Such a Big Boy

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.  How precious to me are your thoughts, God!  How vast is the sum of them!  Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you.
Psalm 139: 13-18

When the day had finally come, it seemed surreal.  My second child was having a child.  As a grandfather of four beautiful, sweet and adorable little girls; this one was a little bit different.  For you see this time it was a little young man.  This precious boy in my arms on that Spring morning, came into the world full of life and wonder.

I recall walking into the room and seeing my little girl.  Exhausted, glistening and radiant at the same time.  Her face and neck were flush, as a smile crossed her face.  I wiped a tear away as I came in close to her for a hug.  I held her hand and whispered words of love into her ear.  For you see, as much as I realized the new born baby in the room that day was the star of the show, I could never have been more proud of my own child.  She had endured a long, difficult pregnancy which required surgeries mid-way through and extended hospital stays.  She had done everything possible to ensure that this young boy was protected in every manner.  She realized the gift that God had given her and took seriously her role in carrying and delivering His masterpiece into the world.

Turning from her bed, my wife of nearly 30 years at that time handed me my first Grandson, Jonathan Richard (J R) Kidd.  In my typical manner, I leaned in close and whispered a loving blessing into his tender ear and then lifted him in my best Lion King pose.  He was our latest gift from God the Father.  This young child is going to do amazing things for the Kingdom throughout his life.  He will be a change-agent for the Lord and bring thousands if not tens of thousands to the Lord through his love and humble heart of serving God.

As we learned from Psalm 139 – God is with our children in the womb.  When the heart is formed, when the eyes, the ears, the nose, the lungs, the brain, the mouth and every other part is formed from the original fertilized cell of creation.  This child is not the result of randomness, but a perfectly formed system of cells, nerves, bone, tendon, intelligence and love.  Because in the womb, God formed him perfectly by design, as only He can.  I do not know if the Holy Spirit dwells in the hiding place of gestation, but I do know that God’s sovereign hand was on this child, long before any of us met him.

JR is one year old today.  An amazing young man, filled with laughter, joy, love and an unbelievable digestive track.  He is loved by everyone that meets him, because he is innocent to a fault.  He has not learned of the sinful nature of humanity, nor how to be evil in thought or deed.  Yet we, as mature onlookers, know that in this life that will change.  For we are all sinful by nature, yes all of us, even little man – JR.  He walks, he giggles, he laughs, he cries.  He has a few teeth and will bite, because he doesn’t know any better.  He babbles a few words and through body language can tell you exactly what is going on and when he wants his Momma or Daddy.  I am so very fortunate to enjoy time with him each week after church or for a bar-b-que at the house, and I’ve watched him grow so amazingly.

I reflect back in my mind of the small bundle of joy I held up a year ago today and see the incredible things God has already done in his life, and I ask myself one thing.  “What is impossible for this boy to do in his life, if he chooses to follow God?”  You see, at some point JR is going to have to make that choice.  His Momma made that choice, his Daddy made that choice, his aunts and uncles have made that choice and his grandparents have made that choice; but you see we can’t do it for him.  We’ve helped him learn to crawl and then walk, to feed himself and to drink.  We will all help him learn to run and play, and climb trees and ride a bike.  We’ll help him understand love and pain, suffering and empathy and how to help others and how to be kind.  What we can’t do for him though is Save him from eternal Hell.  That he must do on his own.  We are responsible to help him understand the Lord’s goodness, His love and His grace.  We are responsible to teach him of his Savior, Jesus Christ, and what He did on that cross.  But JR will have to accept Christ as his own Savior.  Our works, our words, our pleadings can’t save JR, he will have to come to that relationship with Christ on his own.

My prayer over JR in the hospital room last year is still the same today. 

Lord, I pray for JR to find you, to long for you, to love you and to serve you with all of his heart, mind and soul.  And I pray that through JR your word is passed on to thousands and tens of thousands.  In Jesus name, Amen.

