Disney–Not where I am taking my kids

It is sad that Disney has fallen so far from what it started. I remember when I was in 5th grade going to Disneyland Disney World in Florida as a family. We packed in the car and drove all the way from Texas. It was a blast. I remember my mom collected different pine cones from every state we went through. Disneyland was a blast. Well…I dont really remember any of it except the tea cup ride. I rode that think like 10 times. I am sure my parents were sick of it.

Now, I dont know if I would even take my kids there anymore. With the recent crazyness with Miley Cyrus being at the end of the list. It doesnt seem like Disney really cares about the family values that I treasure.

Some might call Disney’s openness to homosexuality wonderful. To me it is throwing their values…not just at me….but at my kids.

Of course, I dont have any kids yet.

Islamophobia

Have you noticed that on blogs it is commonplace to deride Arabs, Islam, Muslims, etc. in ways that nobody would think about to other ethnic or religious groups? Case in point: in a discussion last month on another blog I expressed my view that the war in Iraq was unjust and would only cause more violence worldwide in the long run over the next decade. Several people, but one in particular, began to argue with me…not so much on the merits of the war, but on the inferiority of Arab culture and people. I was stunned.

Over that past month I have paid attention to various posts on Islam over the web. Some of the comments that were made have floored me, and they are not worth repeating.

As a follower of Jesus I think that it is necessary to stand for positions that are important to me. It is even productive to have ’spirited’ discussions. However, I am really tired of all of the junk that is written about Arabs personally.

Most of the time arabs are charicatured as hate filled, irrational, backwards, and good-for-nothing. After living in the Middle East for several years I can say that large parts of the blogosphere need to reevaluate their stereotypes with reality and to take a good long look at possible seeds of bigotry.

I am not saying that we cant talk about things that we disagree on, but we should not ever ad hominem.

Nature of science and faith

“It is true, that a little philosophy inclineth man’s mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men’s minds about to religion.” Francis Bacon.

I believe there are very few easy answers to life. Things have a tendency to get convoluted and mixed up. This is perhaps never truer than in matters of Faith and Science. Some, who misunderstand science, claim that it negates all forms of faith as silly, superstitious, and unreasonable. Others, who misunderstand faith, claim that science is a bold affront to all things spiritual. Neither position is true.

Clarity is possible. It comes when we let down our emotional attachments and reasonably assay the situation.

The following are my personal views on Faith and Science. I will certainly alter them over time, but let me start with a few directions then I will move to a discussion.

Directions:

• I categorically reject the viewpoint that scripture and the scientific method are equal and mutually exclusive (independence position of science and religion).
• Science has a definition. It is not nebulous. 
  • There is such a thing as incorrect science.
• Faith has a definition. It is not nebulous.
  •  There is such a thing as incorrect faith.

Directions two and three probably sound obvious to you (hopefully), but if all literature, discussions, blogs, etc. followed them then our search would be much more fruitful.

Let’s start with some simple definitions of science. According to Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary science is,

“Knowledge attained through study or practice¹,” or

“Knowledge covering general truths of the operation of general laws, esp. as obtained and tested through scientific method [and] concerned with the physical world¹“

These are both simplified definitions, perhaps overly so. In order to understand what science is then the knowledge itself must be defined. The knowledge understood in these definitions is brought about through the scientific method. The process of using the scientific method, for simplicity I will simply use science as a verb from now on (i.e. to do science, to use the scientific method), is hinged up falsification. Hypotheses are tested and tentatively accepted or rejected based on experimental observations. If they are rejected then new ideas take their place. If they are accepted then they are further scrutinized until they enter into a category of ‘reasonably certain.’

A comprehensive definition of science must be at least twofold:

1. Process oriented
2. Knowledge base

The process definition is the verb form, doing science. I take issue with some definitions that state that science “makes use of” the scientific method. In truth, science is the scientific method.

