Choose God Over Fear

Choose God Over Fear

, , , ,

Choose God Over Fear

More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ

Philippians 3:7-8

Over the last few days, I have talked with my daughters via Facetime. We all have an iPhone. Facetime is a video feature that comes with an iPhone, which makes talking via video so much easier than in the past. Essentially, replacing voice with both video and audio. A real blessing!

As well, Connie and I have noticed we are talking to both sets of our parents more and certainly our brothers and sisters. Most of the conversation is about how are you doing? Essentially checking in to see how each other is faring during the Coronavirus crisis.

We recently talked to a friend, we saw and heard the same things happening to them. Their adult children have moved in for a while because they are working from home and are escaping New York city where the virus has escalated.

Connie and I have created new routines with most things around us closed. Every day we play cribbage at four in the afternoon. Each day we take long walks. And recently, we started running up five flights of stairs in our apartment building. Ever competitive, to see if we can beat our last time.

In more quiet times we have taken on new hobbies. Connie has started replaying the guitar and is learning to crochet. I have picked back up my love for two-dimensional art. Buying a ruler, drawing pencils and a sketchpad.

Everywhere in our neighborhood, we see people also taking long walks. During these walks, we have met Archie, a one-year-old dog, fully on energy and love. His owner takes him out five times a day. He is now the mayor of our neighborhood, spreading joy from person to person.

Archie arrived during a tough time for his owner. A woman who had lost her husband. She tells us that Archie has helped her with her grief.

The Coronavirus has certainly changed lives. And these are certainly tough times. We can’t help but worry about those around us who have lost jobs. We don’t have many sick people in Asheville, so the disease is far distant. But we worry about the health care workers and their patients.

We know retirees who have lost a significant amount of their savings, and we also worry about them.

Certainly, we can’t go every place we would like to go. Movies are out. No more dining out and having a cold beer from the tap. All our places to go are closed.

But the calls from and to family have made me think, what have I really lost? It seems to me that it is more what have I gained?

I have gotten to see Mischa, my daughter’s new puppy, bounce around. I have gotten to see Dave’s homemade corned beef. I have talked with my dad more than any time from the recent past. His polite voice, always a hallmark, has steadied my thoughts.

I have gotten to hear my father-in-law chide me about my favorite baseball team, the Boston Red Sox. He is a life-long Indians fan.

Through cribbage, Connie and I have a daily competitive battle. Watching each other get better, all to learn how to beat each other. Our latest time running up the stairs has become a source of competition.

In times of stress, we have turned to prayer. Which soothes our anxiety and reminds us that through faith we have gained a lot. Instead of focusing on the virus, we focus on trusting God.

While we have our concerns about the virus and where is the stock market going, we love this new life we have gained.

I recently had a friend tell me how he was dealing with the virus and its impact. He said; Refuse to feed the fear that comes to steal your peace and joy. Rather dwell in the knowledge that every person is so important to the Father that he knows the number of hairs on our head, and every tear we shed. Place your trust in Him.

And that is where we should be. Our fears are real and so isn’t the virus and the heavy financial toil it is taking. But we stand at a crossroad, do we have faith and see the good in life or let fear drown our faith and joy.

I can declare, that the virus will go away and life will become normal. Maybe in weeks or perhaps months, but it will subside. Tomorrow will replace today and the steps we take today will decide what tomorrow looks like. We shouldn’t let fear strip our ability to make wise choices. Choices that will help us tomorrow.

Like calling my father frequently. I will always cherish the voice of my father. A voice of reason and politeness. A voice that steadied my ship so many times in life. He is bravely fighting the debilitating effect of Alzheimer’s. My moments with him are coming to an end. Instead of fear, I choose to hear his voice. I choose the voices of my children. I choose to race my wife up the stairs and to win that game of cribbage. These are moments of joy and not of fear.

I choose God over fear.

Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

Photo by frank mckenna on Unsplash

We love to give credit to budding photographers

/by
coronavirus panic

Faith and Reducing Coronavirus induced Panic

, , , ,

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

Hebrews 11:1

This Saturday, while having lunch at a local restaurant, the general manager came to our table to ask us how my wife and I were doing. We replied, very well; How are you? Our reply set off a lengthy explanation of his panic. He was afraid he might have to close the restaurant with his business off seventy-five percent. In his eyes, I could see real fear. The kind of fear that unsettles our stomach, weakens our knees and causes us to labor on the easiest of tasks.

With our friends and family, we also have heard and seen fear. Supermarket shelves are being emptied. Hand sanitizer is being sold on the street for fifty dollars a bottle. True panic seems to abound.

A disquieting sense of being seems to be present in all that we see and hear. Panic caused by a lack of control of people’s lives and events.

Each announcement of school and store closings seems to raise the fear level higher. Watching television, you hear even more information that stiffens your body. The stock market is violently swinging in turmoil, causing people to wonder; how much will their savings go down? All around us fear seems to be growing faster than the Coronavirus itself, which is at the root of people’s fear.

But our fear, is just that, fear. People are forgetting that fear breeds fear. Fear is not tangible or something you can touch. But a vicious psychological marauder that seeks harm. Not physical harm, but emotional.

Panic causes bad decisions when more than ever good ones are required. Panic causes unsteady steps when the steps of life need to be sure.

