What IF...There Is More To Life Than Just THIS?

As we dive into our What IF series, I want to start us off with a question that you can't answer...but you can.

What I mean is this.

There are some questions in life that you can answer with precision.  

When you measure the size of a marble with a micrometer caliper, you gain precision.  

You can tell me, "This marble is _______ millimeters."  

When you look at your watch you can tell me what time is, often to the very second.

But in many areas of life - often the most profound areas - we lack the ability to give answers that are verifiable in this fashion.  The big questions of life and death and morality - the answers to these questions are arrived at in a different way.  

Let me note here that this does not mean there is no science or mathematical analysis when it comes to big life questions.  There most certainly is.  When we ask about the creation of the universe, the scientist is not left at the door of the discussion.  There ARE elements of science and research that can help us answer these questions.  But science and research ALONE cannot give us answers to the most profound questions that we all ask at some point in life.

Here is my question: What if there is more to life than just this?

More than what we perceive with our 5 senses.

More than just the physical and natural world.

More than just blood and flesh and soil.

Aren't there situations where you say to yourself, "Because of this experience, I just know that there's got to be more to life than just living as an animal and then dying."

Here's one of the reasons I'd argue I know there is more...

This is my son Hudson. 

He is not an apologetic for the existence of God in the same way that reading the Cosmological Argument is, but he is none the less an apologetic for something grand.  How is it that from his birth on - though he can do nothing for me as far as making my life physically easier by mowing the lawn or bringing money into the family bank account - despite all of his limitations as a three year-old, I would give my life for him in an instant.  His life makes me look and say, "The way I feel toward him - this tells me that there is something profound and literally awesome to life."

Perhaps you don't have children.

What about experiencing images like these?

  

Doesn't nature speak to you in some way?  

Perhaps you aren't an 'outdoors person' like I am.  Fair enough.  But haven't you had some moment in life when you were struck with wonder at the grandness of life and/or nature?  

Perhaps it was art.  

Perhaps it was a poem you read. 

Haven't you had an experience in life that screamed into your soul, "You are alive!"  

What is that about?  

What IF that is something that is hard-wired into you - an understanding of the profound nature of existence itself.  

Does this make you a devout religious person?  Not necessarily.  Even Neil deGrasse Tyson, the American astrophysicist and agnostic, is amazed by the wonder of the stars at night.  

At this point, we aren't asking anything about agnosticism.

We are just asking What IF there is more to life that just the ho-hom, day-to-day existence that leads us from birth to death with nothing wondrous and profound.  

If you have experienced wonder - in any form - a grasping that yes, you exist - well then you and I are kindred spirits.

- tC  

Asking The Most Important Questions: A New Series - "What IF.."

Over the next several weeks, I want to walk on a journey of thought together.  Let me share how this idea came to mind.

I spend a good deal of time in the woods, often alone.  In these moments of silence and solitude, I get to thinking about various topics but one that comes to mind a great deal is those who don't believe in or who have rejected the idea of God and - ultimately - those who have rejected the reality of Jesus Christ.  

As I've been thinking about this eternally-important topic, I began to look back at my own journey of faith and I had came to some conclusions.  I saw that while I might love apologetics (the rational defense of Christianity), I do think that the mix of reason and faith is what led me to my conclusions and putting my trust in Christ.  I think the Christian faith is reason-filled and rational, but it is not just that.  It is an act of faith to trust in the unseen God and to have a relationship that is different than any other relationship I will ever have.  To be a human or to be a Christian, we are always making the best choices we can based on what information we have in the moment of decision.

A phrase came to mind as I have been pondering this concept of faith-and-reason.  The phrase was (as you'd probably guess from the title of this post), "What if...".  I imagined sitting in a coffee shop (probably at the Starbucks inside Target on Rte. 33 in Greenland) across the table from a skeptic friend and instead of making the case for some biblical doctrine, I saw myself asking, "What if..." - and then fill in the blank.  What if there is more than just this life?  What if the physical world is not the end of all things?  What if the Bible is actually God's Word communicated to humanity?  And the list goes on.  

