tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29119502714837073852024-03-13T12:28:49.713-04:00Rick Nier...Woo!You don't know me. I'm okay with that. This is my search for insignificance.Rick Nierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319823123378037649noreply@blogger.comBlogger1114125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2911950271483707385.post-4675228083713163902021-07-27T20:51:00.000-04:002021-07-27T20:51:25.796-04:00Accountable<p>I recently officiated a wedding. The ceremony was simple, lovely, and ended with another couple professing to keep the covenant of marriage.</p><p>But it all started with a clarification...from me. At our first premarital counseling session, as I have done with every couple I have agreed to marry, I clarified a couple of matters.</p><p>First, I officiate Christian weddings, where both spouses-to-be are professing Christians. I firmly believe that marriage is difficult enough, without adding disagreements about God into the mix.</p><p>Second, as a minister of Jesus Christ, I believe the pastor’s role in a wedding is to represent the blessing of God on that union. So we have several sessions of premarital counseling where we discuss married life.</p><p>It’s not that I have this imaginary card in my head, with a picture of me on the front and my stats on the back. (You know, like a baseball card.)</p><p>Ok, I do picture cards. Pastor cards! And being a competitive guy, I want my stats to look good. The number of couples I have married should be similar to the number of those couples who are still married.</p><p>Ok, silliness of pastor cards aside (but would you buy a pack of these if they came with gum?) I tell every couple the same thing. I take my role in a wedding seriously because I believe I am accountable to God for my part. If I’m going to tell people that I believe God has blessed this union, I’d better be sure I’ve prayed about, over, and for the couple.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Ok But...</h3><p>That all sounds nice, but this weekend I started thinking about that statement. I am accountable to God. Yes, of course I am. But I’m also accountable to God for every action I take. For every thought I think. For every word I say.</p><p>There is nothing hidden from God. For that matter, we are all accountable to God. Every word. Every thought. Every action.</p><p>What would happen if we put as much thought and as much energy to acknowledging our responsibility before God as I do when officiating a wedding? Wouldn’t we take more care in considering our next steps?</p><p>I prayed for this couple and their family during every one of our premarital counseling sessions. I prayed for this couple and their family as I was preparing for those sessions. I prayed for them as I prepared the wedding program, during the wedding, and now I am lifting them up before God after the big day.</p><p>Shouldn’t I take this much care with all of my life? Shouldn’t we all?</p><p>We are accountable to God.</p>Rick Nierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319823123378037649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2911950271483707385.post-56709849622209912422021-04-14T20:13:00.000-04:002021-04-14T20:13:11.524-04:00Patience<p>I am more than halfway through the last year of dropping one of my children off at school. It's my eighth grade daughter, for anyone keeping track of my family. </p><p>See, next year she will be at the high school, and her brother will drive her. He says that it's not cool for seniors to drive their freshman sister to school, but I bet it's cooler than being dropped off by your mom in a minivan. </p><p>So rather than groan about this daily responsibility, I've been reminiscing about what the drop-off line used to look like, way back in elementary school. Once our children were about halfway through their elementary years, the drop-off line became a test of patience. </p><p>Do you know which group you do not want to get caught behind in the parent drop-off line at an elementary school? The kindergartners. These little ones are barely able to walk, but now we put them in the high-pressure situation of trying to unbuckle their seat-belt, grab their backpack (which might be as tall as they are), and a lunch box. Then we expect them to be able to land on their feet when exiting these SUV tanks we call family vehicles. </p><p>Even worse was when the mom or dad would get OUT of their vehicle to walk all the way around and help their little one out of the vehicle. Or to offer one more loving hug. <i>I know, gross</i>. </p><p>Allow me a brief pause to offer some biographical information. For the larger part of our adult lives, Jen has worked with little children, and I have worked with teenagers. We have often crossed over and assisted one another, which has left us with lots of available research and one big conclusion. </p><p><i>Teens and toddlers are more similar than we realize. </i></p><p>Someday we'll write a book about it, and I guarantee this thought will be a chapter. Because when I started dropping my children off at middle school, I was deeply incorrect for assuming that twelve to fourteen year old teenagers would all be able to quickly and deftly get out of their mommy's car. </p><p>And do you know who is the middle school equivalent of a kindergartner? </p><p>It's the band kids. I'm telling you, I've done my research. Nine times out of ten, if there is a slow-down in the parent drop-off line, I'm watching as a kid with an instrument comes out of that vehicle. Don't start to feel empathetic as if it's only big instruments. I'm talking about flutes and clarinets as well as saxophones and trombones. </p><p>It's also the kids that don't realize that more than one vehicle can unload at a time. We have half a mile of drop-off area available to us, where five vehicles can unload at the same time, but there are way too many teens who believe they have to get out only at the spot directly in front of the door. </p><p>All of this has me thinking. What would people think of you if they could hear the things you shout in your car when you're all alone? Sometimes we can see that a driver is angry. But not always. I have perfected a smile as I nod at your band kid after they take ten minutes to exit your vehicle. Internally, I'm questioning a few things, including their ability to survive a school day at normal speed. I'm also questioning my ability to maintain my sanity. </p><p>The Bible says love is patient. I have a long ways to go. </p>Rick Nierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319823123378037649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2911950271483707385.post-30768465994620697992021-03-30T20:15:00.000-04:002021-03-30T20:15:12.926-04:00Jury Duty<p><span></span></p><div style="-en-clipboard: true;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I was recently summoned to jury duty. I know, groan. Except I didn't. I had never experienced it before and was curious to see what it was like. </span></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">When the day to report arrives, they separate you into groups, asking various questions to decide if you will be selected to serve. Do you know the accused? Do you have conflicts that would keep you from serving? Can you stay focused? </span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I wanted to answer well, if only because my kids kept wishing me luck the day before, telling me they hoped I made the team. After all, who wants to be rejected?</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It occurred to me that there are things you probably shouldn’t say right away if you’re wanting to serve on a jury.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I know, I know, people don’t typically want to serve on a jury. But that list didn’t seem nearly as humorous to me.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Here are the things you probably shouldn’t say if you want to be selected for jury.</span></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></div><ol><li><div><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #222222;">I hold myself in contempt.</span><br /></span></div></li><li><div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">You can’t handle the truth.</span></span></div></li><li><div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">We find the defendant guilty.</span></span></div></li><li><div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I believe the judge looks pretty in his robe.</span></span></div></li><li><div><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I’d like the opportunity to hold another man’s life in my hands.</span></span></div></li><li><div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Me? Oh, I know all the criminals in this town.</span></span></div></li><li><div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Lawyer? I thought you said liar.</span></span></div></li><li><div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The defendant looks sketch.</span></span></div></li><li><div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Do you think these hands are clean? </span></span></div></li><li><div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">What happens during jury duty stays with jury duty, right?</span></span></div></li></ol><div><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">What would you add to the list?</span></div><p></p>Rick Nierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319823123378037649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2911950271483707385.post-81616759641368324192021-01-27T11:30:00.001-05:002021-01-27T11:30:02.917-05:00Rights<p>The leadership had discussed, deliberated and decided. There had certainly been debate. People felt strongly on both sides. </p><span><div>‘If we allow this to happen, everything we stand for will mean nothing.’ Honestly, both sides were saying it and both felt it was a matter of salvation. ‘Agree with me or I don’t know how you could possibly be a Christian.’</div><div><br /></div><div>After all, all the facts support my view. If you choose to believe otherwise, it is only because of your preconceived or ill-conceived view of matters. I cannot possibly be judged for considering you to be less intelligent, less caring, or less than Christ-like if you oppose my view. </div><div><br /></div><div>That’s what everyone, on both sides of the argument, was saying.</div><div><br /></div><div>The issue at hand was, of course, circumcision. <span style="font-style: italic;">I’m sorry, did you assume I was talking about something else?</span> </div><div><br /></div><div>The Council in Jerusalem had just met. It’s recorded in Acts 15 if you’d like to review it. Everyone who was anyone was there and they made certain their voice was heard. Should Gentiles who had become Christ-followers be forced to circumcise their men-folk? In the end, they decided there was no need to enforce this.</div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">When We Do What We Don’t Have To Do</span></h3><div>The decision in Acts 15 is what makes what happens in Acts 16 so very interesting. </div><div><br /></div><div>Paul was one of the disciples sent out to deliver the news to churches in other cities. <span style="font-style: italic;">Good news, everybody! You don’t have to be circumcised in order to be a Christian.</span> </div><div><br /></div><div>But who would go along with him to help deliver this good news and help encourage believers and evangelize the lost? Paul chose a guy named Tim. And do you know how he helped prepare Tim for the journey?</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">With a conversation I would like to reimagine</span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">Paul: Hey, Tim. Would you like to go with me on a trip to share the gospel?</span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">Tim: sure thing. What’s with the knife in your hand?</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">He circumcised Tim. </span></div><div><br /></div><div>Listen, I don’t know if he did the job himself. Were there do-it-yourself circumcision kits? Maybe. Does it help you to know Paul was a tentmaker by trade and was likely skilled with a needle and thread? </div><div><br /></div><div>It’s really not important, because the point is that he circumcised his teammate in order to take him on a journey to churches to inform them that circumcision was not needed for salvation. </div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why Does It Matter?</span></h3><div>Have you ever seen the impact of certain rules or freedoms? Have you ever been surprised to see that not everyone agreed, or even cared, about what you thought was the right thing to do?</div><div><br /></div><div>The fact is that the Jerusalem Council had declared circumcision to be unnecessary for salvation. But culturally, there would be many Jews in the cities where Paul was traveling who didn’t see things that way. So Tim was circumcised. </div><div><br /></div><div>It’s almost as if Paul understood the salvation of those they were going to see was more important than Tim’s right to remain uncircumcised. Indeed, we have a lot to learn as a twenty-first century church when it comes to giving up our rights for the sake of the gospel. </div><div><br /></div><div>Here’s what I don’t know. How did the people know if Tim was circumcised or not? Did they accept his word for it, or not? It’s hard to imagine this being a pics-or-it-didn’t-happen kind of experience, but what do I know?</div><div><br /></div><div>Here’s what I do know. The result was fantastic. “The churches became stronger in their faith, and each day more people put their faith in the Lord.” ~Acts 16:5</div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">When The Unnecessary Is Still Needed</span></h3><div>It seems pretty straightforward. Circumcision was no longer necessary for salvation. And yet, the giving up of those rights led to many more receiving salvation. </div><div><br /></div><div>The implications for our society should be painfully obvious. Are people going to necessarily receive salvation from Jesus because I wear a mask? </div><div><br /></div><div>No. But they are definitely not going to be open to hearing about God’s love for them from someone who is shouting about their personal rights. </div><div><br /></div><div>Does anyone recall when Jesus was on the cross, shouting out about His rights, His scientific superiority, and His unmatchable logic? </div><div><br /></div><div>Neither do I.