The final blog for 2014

As 2014 nears its end, I’m feeling reflective.  I’m contemplating what transpired in 2014, and looking ahead to what God has in store in 2015.  I actually looked back at all the blogs I wrote in 2014.  I hope you enjoyed reading my words half as much as I enjoyed writing them.  This blog is really a labor of love for me.  I have to say, once again, just how humbled and honored I am that you would take the time to read my work.  Thank you!

I noticed that I didn’t write an April 24th blog this year.  So I want to say a few brief words about this event now.  For those of you that don’t know, on April 24th back in 1982, God literally and miraculously saved my life as a baby.  Praise the Lord!  Psalm 139:16 says that God “ordained” (as the NIV puts it) all the days of our lives before even one of them came to be.  It wasn’t my time yet that day.  The truth is, every day is a gift from God.  In Isaiah 42, it says that God gives life and breath to the inhabitants of the Earth (verse 5).

As I look forward, one thing is certain: I will continue to be writing blog installments in 2015 (God willing).  I think I’ve used this Chris Tomlin quote from his excellent book “The Way I Was Made” 100 times in this blog already; here’s number 101: “We were created to shine the spotlight on God.”  That’s what I want to do in 2015 and in the subsequent years.  I want to “shine the spotlight on God.”  Not just in a blog (although that’s certainly an important part of it), but in every facet of my life.  Why?  Because God is worthy of that spotlight; He is the majestic, powerful, awe-inspiring God of the universe.  It’s not about Kevin Bauer.  It never has been, and it never will be.  It’s all about Him!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Kevin

"It is more blessed to give than to receive"

In Acts 20, the Apostle Paul quotes a sentiment from Jesus.  He says, “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work, we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (verse 35).  Jesus is right (obviously!); there is an inherent blessing in taking your eyes off of yourself, putting them on others, and choosing to give. 

Moreover, it’s enjoyable to give.  The department store Dillard’s correctly declared in their recent slogan, “Oh what fun it is to give!”  It really is fun to give.  I can testify to you (and I say this to God’s glory): I have experienced the blessing of giving to others. There is a certain thrill, bliss, delight, and pleasure found in being a generous giver.

 

Let me add one last thing.  Some people give, but it is with the expectation that they will receive as a reward.  They state, “Let me give you this, but you owe me one.”  In my view, this is not selfless giving.  Truett Cathy once said, “I have always found more joy in giving when I did not expect anything in return.”  I can echo that for myself.  Don’t give with ulterior motives or a hidden agenda.  Give for the sheer joy of giving.  If you receive something back one day, so be it, but give selflessly.  I think it’s much more enjoyable that way.

Kevin

Christmas thoughts

I just had the most chilling dream.  It forced me to get up earlier than I would have.  I was sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with someone.  I laid it all out; everyone is a sinner.  We can’t erase or cover our sins with good works.   In fact, in this context, those good works are only dirty rags in God’s sight (Isaiah 64:6).  We continued to talk.  I got to the point of decision and asked, “What are you going to do?”  In short, I was rejected, just for sharing what the Bible says.  And it made my heart ache so much that I woke up.

How could a loving God send someone to Hell?  Have you ever heard that question, or even asked it yourself?  The truth is God doesn’t send anyone to Hell.  It’s directly tied to our choice with what we are going to do with Jesus Christ.  C.S. Lewis once wrote that there are only two kinds of people in the world: those who say to God “Thy will be done”; and those to whom God says in the end, “Thy will be done.”  God gives us the choice.  If a person rejects Him, He respects that choice.  Even if it was in a dream, I just experienced a small sampling of how God must feel regarding this rejection; it hurts Him.  It breaks His heart in a deep way.

Jesus paid the penalty of humanity’s sin on the cross of Calvary over 2000 years ago.  Friendship and fellowship is now available to all of mankind, but He doesn’t force Himself on us.  He simply says, “I have a free gift for you: the free gift of forgiveness and reconciliation with God; are you going to take it?”

Yesterday, I heard a DJ from a Christian radio station declare that you will never truly enjoy Christmas if you don’t look to Jesus, and understand that He is God’s greatest gift to you.  I said aloud to myself, “That’s a provocative statement.”  And so it is.  But what are the alternatives?  Christmas would just be a day where you exchange gifts.  Perhaps you would feel sadness at the lack of gifts compared to last year.  This kind of Christmas wouldn’t satisfy, how could it?  I plead with you, my beloved reader, don’t miss the real meaning of Christmas.  Don’t miss Jesus.  Don’t reject Jesus and His offer.

Kevin  

An unsung hero

To begin today, imagine this scene with me.  A man and woman are engaged to be married.  They are planning all the hundreds and hundreds of details of their big day.  One day, the girl says to the guy, “Sit down for a minute, honey, please.  We need to talk.”  “Okay,” he says.  “What’s up?”  “This is very difficult for me,” she begins.  “I’m pregnant.”  The man sits there for several seconds in stunned silence.  He stands up, and paces for a few moments.  Finally, he speaks up.  “But you and I haven’t made love.  We were going to wait until our wedding night.  You cheated on me?”  He asks, angry and wounded.

 

The woman jumps to her feet and quickly replies, “No, it’s nothing like that.”  She sighs, summoning the courage to give her explanation.  “An angel from Heaven came to me,” she remarks.  “I was told that the Holy Spirit is going to “overshadow” me.  God has chosen me for a special privilege: to give birth to the Son of God.”  Now it’s quite clear what couple I’m talking about, isn’t it?  I wanted to try to capture the scene without any context.  Let me jump right back into it.

