For What Reason Do You Worship or Pray To God?

I've been interning at a recording studio in Nashville, Tennessee for the past month and half.  While down here, I've been attending St. Timothy Lutheran Church in Hendersonville, just northeast of Nashville.

An interesting question came up in adult Sunday school last week.

"Do you worship and pray to God because you want him to give you something, or do you worship and pray to God because of who he is?"

Wow....that was like a punch to my face.  I never really thought about that.  Do I worship/pray to God because I want something, or do I worship/pray to God because he's God?

First of all, what do I want in general?

-A nice job
-A nice family
-A nice house
-A nice car
-To be healthy
-To be happy
-To be...
-To be...
-To be...

I can go on and on for days.

What if we don't get what we want?

"I want some of grandma's cookies, so I'll write her a letter. "
"No cookies, grandma?  I'm never going to talk to you ever again."

Only God knows what I've prayed for, and never received.

Here's a great story about what I'm talking about.

“Prayer is not about coming to the Lord to ask Him to give us anything we want. It’s about connecting with God on a personal level –and in the way He commands us to.”

He commands us.....hmmm....where have I heard that before?

Not again.  Are you going back to that freakishly-long Lord's Prayer post/paper/essay again?  Yes, I am.  God commands us to pray like this.

"Dear God above, please let me do YOUR will -- not my will.  Help me to do it here on earth.  Show me some spare time where I can read the Bible and pray to you more often.  Please forgive my sins, and the sins of others.  Don't let me fall back into sin, either.  Keep me away from Satan's power, and help me be closer to you, because you have the power to do all of this.  Amen."

During today's Sunday school class, we were talking about Ecclesiastes, and how negative it appears.  I  was struck while reading this last night.....

Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 

I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under Heaven.  What a heavy burden God has laid on men!  I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless (Hevel= vanity, emptiness, false gods, shit), a chasing after the wind.....Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but i learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.  For with much wisdom comes sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.

....but I want knowledge!  I pray to be smarter!  Chicks dig smart guys!  After reading this passage, I was reminded of the movie, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.   In this movie, Indie (Harrison Ford) and several others are captured by a group who want a crystal skull that Indie and his son, Henry "Mutt Williams" Walton (Shia LaBeouf), have.  Colonel Dr. Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchette), the antagonist, is determined to put the last Crystal Skull on the last incomplete crystal skeleton, because she believes a legend that the person who returns the skull will gain all the knowledge of the universe because she wants to utilize its power to better the Soviet Union's military.  Indie and his gang lets her put the skull back.  When she does this, her eyes catch on fire, and she disintegrates into dust because her brain can't comprehend what all is going on.  She overloads.

Why do we want to knowledge?  Why do we want to become like God?  Honestly, I don't think I want to know everything there is to know about everything.  I don't think I can take that kind of stress.  Look what happened to Bruce Noland (Jim Carrey) in Bruce Almighty.  He thought he could do a better job at being God (Morgan Freeman) than God did.  When God offered Bruce the job, he took it.  Bruce just couldn't deal with all the prayers being asked at once.  Bruce couldn't deal with people asking for petty things like, "Let me win the lottery," or, "Let me lose weight on the Krispy Kream diet."  I don't think I can deal with that kind of frivolousness.  

Can you?

"Daddy!  Daddy!  Daddy!  Can you get me a cookie?  Are we there yet?  Can we eat something?  Are we there yet?  Can I go potty?  I really need to potty!!!  She's pointing at me!  She's staring at me!  Are we there yet?  Are we there yet?!!!"

I guess this is all just a "ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ITS ALL ABOUT ME" kind of thing....the world revolves around ME.  I've seen a teenage girl in a t-shirt that says, "The World Revolves Around Me."  I can't help but think how sorry she's going to be when she moves out of mommy and daddy's house and can't get a job because she's too much into herself, and that the boss really isn't going to give one crap about her.  I'm sure God gets pretty frustrated with me and everyone else who constantly whine about "me, my, mine," prayers.

I don't think it's a bad thing to ask for green lights between the house and work, but just be aware of what you're praying for, and leave these things for last.  Ask God for what is most important:  That you have a good, solid relationship with him.  After being forgiven, you might get all green lights, but you're stuck behind Old Lady Jones who is 90 years old and can't see over the steering wheel and dashboard in her ginormous 1984 Buick.

