I am often surprised by how much time I can let pass between times that I pick up and read my Bible. I do not know what happens, really. One week or month I read every day and sometimes more than once. Then for a week or a month at a time I can let it sit and, though being reminded about it, find no time to pick it up again for some time.
I sometimes feel like I get to point where my spiritual life seems healthy, and so I become lax and my discipline wanes. This cycle has already repeated itself many times, and it appears to have done so again. It is even more stark a revelation to look at this blog and realize that my last post was on the 22nd of February, over a month ago. I know it hasn't been that long since I last read or prayed, but perhaps it was around then that I began to feel comfortable again, thus leading to my lax.
But that isn't really what this post is about. Jesus did not, to my layman's knowledge, command us to read the Bible every day. But He did tell us to be faithful and live through our faith. True, the two go often together and seldom apart for us today.
The band Casting Crowns has been talking to me through their music lately, and I am encouraged to see that even those at this journey longer than I are prone to the same pitfalls that I face daily. Their song The Altar and the Door is a powerful story to me. If you haven't heard it or listened to it very carefully, I recommend it.
In Him,
D.G. Martin
Currently Reading: Romans 1
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
Truth in Troubles Times -
It's tough to figure out sometimes. Even things that we think are true and right can be false.
I've recently run into problems with what I should be doing career wise. Sometimes this option looks right, sometimes the other. Money and bills and expenses and security all come flying at me at once as I try to figure out what I need to be doing.
I don't really have anything profound to say today. I actually have a prayer request.
I need prayer for direction in my career and in my life. I know it's a big request, but God is bigger than I am. So I've always that if anyone knows what I need to do, it's Him.
In Him,
D.G. Martin
I've recently run into problems with what I should be doing career wise. Sometimes this option looks right, sometimes the other. Money and bills and expenses and security all come flying at me at once as I try to figure out what I need to be doing.
I don't really have anything profound to say today. I actually have a prayer request.
I need prayer for direction in my career and in my life. I know it's a big request, but God is bigger than I am. So I've always that if anyone knows what I need to do, it's Him.
In Him,
D.G. Martin
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Facts and Faith -
My reading last night in Mark made me pause to think for a long time last night. In Chapter 8, verses 14-21 is found one of the most interesting parts of Mark I ever remember reading.
In this passage, the disciples of Jesus followed Him onto a boat that they sailed towards Bethsaida. The disciples had only brought along one loaf of bread and were worried about having enough to eat on the journey. Mark actually seems to hint that there was quite a disagreement about what they should do, a fight even.
Jesus knew about this problem and came to them saying, "Why do you discuss the fact that we have no bread?" (verse 17). The disciples had previously seen him feed 4,000 people out of 7 loaves of bread and (8:1-8) and earlier feed 5,000 from 5 loaves (6:33-44). This is one of harshest criticisms Jesus has given His disciples to this point the Gospel. Their faith is still so limited. They had seen Jesus perfrom these two amazing miracles and yet were afraid that He would let them go hungry on the boat. Jesus finishes with a question, "Do you not yet understand?" (verse 21).
There is nothing written about the response of the disciples, but that's not what caught me. What made me pause and discuss this passage with my wife for a few minutes was the fact that I probably have the same problem the disciples did. Somewhere in my life is a loaf of bread that I am not trusting Jesus to turn into a feast.
We all have parts of our lives that we just don't, for some reason, trust Jesus with. It may be difficult to do so, but if we let those parts go to Him, we will receive a return greater than we can fully comprehend or manage. Jesus wants to bless us in just the same way He blessed the crowds.
I pray for the grace to let go and let Jesus' return be sufficient.
In Him,
D. G. Martin
Reading Today: Mark 9
In this passage, the disciples of Jesus followed Him onto a boat that they sailed towards Bethsaida. The disciples had only brought along one loaf of bread and were worried about having enough to eat on the journey. Mark actually seems to hint that there was quite a disagreement about what they should do, a fight even.