 

JR (Ritchie), Pops loves you so very much.  I know you don’t understand it today, but you have such an amazing family around you to love you, care for you and support you.  We will always be there for you, with arms open and a hug ready, when you are afraid, hurt or just need one.   Someday, I’ll introduce you to Michigan football, and Houston Astros baseball, and how to drive a nail into a piece of wood.  We’ll do so many things together with your Daddy, your Grandpa Jon, your uncles as you grow up.  Boys stuff.  Hang on to your joy lil’ one and always remember from whence you came – you are a creation of God the Father.

The Defense Rests (pt 7 of There is a God)

"Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him!" - Job 40:2

My Thoughts:

I'm the first to admit that I have no clue about God's ways. Where does He go in the late afternoon's after the sun sets in Houston? Will His physical presence envelope the Earth, Milky Way and Universe all at the same time? How will we recognize each other in heaven, if we leave our physical body behind? What on earth did God mean by Psalm 137:9 "... seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks." ? Where is Noah's Ark? Why did God need to rest on the seventh day?

I'm sure you have come across those that will question God and criticize you for your faith. With the globalization of the communication network we are constantly bombarded with those that have contrary views to that of a Christian. It's humorous to me though, to see the perspectives of those trying to justify their disbelief by ridiculing those of us that do believe. I am often tempted to jump in and try to defend God, then I pause and ask, "Does God need me to defend Him?" Of course He doesn't need me to defend Him. The Creator of the Universe is perfectly capable of striking His opponent's dead at any given moment, should He desire that. And that's the key - He doesn't desire that, or at least I don't believe He does.

You see, you and I are incapable of loving those that criticize and ridicule our foundational beliefs, and this is the very foundation of our Lord. His love is not segmented to this man or that woman or these people and not those. The very love of God is available to ALL and this leads me to the belief that God wants even His critics to come to an accepting faith, that not one should perish (Matt 18:14; 1 Timothy 2:3-4)

So what is our role in enlightening those that attack our faith? First, we must be able to share the good news of Jesus Christ. You could argue with an atheist for hours, days and in some cases a lifetime around the life of Christ and the biblical proof of God and His followers, yet at the end of the debate - most atheists are unchanged. Without scientific proof, and with apparent contradictions throughout the New Testament, it often seems like an uphill battle. When it all comes down to it, those questioning the existence of God and disregarding the divinity of Jesus Christ are actually lacking a significant capability in life.

They lack the ability to accept the reality of God on faith. Yet, when we question them and they realize just how much of their own belief is on faith in something and not actual facts, it many times helps them see things a little more clearly.  This lack of faith in God doesn't make them unworthy of God's love, just blind to it. So, can you give faith to someone who doesn't possess it? Can you get it on e-Bay, at Wal-Mart or at church? It's an intangible, logical and emotional response that those of a certain personality type just can't bring themselves around too. Let me ask you to decide for yourself right now - why do you have faith in God - Jesus Christ, His Son - and the Holy Spirit? I'm going to ask you to take a moment and right that down. You need to know this. It needs to be muscle memory so when you are backed into a corner you are strong in your understanding of your own faith. You can't get it from your parents, your grandparents or even your priest or pastor. Your faith is just that - yours.

You believe for a reason without questioning God, because for one: you are capable of respecting the hierarchical nature of life. You recognize that there are authorities over all things, except God - Himself. Certainly, by acknowledging that you have a faith and belief in God gives you a foundation to accept that there are things you will never know and rightfully so. If you want to get a glimpse of some of the mysteries of God's wisdom read Job 38 & 39. Then you will have the capability to share this glimpse with those that choose to question His existence. As an example: Who is it that drew the lines between the sand (shore) and the water of the mighty ocean?  Or, Who places the constellations in the exact location every night so that we are able to enjoy their brilliance?  Is this magnificence by happen chance only or is it a part of a perfect design?

