I want to talk today about the level of discomfort we are willing to undergo for our faith.

How many of us would be willing to admit, if asked, before a crowd of people that we believe in God? I willing to bet it would make a lot of us uncomfortable to be asked. I freely admit that there have been times in my life where I have been one of those people. I might have acknowledged that I believed in God, but in a chill, there’s got to be something out there sort of way.

Why do we do that?

Fear.

We’re afraid that people might judge us for believing.  We’re afraid they’ll think we’re one of those “crazy” Christians and they won’t want to be our friend.  Ultimately, I think its because we are afraid of losing something that we think is important.

I have always believed in God, but there have been lots of times when I’ve held that belief close, like a secret that needed to be protected.  What I was really protecting was the idea of whom I wanted the world to see.  I was okay believing in God as long as it didn’t make me feel uncomfortable.

Now that I’m farther along in my faith journey, I have started to experience what I thought was a new fear, but have come to realize is just the same old fear expressed in a different way.  A fear of being uncomfortable.  I’m afraid of what God is going to ask of me, the closer I get to him.  When I really look at that fear, I realize that I’m still afraid of losing something.  I’m willing to read my bible every day and pray and sing praises to God, just as long as he doesn’t ask more of me.  I don’t want my faith to become uncomfortable.

But then I think like a parent – I know I always come back to this.  Would I accept my child never trying something new, something that might be amazing, because he was “uncomfortable” or afraid.  Absolutely not.  I would love him and encourage him and then, if he still put up a fuss, I would make him do it.  But I would never push my child to do something that I thought would hurt him.  And when I think about it this way – I know that my fear of what God will ask or expect from me is groundless.

Last week I posted the Zack Williams song “Fear is a Liar”.  I really believe that when I start to feel fear, especially about my faith or expressing it loudly and proudly to others, or diving more deeply into it, or giving more of myself and my life to God — that fear doesn’t come from God.  It comes from the one who would love nothing more than to keep me from God.  To keep my relationship with my faith “comfortable”  – because that means I can never grow.  I can never be the full expression of the person God created me to be.

What is so important to me that I am afraid of losing it?  Realistically, what will I lose because I express my faith?

Jesus says “Give and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” Luke 6:38

The more I give to God, of my heart, my soul, my self…the more he will give to me.  Having faith isn’t about losing, it’s about gaining.  Gaining a perfect love and joy that can’t come from anything here in this world.  It can only come from Christ.

When you push your child to try something new it’s because you want them to grow and develop and be the very best they can be.  God wants that for us too.  So I’m resolving to give up my fear, to be willing to be uncomfortable for God.  I think, much like learning to tie your shoes, the more you do it, the easier it gets.

Let’s all get uncomfortable today.

God bless,

Meredith

Here’s that Zack Williams song again because you can never be reminded too many times that “Fear is a Liar!”

 

 

A regular reader reminded me that I didn’t post a song this morning.  That’s because it took a bit before God revealed the perfect song for me and how I was feeling about the amazing love of Jesus.  What I love, is that this morning’s post inspired a reader to send me a song too.  So here they both are (his first). ENJOY and GOD BLESS!  — Meredith

Readers:

 

Mine:

One of my favorite things about the Gospel of John is the way it portrays Jesus, not as someone who has come to judge and condemn, but as someone who loves and is warm and welcoming.

My Lenten bible study this year called “Meeting Jesus in the Gospel of John” by the Society of Saint John the Evangelist at Virginia Theological Seminary,  and it really spoke to my heart about the type of relationship Jesus wants to have with me.

John 13:23  “One of his disciples – the who whom Jesus loved – was reclining next to him.” 

I can’t possibly image during all of the years of Jesus’ ministry that his disciples spent that entire time worshiping and adoring him.  In fact they often questioned him.  What I like about this phrase is it shows that they also relaxed with him.  They just hung around together – they were friends.

It’s so strange isn’t it.  We think of the Christ whom we worship at church and pray to, who we see hung on the cross to die for our sins, but how often do we think of having a relationship with God that is so casual? Can we even conceptualize hanging out and laughing together just like we would with our friends.   But I think that’s exactly what the point of this passage is.  It’s talking about a relationship of love, of being loved.  And being loved…that comes of “knowing” and of being known.  As in, Jesus knows you deeply and intimately and you can know him in that very same way.