The beauty of questions is they place the emphasis on discussion and ask the person with doubts to engage.  It isn't a 'take it or leave it' kind of approach.  Instead it says (in my mind at least), "I get the doubts, I get the uncertainty - but let's just ask together 'What if...' and in turn, what might the implications be.   

This approach also allows us to consider the skeptic's perspective.  For example, if I ask, "What if there is more to life than just the physical or natural world", then we might also reasonably ask, "What if there is ONLY the natural and physical world?  What are the implications to your worldview and life?"

And so over the next few weeks I want to ask us a variety of 'what if' questions and we will ponder the implications together.  Thanks for walking with me on this road.

- tC 

The Faith of Christopher Hitchens: A Top 5 Book For Me - Here's Why

(Photo Credit: The Gospel Coalition)

It probably seems strange that a book about avowed atheist Christopher Hitchens is now in the "Top 5 Books I've Ever Read" List.  I found this book remarkable, inspiring, and faith-strengthening.  Let me tell you why.

One of the ways I work to redeem the time is by listening to podcasts, sermons, lectures, and debates when I am involved in some mundane task such as mowing the lawn or - in the worst case scenario - painting.  In recent months, I've been listening to a good number of debates between atheists and Christians.  When you search YouTube for "Debate Does God Exist", Christopher Hitchens often appears at the top of the list, and for good reason. Hitchens' book God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything was a New York Times best-seller, and reached #2 on Amazon, falling behind only Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  Hitchens also wrote a wide variety of other essays, articles, and books such as The Portable Atheist, Mortality, and his autobiography Hitch-22, addressing topics as broad as politics. literature, and American history.  Hitchens was sometimes known as one of the "4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse", along with Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Daniel Dennett.  These men represent a new version of atheism, an aggressive version that is not merely content with taking a stance, but they are instead atheists who are actively working at converting others to their atheistic worldview.   

To say it lightly, Christopher Hitchens had strong opinions, and not just on God, but on - it seems - almost everything.  Hitchens was actively involved in debate while in college, and then throughout his career he made a point to take a strong stance against all things God-honoring and 

Christ-centered. 

The Faith of Christopher Hitchens by necessity offers the reader some background on Hitchens (his childhood, his relationship with his parents, his political involvement) but the main focus is on a friendship that Hitchens struck up with Larry Alex Taunton, an evangelical Christian writer and thinker.  Taunton is also the founder and executive director of Fixed Point Foundation, an organization that aims to "defend and proclaim the Gospel in the secular marketplace, and to equip others to do the same."  Through organizing debates, Taunton and Hitchens struck up a friendship that lasted all the way up to Hitchens' passing in 2011.

If you look at the cover of the book, the sub-title reads "The Restless Soul of the World's Most Notorious Atheist", and as you read this engaging and beautifully written book, you sense the unsettling nature of Hitchens' friendship with Taunton.  Taunton is intelligent, measured, kind, and a genuinely nice person - and Hitchens had a hard time figuring out what to do with this.  Taunton and Hitchens struck up a true friendship, one where Hitchens defended Taunton from some of Hitchens' own groupies, and when news of cancer came, Taunton was one of the first people to whom Hitchens reached out.

So why did I love this book so much?  Here are 3 reasons.

1. In a world where so many seem to be oblivious and disinterested in God, this book shows the truth that God has indeed set eternity into the hearts of all mankind (Ecclesiastes 3:11).  If Hitchens - despite his public persona and atheistic bravado - was truly a restless soul looking for "a higher love" (his own words), then I take great comfort in knowing that God is certainly working in the lives of those who appear to have no interest in God.  There are days and even weeks when I walk around wondering if anyone I see out-and-about (at the gas station, at Target, at the grocery store) is thinking about God.  This book lays out the truth that so often the external shell of callousness or aloofness toward the things of God actually hides a longing that exists in all people, even if it remains in large part hidden from the public eye.    

2. This book affirms the truth that true love and friendship, combined with a clear and bold declaration of the Gospel, are powerful, Spirit-used tools.  Taunton was bold and loving, direct and consistent, and perhaps most of all sacrificial in his love toward Hitchens.  Though it would have been much easier to keep the discussion academic, Taunton took time to share his life with Hitchens, and this made a significant impact.  At one point, Taunton shares with Hitchens that he (Taunton) and his wife have adopted a child.  This throws Hitchens for a loop - he cannot grasp the selflessness of such an act.  You can imagine the shock when Hitchens learns that this child is also HIV-positive.  This makes no sense to Hitchens, but he knows there is something beautiful about this kind of love.

