The Second Half

Today is the last day of January and it is also the last reading of the book of Job. It's been great to re-read and study this man's story. In today's reading, God continues to challenge Job with questions that he can't answer and Job repents. God then turns his attention to Job's friends and says that they will receive grace after Job prays for them (that's a whole 'nother story!) but here is what stuck out to me today. Job 42: 12 says, "So the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning."

I turned 45 at the beginning of this month. According to life expectancy experts, I am in the second half of life. Do I consider it to be more blessed than the first half?

Sports fans know that it's really the second half that matters more. It's important to play a good first half, but the outcome is determined in the second half. And things can turn around dramatically in the second half! (Just ask any team that has come from behind to win it all).

Job had some serious trials in the first half of his life, but God used them to bring him to a deeper dependance upon God. I'm sure Job had a different outlook on what was really important after God had restored everything he had lost. The same can be true for us. There is opportunity to find new meaning and purpose for your life even in the midst of crisis and chaos.

Job had been very successful in the first half of his life and I'm guessing that after his life-changing ordeal, he saw things a little differently; that he went from being successful to being significant. He really had a story to tell after God blessed him, forgave him, and also extended grace to his friends (who didn't deserve it by the way).

So - if you are in the second half of life, do you consider it more blessed than the first? If you are still in the first half of life, think about how you would like to enter the second half. Stephen Covey says to "begin with the end in mind." That's a good principle to live by.

It's not so much how you start out, it's all about how well you finish. The second half determines how the game will end. Think about it.

Don't Get Hooked by Temptation

I was thinking about last Sunday's sermon. As I usually run it over in my head, oftentimes there are additional illustrations that come to mind. Here is one concerning fishing that illustrates how temptation works - and how we should urgently run from it instead of flirting with it. (remember Joseph's example with Potiphar's wife).

They say to catch a fish you have to "think like a fish." A fish's life is about the maximum gratification of appetite at the minimum expenditure of energy. To a fish, life is "see a fly, want a fly, eat a fly." A rainbow trout never really reflects on where his life is headed. A girl carp rarely says to a boy carp, I don't feel you're as committed to our relationship as I am. I wonder, do you love me for me or just for my body? The fish are just a collection of appetites. A fish is a stomach, a mouth, and a pair of eyes.

Fish are just plain dumb. Hey, swallow this. It's not the real thing; it's just a lure. You'll think it will feed you, but it won't. It'll trap you. If you were to look closely, fish, you would see the hook. You'd know once you were hooked that it's just a matter of time before the enemy reels you in.

You'd think fish would wise up and notice the hook or see the line. You'd think fish would look around at all their fish friends who go for a lure and fly off into space and never return. But they don't. It is ironic. We say fish swim together in a school, but they never learn. Do we?

Jesus is Greater Than Religion - video

This video has over 6 million hits on youtube. I say, "Amen."

The Gap Theory

As we have started reading the Chronological Bible, one of the first questions that arises in the creation account is: "Why is the earth formless, void and dark? I thought God created the heavens and the earth to be good." One plausible answer seems to be what is called the "gap theory". This is the belief that between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2, there could be a HUGE time gap. God originally created the heavens and the earth out of nothing at some point in the past, (this would include a time when angels were also created), but became "formless, chaotic, dark and void" because of Lucifer's rebellion. See Isaiah 14:12-14, Ezekiel 28:12-19, Luke 10:17-18 and Revelation 12:3-4.

A cosmic war broke out where Lucifer became Satan and was thrown out of Heaven. This could also explain how Satan was in the Garden of Eden to tempt Eve.

So proponents of the gap theory suggest that in verse 2, God actually "re-created" the earth because of what had taken place sometime before. And that God could have "re-created" in six, 24-hour periods, resting on the seventh. Here is a video of Greg Boyd (author of God At War) explaining this theory.

Whether this theory is accurate or not, the most important thing to know is that God is the One who is Creator and His intentions are always good.

The New "Drug" of Facebook

We can't live without it. It makes us feel good. Just have to use it - several times a day...We are addicted. I'm talking about Facebook. Here are excerpts from an article I just read entitled "Facebook is Making Us Miserable". Feel free to comment:

When Facebook was founded in 2004, it began with a seemingly innocuous mission: to connect friends. Some seven years and 800 million users later, the social network has taken over most aspects of our personal and professional lives, and is fast becoming the dominant communication platform of the future. But this new world of ubiquitous connections has a dark side.

Behind all the liking, commenting, sharing, and posting, there are strong hints of jealousy, anxiety, and, in one case, depression. Said one person about a Facebook friend, "Although he's my best friend, I kind-of despise his updates." Said another "Now, Facebook IS my work day." Here are disturbing and distressing ways in which Facebook is fundamentally altering our daily sense of well-being in both our personal and work lives.

1. It's creating a den of comparison. We want to look good and present ourselves to others as though we have it all together.

2. It's fragmenting our time. How often and where do you access Facebook?

3. There's a decline of close relationships. Gone are the days where Facebook merely complemented our real-life relationships. Has it become a substitute for the "real thing"?

So, what should we do to avoid these three traps? Recognizing that "quitting" Facebook altogether is unrealistic, we can still take measures to alter our usage patterns and strengthen our real-world relationships. Some useful tactics include blocking out designated time for Facebook, rather than visiting intermittently throughout the day; selectively trimming Facebook friends lists to avoid undesirable ex-partners and gossipy coworkers; and investing more time in building off-line relationships. The particularly courageous choose to delete Facebook from their smartphones and iPads, and log off the platform entirely for long stretches of time.

Is Facebook making you miserable? What other tips can you share?

Walking in The Word

Wow - what a year this will be. I am excited and a bit nervous to be reading and preaching through the entire bible in a year. We are off to a good start and moving quickly through Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah and the flood - I can't wait to see what good thing God will do and/or reveal to us...to me personally.

Just barely three days into our readings and I have already marked up, underlined and written in my bible. Questions like:

1. If God didn't create the sun, stars and moon until the fourth day, what was the "light" that separated the darkness on day one?

2. Why was the earth dark, empty, formless and covered with water to begin with?

3. Were Adam and Eve supposed to be vegetarians?

4. What happened to Enoch? How did he just disappear? Where did he go?

5. What's up with Genesis 6 and the "sons of God" having sex with women who gave birth to giants??!!

Trust me, there are many more but we can discuss them at the Way Cafe. Bring your questions too!