Jesus knew about this problem and came to them saying, "Why do you discuss the fact that we have no bread?" (verse 17). The disciples had previously seen him feed 4,000 people out of 7 loaves of bread and (8:1-8) and earlier feed 5,000 from 5 loaves (6:33-44). This is one of harshest criticisms Jesus has given His disciples to this point the Gospel. Their faith is still so limited. They had seen Jesus perfrom these two amazing miracles and yet were afraid that He would let them go hungry on the boat. Jesus finishes with a question, "Do you not yet understand?" (verse 21).
There is nothing written about the response of the disciples, but that's not what caught me. What made me pause and discuss this passage with my wife for a few minutes was the fact that I probably have the same problem the disciples did. Somewhere in my life is a loaf of bread that I am not trusting Jesus to turn into a feast.
We all have parts of our lives that we just don't, for some reason, trust Jesus with. It may be difficult to do so, but if we let those parts go to Him, we will receive a return greater than we can fully comprehend or manage. Jesus wants to bless us in just the same way He blessed the crowds.
I pray for the grace to let go and let Jesus' return be sufficient.
In Him,
D. G. Martin
Reading Today: Mark 9
Thursday, February 14, 2008
The Day of Love
I've always found it odd that February 14th is the "Day of Love." I understand that is has to do with the day of St. Valentine, who is actually many saints. The Wikipedia article, which seems to be well-researched, can be found here.
But really, this is an odd day, is it not? It happens in February, which means that it will be cold most places and there will likely be rain, snow, or at least clouds. The weather often interferes with even the most carefully planned romantic schemes, as any outside event could be disastrous. My own wife does not like this day very much, because she does not see why we need to actually have a day set aside to tell out loved ones that we love them.
Even though most of us express love throughout the year, my wife has a point. The majority of outward signals of love happen on this day every year. But we are taught to do something different by Jesus. Every day of his ministry he openly gave of himself out of His love for us. His great showing of love surpasses any other, and He did the same every day. Many of us find it difficult to express ourselves on one day a year while our Lord displayed His love for us with every breath He took.
Today is a special day. But let us also make tomorrow special by showing the same kind of love without the reminder of a special day.
In Him,
D. G. Martin
Reading Today: Mark 7
But really, this is an odd day, is it not? It happens in February, which means that it will be cold most places and there will likely be rain, snow, or at least clouds. The weather often interferes with even the most carefully planned romantic schemes, as any outside event could be disastrous. My own wife does not like this day very much, because she does not see why we need to actually have a day set aside to tell out loved ones that we love them.
Even though most of us express love throughout the year, my wife has a point. The majority of outward signals of love happen on this day every year. But we are taught to do something different by Jesus. Every day of his ministry he openly gave of himself out of His love for us. His great showing of love surpasses any other, and He did the same every day. Many of us find it difficult to express ourselves on one day a year while our Lord displayed His love for us with every breath He took.
Today is a special day. But let us also make tomorrow special by showing the same kind of love without the reminder of a special day.
In Him,
D. G. Martin
Reading Today: Mark 7
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Not Just the Body -
I do not have time today for a very lengthy issue, but I am reading through Mark this week, and something interesting struck me that I thought I should share.
Jesus spent most of the first five chapters of Mark doing little else than healing. A few of his better known parables are there, in chapter 4, but the rest of the first five chapters have him doing almost nothing else. The people he heals are completely and profoundly healed and changed not just in body, but most outwardly in spirit.
When Jesus heals someone, He has to restrain their joy in order to not call too much attention to Himself and His ministry too early. Though this often failed to be as effective as He commands, Mark gives a good account of not just the healing power but the life-changing power of Christ.
If you have physical frailties, offer them to the Lord, and He will respond.
If you have frailties of the spirit and of the mind (most of us call it being tired), offer these up as well, for the Gospels surely show us that Christ came to us to heal that part of us as well.
In Him,
D. G. Martin
Reading Today: Mark 6
Jesus spent most of the first five chapters of Mark doing little else than healing. A few of his better known parables are there, in chapter 4, but the rest of the first five chapters have him doing almost nothing else. The people he heals are completely and profoundly healed and changed not just in body, but most outwardly in spirit.