The knowledge base aspect of science should then be satisfactorily exact (yet not burdensomely so). Several excellent definitions exists, but personally I would just say, “a systematized, growing body of knowledge subject to revision and falsification” Some might argue here about established foundations of science-are they really subject to falsification and revision? One example in geology might be the theory plate tectonics. Is it really subject to revision? Certainly so. Is it really subject to falsification? Indeed yes. 

A historical example would be Newton’s Law of Gravity: F = G (m1•m2)/r² where F is the gravitational force, G is the universal gravitational constant, m1 and m2 are masses of two objects, and r is the distance between them. The ‘theory’ of gravity was considered fact for a very long time although really it was a “reasonably certain.” When Einstein published his theory of relativity he better described the attraction force in such a way as spacetime curvature rather than a force. It was latter seen that his theory better described the orbits of our planets than did Newton’s theory.

This is the nature of science. Science is not dogma. It can never be dogma. This is the great strength of science…its flexibility.

An interesting aside to this discussion is the idea of scientific determinism. One of the modes (without getting into types such as: incompatabalists, libertarians, etc.) of determinism said that future events are necessitated by past and present events combined with the laws of nature⁶. Basically this view said that there was no such thing as free will. All events both natural and human are predetermined based on earlier events. Furthermore, many scientists claimed that when all information was known about the system then all future events of our system could be predicted. Therefore, one day man would be able to know all the events of his life before they happen (admittedly we are stepping on fatalists toes more then determinists). This view was shattered in 1926 when Heisenberg formulated his Uncertainty Principle which stated that one can not know both the position and velocity of a subatomic particle at the same time. As one more accurately knows the position the momentum becomes less known, and vice versa as one calculates the momentum the position become less accurate. This showed that it is not possible to gain knowledge about the exact conditions of a system at a given moment in time. Thus, it is not possible to predict the future based on knowledge of the past. Whether or not such a thing as free will exists we will leave to a latter discussion. Enough of that rabbit trail back to the main discussion.

Then, what is the definition of faith? Well, that is a much more difficult problem to tackle. First, I will narrow the playing field by only discussing supernatural faith. Certainly, there are other types of faith (such as wife’s faith in her husband’s fidelity), but this discussion will not purposely encapsulate them. Some definitions include:

“The theological virtue defined as secure belief in God and trusting acceptance of God’s will²”

“Belief; the assent of the mind to the truth of what is declared by another, resting on his authority and veracity, without other evidence; the judgment that what another testifies is the truth³”

I have a preference to “the assent of the mind to the truth,” but  ”without other evidence” is not accurate. Faith is not a mindless emotional desire. Faith is based on evidence. It is not, however, based solely on observable or reproducible evidence.

The bible defines faith as,

“Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen^4″

This passage brings the idea of faith to life. It places faith into the realm of the concrete…the stable. It is not a nebulous abstract fussy feeling. It says that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for” What does this mean? Simply put, when the faith that God gives us becomes real we recognize it is truth. It is not irrational. It is simply spiritual.

This is juxtaposed to science which we stated never comes to dogmatic ends. It retains its flexibility if you will. Faith, however, can KNOW things. With faith facts can be truth.

Let me state now that all men and women of the world have faith. It is not a choice whether or not one has faith. It is a choice what faith you have, but the existence of faith necessarily is in all of us whether we like it or not. This is because we all have to believe certain things that are beyond us. Not one person knows everything. Therefore, everyone must take certain things as faith. I know this infuriates some, but it is true.

Some even place their faith in science. They believe that science will eventually understand everything. There is no problem that faith will not ultimately unravel. Of course, this supposition has to believe that humans have the capacity to eventually figure everything out. There is nothing that is beyond our capacity. For the present moment at least…this is a faith…a belief.  