What was Joseph’s initial reaction to all this?  First of all, the law in that day stated that the consequence for infidelity was death (Deuteronomy 22:20-24).  But Joseph, we are told, didn’t want to bring shame and disgrace to Mary.  Joseph was simply going to, “Divorce her quietly” (Matthew 1:19).  Why does it say “divorce her” here?  Matthew 1 tells us that Mary and Joseph were betrothed but, it also called Joseph Mary’s husband.  The betrothal was actually more binding than being engaged is today; it required much more than to simply call off the wedding.  A divorce was necessary to break the betrothal.

The overarching point here is that Joseph was gracious.  He could have been vindictive, cruel, and unkind toward Mary upon her announcement that she was pregnant by someone (or better stated: ‘Someone’; capital S) other than Joseph.  But he didn’t go that route.  He was sympathetic, kind, and civil with her.  He wasn’t going to marry her anymore, but what a gesture by Joseph here!  He simply was going to “divorce her quietly” and move on with his life.

But that’s when God intervened.  To summarize Matthew 1:20-22, an angel speaks to him in a dream.  He tells Joseph that Mary is speaking the truth, the baby is indeed from the Holy Spirit; he is to go ahead with his original plan and marry her.  One quick note: in that day it was common for God to communicate through dreams, so don’t get confused by that.  Can God communicate through dreams today?  Of course He can.  However, if a dream contradicts the Bible, disregard it.  The final authority is the Word of God, not a random dream.

Notice Joseph’s response in verse 24; it says, “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.”  Joseph obeyed.  Consider what God was asking him here.  To go back to that situation was to endure scorn, ridicule, and condemnation from everyone in town.  Once again, it’s not like our day where a couple might have a baby and then get married.  It was a very different world back then.  But Joseph said, though his actions, “I’m in.  Sign me up.  I’m going with God’s plan.”  Well done, Joseph!  By the way, God communicated with Joseph by dream on three other occasions.  Each time, the text says that Joseph was obedient to what God revealed to him.

Matthew 1:25 highlights something else regarding Joseph’s character; check this out: “But he kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son” (NASB).  Wow!  It’s one thing to practice sexual abstinence before marriage, but it’s an incredible thing for me to contemplate being sexually pure and chaste after marriage.  What restraint and self-control Joseph had to resist his natural, God-given urge to have sex with his new wife until Jesus was born!

 

In conclusion, Joseph is an unsung hero in the Christmas story.  Mary had an incredible privilege of being the virgin that God chose to give birth to Jesus.  Her faith and trust in God is commendable.  But Mary was not alone; God chose a special man too.  Joseph had an important part to play as well.  He displays several admirable characteristics for us.  Joseph truly was, as it says in Matthew 1, “a righteous man” (verse 19).

Kevin

Reviewing "Exodus: God and Kings"

I recently saw the new movie “Exodus: God and Kings” which stars Christian Bale as Moses.  In short, I don’t recommend it.  Let me begin by giving verbal praise where I can.  Christian Bale is fantastic as Moses.  While it did take a while for me to see his face and not see Bruce Wayne, he finally did dissolve into his role for me.  Second, the film does boast very good special effects.  Further, I’m pleased whenever Hollywood releases a Biblical story.

All that said, once again, I didn’t care for the movie.  I say this because the filmmakers threw in way too many elements that departed from the Biblical account.  This is not to suggest that the film didn’t even try to follow the Bible.  There was the same story that we know.  Moses is called to a mission: set the Hebrew people free from their slavery, and he succeeds.  We do see such things as the crossing of the Red Sea, the plagues, and the Israelites spreading the blood over the doorpost to avoid the death of their firstborn child.  But there were way too many liberties that were thrown in that really didn’t need to be.

For example, the plague of all the rivers turning to blood begins by having God send a huge pack of alligators to attack and kill a group of Egyptians on a boat.  The Egyptians’ shed blood spreads and it is apparently their blood that is multiplied and overtakes all the clean water.  This isn’t the way it happened according to the Bible.

For another example, the filmmakers decided to have God be a boy!  In this movie, when Moses first meets God, he doesn’t meet Him from a burning bush, but in an odd dream-like state.  In the film, Moses gets caught in a mudslide.  His entire body except his face is buried in mud.  He calls for help, and a boy is there.  The boy talks to Moses about how the Hebrew people have been in bondage.  At the end of the scene, Moses asks the boy who he is, and the boy responds, “I am.”  This is an obvious tip-off that this boy is supposedly God.

Ironically, in the next scene, Moses wakes up.  He is wounded from the mudslide, but he is lucid; his wife tells him whatever he thinks he saw wasn’t true because, as she put it, “God is not a boy.”  Amen to that!  Yet we see this same boy all throughout the film and we are supposed to go with the idea that this boy is actually God.  Could God appear as a boy if He wanted to do so?  Of course He could; He’s God and He can do whatever He wants.  That’s not the issue here, the issue is the Bible doesn’t say that God appeared to Moses in the form of a boy, nor does it say that He ever appeared to anyone in the form of boy.  Once again, it was another liberty that was taken.

Thirdly, God as a boy notwithstanding, I wasn’t particularly impressed with the way they presented God in this film.  I got the sense that they wanted to portray God as more evil than the main villain of the film, Pharaoh. This was shown in particular in the death of the firstborn plague.  The death scene of Pharaoh’s firstborn son evoked a massive amount of empathy and sadness for Pharaoh’s loss. In fact, at one point, Pharaoh shows Moses the body of his dead child, and asks him, “How can you worship a god that would do this?”  When the audience feels sympathy toward Pharaoh, and suspicion and mistrust of the God of the Bible, something is very wrong.