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jesus gave up his rights. For His own sake, it was unnecessary. But for our sake, it was very much needed. </div></span>Rick Nierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319823123378037649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2911950271483707385.post-67629639558362664192021-01-21T11:30:00.001-05:002021-01-21T11:30:00.893-05:00Trust<p>If I told you that you needed to trust in God, you might assume that you already do. After all, you've went to church, or at least you did before a global pandemic hit our planet.</p><span><div>Now you watch church and you're doing your best to balance the realities of our new normal with the lessons on trust you remember from your past. After all, God never said you shouldn't go see a doctor, and I'm not advocating that you only practice home healthcare. </div><div><br /></div><div>But considering all the many amenities available to us, even during a worldwide crisis, it's fair to ask ourselves if we're living lives of trust or simply living with enough less to differentiate ourselves from those gluttonous monsters who never acknowledge God. </div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Do We Really Want to Compare?</b></h3><div>If comparisons are your game, let's play this game we can't possibly hope to win.</div><div><br /></div><div>Would you spend 100 years of your life building a boat in preparation for a worldwide flood? Never mind that Noah had previously never heard of a boat, rain, or flood. </div><div><br /></div><div>Would you bring five stones to a sword fight? Ok, maybe some of you possess that much testosterone, but seriously?</div><div><br /></div><div>Would you walk up to a widow, find out she is planning the last meal for she and her son, and still ask her to bring you some food and water first? If this doesn't take trust on your part, you might be a jerk.</div><div><br /></div><div>The truth is there are plenty of people who have modeled trust to a level that we have never even had to consider. But all the examples pale in comparison to one man. We'll call him Zeke.</div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>He Cooked With What?</b></h3><div>Ezekiel was a priest turned prophet. Having been a priest, it meant he patterned his life after God's laws, keeping himself clean. This was important back then, because being considered clean meant he was able to worship in God's house versus being prohibited from entering the temple. (It was kind of like the signs we see these days, reminding us that a mask is needed to enter this building or that store.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Zeke lived in the days when God was passing judgment on Israel and Judah for being disobedient nations. God told Zeke he wanted him to go into the city, lie on his left side every day for 390 days, one day for every year Israel had sinned. Then after that, he would need to lie on his right side for 40 days, to represent every year Judah had sinned. </div><div><br /></div><div>But that's not the worst part. God also told Zeke what he was going to eat, a type of bread. Ezekiel 4:12 says this, "Eat the food as you would a barley cake; bake it in the sight of the people, using human excrement for fuel."</div><div><br /></div><div>Hold up. What are using for fuel? But God didn't stutter. Human dung. Poopie. Where was Ezekiel supposed to get the poo? The Bible doesn't say. (<i>Feel free to comment and tell me if you'd rather use your own poo or borrow from a friend.</i>)</div><div><br /></div><div>Cooking over human poo is where Ezekiel started to argue with God. 'Whoa, God, I have always been clean when it comes to food. Surely you're not going to make me cook this food over human feces.'</div><div><br /></div><div>So God said Zeke didn't need to cook using human feces for fuel. (<i>Whew!</i>) "Very well," [God] said, "I will let you bake your bread over cow manure instead of human excrement." I don't know if this was supposed to be better, but we have no record of Zeke arguing this time. </div><div><br /></div><div>Do you think Ezekiel thought trusting in God would lead to him lying on his side for the better part of a year and a half while baking bread over cow poo? Not likely! Trusting in God is sometimes crazy. But he did it. </div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>What is Your Level of Trust?</b></h3><div>I'll bring up the matter again. You need to trust God. Are you still super-quick to say that you do? Are you cooking-with-poo level of trusting?</div><div><br /></div><div>There is some good reason to do so. Isaiah 26:3 gives us this promise; "You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you." </div><div><br /></div><div>This sounds like a good deal. We trust God. He provides perfect peace. That is something in short supply these days. </div></span>Rick Nierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319823123378037649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2911950271483707385.post-63208223920005778812020-12-30T12:00:00.001-05:002020-12-30T12:00:01.997-05:00Mom<p>I will travel this weekend to Georgia to celebrate the life of my mom, who passed away just before Christmas. </p><span><div>A Celebration of Life service. That’s what we’re calling it. Because that’s what my mom wanted. She was quite clear on this matter. She didn’t want a funeral. She didn’t want people mourning for her. </div><div><br /></div><div>As a Christian, she was very certain on her eternal destination and she wanted everything, in her life and death, to reflect that. There will be music, people sharing tributes, and a message given by her pastor. </div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">If that sounds similar to a funeral, I agree. But semantics aside, let me share with you a few more things about my mom. Along the way, you might learn a few things about why I function the way that I do.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>As I’ve considered my mom’s legacy, a few words have come to mind.</div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Steadfast</span></h3><div>My mom knew what she believed, lived what she knew to be true, and didn’t really care what anyone else thought about it. I have no inclination to remember my mom as some perfect person. She’d freely admit that she made mistakes and often fell short of her ideals. </div><div><br /></div><div>But if she read it in the Bible, there was no debating the matter with my mom. God said it, she believed it, that settled it. <span style="font-style: italic;">I’m pretty sure she even had a T-shirt that proclaimed just that. One of her many Christian T-shirts. </span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Giving </span></h3><div>From my childhood until she died, she was always wanting to serve. My mom went to college during my teen years to receive her license to teach. Though she never ended up with her own classroom in the public schools, she always had a platform with children. </div><div><br /></div><div>In the public school system, she worked many years as a teacher’s aide and para-professional. In the church, she was always running Children’s Church, teaching a Sunday School class, or planning a VBS. During my teen years, she also helped with the youth ministry, coaching Bible Quizzing and traveling on countless youth trips. (<span style="font-style: italic;">Yeah, a mom on the youth group trip, every teenage boy’s dream.</span>)</div><div><br /></div><div>When her body began to betray her in recent years, she would often tell me that if she couldn’t physically be working with children, either in the church or in schools, then she was ready to go. Retirement wasn’t a word she believed in and she had no interest in sitting around, unable to serve. </div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Responsible</span></h3><div>If my mom volunteered to do something, it was as good as done. This also meant that if she voluntold our family for something, she would make sure it was completed. My mom never tired of saying that if you start something, then you need to finish it.</div><div><br /></div><div>If the church doors were open, my family was there. Oftentimes, it was because my mom had volunteered to open the doors. While I don’t believe she ever said <span style="font-style: italic;">early is on time and on time is late</span>, we were always early. Church was never a spectator event for my mom, and she was a catalyst for making sure our family was involved...super-involved. </div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Loving</span></h3><div>I know, I know, this can mean lots of things to lots of people. To be precise, my mom was lovingly truthful. If it meant telling her favorite son (that’s me!) that she thought he just said or did something stupid, she would do so. </div><div><br /></div><div>She would also be the first to remind me that I’m her only son, so telling people I was her favorite son was silly. (<span style="font-style: italic;">Again, semantics. She also didn’t say I wasn’t her favorite son.</span>) </div><div><br /></div><div>My mom loved children. She absolutely knew it was her calling to share the gospel with them, week in and week out. She would teach them songs and hand motions so they could learn the truth of God’s love for them. And she did her best to model it. </div><div><br /></div><div>But her love was not soft. If a child needed correction, she offered it. Love sometimes meant justice, and she didn’t play favorites, even for her favorite son. (<span style="font-style: italic;">I promise that is the last time I’ll mention it.</span>)</div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hard-working</span></h3><div>In these past few weeks, I have thought a lot about both of my parents, because they were resilient in their love for one another and their shared ideals in raising their children. My dad passed almost 15 years ago, and I could use many of these words to describe him as well. </div><div><br /></div><div>Hard-working is definitely one that described them both. They didn’t always have jobs they liked. But they always did what was necessary to provide for their family. They found ways to bless us children with gifts and trips. </div><div><br /></div><div>When I sat with my mom, just before she died, there were many things I considered saying. I told her I loved her. I thanked her for the way she raised me. But, perhaps most importantly, I reminded her of the truth of scripture. </div><div><br /></div><div>“<span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.3); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial; font-size: 16px; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">He will wipe every tear from their eyes.</span><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.3); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial; font-size: 16px; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.3); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial; font-size: 16px; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">There will be no more death’</span><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.3); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial; font-size: 16px; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.3); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial; font-size: 16px; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">or mourning or crying or pain,</span><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.3); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial; font-size: 16px; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.3); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial; font-size: 16px; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">for the old order of things has passed away.” ~Revelation 21:4</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.3); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial; font-size: 16px; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Lastly, I reminded her that Jesus would be there to greet her as He promised in the Matthew 25 parable, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.3); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial; font-size: 16px; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Well done, mom, well done. </span></div></span>Rick Nierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319823123378037649noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2911950271483707385.post-64196426262779655072020-12-13T18:52:00.004-05:002020-12-13T18:52:56.775-05:00Isolation<p>So I have joined the non-envious group of those who have caught their personal share of the pandemic. That’s right, I joined Club COVID. </p><span><div>Now, don’t worry. I’m not here to discuss whether or not we should wear masks, social distance, or isolate forever. I think you know better than to come to this blog for such weighty matters. </div><div><br /></div><div>Per usual, I’m here to share my thoughts, perhaps some feelings, and just maybe highlight something of importance. </div><h3 style="text-align: left;">ALL BY MYSELF</h3><div>First of all, from first symptoms to end of isolation, I’ve been in my room, alone, for roughly 482 days straight. The wife has slid some medicine underneath the door from time to time. The kids have adjusted to a one-parent household just a little too nicely. </div><div><br /></div><div>I can hear their laughter across the house, no doubt as they discuss how to divide my belongings. The joke’s on them. I am still in the process of applying a recent sermon from my pastor, so I have a lot of excess they’ll need to clean through. </div><div><br /></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">But there is something worse than feeling sick and isolated. It’s feeling better, and still being isolated. </span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">HOW WOULD YOU GREET DEATH?