Friends are asking me; what do we do when things get panicky?  My reply is have faith and focus on what we can control. By doing this we gain power over our emotions, no longer letting panic dictate how we feel.

I have been here many times before, whether it was H1N1 or SARS. I have lived through the stock market crash of 1987, September 11th, and the Great Recession of 2009. All dangerous things for the psyche. But this panic seems far more out of control.

Now I am not saying that the risk of catching the Coronavirus isn’t real, it is a dangerous flu. What has become more dangerous is that the level of panic seems to have exceeded the danger.

We need to remember that the stock market always comes back, and in all cases moves much higher. The virus will run its course and we will all learn more about how to be better protected from getting new viruses. When the danger has passed, and it will, the lessons we learned will make us healthier. Most importantly, life will return to normal.

We should have a healthy level of concern and wash our hands more frequently. We should trust that the civil authorities know what they are doing. But we shouldn’t let panic control us, we should control us. Not changing our lives is a great place to start.

Doing the things we always do, no matter how modified, is a good place to start.

We should still say I love you to our loved ones, maybe more. We should still hug our children, maybe a little tighter.  We should still call our parents, probably more frequently. We should plant the spring flowers, perhaps a few more this year. We should still help the elderly, especially now.

The problem with the disease of panic is that it is an easy bed to jump into and a hard one to get out of. But arise we must, because staying there will only make things worse.

Instead of needing to be consoled, we should try to console. Helping others is a wonderful antidote to fear. Try it, you will feel better. That I can guarantee.

As Christians, we know to have faith and we should. We may not be sure how this all turns out, but losing our faith doesn’t make sense. How many times in the past has God has answered our prayers. And this we should remember.

In these times of stress, God’s arms of help haven’t been shortened. They are just as long as they were yesterday, probably longer.

Faith is something we can count on. It is a place that shields us from panic. A place where the Holy Spirit delivers comfort and wisdom. A quiet place of prayer. On our knees or sitting, we are in commune with God, who will answer us today as happened yesterday.

Panic is an emotional virus that is spread much like a physical virus. Fear breeds fear and left unchecked is an unreasonable pursuer of mayhem. But panic is a disease that is curable.

Deep breaths will diminish its effect. Remembering to continue our lives will tap down its desire to debilitate. Washing our hands often will give us a greater sense of control.

Prayer will provide peace and reassure us. Reading the Bible will give insight. For times like this, I highly recommend reading Philippians and 2nd Corinthians. Both wonderfully uplifting books that provide hope in times of duress.

Things will get better in time, not because I have seen it many times, but because I live by faith. Let panic abate. The flowers of spring will sprout green soon. Hope will replace despair. The streams of light called everyday life will return.

Be at peace.

Listen to the Full Podcast – Faith and Reducing Coronavirus induced Panic

Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

Photo by Zac Durant on Unsplash

We love to give credit to budding photographers

/by
praying at work

3 Ways Being Like Jesus Will Help Your Career

, , , ,

3 Ways Being Like Jesus Will Help Your Career

The son can do nothing on his own accord, but only what he sees the father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise.

Luke [5:19]

This year when I was doing my speeches on college campuses, I wanted to try some different. Instead of preparing an intricately weaved message, I would focus on only three points and keep repeating them using different examples each time. My message this year was how to find a job and become a great employee. Simply, there are three ways, be positive, be trustworthy and pursue excellence. That’s it, no sophisticated weaving to make the point at the end, just keep repeating the same message.

Well, it worked! When I got the feedback and reviews back from my college visit at Theil College in Western Pennsylvania, the students overwhelmingly repeated the message in their reviews and used the explanations to support their reviews.

The message is simple, you only need to be three things to be a great employee. Yes, only three; being positive, trustworthy and committed to excellence. When I explained this to a friend, he said, But my employee appraisal given by my employer had forty-three different measurements! I told him this wasn’t that unusual; many companies make the mistake of over-complicating evaluating employees.

So, I asked him to give me his appraisal form. He did and we placed all forty-three review items into one of three categories; Being Positive, Being trustworthy and Committed to excellence. And yes, everyone could fit into one of the three categories!

I think we all make this mistake of overthinking things; I am certainly heavily prone to doing this! But just imagine telling your spouse, mom, and dad or even a friend every one of your forty-three individual rankings from your employee appraisal. Heck, for most of us ten minutes after the review we can only remember a few. So why not just work on the three that cover everything! Three is easy to remember and simpler to deal with.

So, let’s start with being positive. Well, Jesus has a point of view on this category, He said, If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light. So, just imagine using this point of view when you approach a customer. They would be happier and more open to hearing what you have to say. We shouldn’t be dour or stern, but open and receptive. If one of your forty-three ratings was on customer service, guess what; you would get a high mark.

Now imagine you are working in a team setting and have this same attitude Jesus is talking about. You would be a great listener and a patient partner. Every word you speak will be geared to lift up and help collaborate. Well, you know what your rating would be for teamwork. Sure, very high.

Let’s turn to the second category, being trustworthy. Here Jesus explains; One who is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in very little is also dishonest in much. (Luke [16:10]) Well, this seems pretty simple. Trustworthiness is built by doing even the smallest things with integrity. Another way of looking at this is by answering the question; how do you work when no one is watching?

