"The Bible" mini series

Today I received numerous e-mails expressing differing opinions on the
History Channels "The Bible" 10 part series.

The battle lines are drawn.
50% are 100% supportive.
50% are 100% attacking.

I watched part #1 with my wife and found that it provoked a great deal of discussion.
Michele's biggest complaint was that the story line moved so quickly that she had a hard time processing what was going on.
And I think she is correct, the story line is pretty jerky.
This is not such a big deal for people well grounded in the Old Testament stories but for those that have only heard them once or twice, they will struggle to keep up.

So the question is, "What were the producers attempting to accomplish?"

Obviously the producers were not attempting to do a verse by verse study of the Old Testament.

My observation is that the producers were attempting to paint with very broad strokes -- an overview of Bible highlights.  Face it, tackling the whole Bible in 10 parts (including a LOT of commercials) is going to require a LOT of material falling onto the cutting room floor due to time constraints.

So the question still remains, "What were the producers attempting to accomplish?"  

It appeared to me that the producers were attempting to challenge todays generation to consider the possibility that Bible characters and stories were real people being cared for by the Almighty God that was aware of and engaged in the day to day affairs of His people.

I appreciated the producers attempts to accurately portray Bible characters as real people with character flaws and spiritual struggles.

Bottom Line:
Whether you agree or disagree, there is a unquestionable opportunity for each of us to use this mini series as a catalyst for discussions about God and His love with people that would normally have little or no interest in God's Word.

A couple more thoughts:
I noticed in part #1 there were areas of "creative liberties".
The story lines in the Bible are perfectly complete as written.

However, when they are transferred onto film, it requires some imagination to fill in the blanks.  For instance, when the angels are dragging Lot and his family out of Sodom, there is no doubt that it was a matter of great urgency because the wrath of God was about to fall.  However, when you film their expulsion out of Sodom, do you make it look like a couple angels are dragging an uncooperative family out of town for a stroll or do you take "creative liberties" and add some action scenes to show the terrible evil of those living in the cities?

Which brings me to my final point:
 "It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret" Ephesians 5:12

How do you accurately film the evil of Sodom and come out with a movie children can watch?

Weigh that question against the next Bible verse.

"Now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise."  Philippians 4:8

Finally, the Apostle Paul weighed in on this topic in Philippians 1:17-18:

"The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition,
not sincerely,
supposing that they can stir up trouble for me
while I am in chains.
But what does it matter?
The important thing is that in every way,
whether from false motives or true,
Christ is preached.
And because of this I rejoice."
Yes, and I will continue to rejoice"

God's Belly Laugh

I had lunch with a friend today who is dating a wonderful Christian lady.  He commented that he was honored but humbled that a spiritual woman of such high caliber would chose to date him. 

At some point in our conversation he asked me the big, “WHY?” question. 

WHY in the world did she agree to date him? 

And since I am a “man of God” with deep insightful wisdom into the character of the Almighty, I responded in a very pious manner, “God chose you to date this amazing young lady because ~ (((( drum roll )))) ~ God has a wonderful sense of humor and enjoys a good belly laugh.” 

Of course I went on to explain that the Almighty probably nudged the Archangel Gabriel and said, “Watch this ~ this will really blow your mind.” 

And through His unlimited power, brought two remarkable ~ yet highly different ~ people together from such vastly differing backgrounds that the angels paused their duties to watch the relationship unfold. 

In my mind’s eye I can see the Archangel Gabriel give a slight roll of his eyes as he grasped the unlikeliness of this unusual pairing. 

Then the Almighty comments, “I specialize in taking the unlikely and bringing about perfection.” 

Hard to argue with that. 

“ Remember, dear brothers and sisters,

that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes

or powerful or wealthy when God called you.

Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish

in order to shame those who think they are wise.

And he chose things that are powerless

to shame those who are powerful.

God chose things despised by the world,

things counted as nothing at all,

and used them to bring to nothing

what the world considers important.

As a result,

no one can ever boast in the presence of God.”

1 Corinthians 1:27 NLT

Face it, watching the good LORD work behind the scenes in events, circumstances and people to bring about what is the very best in every situation is…. simply an exercise in faith-building. 

I have learned to open my eyes and recognize God’s hand at work in the day to day happenings of life. 

Right now, I am working with ½ a dozen people that are sincerely working to turn their lives around.  They have tried all the dead end roads that Satan offered them…. only to find despair, heart ache, depression, and loneliness. 

I believe the good LORD wants our church to be ½ Lighthouse to those who have lost their way and ½ hospital for those who are broken. 

OK, I will stop preaching and let you get back to watching TV. 

Thank you for dropping by and spending a couple minutes with me.

Please pray for me ~ because I am praying for you….

Pastor Shane

Thoughts on Prayer

I am preaching Sunday on “Prayer”….

There are literally libraries full of books on prayer.  So there is no shortage of resources ~ many of them are as deep as they are broad.

Over the last 7 years, I have taught the basics of prayer at GVCC.

I started by teaching the Lord’s Prayer and moving on to 

hindrances to prayer and all the “thou shalt's” and “thou shalt not's” 

about prayer.

So for a couple weeks, I have been attempting to ascertain why most of us never get past the basics of prayer. 

