Behind my house there is a paved alley for walking, which is part of the city’s park system.  It also has speed humps for vehicles that are looking for a shortcut.  We usually walk our dogs at the park, but, on occasion I will walk them in the alley if the weather is bad or we’re on a tight schedule.

I was noticing the other day the number of No Trespassing signs affixed to several of the houses where we walk.  And as I thought about it, I had to chuckle because the thing that struck me first was, if there was no sign, does it mean that it’s okay just to walk right into their homes?  Of course not.  So what’s the purpose of the signs?  I understand Beware of Dog signs or No Trespassing signs at the edge of large property, but posted on houses that are probably no more than fifteen feet apart?

I suppose the sign means, Don’t come in my house without permission, AND I REALLY MEAN IT. Whatever happened to neighborly love?  The funny thing is that there are Welcome mats on most of their front porch entrances.  Society has become increasingly private, keeping those around them at arm’s length. My guess is that the No Trespassing issue goes a bit deeper.

At the Methodist church where we attend it is common to be asked to recite the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) during the service.  We use the Anglican version, and one phrase of note occurs a little over half-way through the prayer and says, “… forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”  Other versions use “forgive us our debts” or “forgive us our sins.”

But I like “trespass” because it brings forth the idea of crossing a line.  As we trudge  (or skip, or jog, or run) on this road toward eternity, God has placed shoulders on each side, with warning tracks cut into them, so that we are aware when we are about to drift past his commands into areas of danger.  Of course there are convenient exits along the way, also leading to trouble, in order to allow us to willingly obey and stay on the narrow road.

And like the NO TRESPASSING signs in my alley, we erect such signs in our hearts.  We communicate to others by words, looks or body language that they can only go so far with regard to our private lives. Cross over that line, and there’s no telling what we might say or do.

I think God wants us to remove those signs.  Jesus clearly showed how we are to handle those who compel us (Matthew 5:38-42).  We should respond openly, fairly and honestly for two reasons:  First, God wants us to; it’s called obeying.  Secondly, it teaches us how to love. Jesus goes on to say that we have a tendency to only love those who love us.  What’s the benefit in that?  We should work on showing love to the seemingly unlovable, while still promoting the “comfortable” love.

Trespassing is the tension that helps us grow.  We’re either doing it, or having it done to us. The challenge is how to get back on the narrow road and how to love those who invade our space.  God’s forgiveness is readily available, and his help is at the tip of our tongue in prayer.  All because his love is abundant.

On July 4, 2011 the United Church of Christ (over 1 million members) declared their independence from “God the Father.”  In an overwhelming majority they voted to render God gender-less.  In their constitution and bylaws they want references to God as “heavenly Father” changed to “the triune God,” which doesn’t make much sense because triune means God in three persons:  Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

While the UCC is one of the fastest-shrinking Protestant denominations, it joins a growing trend among modern churches and Bible translators to take the heavy off of the guy references in the Godhead.  Who is behind this movement?  Women.  But why?  I’m not sure, but I think it has something to do with the fear (or weariness) of male dominance.

Read more »

Jesus did come to deliver us from the painful consequences of our sins, but it is by God’s Perfect will that the consequences even exist.  Disobedience brings the consequence of pain, which prepares the soul for healing.  The cure is in the cause.  You cannot be delivered from the consequences of sin while that sin still exists.

But we seem determined to hold onto the teaching that Christ came to save us from the punishment of our sins.  This concept has corrupted the true teaching of the gospel.

Read more »

Before he was born, Jesus’ earthly father, Joseph, had a dream.  In it an angel told him that it was okay to marry Mary because the child that she was carrying was from God and that he (Jesus) would save his people from their sins.  That statement put two questions in my mind:  Who are Jesus’ people? and What does it mean that he will save them from their sins?

I believe that Jesus came from God and that he had a mission.  Often we receive messages incorrectly, or we may not fully understand the meaning of what was said.  We must always realize that if the message is from God, then he will ultimately make it clear to us through his Holy Spirit if we remain open to the truth.

We would be hard-pressed to find anyone who was continuously happy.

Read more »

It’s that time of year again.  Trees budding, flowers blooming, palm fronds waving, egg decorating and the opportunity to once again sing, “Up from the grave He arose …”  For religious folk, it’s time to focus on death, particularly death by crucifixion, and resurrection.  In my wife’s childhood church, akin to the Plymouth Brethren, the weekly Lord’s Supper (worship service) is centered on “the death of our Lord Jesus.”  Every Sunday.  The entire year.  Having participated in it for years after our marriage, and now looking back, it seems so morbid.

Most Western Christians like the best of both worlds.  Jesus bled and died for our sins (sad face), but was resurrected in a glorious body (bright face).  Now, where did we hide those eggs, and could you pass that Easter ham down this way?

As I have mentioned before, I get a lot of my ideas for these articles from church signs that I observe while driving around.  I attend a Methodist church, and our sign has no slogan.  Just the church name and the pastor’s name below, which gets obliterated part of the year when the shrubbery grows up too far.

