What's in a Name?

Another holiday gone by.  I love Easter.  Any holiday that is spent gorging myself and hanging out with family is alright by me.  This morning before church, my 6 year old son asked me "Dad, if we have Easter to celebrate Jesus coming back from the dead, why do we color eggs and have an Easter bunny?"  All I could think of was "That's a really good question, son."  It really doesn't make any sense does it?  My savior is nailed to a cross, is dead for 3 days, is actually risen from the dead and we have a bunny hopping around dropping eggs and chocolate all over any grassy area he can find.  WHAT!?  It makes not sense at all.  So, I did what Dennis and I always do when we have a question.  We go to the all knowing internet.  Ends up that this all stems from some pagan ritual where they revered birds because they could get close to the sun god.  Therefore the eggs were very special and given as gifts.  Leave it up to man to turn a pagan sun god ritual into a celebration of the one and only God giving his Son as the ultimate sacrifice for my sins.  Oh well, I guess if it gets people to church, even if only once or twice a year, it does some good.  What good is once or twice a year though.  If you are one of the "C & E" Christians, please tell me.  (KSteenbergen@msn.com) If you can convince me that going to church twice a year will yield the same eternal benefit as me going every week, I would be very interested.  Do you know how much more sleep I could get.  Or how much more work around the house I could do if I was not involved in church?  Sunday morning service, Wednesday evening Bible study.  Putting out the signs every Friday evening (OK, realistically they go out on Saturday morning because I am lazy after work on Friday) and then picking them up again Sunday afternoon.  Then there are the meetings and preparation, summer camp, men's events and on and on and on.  And if all that is not enough, I have this unquenchable desire to go back to school to get my BA in Biblical Studies.  Why?  Can I accomplish the same eternal destiny by going to church on Christmas and Easter?  You are going to have a hard time convincing me of that.  In no way do I think I am better than someone that goes to church twice a year or twice in a lifetime.  In fact, through my eyes, I am a worthless struggling person who screws up more than he gets it right.  But, I continue to struggle.  I will never give up.  I will keep fighting because one day it will be worth while.  I believe that with all my heart.  I have heard it before but my Pastor said it this morning in his lesson; if I am wrong, I have nothing to loose, but if you are wrong you have everything to loose.  When you got married, did you vow to see your spouse twice a year on major holidays, till death do you part.  As much as I would love it, how would my boss react to me coming to work two days out of the year and then using the rest of my time just for me because I am too busy to work any more often that.  If I tried either one of those, I would be a divorced, unemployed person.  My wife never died for me and I know my boss never would.  So why is it we short change God?  Why is it that when it is time to give back to Him, any excuse will do to get us out of it?  What then do we all do when we get into a tight spot?  Who do we call on then?  I don't think it is fair to expect anything back if you are not willing to give.   If you care to debate it, meet me at the Oasis Christian Church next Sunday in Pueblo West (theoasischristianchurch.com) at 10:00 am.  Next debate you can pick the location.

My Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,
You and only you know how much I love you.  You have given me all I have, including the breath in my lungs.  Please forgive me today because I am a little upset.  I also feel guilty for being upset because, I am upset with you.  I have prayed for forgiveness which I know you have given.  I have prayed for dedication to my Bible reading and you have given.  I have even prayed for other people and, in most cases, you have delivered.  I am not naive enough, God, to believe that you will just answer all prayers without question.  I know that you have your own timing.  I know that I will not always understand why you do what you do.  But God, why don't you answer the most important prayer I have been praying?  I don't get it.  It is not for money, it is not for power.  It is not for any self serving purpose, in fact the greatest benefit would be my ability to serve you better.  Maybe it is a selfish request, at least in part.  Aren't all requests a bit selfish?  My God, you and you alone, know what this request is.  Have you already answered it?  Do I just not see it?  Why does it hurt so bad to feel like I try to align myself with your will and it still does not work out?  I want to scream but I also want to trust you without question.  Please forgive my anger, you know my heart.  You know I love you.  You know that a weak person like me can be angry, but still love.  Please help me understand God.  Please show me your will for me, regardless of the cost.  Amen.

Why

I love this time of year.  Stuff starting to bloom, cool mornings and warm afternoons.  I get up this morning and my son had weaseled his way into my bed during the night.  He was sick yesterday so I guess he deserves it.  I walk out into the living room and two of the most beautiful girls (my wife and daughter) are sleeping on the  couch.  The looked so peaceful.  I walk over and grind coffee, reach into a fridge stocked full of food and make some breakfast.  I sit down and read James 3-5.  What a beautiful way to start another beautiful day.  Why on earth, would anything ever stress me out.  God has blessed me far beyond what I deserve and far beyond what I ever imagined.  I deserve nothing yet His blessings flow daily.  There is no way to thank Him.  On top of that, He was willing to die because of my sins.  Tonight I was trying to tell my 3 year old daughter about loving others.  She does not yet understand what Jesus did, but I pray with all my heart that someday she will.
There are many people in this world who woke up in a shack with their whole family in the one room in the house.  There were many men that wondered how they would feed their family.  I hope that  some of those people know the joy that comes from knowing God.  The peace that comes from knowing that Jesus died on a cross for their sins, and did so willingly.  I don't know why I have so much and some have so little.  I don't know what I did to deserve so much.  I do know that Proverbs 3:5 says "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."  Why do I try to figure out why?