</h3><div>We should talk about the illness for a moment. No matter what you think about the politics of this pandemic, the corona virus is a strand of the flu, which means for men, it will feel worse than any pregnancy pains a woman has ever felt. That’s just science.</div><div><br /></div><div>So while I did not die (take that ‘Rona!) there were plenty of moments where I welcomed death. But between the semi-lucid points of agony and the torturous bits of sleep that were interrupted by spastic bouts of coughing, my wife would make an appearance.</div><div><br /></div><div>Me (to myself): Why does she look angry?</div><div>Her: You haven’t drank any water since I last checked on you.</div><div>Me: That’s because of the 32 small swords currently penetrating my throat. Also my lack of a desire to live.</div><div>Her: If we have to take you to the hospital for dehydration, the medical bill is coming out of your Christmas list. </div><div>Me: (lifeless whimpering)</div><div>Her (walking away): Drink more water. I know you’re not going to leave it on the kids to Christmas shop for me. </div><div><br /></div><div>Hello Death? You can pick me up any time now.</div><h3 style="text-align: left;">ACCEPTING HELP</h3><div>I can verify about 68% of the conversations had with my wife during my illness. But as I recovered (thanks for nothing, Death), I did come to feel a swell of gratitude for her. </div><div><br /></div><div>After all, I was in isolation. I had access to my bed, a bathroom, and a TV my wife thought was mostly a waste. But it helped me fill a few isolated hours. </div><div><br /></div><div>What I did not have access to was any food or drink. Mind you, we have not had to wait on our kids for many years, so I was acutely aware that every time I needed something,..anything...it meant bothering my wife. </div><div><br /></div><div>Sure, she signed a covenant when we got married, but there is almost as much grace needed to receive as there is to give. It means accepting one’s helplessness. It’s a desperation that can only be met by another and received with gratitude. </div><div><br /></div><div>Sweet Jesus, is that what you wanted me to learn from this experience? Was this all just one more layer of my independence being peeled away? I might have preferred a note taped to a large rock, which was then repeatedly flung at my head, but I suppose this works too. </div><div><br /></div><div>What about you? What lessons do you take away from times of illness?</div></span>Rick Nierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319823123378037649noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2911950271483707385.post-63478264665122322292020-11-14T12:01:00.009-05:002020-11-14T12:01:56.888-05:00Leaves<p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">The other day I was talking with my neighbor, and we were discussing all the raking we had been doing. (Needless to say, I have done more, but that’s not the point.) </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">I wondered aloud what it would be like if God had designed all the leaves to fall off the trees at the same time. The thought of being under a tree when all of its leaves came down in one big lump amused me. Can you imagine the trauma it might cause kids who are playing outside? The thought amused me even more. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">My neighbor, who takes care of his yard to a degree that most of us can only aspire to (and then some) commented that we’d all have dead grass. <i>Thanks, Johnny Raincloud.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">He might be right. Seeing a pile of leaves waist-deep would be very discouraging and might keep more of us from all the raking that we do. After all, we still rake all the leaves, but the work has been spread out over weeks. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Yes, I’m getting tired of my rake now, but a pile consisting of every leaf my trees ever held would feel insurmountable. Better to take it little by little. </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">WATCH OUT FOR FALLING PUNS</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Let’s leave that conversation behind for a moment. 2020 has been quite the year and a half, hasn’t it?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Storms, riots, murder hornets, land hurricanes, racism, and a contentious election. In case anyone was feeling left out, we are also in the midst of a global pandemic. Oh, and as if all that wasn’t enough, we had to say good-bye to Alex Trebek too. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><i>2020, you and I are going to have some words. </i></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">PERSPECTIVE IS EVERYTHING</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">I remember back a couple years ago (or maybe it was March) when they told us we needed to quarantine for a couple of weeks and then we’d all be back. Back to school. Back to church. Back to work. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">My family postponed a spring break trip to June, because surely this would all be over by then. When June hit, we postponed the trip indefinitely, waiting for cruise ships to decide if they will ever sail again. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Now, there are two groups of people. There are those who think this is the beginning of the apocalypse and life will never be the same again. Others assume that the minute the big ball drops in Times Square, our collective Cinderella dreams will all be restored and life will go back to normal. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">I’m not a pessimist, but if you’re in that second group, I have some swamp land or a bridge to sell you. Or whatever scoffers are selling to believers these days. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">But I’m not here to make a profit. I’m here to make a point.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">SO WHAT IS THE POINT OF THIS POST?</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Thanks for sticking with me here, and for believing that I have a point, which...I do. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">It occurs to me that if my family had known back in March what we know now, we might have been more discouraged than we already were. In fact, if the riots and the election and the pandemic and the many other things that have made 2020 so incredibly memorable had all happened in one fell swoop, the suicide rate might have soared. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">The reality is it would have felt unbearable. It would have been like the story of Job, where he lost his children and his livestock and his everything in one day, only to be followed up by getting a bad case of the plague. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">How many of us would have responded that God gives and God takes away? How many would have persisted in praising God's name? I'm not doing a poll, but I don’t think the numbers would look good. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">It seems to me that maybe God was giving us a gift by offering us experiences in chunks of 24 hours. Maybe He was on to something when He told us not to worry about tomorrow. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">If we don’t see how unbearable the alternative is, it might be because our lives have been so pain-free. We also may have been unconscious for most of 2020. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Either way, I’m going to be thankful that the leaves fall over an entire season instead of in one big drop. </span></p>Rick Nierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319823123378037649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2911950271483707385.post-67252291600866898612020-10-04T19:00:00.006-04:002020-10-04T19:00:04.775-04:00Discourse<p>I think you’re going to be glad you read my blog today. I think I’ve stumbled upon a great new idea that will revolutionize all your relationships. Which is to say, I’m going to attempt to tell you in a new way the old truth that has always been intended to be a part of healthy relationships. </p><span><div>So let’s clearly define the problem. </div><div><br /></div><div>(Takes deep breath and attempts informercial announcer voice)</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">Do you find yourself struggling with people? Have you been up late at night wondering what’s going on in their heads? Does the thought of living in this mysterious middle ground of not knowing their thoughts yet not being able to help others leave you feeling distressed?</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">Is there anything that can be done? Yes, there is! From the Maker of relationships comes this revolutionary new product called Discourse. Yessss, Discourse has been found to remedy confusion, misunderstanding, breakdowns in communication, hurt feelings, lack of emotional connection, and so much more. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">Here’s the best part. Discourse, when applied correctly, has been proven 100% effective! Broken relationships? Discourse! Confused about social cues? Discourse! Do you need to know more about something that someone else knows? Discourse, Discourse, Discourse! </span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ok, But What Are We Really Talking About?</span></h3><div>I get it. Infomercials tend to be over the top in their selling strategies. Do I believe discourse is 100% effective? Yes...and no. </div><div><br /></div><div>For Christians who have the Holy Spirit living in them, I believe there is no obstacle that has to remain in between us. But it’s hard work and if both parties aren’t willing to put in the work, then no amount of conversation...I mean, discourse, is going to help. </div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">When Discourse Doesn’t Work</span></h3><div>I love the story in Acts when Paul visited Athens. The city was full of idols, even to the point of having an altar set aside to <span style="font-style: italic;">an unknown god</span>. Honestly, there was an impressive level of commitment being displayed by the Athenians to make sure that they didn’t miss anything. </div><div><br /></div><div> <span style="font-style: italic;">Nobody:</span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;"> Athenians: Hey, just in case, let’s make an idol where we don’t even know who we’re worshipping.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>But there was a group of philosophers who spent their time “talking about and listening to the latest ideas.” (Acts 17:21) This was discourse. They talked. They listened. And while I don’t recommend adding idols to your life, they were willing to talk. </div><div><br /></div><div>Paul shares the truth about Jesus and later we read that some of the Athenians rejected the idea of resurrection of the dead. But why were they able to share discourse where so many of us are not?</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">The Athenians didn’t believe they were God.</span> Most of what we are willing to accept are facts we already believe to be true. Let’s be real, most of what gets shared on social media isn’t because we read something life-altering and decided to spread the good word. (Although, if you feel that way about this blog, please, be my guest and pass it along.)</div><div><br /></div><div>We share something stated in a way that says what we want to convey in a way that is better than we could have said it. Or we share what we’ve already said in order to show everyone that people agree with us. </div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">We believe we’re already right</span>. </div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">When Does It Work?</span></h3><div>I have found that discourse works best over time. I wish I had more time to write about my theories of time, but you’d likely skim the last section of this blog. Because you don’t have the time.</div><div><br /></div><div>But that’s just it. True discourse, the kind where we share ideas and I change my mind and you change your mind, takes time. Effective conversations will often end in compromise, not because we both agreed to both be unhappy, but because we both recognized there were aspects of what we believed that were incorrect.</div><div><br /></div><div>Again, if we don’t believe we are God, either in theory or in practice, we will be willing to accept correction. But we can’t hear that if we’re constantly formulating our arguments while the other person is talking. </div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">Discourse. Talk to your doctor today and see if discourse is right for you. </span></div></span>Rick Nierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319823123378037649noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2911950271483707385.post-3357186706551148142020-09-01T20:33:00.000-04:002020-09-01T20:33:03.362-04:00Encouragement<p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"></span></p><blockquote><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><b>The goal of encouraging has nothing to do with the consequences to ourselves.</b></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Two of my kids run cross country. Before I had kids run cross country I assumed it was even less exciting to watch than it sounds. Seriously, I’m running for two reasons; if someone is chasing me or if there’s still some dessert left.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As a parent I now drive hours on a school night so I can watch my kids run for about fifteen minutes. The upside is we get takeout after. At least one of us has earned it.