Let me ask you this, “Has your prayer life grown deeper ~ closer to God in the last 5 years? The last 10 years? Or has it remained EXACTLY the same for as long as you can remember?” 

When was the last time you EXPERIENCED GOD ~ 

when you were ALONE in prayer???? 

Better yet, “WHY is this so hard to talk about?” 

Let me take a shot at why this end of the pond is so muddy. 

Normally adjusted married folk, don’t openly discuss the intimacies of their marriage relationship in public.  WHY?  Because it is no one’s business ~ there is a reason it is called “intimate”. 

My point is this: The intimacies of a healthy married relationship is nothing compared to the intimacies of a healthy relationship with Almighty God. 

Think about this, a relationship with our Creator who knows exactly how we are wired ~ our every thought ~ our every desire ~ our every motive ~ our every inclination ~ our every priority…. Is taking intimacy to uncharted waters. 

So to stand in front of a group of people and freely chat about my relationship with my Creator is…. uncomfortable. 

But that is my God given CHALLENGE for Sunday. 

Attempt to build a bridge that allows people to walk closer to their God ~ who loves them and desires an unrestricted full access relationship based on pure love.

No pressure….

There’s a reason most sermons you hear on prayer are “ought-to” types and not “how-to” counsel. So stick around and see how Sunday turns out.  I'm more curious as you. 

¹⁴ And we are confident

that he hears us

whenever we ask

for anything that pleases him.

¹⁵ And since we know he hears us

when we make our requests,

we also know that he will

give us what we ask for.”

1 John 5:14-15

Duh

3 years ago, my wife helped me set up a little office in a small back porch area.  It is a few feet wide and a few feet long and has a small window on each end.  It is quiet and offers few distractions so, it is perfect for me.

I have two complaints about my office. 

First, the cat’s litter box is right by my desk ~ enough said about that.   

Second, all winter my office is cold.   

After roosting in my office for 3 years, I came to the conclusion that there simply was no insulation in the walls because heat was nonexistent. 

For 3 years, I have struggled to figure out a way to heat my office, but to no avail.  And our electric bill this winter was climbing out of control due to the little electric heater I have by my desk running 24/7.   

Having heat in my office was not worth filing bankruptcy over, so I unplugged my little electric heater and “suffered in silence”. 

It got so cold in my office, the dogs quit coming down to visit me. 

When I wasn’t home, Michele snuck into my office and conducted a search.  She believed the cold draft had to be coming from somewhere, and she was correct (as usual).   

She found the source of the cold draft. 

3 years ago, I installed some very classy book shelves I purchased at the Walmart for $49. 

Yup, behind the bookshelf was a 2’ square window ~ OPEN. 

For 3 years, I had an open window in my office ~ 

cooking in the summer and freezing in the winter.

Luke 16:10

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” 

My point is this, pay attention to the little things because they can become the straw that broke the camel’s back. 

Read God’s Word ~ don’t be lazy and flip on the TV. 

Spend time in prayer ~ it only feels awkward when you are a rookie. 

Tell the truth ~ don’t make excuses or ½ truths. 

Spend as much time and effort KEEPING your spouse                                             as you did WINNING your spouse.

As I type this, I realize that there are a 1000 windows that people leave open due to negligence and oversight. 

What is the Spirit of God nudging you to do right now? 

My Bad

Last week, Michele had a 1st Aid class in Spokane.  And since I had a full day of errands scheduled in the big city, we made a day of it. 

Michele's class got out early and I was still twaddling in Harbor Freight pondering all the things I could not live without, when my phone rang.  Michele wanted to know if I had "jumper cables" because a lady in her class had a car with a dead battery.   

The lady just moved here from Kenya.  Her son plays football at a local college, so she moved here to be close to him.  She supports herself by working in the "home hospice" industry.  And the car she purchased, was on its last legs many years ago. 

I got her car running and suggested she get her battery tested. 

((((( drum roll ))))

This was the moment of truth where the good Lord produced a miracle.  This was a Divine Appointment if I ever encountered one.  God brought us together for His purpose.  And.... I forgot.... I had a fistful of New Testaments in the backseat -- for the express purpose of handing them out to people just like Ruth. 

Surely a pastor would never allow such a perfect God ordained opportunity to escape without sharing the Gospel -- RIGHT????

Nope, if confession is good for the soul, then I confess that I was hungry and pondering the closest place to grab a burger. 

I feel like the disciples Jesus took with Him to the garden of Gethemane.  Matthew 26:36-56 tells the story.  Jesus was going to be arrested in the garden, so He took His very closest friends to pray, while waiting for the soldiers to arrive and make the arrest which would lead to His crucifixion. 

Matthew 26:40, "Then He returned to His disciples and found them sleeping..."  Then in verse 26:43, "When He came back, He again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy." 

Opportunity knocked and I was distracted and missed the blessing. 

BOOOOOOOOO

However, God gently patted me on the head this morning and nudged me towards a verse of perspective, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 

But He said to me,

"My grace is sufficient for you,
for my power is made perfect in weakness." 
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly
about my weaknesses,
so that Christ's power may rest on me.
That is why, for Christ's sake,
I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships,
in persecutions, in difficulties.
For when I am weak,
then I am strong.