What then is the relationship of Science to Faith and Faith to Science in the natural world? I am aware of only 4 general positions. I will use Warren A. Nord’s descriptions⁵. These are:

1. Religion trumps science⁵: ‘When science and religion conflict, only religion provides reliable knowledge. It is through inerrant scripture or religious tradition that we come to know the ultimate truth about nature. No doubt good science would always agree with scripture or religious tradition, but, unhappily not all science is good science.’
2.  Science trumps religion⁵: ‘When science and religion conflict, only science provides reliable knowledge. It is through the methods of science that we learn the ultimate truth about nature. If the scientific net doesn’t catch something, it’s because it doesn’t exist. Consequently, scientists need not take religious claims into account in constructing their picture of nature. Sometimes this position is called scientism or naturalism or scientific materialism.’
3.  Independence⁵: ‘Properly understood, science and religion can’t conflict because they are incommensurable: each has its own methods; each has its own domain. (This is sometimes called the “two worlds” approach.) One common expression of this view is that science asks objective, “how” questions, while religions asks personal “why” questions. The conceptual nets of science and religion capture aspects of reality so different that they stand in no logical relationship; they can be true or false in their own terms only. Theology and science can be compartmentalized.’ 
4.  Integration⁵: ‘Science and religion can conflict and can reinforce each other, for they make claims about the same world. Neither can ignore the other, and neither automatically trumps the other. Because science and religion are each competent to illuminate aspects of the same reality, a fully adequate picture of reality must draw on and integrate both.’

The great strength to science is its flexibility. The great weakness to science is its amorality (not immorality). Science is directionless. Science makes no value judgments on datum. The fact that arsenic is deadly when consumed in [insert dose] is not bad. It is a fact. The fact that greenhouse gases cause the earth to heat is not bad. It is just a fact.

Science left by itself would not aid mankind in any way. Science would be useless.

In addition to this there are many questions science can not answer. There are many things that are out of the purview of science. Some examples are: “What is life all about?”, “Why are we here?”, “What is the value of a human being?”. The astronomer Arthur Eddington told a parable once to explain this. In his parable a fisherman used a three-inch meshed net to catch fish for his entire life. At the end of his career he concluded that there were no fish in the ocean smaller than three inches. Eddington’s moral was that one’s conceptual net determines what one ‘catches.’

To illustrate this again think about what type of information science gathers. It gathers observable information. Anything that isn’t observable can’t be evaluated by science. That is a very big caveat. My view is that anything that is unobservable falls out of the scope of science. It is silly to say that science will one day discover all of life’s secrets. That view demands that humans are capable of observing all things. Even if one takes all metaphysical aspects out of the equation one still can not observe many natural phenomena.

This also debunks viewpoint 2 that science trumps religion. This view states that when science and religion conflict then science wins. This view is forced to believe that: A. science is somehow capable of establishing facts beyond falsification, and B. the science has gathered all the data pertinent. Neither of these conditions can be met by science.  

Some then take the position that science and faith (religion) are incommensurable. They can not be compared by their very nature. I believe this view is somewhat silly however and a little like throwing in the towel during a fight you don’t think you can win. Science does have things to say about faith. Sometimes, for example faith is observable. I remember when lots of people believed that Jesus was coming back at the turn of the millennium. Was it not observable whether or not this was correct?

Faith likewise has lots to say about science. Faith is the backbone to science (such as man should fight to preserve and improve quality of life) without which science would languish into insignificance.

What then is my final position? Well, I would say that the reality is somewhere between viewpoints 1 and 4. I believe the bible is truth. It is infallible and inerrant. Before you take this statement as remarkable (although it is remarkable) I would encourage you to take a look for yourself before you make a decision, and do not take others word for what the bible says. There are many mischaracterizations and some flat out lies on the internet about scripture.

Also, I say that Jesus is God. He is the king. This something which science can’t tell you. You are going to have to search this one yourself…

2. http://www.allaboutreligion.org/definition-of-faith-faq.htm

3.  American Dictionary of the English Language

4. New American Standard Bible (©1995)

5. Science, Religion, and Education; Warren A. Nord; Gale Group, Phi Delta Kappan, 1999 v81 i1 p28; Copywrite 1999 Phi Delta Kappa, Inc.