If you run toward brash preaching of the Bible, this book will temper you.  If you run away from speaking about God and instead think that 'a kind life is enough', this book will press you.

3. This book reminds us that there is a power in the Word of God.  While Hitchens is dying of cancer, he and Taunton take two trips - one down south to Taunton's home and then later on, they travel out west for a debate and some sight seeing.  In various forms and at various time on these trips, Hitchens and Taunton read and discuss portions of the Bible, the Gospels in particular.  Hitchens, as much as he speaks in harsh terms, cannot run from the image of Jesus he reads in the Bible.  It is clear that the Gospels are impacting him, and while he may never admit it publicly, the questions he asks and the answers he gives to Taunton show a Jacob-like experience is ensuing.                            

I recommend this book for these three reasons and many more.  When I completed this book, I felt sad because I wanted to know more of the two main characters and where they had been in their journey of friendship.  That sadness - to me - is the sign of a well-written work.

          

- tC

After The Election: 2 Questions To Ask Ourselves

The election has come and gone.
How are you doing?

For some, this is a time of great hope and expectation.  As a man said to me the other day, "This is a great time for America."  It was one of those 'I'm sure you agree with me so I'm just walking by, smiling, and saying it' kind-of comments, but needless to say, he was excited to see Trump win.

For others, this is a time of great trepidation.  What will become of the America they knew, or at least that they thought they knew?  Will there be radical impacts on either their lives or the lives of people they know and love.

Let me skip out on digging into those questions for now and take the discussion to a different place.  Let me ask us all 2 questions that dig into the heart and soul of the presidential election for us as individuals.  I think these questions take us to a place where Jesus might go (see Luke 6:45 for one of many glimpses from Jesus into how central the heart is).

Question 1: How happy or upset were you about the election results?

When I ask this question, I am not asking it in the 'what is the right answer' kind-of way.  I am asking us to consider what our response was when we heard the Donald J. Trump was going to become the 45th President of the United States of America.  Was it joy? Was it deep joy?  Was it fear?  Deep grief?  Our visceral response to this question tells us something about where we place our trust.

Proverbs 21:1 tells us that, "The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it where ever He will."  This verses speaks to the sovereignty of God.  You don't have to be a hardcore Calvinist to believe and trust in the power of God, and this verse tells us that God is not going to be overpowered by the next president, or the next dictator from the other side of the globe for that matter.  This verse doesn't give a picture of a battle between the heart of the person in power and God.  It instead gives a picture of God moving history where He pleases.  For a biblical image of God's reign over the world, just consider that famous verse Jeremiah 29:11.  God doesn't say, "I have good plans and we will see if I can work it out."  He tells His covenant people He has plans, and we see that God's efficacious plans are always successful.

Now I've got to press pause here for the churchy-folk (I'm a pastor so I can be one of those as well), and point out that in my first question here I am not asking if we have a knowledge of the facts about the power of God in all things.  That is good to know, but the Bible says that the demons believe that God is one (James 2:19).  Knowing the facts isn't the question.  The question is about our gut-level response.  This should give us pause to ask if any of us are trusting in leaders to be our savior.  Again, most people would say no, but I lovingly again press us to look deep inside ourselves and see if - while we know that we should say no - there is part of us that is trusting in the power of man instead of the grace and power of God.

At this point, one can be dismissive of the real fears some people have about the president elect.  It is worth noting that there were some of these same fears on the political right after Obama won both his first and second elections.  All that to say that we should listen, care, and engage with those who are feeling scared now.  At the same time we have to examine our place of deepest trust.  Psalm 9:10 reads, "And those who know Your Name put their trust in You, for You, Oh LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You."

Question 2: Are you loving people?

My second question is about both words and actions.  Are you loving people - in what you say and what you do - now that the election is done?  Were you loving people before the election was over?  Were you and are you loving people who don't see the world in the same way that you do politically?  Will you love them now?  I've said this so many times but I often wonder if people would LIKE, SHARE, and POST some of the things they do if Jesus was one of their friends on various social media outlets.