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Middle school cross country is basically watching people run, wondering if they will one day be faster. I also wonder which of the of the middle schoolers did something really awful that caused their parents to force them to run.</span></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Benefit of Cross Country</span></span></h3><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here's what cross country has a greater amount than any other sport; encouragement. By everyone. For everyone. My kid. Your kid. First place. Last place. The real last place when you didn’t realize some kid was still running the race.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There’s no yelling at refs. There’s no crying of foul. There’s just your kid and the clock. “Run hard. Keep going. Finish strong.”</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Even the opposing teams encourage one another. “Great job!” </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">At a recent race, I yelled and encouraged and watched my daughter run. I kept time for her and asked her how she felt. She admitted it wasn’t a great race. But she ran hard.</span></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Here Comes the Encouragement</span></h3><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A runner from another team came up to her and asked my daughter if she was the one who had encouraged her mid-race. My daughter affirmed that she was. After the other runner walked away, my daughter amazed me once again.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She told me she came across this particular runner. She was on the ground and crying. “Get up. You can do this. Just stay with me.” The other runner got up and sprinted ahead until she was far ahead of my daughter.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It wasn’t too long before my young encourager came upon the same runner. Again. “Get up. You can finish.” The other girl once again got up, and sprinted ahead to the finish.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ahead of my daughter. Probably by half a minute or more.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She thanked my daughter and walked away. I’ve never enjoyed watching cross country so much.</span></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">You Can Finish Writing This Blog</h3><p>I'm telling you there is a lesson here for the Church. And it's not even difficult to figure out. You could finish writing this blog by yourself. </p><p>But you're going to make me write it, aren't you? That's fine, because that's why I'm here.</p><p>The life of a Christian is more of a long-distance race than it is a sprint. There are lots of other runners, and honestly, the prize that awaits me is the prize that awaits you. </p><p>There is no benefit to me if I mature faster than you. But there is great benefit to all of us if I slow down enough in my race, to encourage you along and invite you to run with me. </p><p>Even if it means you sprint ahead for a period. </p><p>Sometimes life is as interesting to watch as a cross country meet. Oftentimes you will have many other things you'd rather do, like watch paint dry. </p><p>But if we allow ourselves the opportunity to jump in, cheer someone on, and encourage them to do their best, we just might find ourselves enjoying the race a whole lot more. </p>Rick Nierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319823123378037649noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2911950271483707385.post-52261794829975132542020-08-30T18:55:00.000-04:002020-08-30T18:55:05.471-04:00Blocked<p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">I recently read a post by a Christian author who was coming out. Because, hey, celebration. (If you're deciding right now whether or not to continue reading, I get it. But the first line is not the crux of my thoughts here today.)</span></p><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">His wife, according to his post, was supporting it. They were working on the next steps, which would obviously include happy celebratory events like divorce and a broken home. (Are you still deciding whether or not you'll finish? I get it.)</div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">But I'm not going to attempt to defend an institution, marriage, that has long since lost its foundation in the eyes of society. At this point, I hope we can agree marriage seems to have become something people do when they feel like it. (So if I'm not writing to defend my marriage, you might wonder what my purpose is here today. Thanks for asking!)</div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">What struck me about this author's post was the end. He said he would block anyone who tried to confront him or had any judgment for him. </div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Wait, that's how we handle things now?</div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Is This How Conversations Go Now?</b></h3><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">If anyone disagrees with me, or with any decision I make, I will simply block you from my life. Because I don't need any negativity in my life, even if that negativity is a loving correction or a call to be accountable to any authority higher than my own. </div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><blockquote><b>In a world that cries out for a need to have civil discourse, allowing other opinions to be heard, it is the epitome of hypocrisy to forewarn people that their dissenting opinions, no matter how lovingly offered, will simply be blocked.</b></blockquote><p></p><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">How do I know how to find the line between a differing opinion that is judgement of my worldview and one that is simply offering a different perspective? Won’t I lose the opportunity for any expansion of my mind by closing out any thoughts which appear to be different from my own? </div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">I think I’m losing my mind. But please don’t tell me. </div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Being a Christian Does Still Mean Something</b></h3><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Here’s the thing. People are going to do whatever their itching minds and bodies want to do. I get that. It’s 2020 and freedom of expression will rule the day. </div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">But at some point we need to accept that Jesus drew some pretty distinct lines for what it means to follow Him. When people chose not to do so in Jesus’ day, He didn’t change where the lines were drawn. </div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">He admitted it was pretty hard to stay in the lines. We hang our two-year old’s art on the fridge even though the scribbles are all over the place. But if I sent scribbles to my mom now, she would hardly be impressed. </div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Why? Because I know better now. It’s the same with following Christ. We should not be so foolish as to think the scribbles of our life, when we know certain lines represent moral boundaries, should be celebrated by those who know the truth. </div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>So Where Do We Go From Here?</b></h3><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">I know I’m not the first to note this struggle. I’m certain many others have written, at length, about the struggles in our culture between love and truth. Though it seems ludicrous to some, I’ve even read that those two things can be expressed together.</div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">I believe the good news we have to offer as Christians can only be defined as good news because it is distinct from all other news. <i>That necessitates drawing some lines. </i></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">People can choose to ignore the lines as long as they want. But it doesn’t mean I have to accept their drawing as needing to be displayed on the wall. It doesn't mean those lines cease to exist. </div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">But I suppose that's why we block people out. If I don't see the lines anymore, or have anyone reminding me where those line are, I can go on pretending my scribbles are fine art. </div>Rick Nierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319823123378037649noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2911950271483707385.post-15693844756158706162020-08-15T15:45:00.001-04:002020-08-15T15:51:17.695-04:00Upset<p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Upset.</span></p><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Yeah, that’s one word I have for it. But I have more. </div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Anger. Frustration. Tired. Over it. Fatigued. Disagreeable. Those are some more words I have.</div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Life’s narrative that we call 2020 has brought on quite a few opinions, but I’m not sure any of us should be surprised. There’s over seven billion people on the planet and if you bring up any topic, ANY TOPIC, you’re going to get about as many opinions. </div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Corn or flour tortillas? Pepsi or Coke? Is a hot dog a sandwich? Should the words <span style="font-style: italic;">oatmeal</span>and <span style="font-style: italic;">raisin</span>ever be used in the same sentence as <span style="font-style: italic;">cookie</span>.</div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">The answer to that last question is yes. As long as the sentence is, please don’t ever put oatmeal and raisin into my cookie. </div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Lots of opinions, but we haven’t even gotten to the more important questions. </div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Should I be forced to wear a mask if I’m healthy? Should we send our kids back to school? Are there really only these two options for president? Are some of these officers murderers? </div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Woah, woah, woah! Before you leave because you don’t want to hear any more about any of those topics, let me assure you. I don’t plan on helping solve any of those dilemmas today. </div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">So what am I here to accomplish today? </span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">I’m here to focus on the fact that I’m upset. About many things. About a lot of many things, actually.</div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">I think I was today years old when the story of Jesus visiting Mary and Martha hit me where I least expected it to. You know, in a way that actually applies to me. How silly of me to consider applying scripture, right? </div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">For those that have not heard the story before, here is the really short version. Jesus shows up to visit these two sisters. Martha, likely an enneagram one, is busy with details and making sure Jesus’ visit is a good one, while Mary just sits around listening to Jesus tell stories and teach. </div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Martha complains and Jesus tells her she is upset about many things and that Mary has actually chosen what is better. You can read the details for yourself In Luke 10:38-42. It ends with Jesus telling Martha there’s only one thing worth being concerned about. </div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Here’s the thing. I’ve never hosted Jesus at a dinner party, so I never considered whether I would be like Martha, busy making sure napkins were folded the correct way and that we had enough food for everyone, or if I would be more like Mary and just sit with Jesus and not worry about anything else. </div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">You already know what your dinner party with Jesus looks like.</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">The simple fact is that I don’t need to be hosting a dinner party to actually be hosting Jesus in my life. If I’m being real, I think we realize that we have each already chosen whether or not to emulate Martha or Mary. </div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">We are faced every day with a series of choices on how to respond to any myriad of circumstances, even if we avoid social media. Every news story. Every conversation. Every surprise happening. Every update from our government. Every awareness of what other people are doing and how they choose to respond. </div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">It all gives us an opportunity for response. And whether we realize it or not, whether we choose to believe so or not, we’re hosting Jesus. He is with us, beside us, and if we have chosen to believe, His Spirit resides within us. </div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">We’re upset about many things. Are we choosing what is better? </div>Rick Nierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319823123378037649noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2911950271483707385.post-50834807995804407112020-04-04T16:32:00.000-04:002020-04-04T16:32:01.699-04:00Dealing With Disappointment<div style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-kerning: none;"><i>So, I haven't posted in a while...again...it's not corona, it's life keeping me busy. But I have something for you today, but it wasn't written by me. It was written by my wife, Jennifer. When she talks, I listen. Be encouraged!</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-kerning: none;">Dealing with Disappointment</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-kerning: none;">Is anyone else feeling it? Day 17 of quarantine. Social distancing. Stay at home. Church online. School canceled. Events canceled. Spring Break trips canceled or put on hold. