Analyzing our belief system

I wonder, how many of us fully understand our belief system? We all believe something, or have some type of a worldview, a way in which we view life, or how we account for why things are the way they are. Perhaps some of us think about it more than others. Do you even know why you believe what you believe? Have you thought out the details about what you think you believe? Is your worldview based on what you see, and is consistent with evidence and the observable world? Or is it piece mealed together not based on facts or evidence, but rather based on culture or other's opinions and beliefs, often chosen to justify how we live, or who we think we are, essentially internally driven rather than externally? I think one of the truest tests of any worldview is to see how we handle hardships and difficulties in life. Do we find life's trials to further confirm our beliefs? And does our worldview provide a way to help cope with those hard times? Or, do we find that our worldview is actually lacking the ability to do that, and we therefore end up stealing ideas and beliefs from other worldviews or religions? I think this is often true for many modern ways of looking at the world, but are we being honest enough to see that and acknowledge the holes in our worldview? If we find this to be true, we should probably admit that we have the wrong view on life and look at alternate belief systems.

The Sound of Freedom: A Movie Review

Last night I was finally able to get out to the movie theater and see the movie "The Sound of Freedom." I have been posting about this movie for a litte bit now, but had not been able to personally view it until now. I can honestly say this was probably one of the most moving movies I have ever seen. It is so well done, and deals with a topic that a lot of people aren't aware of, or choose to turn a blind eye to. This movie is based on a true story, this stuff is really happening in our world, whether you want to accept that or not is up to you. This movie is not political in any way, for anyone to try and imply it's far-right or whatever, I really would have to question where your heart is at, because it is simply not done with that sort of bias, it is just presenting a story based on real events. I have not been so moved by a movie in a long time, it was truly refreshing to walk out and feel like I actually spent my money on something good, towards a noble cause. It was also the first time I have ever seen the audience applaud for a movie in a theater, I'm sure it happens elsewhere, but I have just never seen that, the audience literally applauded, and that was very moving to me as well, it gives me hope for our country still.

There is a scene in the movie that is repeated a couple of times, where the father of the kidnapped children looks in his daughter's bedroom and stares at her empty bed. I don't know how as a human being you could watch that and not be moved to tears. When I got home from the movie and was putting my kids to bed, I walked by my girls' room and caught a glimpse of Leona's bed before she got in it, it was temporarily empty, and my mind flashed back to that scene in the movie and I couldn't help but imagine the pain a parent feels through the loss of their child, and I was again moved to tears. I am so thankful for the children God has placed in my life, and I try and be grateful for what I have every day regardless of what life throws my way. Children are a gift from God, something we have for a short period of time, whether we are fortunate enough to not experience losing them, or whether we can see them grow into adulthood, they eventually leave our homes or we lose them in some way. I pray that we would fight for our children, and the children of the world. Children are our hope for the future, and are among the most vulnerable of the population. Let us unite together and stand up for them, since they are too young to do so themselves. Children are under attack in our world, which I see as the highest form of evil, there is truly nothing more depraved in my opinion than a person who can harm a child. They need us to defend them until they are grown up enough to understand right and wrong, good and evil, and make those decisions on their own. Until then, they are our responsibility. Will you accept that role? Will you open your eyes and be willing to see what is happening in our world today? A person who chooses to ignore reality is no defender of the weak. By opening our eyes, we can speak for the vulnerable, and defend them, and demand justice. We can collectively pray for them, something I truly believe has the power to change and heal a nation, and a world.

If you haven't yet seen "The Sound of Freedom," I implore you to do so while it's in theaters. I haven't believed in the cause of a movie for quite some time like I do this one. If you can't afford to go, Angel Studios has setup a "pay it forward" program to pay for someone else's tickets, so finances would not be a reason to not see it. If you are moved by the movie like I was and can afford to pay for a couple other tickets for someone else to see it, I would encourage you to do so.

Spread the word: God's children are not for sale.

Nehemiah: Standing firm in the Lord

The book of Nehemiah is perhaps one of my favorite books of the old testament. After Israel is taken away from their homeland and exiled for many years for their constant disobedience to the Lord, God allows them to begin returning and rebuilding years later when the time is right. Nehemiah was cupbearer to King Artaxerxes, and upon hearing of the challenges and struggles his fellow Israelites are facing in their homeland, he longs to return to Israel to help and support them. King Artaxerxes allows him to do so with his full support and supplies him with resources to help further and bolster the rebuilding, which is itself a miracle of God.

