Blog Redirected

This blog has moved to my new website and can be found here. Also while you're there take a look around to get a better idea of the rest of the story that lead me to start writing these blogs in the first place. Thanks for everything, but most importantly thanks be to God for the inspiration and the words that he has allowed me to type.

Thanks,
Joseph Craig
GodForgives.Us

Pluto Syndrome

“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. John 3:9

We have all lived through learning something that shook us. Something that we believed and thought was true was disproven or we were told it was wrong. For many of us that is the scary times in our lives, for others it’s the greatest moment of our lives. Many times these things are new discoveries or miracles in our minds. Now put yourself back 2000 years ago.

I know that most of the people that read the words that I have written are Christian. Many of you are probably very strong in your faith and no one can shake your faith. You could listen to Mormons for weeks and not be shaken or question your faith what so ever. God has blessed you with the foundation that he calls us to have, one built upon rock.

Now 2000 years ago, let us see ourselves as Jews instead of Christians. We have been told that a Messiah would come and save us. And just like today I’m sure that many of us see the world as being so bad that it has to come soon because it can’t get much worse. So we hope, but we see our world as we do and realize that there is nothing we can do about it, just as we could do nothing about the Romans that conquered us.

We go to synagogue and we pray, we keep our laws the best we can. Many of us are hoping that the Messiah will come soon to rescue us from the rule of Rome. We’re good Jews though and hold to our covenant the best we can. We want to be free from the rule of Rome so bad, but we know that it would take God himself to free us from Rome.

We have made up our minds in our fantasies of who and what this Messiah will be. We know that the Messiah will be something beyond belief. God in the flesh, wow. His beard must be perfect and take no grooming. A Jew’s Jew.

So we hear stories and rumors about this man down at the river talking about the Messiah coming soon. We want to believe, but we’ve heard his kind before. They are the crazy ones that yell on the corners holding signs. They are all crazy, he doesn’t even wash his hands properly, he can’t be Jew, let alone someone that God has given sight to.

A little more time goes buy and this carpenter’s son starts teaching that the Law is wrong. Even more that he is the Son of God in the flesh. This is not a Jew’s Jew, he’s no Messiah. That’s what your friends say. He is teaching all the wrong things, and he’s not here to free us from Rome. He is not what you pictured the Messiah as, he can’t be him.

Would we really believe the story unfolding before us? Would we believe that Jesus was really the son of God? That would be like us today believing the story of John Smith. He is adding to the bible, and the bible says that you cannot do that. We can read so many other Christian books to add to our faith as long as they are not adding to the Bible itself we are OK.

What do you think writings like these are doing? Building upon the word of God, but I’m not saying that this is the Book of Joe, stick it in there between 3 John and Jude. But let us go back to Jesus. He was an amazing man, we saw him do miracles, we try to corner him with biblical teachings and he knows the word better than most of us do. But he’s a carpenters son, this can’t be the Messiah.

How hard would it be for us to believe? Each society had their own beliefs and today is no different. Christianity is the largest religion in the world, but yet there are so many people that still do not believe. I want you to think about how hard it would be to believe when you are raised told that those Christians are crazy, they believe in things that Science cannot prove.

I mean let us be honest here, what is your opinion on the sacrifices that Mormons or Jehovah’s Witnesses make? Is it crazy that the watchtower denies their followers birthdays? Mormonism’s diet is very strict. We as Christians, what do we think of these sacrifices? They aren’t godly because our bible doesn’t say to do these things.

Let me tell you a secret, the same book that we use to guide our belief is the same book that the Jehovah’s Witnesses use to prove their way of life. It is all about interpretation of God’s Word. Am I saying that they are right? No, I can’t believe in that. I cannot believe that only 144,000 people will be allowed into heaven and be with God.  How do I view their personal sacrifices? I think that it is impressive that they believe strong enough to deny themselves of things like that. I am also glad that I am not called to sacrifice in that way.

Going back two thousand years ago, how hard do you think it was for Nicodemus to go seek out Jesus? How hard do you think it was for him to believe Jesus? God opened his heart and lead him to believe, but I don’t think it was that night that it all sunk in, because if that was true I doubt he would have asked some of the questions he had asked later in the gospel.  When our world is shaken to the foundation, it is hard for us to grasp onto everything.

These world changes can happen and they happen every day. Every atheist that sees that God is real, it happens. Every time a Pagan realizes that the Gods they serve are not truly Gods, it happens. Every time a Satanists realizes that Satan is not God, it happens. Every time a non-believer is added to the fold, it happens.

The more solid our foundation in what we are believing now the harder it is to turn from it. If you want to imagine what it was like for Nicodemus, just think about what if the Mormons are right for a moment. That’s all you need to do to put yourself in Nicodemus’ shoes. Now come back to what you believe God is God and Jesus is Jesus.  For Nicodemus to believe Jesus, it took something in his heart. He believed.