When Jesus heals someone, He has to restrain their joy in order to not call too much attention to Himself and His ministry too early. Though this often failed to be as effective as He commands, Mark gives a good account of not just the healing power but the life-changing power of Christ.
If you have physical frailties, offer them to the Lord, and He will respond.
If you have frailties of the spirit and of the mind (most of us call it being tired), offer these up as well, for the Gospels surely show us that Christ came to us to heal that part of us as well.
In Him,
D. G. Martin
Reading Today: Mark 6
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
So That We are not Misunderstood
Greetings and Blessings,
I had a negative experience this past weekend in my gaming group. The gaming session itself went just fine, but afterwards there was a line of conversation that has made me consider certain motivations and courses of action for the present time and the future.
Now let me say a few things first before I get into what actually took place, so that I am not misunderstood. My religious beliefs are that of the Protestant line of the Christian Church. Yes, I believe that Christ was born of a virgin. Yes, I belive that He was crucified on a cross for the purpose of being one last sacrifice, a final atonement for the sins of the world, for each and every one of us. Yes, I believe that, just as importantly, He rose again from death, having conquered it once and for all. I believe all of this and more. And, I have found that there is a standard set for those like me that is at once amazingly staunch and unrelentingly hypocritical. This standard is not self-imposed, at least not in any societal sense, for most Christians want to be seen in the best light possible. Instead those who are not Christian have imposed it upon me and those like me for reasons that they believe are just and good but are ultimately selfish, biased, and (to be blunt) the personification of faults and shortfalls perceived to be present (either consciously or not) in their own lives. I am speaking, of course, of the Standard of Tolerance.
First, I have to speak of what tolerance means for those who are doing the imposing. Tolerance is a magical word for a magical world. It is the key to ushering in a utopia of good feelings and no more evil (if such a thing even exists) in the world. In this world of tolerance nobody is wrong to have the views he or she holds to. In this magical realm, nobody has the right to say that anyone else is wrong about anything. There is only what the individual holds to be a personal truth. This multi-faceted embracing of all world views and religions begets an age of peace, harmony, and understanding between all peoples.
Now this "Tolerance" thing may seem very nice to a lot of people. No more fighting about who is right about this or that. No more squabbling about my god being better than your god. A Christian is just as right as an atheist, as a Hindu, as a Druid, as a Muslim, as a Buddhist. I do not want to stop here to discuss why this is an ignorant thought. Instead, I wish to discuss why this thought is either so repulsive to me and those like me or why others with the same views strive to cut off pieces of themselves in order to be seen as someone who is tolerant and able to fit into our society.
As a Christian, the "Standard of Tolerance" is at once a very funny and a very insulting thing. On the one hand, I see a society (a group of people) pushing down upon me to accept this view, a forced theological and philosophical change for me, just to be accepted in society. If I do not, I am branded a hypocrite, cast into a dark room of social nothingness, scorned for standing next to beliefs that are too harsh for a fragile world to endure. On the other hand, should I bend to the Standard, then it will be perceived that my convictions were not so important to me in the first place (as I have just compromised them in order to fit in), and society will take a look at the beliefs I hold and judge them to fall short of consideration because so many have bent and broken them in order to fit in to society.
Everyone knows an example of at least one type of person that I have mentioned so far. Many of these examples hurt the ability of the Christian people today to effectively minister to those who are in need. Some in society hold the faults of Christian people against God and Jesus, failing (or refusing) to realize the difference in God and Man. As with most situations, the bad outweighs the good, if only in effect and memory, even if the bad does not actually supercede it (which it rarely can). A Christian then has to come across a difficult decision. This decision is one that needs to be understood before it can be judged and accepted.
To one side, the Christian has a chance to fit into society, to be seen as a member of something, a group participant, as tolerant and not a biggot. The Christians who choose this path ultimately must, out of need, cease to be Christians. The Standard or Tolerance and the edicts of Christianity can not co-exist in the same place. Christianity is anathema to the Standard. The Christian choosing the Standard does so under the assumption that he is proving to the world that he is not a biggot, that he can operate "correctly" around others and that he can not hold it against others what their beliefs may be. How fuzzy and warm.
