Past, present, and future

Have you ever heard someone say "Today's a gift,  that's why we call it the present." I'm sure we all have.  The phrase, almost overused and definitively a cliche is meant to give inspiration and invoke gratitude in the listener.  I would like to argue that this phrase can mean so much more and yet  doesn't encompass the greater meaning of Christian gratitude as some people expect.

First, let's look at the phrase. Yes-I will not argue that today is a gift from God.  That is biblical supported both positively and negatively, through many Psalms and Matthew 6 where Jesus tells us to worry about the day at hand, not tomorrow.  However, yesterday was a gift too, and tomorrow will be a gift.  And your family is a gift. Even your own breathe of life is a gift from God.  Though I enjoy the fact the phrase encourages gratitude, the thankfulness should be expanded past the "present." 

Second, present is a manmade term, not something of God.  Time is manmade.  Many items defined in the Bible from God incorporate more than a present sense of reality.  They include all senses of time.  And they include all aspects of your livelihood.  For example...when discussing resurrection.  Christians state in the Apostle's Creed we believe in the "Resurrection of the Body." But how many people ACTUALLY believe that. I know I do... and I am so excited about God for that.  But N.T. Wright in his book Surprises By Hope talks about the Biblical interpretation of a bodily resurrection and this is far beyond the contemporary concepts of what heaven & hell are.  

So next time you think of the present as a gift, remember there are far many more things to be thankful for of a God who is without end and undefinable by human standards.  God bless be the Creator and Ruler of All! 

Creation Interact

Though I consider myself a very sociable person with the human side... I talk to my dogs a lot.  In fact, I have theological conversations if they are hanging around when I'm studying or I need an "audience" to practice a sermon.  Yes, I have asked both my dogs if they know Jesus. It gives me a nice laugh (especially their facial expression of "do you really have to ask me that...")

So this got me thinking.  We as believers need to interact with God's creation more.  Now I don't necessarily mean talking to your dogs or fish or plants (even though there are tons of articles and philosophies about talking to plant life.) But I do mean going outside more, taking a moment to be thankful of the Creator that not only has created everything around but also given us as humans the responsibility to take care of it.  Sometimes I think as humans we take advantage of this.  We abuse our creation every day and sometimes don't even take a second to acknowledge the blessings God has given use through His creation.

And that's why I have dogs...that's what my dogs remind me of.  They remind me of God.  They remind me to be thankful (they are rescues) and to be happy even for the smallest things of coming through the front door and being home among family.  To be happy about even the simplest food....and to enjoy EVERY toy!

A Slight of Hand, A Twist of Fate

Tonight Shawn and I saw "Now You See Me"- a movie about 4 magicians who preform awe-inspiring tricks that end up getting attention of the FBI.  (on a movie review note--you should go see it.) As a courtesy I will not spoil any of the movie but it got me thinking.  About God & Magic. About the analogies and similarities and the people I know who love magic yet have the strongest faith in God. And when I get to thinking... I have started coming to my blog...

Some things to think about:
My brother, who is an amazing pastor, worked as a magician and still does the little tricks for his kids.
I have another friend who was is into magic yet is a strong believer in Christ.
...However...
Several fundamentalist shun magic stating it is affiliated with the devil.
Many people think of God as the Head Magician... "conning" people into believe some great giant trick.

So let's look at some positives of magic & God/faith.
   Magic is meant to entertain, deceive and to inspire curiosity.  According to the movie it gives people a little bit of hope beyond what they can see. (again, go see the movie...) In working with religion and God.  God is the source of faith, He is what is beyond what you can see.  And maybe not to entertain for financial gain, I would arguably says God is definitely here to inspire.  And (in a more blunt way) He is deceiving as the few things that we can see of Him are only a spark of what is to come--much like magic.
  Another movie about magic, The Prestige, refers to 3 elements of an illusion--the pledge, the turn & the prestige.  It's the presentation of something ordinary, the change of the ordinary object into something extraordinary and the final presentation of the extraordinary proof.  (See QuoteFromTheMovie)  God can do these three things... God creates the ordinary, makes it extraordinary and then spends His time presenting the prestige to the world.... this can apply to every human including the Son of Man, Jesus Christ.

Just remember though--magic has bad elements and can lead to a belief in hocus pocus spells or an imaginative reality that leads to emptiness or lack of stability.  Or even worse--bad spirituality (aka demons, "black...")  Remember that God is alive, in control, created reality and has come down to be with those He loves the most-humanity-through Christ.  And remember that magic, though sometimes simply an illusion, can inspire that little bit of hope for a happier world through Him who Is.