I once had a boss who said he could tell a lot by how someone played golf. If they played by the rules, he could trust them in the office. Likewise, when we interview for a new job, there should be no stretching of the truth, not even the smallest amount.

One of the things people miss here is that body language and tone can give away dishonest intentions. Many people don’t know that almost seventy percent of all communication is non-verbal. Yes, that’s right, seventy percent. We all give off subtle cues about our real intent, non-verbally. And most people are smart and will pick them up

But I know only one sure-fire way around letting non-verbal communication give away dishonest communication. Don’t be dishonest.

The final point; is pursue excellence in all that you do. The more you learn and are willing to do the more valuable you become. The more valuable, the more treasured. Jesus explains this in The Parable of the Talents. A story about a manager who went away for a few days and left his employees things to do. Two of the three employees actually did more than what was asked, to which the manager said; Well done, good and faithful servant, you have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.

So this is the way work goes, you are given a task and if you just complete it, you will get another task, but not much different. If you do more than is asked, you get more responsibility, become more valued and get more job freedom.

Simple? Not quite, to do this you have to learn things you didn’t already know. Here is the difference-maker. Learn them with enthusiasm. Be incredibly curious about how everything works. Even if it seems boring. And no excuses, like I never did this before, or this is hard. Always remember, in most workplaces you aren’t doing neo-natal surgery, so most any requirements or new tasks can be learned. Learning to figure stuff out is within all our capabilities and becomes a valuable trait.

This part is also about commitment to excellence. Not excellence derived from a long management book. But practical excellence. Excellence that you know in your heart. When you feel yourself giving in or giving up, be the one willing to continue. Excellence expressed in getting even the little things perfect.  And always remember as Christians we work for the Lord! So make your work acceptable to Jesus.

Whether you have a job or are looking for a job, keep it simple. And trust me, everything comes down to three things, being positive, being trustworthy and pursuing excellence. You can read all the self-help books you can find or tie yourself up in knots thinking about how to impress people. But it always comes down to these three traits. Work on these three and the rest will fall in place.

And always remember that Jesus, the Son, only did what, God, the Father was doing! So when we work, work to please the Lord.

Listen to the Full Podcast – 3 Ways Being Like Jesus Will Help Your Career

Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

/by
book of romans

The Book of Romans

, , , ,

The Book of Romans; The Original Diversity Document

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Romans [10:13]

Near the end of Paul’s three journeys throughout the Mediterranean world, he wrote The Epistle to the Romans, or more commonly known as the Book of Romans. While this is the first of Paul’s letters in the New Testament, it is actually the last one he personally wrote, sometime in 57AD. This letter is considered to contain the most complete theology of all the letters in the New Testament.

In fact, its message is so rich in thought, that I recently had someone tell me they are part of a Bible study group that would review the Book of Romans for a full year. Yes, every week for a full year!

Every sentence in Romans is so deep in explaining our Christian faith, I can easily see how this would be possible. Even a year might not even be enough!

What’s more remarkable, is that while the letter is addressed to the Christians who lived in Rome, Paul had not been to Rome at the time of this writing. So you might ask, why did Paul write this letter? Well, the answer is a little complicated.

Three years earlier in 54AD, there were two groups of Christians in Rome, who were bickering with each other to the point of social disruption and were thrown out of Rome by the emperor.

One group was Jewish Christians who had practiced Judaism prior to converting to Christianity. Possibly even from Jerusalem.  The second were Gentile Christians or not originally connected to Judaism. Ironically, even though both groups lived in Rome, they viewed themselves as separate factions and worshipped separately.

The Jewish Christians viewed themselves as superior and often criticized their Gentile brethren. In turn, the Gentile Christians were a bit anti-Semitic and recoiled at the criticism they received from the Jewish Christians. Creating a very rancorous environment

Paul found out about this from some of the exiles who went to Corinth from Rome. By the way, Corinth was where Romans was written. Both sides told Paul their point of view. Paul, himself grew weary of the complaints and decided to sit down and write the letter to ALL the Roman Christians.

I stress the word, ALL, as this was the point that Paul was trying to get at in his letter.

And this important, what created this great masterpiece of Christian writing was written to resolve a localized issue. Paul was such a gifted writer and deeply committed to spreading the message of Christ, that resolving an ordinary dispute turned into the preeminent statement of our faith.

Amazing a local issue of two bickering groups from the 1st century created the Book of Romans. So wonderfully written, that its message resonates with believers in the 21st century.

As a side note; this is how I believe God created the Bible; using inspired people, through God-inspired circumstances, that created all the words of the Bible.

The circumstance here was two groups of people who had created divisions amongst themselves, forgetting the important message that God created all humankind in God’s image. And that regardless of our origin, race, gender and any other difference we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. In this letter, Paul exhorts those arguing to remember these points by saying; “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

But not only does Paul do that, he explains in great detail the purpose of Christ. He further explains for the Gentile Christians the special value of Jewish Christians. Likewise, he explains the special value of Gentile Christians. Like any good parent, Paul writes in great detail why both sides should like each other and not fight.

Paul is very clear, that what makes a good Christian is their faith in the risen Lord. Not their biology, origin, male or female, or whether they are Greek or Jew. That is through faith we are all saved. Each chapter, builds on this theme, taking the reader from; justification, to peace with God, to the grace of God and how we are reconciled with God through Jesus. In extremely exquisite writing Paul lays out in Romans, thoughts that would transcend generations eternally.

