Book Review: If I Could Ask God Anything

27 April, 2010

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Kathy Slattery’s book If I Could Ask God Anything is an attempt to give parents (as well as anyone around children) a resource to help answer some crazy questions that kids ask.  The book answers questions like, “What is the Great Commission?” or “Why did Jesus do Miracles?”

Though it can be a great resource to have, I have some qualms with this publication.  Before I get to my big hang up, I do want to say that it has Biblically supported answers that make sense.  This is not something you would probably pick up and read, but like I said above, it’s a great resource.

So here’s my issue.  I think that we too often just look for the quick answer.  Yes, this book points to Scripture for support, which is solid.  Yes, the answers are true and reliable.  But what happened to people finding out the answers by navigating through the Bible?  We need to stop just going for the answers (the product), but do the research as well (the process).

Eating with Dirty Hands

15 March, 2010

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Jesus is often looked at as a softy; someone who was easy-going and loved people.  Looking at Luke 11:37-54, however, you’ll see a character of Jesus that was often overlooked in Sunday school class.

To set up what’s going on, Jesus is teaching to a giant crowd.  Amongst the crowd was a Pharisee who invited him over for dinner.  Sounds like a good gesture on the outside.  The text does not go into the details as to why the Pharisee made the invitation.  Maybe he was hoping to get to know Jesus, or maybe he wanted to challenge him like so many other religious leaders did.  Either way, Jesus went to the dude’s house.

Now you have to remember that Jesus was probably not the cleanest person.  He was always walking from town to town, he didn’t have soap, he didn’t have hand sanitizer, he probably was sweaty from the sun and being with so many people.  Keep that in mind when you read that he didn’t wash before eating.  I laughed out loud when I read this.  I could almost hear the conversation:

Pharisee: You can clean up right over there.

Jesus: That’s okay, I’m good.

Pharisee: You sure?  We’re getting ready to eat.

Jesus: Nah.  I’m clean enough.

He goes further by insulting the people he was eating with.  Can you believe that?  If you asked me to come over for dinner and while I was eating I start telling you what’s wrong with your life.  That’s what is going on here.  What a bold move!  Then Jesus gets up after getting some food and goes back to teaching.

I love this passage.

Highlights from 1 Samuel

7 February, 2010

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David has always been one of my favorite people to read about in the Old Testament.  Recently I decided to read through 1 & 2 Samuel once again, and finished 1 Samuel last week.  Here are some highlights from my reading:

  1. Hannah was an amazing woman to give Samuel to God (1 Samuel 1).
  2. What’s up with people raising children who are ungodly? (Eli’s boys – 1 Samuel 2:12; Samuel’s boys – 1 Samuel 8:3)
  3. Ebenezer: a rock/monument that Samuel set up to remember God’s help for His people (1 Samuel 7:3-14).
  4. Saul was much taller than most people in Israel (1 Samuel 9:2); which makes him seem like even more of a sissy when Goliath taunts his army.
  5. Saul was idiot when it came to following God’s commands (1 Samuel 13).
  6. God shows his greatness in the smallest of things (1 Samuel 16:1-13).
  7. Saul needed to take lessons on how to throw a spear (1 Samuel 19:10, 20:33).
  8. Always check the bathroom for monsters (1 Samuel 24:1-4).
  9. David was a ladies man (1 Samuel 25:43-44), which will be his downfall in 2 Samuel when he meets Bathsheba.
  10. David made friends with the Philistines for a short time (1 Samuel 27).
  11. Saul went to En-dor to meet up with a psychic (1 Samuel 28). I wonder if he ran into ewoks (who are from the planet Endor in Star Wars)?
  12. Saul committed suicide (1 Samuel 31:4).

The Prodigal Son

10 December, 2009

Mick Christianity, My Thoughts , , , , 1 Comment

How many times have you heard the parable of the prodigal son? I know I have numerous times.  What is crazy is that I have always been taught that it was about the father who welcomes the lost son home, when really this parable is speaking about the older brother even more so than the younger.

If you look at the beginning of Luke 15, Jesus was talking to both tax collectors/sinners (the younger brother type) and Pharisees (the older brother type).  In the end of the parable, it’s the older son that has left ‘the family.’  He stuck around for selfish reasons and ended up sinning by obeying.  How crazy is that?

Are you an older brother?  Are you judgemental of younger brother types?  Do you obey God for your own good?  Think about it.  Challenge yourself to really sit down and discover if you act like the older brother.  If you do, then there is a change of heart that needs to take place.

Interpretation Issues

31 May, 2009

Mick Christianity , , , , , 3 Comments

Do you ever hear people say that the Bible means different things to different people at different times?  I have heard this often times and want to address it.

First off–absolute truth.  If you do not first believe that there is absolute truth, then this discussion needs to start somewhere else.  But that is not the purpose of this blog, so for discussion sake we will assume that you already believe that.

So can we have different interpretations of the same writing?  I am going to have to say no.

If the Bible was written in such a way, then there would never be a correct way to read Scripture.  People would then be able to read whatever they want into the Scriptures and there would never be  a wrong or right.

Everything in the Bible was written for a specific meaning and it is up to us to find out what that meaning is.  We may be wrong at times, but that is okay (to a degree), we are all on this journey together.

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