Pray for Newtown

Yesterday afternoon, I received news of a terrible shooting at an elementary school in previously unknown Newtown, CT.  Rarely does a news story affect me emotionally, but immediately I knew that this story was different.  I immediately felt a great sense of pain and sorrow.  I could think of nothing else the remainder of the day.  I was devastated and sickened to learn that a young man, 20 years of age, could shoot his mother in the face, travel to the school where she taught and kill 26 people including 20 children ages 5-10!  Unbelievable!  What could possibly be going through his mind?

Undoubtedly, this event will generate a lot of discussion about how we can prevent such occurrences from happening again.  We must have this discussion.  These mass shootings and tragedies are occurring more frequently and more horrifically now than I can remember ever before.  Our culture and society has some serious problems and we need to talk about some serious solutions.  I don’t have all the answers, but I know a good place to start.

We need God.  We have seen a steady push in our culture to eliminate God in the public, and in some instances we have even made it difficult to practice one’s faith privately as well.  I believe that the vast majority of the problems our county and world face are spiritual problems.  We need to foster a culture that values all human life.  ALL human life!  I cried yesterday thinking about the tragedy in Connecticut.  I don’t cry often, but I cried yesterday.  The events break my heart.  I pray for the souls of those who lost their lives yesterday.  It is especially hard to learn that so many children lost their lives.  I have a special place in my heart for babies and children.  I think about how the loss of so many lives impacts us all, but most especially the parents, family members and friends.  I in no way want to downplay the events of yesterday in Connecticut, but did you know that in the United States over 3000 innocent children are brutally killed every day in their mother’s womb?  Over 3000 children in the United States… every day!

Yesterday our nation grieved.  Appropriately so!  The loss of innocent lives is devastating.  The proper response to such tragedies is grieving, sorrow and prayer.  26 people lost their lives in the tragedy yesterday.  Horrendous news, but why does this tragedy bring us to tears when the loss of over 3000 children every day does not even enter our minds on a daily basis.  How can we explain this contradiction?

We were shocked and surprised by yesterday’s events, but should we have been?  In a culture that allows and sometimes even encourages mothers to make a choice to kill their own child resting in womb, which should be the safest place for a child, how can we be shocked that a deeply troubled young man would have no regard for the value of his life or the lives of others?  In a culture that values life based on how that individual can benefit ourselves or society instead of recognizing the inherent value of every human life, why are we so surprised when lives are taken?  In a culture that glamorizes brutal violence, why should we be surprised when we see that violence in real life?

Yesterday’s tragedy has ignited lots of emotions in all of us.  We can see with our own eyes images of children crying.  These children have names.  We can witness their personalities and the friendships they’ve built.  It is real to us.  We can easily identify these innocent children as victims.  Conversely, abortions are most often times secret.  It is a choice that mothers make.  The ‘procedure’ is usually overseen by a doctor.  The child is not fully developed.  The child is hidden in the womb.  Many times the general public may never even know that an abortion has taken place, and so many don’t mourn the loss of children’s lives through abortion.  Many see abortion as a woman’s choice.  Many see abortion as a medical decision and the baby as a condition.  I stand in prayer outside of abortion clinics not to condemn women who make the terrible choice to abort their child, but hopefully to give them one last chance to change their mind and save the life of their child.  We in the pro life movement want to offer women hope, love and support.  We want them to truly understand the decision they are making, which is terminating the life of their child.  Until we as a culture recognize and understand that we are killing our children every day in great numbers through abortion; until we grieve and mourn the loss off children in the womb like we mourn the loss of the many innocent lives taken in yesterday’s tragedy, these tragedies will continue to occur and occur more frequently.

Yesterday I stated on my Facebook page that I trust in God that some good might come of this horrific tragedy, and I am already seeing much good.  Parents are hugging their children.  People are looking at life in a slightly different way.  People are expressing to those close to them how much they love them.  People are starting to discuss how we as a culture need to change so that we can avoid these tragedies in the future.  People are turning to God in prayer.  People are bonding with their neighbors.  It is easy to focus on all of the bad in the world, but there are a great number of really good people.  God can work through the most horrendous tragedies.  God is at work today.  Listen to Him and act accordingly.

God bless,

Mike

I Know Just Two Certainties

I am not the smartest man on this beautiful earth. There are many, many things I do not know. No man will ever know everything, and few will truly know much of anything. I probably fit in the latter group. I may not know much, but I know two things with absolute certainty: 1) There is a God and 2) I am not Him. My whole perspective on life is based on these two basic fundamental truths.