In reality, Pharaoh was a brutal, heartless, evil dictator.  Furthermore, God was displaying to the Israelites how He is more powerful than the gods that the Egyptians worshiped.  Got questions.org has a fantastic article on this; the author writes, “The Egyptians, like many pagan cultures, worshiped a wide variety of nature-gods, and attributed to their powers the natural phenomena they saw in the world around them.  There was a god of the sun, of the river, of childbirth, of crops, etc.”  The article goes on to state that every plague God sent confronted and overpowered a specific god they worshiped.  Check it out; I’ve included the link below.  God was saying, “These gods are not worthy of worship; they are weak and impotent.  Worship Me; I am the One true God.”

http://www.gotquestions.org/ten-plagues-Egypt.html     

Kevin

The angel's proclamation

My mind has been riveted on a phrase in Luke 2 of late.  After describing how Mary gave birth to Jesus, the scene shifts in verse 8.  It says, “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified” (verse 9).  You can understand them being frightened.  They are going about their duties, and all of the sudden, in the darkness of night, an angel appears.  That’s not something that happens on your work shift every day!

The angel says, “Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people.  Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”  Look at that again: “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people.”  Stop and contemplate the ramifications of these words.  The angel says that the arrival of Jesus is good news for all people.  Whether you are Jew, Gentile, American, Chinese, Portuguese, Australian, British, male or female, rich or poor, the birth of Jesus is good news for you.

Why do I say this?  Look at Luke 2 again; “Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord” (verse 11).  You see, mankind has a dark blight on its soul: sin.  Isaiah 53 tells us, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way.”  The Bible says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).  Further, God is perfectly holy and righteous; he hates sin with a passion.  He finds it repugnant.

But, because of His love for mankind, even in the midst of our sinful state, God took the initiative to give humanity a salvation plan; a plan of deliverance; a plan of reconciliation.  Romans 5:8 reads, “But God demonstrated his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners Christ died for us.”  1 John 2:2 tells us that Jesus Christ is “the atoning sacrifice for sins, and not only for ours but also for the whole world.”  The Bible tells us, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Peter 3:18).  Jesus is the Savior of the whole world because He saves people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).

Let the words of Luke 2:10 inspire you to give your life to Jesus Christ if you haven’t.  Luke 2:10: “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people.”  The news of Jesus’ birth is for all people because He died for all people.  You can say “yes” to Him today.  Jesus’ offer is available for you.  If you want to place your faith and trust in Jesus for your forgiveness, salvation, and reconciliation, the Bible says you can.  Romans 10:13 says, “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  Revelation 22:17 tells us, “Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.”

Kevin

"The virgin shall be with child"

Isaiah 7:14 is quoted every Christmas season.  And with good reason!  This is the verse that reads, “Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin shall be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”  I find it peculiar how some want to make the claim that the word “virgin” in Isaiah 7:14 doesn’t mean a chaste, sexually pure girl, but it simply means a young maiden.  This argument just doesn’t hold water.  It doesn’t make sense in the text from Isaiah 7, or in the New Testament.

You say, “What do you mean what you state that it doesn’t make sense in the text from Isaiah 7?”  Did you notice the very beginning of the verse?  Let me quote it again.  “Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin shall be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (italics mine for emphasis).

Pastor Dave Love, in a sermon I heard not long ago, said that God’s plan was to give an unmistakable sign.  He wanted to make it crystal clear that the coming Messiah had indeed arrived.  How?  By having Him be born from the womb of a virgin.  It makes no logical sense, therefore, to suggest that it was just a young maiden, not a virgin, who gave birth to the promised Messiah.  After all, young maidens gave birth all the time; how could that be considered “a sign from God” to announce the Messiah?

But there’s more.  As I said, this “young maiden” notion also doesn’t make sense in light of the rest of the Bible.  A great example is found in Luke 1.  Mary is visited by the angel Gabriel.  He says, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.  You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus” (verse 31).

I find Mary’s response fascinating.  First, notice what Mary doesn’t say.  She doesn’t say, “I’m going to give birth to a son?  Okay, cool.  I’m so glad to hear it.  Joseph and I have been trying to get pregnant.  Thanks for the heads-up.”  Mary didn’t say that.  She is actually shocked at this news.  Her exact words were: “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:35).  By her own mouth, Mary debunks this whole “young maiden, but not a literal virgin” theory.

The angel had to explain to her that this baby was going to be unique because the conception actually wasn’t going to involve a man in any way.  Since, as Gabriel went on to explain, “With God, nothing is impossible” (Luke 1:37).  How someone can read Mary’s words and conclude that Mary was simply a “young maiden” and not the chaste, pure, virgin that Isaiah predicted is beyond me.  The truth is God did give us a clear sign: a virgin gave birth to a child: Jesus Christ; He is Immanuel, God with us.

Kevin

“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin shall be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” – which means, “God with us” – Matthew 1:22 

My analysis of 2003's "Daredevil"

In “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie” the main villain, Ivan Ooze gives this memorable introduction; he says, “I am the…globally reviled, universally despised…Ivan Ooze.”  If there was ever a superhero movie that is “globally reviled” and “universally despised” it is “Daredevil” starring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner.

Recently, however, I watched this film again, and I find myself completely speechless in an attempt to explain why so many hate this movie with a passion.  I found “Daredevil” to be entertaining, riveting, and fun.  It has everything that you could ever ask for in a superhero movie.  The action is excellent; the story is good; and the cast is brilliant.  I do think that this film has a few flaws here and there, but it is nowhere near as bad as so many people have claimed that it is.