What I love about this letter is how important it is for those of today. Beyond its deeply detailed explanation of the importance of faith and the grace of God, it points out that we are ALL brothers and sisters in Christ. Because we are Catholic, it doesn’t mean we are better or worse than Methodists or Baptists or Quakers. And likewise, as Methodists we do not have superiority over any other denomination. Our faith in Jesus and God’s grace make us equal.

Sometimes even within denominations today we see these unsavory splits. Take the current schism in the Methodist denomination. They are acting in a very similar manner to what happened between the Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians two thousand years earlier, effectively putting their social views ahead of faith and the grace of God. To the point, they have agreed to split up!

The simple message of our faith is that through our faith in Christ we are justified with God and we receive grace and mercy from God, equally!

The beauty of Romans does lie in its wonderful explanation of faith and the grace of God. It also lies in its very important statement on diversity. As Paul said over two thousand years ago; everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Listen to the Full Podcast – The Book of Roman’s

Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

Photo by Carolyn V on Unsplash

We love giving credit to budding photographers to help them gain more exposure.

/by
romans

Galatians: We Are All Equal In Christ!

, , , ,

Galatians: We Are All Equal In Christ!

There is neither Greek or Jew, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male or female, for you are all one in Jesus.

Galatians [3:28]

A friend of mine came to me overwhelmed by the complexity of the Book of Romans. It is certainly one of the most complex books in the Bible! I suggested she should read Galatians first. Here was my reasoning, it was written before Romans and is considered a primer to Romans. Certainly less burdensome in its length and the deeply elegantly prose written by Paul in Romans is replaced with a simpler to the point prose of Paul. So while Galatians isn’t as theologically rich, it is far more accessible. By comparison, Romans has sixteen chapters and Galatians has six. But both contain many of the same thoughts.

The letter was written to a church in Galatia, a region of present-day Turkey. The date of the letter is late 40’s AD, maybe 50 AD. This one of Paul’s first letters. What I personally love about this letter is a verse in chapter [3:28], where it says; There is neither Greek or Jew, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male or female, for you are all one in Jesus.

I would call this a foundational statement by Paul. A statement that we can use to measure other writings or verses written by Paul. Here it is a well-crafted sentence written for the Galatians that tells all about how Paul thinks. He believes that All people, and I cannot stress ALL enough! His message is that ALL are equal and worthy to Jesus. It doesn’t matter where you come from, your gender, what you believed before you were born again, we are ALL equal. And we ALL start as Christians first and everything else second.

Knowing this foundational message by Paul will not only open up Galatians but also help in the reading of Romans.

In this verse, is also the statement that while we should view others as equal, it also means; just because you are rich doesn’t mean you are better in God’s eyes. Whether you are Republican or Democrat isn’t important to God. But your personal character and values are what God cares about.

Another fundamental statement for Paul in Galatians is in Chapter [2:16], where it says; Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus. As much as any other verse in Galatians this is a critical message. We can do all the good we are capable of, but without our faith in Christ, we cannot be justified with God. In other words, we can’t work our way into heaven, and that shouldn’t be our goal. Our goal is to simply believe completely, and most importantly have faith in Jesus.

Now,  let’s be careful here, this doesn’t mean that we can intentionally live in sin and believe our faith frees us. Nope, that is not what this means. Partially, because it doesn’t make sense. If you believe fully in Christ Jesus, why would you not want to always do good? Rather if we are doing only what we want, rather than following the words of Christ than it is a good indication we have a faulty sense of faith.

Simply, we want to do good, because we fully believe and have faith in Jesus.

The difference is our attitude to faith if we say we believe only for a selfish purpose of eternal life, this isn’t true faith. If we have faith because we believe in Jesus, we exhibit this faith by our unselfish being. But faith comes first and being good is a by-product.

Now we should also remember, we will all fail and have difficult moments even with a strong faith and I excel at these moments. This gets us to Paul’s point about God’s grace and forgiveness. The grace and forgiveness of God is unmerited and is freely given for just these moments. Repeating our failures and difficult moments intentionally, however, will eventually separate us from God.

Now there is a very deep difference in how the Catholic church thinks about doing good as a testament of our faith; versus Protestants. Protestants believe they are justified with God through faith alone. While Catholics believe that our faith is shown in our works. Personally, I think Paul is telling us that both are right. Faith comes first, but it manifests itself in our good works.

In Chapter 5 Paul handles this rather well, where he says, For you were called to freedom. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve each other.

So you might also ask, why doesn’t Paul mention the law or the ten commandments as our guide. Well, he says something different, he agrees with the law but says the Jesus wants us to walk with the Spirit. That by doing this we gain freedom. For the Spirit will not lead us to sin. So trying to follow the law by ourselves is not enough, and this the point Paul is making. He states that as believers in Christ we are better off to walk with and trust the Spirit. And in turn this is a more effective way of complying with the Ten Commandments

One final point is why Paul wrote this letter to the church in Galatia because other people had visited the church and tried to change the minds of the people of the church in Galatia. Things like, you have to be circumcised to be a Christian or confusing suggestions about what faith really was. This letter, like Romans, was designed to get this church back on track.