As a child of God, we must come to realize that God is sovereign and certainly has given us free will to decide on what we will do with this faith and belief structure. Do not allow yourself to engage in debate with someone trying to destroy your faith.  Remember, we simply ask questions to allow the antagonist to contemplate their own thinking.  Never do this without first inviting God to represent you in the debate. His ability to defend Himself greatly outshines your ability to defend Him, so I highly suggest letting Him do it for and through you.

Be Blessed,

Rich

 

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Evil Exists – So What (There is a God- Pt 6 of 7)

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments”  – John 14:15

My Thoughts:
All of you must be able to see that we live in a fallen world.  The violence, bloodshed, abuse and anger that so many are experiencing today is far greater than any other time in our history.  A day doesn’t go by when we are not hearing another story of someone being shot, or multi-person murder, or violent protesting in the streets and casting insults upon one another.  Daily there are drive by shootings in neighborhoods around major metropolitan cities across America.  It’s not all gun-violence, but certainly we hear about these more so than other violent crimes.  Horror stories of sex-trafficking, child-pornography, suicides and school shootings grace the crevice of our ears almost weekly now.  Mankind has fallen and it’s almost becoming blasé and less of a shock to the average person.

What causes individuals to believe that they have the right to walk into an establishment, wave a pistol and begin shooting?  What makes a person think he is justified in kidnapping a 14 year old girl while she waits for a school bus, drug her, take her away to a foreign country and sell her for unthinkable purpose?  What differentiates their thought process from mine or yours (as you read this)? 

God created this world, mankind, and all that is in it.  The evil in this world has perverted it.  God’s word tells us of His character as perfect, righteous and holy.  When someone chooses to live outside of God’s character it is expected that they are living outside of these traits as well.  But, those of us living within God’s character, it is expected that we abide by His laws and the teaching of His Son Jesus Christ.  (John 14:21)

I’ve spoken to and listened to several atheists on this topic.  Their entire premise is that Christians need God as a crutch and Satan to blame, to avoid dealing with these difficult issues in life.  Their statements were ground in the belief that there is no supreme being, we are here for a period of time and then we are gone.  Often times they’ve read the bible cover to cover, even multiple times, and have a very thorough understanding of the message that we, “Christians”, believe.  They simply choose not to, as is their prerogative.  To them the bible is a compilation of fantasy stories told from generation to generation to appease mankind’s fear of the unknown.  At the basis, though, is a predominant feeling of self-righteousness.  Without a supreme being, a higher power, there is no one for them to answer too.  They answer only to themselves and their opinion of right vs. wrong as their guideline for life.

To this I wonder though; where does the foundation of this right and wrong come from?  Where did they learn that it is wrong to kill, to steal, or to bring harm upon another?  Where did this internal judgment complex come from?  There must be a foundation of right and wrong for them to compare their opinion against in order for them to claim that someone is doing something wrong.  What they will not admit to you is that they don’t know.  Certainly man’s laws are crafted in a manner to keep the peace between individuals, and could be claimed as the foundation of their choices and decisions. We are all obligated to uphold and live by these laws.  Dig a little deeper and ask the basic questions of where those laws were founded?  What is the premise of the laws that govern your country, county and city?  After peeling back layer after layer of the onion, most will fall back to early manuscripts which quote the 10 Commandments as a basis.

God has ingrained in every single human born an innate knowledge and sense of right vs. wrong.  Because we are made in His image, we are filled with His presence and love as our foundation during the development stages before birth.  Once born, the world begins influencing decisions and laying the second, third and fourth layer upon an individual’s character.  Life’s situations, environment and culture have much to do with an individual’s outlook on right vs wrong when we become adults.  The inability to recognize God is a learned trait, something that was taught and accepted rather than something that is believed through faith.  The most fundamental difference between a Christian and a non-Christian is our faith in something we have never seen and cannot be proven. 