Where the church gets Israel wrong

The political ties between the United States and Israel are some of the closest and strongest of any two nations on our planet. The United States gives Israel free reign to do as it pleases in the region with virtually no limit to its support; politically, financially, and militarily. America almost never challenges or rebukes Israel for policy decisions. The flow of words between the Bush administration and Israel are sweeter and softer than a young couple in love.

Most conservative christians in America never give this relationship a seconds thought. “Of course we should support Israel. They are surrounded by hostile Muslims right?” They are also the people of the old testament. A natural affinity towards Israel exists. One of the most quoted verses from the bible on the current nation of Israel is Genesis 12:3,

“I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Perhaps though we should take a step back and examine what this relationship should really be like. Israel is one of the most warlike nations in the world. They attack and provoke their neighbors constantly. This is not to saythat groups like Hamas are without blame. That would be idiotic. What I am saying though is maybe we should appraise the situation truthfully and fairly rather than choosing our position before we learn the situation.

First, I am not against using Genesis 12:3, but why do we emphasize it and ignore other verses that are equally valid in application? Perhaps, we should look at some other verses such as:

Matthew 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

Proverbs 12:20, “Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but counselors of peace have joy.”

Proverbs 16:7, “When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”

The evangelical church of today largely takes the view that we should always support Israel because that is what God commanded. However, God also commands us to be loving and fair. I mourn the fact that some on America’s pulpits are so callous toward Arabs. There seems to be no love for them whatsoever. How is it glorifying to Christ who shed His blood for us to turn a blind eye on vastly disproportionate violence against Palestinian people? Palestinians kill 1 to 10. Israels bombs tens. Hezbollah kills tens. Fighter jets kill hundreds. How does one square the Jesus of the ‘Sermon on the Mount’ with blind hatred?

Another, viewpoint that we might begin to think about would be a literal understanding of Genesis. Maybe, the best way to bless Israel is to demand that they pursue peace like Proverbs 12:20. Does a true friend not say when one has gone astray?

When I lived in the Middle East I lived close to a place called, Rumel Palestini. RP means ‘Palestinian Sands’ because it is a group of thousands and thousands of Palestinians who live on the seashore sands. They live in abject poverty. Their houses are cinder blocks with sheets for roofs. The children almost never have clothes. It is probably the worst place I have personally ever seen.

I think the wost part of it though is that they have lived there since the 50’s (history buffs know the exact year and event I am talking about). That is an entire generation that has lived in horrid conditions because Israel removed them from their homes.

Christians should pursue peace, not blind partisanism.

A showcase for the ages

“But because of His great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace” Ephesians 2:4-7

God because of His amazing power of grace managed to save even us. How incomparable is that in light of God’s holiness and our depravity? How amazing to think on the wonders of Jesus the Christ-the reconciler of generations, the One whom bridged the gulf between a righteous God and sinners; that even in His holiness He finds room for justifying me?

What greater work has ever been done? All other works show His power, artistry, imagination, wisdom, beauty, even joy. Yet, what work compares to this? None could conceive possible but Him alone. God welded His great splendor of righteousness with compassion and love. How can we express?

For all eternity He will showcase us…the definition and sight of grace. We will be a shadowbox of glory. He will place us on a pedestal to showcase His glory for eternity. All will look on us and glorify God.

A showcase for the ages. The crown of glory in beauty beyond description is given to Him.  

Claiming the promises of Christ

As stated in a previous post, I have always had a big problem with anxiety. I worry about things quite a lot. I try to pretend like I dont, but I really do. There have been times in my past when I even made myself sick literally.

After delving into my anxiety I realized long ago that it is simply a lack of faith. Anxiety has a wonderful/horrible way of clearly showing us where our faith is lacking. When I stop and think about whatever I am anxious about it become obvious to me exactly what I dont believe about Christ. What promise do I doubt?