Read more »

I heard on the news that New York is leading the nation in total number of abortions.  That’s not a surprise since the state has a population of over 19 million.  What was interesting, though, was a recent poll about abortion in the state.  64% (consisting of 50% women) of New Yorkers felt that abortion was okay, but that there were too many being performed at the present time.

What?  Is it giving your state a bad name?  If you’re for abortion, then who cares what people think about your state?  And just how many is too many? Aren’t all of the unborn children being terminated?

Abortion has been, and still is, a hotbed for debate in political and religious circles.  The term “unborn children” sounds like an oxymoron.  If they’re not born yet, how can they be children?  But many mothers will identify and communicate with the child in their womb, preparing for the day when he or she will take their first breath.

Other mothers don’t even consider themselves mothers.  They see the “thing” as just a growth inside them, like a cancerous mass.  They need to remove it in order to improve their quality of life.  But malignant cancer, left to itself, will eventually kill you.  A fetus, left to itself, will become fully developed into another human being.

This “growth” will likely one day take care of you when you can’t care for yourself.

Read more »

Chapter 18 of Ezekiel is an excellent study on the justice of God.  It begins with God responding unfavorably to an often-quoted proverb, “The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge” (vs. 2).  I find comfort in his statement that “every living soul belongs to me” (vs. 4).

Then God goes on to explain (through the prophet, of course) that each person’s sins are accountable for their own actions.  No longer can they be blamed on the behavior of their parents or how they were raised.  You do bad, you die.  You do good, you live.

Now I’m not sure what is specifically meant by the term “death.”  Is it a physical death?  We all die, but does God take us out sooner if we’re bad? From looking around us, that doesn’t appear to be true.  Many apathetic, angry or miserable people still manage to live to a ripe old age.

Read more »

I’ve heard the term thrown around a lot lately, mostly on TV and radio.  The preachers who ask for prayer warriors usually want your address so that they can then bombard you with requests to be “seed” warriors — they want your money.

But, to be fair, there are many who believe that people must be bound with one another in prayer, and I suppose that’s a good thing.  I struggle with the concept of prayer for myself, so you can see where I would wonder what a prayer warrior is.

A warrior is typically someone engaged in battle, with a determination to eliminate the enemy.  In the concept of prayer the enemy is probably Satan and his minions.  But I wonder how many prayers it takes to defeat such a force, especially when the Bible says that no one but God will ultimately defeat Satan. So does that make us police warriors?  We keep the Devil in check until God finishes him off?

In my prayers the enemy is often me.  I know what to do and don’t always do it.  I also know what not to do, but sometimes do it anyway.  Of course it could be Satan messing with my mind, making me think that the enemy is me.  In either case I need spiritual help.

Read more »

She’s listed as one of the four women in Matthew’s lineage of Christ (Matthew 1:3,5,6).  Three have less-than-reputable histories, but they are held up as Biblical women of courage.  Here’s the story of Tamar (Genesis 38).

Judah, one of Jacob’s twelve sons, married outside of his race.  As was the custom, he was to select wives for his own sons.  He picked Tamar for his firstborn, Er.  Er was bad.  God killed him.  As also was the custom, Tamar had to marry Er’s brother, Onan.  The idea was to preserve the tribe.

Onan didn’t like the idea, so he failed to complete the conceptive process. God didn’t like that very much, so he killed Onan.  Judah is now wary about losing more sons, so he tells her to go home, using the excuse that the third boy isn’t old enough yet.  His name is Shelah (yeah, he’s a guy).  Then Judah’s wife dies.

After he was done grieving, Judah goes back to work.  Tamar’s starting to wonder why she wasn’t called for in order to marry Shelah.  She disguised herself and observed Judah going to work with his son.  She notices that the boy is now a man, and assumes that she had been discarded.

Judah notices her, but he doesn’t recognize her.  He thinks she’s a prostitute, and, like any good red-blooded Hebrew, he decides to buy her services.

Read more »

Everybody’s gotta eat.  There are carnivores (eat only animals), herbivores (eat only plants) and omnivores (eat anything that isn’t nailed down).  Food sustains us; it contains important vitamins and minerals.  We can’t just take a handful of pills, because we also need sugars and starches for energy.

You need only look at people to wonder if they’re eating too much or too little.  I’ve been told by more than one person that I could afford to skip a few meals.  I think it’s my metabolism giving me problems — or not.  But it’s true that some foods go to fat more quickly than others.  Then your body gets really jealous of its fat stores and fights you when you attempt to lose some pounds.  What’s your food?

Our bodies also need spiritual food.  The brain has a lot of storage capacity.  It constantly needs information to keep the physical body running properly.  But it also has the amazing desire to assess the meaning of life, the concept of death and what might exist beyond this life.

Religion teaches us that there are forces (or Persons) at work in our lives to conform us to their will.

Read more »