But be careful in judging the Galatians, this was a very early church and it shouldn’t surprise us they struggled. What is important in this letter is that not only does it apply to the church in Galatia, but for churches two thousand years later. Any modern church could and perhaps even should review Galatians and test their own spiritual practices, by asking themselves; Are we following these principles?

Galatians was a well-crafted primer for Christians and churches in the 1st century, but also for us in the 21st century.

Read Galatians with these thoughts in the back of your mind and see how they apply to your life. Then read Romans, you will be prepared and ready!

And as always, remember to bring the Holy Spirit along as well.

Listen to the Full Podcast –Galatians: We Are All Equal in Christ

Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

Photo by Markus Leo on Unsplash

We love giving credit to budding photographers to help them gain more exposure.

/by
elevator of faith

The Elevator of Faith is Boring

, , , ,

The Elevator of Faith is Boring

For we walk by faith, not by sight.

2 Corinthians 5:7

Part of my day is reading and more reading. Mostly to find how other people think about faith, and to find interesting and helpful historical Christian facts. All to pass on to other people to help them have a closer walk with God. While doing this recently, I came across an article named, My Boring Christian testimony. As I read the article I was anything but bored. Essentially, the testimony was written by a woman named Megan Hill, a married mom, and writer. The point of the article was that she didn’t feel her faith was real because she didn’t have a dramatic conversion process or an incredible faith story.

As I read the article, I discovered a very normal life. As a young person, her parents took her to church. She asked to join the church when she was twelve. As she entered college, when most young people drift away from the church, she continued going to church. After marriage and having children, she started the same cycle with her children, by taking them to church. It seems pretty normal, certainly nothing to be ashamed of.

But through the years she doubted if her faith was real. She saw other people have dramatic moments of faith. She heard wonderful testimonies of people curing their addictions through faith. Others who had led an immoral life were struck by God and saved. On and on this drumbeat went, leaving her to feel if she had done something wrong.

Her real problem was in not understanding 2nd Corinthians 5:7, where it says, For we walk by faith, not by sight. She had always walked by faith, while many of us got off course by walking by sight and then needed to have a dramatic event to turn our lives around.

She had answered life’s most important question correctly, early in life, while many of us did the opposite and answered the question wrong.

This statement in 2nd Corinthians is a fundamental statement about faith. It isn’t something you can touch, see, hear, taste or physically feel. Faith is the opposite, it’s like walking into a dark room and being sure you won’t bump into anything.

For someone, like Megan, it’s like having the option of walking into a building and walking up all the stairs to get to the top; or just hitting the button on the faith elevator and arriving on top. It doesn’t mean she took a short cut or had a boring journey on the faith elevator. It meant she answered life’s toughest question right the first time.

Some of us choose to walk up, because we don’t see how it’s possible to just believe. For some it is a lifetime of a tepid prayer life, until the overwhelming responses from God turns a person’s heart.

For others, it is a point in life where they had no place to turn. They had hit the 6 o’clock of life and were left desperate. Only then do they make the long walk back to faith.

Still, others are sometimes in and sometimes out. The glory of God’s blessings don’t fully outweigh their human desires. They are constantly pulled back by a new want in life.

For these people, they take the stairs up to the top of the faith elevator, stopping along the way to investigate the floors. Sometimes they look at every floor, other times skipping a few.

But faith is believing in something you can’t see. You can’t rationalize faith. And no one can ever adequately explain how you are supposed to feel.

C.S. Lewis explained his faith and conversion experience by saying the following; You must picture me alone in that room in Magdalen [College, Oxford], night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me. In the Trinity Term of 1929, I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.

Faith is no more than an intimate encounter with God when you fully realize that God exists. A realization that leaves you grateful and fulfilled. No longer desiring things you want, but to be a humble servant of God.

Faith isn’t something you can will or force. Sometimes it is a persistent knocking on the door by God. Other times it is a dramatic event. But God is always compelling us to believe. Compelling us to take one more step into the unknown and walking one step away from what we know.

But because some answer the compelling force of God on the first try, it doesn’t mean they are missing something, like Megan felt. Many people have a simple faith. I admire people with a boring journey to God. They saved themselves a lot of trouble.

But is Megan’s testimony really boring? How can it be, when you consider the power and beauty of a direct connection God? Her own personal and intimate relationship with the one who created the earth,  the universe, the stars in the sky and even knitted us in our mother’s womb.

No, Megan, your faith isn’t boring!

Listen to the Full Podcast –The Elevator of Faith is Boring

Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

We love giving credit to budding photographers to help them gain more exposure.

/by
Mary Magdalene

Mary Magdalene: A Woman of Ill Repute?

, , ,

Mary Magdalene: A Woman of Ill Repute?

Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

John [20:18]

In 591AD Pope Gregory 1, declared in a sermon, that Mary Magdalene was a sinful woman. Setting off a centuries-long belief that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. While this was dismissed by Pope Paul IV in 1969, it is still part of the myth that surrounds Mary Magdalene. A simple misguided and poorly researched statement by Gregory has clouded for modern Christians the real Mary Magdalene.

Discovering the real truth about Mary Magdalene is hard because there are few writings about her or from her. Much of what has been written is opinion and speculation. Sometimes wildly dramatic images, like the one from Gregory. Others have even speculated that perhaps she was Jesus’s wife! Well, none of these hold up when we carefully review the only document that contains references about her; the Holy Bible.