Maybe there's a reason Old Lady Jones is holding you back from work.  Maybe while on your way to work, you get a call from your boss that you don't have to come in today for one reason or another.  If you were at work when that happened, how much more frustrated would you be than if you were halfway there?  ("I drove 30 miles for this?")  You can just zip a U-turn and head right back home, take your pants off, and flop back into bed!


Thank you, God, for being patient with me.  Thank you for putting your own son to death to save us from our sins.  Thank you for being you.


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If I don't see you again for a while,  have a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a Happy New Year!!!

Is Jesus Real?

Interesting Q/A from The Lutheran Hour broadcast on Sunday mornings on 650AM WSM.

For the past few weeks they've been answering questions about Christmas.  Today's question was in regards to the actual date of Christ's birth.  Wasn't December 25th a pagan festival?

-Jesus' real life, real death, and real resurrection are important for our lives.  However, I don't think it really matters what date it was on, as long as it was completed.

-Early Christians didn't have a specific date to celebrate the birth of Christ (there was no Twitter back then).

@TheRealGod4857*: Yay!! Son just #born! He will somday #save u.


Here is what really interested me.  Just because Dec. 25 is borrowed from a pagan festival, this proves Christianity is another human-created religion trying to get power.

There are over 24,000 pieces of documents of eye witness accounts and facts.  

There are only 49 ancient documents about Aristotle.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
Download Q&A Audio <<<<<<<-------
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^



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*Not a real Twitter account.

Putting Together The Bible?

My last post brought up another issue.  I remind myself that humans were the ones to put the Bible together.  God may have inspired man to write these books, but humans put them together.  Did God inspire the Council of Nicaea to put the Bible together, or did they let go through each book, picked ones out that they thought sounded good and went with their moral beliefs at that time, and stick those selected books together?

Are there books out there that were written AFTER 400BCE that should be included in the Bible?  I'm sure there are.  God didn't just drop off the face of the Earth and not inspire people to write things.  Heck, I even think God inspires me to write stuff for this blog.  Even though I haven't published anything for quite some time, I have started (and not finished) many posts because I didn't think I could get anything out of them.  I didn't think I could finish them.  In fact, the previous post sat there for nearly three weeks while I thought through what I wanted to put.  In fact, I'll tell you some of the things I haven't released, and probably won't.

I started a post on the Satanic Bible, published by HarperCollins.  I haven't released it, because I don't want people who just look at the title to come in here and slander and post negative things about me personally, even if they didn't read the post at all.  I also have one called "We All Have That One Sin....," which was suppose to be an essay on how we all have that one particular sin that we are aware of, yet we continue to carry through with that sin.....Actually, I may go ahead and finish that one after just writing that sentence.

Back to the topic......

Here is the criteria of putting together the Bible, according to GotQuestions.org.

1) Was the book written by a prophet of God?

2) Was the writer authenticated by miracles to confirm his message?
3) Does the book tell the truth about God, with no falsehood or contradiction?
4) Does the book evince a divine capacity to transform lives?
5) Was the book accepted as God's Word by the people to whom it was first delivered?

I'm sure there have been many prophets since Biblical times.  I'm sure there are many more writings out there that deserve to be included in the Bible.  Why not go through and find new inspiration?  I know there will always be people who will be like, "You can't do that!  We've had that for nearly 1500 years!!!!" or "Nothing else is inspired by God!"

....that last sentence seems to tell me that God has left us alone.  I hope that didn't happen!  I'm reminded of a song....

When Jesus called to God upon the cross No answer came for his will must be done Then how the word trembled at his voice When he said this is my beloved son  

It isn't God but man that's dead When love is locked outside Do you deny that there's a God or is God just denied God is not dead he never died  

What man on earth can make one blade of grass And who can make one seed then make it grow With all the power and wisdom in our hands Who can command which way the wind to blow  

And who can match the miracle in an eagle's eye Or hang a rainbow in a cloudy sky God is not dead he did not die God is not dead God is not dead 

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But of course, I'm going to get emails and comments on how I'm wrong and how I should repent from my sins.  Yes, I may be wrong.  Yes, I repent everyday (or try to).  I'm not a scholar.   I've only taken a few classes on Christianity and religion in general.  I'm still a 21 year old college student who is currently away from school for a semester.  I'm still doubting.  I'm still wondering.  I'm still thinking.  I'm still learning.  Get off my back, please. 

Ordained Women

Phew!  It's dusty in here!  I've been away for a while because I haven't had anything to write for a while.