Speaking of the cast let me bring up Ben Affleck, the man who portrayed Matt Murdock otherwise known as Daredevil.  Many have criticized Ben’s performance in this role.  I personally don’t understand how anyone can say that Affleck was bad in “Daredevil”.  You can dislike the plot of the Daredevil movie, or the supporting characters, or whatever else, but Affleck himself portrayed the title character quite admirably.  His performance is vastly underrated.

Some of you are saying, “Kevin, if Daredevil was so good, why wasn’t there a sequel?  After all, it seems every superhero movie has a sequel.  Daredevil was so bad the filmmakers didn’t even think about making a sequel.”  My answer is while there may not have been a sequel, there was a spin-off film.  It was the movie “Elektra” starring Jennifer Garner.  If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know that I previously wrote that “Elektra” is, at least in my opinion, the worst superhero movie ever made.  That’s saying something because there have been a lot of bad superhero movies!  I submit that “Daredevil” didn’t murder the franchise, “Elektra” did.

In conclusion, I feel like I’m swimming against the tide of popular opinion by suggesting that “Daredevil” is a much better film than its undervalued reputation would lead you to believe.  At the very least, I’m hoping that I’m able to persuade some of you to re-evaluate this film and give it another chance.  Maybe it’s not as bad as its numerous detractors would suggest.  I certainly found that to be the case for myself anyway.

Kevin

Isaiah's vision

There’s an incredible scene pictured in Isaiah chapter 6.  Isaiah has a vision of God, in all His glory.  “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on the throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple” (Isaiah 6:1).  Verse 2 speaks of what I interpret to be angels, then in verse 3 we read, “And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”  At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke” (verse 4).

In the next verse, the scene shifts to Isaiah’s reaction to all this.  He sees the amazing, powerful, resplendent, glorious, brilliant, magnificent (and whatever other synonyms you can come up with) God of the whole universe in His glory.  What is his response going to be?  “Woe to me!” I cried.  “I am ruined!  For I am a man of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5).  I looked this up in other translations instead of just the NIV that I’ve been quoting from.  The NCV reads, “I said, “Oh, no!  I will be destroyed.  I am not pure.”  The NLT renders it, “Then I said, “It’s all over!  I am doomed, for I am a sinful man.”

 

I can relate to Isaiah’s reaction!  Let me tell you: Kevin Bauer is a sinful man.  I am not worthy; I am flawed, impure, and blemished.  I’m amazed at how I can still easily make the sinful choice, even after being a Christian for decades.  Too many today think that if they see a vision of God’s majesty and holiness, they will simply nod their head approvingly at how impressive God is, but this is an inaccurate picture.  Like Isaiah, God’s incredible glory will result in us falling to our knees, low and prostrate before him, painfully aware of just how depraved, corrupt, and unworthy we are.

Let me return to the text.  Isaiah sees God’s brilliant holiness and glory, and he fears that God is actually going to destroy him because he sees his sinfulness in contrast to God’s perfection.  What does God do in response to Isaiah?  It says that a seraph (once again, I believe this is an angel), with coal in his hand, touches Isaiah’s mouth.  “See,” the angel states, “this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for” (verse 7).

The bottom line is this: God didn’t chastise, shun, or altogether dismiss Isaiah from His presence.  He says, “Your sin has been atoned for.”  For Christians today, this is true because Jesus Christ took the entirety of humanity’s sin on the cross of Calvary.  Even though I’m a sinner, I can still have a close communion with the Lord, because of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice for me. Praise the Lord!

Kevin

Thanksgiving acrostic

“That my heart may sing to you and not be silent.  O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever" (Psalm 30:12)

“He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy” (Titus 3:5)

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:17)

“Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or course jesting, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving" (Ephesians 5:4)

 Kevin Bauer was dead in transgressions and sins, but because of God’s great love, made him alive in Christ; for "it is by grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:1, 4-5)

“Saying, “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever" (Revelation 7:12)  

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.  His love endures forever” (Psalm 136:1)

 “I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart, I will tell of all your wonderful deeds” (Psalm 9:1)

 Victory over death itself through Jesus: “Where O death, is your victory?  Where O death, is your sting?  But thanks be to God!  He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:55, 57)

“I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving” (Psalm 69:30)

“Now, our God, we give you thanks and praise your glorious name” (1 Chronicles 29:13)

“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

It was more difficult to create an acrostic with the word “thanksgiving” than I first thought it would be!  But I still enjoyed composing it.  

 

Did you notice what I did for the difficult letters of K and V?  For the letter K, I put my name, and cited Ephesians 2:1, 4-5.  Of course, I did this because that passage reads, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins…but because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions and sins – it is by grace you have been saved.”  I’m so thankful to God for the incredible gift of salvation from the penalty of sin, through Jesus Christ.  I'm so thankful for friendship and fellowship with the Lord.  Nothing trumps this gift.