Now there are new discoveries nearly every day, but we can handle new understanding and knowledge when we know that we don’t know what’s there. It is when we believe we know what is real, that is when it is hard. It is not hard for us to believe in finding another planet in space that is similar to earth. It’s not hard to believe in discovery of a new star, but you downgrade Pluto from a planet to a lesser classification and that’s hard to believe.

What would happen to your faith if another sentient life form was discovered on many of the near earth planets out there? Would you doubt God’s word? You shouldn’t, nowhere in the bible does it say that he didn’t create man on more than one world. Man might look a bit different somewhere else, but it doesn’t matter, it’s not a faith thing.

So why talk about this? There are millions of people out there that know what they believe just as strongly as we know and believe in Christ. How do you reach them? You can’t only God can. Do you hate child that does not know things? No we teach them. Sometimes all we are called to do is cast a few seeds in the direction of the lost. Live by example and tell them why you believe. Look for opportunities to get to know people and have relationships with them.

You have to invest yourself into people’s lives a bit. Love first, let God be God. You realize that you do not have to tell someone that they are a sinner or damned to fulfill God’s commandments? You can love people as you would desire to be loved without mentioning God. It is when they ask how or why that you can let them know the how or why. That how or why, we all know, is God. Love first, let God be God. Cast the seed and let God water it.

“Faith is not belief without proof, but trust without reservation.” D. Elton Trueblood

Pain: the Shortest Path to God

“I’m in pain. I’m in deep trouble. God, save me and keep me safe.” Psalm 69:29 NIRV

There is nothing else in the world that will get a non-believer to pray to God quicker than pain. Physical, emotional, mental it doesn’t matter the stronger the pain the more prayer is involved. I find it funny that men and women every day that do not believe in God turn to him when they are hurting and cannot find a way to get around the problem at hand.

Psalm 69 is one of those psalms that just cry out for the hurting, lost, confused or those in trouble. It is a call and prayer for when you see no other way out. It is moments like these that people realize that we are not Gods and we cannot fix these things on our own. I think it’s a reaction that is hard coded into our being.

For a woman they say the worst pain one can feel is childbirth; for a man kidney stones. That’s physical pain, but there are hurts that we can have that run much deeper than these. Physical pain is something that I have always had a great tolerance for. It’s those pains that you can’t touch; those are the pains that get me.

Pain can call us to a quick call to Jesus, rarely is it not a scream or yelp that would be seen by most as vain. Pain can put us on all fours lamenting to the father to make the pain go away, even if we think he’s not real. People will cry out to him hoping that in this moment there is something more than them to help ease their pain.

There is a power in pain that is found rarely outside of it. When we are hurting in this way there is a vulnerability that can break even the strongest of shells. It is those times that we are but a child crying out to our mother or father to make the pain better. A child learns this because when they hurt and they are screaming it is mom or dad that picks them up and comforts them. It’s natural for the parent to do this.

So when we are older, we still yearn for this. Mom has not been able to pick me up and pack me for a long time, but it’s not mom that I cry out for anymore. It’s not dad either. I cry out to God because I know now that Mom and Dad cannot take care of all the pains that I feel. Today it’s just physical pain of a kidney stone moving around, but I cry out to God to help me through this.

In that pain I plead to God more than I do with just about anything else. That reaction is something that is biblical. The more we hurt the more we cry out to our God. The more guilty we feel for something that we have done; the more grim our earthly situation is; the more we cry out to God. Why?

Why is because we feel so weak and helpless in these situations and we realize the truth that is all through the bible, nothing we do can be done without God. Our weakness is amplified by our pain and with that weakness we draw on the one we should be drawing on for everything. God tells us to bring everything to him. Every hurt, every joy, every question, bring everything to Him. Prayerfully consider each and every action that you take.

It seems like a lot, how can God have time to answer my every question? Because he’s God and he loves you. We can turn to him when we are hurting so much easier because we know we are powerless to do anything about the pains that we are going through. It’s when we are strong and well that our pride keeps us from going to God.

God wishes to be involved in all that you do. There is nothing that you should do that God does not wish to be involved with. God’s not there just for when we hurt, he is there always. God created us and gave us gifts and talents, and he loves to see what we do with them. He calls us to glorify him and lift up his name in celebration.

Every busted knuckle, stubbed toe, twisted ankle is a reminder that God is right there. Why did he create pain? Sin required it. I do not see it completely as a punishment; I think he intended it to be a reminder to us that he is there. That may seem a little sadistic to a lot of folks, but think about it. When we have ran from our God that loves us, and refuse to turn to him, it is only in times of great pain that we reach back to him.

