Does evil exist?

The professor of a university challenged his students with this question. "Did God create everything that exists?" A student answered bravely, "Yes, he did".

The professor then asked, "If God created everything, then he created evil, so God is evil."

Another student raised his hand and asked the professor, "May I pose a question?"

Of course" answered the professor.

The young student stood up and asked: "Professor does cold exist?"

The professor answered, "What kind of question is that?...Of course the cold exists... haven't you ever been cold?"

The young student answered, "In fact sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold, in fact is the absence of heat. Anything is able to be studied as long as it transmits energy (heat). Absolute Zero is the total absence of heat, but cold does not exist. What we have done is create a term to describe how we feel if we don't have body heat or we are not hot."
"And, does dark exist?", he continued.

The professor answered "Of course".

This time the student responded, "Again you're wrong, Sir. Darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in fact simply the absence of light. Light can be studied, darkness can not. Darkness cannot be broken down. A simple ray of light tears the darkness and illuminates the surface where the! light beam finishes. Dark is a term that we humans have created to describe what happens when there's lack of light."
Finally, the student asked the professor, "Sir, does evil exist?"

The professor replied, "Of course it exists, as I mentioned at the beginning, we see violations, crimes and violence anywhere in the world, and those things are evil."

The student responded, "Sir, evil does not exist. Just as in the previous cases, evil is a term which man has created to describe the result of the absence of God's presence in the hearts of man."

After this, the professor bowed down his head, and didn't answer back.

The young man's name was Albert Einsten

A request

Friends, I come before you with a request.

First I ask you to go to Serving His Children

Read Renee's last blog.

Then I pray that God will stir in your heart to give something.

Whatever extra you have.

Let's not allow another child to die due to lack of an oxygen tank.

Thank you.

Flight of the Conchords- Business Time

I feel like I should disclaimer this:
Don't watch unless you are married or very mature. It about that three letter word that starts with a "s" and ends with an "x."
Hope it makes you laugh.

Not made for this World

"Max Lucado told a story about a fish in his book When God Whispers Your Name. My version is slightly different. Let's start with a question: do you think a fish would be happy on a sandy beach? (If you have to ask a fifth grader, I'm worried about you) The obvious answer is, of course not. The fish's little gills would be slapping in and out like hands clapping, his body flopping end to end like a crazed acrobat.

Imagine we give our fish friend $100,000 in cold, hard, tax-free cash. Do you think Fishy would be happy now? Can you picture him still flapping and flopping? Suppose we give him a cold Corona and a Playfish magazine. Again, Fishy would not be happy. No matter what we give the fish on the beach, it won't satisfy him. There's nothing that could make that fish happy on the beach - because he isn't made for the beach. The sand is not his home. Anything apart from water will leave him wanting for the place for which he was created.

The same is true of us. We are not happy with the things of this world because we're not made for this world! We are strangers, aliens, foreigners on earth. We are made to dwell forever with our Lord in heave. We will never discover lasting happiness in the temporary things of this world because we weren't made to live a temporary life. That's why we should lower our expectations of this place. Earth is not heaven. It was never meant to be. That's why no amount of money, new house, new living-room furniture, new kitchen appliances, new clothes, new hair, new baby, new vacation, new job, new income, new husband or new anything will ever satisfy us, because we were not made for the things of this world.

As Psalm 97:12 says, "May all who are godly be happy in the LORD and praise his holy name!" Real happiness is found only in the Lord, and when we find it we'll understand, perhaps for the first time, how blessed we really are"

Excerpt from "The Christian Atheist" 

By: Craig Groeschel

How honest and true are those words, and how often we forget them.

How often do we find ourselves longing for things of this world, wishing we had something new or better, thinking to ourselves after we get to that point we will be happy.

I'm guilty of it on a daily basis.

I think after I have adopted my children my life will be more fulfilling. I think once I have planned my next trip to Africa I will be content. I think if I had a different job and my stress level wasn't so high I would be happier.

.....if only things would change.

None of these things are bad. It is not as though I spend my days dreaming for material things. But I need to learn to be thankful for the life I have in the present. I need to learn to find ways to serve and have joy in whatever the circumstance. I am not made for this earth, and even when I have children and I'm a stay at home mom as I dream I will still have days where I wish I could go back to work to get away. I will never be content unless I am focused on the Saviour, and focused on building for eternity.

But there's far more to life for us. We're citizens of high heaven! We're waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He'll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him. 

Philippians 3:19-20

We must acknowledge that we won't always be happy as Christians. I know this is against what the majority of Christianity in North America teaches us. As followers of Jesus we are called to suffer, we are called to persecutions and trials and spiritual attacks. We are not called to an easy life. There is no biblical 10 step plan to happiness. Pray these prayers and God will bless you with happiness. This is so against what the Bible teaches. As Christians we should strive to live a Biblical life and pray it is according to His Will, whether it is "happy" or not by the world's standards we will be blessed with joy if we are following Him.

You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. 

Psalm 16:11

If our joy comes from the Spirit and following His will, nothing will be able to destroy it. I would so rather deep joy than the momentary thrill of worldly happiness. 