As for the letter V, I stated the theme of 1 Corinthians 15:55 and 57 first.  This is a passage that speaks of how the power and sting of death has been defeated.  If Jesus didn’t literally and bodily arise from the dead, Christianity is just a bad joke.  But “Christ has indeed been raised from the dead" (1 Corinthians 15:20).  Jesus is risen; He is risen, indeed!  Therefore, death itself has been defeated.  What does that mean?  For the Christian, death is nothing more than transporting to the presence of Jesus in Heaven.  I am thankful for this assurance.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Kevin

The historical context of Thanksgiving

I've never done this before, but essentially this entire blog post is a lengthy quotation from a got questions.org article on why Americans celebrate Thanksgiving in the first place.  Let me make this clear: there is no copyright infringement here.  This material clearly does not originate from me; and, as got questions copyright policy stipulates, I am copying it exactly as it appears on their website, and I have given clear credit to them as the source.  Furthermore, I’ll have the link below, as I won’t be citing the whole thing here.  So now that all that is out of the way, here comes the fascinating content.  The author of the article writes:

 

“The original thanksgiving celebration was held by the Pilgrim settlers in Massachusetts during their second winter in America in December, 1621.  The first winter had killed 44 of the original 102 colonists.  At one point their daily food ration was down to five kernels of corn apiece, but then an unexpected trading vessel arrived, swapping them beaver pelts for corn, providing for their severe need.  The next summer’s crop brought hope, and Governor William Bradford decreed that December 13, 1621, be set aside as a day of feasting and prayer to show the gratitude of the colonists that they were still alive.

These Pilgrims, seeking religious freedom and opportunity in America, gave thanks to God for His provision for them in helping them find 20 acres of cleared land, for the fact that there were no hostile Indians in that area, for their newfound religious freedom, and for God’s provision of an interpreter to the Indians in Squanto.  Along with the feasting and games involving the colonists and more than 80 friendly Indians (who added to the feast by bringing wild turkeys and venison), prayers, sermons, and songs of praise were important in the celebration.  Three days were spent in feasting and prayer.

From that time forward, Thanksgiving has been celebrated as a day to give thanks to God for His gracious and sufficient provision. President Abraham Lincoln officially set aside the last Thursday of November, in 1863, “as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father.”  In 1941, Congress ruled that after 1941, the fourth Thursday of November be observed as Thanksgiving Day and a legal holiday.”

Read more at http://www.gotquestions.org/thanksgiving-Christian.html

My heartfelt sentiment

In the spirit of this Thanksgiving season, today I wanted to express how grateful I am for you, my beloved readers.  Whether you are a faithful reader, a casual reader, or you just recently found this blog, I just wanted to say thank you for reading what I have to write.  If you have ever read my words, you are a part of my list of reasons to be thankful this Thanksgiving season.  I’m honored that, in a very real sense, you would invite me into your home.

I’ve had conversations with people who say that they have perused my blog, and some have told me that they regularly check in to see any new material I’ve written.  I’m touched and grateful for this.  While I know that technically a blog is just an online journal, it’s nice to know that others take the time to read what I’ve composed.  Once again, I can only respond with a sincere and heartfelt thank you.

Let me conclude with my prayer for you that the Apostle Paul prayed for his readers in Ephesians 3: “I pray that out of His glorious riches, He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.  And I pray that you…may have power…to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know that this love surpasses knowledge.”

God bless you all, 

Kevin

The simplicity of the gospel

I recently heard someone on the radio say that they have been a Christian for their whole life.  I’m sorry to be contentious, but this actually isn’t possible.  I know it may seem like I’m being rather nitpicky, but this is actually very important.  Let me illustrate.

Periodically I’ll notice a little baby or toddler wearing football attire, declaring allegiance to a certain team.  It’s adorable, but in reality, that baby is not really a fan of that team; the person who dressed that infant is.  Sometime that child has to make up his or her own mind about whether they want to root for that team.  It’s the same with Christianity.  At some point, you have to decide that you want to have a right relationship with God, through Jesus Christ.  The Bible says, “Yet to all who received Him, those who believed in His name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).

I’ve talked about this before, but here’s how it happened for me: I went to a Billy Graham crusade in 1987.  The message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is so simple that even a child can understand it and that’s what happened to me.  Graham spoke about how the Bible says that all have sinned; this sin is offensive, vile, and repugnant to God.  Because of this sin, I stood guilty before Him; worthy of condemnation.  It didn’t matter if I lived a good, virtuous, upright life because no one could ever perform enough acts of righteousness to appease God’s holy hatred against sin.

 

But God, out of His amazing love for humanity, sent Jesus to Earth to die on the cross to satisfy the righteous anger God has for sin.  Only Jesus, because He is both fully God and fully man, was qualified to pay the price of mankind’s sin.  Jesus presented the “sacrifice of atonement” as it says in Romans 3:25, for all sins.  Because of this, I could actually have an intimate friendship and fellowship with the Creator of the universe.  I was invited to put my faith and trust in Christ, and I did so.  Life hasn’t always been easy just because I became a Christian, but I’ve never been the same since that day.  This was, without a doubt, the best decision I’ve ever made.

Kevin

“In Him [Jesus] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding” – Ephesians 1:7-8  

More thoughts on Psalm 23

A little while back, I talked about Psalm 23:1.  This verse says that God is my shepherd, and therefore, I will not want.  Or as I described, this means that God will provide for my daily needs.  There’s more I want to say about this classic Psalm today.  I’m not going to go through every verse in this Psalm, but I do want to underscore a few sections.

First of all, I don’t want to gloss over the phrase “The Lord is my shepherd”.  Remember who it is that’s writing this Psalm (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit).  David was a shepherd.  He knew what it was like to provide for, protect, lead, and guide his sheep.  When he thought about his relationship with God, he stated that it was God Himself who was his shepherd.  That’s the key phrase of the whole Psalm.

I like the word picture in verse 2: “He makes me lie down in green pastures.”  This reminds me of God’s protection.  My assumption is that if a sheep is going to lie down in the grass, he will only do so if he feels safe.  If he feels threatened or afraid, he will not be in such a state of tranquility.  The sheep instinctively know that the shepherd is providing protection from oncoming danger.  In the same way, God supplies protection in countless ways.  We aren’t even aware of all the ways that God protects us on a daily basis.

