Lefties

Judges 3:15

Again the Israelites cried out to the LORD, and he gave them a deliverer—Ehud, a left-handed man.


For many who read this verse, it is nothing more than mere Bible trivia that could gain them nothing more than a bit of pride at the next Trivial Pursuit tournament.

However, for those who wish to dig deeper, God is telling us much more here.

Being right-handed, when I first read this verse, I took it at face value and kept reading. But later, I still wanted to know why the writer of Judges and his co-author, God, would want us to know that Ehud was left-handed. Here is what I have learned after a bit of reading:

In Hebrew, as well as many other Semitic and Mesopotamian languages and cultures, the left hand was used as a metaphor for evil, misfortune, and punishment from the gods. So, when you read this verse within the context of the culture, you see that God is telling us much more than Ehud's hand of preference. God is telling us that no matter what society tells you about your abilities, you can be and are called to a higher purpose.

Take, Eat

This week, a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church in New York publicly criticized Rudy Giuliani's receiving of the Eucharist (Holy Communion).

Regular readers of this blog are probably beginning to recognize that one situation that sickens me more than normal is when someone actively seeks to promote disunity and hypocrisy within the 'Body of Christ'.

Cardinal Egan's reasoning is that Giuliani is a supporter of abortion rights, which is a "grave offense against the will of God". With that in mind, the Cardinal seems to have a very high (perhaps rightly so) standard of behavior (or thought life, since Rudy has never had an abortion). With a standard that high for receivers of Communion, how much higher must the standard be for those serving Communion. I wonder, under Egan's belief system, how many Priests, Pastors, Bishops, Reverends or Cardinals have ever committed a "grave offense against the will of God".

To guess, we must first have a measuring stick for the will of God. This sounds like an exact description of the Holy Bible. The Holy Bible says, in Proverbs 6, that God hates haughty eyes, lying tongues, hands that shed innocent blood, hearts that devise wicked schemes, feet that rush into evil, false witnesses and men that stir up disagreement among brothers.

I doubt strongly that Egan and his colleagues have never been proud or lied. I would not feel comfortable saying that the Roman Catholic Church has never been involved in the shedding of innocent blood. I sense that there have probably been a clergy or two who devised wicked schemes and looked forward to sinning. I can even name at least one Cardinal who has stirred up disagreement among brothers.

Orthodox Christianity is a religion made of of people who recognize that they have committed great crimes against the will of God. It is a religion of people who recognize that no one will ever deserve to receive Holy Communion.

A good word for Cardinal Egan, myself, and anyone who strives to follow after Christ would be to "First remove the planks from our own eyes" (Matthew 7:3-5).

Dove Awards

FYI, Check out this year's Dove Award Winners.

Injustice

Psalm 90:4
For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it passes by, or as a watch in the night.

Just so you know, I do not plan to do this overdone topic justice. I have a single thought.

This seems to be a great verse for students of the evolution/creationism conversation to remember.

What are your thoughts? I'm interested to see your comments.

His Holiness

This past week, the man whom Roman Catholics refer to as 'His Holiness' visited the United States to strengthen the American arm of Catholicism and, as is his custom, offer constructive criticism to his host country.

The event that I found most noble of the Pope's many engagements was the relatively private time he took to meet personally with victims of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy.

I have been awed by the parallels between the apologetic function of the Pope and what must be one of the many functions of the Holy Spirit. It is hard to imagine the difficulty that many Christian converts would find in accepting Christianity if the Holy Spirit did not go before and apologize for Christians like me.

Today, it is my prayer that, as I strive to live a life of holiness, the Holy Spirit would comfort the many who experience the fallout of my sins. Perhaps with the Holy Spirit and the Pope both on the case, the world will realize that Christianity is simply a group of people who admit that, without help, they are going to act very unchristian. It is a group of people who have found that help in Jesus, the Christ.

Things Eternal

Recently, through conversations with friends and mentors, I have begun to think of eternality (eternalness, you know what I’m trying to say) not only as future but also as past and present. Just as our God is eternal (‘The one who was and is and is to come’ Revelation 1:4-5); so too is our life with him. However, when we think of our lives now, there are few things that will not die with our earthly bodies. Sporting events, school, chores, taxes, and speeding tickets all pass away. I cannot think of a single thing that I do every day that I and all that accompany me will continue to do in heaven; except one.

We see numerous scripture references (including Revelation 15:2-4) that speak of the type of musical worship that we can look forward to in heaven. Truthfully, what else would you do in the eternal, intimate presence of God Almighty?

Knowing that worship is one thing that will continue for all of our eternal lives; we should strive to reach a place of Biblical perfection in our worship today, so that we might be made more perfect worshippers in the days to come.

New Release

Well, no major theological riddles today, but I have good news. After years of wondering if one of my favorite bands was dead in the water, I found out that Third Day has announced their first studio album in three years. It will release July 29 and I am pumped.

Let me take this opportunity to mention a few other recent (and not so recent) releases that I am currently enjoying:

• David Crowder Band - The Lime CD
• Stevie Ray Vaughn - In Step
• Hillsong United - The I Heart Revolution
• Leeland - Opposite Way
• Starfield - I Will Go

I hope you all are enjoying this great Spring weather and remembering that God loves you and wants you to elevate your relationship with him.

Where Do You Draw the Line?

Over the past few months, I have had been a part of many discussions about our task, as Christians, to be compelling. I have also read an article or two describing different churches' approaches to stewardship. My thought process today, combined these two discussions and now I'm wondering: Where do you draw the line?

Would you consider it poor stewardship to pay people to come to your service, knowing that they would hear the Gospel once they were there?

What about dropping handfuls of money off the balcony in your sanctuary, once the congregants arrived?

If these seem too crass for you; would it be acceptable to shower them with free gifts so that they would attend?

What about free food?

Would paying top dollar for big name bands to fill the seats be alright?

Let's take it smaller: Should we spend cash on 'cushy' seats instead of buying food for homeless people? Is that acceptable?

Or even smaller: Do you make a greater impact for the Kingdom by printing your church materials in full color or by printing in black-and-white and using the excess to send mosquito nets to Africa?

Unless your church is printing its own money, these are all valid questions. Ultimately, you are choosing between one and the other. Admittedly, if you send the entirety of your church budget to Africa, you will not have a budget to worry about next year; but, if you keep all your cash inside your doors, it's going to be a lonely party in Heaven.

Where do you draw the line?