The Web Site and Blog of Pastor Chris Brauns
Earth’s cramm’d wi’ heav’n
And every bush and tree with fire of God;
But only he who sees
Takes off his shoes …
Author unknown.*
How can we look at the magnificence of this tree and not take off our shoes in worship?
National Geographic has a story about photographing the biggest tree ever. You can watch the video below or click here to see the story.
HT: Joe Thorn for the tree story.
*Quoted in Kelly Clark, Return to Reason, page 123. See also Psalm 19:1-6 !
G.K. Chesteron:
It is idle to talk always of the alternative of reason and faith. Reason is itself a matter of faith.
Quoted in Kelly Clark, Return to Reason, page 123.
Edward J. Young:
It is useless to talk of men solving their own problems, as long as they are sinners, for in its very nature sin tends to divide men and to make them hate one another. . . the vicious tensions of our modern day cannot be solved by legislation. Until something is done to change the heart, there can be no hope (Young,Genesis 3, Banner of Truth, 89).
A theodicy is “a defense of God’s goodness and omnipotence in view of the existence of evil.” A theodicy speaks to the question, “If God is good and all-powerful, how do we explain the existence of evil.”
So how do Christians explain the problem of evil?
The reality is, we can’t provide an exhaustive theodicy or explanation of the existence of evil. Our minds cannot fully fathom “why.”
But, in his recommended book, Return to Reason, Kelly Clark, explains why Christians need not feel intellectually compromised if they cannot explain the existence of evil. Here is how he concludes the discussion.
The Christian theist need not be troubled by is his ignorance of a theodicy. This ignorance is not insincere, questionable or obscurantist. Rather, it is quite consistent with his theistic beliefs. The Christian theist will believe that God has a good reason for allowing evil, although he does not know what it is or know it in any detail. He believes that God has a good reason because of God’s redemptive incarnational revelation. It is not rationally incumbent upon the theist to produce a successful theodicy; the theist, in order to be rational, must simply believe that God has a good reason for allowing evil. A God who shares in our pain, who redeems our sorrows and our shortcomings, who wipes away ever tear, is surely a good God. (page 89).
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If you want to stretch yourself intellectually, and learn more about Reformed epistemology, then this is an excellent place to begin.
God willing, this morning my sermon will focus on the sources of authority we recognize in our lives. Of course, I will preach that God’s Word should be our only rule for life and conduct even as I encourage our church family to again commit ourselves to the Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The authority of God’s special revelation is what Paul establishes immediately in writing to the church at Rome (Romans 1:1-2).
As a part of the challenge this morning, I am also praying that the Holy Spirit will convict us of areas in which we allow other sources of authority to run our lives.
I wonder if each of us can identify other sources of authority to which we defer when we make decisions in the flesh.
Here are some sources of authority which we sometimes sinfully listen to rather than heeding God’s Word:
What are other sources of authority that people allow to make their decisions rather than God’s Word?
My 3 year* old daughter Mary Beth loves to be written into the story. She likes traditional fairy tales a lot. But, she loves them even more when I invent a role for her in the story. So, I’ve been rewriting fairy tales with a dark haired 3 year old named Mary Beth in a starring role.
So far, Mary Beth and her good friend Little Red Riding Hood stayed on the path and outsmarted the big bad wolf. When I invented a part for her in the 3 Billy Goats Gruff, she was so scared of facing the Troll she hid under a blanket. But, before the story was over she lectured the troll for his bad manners. Most recently, she befriended Snow White and helped her fix dinner for the seven dwarves.
Mary Beth’s love of being in the story points to something that is true for all of us. We all have a deep desire to be involved in a story that is bigger than ourselves. All of us want to be a part of something grand. We want to be written into the tale.
Be assured of this. If you put your faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, then you are being written into the greatest true story ever told. You are part of the grand script written by God where every detail matters. We don’t understand how everything is working out, but we know that an all-knowing, all-powerful God is making sure that the great story works out for the good of those who love him, who are called according to His purpose.
It’s Saturday, why not read one of your children or grandchildren a story today? You can even write them in.
*This is reposted from earlier. Our three year old is now six!
Honorable people avoid strife. Foolish people are quick to quarrel.
Proverbs 20:3 in four different translations:
It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling. ESV
It is to a man’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel. NIV
It is an honor for a person to cease from strife, but every fool quarrels. The NET Bible.
Keeping away from strife is an honor for a man, But any fool will quarrel. NASB
John Frame offers one explanation of why we are sometimes critical and quick to quarrel, even though wisdom counsels against it:
Because we want glory for ourselves, we seek to find fault in others. Contentious people are constantly looking for something to argue about, some way to start controversy and disrupt the peace.” John Frame*
*Quoted in Jim Belcher, Deep Church, page 66, originally found in Evangelical Reunion (Baker, 1991).
If you’re looking for the world’s greatest Sunday School teachers, they are teaching my little girl’s class at The Red Brick Church in Stillman Valley, IL.
My six year old, Mary Beth – who loves to get mail –- received this postcard today. When she sees it (provided I remember to get it home) she will positively beam.
Can any of us imagine the difference it makes in eternity, when we as church family share God’s word in loving and thoughtful ways with our children?
Do you remember Sunday School teachers who encouraged you?
A new movie features Matt Damon playing the story of Mark Whitacre, an employee of ADM (Archer Daniels Midland) who was a whisteblower on their price fixing while embezzling $9 million. Whitacre eventually went to prison.
Many may not know that through his whole experience, Whitacre was converted. Marv Olasky recently interviewed him:
In 1983, at age 25, Mark Whitacre earned a Ph.D. in Nutritional Biochemistry from Cornell University. At age 32 he became president of the fastest-growing division within Archer Daniels Midland, one of the largest conglomerates in America. At age 40 he entered prison and became a Christian there. At age 49, in December 2006, he left prison.
Whitacre is best known publicly for his whistleblower role in the 1990s ADM price-fixing case, which ended with a $100 million fine for the company and prison for some top officials. ADM’s 2005 annual report also lists a $400 million payment to settle a class action suit. But Whitacre, while secretly taping price-fixing discussions, was also stealing $9 million from ADM.
His saga of corruption and mania will receive new attention over the next several weeks as The Informant!, a movie starring Matt Damon as Mark Whitacre, hits theaters around the country. (See "Unfaithful telling," Sept. 18, 2009.) The film is a dark comedy that does not deal with Whitacre’s conversion to Christ—and that’s a remarkable story of how hard time created receptivity to God’s good news. Whitacre told me that had he avoided prison or received only the six-month sentence that could have been his at one point, he would have remained merely a nominal churchgoer who worshipped financial success. . .
Read the whole thing here.
HT: JT
If you had to identify the most strategic local church in history, which church would you choose?
Continue reading ‘What was the most strategic local church in history?’
Read endorsements for Unpacking Forgiveness here.
Click here to order Unpacking Forgiveness.
“. . . Chris Brauns has done a magnificent job in helping us understand the true nature of biblical forgiveness. Every Christian will profit from reading and applying this book.” Jerry Bridges.
“ . . . Unpacking Forgiveness is an engaging, convicting but emphatically encouraging treatment of this hugely important (and sometimes mindbogglingly challenging) part of life. Dr. Brauns writes from the standpoint of a faithful, wise, experienced and caring pastor . . .” Ligon Duncan, First Pres, Jackson, MS
A Brick in the Valley