I think this same notion is reiterated when we get to verse 4: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.”  Why?  Because “you are with me”; furthermore, “your rod and staff they comfort me.”  Why would a rod and staff provide comfort?  If a predator tried to attack the sheep, the shepherd has offensive weapons to protect the flock from danger.  I have felt God’s protection in my own life on many different occasions.

Let me conclude with a wonderful phrase in verse 3: “He restores my soul”.  This is such a precious verse to me.  Candidly, there have been times in my life when I have chosen sin.  I’m not proud of it, but it’s true.

 

However, the fact of the matter is, God’s Spirit never lets me truly enjoy it.  He gently prompts me to return to Him.  So I repent.  I cry out for His forgiveness and cleansing.  I subsequently feel like I’ve taken a spiritual shower; I feel clean.  I feel a peace that passes all human understanding.  Or, to use David’s words, I feel restored.  The Lord, in those moments, restores my heart and soul to where it was: desiring to live for God and to please Him in my everyday choices.

Kevin

Discussing "The Dark Knight Rises" (part 2)

Previously, I began talking about the elements that I loved in the film “The Dark Knight Rises”.  But, as I mentioned last time, this movie also has facets that I don’t care for at all.  So for today, I’m going to highlight the elements that I didn’t like.

As I said before, major spoilers abound ahead (except for #1).  If you haven’t seen the movie, and you want to be surprised, you have been warned.

#1: Bane’s muffled voice

I want to emphasize this clearly: I liked the Bane character in this film.  Some didn’t, but I did.  But what I didn’t like was the fact that he was difficult to understand.  Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s an interesting cinematic idea to have him appear in this mask, but don’t have that mask muffle his voice.  If the viewer doesn’t have the subtitles on, you can’t catch everything he is saying.  Some have stated that you can get the gist of what he is saying, even if you can’t understand every word.  Fair point, but it shouldn’t have to be that way.  You should be able to understand everything.

#2: Miranda’s death scene

First of all, throughout most of the movie the audience doesn’t know that Miranda Tate is actually Talia, the daughter of Ra’s, the main villain from “Batman Begins”.  Once that revelation is given, we don’t really get to see her as Talia for very long until she dies, which is a real shame.  

Furthermore, her cause of death is unclear.  Talia is in a truck, and it topples from the street into a parking garage.  The fall isn’t very far at all (check this out on you tube, if you wish, there are good videos of this scene), yet oddly, she is near death.  She dies after gloating that she has completed her father’s work.  But again, why exactly does she die?  After all, Commissioner Gordon was in the same vehicle, and he is completely unharmed by the fall, despite the fact that he isn’t wearing a seat belt and (if I’m not mistaken) Talia is.  It’s not clearly explained.

#3: The final five minutes

Please don’t misunderstand me on this point: I don’t dislike the ending in the slightest; I very much liked it.  But I’m not crazy about how the filmmakers chose to conclude the film by bouncing from character to character.  There’s John Blake quitting the force and finding the Batcave, then Commissioner Gordon discovering the repaired Bat-signal, and Alfred discovering that Bruce faked his death, and ran away with Selina.  I was beginning to tear up at seeing Bruce very much alive, but the scene quickly cuts to someone else again.

 

Yes, I would concur with someone who argues that these shots are important conclusions for each of these characters, but I would contend that it’s too choppy.  I would have preferred that they linger on these developments a little while longer.

For example, I would have liked to have seen a final conversation with Bruce and Alfred.  Have Alfred walk up to Bruce and Selina at the cafe and say something like, “It appears reports of your demise were exaggerated.”  “Yes, Alfred.  It was better that way.”  “Your secret is quite safe with me,” Alfred might have replied.  “What’s next for you?”  “The next chapter of my life,” Bruce might have answered, “It’s Blake’s fight now.  I’ve retired.”  

Not only does this provide the audience closure for the Alfred/Bruce tension (something that was sorely lacking in the movie), it also shows that Bruce knew that Blake would discover the Batcave and subsequently choose to protect Gotham, something that is only hinted at in the film.

Kevin

Discussing "The Dark Knight Rises"

The movie “The Dark Knight Rises” was released back in 2012 and so perhaps my thoughts on it should have been submitted a while ago.  But, as of late, I’ve been contemplating the facets of this movie again.  This film is an interesting one.   It has aspects about it that I liked and aspects that I didn’t like.  So today, I’m going to talk about 3 things that I enjoyed, and then next time, I’ll mention 3 things that I thought could have been done better.

 

Please note that there will be major spoilers in my thoughts from start to finish (except for #1); keep this fact in mind if you haven’t seen this flick and you want to be surprised.

#1: Anne Hathaway’s performance/the Catwoman scenes

I can’t overstate how much I enjoyed Anne Hathaway’s performance as Selina/Catwoman.  She nailed the intricacies of the character perfectly.  Every scene that she in is captivating.  While Michelle Pfeiffer is still my favorite Catwoman, Anne does an absolutely incredible job.

#2: The Batman/Bane fight

Specifically, I’m referring to how Bane actually defeats in the middle of the film.  Bane lifts Batman over his head and drops him on his knee, breaking Batman’s back.  This sequence is straight out of the comic book entitled “Batman Knightfall” (only in the comic book Bane did this in the Batcave).  In the comic storyline, as Bruce recovered, another character became Batman and this new guy was the one who actually defeated Bane.  I never particularly liked that development. That’s why I love how in “The Dark Knight Rises” Bruce recovers, both physically and psychologically, and he is the one who stops Bane once and for all!