I have not yet touched on why this Standard of Tolerance is repulsive to me. That is because it may be the hardest part for most people to accept. I find the Standard of Tolerance repulsive because I am by definition and declaration of faith a most intolerant person. As society would have it, I am to be tolerant of all other religions and notions of right and wrong, accepting them as if they were true for the person who hold them. I can not do that. Jesus is the right way for eveyone, not just me. He's the only way. End of discussion. I can't be tolerant! I can be respectful. I can choose to not fight constantly to assert my beliefs. I can choose to accept those around me for the wonderful and amazing creations of God that they are, as special to Him as I ever was and just as precious. But, I am unable (I use "unable" here because we as Christians actually do not have a choice in this.) to accept that any other view of right and wrong besides that which finds its source in Jesus Christ, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit. Any Christian who contradicts this is, I am pretty sure, not very familiar with what Christ actually said.
So what does that mean? Where does leave us? We live in society, among its people, eating the same food, breathing the same air, buying the same cars. We are integrated into society by the very nature of being human. But we are not society itself. We are different. Those who follow me to this point without jumping off at the point of conforming to the Standard will share in my dilemma. Our message has to be heard, but we can not assert it to the point that we drive away those who would otherwise hear it and believe. Where is the balance?
In short, I am tired. I, myself, have conformed too much, given up too much to allow myself to operate in a group (not a specific one, though that will come later). I am tired of staying quiet when I hear people speak ill of my Lord. I am even more tired of staying silent when I see other Christians do it, through word and deed. I am tired of being Peter as he was in the gospels. I want to be Peter in Acts, and later, in his letters. I need to be that, and I realize that now. I am an intolerant person, and to not embrace that is tearing me up. To use an analogy, as many of you know I am fond of doing, I am going to play this hand of cards, no matter how bad it may look. God gave it to me for a reason. Each and every card in my hand is there because He knows it needs to be there. No more folding.
Now, most of you are probably wondering what brought this on. Well, I am part of a roleplaying game group that meets on Saturday nights. I am running the current game (meaning that I am the guy telling the story while the others interact through character actions and drive the sotry through their decisions). This group has been together for about half a year now, and we play really well together. I am the only Christian in the group, however, and while conversation can occassionally lean in ways that cause me to withdraw participation in the discussion I have had no major problems with the group. But last Saturday I got that straw that may have broken my own personal camel's back (he's one strong animal!). We were all talking after the gaming session and the topic changed over to one of parenting (one guy in the group is a father, and we were at his house, talking with his wife). That topic quickly degenerated into "scary" Christians and their beliefs about parenting and how Jesus doesn't love you if you misbehave or Jesus likes to see kids getting beat, really some pretty crass stuff. Well, I quickly withdrew from the conversation, a fact little noticed by the rest of the group, and waited out the topic until it changed. But I said nothing.
I've never heard a silent cock crow so loudly.
Maybe saying something would have made the guys not want me in the group anymore. Of course then they'd be pretty intolerant, wouldn't they? Maybe I'd have been engaged in a 6 on 1 Jesus attack. Maybe I'd have been laughed at and told to keep my religious views to myself. (And they should try the same! Expressing a negative view of Jesus is a religious view, too!) I'll never know now, though, because we're never told what might have happened. But I wish I had said something. I wish I had drawn my sword and shield and, come what may, fought to defend my Lord (I'm not saying He really needs it, but I need it).
I don't know what the future will hold for me with this group, but I do know that I'm not going to fold anymore. I'm going to live as like a Christian (read: Narnian) as I can, even if it costs me everything I have. To do otherwise from this point on, I would have to cut off pieces of myself. And I like those pieces.
In Him,
D.G. Martin
Book of the Bible Read today: Mark 6
I had a negative experience this past weekend in my gaming group. The gaming session itself went just fine, but afterwards there was a line of conversation that has made me consider certain motivations and courses of action for the present time and the future.