It has been a hard campaign, and while I am happy that many politicians on both sides of the aisle are asking people to 'come together', that should not be something new for the follower of Christ.  In a world that is so often built on identity politics and loving my group while demonizing the other group, the follower of Christ is called to love all people - people who are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26).  We love because the call of Christ is to love God and to love people (Matthew 22:36-40).

Now that the election is over, some things are truly different.
But some things are not different and should never be different regardless of who is in the White House.

- tC

Believing In Jesus Doesn't Make You A Christian

Photo by artur84 - FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Over the next few blog posts, we are going to talk about things that don't make a person a Christian.

To some people these will be painfully obvious.  To others - I'm sad to say - there will be a sense of, "Yeah, that's true...glad I'm not one of 'those people' who think that" when in reality that person is exactly who I am speaking about.  But there will also be - I hope - people who read the posts and think deeply.  I have faith that the Holy Spirit can work even through the blogosphere and lovingly challenge people to think about if they are truly in a relationship with Jesus.

So why make these kinds of posts?
Because the Bible tells us to examine ourselves.

Here are two quick examples. 2 Corinthians 13:5 says it in a pretty straight-forward way: "Examine yourself to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves."  Paul wanted people to think and know if they were truly Christian.  Here's another one and perhaps the scariest passage in all the Bible.  In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus tells us that there will be people who thought, on the basis of the religious things they did (like prophesying, casting out demons, and performing miracles) that they were in.  But to some of these people Jesus will say, "Depart from Me.  I never knew you."  It goes without saying - no one wants to be on that side of the conversation with Jesus.

Testing ourselves.  Examining ourselves to see if we are truly followers of Christ is a good and vital thing to do.  Now let's get to the title of this blog.

Believing in Jesus does not make you a Christian.  It might be ONE of the signs that you are a Christian, but belief in Jesus alone doesn't make a person - to use the biblical language - "born again" (John 3).  And how do I know this?  James 2:19  tells it to us clearly when he says this:

You believe that there is one God?  Good.

Even the demons believe that - and shudder.  

So believing in God doesn't mean you are a Christian.
And I love the way James describes the response of the demons - they shudder.  It's as if he is saying, "At least they respond and act out in SOME WAY.  At least they SHOW that their belief in God makes some difference in how they live - even if it's shuddering at their future destruction." 

And we know this to be true just by looking at the stats from Barna (click HERE for some of their research).  Even though atheism has risen significantly in the past few decades, still the vast majority of people in America say they believe in God.

But self-identification doesn't equal 'therefore it is true.'

As much as people might want to press at the notion of truth to mold it into whatever seems right to the individual, me simply stating something about how I view myself doesn't make it true.  I can tell you until I am blue in the face that I am an astronaut, but I am not, no matter how much I say it.
So saying I believe in God doesn't make me a Christian just like saying I'm an astronaut means my life story is the basis for the movie Interstellar.  

Photo by siraphat - FreeDigitalPhotos.net

"But Tim" some might protest "It's one thing to say, 'I believe in God' and it's totally different when I a person says he believes in Jesus."  I agree that it MAY be different, but it doesn't mean that person is a Christian.  Consider what Jesus says in Luke 9:59-62.  Jesus gives two examples of people who don't just SAY they believe but they are even willing to GO with Him, to truly follow Him...just after they take care of a few things.  I mean come on, Jesus - they just have to tie up a few loose ends - they MUST be a great picture of what it means to believe in You and follow You.

Jesus response is plain:  You must be all in.  Our belief in Him must change how we live.  If I say I believe in Him but it doesn't change me, then I believe in the concept of Him, but I don't trust Him to lead me as my Great Shepherd.  I can believe that a bridge can hold my car, but if I am unwilling to drive across it my belief is not impacting my actions, and so one can fairly ask me, "Do you really even believe that the bridge will work?"

What does saving faith look like?
That's coming down the line.
If you believe in Jesus you MAY be a Christian.  But maybe not.
For now let's be clear - believing in Jesus doesn't make you a Christian.  