#3: Batman saving the city from the atom bomb

I loved the notion of having Batman save the city by flying the bomb away from the city limits and dropping it safely into the ocean.  This was the perfect conclusion; this was Batman being the savior of Gotham that he was born to be.  It was even more fitting to see that Batman faked his death, and was mentally ready to move on with his life as Bruce Wayne.  Some have wondered how Batman survived the whole ordeal.  After all, it was the middle of the ocean.  My response is Batman always has a contingency plan.  There was a completely feasible option that he employed, we may not fully understand what it was, but he definitely had a survival plan in mind.

To be continued!

Kevin

The fundamental character of Superman

The other day, I got into a conversation with someone about Superman.  This person stated that she didn’t particularly like Superman; he is her least favorite superhero.  I told her that I understood and I think I do.  Superman is the ultimate, clean cut, pristine good guy.  He is, as I’ve said in this blog before, the gold standard of superheroes.  Superman is ethical, moral, and altruistic.  Christopher Reeve’s Superman once told Lois Lane that he didn’t tell lies.  How much more virtuous can you get than that?

It is for this reason that some cannot relate to Superman (and perhaps why some classify him as their least favorite superhero).  But it doesn’t matter; if you try and make Superman less just, decent, and righteous, you deviate from the fundamental essence of the Superman character.  Superman really is a boy scout, as he has often been labeled, and that’s not a bad thing.  In such a dark, cynical, self-seeking world, we need a character like Superman.

Furthermore, some have submitted that Superman is a type, and picture of Jesus Christ; a fictional character who resembles Christ.  For instance, Stephen Skelton devoted an entire book to this subject in his work “the gospel according to the world’s greatest superhero”.  With that in mind, check out this apt summation of Superman that Alfred Gough and Miles Millar gave in a commentary from an episode of the TV show “Smallville”:

“He makes the right choice.  He makes the choice we wish we would make.  He’s a selfless hero.  We’d like to believe, in the right time, in the right situation, we would do the right thing.  Which is why, I think, Superman has been so endearing over the years.”  I wholeheartedly agree.  And this has obvious Christ-like overtones.  In Isaiah 7:15, it states that the Messiah will “reject the wrong and choose the right.”  Does this sound like Jesus to you?  Does it sound like Superman?  It sure does to me.

Kevin

What does the phrase "I shall not want" mean?

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (KJV).  Those are the familiar words of Psalm 23:1.  For years, I would read that phrase “I shall not want” and wonder what exactly it meant.  The Lord is my shepherd; therefore I have no dreams, plans, desires, or ambitions whatsoever?  How could that be what the verse was saying?  I didn’t understand it.

 

I’ve come to understand that this phrase has more to do with the fact that God will supply the basic provisions of life.  Got questions.org wrote an article on this that was helpful to me.  Here’s a quote from it, and I would encourage you to check out the link.  “Psalm 23:1-3 tells us that the shepherd meets the sheep’s every need: food, water, rest, safety, and direction.  When we as believers follow our Shepherd, we, too, know that we will have all that we need.  We will not lack the necessities of life, for He knows exactly what we need.”

http://www.gotquestions.org/Lord-is-my-Shepherd.html

Let me re-write that last sentence again: “We will not lack the necessities of life, for He knows exactly what we need.”  This jibes with the way other translations render Psalm 23:1.  For instance, the NCV translates it this way, “The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need.”  The World English Bible offers, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall lack nothing.”  The CEV says, “The Lord is my shepherd; I will never be in need.”

In Matthew 6, Jesus says, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they?  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?  And why do you worry about clothes?  See how the lilies of the field grow.  They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field…will he not much more clothe you?”  I can trust my Heavenly Father, My Heavenly Shepherd.  He will provide for me.

Kevin

Contemplating the rapture

After writing what I did yesterday about “Left Behind” I felt compelled to talk in more detail about this concept known as the rapture.

 

First of all, some have criticized the "Left Behind" book series because it operates from what is called the “pre-tribulation” view.  That is, that Jesus will rapture His church prior to the seven year period known as the Tribulation.  But there are other views.  There’s the “mid-tribulation” view (the rapture is in the middle of the Tribulation), and there’s the “post-tribulation” view (the rapture is at the end of the Tribulation).

My reading of the Bible has landed me on the pre-tribulation view.  Let me attempt to explain why.  First of all, one of the main passages that teaches the rapture is 1 Thessalonians 4.  We read, “For the Lord Himself will come down from Heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up [that is, snatched up quickly, or raptured] with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  And so we will be with the Lord forever” (verses 16-17).

With this context of 1 Thessalonians 4 in mind, it’s interesting to then read these words in chapter 5 of 1 Thessalonians: “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (verse 9).  Furthermore, in Revelation 3:10, Jesus says: “I will keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.”  These verses seem to indicate that God will take His church to Heaven so that she will not experience the years of the Tribulation.

Secondly, in Matthew 24 Jesus says, “But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and not have let his house be broken into.  So you must also be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”  There’s imminence in Jesus’ words.  As if He is saying that He could return at any day.  To me, this imagery doesn’t make as much sense if Christians were on Earth for the Tribulation, or for the rise of Antichrist.  These events would certainly get our attention; so if that were the case, why then would the Lord say that His coming would be as surprising a thief in the night?

Third, in Revelation 1-3, the church is referenced several times, but then we read these words in Revelation 4:1, “After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in Heaven.  And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”  The time of the Tribulation is then described in detail, but interestingly, the church is not mentioned being on the Earth.