A few weeks ago during Sunday School, my pastor told us about the old changing its policy and ALC (American Lutheran Church, now part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of American) ordaining women back in the mid 70s.  Apparently, the LCMS, or Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, said they would ordain women if the ALC could find some biblical way to ordain women.  The ALC did not find a biblical reason, so the LCMS continues to disallow women ministers to this day.  The ALC did start ordaining women ministers, but only because of the changing culture.  Did Paul do the same thing when he said women should not be leaders in church?  Was he following the changing of the times?

I've been simmering on this the past few days now.

I looked up 1 Timothy 2: 11-25, which says,

A woman should learn in quietness and full submission.  I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.  For Adam was formed first, then Eve.  And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.  But women will be saved through childbearing-if they continue in faith, love, and holiness with propriety.

This passage is always used to justify not ordaining women in the church.  I want to pay close attention to some of the words in this passage.

1.)

I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man....

The word I stuck out to me.  (1 Timothy is a letter supposedly written by Paul (some scholars disagree on this, even though his name is mentioned) to Timothy regarding his ministry in Ephesus.)  Was this Paul saying this, or was he inspired by the Holy Spirit to say this?  I have trouble thinking it was the Holy Spirit saying this because of the role of women in the story of Jesus.  The first person Jesus went to after being resurrected was a woman (Mary Magdalene). Jesus felt the touch of a woman on his cloak in Mark 5:21-34.  Jesus felt his spirit leave him and enter someone else, so he bent down and told this woman that her faith has healed her.  This tells me that there is something special about the role of women in Jesus' lifetime.

2.)

She must be silent.

She must be silent?  Why?  Psalm 92 says,

It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High.....

3.)

Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. 

True, but when Adam did get deceived as well.  He got deceived by Eve.  The Doctrine of Original Sin came from the fact both Adam AND Eve fell temptation to Satan, and fell into sin.  Not just Eve, making the idea of Men being superior to Women completely ridiculous.



4.)

But women will be saved through childbearing-if they continue in faith, love, and holiness with propriety.

This contradicts the idea that we are saved by grace through faith found throughout Paul's teachings.  It appears to be works-righteousness.  What was Paul trying to say here?  Honestly,  I don't have an answer for that.  I do think Paul was letting his secular beliefs into his writings.


Paul states in 1 Corinthians 11:8-12,

For man did not come from women, but women from man.  For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head.  In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman.  For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman.  But everything comes from God.

Yes, man did come first.  However, man and woman are equal in the eyes of God.  Both are creations of his, and both deserve equal respect.  Do not hold women lower than men.  (I could also turn this into a political post, but I won't).


I have a love/hate relationship with Paul.  Some of the stuff he says I think is great, while some other things I disagree with him.  I remind myself that I'm a Christian; not a Paulinian.  Are Paul's writings fit to be included in the Bible?  Are there other writings out there that are better suited for the Bible?

Chick-Fil-A: An Open Letter To Mike Huckabee

The following is an open letter that I have sent to Mike Huckabee.


Dear Mr. Huckabee,


I have to say, even though I am Democrat, I like you.  You don't seem to be a crazy maniac when it comes to being Republican.  I respect you for that.  


However, I do have to say one thing.  I support equal rights for the LGBT community, and I support celibate same-sex marriage (this is for another place and another time).  I respect your decision on the issue, and I applaud your for organizing such a large event as Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day.


I've seen many pictures of lines nearly a mile long of people at Chick-Fil-A restaurants across the country.  Something bothers me though.  How come I don't see those long lines of people at church every Sunday morning?  As a fellow Christian in the Lutheran tradition, I have to say it bothers me that 72% of people in Hocking County (where I am from) are not church affiliated.  If you remember in Matthew 28, Jesus says, "...go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, son, and holy spirit."  Why aren't we, as Christian brothers, not doing so?  Why are we fighting of little prissy and minuscule stuff like same-sex marriage?  Isn't it our job to proclaim the good news (gospel) of Jesus Christ?  Shouldn't we focus on that instead?  The two great commandments that Jesus gave were to love God and love neighbor (Matthew 22:36-40).  Why aren't we doing this?  Why aren't we focusing on this instead of supporting or boycotting Chick-Fil-A?


I'm not going to badmouth you or the Chick-Fil-A company, even though I don't agree with both of your decisions (this is also for another place and another time).  Eat mor chikin, or don't.  But for God's sake, don't stop loving.


Thank you for taking your time to read my letter.  I hope it brings some good discussion among you and your colleagues in the future.


Sincerely,
Jesse Harmon.