Pain is not a pleasant and happy thing and I’m not trying to make it out to be. Pain hurts, that’s why it’s pain. How many times do you need to touch that hot eye before you remember that it hurts to touch it? How many times do you need to try to fix that absence within you with sex before you realize that it doesn’t work? How many times do you need to hurt before you remember that God is right there?

God doesn’t want us to hurt. He wants us to be with him and love him. He wants us to converse with him always and daily. He wants us to be ever present in his glory. But we can’t do that when we are trying to do it ourselves.

We are the little kids that refuse to let their parents help them reach something that is just outside their reach. We are the teenager that thinks we know best. We are the adult that is too stubborn to listen to someone that is younger teach you a better way to do something. We are the Christians that cling too hard to tradition to realize that we are missing the point of Grace.

The law cannot save us; the Grace of Jesus Christ is something that you cannot earn. The Law cannot stop someone from hurting. The law teaches us a great number of valuable things, but it cannot replace Jesus; it cannot replace grace.

That does not mean that we skip the law. We still have to be told, “Don’t touch that it’s bad for you,” enough times to realize that it’s bad for us. Pain is just that reminder from the law that God is there and with that comes the fact that you don’t have to be perfect, you have Grace. Pain is just another way to get us to let go of the wheel and open up the possibility that God is real. Pain is a reminder that we are not God. Pain is the annoying teacher who you could not stand, but are so thankful you experienced it because of what she taught you.

“The aim of the wise is not to secure pleasure, but to avoid pain.” Aristotle

GodForgives.Us

God Loves Fags

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” John 3:16

So many times I have seen and heard people hurt by misuse of faith. I have heard scare tactics to force someone to change BEFORE they accept Christ or even to say that they must fix themselves before they can accept Christ. We have all seen the “God Hates Fags” sign. God hates the sin, not the sinner.

God is perfect love. God is unconditional love. I have no place to say how God feels about someone being gay. I do have a commandment from God to Love all neighbors as I would love myself and that means loving the Gay couple down the street just as much as it would the atheist across the way. Judgment is not for us to do; we screw that up all the time.

Luckily God accepts all that come calling to him. That is something that I am truly thankful for, because I would not be here otherwise. You can look in the bible, no matter the version you will not find anywhere that God Hates Fags, but yet Gays are attacked by Christians on a nearly daily basis. They aren’t the only groups that are attacked. I’m sorry but my fellow Christians, if we spent all that energy on love the world would be a much better place.

Another story to share, I have a cousin that was starting to go to church after struggling with drugs and bad habits that come along with it. He came forward in the church he was attending and accepted Christ and asked the church to pray for him to get off of drugs. After the service, one of the Christians there and his aunt told him that Christ would not accept him as long as he was on drugs and messing around with the prostitutes in town. He hasn’t been back to church since.

Things like that hurt people in ways that is very wrong to me on many levels. This same kind of mentality hurt me when I was young and contributed to my wandering and seeking peace, understanding and divinity outside of the Christian faith.  We come to the cross broken, and we allow God to come in through us and serve as our guiding light to help us take step after step to become more of what God wishes us to be.

Brian “Head” Welch can tell you his testimony about how broken he came to the cross and what God did for him and through him. You can go out to YouTube and see thousands of videos about how God saved someone from Drugs, Sexual Addictions, and from themselves. Not one person can come to the cross perfect.

We were born into sin, the flesh that we wear is made of sin and thus it dies. So from the moment we are born we are not perfect. There is not one person alive today that can go to the cross perfect. If we were perfect we would not need the cross. So before you cast that stone at the woman at the abortion clinic, or the women walking down the road holding hands, or the guy on the corner begging for food, just stop for a moment and ask yourself, “What would it help?”

You’ll find that throwing stones does nothing but cause harm. Would it be better to love on people like that? The woman at the clinic might feel that this is the only way for her, or there could be a much larger story there. I do not believe that women that go to those places do it because they want to kill their baby. They are probably in a very bad spot and hurting with something that they see no way out of. Love her.

Those women walking together, you ever think they might just be friends. Even if they are not, how many times have these women been hurt by men? Even more than that, if you are truly worried about their salvation telling them they are going to burn in hell won’t help anything. Start your conversation like you would any other couple. Ask them how long they have been together and find out more about them. Then invite them to church, but do it only after you have loved them.

Do you love God? Do you love Jesus? Do you want everyone else to love them? I don’t think a lot of Jews loved Hitler. Don’t make the God we love out to be Hitler. Don’t help people that have a bad opinion about Christ and God have validation for that opinion. You and I know that God is Grace, Mercy and Love. Show that! Love people, show them mercy and grace. Be God in all you do. Stop the hate mongering. Stop the judging. Start the Loving. Start letting hope shine through you so people see the God we love and respect.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Martin Luther King, Jr.