There is a God

Ever since I was first conceived in my mother’s womb, I have been taught that there is a God. My family has always been devoutly religious and raised me in an environment that always stressed the importance of God. It can be difficult to teach children about God and explain His existance since children most often respond best to learning using their senses, and we can’t “hear, touch or see” God in a physical sense. It is in fact even more difficult to explain the existance of God to adults who don’t already know God, because they often believe that they’ve already got everything figured out. A child’s innocence allows them to entertain the idea that there is a God. If I was not raised in such a wonderful family, would I know there is a God? I would like to think so.

I have heard generalizations about Christians and Catholics in particular that suggest we believe simply because an authority figure told us to believe, and we don’t think for ourselves. In their mind in other words, I believe in God simply because somebody who had authority over me told me there was a God. I am just some drone that blindly follows what my parents/religious heads tell me. This is a gross misrepresentation and generalization of Christian believers. While it is true that our parents and other authority figures influence our thinking, the same thing could be said for the very people making the accusations. Do they not believe because their parents did not believe or did not lead a good example? Did their parents believe, have difficulties in their life, and led this person to believe the opposite? How did their thoughts evolve in their minds? Their thoughts had to come from somewhere didn’t they? Every mind is influenced by the people they interact with and the environment in which they live. So if this is the case, who really knows anything? How can anyone ever really know the truth? How can I say that I know with certainty that there is a God?

People who make these generalizations about Christians and our beliefs like to say that we don’t think logically or reasonably. In fact, our belief in God is very logical and reasonable. Everyone asks themselves at some point in their lives; what is the meaning of life? Christians and nonbelievers alike ask this question. Those who do not believe in God have a much harder time coming up with a good answer. The reason is because the existence of God is the first, most basic, and most important truth that all must come to realize. If there was no God, life would have no meaning. Think about that for a second. If there was no God, life has no meaning or purpose. I think back to a story my sister Jennifer told me once. "There was a man. He was born, he lived his life, and then he died." The story seems very simple, but if you look closely it can be very deep. Some look at life simply as living an earthly life, dying and then eventually being forgotten. How depressing is that frame of thinking? Thankfully as Christians we see more to life and believe in life after death.

How did life start? How was the earth formed? How vast is the universe? How is a baby conceived? All these questions direct me to the belief that there is a God. In the very beginning of time, there was nothing. If two rocks bang into each other and form a universe, where did those two rocks come from? When did they first form? How did they first form? All of the wonders of the world, how were they formed? The only logical explanation is God. I hear, touch and see these things and I know there is a God. I do not to hear, touch or see Him in a natural sense, but I can hear touch and see Him in the things he made.

I am not Him

This reality is not nearly as complicated. There is a God, but I am not Him. This is so very clear and obvious to me because I know that I am a sinner and I know I have limitations, but many who live on this earth think or act like they are God. Like I said at the beginning of the post, there are several things I do not know or understand. Ask me a chemistry question for example and you will quickly see that I don’t know the first thing about that subject. I could study chemistry for the rest of my life and I still would not know and understand it all. I could act like I did, but I wouldn’t know everything. My mind is active and alive, but it would be arrogant and sinful to think that I know more than God. After all, who was it who created us? God knows all and we can not comprehend everything God knows. This is where the “logical” thinker runs into problems. The so-called “logical” thinker often believes that with logic and reasoning anything and everything can be explained. They will often rationalize their thinking and portray their thoughts as a logical and rational idea when in fact some things can not be rationalized by the human mind. No man is smarter than God and yet so many strive to this unattainable goal. It’s irrational to think that our mind could ever understand everything God knows. God has given us clues to help us understand the meaning of life. He has revealed himself through several signs. He gave us his Son who is the way and the truth. Earlier I asked how can anyone know truth, the answer is through Jesus Christ. Through the Holy Spirit, the message of God continues to live through people and through the church. The Church is guided by the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is love. I continue to learn and seek understanding, but I know that I am not God. I never will be God. God is good just as all things He made are good. It is the sin that man brought into life that taints that which is good in God’s eyes. When we take a look at earthly things with this understanding, we will see God’s goodness in all things. God bless!