Perhaps the best description we get of her is in Luke 8:1-3, where is says; The Twelve were with him,2 and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; 3 Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.

There are three critical statements made here about Mary. Note that the first woman mentioned is Mary Magdalene. This is very important and we should take note; that whenever, Mary is mentioned in the Gospels with other women, she is always listed first. Indicating special importance. And further note she is in all four Gospels. Even non-Biblical scholars will attest to her being a real historical figure, because of this.

The second and just as important thing to note is the statement that she supported Jesus and the twelve with her own money. Meaning she had some form of wealth to be able to provide this support. This statement alone should make us question her as being a prostitute.

The third statement is that Jesus had cured her evil spirits and diseases. This doesn’t mean she was a prostitute, as healing was a common occurrence by Jesus. Perhaps Mary had a physical ailment or a psychological impairment.

Another aspect about Mary we should all know and likely has caused a lot of confusion by later writers was that Mary was the most common name for women in Judea during the 1st century. In Hebrew or Aramaic, Mary means beloved or Wished for child. So when we read the gospels we have a lot of references to Mary, such as; The Virgin Mary, Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene. Over the centuries writers have frequently merged many of the Mary’s.

Another potential cause of this misinformation about Mary is a result of the town she was from. She was from Magdala, a town near Jerusalem, that was historically associated with ill-repute and sinful behavior. So it appears she is guilty by association.

As we continue to research in the Bible, Mary was an eyewitness to two critical events in Jesus’s life. She was at the resurrection, while none of the twelve male Apostles were there.

Mary was also part of the burial scene in the tomb and the first to visit the empty tomb in the Gospel of John.

So we can see that Mary Magdalene is a critically faithful disciple of Jesus. Perhaps we could even call her an Apostle! So while this assertion may seem radical; let me explain why.

After she visits the empty tomb and tells the others about the empty tomb, she goes back to the tomb. Sitting and weeping she is visited by two angels. They ask her why is she weeping? To which she replies, they have taken away my Lord. After saying this she lifts her head up and sees a man. It was Jesus, who she didn’t recognize. Then Jesus says; Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking? She still doesn’t recognize Jesus, until he says, Mary. Now she knows it is Jesus and says excitedly, Rabboni (Which means teacher)

She leaves and tells the others, I have seen the Lord. While at first, this might appear to be something we would all do. Her statement, I have seen the Lord, is usually associated with the Apostles. You might say, I thought there were only twelve Apostles. Perhaps, but this statement in the New Testament can also mean she is an Apostle.

Now my analysis may have stretched too far here by calling her an Apostle. But my point is; there is a more logical path to calling her an Apostle than calling her a prostitute.

And that is the point of the story about Mary Magdalene. Unfortunately many times we make observations about people that are based on our opinions, which turned out to be false. Even Pope’s! In this case, Mary, even today in some quarters is considered to be a prostitute, but she wasn’t when we look at the facts.

But it is also a story about reading the Bible. When we all enter the Bible, we sometimes enter the Bible with preconceived impressions that may or may not be right. I myself am guilty of this far too often. Instead, we should enter the Bible with the Holy Spirit as our guide. And empty ourselves to hear and read with the Holy Spirit. When we do this we make our visit to the Bible with God alone, and we hear and read what God has to say to us.

So I don’t mean to imply that Pope’s have interpreted the Bible incorrectly, but to point out, that even Pope’s can come to faulty conclusions. Our visits with the Bible are very personal and intimate explorations with God. And we should leave opinions and biases at home, even Pope’s!

Listen to the Full Podcast – Mary Magdalene: A Woman of Ill Repute?

Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

Photo by Hamish Weir on Unsplash

We love giving credit to budding photographers to help them gain more exposure.

/by
hollywood story

A Hollywood Story – Acts of the Apostles

, , ,

Acts of the Apostles: A Hollywood Story

After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.

Acts 1:3

A new phrase in modern times is called binge-watching. A new television series comes out and we watch all the episodes from beginning to end, sometimes in one sitting or perhaps two or three. It makes me think of how worthy some of the books of the Bible would be to binge-watch. Certainly, Genesis with its great stories like Noah’s ark, Joseph in the well or the intrigue between Jacob and Esau. A book filled with subplots, hero’s and villains. Certainly, The book of Acts is the same.

In Acts, we have jail cells collapsing. A missionary braving dangers and wanders for close to twenty years to spread the good news about Christ. We have the Holy Spirit teaching people to talk in tongues. And a story of the first Christian Martyr. Hollywood could easily make this book into a series. I know I would binge watch it in one sitting.

Some have asked me why does Acts exist or what is its purpose. Simply, it is the bridge between the Gospels and the great Christian Epistles in the New Testament. It is also the history of the early church and its development from 33AD to 60AD. A support system to moving from the Gospels to the letters written by Paul and other great early Christian writers. Without it we would have to rely on circumstantial evidence to get the whole story.

Acts is the second half of the letter to Theophilus written around 80AD. The first half of the letter is Luke. This entire manuscript, as the author says,  was to write an orderly account. And it certainly is, from Jesus’s birth to the resurrection, to Peter becoming the leader of the early church, to Paul’s wonderfully successful but dangerous journeys, all spanning the first 60 years of Christianity.