Now let me say a few things first before I get into what actually took place, so that I am not misunderstood. My religious beliefs are that of the Protestant line of the Christian Church. Yes, I believe that Christ was born of a virgin. Yes, I belive that He was crucified on a cross for the purpose of being one last sacrifice, a final atonement for the sins of the world, for each and every one of us. Yes, I believe that, just as importantly, He rose again from death, having conquered it once and for all. I believe all of this and more. And, I have found that there is a standard set for those like me that is at once amazingly staunch and unrelentingly hypocritical. This standard is not self-imposed, at least not in any societal sense, for most Christians want to be seen in the best light possible. Instead those who are not Christian have imposed it upon me and those like me for reasons that they believe are just and good but are ultimately selfish, biased, and (to be blunt) the personification of faults and shortfalls perceived to be present (either consciously or not) in their own lives. I am speaking, of course, of the Standard of Tolerance.
First, I have to speak of what tolerance means for those who are doing the imposing. Tolerance is a magical word for a magical world. It is the key to ushering in a utopia of good feelings and no more evil (if such a thing even exists) in the world. In this world of tolerance nobody is wrong to have the views he or she holds to. In this magical realm, nobody has the right to say that anyone else is wrong about anything. There is only what the individual holds to be a personal truth. This multi-faceted embracing of all world views and religions begets an age of peace, harmony, and understanding between all peoples.
Now this "Tolerance" thing may seem very nice to a lot of people. No more fighting about who is right about this or that. No more squabbling about my god being better than your god. A Christian is just as right as an atheist, as a Hindu, as a Druid, as a Muslim, as a Buddhist. I do not want to stop here to discuss why this is an ignorant thought. Instead, I wish to discuss why this thought is either so repulsive to me and those like me or why others with the same views strive to cut off pieces of themselves in order to be seen as someone who is tolerant and able to fit into our society.
As a Christian, the "Standard of Tolerance" is at once a very funny and a very insulting thing. On the one hand, I see a society (a group of people) pushing down upon me to accept this view, a forced theological and philosophical change for me, just to be accepted in society. If I do not, I am branded a hypocrite, cast into a dark room of social nothingness, scorned for standing next to beliefs that are too harsh for a fragile world to endure. On the other hand, should I bend to the Standard, then it will be perceived that my convictions were not so important to me in the first place (as I have just compromised them in order to fit in), and society will take a look at the beliefs I hold and judge them to fall short of consideration because so many have bent and broken them in order to fit in to society.
Everyone knows an example of at least one type of person that I have mentioned so far. Many of these examples hurt the ability of the Christian people today to effectively minister to those who are in need. Some in society hold the faults of Christian people against God and Jesus, failing (or refusing) to realize the difference in God and Man. As with most situations, the bad outweighs the good, if only in effect and memory, even if the bad does not actually supercede it (which it rarely can). A Christian then has to come across a difficult decision. This decision is one that needs to be understood before it can be judged and accepted.
To one side, the Christian has a chance to fit into society, to be seen as a member of something, a group participant, as tolerant and not a biggot. The Christians who choose this path ultimately must, out of need, cease to be Christians. The Standard or Tolerance and the edicts of Christianity can not co-exist in the same place. Christianity is anathema to the Standard. The Christian choosing the Standard does so under the assumption that he is proving to the world that he is not a biggot, that he can operate "correctly" around others and that he can not hold it against others what their beliefs may be. How fuzzy and warm.
I have not yet touched on why this Standard of Tolerance is repulsive to me. That is because it may be the hardest part for most people to accept. I find the Standard of Tolerance repulsive because I am by definition and declaration of faith a most intolerant person. As society would have it, I am to be tolerant of all other religions and notions of right and wrong, accepting them as if they were true for the person who hold them. I can not do that. Jesus is the right way for eveyone, not just me. He's the only way. End of discussion. I can't be tolerant! I can be respectful. I can choose to not fight constantly to assert my beliefs. I can choose to accept those around me for the wonderful and amazing creations of God that they are, as special to Him as I ever was and just as precious. But, I am unable (I use "unable" here because we as Christians actually do not have a choice in this.) to accept that any other view of right and wrong besides that which finds its source in Jesus Christ, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit. Any Christian who contradicts this is, I am pretty sure, not very familiar with what Christ actually said.
