Taking a Break

I recently enjoyed a three day camping trip with one of my best friends (the army doctor) and a couple of his friends on the shore of Lake Superior (at the Two-Hearted River); it was guys only, (wives and kids left behind in order to make the trip a rest from obligations and duties); fishing, canoeing, swimming in Lake Superior (that's a manly enterprise; believe me, it wasn't very warm at all), and mostly just sitting around the campfire at night talking about nonsense (such as trying to decide which characters in Episode IV each of us were {rule: you can't pick the character for yourself}; I was happy to be nominated as Obi-Wan, although the guy we tagged as C3PO wasn't too thrilled)...It was only a couple of days, but that time away did us all a world of good. There's a reason why the LORD rested on the seventh day; not everything in life can be about work; otherwise, when do you appreciate what you have and what you've accomplished?
Another bonus of our trip: We were entirely unplugged from the modern world; no electricity, no running water, NO cell phones, no 24 hour news cycle; just guys cooking over a fire and not worrying about all of the things that follow us around back in our daily lives.
When is the last time you truly got away from it all; if only for a day or two? Can you let it all go for a bit, or are you too worried that all of the balls you're juggling will come crashing down?
The Christian has access to the ultimate in stress management...Matthew 11:28 says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Make the time to find rest in your life; I'm pretty sure if God took a day off, you can too.

Which Bible Translation do I use?

One question that always seems to get asked of those like myself in the ministry is, "What Bible translation do you use?" For some, this question is a litmus test, a way to determine if the two people in question are on the same "team"; for others, this is merely one of those issues of curiosity akin to asking a pro-golfer what brand of club he prefers. Much has been made over the years by those who have staked out a King James ONLY position. These partisans of the King James Version have declared all users of other translations to be at best 2nd-rate Christians, at worst hopeless agents of the Whore of Babylon (somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but I've been called things to that effect). Unfortunately, that position itself is wholly un-Biblical, has no basis in the scholarship of translation, and assumes that 99% of those who claim Jesus Christ as their Savior are somehow mistaken. So much for a Church against which the Gates of Hell shall not overcome.
As you can tell, I am NOT at King James ONLY believer. By the same token, I don't have anything against the King James Version beyond the difficulty that arises when you try to use it to reach the un-churched. (For its poetic beauty and its influence on Church history, the KJV deserves to be kept in the mix to be sure)
I myself use the New International Version when I preach and for my personal study because of how readily the meaning and message of the Gospel are conveyed through its modern English. When I put the weekly PowerPoint together and choose the opening and responsive Scripture readings I typically check the KJV, NIV, NASB, and NLT to find the one that speaks to the sermon's message the best (and I usually try to rotate my use of the major translations to demonstrate my own acceptance of them).
In the end, the truth is that we are BLESSED with an abundance of excellent and trustworthy translations in English such that we should never consider ourselves to lack the true Scriptures (compared to some languages which have one or no translations of the Bible, what are you complaining about??) Every translation of the Bible into English is one man's or a committee's attempt to render the original Greek (and bit of Aramaic) into English. Anyone who has ever translated ANYTHING into another language knows that more than one English word (and sometimes several) can be used to convey nuances of the single word from the Greek. Some translations try to be word for word; others go for the meaning behind the words. That debate, while interesting, is immaterial to the question of whether or not we have the true Bible in English. We do, end of story, no question about it.
So, the next time someone asks you, "Which Bible translation do you use?" go ahead and tell them. Don't be worried about your answer, the important question is not which Bible you use, but that you do use it and learn from it.

The Value of Persevering - James 1:12

There's something about persevering under difficulties that gets God's attention. The Bible has plenty of examples of men and women who stood up against life's difficulties AND remained true to their faith. Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, Ruth, Hannah, Daniel, Elijah, Sarah, Peter, Paul, etc. It's actually one of the most prevelant themes of those believers in God whose stories we know about from the Bible. In James 1:12, we're told that those who persevere under trial will be "blessed" and "receive the crown of life"; much likes Jesus' list of the downtrodden "blessed" from the Sermon on the Mount.
Anybody can be commited to a cause when its convenient, even easy, but who really is willing to say, "I trust God, no matter what." In "Forrest Gump", Lt. Dan rages into the storm, defying God to do his worst; Forrest reasoned that Dan made his peace with God in that he let go of his bitterness and anger (at his "unfair" loss). What do we need to do in order to stand our ground under trial? Pray? Certainly, that's a must even in good times. Read the Bible? Sure, knowing what God has done for others, and what God has promised to you is always a big help. Talk to someone you can trust? Yes, share you're burden with another Christian, let him/her know that you're having a rough time, be honest.
Are we supposed to be happy all of the time? Put on a happy face? No, just remain true to God, even if you have to yell into the storm, stay true.

Joshua 24:15 "As for me and my household"

I’ve always been partial to Joshua’s advice to the people of Israel when he knew that his days as their leader were coming to a close. “If serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15) Joshua made it clear to the people that he would not be at the mercy of public opinion. His desire to worship and serve the LORD was firm and not to be cast aside no matter what. Joshua also felt confident enough to speak on behalf of his own household. As a husband and father Joshua ensured that his family knew the LORD too; his family, his responsibility.
Another thing that Joshua is saying here is that his household will continue to serve the LORD no matter what happens in the society around him. Too often we see examples of unbelief in our society and we let it discourage us. Instead of letting anecdotes from the big picture influence us, we should be starting at home, ensuring that our family is raised in the LORD from day one. Beyond that, the troubles that we read about various denominations shouldn’t discourage us from taking the responsibility of guaranteeing that our own church remains true to God and the Gospel. No matter what happens outside these doors, WE will serve the LORD!

What I Learned from Running

There are always a few things that a married couple do not have in common. I've taken Nicole to the Opera, but I certainly don't share that interest. Nicole has taken me to sporting events (the Verlander no-hitter one Anniversary, and Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals {Go Wings!!} this year), but she really isn't interested in sports. Another passion of mine that doesn't make any sense to Nicole is running. Her theory is, if something isn't chasing me, why am I running?

I started running when I was in the 7th grade; I played football in 5th and 6th grade; but I was one of the shortest, and easily the skinniest kid in my grade; naturally, I turned to cross-country. I eventually came to love the idea of competing man vs. man in a test of endurance and will. I know I wasn't the fastest guy on the course, but I also knew that it was entirely up to me how hard I was willing to run, whether or not I was willing to outwork the guy running next to me. There's just something about the purity of that sort of competition that appeals to me.

So why do I run now? After running for Cornerstone University my knees were more or less shot and I've never been able to run enough to compete at a high level since. So why do I keep running? Even without the competition against someone else, there's still the self-discipline that comes from pushing yourself against whatever you can achieve, pushing up that next hill, finishing a run with a solid kick at the end.

I never run in town; lots of people do, but I don't. I run out in nature, on grass or dirt, among the trees; that's another thing that running does for me, let's me reconnect with the peace and quiet that our world lacks these days.

Anyone else see how this applies to my blog on my ministry? That same self-discipline that I need and draw upon when I run is so very necessary in both my private and public life. Marriage is a test of running the race (not sprinting, putting in the miles), it's too easy to take
the easy way out, but that's why we need to discipline ourselves.

Is it any wonder that when Paul was seeking to justify his ministry he said, "I have run the race"; it's time we as Christians started running the race like people who want to win it.