Let me conclude with a verse from 1 Thessalonians 4.  I already quoted verses 16-17 that mention the rapture of Christ, but notice verse 18; it reads, “Therefore encourage each other with these words.”  Encourage each other with the truth of the rapture of Christ.  Notice that that verse doesn’t say, “Therefore debate each other with these words to the point where divisions occur.”

Whatever the exact time frame may be, the rapture of Jesus Christ is supposed to be a comforting, reassuring thought, not a point of division.  Personally, this whole concept is very comforting for me to contemplate.  This plight on Earth will not last forever; Jesus will one day come and take the Christians to be with Him forever!  This fact is to be celebrated, not fought over to the point of losing friendship and fellowship with a brother or sister in Christ!

Kevin

My thoughts on the "Left Behind" movie

Recently, I saw the new “Left Behind” movie starring Nicolas Cage.  In short, while the cast did a good job, and it is undeniably entertaining, I still can’t recommend this film.

My biggest problem with this movie isn’t primarily what was said in the film, it’s what wasn’t said.  Let me explain.  The three main characters are Rayford Steele, Chloe Steele (his daughter) and Cameron or “Buck” Williams.  In the book that the movie is based on written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, these three eventually learn that Jesus Christ had taken (or raptured as it is commonly referred to) all the Christians to Heaven, and they had been left behind.  Ultimately, they each chose to become a Christian, even though their decision was a costly one because it meant facing a dark seven year period known as the Tribulation, where being martyred for their new faith was likely.

Unfortunately, the movie doesn’t present Rayford, Chloe, or Buck putting their faith in Christ.  Rayford does begin to piece together that it was just the Christian passengers who were gone, and he deduces that he knows what the event was because his Christian wife had previously told him.  But he still doesn’t become a Christian.  To be fair, he is preoccupied with trying to make an emergency landing because the plane is leaking gasoline, something that didn’t actually occur in the original book.  Buck’s conversion to Christianity isn’t shown, either.  He is on the same plane as Rayford, and he is too busy trying to calm the other passengers down, and help Rayford in whatever way he can.

The absence of Chloe’s conversion story is the most glaring.  She finds that her mother and brother were among those who disappeared.  She subsequently goes to a church where she finds that just one pastor was left behind (the fascinating story of why he was left behind is strangely never told in the film, but it is in the book).  This pastor tells her what had happened, but Chloe doesn’t want to listen; she actually goes and almost commits suicide until her father’s phone call finally gets through.  This one is the most disappointing because, by the end of the film, Chloe is actually the hero, but not because of her newfound relationship with Christ, as it should have been.

If you are interested in seeing a movie that does follow the original book quite well I would recommend the first “Left Behind” movie starring Kirk Cameron.  It not only showcases the conversion of the main characters, but also covers other important events such as the rise of the Antichrist (who somehow doesn’t even appear in this new movie).  Stick with the original movie, and avoid this new film.  Don’t misunderstand: I’m not saying this new rebooted Left Behind movie is a bad movie, by any means.  It’s entertaining.  I’m simply saying that the transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ (a major presence in the original book) isn’t conveyed in this new film.  It is altogether ignored.

Kevin

"I delight to do Your will"

I recently finished viewing the first season of the TV show “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”  From its start to its season finale, I really enjoyed it.  Granted, the show isn’t without its flaws.

To give just one example, the writing does get rather incoherent at a particular juncture in the season.  At one point, my head was spinning because there was so much misdirection, paranoia, and suspicion of particular characters.  I actually got the feeling that the writers couldn’t decide who was supposed to the bad apples that had the evil ulterior motives, and who wasn’t.  However, these flaws notwithstanding, I submit that the positives far outweigh the negatives when it comes to “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”

One of my favorite episodes of the first season is entitled “Yes men”.  It is called this because the main villain of the episode, a woman named Lorelei, threatens Earth.  Lorelei hails from Asgard (Thor’s home world; this show is set in the Marvel universe, so there are references to Thor, Captain America, Iron-Man, and the Avengers).  Lorelei possesses the power to bend any man to forsake their prior alliances and serve her, simply by touching them.  Another Asgardian named Lady Sif goes after Lorelei, in an attempt to stop her and return her to Asgard.

The Lorelei/Lady Sif scenes are particularly gripping.  In one scene, Lorelei taunts Sif by stating that Sif’s propensity to obey whatever her Asgardian master instructs hasn’t resulted in any personal benefit for her.  As an example, Lorelei points out that while she can have any man she wants, any man that Sif has desired hasn’t been reciprocated.  Sif wouldn’t dare give Lorelei the satisfaction of agreeing with her, but I got the sense that there was an element of truth to Lorelei’s accusation.  Ultimately, Lady Sif does defeat Lorelei and return her to Asgard to pay for her crimes.  Before leaving, the head of the S.H.I.E.L.D. team asks Sif if this whole ordeal was difficult for her.  She simply responds, “Odin ordered her back alive.  As one of his warriors, I bow to his will.”

Lady Sif is one of my new heroes.  Her decision to submit her will, desires, and life to her master, Odin, is inspiring to me.  On a daily basis, Sif faces the decision to choose her way or the way of her master.  In the end, even if it isn’t always easy, she chooses to surrender her personal desires to the wisdom of her master.  As a Christian, I too know what it’s like to face the daily decision of choosing my way or God’s way.  I’m certainly not going to declare that I always decide to go God’s way, but like Lady Sif, I know that the best course of action is to choose to daily yield all my personal hopes, dreams, and plans to God.  With the confident assurance that God’s way is the best way.

Kevin

“I delight to do Your will, O my God” – Psalm 40:8 (NKJV)