Point in fact, I struggle big time with believing that Jesus is enough for me. Psalms 16:11 states that, “In His presence is fullness of joy and in His right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Everyday I struggle to believe this. After my life battles while living in the Middle East I realize how far I really am from trusting in that promise.

Recently I have gained a tremendous asset in this battle. It is not a new weapon. In fact it is very obvious in scripture. However, I dont think I have ever really used it before.

Let me explain. This week I was spending some time with a person that is very gifted in discussing these things. After a long talk she mentioned that I really need to learn to claim the promises of Christ. I thought, “Ummm…..what do you mean? I know we are to claim the promises. I do that already.” I even know Hebrews 4:16,

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need

Apparently she knew what I was thinking and said, “verbally.” She went on to explain that I needed to say the basis for the promise, the statement of the promise (generally at least), and what struggle specifically that it shattered out loud. After a couple minutes in prayer I attempted to do this. It was so hard!!!! (and awkward to be honest)

Afterward, she smiled and said that I had not done what she asked. I knew she was right, but for some reason I could not form the words. It was at that moment that I realized that my prayers in that past have tended to be shallow, nonspecific, noncommittal, and I almost never base the promise on its foundation.

So, we talked through it, and finally we got to this,

“By the blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, I claim the promise that you are enough for my satisfaction and happiness against feelings of a lack of satisfaction in you. Psalms 16:11 says, “In Your presence is fullness of joy and in Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. I claim this promise as a child of God.”

I said this verbally. I immediately recognized that there was power in my words. This wasnt because I said them, but simply because they were truth. There is an amazing power behind verbally claiming truth.

She then went on to tell me that I needed to practice this. It is like exercising in a sense. We need reps to build it up.

I dont think my struggle is over. I do, however, think I just entered into the battle with a new extremely powerful weapon.

A Christian Environmentalist’s View of the World

“Don’t wanna be, stitched up; out of my mind. Feeling strung out; laggin’ behind. All trapped in; can’t do a thing because…I’m Locked down” — John Mayer

That song may be about a beautiful woman, but I often feel similar about Christianity and Environmentalism. As my blog readers know I don’t mind calling myself an environmentalist… but a Baptist one?

What is Christian Environmentalism? Well, first I would say it is a belief that Christianity demands stewardship. We have an obligation to care for God’s creation as best we can. Genesis makes it clear that God put us in charge of this earth. It is our duty to gently nurture it into a state of health.

Second, I would say it is a belief that the Earth shows us something of God’s character. It is an intricate piece of artistry that is almost unparalleled in beauty. It is to be admired. He made it simply because He took great joy in it. The creation all around us tells us a great deal about what type of God we serve, creative by default!

Third, I would say it is a belief that the Earth is broken. It does not agree with the Gaia Hypothesis in the sense that all organisms promote life in general. Indeed, many parts to the earth are harmful to itself. This is a result of our decision to sin. We created the brokenness around us.

Lastly, it is a viewpoint that demands we be unselfish in our roles. Christians should be the loudest proponents in taking care of the entire world. This sometimes comes at a cost. If we Christians are part of a group that creates harmful elements to other groups (such as our massive amount of greenhouse gas emissions compared to our population size) we need to work hard to heal the situation.

Sometimes, I admit I am torn between two groups. I think it is silly how many followers of Christ view the environmental movement as a big lying monster, and have allowed it to become synonymous with certain figures they disagree with. However, in my experience more and more Christians are beginning to allow themselves a fresh look at environmentalism.

On the Will of God, and how to know it

I, like everyone, am constantly trying to figure out what the will of God is. Who doesn’t want to know the Will of God? Should I go to this school? Should I go to that school? Should I take this job? Should I take that job? Should I go to this church? Should I go to that church? Should I go to church at all? Everyone does, right? Lots of people who claim they don’t even believe in God…when their life gets rough and they are all by themselves they will pray for guidance.