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-kerning: none;">This spring break my family had a big trip planned, which hasn’t happened for us in a very long time. It’s our oldest daughter’s senior year of high school and we wanted to make it special and take a trip we’ve never taken before. Flying to Orlando (which my children don’t remember ever flying as they were ages 6, 4 and 1), and fun in the sun for an entire week. We booked the trip 8 months ago and have planned, planned and planned until all details were set. I set a countdown on my phone and felt the anticipation build as the count came within 20 days. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-kerning: none;">Then a disruption occurs. A virus that is spread quickly hit the U.S. Hard. For me, I thought this virus outbreak could be contained in a short period of time if we all stayed home for a couple of weeks. That it would quickly pass and life would go on as planned. But suddenly we’re receiving apologies of canceled itineraries. Everything is shutting down. Businesses are “<i>continuing to monitor this evolving COVID-19 (coronavirus) situation closely and coordinating with public health officials. We look forward to welcoming our valued guests back to our parks soon.</i>” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-kerning: none;">So instead of packing my bags to leave tonight, I’m starting my work week and planning more at-home lessons and for future ministry activities and events. I’m trying to navigate these unchartered waters, and figure out how to connect with others while keeping my distance. To say I’m disappointed is probably an understatement.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-kerning: none;">Anyone feeling these feels? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-kerning: none;">I felt the nudge to get some thoughts down about this this morning, thinking maybe someone out there needs to hear this. I know I need to hear it: It’s ok to be disappointed. It’s ok to be sad or frustrated when we’ve planned and looked forward to something and then plans change. But we can’t sit in that place. As much as I was having my own little pity party. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-kerning: none;">But don’t stay there. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-kerning: none;">Cry out to God. He loves you and hears you. Philippians 4: 6-7 has been on repeat in my devotions this past week. The Contemporary English Version says it this way: “Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-kerning: none;">Ask God for His peace. Then shower, exchange real clothes for those pajamas, and ask God what you can be doing to show and share the love of Jesus with others. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-kerning: none;">Your turn: How do you react when “viruses” in life occur and disrupt your plans?</span></div>
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Rick Nierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319823123378037649noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2911950271483707385.post-8390686574465864282020-01-30T12:00:00.000-05:002020-01-30T12:00:01.046-05:00The One Thing Those Threatening Jesus Posts Get Right<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">You know those posts that talk about Jesus and then attempt to shame us into sharing? They are the ones that talk about how we share jokes every day but when something talks about Jesus, we just scroll on by. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Never mind they might be a repeat of an email we were forwarding to all our friends twenty years ago, the shaming is ridiculous. As if Jesus would only be convinced of our love for Him when we hit share on a social media post. But...</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">There’s something they get right. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I was thinking about this the other day when I had a Nickelback song stuck in my head. (That’s right, I said it.) Everyone loves to hate on Nickelback, saying all their songs sound the same. That might be true. But if you like that one Nickelback song, then you’ll enjoy all of them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">The thing is Nickelback is the band everyone loves to hate...right now. But twenty years ago it was someone else. And isn’t there always a recent boy band to hate on while teenage girls lose their minds?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">All I’m saying, so far, is that the things we tend to hate, en masse, fade away. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">So What is This Really About?</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I’m related news, I’ve noticed a trend for Christians on social media. We love to dog pile the latest celebrity misdeed, political snafu, or error in some preacher’s thinking. Someone said something to offend us recently, right? Of course they did!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">But who remembers what we were arguing about last month, last year, or last decade? The wolves in sheep’s clothing didn’t just arrive this year, or last year, or even with the rise of social media.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">We have this habit of arguing over every little detail, something it seems Jesus told the religious leaders of His day that they shouldn’t be doing. Speaking of a group of people we Christians all love to hate on, have we been careful to ensure we haven’t become them?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Because to scroll through social media, <a href="https://ricknierwoo.blogspot.com/2019/12/in-defense-of-social-media.html" target="_blank">something I don’t think we should get rid of</a>, usually means to run across Christians arguing with other Christians about whether a praise song is praiseworthy. Or if a Christian writer has even read the Bible. Or if a celebrity has actually experienced salvation. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I’m not saying there does not exist a right and a wrong in all the details of life. But when did we become the gatekeepers on every jot and tittle? Yes, conviction of sin is needed, but when did we become the convictors?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Was there a mention of a prize I missed, where we could win just by raging against everything? What did we gain by using all our words against something? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">What if the thing Christians are supposed to be known for wasn’t striking down every wrong thing but rather proclaiming what is good?</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">King David said to “taste and see that the Lord is good.” Sure, David raged against sin, but wasn’t most of that righteous anger pointed at God, asking why He wasn’t doing anything about it? When did we decide to take up that mantle and make sure everyone knew everything they were doing wrong? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I was going to remind us of the old proverb that more flies are caught with honey than with vinegar. The point of the saying is that we can get more accomplished with kindness than with harshness. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">But a quick Google search reveals that flies are actually attracted to the vinegar, because it smells like rotting fruit to them. They get caught in the honey, but that messes up the saying entirely, doesn’t it, Grandpa?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Maybe we should remember that more is caught than taught, which is why most parents have an embarrassing story to share about their toddlers repeating something they said, not necessarily what we taught them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">So maybe those sugary-sweet, sickening posts that simply proclaim God’s love for people should be passed around a lot more often than the latest debate. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Just maybe, you should pass this along to ten of your friends so you will experience blessing in the next hour. As long as you keep in mind that the blessing is simply a by-product of passing along something that is encouraging, rather than spreading around an argument. </span></div>
Rick Nierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319823123378037649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2911950271483707385.post-16162002726782386872020-01-13T08:30:00.000-05:002020-01-13T08:30:00.827-05:00Does 2020 Get a Word?<div style="font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The last few years have seen people selecting their word for the year. I’ve often wondered if those words should be their word for January. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Much like resolutions, these things tend to fade.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But nevertheless, I have led my family these past few years into different streams of thought as we focused in on something that benefitted us by paying it attention. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There was the <a href="https://ricknierwoo.blogspot.com/2017/12/2017-year-i-never-expected.html" target="_blank">year of <i>Adventure</i></a>, a year my family will not soon forget. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There was the <a href="https://ricknierwoo.blogspot.com/2018/11/what-was-your-word-for-year.html" target="_blank">year of <i>Extra</i></a>, when we worked hard at pouring ourselves into the newest places God had placed us. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There was a year of <i>Connection</i>, where new roots were planted, new friendships developed. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>So what now? </b></span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I almost hesitate because I feel lost in the moment. But what a moment!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have begun classes again, this one focused on prayer and bringing with it 6 books for reading. That’s right. Six books. Eight weeks. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m sure it’ll be fine. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The one I’m currently reading is <i>One Thousand Gifts</i> by Ann Voscamp. It’s probably not one I’d find myself reading if it were not assigned. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That would have been to my loss. Ann writes powerfully, if not very poetically, of finding joy in thanksgiving. It’s list-making and happiness-finding and trauma-enduring and it’s really an enjoyable read. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I almost hesitated at admitting this publicly, for fear that confessing this enjoyment would pigeon hole me in a group of pillow-packed, tissue-holding, women’s small groups, because yes, I’m sometimes that guy that doesn’t want to appear too sensitive. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ann writes very much from a mother’s perspective but I am finding it interesting and very worthy of my time and thought. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The practice of gratitude is worth the practice, not just for January, but for at least 12 months. So there you go. It looks like I have a new word for this year. </span></span></div>
Rick Nierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319823123378037649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2911950271483707385.post-27843699959533863112020-01-07T09:00:00.000-05:002020-01-07T09:00:03.074-05:00The Key to Making a Great Name<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">
Do you know what would make a great name for an epic hero?</div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Nimrod.</span></div>
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That’s right. Nimrod. The name you might hear relatives and friends calling someone they find to be stupid. Oh, wait, that doesn’t sound epic, does it?</div>
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It didn’t to me either. But at one time...</div>
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“Cush was the father of Nimrod, who grew to be a mighty warrior on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; that is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.” ~Genesis 10:8-9</div>
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Nimrod was such a warrior that the next few verses detail the cities he built and the kingdom he established. Warrior, hunter, hero. Thy name is Nimrod.</div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Making Your Own Great Name</span></h3>
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One would assume the name of the first mighty warrior to walk the earth would still be revered. But go ahead and tell someone they remind you of Nimrod and see how that goes over for you. </div>
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See, unlike other biblical names which are hard to spell and harder to pronounce, Nimrod now has a negative connotation. And that’s my point. </div>
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Even if we go to the difficult work of making a great name for ourselves in one generation, it can vanish in the next. It’s not like we had to wait some 4-5,000 years for the name of Nimrod to to dissipate. </div>
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You might think that a great name like Nimrod would be repeated by others closer to his lifetime. You know, young dads who wanted to convey to their sons the large dreams they had for their lives. But try to tell me about another great Nimrod in history. Go ahead, I’ll wait.</div>
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Just as quickly as Nimrod’s fifteen minutes of fame began, it also ended. </div>
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<b>What’s In A Name, Anyway?</b></h3>