We trust in the scriptures as God’s holy word and the single point of truth in the world today.  This lighthouse keeps us focused on right vs wrong in the eyes of the Lord.  When we are living by His standard of goodness, there is nothing in this world that can declare it as wrongdoing.  

Be Blessed,

Rich

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I Believe in Evolution (There is a God pt 5)

‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill.   Acts 17:28-29

My thoughts:
Truth is truth, and fact is fact.  Our role is to determine what is truth and fact vs. what is hypothesis and fallacy.  This is why we ask questions when faced with challenges to our faith.  Over the last few weeks we’ve looked at a few different examples of how to address certain challenges that continuously attempt to disprove the existence of God.  This week, I am looking at another area, which I learned from supporting RDOF Ministries (www.facebook.com/rdof ) and that is the area of evolution.

Evolution is a fact.  We can all say that with confidence, yet everyone of us are afraid of the word itself, because we believe it implies that the human evolved from an ape.  What you need to realize is that there are many types of evolution, and although the 21^st century education system will try to lump it all into that belief, the reality is that things do evolve.  Daryl Youngblood has taught us that there are at least 4 basic types of evolution:  Micro-evolution, Microbial-evolution, Chemical-evolution and Macro-evolution.

Micro-evolution: variation within a species over a period of time, generally to adapt to it’s environment.  Examples might include moths, bird beaks, salamander spots or even guppies adapting to .  There is common acceptance across all sectors (religious or science) that Micro-evolution is indeed a fact, but does NOT create a new species.

Microbial-evolution: genetically driven changes that occur in microorganisms and that are retained over time.  Examples might include viruses, bacteria and parasites.  This is well-known in the pharmaceutical industry and is indeed a fact, but it does NOT create a new type of micro-organism it simply changes an existing one.

That brings us to Chemical-evolution: also know as Abiogenesis (as I discussed last week)- the unproven theory that non-living chemicals can create life.  There is no factual evidence of this type of evolution and therefore we must say that it is false.

Finally, we have Macro-evolution: the gradual transformation of one species into another (example: apes to man, dinosaurs into birds and wolves into whales.  This has never been observed, but is at the heart of the Atheist’s argument, based on the Darwin book “Origin of the Species” theory of Natural Selection.  It is presented as a fact in most of their dialogues, yet there is no evidence or observable proof to substantiate it.

So, as you can see it is okay to agree with evolution, but it is important to carry the conversation on to the next level.  What type of evolution are you referring to?  If one says Macro-evolution or Chemical-evolution; then it begs a deeper discussion.

If we are to be convinced that indeed our genetic code, through Natural Selection, has caused us to evolve there are several things that must happen (from a scientific perspective).  In the Natural Selection process, every change must provide a unique and beneficial advantage over the previous design in order to be retained in all future generations.  If it actually happened that we evolved from apes, or whales from wolves, then where are the failed, older designs that natural selection refused.  Are we to assume that this genetic process of natural selection can see into the future and adapt something unknown, in it’s complete, detailed and perfect function on the first try?  If we evolved from apes to mankind, why are there still apes?  They would have been discarded by Natural Selection as an inferior representation.  Also, think about the bone structure differences and eye differences, nose, brain cavity, heart cavity, etc. that all must have evolved over time.  Which one evolved first, and what was the benefit of the first phase of that evolution?  Every change must represent a benefit or it is discarded by natural selection.

These simple questions to dig a little deeper usually finds the antagonist searching for answers and questioning their own understanding.  You see, they will claim that you must prove God exists, when in reality, they should be proving that He doesn’t.  The only way all of these complex animals and life forms could exist at the same time is because they were created by intelligent design, not by randomness.

Feel free to check out Daryl’s teachings on http://www.rdof.org .  I highly recommend watching the video Evolution & God: Fossils, Fallacies and Facts.  God Bless.
     

Be Blessed,

Rich

 

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