People of Hope

As Christians, we are people of hope. Jesus is the reason for our hope. He died for our sins, but he also rose from the dead. He showed us the way to heaven, the way to salvation. As Christians and followers of Christ, hope is a trust and confidence of a future good made possible through God. Those who do not believe are deprived of hope because there can be no hope without God. The two are inseparable. We are grateful for our many blessings here on earth, but we also acknowledge the existence of heaven. This allows us to face challenges and obstacles in our lifetime from a different perspective than do nonbelievers.

I am currently in the middle of a great book; Island of the World. It's a monster of a book, 800+ pages, but it is very rewarding if you allow yourself to take the time to read a good book. The main character is a young boy who is growing up in Croatia during WWII. In one day, he loses all that is near and dear to him. He loses everything and everyone. It makes me think about what I would do in his situation. I imagine it would be very easy to give up on life in a situation like that. It would be easy, but Josip does not give up on life. Despite the tragic situation he is in, he survives. I anxiously wait to read about how this faith-filled boy faces the challenges that await him.

All of us are presented with difficulties and tragedies in our lifetime whether they be big or small. We can look at this as a great burden or we can accept that life will present us with difficulties and that God will take care of us. He never presents us situations that we can not handle. When we place our hope and trust in God we can overcome any obstacle. Those who don't believe in God often live in depression and despair. Let us pray now for those who do not believe in God, who have a pessimistic outlook on life, who have no one to trust and seemingly no place to go. Let us pray that they might find God in their lives and realize the awesome hope and joy He brings in our lives. God is love. God is hope. Let us share our hope and love with those who don't know God's forgiveness and love. In this way we can revive the walking dead; those who are physically alive but spiritually dead. What greater gift can we give than the gift of love? Our love can bring great hope to those who are desperately searching for hope. Our love can heal. God bless!

Wisdom

In my quest to read the bible from cover to cover, I am currently reading the Book of Wisdom. I'd like to discuss the following quote from Wisdom 12,7.

“For in the things through which they suffered distress, since they were tortured by the very things they deemed gods, they saw and recognized the true God whom before they had refused to know”

In chapter 12 of Wisdom, the author is explaining God's providence over his people specifically during the time of exodus. If you recall in exodus, the people of God often found themselves doubting God only to find themselves begging for forgiveness and mercy in times of crisis. They made idols of golden calves and put their faith in worldly things. Today we may not idolize golden calves, but we do often place so much importance on worldly things that they almost become "gods" to us. The lesson being taught over two thousand years ago still applies to us today. Let us break down Wisdom 12,7.

"For in the things"
What does the word things consist of? I remember when I was young and I didn't know how to describe something I just called it a thing. It's a broad term for any material object without life or consciousness.
"Through which they suffered distress"
The author notes that some of these "things" cause distress in people's lives. If you read the two quotes together, you'll see that he is speaking only of those things that cause distress. You will also note that he uses "suffered" as a description. Obviously these "things" are causing problems in the lives of those who use them.
"since they were tortured by the very things they deemed gods"
This is the line that probably caught your attention. I know it did me. Speaking of those who suffer from these "things," the author explains to us that these things were deemed gods in the eyes of the possessor. They were "tortured" by these "things (lifeless objects)" that they deemed gods! These were not things they cared little about. He's not talking about a rock or a stick, but about prized possessions. Hes talking about valuable material goods that are highly valued by the people of the time whatever that may be. These material items that were once so valuable and precious are now the very things that cause the most pain. Ironic and often times very true.
"they saw and recognized the true God whom before they had refused to know”
Often times it takes times of serious distress for us to realize what is missing in our lives. Why is it in times of tragedies such as 9-11 there are record numbers of church goers? Why is it that often times, a dying person will ask for a priest so that he can confess his or her sins? It is a natural reaction in times of torture and distress that we turn to God. Unfortunately, it takes life changing events before many come to recognize God. Fortunately life changing events do take place in people's lives and they do eventually come to recognize God. They had once refused to know God. Refused to know are interesting words. It does not say that they couldn't have known God before, but rather it was a conscious decision to not know God. God is present in the Holy Spirit and in each and every person. If you look closely at anyone, you can see the presence of God. It may be hard to find in some cases, but he is present in each one of us. The Holy Spirit guides our conscious, but we do not always listen. Sometimes we think we know better or we'd rather ignore God's whispers in our ear because we'd rather not hear them. We'd rather satisfy ourselves with "things" than live a life of giving and thanksgiving to God. The important lesson to learn is that these "things" we think are valuable now, may be the very things that are causing us distress and refusing us to come to recognize and worship God. God is Lord. God is good. Praise God.