It is no surprise though that upon his return to Israel, as he is leading his people to stand up for the Lord and to be strong and courageous as they rebuild, they encounter all kinds of opposition and attempts to thwart their progress. Nehemiah, who left a position of royalty in Persia, leads by example, humbling himself in prayer and in serving others in his community. His faith in God is inspirational, as he knows God is greater than those in the world. As I read the below verse, I tried to put myself in Nehemiah's shoes and to feel what he was feeling, which was probably a lot of fear and anxiety from his opponents who day and night did not let up on their efforts to stop their progress on rebuilding Jerusalem. What Nehemiah said shows his faith in God, despite what he was feeling. He did not give in to his feelings, which can mislead and get us off track. He put his faith in God and shared that faith with his fellow Israelites to boost their confidence by again leading by example.

It cannot be stressed enough how important it is for us to be rooted in God's word, so when challenges arise and our feelings work against us, we stand firmly with God and declare that we are not afraid of the opposition and we know that He is greater. We are to lead by example and to fight for our families, the vulnerable, and the lost. This verse is as relevant today as it was in Nehemiah's time. Let us all take strength from Nehemiah's words and be bold in our faith as we live it out in this world.

-After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes,” Nehemiah 4:14 NIV.

The power of forgiveness

"For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses," -Matthew 6:14‭-‬15 ESV.

Today's verse of the day is one I've read many times before, but it was a good reminder to read it again. In context, this verse is Jesus speaking about forgiveness after teaching The Lord's Prayer as a model of how we are to pray. This same theme is touched on later in Matthew as well in the parable of the unmerciful servant. If we wish to be forgiven of our own sin by our heavenly father, then we have to live that out as well. Our character should be consistent between how we present ourselves before God, and how we present ourselves to others, there should be no discrepancies.

The other thing about this is, it's very healthy to live this way. Do you know how much energy it takes to carry around bitterness and anger, as opposed to saying, I'm going to forgive and move on? I have met people before that you can just tell have been been carrying bitterness for a long time, and I think it changes you in a very bad way over time like that. I think that forgiveness becomes easier for us as we learn humility too. As soon as we acknowledge our own humanity and the fact that we have also hurt others, and even if we haven't done the exact thing that was done to us, with honest reflection I can usually admit that I at least have the potential to do the same. Once you hit that point, how can you not forgive someone? I'm not saying it's easy, deep wounds especially can take years to heal sometimes. The more we practice this though, the easier it becomes, and the more free we become. Bring those heavy burdens and lay them at Jesus' feet, you weren't meant to carry them by yourself.

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light,” -Matthew 11:28‭-‬30 ESV.

Easter reflections 2022

Happy Easter everyone! We live in a world that would like to secularize every meaningful milestone that the Christian has, but Easter is not about a bunny bringing eggs and candy, it is the pinnacle of hope that we have in Jesus. Jesus himself talked quite a bit about how he would die, and when some Pharisees (the religious crowd) asked for a sign from him to prove he was who he said he was, Jesus referenced his coming resurrection and defeat of death when he said to them "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth,"  (Matthew 12:39‭-‬40 NIV). When Jesus was crucified, his faithful followers and students were disheartened and scattered, wondering if their hope was misplaced. Until...on the third day a miracle took place. An angel at the tomb told those present that Jesus had risen and would go ahead of them into Galilee. Those guarding the tomb "...were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men," (Matthew 28:4 NIV).

 What followed was absolutely insane by the world's standards: Jesus returned, with visible wounds where he was pierced, and he revealed himself to many and performed many miracles, "Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written,"  (John 21:25 NIV). Jesus revealed himself first to those closest to himself, but then to tons of people who would serve as witnesses: "After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time..." (1 Corinthians 15:6 NIV). This would provide the momentum needed to spread the good news about Jesus throughout the world, and is still spreading today. The evidence was overwhelming and in the face of fierce opposition and persecution, the early church found it worth dying for.

Easter is not just a children's story. Jesus is who he said he was. The proof he left is staggering. For those of us who have placed our faith in him already, Easter is the hope we have in a troubled world. We can understand what Jesus meant when he said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world,"

(John 16:33 NIV).