In our society we also equate happiness to wealth. If we have money, a new car, a new house, new clothes, the list goes on and on, then we will find happiness. The Bible has some harsh words on this too.

In Timothy, we are called to contentment.

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 

1 Timothy 6:6-9

Content: satisfied with what one is or has; not wanting more or anything else.

 

We must not want more.

 

Jesus when explaining the parable of the seed to His disciples explains the seed choked out by thorns.

 

Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 

Mark 4:18 

It was their wealth and desire for more that made them unfruitful. It killed the seed planted in them by the Holy Spirit. It choked out the Life in their life.

My prayer is that these words would become real to us. That every day we would wake thankful for where we are today. 

 

I will choose to be content with my life in my small apartment with my husband studying fifteen hours a day. Content in my job that makes me want to pull my hair out. I will be content in these things because the Father has called me to be here for now; therefore I want to use all of me to be His hands and feet wherever He has placed me. I don't want to miss opportunities to serve or be faithful.

My prayer is also that we will take seriously the Fathers claims about wealth. If having money is going to choke out my passion for the Lord do I really want it? And if God has chosen me as a steward of His money am I using it for His glory or for my own selfish gain? Because one day we will be accountable to how we stewarded what He blessed us with? Did we allow our wealth to choke out the Word or did we use it for His glory?

Once we truly accept that we will never be happy with more things, I truly believe some of the appeal wears off. This is true also for the Church. The Church will not be more fruitful just because they are wealthy, or have a newer building or bigger TVs'. That appeal will wear off. Is the Church truly content in what God has given and proving itself good stewards of the money God has blessed it with? Is the Church filling needs or wants?

I pray these truths will become real to me daily. That God will transform my heart that I might be content now, and that I might experience His joy.

Two Years

Two years ago today this really cute guy asked me to be his girlfriend.

We looked at the clock, 12:02.

I guess that means the 31st is our anniversary, said the cute guy.

Smart man, knew the 31st didn't come around every month. And somehow I managed to be gone for almost all of our "big days." Three months, there was no thirty first. Six months, I was in Calgary. One year, I was in Africa. In fact, the only anniversary we have ever celebrated was four months.

Tomorrow we will have been married for six months exactly.

I bet he would make dinner, except I'm off gluten and dairy so I highly doubt he'll know what to make. I make it so hard on him.

Well here's to a great two years with that cute guy. And a great six months of marriage.

I'm so blessed daily by my husband and thank the Lord that he's allowed me to be married so such an awesome guy.

One Thousand Gifts

Friends, if you have not stumbled across the corner of the internet that goes by the name A Holy Experience please go. Read and be encouraged. There is something about how Ann writes that reads exactly like a poem. Her words are true and beautiful and challenge you to find God right where you are. Her blog is my favourite to read and I find such encouragement in her words.

I've just ordered her new book, "One Thousand Gifts." It is not only out of stock but there is a huge waiting list and Amazon gave me an ETA of March 27th. Well at least I got on the list, I'm kicking myself for not ordering it sooner. So in April when I finally get to enjoy this book I will tell you all about it.

When the fog lifts...

This morning I walked out my front door and was brought to tears. I'll admit that is not very hard these days but nonetheless it was a sight of beauty. Every single tree was layered in the thickest hoar frost I have ever seen.

hoar·frost: Frozen dew that forms a white coating on a surface, also called white frost.

All I had with me was my trusty iPod so I snapped the best pictures I could.

And as I drove to work the long way and reveled in the beauty of Gods creation, several thoughts entered my mind.

And who do you think is the father of rain and dew, the mother of ice and frost?
You don't for a minute imagine these marvels of weather just happen, do you? 

Job 38:29-30

The first was, if I lived in Africa I would never wake up to mornings where God chose to hand paint the trees white. Sometimes I struggle finding God in creation here. In Africa He seemed to be everywhere I looked. I saw Him when I looked at my babies, as I walked through the village, every morning at sunrise. But since I've been home I have struggled seeing Him in creation. I know He is there, and that He creates beauty even in the middle of winter, but at the same time it's rare for His creation to take my breath away.

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me; your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

Psalm 139:7-12

The second thought was how He transforms. This morning school was cancelled because the fog was so thick it was unsafe to drive.

Fog:
1. Condensed water vapor in cloudlike masses lying close to the ground and limiting visibility.
2. a. An obscuring haze, as of atmospheric dust or smoke.
b. A mist or film clouding a surface, as of a window, lens, or mirror.
3. a. A state of mental vagueness or bewilderment.
b. Something that obscures or conceals; a haze: shrouded their actions in a fog of disinformation.

But when the fog lifted we were left with a breath taking view of His majesty.

It's like that in life sometimes. The fog is so dense we can see our feet or the path we are walking. Sometimes were surrounded by a fog of doubt or depression or loneliness. Sometimes our health seems crushed by a fog of sickness, like we can never be completely well. But when we choose to trust God through the fogs and the trials. When we call out to Him and ask Him to lead us through we can have faith that when the fog lifts....

The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.

Lamentations 2:22-23

Beauty will arise.

For your unfailing love is higher than the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

Psalm 108:4

 He promises if we walk with Him, He will guide our step.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Proverbs 3:5

Aren't his promises good?