Snapshots and Synapses

I was asked a question: “Do you think Adam and Eve’s decisions to keep the commandments before perceiving  good and evil had the same value as after?” It’s an interesting question, but before it can be answered, we need to look at it more closely. Value is based on perception. In economic terms, the value of anything is based on its perceived worth. We don’t buy something for $500 that we believe is only worth $5.  So the question is inherently complicated by my follow-on question: “Who evaluates the worth?” From one person’s perspective, there may be more value in obeying when we know what we’re giving up, when we perceive something good that we won’t get by following God’s commandments.  In other words, we think we know what is good because we have decided it is good, and we can often label something “good” that is in reality a temporary and deceitful pleasure that is ultimately bad for us. For example, when Adam and Eve ate from the fruit they thought it would be good ...

 My highest value is Truth & Love. It's not my highest two values; it is my highest value because I don't believe the two can be separated. A partial truth is the most powerful lie. The gap in the full truth leaves an opening for so many different, wrong understandings, but the full truth cannot be separate from love.  Sadly, as John 1 points out, men prefer darkness to light; mankind prefers the lie or half truth to the full truth that can set us free. The full truth can't be spoken without love. Christians are commanded to speak the truth in love, but sadly, we can sometimes only speak the half-truth, focused on sinful behavior without love for the person caught in that sin. When we do that, it comes out as an accusation rather than an affirmation, and in the process we resemble the Accuser of Men (a.k.a. - Satan) rather than the One True God, Whose image we bear as ambassadors to this world.  When we sin, the Accuser speaks half-truths about who we are and what we ...

I’ve been hearing a repeated plea for unity within the Church, and I agree there is a real need for this. But what does that look like? The apostle Paul wrote “There is one Body” ( Ephesians 4:4 ), and in John’s gospel we see how Jesus prayed for Christian Unity, asking that we be one just as He and the Father are one. ( John 17:20-23 ) And even if Scripture didn’t discuss unity we could still embrace the practice. After all, practically speaking, there’s strength in numbers. For example: a healthy herd chases away predators, demonstrating how this plays out in nature. Likewise, we can observe that political parties push their agenda through when all party members vote in unity around an issue. But understand this: Christian Unity is only possible when we are knit together through the Spirit of God. When Jesus said that He and the Father were one or that He abided in the Father, it defined unity as reflecting the likeness of God. When Philip asked Jesus to show him the Father, Jesus ex...

I would never dispute that Jesus said: “make disciples of all nations: Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to do everything I have commanded you.” ( Matthew 28:19-20 God’s Word). It’s come to be known as the Great Commission, and its pretty clear what Jesus wants us to do, but what does that look like?  Let me start by saying what it’s not: It’s not to treat people as a means to an end, even if it’s arguably a good end. The philosopher Immanuel Kant described it as this:  Every man is to be respected as an absolute end in himself; and it is a crime against the dignity that belongs to him as a human being, to use him as a mere means for some external purpose. Just going back to the book of Genesis, we see that God created men and women in His image. We are His Image-Bearers, and as such everyone is invaluable. Every person regardless of background or decisions has that in common. We are worthy of love if for no other reaso...

I haven’t written in a while because I’ve been trying to form my thoughts for a topic that I’ll post later this month, and like our society in general have considered Father’s Day only as an afterthought. Our society celebrates Mothers pretty easily, and that’s a good thing. But it seems harder to celebrate fathers. Why is that? The message at our church today was a really good one but reflecting upon the content I realized that it was mostly describing fatherhood wounds, the impact of a bad father figure and how God brings restoration. So I could choose to write about the qualities of a good father, and that would also be a good thing to share, but instead I thought it might be better to share my challenges as a father. Assuming that others may be challenged in similar ways, maybe someone would benefit from knowing that we’re not alone. As the father of five children, I know I’ve made mistakes and that I’ve also done the right thing. No one is perfect as a parent, and that shouldn’t...

You are unique There is no one else exactly like you in all the universe and in any time period. Even if there were an exact biological duplicate, they would not have your life experiences or made all the decisions that led you to where you are today. They would not have overcome all the hardships you have overcome in exactly the same way. They could not have persevered in the same way that you have. In fact, no one but you can be you. No one else can choose to grow from this point in your life, and no one else can make the choices that you will moving forward from this moment. So be the best you that you can be, the best version of you.  There are circumstances in life beyond our power to change. Our past remains our past. Some aspects of our lives are controlled by other people, but no one can take our integrity, making us choose the wrong thing or the wrong path. They can take our lives or our ability to choose. They can even deceive us to pick the worst path, but no one can mak...

I have been confronted many times with the statement: “everybody needs a god that looks like them”. There’s something appealing about this assertion, like candy for the soul. I like candy, but pleasant sweets are not always a healthy thing. So I have wondered about this statement. Is it an eye-opening realization of what people need or a subtle lure toward what people want? If I draw further on the nutrition analogy, treats like chocolate and honey have benefits in moderation. Likewise, people need a relatable God to have a relationship with God, and it’s true that we were made in the likeness of God. Male and female, we were created in God’s image. And when I look at the splendorous differences of all races, I can understand that God had a purpose in creating racial variety. The diverse nature of mankind is a reflection of the infinitely multifaceted nature of God. I can appreciate the differences in race and gender, and like a Frenchman proclaim: “Viva la difference!” I appreciate th...