Dying by degrees

As I sit at my computer, I have already called up the draft of my doctoral dissertation to continue revising it prior to submitting it in early December. And all of the sudden I had one of those "blasts from the past," in this case a statement that my pastor used to make while I was in college doing my undergraduate work back in the early to mid '70s. Pastor Millard had founded and pastored several large churches, but he had definite ideas about education. He used to say, "men die by degree - BA, MA, PhD." We all used to laugh at it. I still do. We all have known or heard of people who have progressively left their faith behind as they have advanced the educational ladder. And yet, that is the attitude that had we evangelicals ceding the educational field to those who had no trouble voicing their doubts about scripture and our Lord to their students. And, I have actually found that the sentiment behind the statement is not quite true. Yes, there are those who have abandoned their faith while getting their education. But, as JP Moreland has pointed out, it usually wasn't because of what they had learned - it was because they found that they wanted to do things that their faith discouraged, and it was easier to deny the faith completely rather than admit that one had failed. As I have gone through my studies, I have found my faith strengthened. And, to be honest, I find that an unexamined faith is a poor faith that can quickly crumble when things get tough. My faith has been tried in all kinds of fire, including the intellectual fire, and it is as strong or stronger than ever. And doesn't that make sense? God is not trying to hide. So the more we learn about every aspect of our world, the more we should be able to see God's hand. Or so it seems to me.

Pastor Ken

The Least of These

Every Saturday we cooperate together with the Worldwide Church of God that rents from us to feed the homeless in our area a hot meal and give them a bag of food for the week. We have been cooperating together for about two years now, and it has become a part of the DNA of both churches to do this every weekend. I want to heartily recommend it to any and every one. The first and main reason is that no one should go hungry. The second reason is that this is how we show God's love to people we might not otherwise be able to show it to. The third reason is the joy that we receive from fulfilling God's will and helping others. I could go on. The simple fact is that it is not hard work, it only takes a few hours and it makes a difference in the lives of others. So, if you are not doing anything on Saturday afternoons - or even if you are and want to do something that might be more important that watching the game - come on out. We would love to have you!

Pastor Ken

Sitting and Waiting

As I write this I am sitting at the car dealership waiting to get my car back from its regularly scheduled oil change. It is amazing how much of life consists of waiting, even when we are doing something. As another pastor reminded me yesterday, life is what happens when we are waiting for our plans to be fulfilled. I had heard that many times before, but when he said it, I thought, "what does it say about my trust of God if I don't live in this moment?" Now, don't get me wrong, I am a planner, and I do believe in planning. It is not the planning that is the problem (at least not most of the time). It is the feeling that we are being interrupted when things happen outside of what we had planned. When I became a Christian, and several times since, I told the Lord that my life was His to do with as He saw fit. I am not smart enough or powerful enough to know or do what needs to be done, both for myself and for others. I do not know what I can do that might seem simple or trivial to me that might make a major difference in the life of another. But God does! My life in the Lord can never be trivial. So, while I will continue to plan where it seems appropriate, I trust that I can learn to live in the moment as well, and trust that whatever is happening, God can, and perhaps even is, using it for purposes of which I may never be aware. To God be the glory!

Pastor Ken

Go Dodgers!

Nothing spiritual today - just rooting for the Dodgers, especially as they are playing the favorite team of our good friend Candy Tolbert, who is a rabid Cardinals fan. She is in Europe right now, so by the time she gets back this weekend the Dodgers could be up two games to none. If they are, I will rub it in. If they are not, I will be strangely silent. Is that nice? Who said anything about nice - this is baseball! Enjoy!

Pastor Ken

We all need help sometimes!

This morning when I got into the office, there was a package from AT&T waiting for me. It was time to install the new modem and set up the office wireless network. AT&T had offered to provide us with broadband wireless for about $10 less per month than our old provider, and I have never been one to turn down a savings for substantially the same thing. But, of course, that meant setting up the entire network. Well, you can guess what happened - I ended up on the phone with the service tech. It took us about 20 minutes, but, as this post proves, we got the job done. But it also illustrates another thing - we all need help sometimes. No matter how hard we try, we are going to run into things we don't know how to do or can't do for some reason. So many of us don't like to ask for help - we want to do it ourselves. We all know that this is a bad strategy in our spiritual lives - we have to rely on the Holy Spirit for power to live daily for the Lord. But it is also a bad strategy for everyday life. I do not grow my own food. I do not generate my own electricity. And, obviously, I do not connect my internet on my own either. The thing is, as frustrating as it is to admit that I cannot do everything on my own, the truth is that I rob someone else of a blessing (and sometimes of a job!) if I won't let others help me. Of course, there are other issues, like waiting a long time for help or what seems to be deliberately obtuse instructions. Nothing is ever simple. But we need to be careful not to take it out on the one who is helping us. Instead, let's ask for help, and then appreciate the one who gives it. Anyway, that is my thought. Have a great day!

Pastor Ken

An Invitation to Dialogue

Well, doing this six days a week is proving to be difficult - time seems to get away pretty quickly some days. But I will try to do this everyday I can. This past Saturday Cheri and I went to see the new movie, "Lord, Save us from your followers." In general, it was excellent. But it got me thinking and I would like to hear from you about your thoughts. The thesis of the movie is that Christians have become too shrill and condemnatory in the "culture wars," and have compromised their primary mission to tell everyone the good news about God's love in Jesus Christ. Now, in general, I certainly agree. But one of the questions I have is where our responsibility to faithfully proclaim those aspects of the Bible that tell us how we are to live. I firmly believe that these descriptions of the godly life represent not God's attempt to prevent us from having fun or living fulfilled lives, but rather describe the best kind of life possible. Sin is not just a violation of God's law, though it is that, but it is also a violation of the best life we can have according to the one who made us. But when we proclaim that God tells us that certain things are harmful and as such constitute sin, we inevitably have people accuse us of being judgmental. So where is the balance? And what responsibility do we have to society to faithfully proclaim God's description of that good life and preserve a society that encourages people to live the way God has told us to live rather than encouraging lifestyles that lead to a less than optimal life in God? Let the conversation begin!

Pastor Ken

Worthwhile traffic

This morning I left my house at 5:30 to go to Orange County. Even at that early hour I hit a couple of stop and go places, though the trip as a whole was fairly fast. Why so early? This morning I and our three ethnic pastors are starting a church planter's "bootcamp." For the next 24 out of 36 hours we will be discussing how to reach out to people who do not know the love of God in Jesus Christ. Already this morning, before we started, I have talked with one of the trainers about the relative lack of interest in our society in the church. And yet, God has chosen the church as His means of reaching the world. So, for this next couple of days, we will talk and strategize. Adding to the difficulty is that our little group represents several ethnic groups, some from other countries and others right here in California. So pray for us - we know God's desire is to help us reach out. God bless you!

Pastor Ken