Let’s go to the drama scenes and intrigue. Imagine yourself in Jerusalem and Jesus is standing in front of you. Know that he has just risen from the dead to save us from all our sins, and in an instance a cloud takes him out of sight. And while he is going up two men stand by you in white robes, telling you not to worry. A few days later, you hear a rushing wind and all-around people start speaking in other tongues. Is this a Marvel comic book story or the Bible?

Later Peter organizes the church and begins converting thousands at a time. The authorities getting nervous and throw him in jail, only to be released by an Angel.

Then we have a Paul, the chief persecutor of Christians, traveling to Damascus to murder and capture early Christians, only to be dramatically struck down by Jesus. Jesus revives and  converts Paul, who goes on to become the ambassador for Christianity.

But we also have political intrigue. The early believers want new believers to comply completely with Jewish traditions. But Paul says no, knowing that it is only important that you believe and have faith in Jesus. On one side you had James the Just arguing vehemently for compliance to the Jewish traditions and on the other, the skilled orator Paul arguing against. In the middle was Peter, who has a vision that tells him that it is okay for the Gentiles not to have to comply.

Next Paul travels over ten thousand miles and preaches to all who can hear, the story of Jesus. He as well, ends up in jail. Likewise he is released through supernatural and divine intervention. On these journeys Paul is beaten and ridiculed. But he never gives up. Staying the course, he creates followers throughout the Roman Empire. Even in Rome, which would centuries later, become the center of Christianity.

Paul later returns to Jerusalem as he had promised, having firmly entrenched Christianity throughout the Roman Empire. Only to encounter more drama, and is arrested, and sent to Rome for trial.

Certainly, we have popular television series made up of less dramatic events airing every week. But they’re right in front of us, is a story even Marvel or Disney couldn’t replicate. We don’t need to watch TV or visit the local cinema. The story is there for us to read in the Bible. A wonderful historical account of our faith.

The story of our faith is written in God’s technicolor for us all to see. Maybe we can’t  binge read it one sitting, perhaps in two or more.

The Acts of the Apostles, an orderly account, is for all to believe and read.

Listen to the Full Podcast – A Hollywood Story – Acts of the Apostles

Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

We love giving credit to budding photographers to help them gain more exposure.

/by
1st corinthians

1St Corinthians: Is Love All We Need?

, , ,

1St Corinthians: Is Love All We Need?

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

1St Corinthians 13:4

In 1st Corinthians 13:4 it says, Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud, written by the Apostle Paul. This is a familiar verse used in many marriage ceremonies. We have all heard it and perhaps used it at our weddings. But there is a deeper story and purpose behind this phrase and 1st Corinthians, not written for just weddings, but a statement of our Christian attitude to each other.

Paul wrote this letter to the church that he helped found in Corinth.

The letter is dated around 55AD, a few years after the church had started. Like many new things that arise, the church in Corinth had gotten a little off track and Paul specifically wrote this letter to help them get back on course.

The church had gotten a little confused.

We find this in one of  Paul’s early statements, where he writes; Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. The reason Paul wrote this is that he had heard that some people were following a fellow named Apollo, others followed Paul or even Peter. A few did get it right that and said they followed Christ. This was causing quarreling in the church. Threatening the unity of the church in Corinth. Paul, as usual, wanted to nip things in the bud. He makes it clear that they follow only Christ, by saying; Is Christ divided?

Beyond getting confused by who they follow,  they started ignoring obvious immoral issues and some had welcomed pagan practices in the church. And still, some even started to feel superior to other believers. And to add to all of this drinking was getting a little out of hand at the Lord’s supper. Lastly, sexual immorality had also reared its ugly head.

Things were getting out of hand!

Typical of Paul he knew that this had to be resolved and not swept under the rug. Paul, in one of the most fundamental statements of 1st Corinthians states, So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. In other words, let’s get back to working for the Lord and not turn the church into a social club. I am probably being a little harsh here, but the church certainly was headed in that direction.

Paul also noticed some gender practices were creating issues in the church. For instance, was it okay for women to pray without their head covered? Paul’s reply was; Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? In other words, what is the societal norm? Paul, in making this statement, didn’t want this issue to be disruptive to the church.  While Paul believed women to be equal with men, he didn’t want the outside world to have any reason to complain about church practices. The church did decide that woman should cover their heads, a practice that extended itself well into modern times. Today,  it is unusual for women to cover their heads, and if it does occur it is viewed as an act of piety.

Paul and Women’s Rights

Another issue that appears in 1st Corinthians, is should women be able to talk in church? It says; Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak but must be in submission, as the law says. (1st Cor [14:34].) Here is an unusual position claimed to be stated by Paul. However, we find Paul strongly supportive of women and their rights in other parts of the New Testament. Some scholars and clergy would strongly disagree with me, because of this verse. But many of Paul’s assistants were women and in Galatians [3:28] he assigns women equal status with men. Also, this is another one of those verses with parentheses in your Bible. Not only does the verse seem out of place when you read it, but the fact it has parentheses, suggests this was a later addition and is not Paul’s words. I think this is more about how husbands and wives handle themselves in church;

no bickering!