Cacoon

Why can't every day be Sunday. Sundays are such a refresher day.  For me, it means going to church and recharging spiritually.  Then, hopefully, I can sit around a bit and visit with family or just rest mentally and physically.  Then there comes Monday.  The day everyone dreads just happens to follow the day everyone loves.  Do you think that happened by chance?  I doubt it.  I'm thinking God designed it that way so that we could stand the pressures of heading back out into the world.  Then, by the time we can't take it any more, the weekend is here and Sunday is back.  I guess I just need to pull up my big boy panties a thank God it is only 6 days till Sunday.

Tired

Man, I am tired tonight.  My job is not physically demanding, but it can be mentally draining.  Then I get to come home, help (at least a little) with two little ones and maybe even help clean up dinner.  I am trying very hard to get out of the habit of watching TV.  There is really nothing worth my time.  Internet and books make up my evening and then it is time for bed.  When I really look at it, my life is kind of boring.  Some say that is good, some say that is bad.  It is hard to be passionate about much when you just kind of cruise through life.  One of my magazines I get is from Voice of the Martyrs (persecution.com.)  When you read about someone that has been imprisoned for the mere fact that they were telling others about God, it makes you feel downright spoiled.  I mean, I can talk about my faith whenever and where ever I want to.  No one can discriminate against my religious freedoms.  I can sue you for not letting me talk about God, Jesus, the church I attend or even the Bible. It is my constitutional right.  Then why don't I do it more often?  We cry about our religious freedoms but why don't we exercise them more often?  We cry about the poor and the homeless, why don't we do more about it?  My son has been taking his Bible to school lately.  I asked him tonight if he had shown it to his teacher and he said yes.  I asked him what she said and he told me that "she said nothing, nothing at all."  Is she afraid to show her faith?  Does she not believe in God?  Or, has she become like so many Christians and is scared to share their faith for fear of offending someone.  What is wrong with us?  Pastor Richard Wurmbrand who was imprisoned for preaching the Gospel in communist Romania once said that "there are no luke warm Christians in the underground church."  We are told in the Bible that we are to be either hot or cold in our faith.  If we are luke warm, God would rather spew us out of his mouth.  It is time to stand up and be counted.  No more silent majority.  I am not suggesting to be like the idiot that is burning Koran's in Florida, but, I will not be embarrassed or ashamed any more and just blame it on having a "quiet faith."  Quiet faith is just a euphemism for no guts.  I'm gonna get off my soapbox and go cuddle with my wife now.

Happy Monday

I have never been one to get too awful wrapped up in dreading Monday's.  Now, don't get me wrong, I love my Fridays and the weekend beats a day at work anytime.  In reality though, it is what it is, I have to work, so why dread what logically has to happen.  I have been reading two awesome books this month.  My morning study time has been in the book of Acts (one of my favorites,) and my recreational reading has been a book by Max Lucado called "He Chose the Nails."  Both have been thought provoking and emotional for me.  In Acts, I just read chapters 21-22 this morning where Paul goes back to Jerusalem even though everyone was begging him not to.  A prophet even predicted that Paul would be arrested and bound by his hands and feet.  He went anyway.  He went to Jerusalem knowing that it may possibly cost him his life.  All for the love of Jesus.  In Lucado's book, I am less than half way through but, wow, what an awesome book.  He talks about how Christ allowed himself to be crucified.  I don't know of too many active believers that had not already thought of that but, he breaks it down through the entire process.  Have you ever been spit on?  I have.  Unfortunately, my career choice has landed me in an environment that puts me in a position for people to spit on me on occasion.  Sometimes even worse, but that is a whole other story!  Anyway, there are not too many things that anger me more than being spit on.  It does not cause injury but it is degrading.  It is demoralizing.  It shows utter contempt, disrespect and disregard  for the person being spat on.  The God I serve, came down from the paradise of Heaven and endured the discomfort of this world.  He endured the heat of a terrible summer day.  He endured the cold of the night while sleeping on the ground.  How many of you would leave paradise and be homeless for me?  Nobody, well maybe one of you?  Now let's up the anty.  Who out there would allow people to beat you on the head with a rod, strip you naked and spit on you..............all for something I did?   That's what I thought.  Monday's not so bad.