-tC

My Sabbath Day Experince: No Smart Phone and How It Felt

( Photo by Stuart Miles - FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

Today was my sabbath...sort of.  When I say sabbath, I mean it was my day of rest, of stopping, of ceasing.  Sabbath actually doesn't mean 'rest' but instead it was the final day of the week in the Hebrew world.  But rather than get into that discussion, I wanted to tell you about my day of rest in hopes that it might encourage you to think about rest and ceasing and restoration.

Why take a sabbath?
Paul tells us that we are no longer under law but instead are under grace (Romans 6:14).  So that means we are not saved and loved by God because we follow all the commands perfectly (over 600 in the Old Testament alone).  We are loved by God because of the work of Christ on the Cross.  And so if that's the case, why bother thinking about or having a day of rest?  Well here are 3 reasons that strike me.

1. The rhythm of creation  described in Genesis 1-2 ends with God resting. He is God so it's not as if He was tired (see John 5:17), but He rested as a picture to humans of a work-rest rhythm.  God saw it fit to work and to rest, and He even made the natural world have that same rhythm - growing, producing, and then resting.  Since God saw it fit in His creation of the universe to show us and talk about rest, it seems worth considering.

2. Jesus said very clearly in Mark 2:23-27 that man wasn't made for the sabbath but that sabbath was made for man.  By saying this He was telling His hearers that man is not subordinate to the notion of sabbath, but that God gave sabbath to bless.

3. I need sabbath.  It remind me of many thing that I need to recall.
- It reminds me to rest when my tendency is to want to produce
- It reminds me that God is in control of all things
- It reminds me that I have a tendency to make myself too much the center of things
- It reminds me that the world continues to function just fine even when I am not active

My sabbath experience
Because I am a pastor and Sunday is a work day for me, and because we have 2 young children, 'rest' and sabbath look a bit different in this stage of life.  Today Jenny and I split the day and each had about 4 hours to sabbath.  We ended the day together by buying a pizza, eating with the kids, watching a short kids devotional on YouTube, and then getting them ready for bed.  It was good for me to not 'do' so much today.  I drove, I prayed, I had a meal, I went to the gym, I journaled - I did things that would help restore me for work in the week to come.

(Located on Facebook - artist unknown)

I also didn't use my cell phone other than to be in touch with people with whom I wanted to speak.  That meant no e-mail (work or personal), no Facebook, no YouTube - nothing.  And while I wasn't itching to tweet something or scroll through Facebook updates, I did notice one thing I had not noticed before: I enjoy e-mail because I get things done on e-mail.  I reply, I update, I get meetings planned, and more. It was interesting to experience that desire to 'do', and so I had to battle and say with the Psalmist that God is my reward and He is the one that truly satisfies - "LORD, You alone are my portion and my cup" (Psalm 16:5).  

This post isn't to give you all the info you need to Sabbath well.  It's to share part of my experience with you and to ask you a few questions:
- Do you take a day of rest during the week?
- Do you say you 'can't afford to'?  
- What does rest look like for you?  What does ceasing mean for you?
- What is God calling you to as you reflect on this idea of rest?
- Do you need faith to trust Him enough to rest?

Be blessed.  Rest.
- tC

Caitlyn/Bruce Jenner: Don't Miss The Point With This One

If you've seen the interview with Diane Sawyer from a few months back, you have some background on the situation surrounding the individual now formerly known as Bruce Jenner.  If you haven't been in the loop, let me quickly summarize what's been happening.

Bruce Jenner was a world-renown athlete who won the Olympic decathlon, thus claiming the title "Greatest Athlete on the Planet."  Despite the public attention given to him as the 'ultimate male specimen', Jenner has shared that for most of his life he has felt like he has the soul of a woman.  And thus he is now "she" - Caitlyn Jenner.  Various surgeries, procedures, and hormone therapies have been part of Caitlyn's regimen to become what you see in the photo above.  Bruce Jenner is now gone, and Caitlyn Jenner has replaced him with a new her.