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If anything, we’ve seen the ability for a name to retain fame become exponentially shorter than ever before. We used to call them one-hit wonders. Call them whatever you want, chances are the mention of many names will evoke a response of, “Who was that?” </div>
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Even among those who were truly considered great in their field, be it athletics, entertainment, or business, within a generation or two their light fades. You might hear of their passing and read a tribute, but you know what the generations beyond will hear? </div>
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Nothing.</div>
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Please don’t think of me as a downer. In most ways, I think it was supposed to be this way. The acerbic brother of Jesus had this to say; “Your life is like the morning fog - it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.” ~James 4:14</div>
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So if our best use of time isn’t spent building our own kingdom, what should we be doing? That answer should involve someone a bit more eternal. For proof, I send you to a small letter, found deep in the New Testament. </div>
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John, the friend of Jesus, is encouraging the churches to keep supporting those who travel around sharing the Gospel of Jesus. Here’s why. “It was for the sake of the Name that they went out.” ~3 John 7</div>
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<i>It was for the sake of the Name</i>. Like any rapper worth his gold chain, you already know who it is. Our best efforts are spent building God’s kingdom, not our own.</div>
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<b>Now What?</b></h3>
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Does this take away from you living your best life now? Does it mean you shouldn’t live large and in charge? I suppose it depends on whose name you’re trying to build up. </div>
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You do you. It’s your life. If you want, be a Nimrod. </div>
Rick Nierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319823123378037649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2911950271483707385.post-13636905210819688822020-01-03T09:00:00.000-05:002020-01-04T10:38:06.211-05:00How Many Kids Did Adam and Eve Have?Buckle up boys and girls. We’re about to go on a wild ride today. <br />
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When we consider the early chapters of Genesis, there are basically two camps; those who believe God created other people after He created Adam and Eve. And there are those of us who believe the early years were a purer version of Kentucky. You know what I mean, where kissing cousins is encouraged.<br />
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Don’t come at me Kentucky. I know it’s not everyone down there, but you know where they are.<br />
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We're going to do some math today. But wait, before you tune me out, we're also going to talk about sex.<br />
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That's right. You'll be glad you stayed.<br />
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So what are we talking about?<br />
How much coupling could the first couple couple?<br />
Math Time!<br />
How many kids are we talking about here?<br />
So, why all the baby math?<br />
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I was conversing with friends about whether or not God created other people after He created Adam and Eve. As is normally the case when this conversation comes up, the question bothering people is whether or not Cain would have married his sister or not. While this seems like a no-brainer for anyone from Kentucky, others tend to struggle with that idea.<br />
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It's at this point that we have to admit we don't know. The Bible remains silent on this issue in either direction. It doesn't tell us that God made other people. But it also doesn't tell us how many kids the first couple made.<br />
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And filling the Earth is what we're really talking about today.<br />
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Because God commanded Adam and Eve to fill the earth and subdue it (Gen. 1:28), I'm going to assume He created them very capable of reproducing. And because there was no Netflix, I'm also going to assume they had lots of time to...um...chill.<br />
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Here are some other assumptions I'm going to make:<br />
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<li>Adam and Eve could have had kids before the Fall. After all, God told her He was going to greatly increase her pains in childbearing. (Gen. 3:16) Eve had to understand this was a curse somehow, right?</li>
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<li>Eve was the perfect woman, likely equipped with super-ovaries that made her pregnant any time Adam even looked at her. After all, where God guides, He provides.</li>
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<li>These family lines were pure, meaning we're not going to need to worry bout babies with 2 heads.</li>
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<li>Cain and Abel were men when the skirmish happened (Gen. 4) and there were people Cain was concerned about being killed by other people. Who better to take revenge on the death of Able than a sibling? If Cain and Abel were in their 30's or 40's, Adam and Eve could have made 20-30 other kids now, some of whom were now adults.</li>
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Ok, now for some math. It takes 10 months to cook a baby, so Eve could be having a baby every year. But let's give her a little break and assume she's having 1 child every 2 years. Over the course of 40 years, she could have 20 kids. That's not outside the realm of our imagination, because we've all seen reality television. <br />
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Now let's assume Eve lived mostly the same amount of years as her husband, Adam, who lived to be 950. Because she's the model woman, let's give her 400 years of reproductive power. That means it's possible she could have had 200 kids all by herself! Imagine being a middle child in this scenario.<br />
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Ah, but she's not alone in this baby-making venture. What about the kids she's had in those 400 years?<br />
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Let's assume she's making these babies on a pretty regular schedule, and that she's having an even ratio of guys to girls. Oh, we're also going to assume that her children are having children at the same frequency. I know, it's a lot of assumptions, but for a society as obsessed with sex as we are, I don't think these are wild assumptions. Do you?<br />
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Once you allow for some years to pass and Adam and Eve's children to begin pairing off and making babies, the math becomes exponential. By the time Eve has had 100 kids using our 1 kid every 2 years equation, 80 of them are of baby-making age. That means 40 couples making babies!<br />
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There's a lot more math that could be done, but I'm going to guess those first 100 couples that Eve produced also did their share of producing. If 100 couples are having kids at even close to the rate Adam and Eve did, the numbers start to get very large very fast. Again, where there's no streaming, it leaves more time for steaming.<br />
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I don't know if you've ever been at a family reunion where you're trying to figure out if someone is your first cousin or your second cousin, once removed, but it would not take more than a generation for the fear of incest to be a distant memory.<br />
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A few reasons;<br />
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First, we too often think some of the earliest stories from the Bible are unexplainable. They're not. We just need to consider a few things.<br />
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Second, I think it's a whole lot more fun to imagine how God made some things possible than to assume alternate theories which cause as many problems as they solve. Sure, we avoid thinking about Cain with his sister if we assume God made other people. But then we have to deal with Romans 5:12, where we're told sin entered the world through one man. While it's possible sin entered through Adam and impacted every other God-made family, it at least creates some complications that don't need to be there.<br />
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But mostly, I wanted to make the Netflix joke. See, I told you it would be worth it.Rick Nierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319823123378037649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2911950271483707385.post-8933952986233596022020-01-01T09:00:00.001-05:002020-01-01T11:01:49.437-05:00Resolutions Are For Those Who Aren't Already Awesome<br />
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Here we are. It's 2020! Of course you know what that means, right?</div>
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It's time for YMCA's, gyms, and other workout facilities to offer deals for everyone who resolved to get in better shape. This is the Black Friday for those places because we've all spent the last month over-indulging and telling ourselves we'd get back to a disciplined lifestyle after the holidays. </div>
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The holidays are over and do you want to know how many official resolutions I have made? </div>
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None. Zero. Zilch. Just like the amount of cookies I am going to let you smack out of my hand, I am not making any new resolutions.</div>
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Why? Because resolutions are for those who aren't already awesome. <i>Listen, I'm not saying I don't have things to work on, like humility</i>. </div>
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<b>Really, no resolutions?</b></h3>
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I told my kids that instead of making resolutions for myself this year, I would be making resolutions for them. They were super excited to hear that. </div>
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I should confess this idea of making resolutions for other people is not original with me. My wife has been doing this for years. She just doesn't tell us she's doing it. It comes in the form of honey-do lists and other assorted to-do's that she lays at my feet. Twenty-some years ago she probably didn't tell anyone she had met the man of her dreams. I was probably described as a work in progress, something her friends might have even assumed was a lost cause. </div>
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Looking back, now I don't know if the changes I've made were of my own volition or part of her master plan. Either way, here I am.</div>
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<b>No Resolutions Means No Expectations, Right?</b></h3>
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Just because I have no formal resolutions does not mean I am taking a year off from doing anything. I'll still be here, sharing my random ridiculous thoughts. <i>I'd apologize, but you're choosing to be here</i>. </div>
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Hopefully I'll be more regular in offering posts, like where I let you <a href="https://ricknierwoo.blogspot.com/2019/12/what-are-you-really-willing-to-do.html" target="_blank">see the questions I ask while spending time reading the Bible</a>. I'll work on being even more authentic and open with my thoughts. <i>I know...scary.</i> </div>
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One last thought for today. My oldest child may have inherited some tendencies because when I suggested New Year's resolutions, she repeated the title of this post almost verbatim. I reminded her that resolutions are biblical.</div>
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They just don't have to be limited to one time a year. </div>