Why do you think this is? Is it perhaps that we innately know there is an order to things and a will beyond our own?Both believers in God and atheists want to know there is a benevolent being out there who can help us in our time of need. Who though wants to hear what He has to say when it isn’t what we want to hear?

The truth is we are all very confused when it comes to knowing the ‘Will of God.’ Most of us don’t really even know what the means much less how to know it. We all want the quick and short of it. Give me the answer. Show me the way…now!

I have to admit that I struggle with this a lot. As a young single man I am making all kinds of choices right now that will affect the rest of my life. I want to make wise ones. The choices I make need to be grounded on truth and centered on God’s guidance. As to what is the ‘Will of God’…well that can be a complicated thing indeed. If you make it complicated that is.

From scripture I believe we can see two different types of “Wills” when the bible talks about the ‘Will of God.” These two different types of ‘wills’ play out differently in our lives and often people will confuse one for the other adding to their original frustration. The two types of ‘wills’ in the New Testament are: God’s will of decree (God’s sovereignty) and God’s will of command. Take a look at descriptions of both types.

1. The will of decree or God’s sovereign will. This is God’s sovereign will of EVERYTHING that comes to pass. Nothing in this world happens that is not in His will.

a. Matthew 26:39/Isaiah 53. God’s will was for Christ to die, yet God hated it. God’s will sometimes is for horrible things to happen. Always in these horrible things, however, God is looking for some other greater good to come out of it. In Christ’s death it was so that we could all gain eternal life.

b. 1 Peter 3:17. Sometimes it is God’s will the Christians should suffer when they don’t deserve it.

c. Matthew 10:39/ Proverbs 16:1/Daniel 4:35. Everything is the will of God. God is never like…”Ohhh dang I didn’t expect that!” No one can hold back God’s hand or say, “What have you done?”

2. The will of command. This is what God commands you to do and what you ought to do. This command, unlike God’s sovereign will can be thwarted. He allows it to be.

a. Matthew 7:21. There are wills of God that are not done.

b. 1 Thessalonians 4:3/1 Thessalonians 5:18/1 John 2:17. We have a choice to follow the command of God or not to.

So, sometimes in scripture ‘will’ is referring to what God is going to cause to happen (or caused in the past). Other times it is a command that He expects you to obey yet gives you the choice not to. When we refuse to follow God’s will of command we sin. This is free will. It is your choice.

The real question then is how can I know what God’s will is for me. First, it should be obvious that God does not expect you to know His sovereign will. Only He knows all He is planning. You can know something about it however such as Jeremiah 29:11, “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.”"

My opinion is that we should not fret about what God’s sovereign will is. It is going to happen anyway…fact. That is like wanting to look into a crystal ball and learning the future. God wants us to learn to trust Him. If God simply threw out the answers to us every time we were faced with a problem we would never grow.

That is not to say that God never reveals His sovereign will. I do believe in prophecy.

This brings us to the second type of will, God’s will of command. This is (in my understanding) where God directs us and gives us answers the answers we are seeking. Sometimes these answers are spelled out in scripture. For instance, “Should I have sex with a woman that is not my wife?” Scripture tells you. No. Or, “Should I kick this puppy?” Ok, so maybe that one isn’t in scripture, but you get the point.

Other times there are choices that are not explicit in scripture. An example would be, “Should I study Engineering or Sociology?” You will not find a direct answer in the bible. God does, however, listen and He will give you direction.

Romans 12:1-2, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.“

Romans says that we need to be able to test and approve what God’s will is. This is God’s will of command. I believe this is one of those things that grows with time. Phillipians 1:6 says that God is constantly making you more and more like Him.

If you want to make a decision and you want to know God’s will then ask Him what His desire is. Then ask Him for the ability to see it.