So what does that mean? Where does leave us? We live in society, among its people, eating the same food, breathing the same air, buying the same cars. We are integrated into society by the very nature of being human. But we are not society itself. We are different. Those who follow me to this point without jumping off at the point of conforming to the Standard will share in my dilemma. Our message has to be heard, but we can not assert it to the point that we drive away those who would otherwise hear it and believe. Where is the balance?
In short, I am tired. I, myself, have conformed too much, given up too much to allow myself to operate in a group (not a specific one, though that will come later). I am tired of staying quiet when I hear people speak ill of my Lord. I am even more tired of staying silent when I see other Christians do it, through word and deed. I am tired of being Peter as he was in the gospels. I want to be Peter in Acts, and later, in his letters. I need to be that, and I realize that now. I am an intolerant person, and to not embrace that is tearing me up. To use an analogy, as many of you know I am fond of doing, I am going to play this hand of cards, no matter how bad it may look. God gave it to me for a reason. Each and every card in my hand is there because He knows it needs to be there. No more folding.
Now, most of you are probably wondering what brought this on. Well, I am part of a roleplaying game group that meets on Saturday nights. I am running the current game (meaning that I am the guy telling the story while the others interact through character actions and drive the sotry through their decisions). This group has been together for about half a year now, and we play really well together. I am the only Christian in the group, however, and while conversation can occassionally lean in ways that cause me to withdraw participation in the discussion I have had no major problems with the group. But last Saturday I got that straw that may have broken my own personal camel's back (he's one strong animal!). We were all talking after the gaming session and the topic changed over to one of parenting (one guy in the group is a father, and we were at his house, talking with his wife). That topic quickly degenerated into "scary" Christians and their beliefs about parenting and how Jesus doesn't love you if you misbehave or Jesus likes to see kids getting beat, really some pretty crass stuff. Well, I quickly withdrew from the conversation, a fact little noticed by the rest of the group, and waited out the topic until it changed. But I said nothing.
I've never heard a silent cock crow so loudly.
Maybe saying something would have made the guys not want me in the group anymore. Of course then they'd be pretty intolerant, wouldn't they? Maybe I'd have been engaged in a 6 on 1 Jesus attack. Maybe I'd have been laughed at and told to keep my religious views to myself. (And they should try the same! Expressing a negative view of Jesus is a religious view, too!) I'll never know now, though, because we're never told what might have happened. But I wish I had said something. I wish I had drawn my sword and shield and, come what may, fought to defend my Lord (I'm not saying He really needs it, but I need it).
I don't know what the future will hold for me with this group, but I do know that I'm not going to fold anymore. I'm going to live as like a Christian (read: Narnian) as I can, even if it costs me everything I have. To do otherwise from this point on, I would have to cut off pieces of myself. And I like those pieces.
In Him,
D.G. Martin
Book of the Bible Read today: Mark 6
Introduction
Greetings and Blessings,
My hope with this blog is provide some stepping stones for other Christians, old and new. I am not a pastor, only a layman in the church, but I believe that faith and support can come from all of us. Only as a body of believers do we have the strength needed to pull eachother up and tackle tough issues and seemingly impossible odds. Our situation is not hopeless. We may struggle, each of of us with our own stumbling blocks, but Jesus can help us overcome our shortfalls.
I want this blog to be real, so I am going to effort not to sugar coat or restrict the topics in any way. There are some tough situations out there that we face daily, and we need faith in Jesus Christ to get through the day.
In Him,
D.G. Martin
Book of the Bible Read today: Mark 6
My hope with this blog is provide some stepping stones for other Christians, old and new. I am not a pastor, only a layman in the church, but I believe that faith and support can come from all of us. Only as a body of believers do we have the strength needed to pull eachother up and tackle tough issues and seemingly impossible odds. Our situation is not hopeless. We may struggle, each of of us with our own stumbling blocks, but Jesus can help us overcome our shortfalls.
I want this blog to be real, so I am going to effort not to sugar coat or restrict the topics in any way. There are some tough situations out there that we face daily, and we need faith in Jesus Christ to get through the day.
In Him,
D.G. Martin
Book of the Bible Read today: Mark 6
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