Rick Nierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319823123378037649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2911950271483707385.post-52005268167393637352019-12-16T18:47:00.000-05:002019-12-16T18:47:01.469-05:00You Have Got To Pay Attention<span style="font-family: inherit;">Let's take driving, for example. I'm in the process of teaching my son how to drive. He's the second child I'm teaching, so I feel like I've got a good handle on what needs to happen. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It's not like the first time I took my oldest out driving, started her at a stop sign in our quiet neighborhood and assumed she would know how to turn the steering wheel. <i>Man, if street signs could talk, they would tell you about the day a crazy, tiny ginger played chicken with them.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We're only a few lessons in with my son, but so far, so good. One of the things I'm teaching him is that you have to pay attention when you're driving. This would seem obvious, but my experiences with so many other drivers tells me it isn't. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Nowhere is this more painful than at four-way stops. It may seem confusing, but only if you don't understand how a clock works. (You see, the driver to the left yields to the driver on the right, and then it works around the intersection clockwise.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Of course, knowing how clocks work might be asking a lot for a generation that mostly uses digital. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I could forgive drivers for not knowing if it's clockwise or counter-clockwise, or even knowing their right from their left. But when you start flashing your lights at me to go first when I haven't even fully come to a stop at a four-way section? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">That's when the passive-aggressive me comes out. Do you know about the friendly wave or head-nod that you give people for letting you go first? Yeah, you won't get that from me when you've signaled me to go first when I haven't yet even stopped. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I know. I'm not one to be trifled with. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Are There Other Benefits To Paying Attention?</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Why yes, yes there are. I'm glad you asked. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Paying attention would help in so many areas of life. Having intelligent conversations where you listen to the other person and carefully consider their viewpoint. This could, and should, happen before you state your own views, which may or may not have been born out of any diversity of thought. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">How about in the area of gift giving? Tis the season, after all, and how often have you found yourself wondering what people would like to receive? Paying attention to their personality and needs throughout the year could help you narrow down some possibilities. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm So Broke I Can't Pay Attention</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I've been reading through Genesis lately, which you may have noticed from some of my recent posts, like <a href="https://ricknierwoo.blogspot.com/2019/12/why-didnt-they-eat-from-tree-of-life.html" target="_blank">this one</a> or <a href="https://ricknierwoo.blogspot.com/2019/12/have-you-called-god.html" target="_blank">that one</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I've come across Jacob, grandson of Abraham. My wife pointed out he's kind of a seedy guy for someone listed among the heroes of God. She's not wrong, but it gives me hope. He had some very clear promises from God and did his part in making sure those promises came to fruition. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm not recommending that we should attempt the heavy-lifting to see God's promises come true. I think trust works a bit differently than that. But even when Jacob prayed, he kept reminding God of the promises. Take Genesis 32:9-12:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text Gen-32-9" id="en-NIV-938" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;">Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my father Abraham,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-938R" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-938R" title="See cross-reference R">R</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> God of my father Isaac,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-938S" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-938S" title="See cross-reference S">S</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> <span class="small-caps" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;">Lord</span>, you who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-938T" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-938T" title="See cross-reference T">T</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="text Gen-32-10" id="en-NIV-939" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;">I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-939U" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-939U" title="See cross-reference U">U</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> you have shown your servant. I had only my staff<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-939V" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-939V" title="See cross-reference V">V</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two camps.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-939W" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-939W" title="See cross-reference W">W</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="text Gen-32-11" id="en-NIV-940" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;">Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-940X" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-940X" title="See cross-reference X">X</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> he will come and attack me,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-940Y" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-940Y" title="See cross-reference Y">Y</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> and also the mothers with their children.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-940Z" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-940Z" title="See cross-reference Z">Z</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="text Gen-32-12" id="en-NIV-941" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;">But you have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-941AA" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-941AA" title="See cross-reference AA">AA</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> of the sea, which cannot be counted.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-941AB" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-941AB" title="See cross-reference AB">AB</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span>’”</span></span></blockquote>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px;">My first response to Jacob's prayer is to wish I had such clear promises from God. I also silently judge Jacob for not trusting God more. Only once the thought is fully formed do I realize how many of God's promises I have not been paying attention to. Here's just a few examples.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">And my God will meet all your needs</span><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-29462AB" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29462AB" title="See cross-reference AB">AB</a>)" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"> according to the riches of his glory</span><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-29462AC" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29462AC" title="See cross-reference AC">AC</a>)" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"> in Christ Jesus. ~Philippians 4:19</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">And we know that in all things God works for the good</span><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-28145BD" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28145BD" title="See cross-reference BD">BD</a>)" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"> of those who love him, who</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"> have been called</span><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-28145BE" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28145BE" title="See cross-reference BE">BE</a>)" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"> according to his purpose ~Romans 8:28</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God,</span><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-30272J" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-30272J" title="See cross-reference J">J</a>)" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"> who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. ~James 1:5</span></span></blockquote>
It turns out that if I were paying attention, I'd be seeing things differently. Coming to the stops and starts and intersections of life would be less confusing and cause less passive-aggressive responses from me.<br />
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Are you paying attention? It makes all the difference.Rick Nierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319823123378037649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2911950271483707385.post-56443214884211569192019-12-13T09:47:00.000-05:002019-12-13T09:47:04.607-05:00What Are You Really Willing To Do?As a parent of teenagers, I wonder what it must have been like to have the sort of relationship God had with Noah.<br />
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God talked and Noah obeyed.<br />
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Build a boat, God said. Noah built a boat.<br />
Put your family and pairs of animals on the boat. Noah put his family and pairs of animals on the boat.<br />
Ride out this storm for a year. Noah rode out the storm.<br />
Get off the boat, plant a vineyard, and get really drunk.<br />
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Ok, nobody's perfect.<br />
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Parenting my teenagers is nothing like any of that.<br />
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Clean your room, I said. <i>I didn't hear you, they respond.</i><br />
Do your chores. <i>Do I have to?</i><br />
Are you even listening to me? <i>What did you just say?</i><br />
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On a positive note, none of them have planted a vineyard.<br />
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People often express a desire for the kind of close relationships heroes from the Bible had with God. Noah, for the most part is a good example. Genesis 6:9 says "<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">he walked in close fellowship with God."</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How many of us are willing to walk in close fellowship with God? How many connect the dots between hearing God's voice and giving Him the time to allow His voice to be heard?</span></span>Rick Nierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319823123378037649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2911950271483707385.post-6638182486737410902019-12-09T19:23:00.000-05:002019-12-11T06:17:22.442-05:00Have you called God?<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">I don't know about you, but I have a lot of questions when I read the Bible. Even from the very beginning.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">I'm four chapters in and there is a lot happening. Adam and Eve have become the scapegoats for all of us to blame. Cain became the first in a long line of cases of sibling rivalry. Then we read about some of Cain's descendants.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Then some interesting commentary happens. Adam and Eve have another boy. Seth grows up and he has a boy. And check this out;</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">"When Seth grew up, he had a son and named him Enosh. At that time people first began to worship the</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-variant: small-caps; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Lord</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">by name." ~Genesis 4:26</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Excuse me?!? This is when people first began to worship the Lord by name. Really? How is that even possible?</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">I'm one of those guys that accepts we don't know how long Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden. How much time passed between Genesis, chapter two, and Genesis, chapter three? It could've been weeks, could've been months. We shouldn't assume the snake convinced Eve to eat the fruit in their first conversation. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Weren't Adam and Eve worshiping God? Even if you include the words</span> <span style="color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic;">by name</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">, weren't Adam and Eve privy to such info? I find that hard to believe. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Was the fall from grace so far that they no longer worshiped post-Garden? Could they not bring themselves to look to God anymore? Eve credits God for giving them Seth, so there was at least acknowledgement of God working in their lives.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: large;">But it's not about Adam and Eve</span></span></span></h2>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">As much fun as it is to wonder about the things the Bible doesn't tell us, I think there are more important questions for us to consider. It is better to point this spotlight in our direction.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Are we calling on the name of the Lord? Are we worshiping God? Or has our sin separated us in ways that God never intended? Have we stumbled to a low point in our lives where we feel incapable of bringing ourselves to call on His name?</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">There is no better season than Christmas and no better time than now to begin worshiping the Lord by name. And if you are already doing so, then there is no better season or time to share the good news with your family and friends. </span></div>
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Rick Nierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319823123378037649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2911950271483707385.post-24922351054176905662019-12-05T18:28:00.000-05:002019-12-05T18:28:04.400-05:00Why didn't they eat from the tree of life?<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">We often ask why Adam and Eve, after having eaten from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, did not eat from the tree of life. After all, surely they knew what was to be gained from doing so. God seems to indicate that He needed to evict them from the garden before they did so in order to keep them from gaining eternal life in a manner that was not intended. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">One might, with evil intent, wonder why eating from the tree of life was not their very next move. Again, God admitted they had elevated their nature in knowing good and evil. </span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">I think I found the answer.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">"At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves." ~Genesis 3:7</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">They were too busy covering their shame. It makes me wonder...</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">How often do we miss out on life because we are dealing with the consequences of our sin?</span></div>
