Over the past couple weeks, even months, the news media has broadcast stories where questions abound. The questions boil down to— Who's to blame for...? You can fill in the blank— the election, the Benghazi tragedy, the Hamas-Israeli conflict, and so on. After the tragedy of September 11th, a commission was set up to determine which government agency was at fault.
The blame game seems at an epidemic level in our nation, but it's not limited to us. And it's not a recent problem, nor is it cultural. It's a human problem and not going away anytime soon.
Last week someone wrote to call me out about a phrase I used, saying it seemed like Christianese. It was, but I did give a simple simile as explanation. But I thought it might be good to explain it a bit further. I said that if there's something you (anyone) is struggling with, "Lay it at the feet of Jesus."
As I mentioned in my book, The Mystery of the Gospel, Christian believers tend to use a set of words and phrases laden with meaning, but not understood by others. Even believers who use these expressions don't understand all that is said. Christianese is a general term describing words, cliches, and expressions used by people in the Christian faith.
I'm a product of the Jesus Movement of the early 70's. This movement was characterized by the common saying, "It's not about religion, but relationship." It is a relationship based on trust, trust in Jesus. Trust, an implicit, all-encompassing trust, is another way of expressing the idea of faith (see Hebrews 11:6).
A couple weeks ago I looked at the dilemma many Christian believers have with trying to be good Christians. It requires a lot of self-effort to do so, but is counter productive to walking by faith, that is, trusting in God. And so, there is a struggle with how a believer can grow in faith and spiritual maturity without a good measure of self-effort.
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| ©tkBeyond_2012 |
Yesterday I had the privilege of sharing a message at my former home church and making my newly published book available. Because it was like "coming home" in many ways, I was asked to sign several of the books sold. It was a new and somewhat overwhelming experience.
It was also fun to reconnect with people my wife and I had built relationships with over the past several years. It was a privilege to share the message to the church family while their pastor (my good friend, Keith) was away doing ministry. They have been generous and faithful supporters for many years.
It was a busy weekend in many ways, so I'm behind in my usual posting. So, next week I'll resume the topic I left off from last week.
So far, I've gotten some good feedback from those who are reading through the book. If you haven't checked it out, here's the link– The Mystery of the Gospel. It's also available online through Amazon and Barnes & Noble, but it benefits me a bit more if you get it at the Westbow site (and the e-book is only $.99!).
I'm hoping to get the book in some local places (in the Jacksonville, FL area). If you've read it and like it, please post a review of it (on the site you buy it from and on FaceBook, Twitter, etc.) and spread the word. Thanks!
Bob Newhart has a hilarious comedy skit as a psychiatrist. His therapy is a simple, two-word solution for problems—"Stop it!" If you've never seen it, click on the link ("Stop it!") for a good laugh, but keep reading!
If only solving life's problems were that simple! Well, in some ways it is. But, alas, many difficulties in life continue to trouble us. Why? Why don't we just stop doing some things, or start doing other things? The Apostle Paul addresses this in his letter to the Roman church (Rom 7:15-19).
Over the past couple weeks, even months, the news media has broadcast stories where questions abound. The questions boil down to— Who's to blame for...? You can fill in the blank— the election, the Benghazi tragedy, the Hamas-Israeli conflict, and so on. After the tragedy of September 11th, a commission was set up to determine which government agency was at fault.