Paul’s final point in this letter is the way to resolve church disagreements and what the church’s general attitude should be to resolving all issues. His statement is found in Chapter 13, verse 4, where it says; Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. While this verse, because of its universal message is very adaptable to things like wedding vows. It’s intent in this letter state that the best way to run a church or heck resolve issues of life is with an attitude of love. That the solution to all problems is the Christian attitude of love. He further points this out later in Chapter 13 by saying; Love never fails. So here it is, love conquers and solves all issues.

So once again we have Paul addressing very localized issues, but explains it so elegantly that it emerges as a major Christian thought that transcends time, place and purpose. Even today, we can apply these thoughts to marriages, friendships, disputes and yes, even church policies.

Simply, 1st Corinthians was written to reinforce that we keep our eyes on Jesus and not place church leaders above Jesus. That churches should be run orderly. And churches should immediately address all forms of immorality. All this tied together with the compelling and universal attitude of love.

Try reading 1st Corinthians with this background and this wonderfully crafted letter will come alive. Giving you a ringside seat to Paul’s organizational skills and foresight in building the church.

And always remember LOVE!

Listen to the Full Podcast – 1St Corinthians: Is Love All We Need?

Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

We love giving credit to budding photographers to help them gain more exposure.

/by
whoonga

Whoonga; The New Evil Drug of South Africa

, , , , ,

 Whoonga; The New and Evil Drug of South Africa

Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”

Luke [13:16]

In Luke, we find Jesus healing a woman who had been crippled for eighteen years. She had been bent over in an awkward position for all this time. Jesus had met her on the Sabbath in a synagogue. Jesus put his hands on her and immediately she stood up and praised God.

The synagogue leader and other parishioners became angry because Jesus healed her on the Sabbath. To which Jesus said; Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”

In this amazing statement by Jesus,  it wasn’t just that He fought back about healing on the Sabbath, but that he blamed her illness on Satan, the dark force of evil. Evil that had caught this woman eighteen years earlier, and despite all efforts, it took the hand of Jesus to heal her.

Evil comes in many forms, in this case crippling a woman.

But like all of the stories in the Gospel, this story is remarkably transportable to the 21st century. We certainly have evil in this world. In comes in the form of addictions, bad life habits, depression and bad decisions.

As I was reading this verse, I instantly thought about addiction, to alcohol and drugs. I am not sure why, but this is what stood out for me in this story. I am sure others would focus on the grumbling about a healing on the Sabbath, and they would be right. It is one of the messages of this story. But addiction stood out for me and particularly, the onslaught of new and more dangerous drugs that have emerged. Evil that catches it victims and relentlessly keeps them trapped.

In my research, I discovered a new drug, I had never heard of before, called Whoonga. A particularly addictive drug that is crippling people in Africa. It is so addictive, that one hit of the drug will hopelessly entrap a person. Turning a productive life into a desperate daily search to find money to pay for the next hit. In this search, I found a recovery story about a woman named Sesy.

Miraculously, Sesy has been drug-free for more than a year.

This mother of one was now looking to turn to college. She had been hooked on a Whoonga, for a couple of years. A drug that is a cocktail mix of low-grade Heroin, cannabis and rat poison. It is first smoked during the early part of the addiction.

Sesy, stated she was prone to experimenting and trying things new. When her friends introduced her to Whoonga, she quickly agreed. And as she tells the story, she was immediately hooked.

Over time, her family noticed substantial changes in Sesy. Changes like quitting her job, sudden disappearances, and especially loss of weight. They got Sesy into a rehab program sponsored by The South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (SANCA) SANCA was set up to provide resources to those with limited resources to fight drug addiction.

Sesy, described her withdrawal time as more painful than childbirth. Bouts of nausea and unrelenting body aches. With the help of SANCA and her family, she made it through to recovery.

There are not many stories like Sesy’s. Most people addicted to these new drugs can’t win the battle of withdrawal. Trapped by a drug they no longer like, but desperately need. They have become modern zombies. Their deep wish of being drug-free is not as great as the drug addiction and the sickness of withdrawal.

Each year evildoers create more addictive drugs, cocktails of destruction. People get deeply entrapped and ruin their lives. In fact, ninety percent of those trapped have an underlying mental illness and they use these drugs as a form of self-medication. Then as they drift down into addiction, they become outcasts. A vicious cycle and descent.

Even in America, this drumbeat of evil is accelerating.

Today, if you are under the age of fifty, the leading cause of death is through an overdose. Fifty thousand people a year are dying from an overdose. Worldwide almost half a million people a year die from drug overdose.

When I was younger and a teenager, I would hear every night about the numbers killed in Vietnam on the nightly news. Yet today, when more people are being killed worldwide by drugs than the whole of the Vietnam war, I wonder why isn’t this worldwide crisis made more public.

We will hear about the Corona Virus, and the arguments between petulant politicians on the news. But the rise of these evil drugs goes unnoticed. This is why I write about drugs. While I am a mere pebble causing a very small ripple, I pray that more becomes published about this vicious preying on innocent souls.

I can only ask and pray that Jesus finds these people, like the woman crippled by satan, even if it is on Sunday, and touches them. I know there are Christian warriors, like my friend Gary Frieze and Lou Strugala, who have given up successful careers to tend to the addicted. But they fight a lonely battle.

Evil does exist and cripples’ people.

Listen to the Full Podcast – Whoonga; The New Evil Drug of South Africa

Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

Photo by Hu Chen on Unsplash

We love giving credit to budding photographers to help them gain more exposure.

/by