<br />Rick Nierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319823123378037649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2911950271483707385.post-29423160852659855302019-12-02T18:00:00.000-05:002019-12-02T18:00:01.009-05:00In Defense of Social Media<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12pt;">Do you know what a whipping boy is? I looked it up. It's </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">a person who is blamed or punished for the faults or incompetence of others. </span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">The problem with a whipping boy is that he is whipped so often people begin to assume he deserves it. Or the boy just accepts his fate and acts into the very nature of who people believe he is. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">But who is defending the whipping boy? Who is taking a second look and asking if the boy really deserves all of the ire he is receiving? Today, it’s me. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: large;">Social Media is the Whipping Boy </span></span></h2>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">Social media is just entering its adolescent years, and like many adolescents, it is acting in some strange and unconventional ways that make people question what is going on. </span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">Many words have been written about the dangers of social media, none the least of which would be the supposed separation from real life interactions. But it doesn’t take a highly educated look to put some things together and note that, for our youngest generations, there is no separation between what happens in real life and what happens on social media. </span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">In fact, for many, if it doesn’t happen on social media, it probably didn’t happen in real life! </span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: large;">Is Social Media the source of all our problems?</span></span></span></h2>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">I’m not saying all the pastors and pundits are wrong to speak against the sinful things we see on social media. There’s some messed up stuff. What I am saying is the crazy (dare I say sinful) things we see on social media did not originate because Mark Zuckerburg created an online hangout space. </span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">There have always been shady practices happening in big business. There have always been questionable actions being done by presidents and other political leaders. Celebrities have always had feuds and done bizarre things to grab our attention. Nations have always been at war with other nations and using the latest technology to interfere with one another. </span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">It sounds simplistic, but there is this thing called a sinful nature. We all have it. We all see it, at least in others. We all struggle, to one degree or another, with living one way in public and another in private. </span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">It did not begin in a post on social media. It began in a garden, but I don’t hear anyone talking about the dangers of gardening. Why isn’t someone warning me about the mishaps surrounding the planting of seeds and waiting for something to grow?</span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: large;">Then why do things seem worse now?</span></span></h2>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">This is a good question, which is why I wrote it. </span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">Things seem worse now than before social media because things are much more public. People were always doing shady things, but now more people are aware of it. All of it.</span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">Social media didn’t create narcissism. Has it fed into it? Certainly, but let’s not pretend that people weren’t trying to be noticed before 2008. </span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">We see it more because we are on social media. All of us. Together. </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12pt;">It’s where we live now. It’s not just an escape. </span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12pt;">It reveals the nature of humans that’s been there all along. Surprise, we are all sinners. </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12pt;">It bursts the bubbles we live in. We can no longer afford to assume everyone looks like the nice people in our pews.</span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: large;">How do we fix it?</span></span></span></h2>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12pt;">Some would say we should put limits on it. Some would call for it to be eliminated entirely. Our problems would just move to the next platform.</span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12pt;">If anything, I believe social media should be celebrated for causing all of our junk to be broadcast so publicly. We can no longer choose to ignore it. We can’t hide from it. We can’t run from it. </span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12pt;">Sure, we can hope for the 24-hour news cycle to run its course and bring its glaring light to the next ridiculous happenstance, but anyone who is a Christian will understand that God is not distracted by the next event. </span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12pt;">As with all things, the Gospel Story is our only hope for a solution. Unlike the many who blame social media, God was not content with just finding something to blame. </span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12pt;">He came to fix it! And He is still calling out for people to follow Him on His mission. If you’re in, start talking about it with people you know. </span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12pt;">I’d suggest doing so on social media. I hear there’s quite a few people on there. </span></div>
Rick Nierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319823123378037649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2911950271483707385.post-60686722978362244702019-11-06T20:25:00.000-05:002019-11-06T20:35:07.559-05:00When What We Want Isn’t What We Really Want<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. A person asks for something and then immediately complains when they get it. It’s not exactly what we meant or precisely what we thought it would look like. </div>
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We won’t necessarily return it, but we’re not going to celebrate it. It’s a common party trick and it doesn’t just happen with toddlers. </div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">It’s Going To Look Like I’m Changing The Subject</span></h3>
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I was included recently in a discussion about worship music. The conversation was on social media, because that’s where most people are level-headed and reasonable. </div>
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The author of the article was waxing eloquent about which worship music songs could be sung in church with a clean conscience. Whereas I would normally assume songs are selected by how repeatable the bridge is, this author was breaking down the worthiness of songs based on who had authored them.</div>
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Sure, he was paying attention to lyrics, but if he believed lyrics could be taken one of two ways, and one of those ways could even be misconstrued as heretical, then he assumed heresy. Why would anyone do that, you ask? Based on the church they were a part of, of course. </div>
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Listen, I understand words matter. I believe doctrine is important. And history can be an indicator of future actions. But not always. </div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Did You Hear About This Kanye Fellow?</span></h3>
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This past week, there has been some sporadic coverage over a mildly popular artist professing faith in Jesus. Maybe you’ve heard about Kanye and even listened to his new album titled <span style="font-style: italic;">Jesus is King</span>. </div>
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Unlike the many who have already debated whether or not another person could have claimed allegiance to an invisible God using their unseen faith, I will question what it is in the rest of us that is suddenly equipped to judge these matters accurately. </div>
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It’s interesting because, as a Church, our top priority is evangelism. We spend lots of time asking God to give us a harvest. We <span style="font-style: italic;">say</span> it’s what we desire, to see people come to know Jesus. </div>
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But when someone does come to claim Jesus as Lord and Savior, we spend more time debating if it was real than we do praising God that someone who was wayward has experienced salvation. </div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Redemption Is Still A Thing, Right?</span></h3>
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People do change. Their actions, their beliefs. We all know this to be true, especially when we consider that we would not want to be held accountable forever for that one thing we believed, or said, or did, back when we were clearly not as intelligent as we are now. </div>
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If we’re going to allow for ourselves to grow, understanding we can sometimes be right, even while we are sometimes wrong, it would be decent of us to offer others the same courtesy. I think this applies to Christians writing worship music.</div>
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Even if that Christian happens to be Kanye.</div>
Rick Nierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319823123378037649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2911950271483707385.post-17488411145207940552019-10-14T19:00:00.000-04:002019-10-14T19:00:12.178-04:00Why I Wish I Had Written Psalm 13<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">If I'm being honest, there are times I wish I could have written Psalm 13. Check out the boldness with which it starts. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>"O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way?" ~Psalm 13:1</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">If we're thinking through what it takes to write these words down, we realize it comes with a lot of courage...or maybe stupidity. Listen, if this guy believes God exists, he has to believe that God is bigger and more powerful than us humans.* </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Even if you think God has forgotten you, I'm not sure calling Him out in this way is what you want to do. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Especially if your argument for favor from God is going to be based on your good behavior, is that really the kind of attention you want? God knows all. God sees all. It seems like a risk to get God's attention just because you feel life is treating you unfairly at the moment. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>"How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day?" ~Psalm 13:2</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">It may not surprise you to know this Psalm is by David, a guy I'm not sure we'd readily accept in many of our churches. Let's be real, David is probably closer to what we've seen on People of Walmart than anything allowed on a mega-church stage. * ~I'm not advocating everything you see at People of Walmart. It may not be praiseworthy, but it is real. Way. Too. Real. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>"Turn and answer me, O Lord my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die." ~Psalm 13:3</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Maybe it's because the idea of talking to God this way smacks of disrespect. Or perhaps it's because I know the 'right' answers. You know, God loves me. God will never leave me in moments of need. God is a refuge in times of trouble.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">It's not that the 'right' answers aren't right. It's that I know the answers with my mind, but too often lose the sparkle to my eyes. That's an interesting phrase for a man of war, but it speaks to what excited David. He understood better than many of us that without a heartfelt relationship with God, his spirit would die. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">We all want the conclusion David came to, of course. <b>"I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me." ~Psalm 13:5-6</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">But are we willing to boldly bare our souls and tell God what we're really thinking? Or will we fear looking too desperate? Too broken? Too needy? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Perhaps too honest? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">*</span><span style="font-size: 16px;">We can leave the question of God's goodness aside here, though I believe the author would agree with that as well.</span></div>
Rick Nierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03319823123378037649noreply@blogger.com0