To those who do not yet know Him, He is worth investigating. He came as a servant, lived in the same broken world that we do, experienced the pain and brokenness of this world firsthand, led by example and modeled the life He calls us to live as well.

He is risen.

He is risen indeed!

Finding purpose in dark times

Sometimes it's hard to see a purpose when we go through dark places in life. Sometimes when we're right in the middle of a painful event, we just want to say to God, why is this happening? I think that we often place the blame on God when bad things happen, when the reality is that we live in a fallen and very broken world, and we all have freewill to choose how we live our lives. Sometimes this means that bad things just happen. Sometimes it means that some people hurt us or others. We can know without a doubt that through all the brokenness of this world, God has a better plan for each and every one of us, far better than what we could have for ourselves. God's timing is also not the same as our timing, and he has proven to me again and again that his timing is always the best, I just have to be patient if things aren't working out the way I planned and trust in him and his purpose for my life. And, the most amazing thing is that we have a God that loves us so much that he sent his son Jesus to die for each one of us, and that in doing so he came into our broken world and experienced the very pain that we do. He doesn't just offer shallow words of comfort, he actually understands because he lived it.

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future," -Jeremiah 29:11 NIV.

How God helped me to quit drinking, through the birth of my son

Today is a very special day for my family. Today we celebrate my son Edwin's birthday. Today it's been ten years since he was given to our family, and for that we are so thankful, as we are for all of our beautiful children. But, today is also a day I celebrate for another reason. You see, before Edwin was born, I was seeing the destructive side of alcohol in my life and I knew I wanted better for my family. My wife had challenged me to see if I could go without drinking for most of her pregnancy with Edwin, which was triggered by some incidents I was not proud of that caused me to take a look at how I was allowing alcohol to affect me.

I knew I had a problem, so I accepted the challenge and quit drinking for at least the short term. As Edwin's birthday came near though, I began to feel the weight on my heart of a decision needing to be made, was I giving up drinking for good, or just for a little while? That question led to other questions, if I drank again, could I honestly expect that I would be any different, or that within time I would find myself in the same situation again? I was very familiar with addiction cycles, and I did not want to find myself stuck in one, but I struggled to make my decision. I began to pray about it, and God placed a few people in my life at that time that were able to speak wisdom into my life where I needed it. Even then though, I had not made my decision yet. I was avoiding.

Now there is something else you must know, Edwin was our only child that Steph and I could not agree on a name for. We were going into this birth experience without a name for our son, no matter what was suggested we just could not see eye to eye in agreement, and I was completely distraught because of it. Eventually the day of the planned C-section came, and I found myself gowned up in a surgery prep room sitting in silence as I awaited the surgical team to bring me in by my wife's side. The fact that my son was about to be born without a name weighed heavily on me. I began to weep in sadness and frustration, and I began to pray, and to ask the Lord to help me by revealing the name my son should have. What I got in response was not what I expected. I immediately felt on my heart the fact that I needed to make a decision about drinking. I was immediately taken back to where I left off in the decision making process, except I knew I had all the information I needed to make the decision. God had already given me people to validate what I already knew in my heart, that I could not go back to drinking.

I had not made my decision yet because of fear. Fear of the unknown. What would my friends think? Drinking was a part of so many things and it was intimidating to think of losing that ritual. But I was more terrified to not do what I knew God wanted me to do, and what my family needed me to do. At that moment, I made the commitment to never drink alcohol again. I told God that I really needed a name for my son, but even if He didn't provide that, I would still hold up to my end of the bargain and I was done drinking forever. I kid you not, the moment I made that commitment, I received the name Gabriel in my head. I was honestly shocked and at first I did not know what to do with that. It wasn't until a couple days later when Stephanie was recovered enough from the surgery so I could share my experience with her that we figured out together that the name Gabriel was the puzzle piece we needed to finally name our newly born son. For the first time, we agreed on his name, and that was Edwin Gabriel.

This experience is still as real to me as it was when it happened. If you aren't aware, Gabriel is the name of God's messenger angel. When I recall this story, or when I read in the bible about Gabriel, it gives me goosebumps to think of how God met me in my request of Him. But it wasn't until I stepped out in faith and did what I knew He was asking of me first. Today I am thankful for my beautiful and compassionate son, Edwin Gabriel. Today, I am also thankful for being able to have a relationship with God, who hears our every word, and who comes into our world if we let Him.

"For we live by faith, not by sight," -2 Corinthians 5:7.