Bush commits an unchristian atrocity by allowing waterboarding

President George Bush vetoed a bill on Saturday to ban the use of waterboarding during prisoner interrogations by the United States. In my opinion this is one of the most outrageous acts of President Bush’s tenure. If you don’t know what waterboarding is, Wikipedia describes it as: 

“A form of torture that consists of immobilizing a person on their back with the head inclined downward (the Trendelenburg position), and pouring water over the face and into the breathing passages. Through forced suffocation and inhalation of water, the subject experiences the process of drowning and is made to believe that death is imminent. In contrast to merely submerging the head face-forward, waterboarding almost immediately elicits the gag reflex. Although waterboarding does not always cause lasting physical damage, it carries the risks of extreme pain, damage to the lungs, brain damage caused by oxygen deprivation, injuries (including broken bones) due to struggling against restraints, and even death. The psychological effects on victims of waterboarding can last for years after the procedure.”

Waterboarding is beyond doubt torture. By affirming the use of torture to prisoners Bush sends the message yet again that the “Christian Nation” cares nothing for others. They only care for themselves. We scream and holler when we are scratched in the least, but we will not extend basic human rights to the rest of the world. It sickens me that this message is conveyed over and over again in much of the world.

Jesus taught to love our enemies.

Christian service, environmental science, and a burp that wouldn’t burp part 2.

 Part 2. Christian Service

Recently I have been really convicted of several things that I consider central to Christianity, but have basically no part in my life now that I am in grad school. I have realized that I have become a hypocrite about these things because I proclaim them, but I never do them. Here are some examples:

• Giving to the poor
• Taking care of the widows/elderly
• Mourning with those who mourn
• Hurting with those who are hurting
• Being merciful
• Loving everyone…UNCONDITIONALLY
• Hundreds of other ways to serve

I was mentioning these to an older man in the church that is discipling me, and he suddenly became quiet and looked contemplative. I asked him what he was thinking, and he mentioned that he was trying to figure out why his first thought was, “Well, we can’t do everything.” I immediately caught his drift. This is exactly what I use to convince myself that I don’t need to be serving others right now.

My schedule is crazy. I know that every college student says this, but I mean it. Here is my normal day.

I get up at 5:30 and spend time with Christ for about an hourish.

7:00 I get ready and eat breakfast

8:00ish I arrive at school and do homework in my office

11:00 Go to class and then eat

1:00 Work in the lab on projects

2:00 Go to class again

4 or 5:00 Go back to the lab or study

7 or 8 Go home and Eat dinner

10 or 11 Go to bed

That isn’t including bible studies or things like that some evenings. Usually I am sprinting from one thing to another. I am constantly late for class. I am not complaining. This is what grad school is. I knew that going into it. But I am starting to realize. If I am so busy that I don’t have time to serve others then what is the point?

One of my friends has clinical depression and has tried to commit suicide 3 times. Most recently she tried to cut her wrists before Christmas. She doesn’t live in America, but I see her online fairly often. If I don’t sit down and encourage her and listen to her then who will? Seriously, is she not worth me doing slightly worse on my next test?

I was talking to one of my friends yesterday. He was telling me that he and his roommates have started really spending a lot of time with their neighbors. They invite them over and hang out. They play with them. Take care of their kids (one has an autistic child) to give them a break. They even just started having a weekly dinner where they have a bible study before the meal. That brothers—you know if I am talking about you— is super encouraging. You are getting it right, and Jesus is shinning through you.

God seems to be answering my prayers also. I just joined a home group from church. I assumed it would be a bunch of older people with kids who like to sit around, it is totally not. Right off the bat they started talking about all the ways that we can serve others as a group. They have all these ideas. It was crazy. One of the couples has like 700 adopted kids in their house. One other lady is bringing a small orphan girl from Middle America to live with her for a couple months so she can get a medical examination and a hearing aid. That is doing it right. I mentioned that International Students at A&M tend to be very lonely and isolated. They immediately were asking for ideas on how they could serve the international students. I was blown back.

Thank you Jesus for putting people like this in my life.