Posted in belief, community, conflict, culture, current event, death, dignity, ethics, evil, faith, family, grace, hope, humanity, identity, justice, life, love, morals, peace, relationships, Tapu Misa, Uncategorized, wisdom on April 28, 2008| 2 Comments »
Do you trust? Do you believe?
I’m not talking (at least in this post!) about God – I’m talking about convicted criminals!
Tapu Misa has written another thought-provoking piece about –among other things– the house-arrest conditions of Bailey Kurariki, suggesting that the public needs to trust him to learn how to live in society.
Posted in bible, brian walsh, consumerism, creation, culture, discernment, ethics, faith, god, gospel, grace, humanity, interpretation, jesus, kingdom of god, life, peace, politics, spirituality, suffering, targum, theology on March 8, 2008| 27 Comments »
The Romans 1:1-17 targum wasn’t enough…
…I had to post this one as well…
Again, I advise reading these two simple verses in an easy-to-read translation before reading the targum…
In case it’s not obvious, Walsh is anything but a typical ‘republican-style’ Christian…
If this doesn’t stir your heart, check your pulse… (more…)
Posted in grace, spirituality on June 27, 2005| 1 Comment »
It’s just not what you read in the newest self-help books.
It’s completely contrary to every trend in society. We adjust grading methods to make students feel better about themselves. We say that everyone is special and don’t stop to consider that by saying that, we make no one special. (this is well illustrated in the brilliant movie-cartoon: The Incredibles) Why do we do this? What’s the deal?
So many of the belief-systems in the world struggle to deal with the condition of humanity. I think this is very interesting. The fact that humans are bent on selfishness is quite possibly the easiest truth to demonstrate! We all hide our wrong and promote our good. Yes, even in churches! We look for the fastest lane in traffic, and the shortest line at the grocery store. We’re always looking out for our own best interests!
I love Christianity for many reasons, one of which is it’s realness. Jesus wasn’t out to flatter humanity. His disposition with humankind is very succinctly described by His half-brother James, who wrote that God “opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
One of Jesus’ most striking message to humanity was that we aren’t good enough. He raised the ‘bar’ of morality so high that nobody would be able to say they were good. That is why Jesus was always barking at the Pharisees! He called them white-washed tombs, and made no ‘bones’ (pardon the pun) about how he felt about their self-righteousness! In sharp contrast, He forgives and welcomes sinners who are repentant and aware of their moral bankruptcy. The Apostle Paul echoes Jesus’ message in passages like the third chapter of Romans, where he quotes various passages in the Psalms: “There is none righteous, no, not one… none who seeks after God… they have together become unprofitable (see title of this article)… etc., etc.
As Christians, our confidence is NEVER in ourselves. Not in the past, not now, and not in the future. We were never good enough, we are still not good enough and we will never be good enough! The technical-theological definition of grace is undeserved favour. Take a good guess why it is undeserved. Because we can’t earn it, and we don’t earn it!
Why are so many Christians BORED with the Christian life? I think we have forgotten just how BIG a deal God’s grace is!
May we live in the awe of God’s grace to the point where we see for ourselves just how ‘amazing’ it really is.
In Him,
Dale
Posted in church, community, fellowship, grace, love, relationships, spirituality, suffering on May 22, 2005| Leave a Comment »
Howdy,
This week, I want to focus on ‘realness’ in our Christian lives. Let’s be honest, most of the time, Christianity is a dog-and-pony show where the ‘most spiritual’ award goes to the one with the least sin, and the biggest smile on Sunday morning. Is that the goal? Is that even reality? Is that what Jesus had in mind for the church? I think not.
We need to be open and honest with each other. I look at a church (not the building or the time spent in the building, but people) as a HOSPITAL. Hospitals are full of people that are hurting. Hospitals are places where people go to have their wounds healed. Can you imagine how ridiculous it would be if an injured person went to a hospital and the doctors and nurses were appalled and disgusted by the wounds they had?
“I’m sorry, miss, but we don’t allow bleeding here, can you please cover that wound? It’s making many of the others uncomfortable.”
Is this not what we do in our churches? Sure, we give much lip service to the idea of being a place of healing, but secretly, we wish for good, clean, sin-less, happy, European, comfortable church members that are more ‘like us.’ I desire to be the kind of Christian that people know they can come to when they are hurting.
This week, ask the Holy Spirit two questions…
1. Am I the kind of person people can confess sins to? Can people be ‘real’ with me?
2. Am I confessing my sins (specific) to anyone? Am I being ‘real’ with others?
May our lives and our churches be hospitals of mercy and clinics of grace…
In His Grace,
Dale
Tapu Misa – NZ Herald Thinking Faith
fruitfulfaith.wordpress.com 