There seem to be infinite angles from which a person could discuss this entire situation (if we can use that term 'situation' - I'm at a loss to some degree of how to properly describe Jenner's transformation).  Inevitably for a Christian, the issue of sexuality comes up - what is God's design, what does it mean to be male or to be female.  The topics of self-expression and self-determination are worth considering as well.  One might also want to discuss a shift in the culture that often affirms (at the lower end) and praises (at the upper end) these kinds of changes (Jenner is poised to receive the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, an award given to athletes for showing "strength in the face of adversity, courage in the face of peril, and willingness to stand up for their beliefs no matter what the cost." (Click HERE for more information on the Arthur Ashe Award).

(Bruce Jenner - photo credit: Fox News)

All these topics are likely to come up in conversations around the world, around the table, around the water cooler, and even in the local church buildings and small groups.  And while the issues of sexuality, the culture, and other topics are part of it, we can't miss the key issue.

The issue is identity.  Jenner's desire to be true to him/herself is rooted in the idea that we as humans get to choose who we are and how we express ourselves.  While this is a more obvious example of self-defining, we all fall (more than we'd probably like to admit) into the trap of wanting to express ourselves on our own terms.  Jenner's fundamental flaw is all too common: thinking that if I get to define who I am and then I get to live out of that identity, then I will finally be happy.  But the reality is we don't get to choose our identity.  We are a creature, we are created, and thus our Creator has all authority to give us our identity and to tell us who we are to be.

Don't lose me here - I'm not focusing on the idea of gender identity, because while I am fully male, being 'male' is not my primary identity.  My primary identity is that of a child of God, redeemed by the Blood of Christ.  I am first and foremost a child of God, forgiven, free, loved, adopted, chosen, passionately pursued, and so much more.  But it is THAT identity that shapes all my other identities.  It is only in light of being re-born in Christ, I live my life as a male, as a husband, as a father, as a pastor, as  a friend, as a mentor - as everything.  Christ defines me and then shapes how I live out my life.

I want to be clear here.  I do not want to minimize the internal struggle that Jenner has gone through.
I also don't want to minimize the many people who may feel many of  the same struggles.  What I do want to do is point to the fact that this freedom Jenner feels is not a lasting freedom.  The Son must set us free to be who we were designed to be, and at the core of all humanity we are designed to be in relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Pray for Jenner.  Pray that true freedom and identity is found in Christ.  Christ alone can satisfy.

- tC

Dealing With Trials: Eternity Changes Everything

(Photo by antibodyphoto - FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

If you look into Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, you will see his assertion (which makes sense) that people have needs, and as you move up his pyramid of needs, the 'needs' start moving toward 'wants'.   The most basic needs are physiological - food, shelter, clothing, heat, etc.  Makes sense, right?  If I can't feed myself I'm likely to die, and therefore thinking a deeper issues of self-esteem and self-actualization don't really matter until my more basic needs are met.

Let's translate this to the place where I live - in the United States of America, in the seacoast of New Hampshire.  In my current location, the most basic needs are just assumed.  The vast majority of people in my area don't spent a lot of time thinking about if they will have food, clothing, and shelter tonight (yes some do - but proportionally very few).  How does this connect to dealing with trials? Well unfortunately, having our core needs met often makes eternity and Heaven fade from our minds.  And yet if we are able to gain an eternal perspective, all of our trials will change.

Consider the words of the Apostle Paul when he says, "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all" (2 Corinthians 4:17).  This coming from the man who was beaten, stoned, left for dead, shipwrecked and more.  But his perspective is this - today's trials and tomorrow's trials are a blip on the radar compared to what Heaven has for me.  It doesn't make the pain go away, but it does frame all of the trials through which we suffer.

I have a book in my office library called Whatever Happened To Heaven?  The title says it all - we, as American Christians, by-and-large have lost a solid and continual grasp on eternity.  We tend to want our daily trials to go away, but we often fail to think beyond the 'oh good - that trial is over' to the fact that 'trials just remind me that I have an inheritance in eternity with Christ waiting for me'
(1 Peter 1:4).

If I have faith in Christ and am redeemed by Him, all trials are momentary.  Even if I were to suffer all my life, it is still momentary compared to eternity.  Theologian R.C. Sproul once stated it this way - If I receive forgiveness of my sins and eternal life in Christ, and then for the rest of my earthly life I suffer terribly, I still make out like a bandit.

Trials become a totally different experience when they are re-framed in light of eternity.

- tC