge.

But as we may know, something wants to keep us from that knowledge. The enemy is so intent on filling our heads with bad news and lies that nothing is safe from the filth he puts forth. He figures the more dirt and gunk he piles into us, the less room there will be for the goodness God has PROMISED us. But his theory has a fatal flaw: it is completely unfounded.

Bad news generates fear and worry. It is darkness that tries to swallow up every bit of happiness and hope it can. But there are two more very good things God promised us. The first is that “…perfect love casts out fear…” (1st John 4:18 annotated) This good in part because we know that God has perfect love for us. He gave His only begotten son Jesus to die and purify us so we could live with Him (John 3:16) and Him in us (Galatians 2:20) but also that “God is love” (1 John 4:8). God Himself casts out fear personally.  GREAT NEWS!

The second thing God promised us is that we will never be alone. He will never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8, Hebrews 13:5). This is great news because no matter how alone you feel, how lonely you get, or how miserable you think life has gotten, God is always there, sometimes people just forgot to look. Sometimes people forget that God’s word is also His promise, and that the Bible is a book full of promises. But I digress.

The enemy loves all this bad news so much because it makes us feel like God isn’t here anymore. I believe this is an intentional attack on people yes, but specifically on believers. It is an attack to try and make us forget God’s promise to be there and to forget that He even said it. His flawed theory is that is we believe that God isn’t with us anymore then we won’t remember or call on His promises and leave Him behind. But even though people sometimes leave God behind, He will never do the same to us. He promised, remember?

So the next time you see a news channel spewing forth a bunch of filth, turn it off. Talk to your family or friends about your day, read a book, or just meditate. Try even reading your bible(if you feel led to). Just remember that joy comes in the morning, but sometimes it takes a while for the morning to get here. Push for the breakthrough and remember God’s promises.

Be blessed

Don’t Pick the Harvest Before It’s Ripe

Many times when I want to learn more about how God operates and how He works, I look to nature. There are many examples of how nature reflects the nature of God, one of those being a crop harvest.

Have you ever tasted certain fruit or vegetables before they are ripe and ready? Normally they have a bitter, if not extremely unpleasant taste. Don’t get me wrong, I know people who like certain foods before they are ripe, such as many people in the southern United States and “fried green tomatoes”. However even the flavor these have cannot be compared to that which they have when they are fully ripe, not to mention the full extant of the nutritional value they possess after they have been properly nourished.

You see if you take the fruit from its source too quickly, it is not properly nourished because the source is the place where everything it needs comes from. The same can be said about almost every aspect of life, but I think it is particularly applicable to Christians.

If you remember Moses, he was 80 years old before He came back to Egypt to lead the Hebrews away to Canaan. “But when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel… When forty years were fulfilled, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush.” (Acts 7 23,30).

Many of us want God to initiate us NOW and use us NOW, but sometimes the now is best used for nourishment and preparation. Moses was 40 when he killed the Egyptian taskmaster and fled to Midian. He was in Midian for 40 years before he encountered the burning bush. That means he was at LEAST 80 years old when he returned to pharaoh with Aaron. I am convinced that God, being as strategic and Intentional as He is, didn’t just let Moses wander around the desert in Midian for 40 years and not teach him anything. Moses may not have realized it was God teaching him, but it was God indeed. What was Moses’ job while in Midian? A shepherd. What did he do for the children of Israel? He shepherded them.

If you attempt to step into the destiny and purpose you are called for before the time it and you are ready, it will be bitter and you will not see the fullness of what God has planned. Even though it seems like your walk is becoming stagnant or plateauing, you never know what kind of breakthrough God has in store for you. Stay with the source, stay in God’s presence and rest in Him until He releases you to that task, for there is another example of how nature reflects God’s nature.

On my grandparents land, there was a pear tree. We loved eating them because the fruit was sweet nourishing. But we always knew the best fruit were the ones who had just very recently detached from the stems and fallen from the tree or were very easy to pick. These pears had the proper amount of time and feeding to be able to become pear trees themselves one day. Remember that God is always intentional and though it may seem like you are going nowhere, He is actually implanting you with a knowledge you desperately need for the rest of your journey.

Be blessed.

Preview of things to come

Lately, God has put me in a lot a spiritual warfare. That’s the funny thing about God; sometimes He gives you the exact opposite of what you want because what you need contradicts your desires. The purpose of warfare is to defeat the enemy and take what is rightfully ours or to claim something that should belong to us. Having said that, the warfare God had allowed me to go through has yielded some amazing breakthrough and some clarification on some revelation from the past. Stay tuned as we explore these and get a bigger picture of what God wants for us. Be blessed.

Motivation Check: What Drives You?

I know I’ve talked about this before, but there comes a time (every day) where we must reexamine our motivations and what is the driving force behind our actions and passions.

There is nothing wrong with wanting and desiring more, for didn’t Jesus Himself say “even if you who are evil can give good gifts to your children how much more will your heavenly father pour His spirit into you”.

But the difference between wanting more (as  all children do) and doing things in hope of possession and higher station. That, friends is the definition of striving. When we please God, we know He rewards us, but we shouldn’t please Him for His rewards, but because we love Him because He first loved us.

Why do you do what you do? What master do you serve? where do your desires emanate from? Ask these questions to yourself daily. Be blessed