I think there is a reason for God the Father and God the Son.  God is above us, he’s supposed to be, he’s “the maker and preserver of all things”. God knew that mankind just couldn’t get past his godliness to really have the relationship he desires to have with us. But Jesus… in Jesus he calls us to be his friend, to love and be a part of his family.  We are all “children of God”.

I really believe that is in coming to know him and that amazing and powerful love that he has for all of us, that we come closer to really knowing God our Father.  So when you feel sometimes as if God is remote and out of reach, try reaching out to your brother, your friend – Jesus just like you would to any other friend.  Talk to him about your good days and your bad.

God bless,

Meredith

Sometimes God’s presence in your life can be hard to see and sometimes, when you’re ready, (when you’ve made your pocket) he hits you over the head.

I said yesterday that I started reading the beatitudes (I’m reading Luke 6), but what I didn’t say was that I could not get past the “Love for Enemies” part.  And there was one line specifically that I couldn’t get past  “If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.  Give to everyone who asks and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.”

I had such a difficult time with this that I couldn’t continue reading and this morning I decided I still wasn’t ready and read 2 Thessalonians instead.  I was all ready to move on to 1st Timothy when I got an uncomfortable feeling and a pressure inside me that said I needed to go back to the Luke.  I have learned to recognize this as God’s voice, directing me to something important.

Now let me preface this with the knowledge if you are unfamiliar with 2 Thessalonians, that my first reading was filled with verses like “He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ”.  and “But the Lord is faithful and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.”  All day yesterday I felt as if something was getting between me and God.  I couldn’t feel him like I usually do.  Today, God took the time to remind me that he loves me and then he sent me back to Luke to figure out what he meant and face my own spiritual failings – the thing that was coming between us.

“…if someone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.”  For a year now I have been harboring anger and resentment toward someone who claims to have lost something that had a significant monetary value.  Insurance claims have been filed, but still there has been a part of me that wants that person to pay for taking something away that I valued.  Today, even though I didn’t want to let that part of me go…God showed me that it is coming between us.  It’s hard isn’t it?   To forgive people when we feel as if they have violated our rights, when we feel as if our anger is justified.

C.S. Lewis writes that pride is really mankind’s greatest sin.  God showed me today,  for me in that situation, the truth of that statement.  I mean, what was lost was a piece of paper covered in black ink.  Is that really more important than a person?  More important than showing God’s love to that person and forgiveness?  We need to remember, I need to remember that things are only things and that to be a Christian, to live a life in God, means to set aside what we think of as our personal rights , so that we can show people a love that passes all understanding.

So when I say that sometimes God hits you over the head, I mean that I knew exactly what he was saying to me today.  That letting go of my pride and treating those who wrong me with kindness and and love is the next part of my journey.  It is the next “fruit” that the Spirit wants to give me.  Getting a direct message from God makes me feel how much he loves me and cares for me and that he hears me.  I prayed yesterday for him to show me what I was doing wrong…today he did.

I started this blog because I wish with all of my heart for you to find that type of relationship with God.  For your heart to be as full as mine is today of God’s love and blessing.   I pray that  God speaks to you as clearly as he has spoken to me.

If you want to read more about God’s “radical” love you can do so here.

https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-26-radical-love-luke-627-35

God Bless,

Meredith

 

Part of my bible reading today was the beatitudes.  For those of you who don’t know, the beatitudes are the blesseds…

 

• Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
• Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
• Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
• Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
• Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
• Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
• Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
• Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 

As I read the beatitudes I thought, as I always do, how unlike myself they sound.  I’m definitely not meek, sometimes I’m not merciful, I don’t know that I always thirst for righteousness in the way I should and that whole clean heart thing… I can be quick to anger, prideful, arrogant, etc.   Uh Oh!

I really wanted to understand what Jesus was trying to say here and in the course of my journey to deeper knowledge and understanding I have found that bible.org is a good resource for me.  And I’m going to talk about the two ideas that really resonated with me today.

I think the thing that struck me first was the description given for what being blessed  means.  “An exclamation of the inner joy and peace that comes from being right with God – a happiness that transcends the happenings of the world around you and comes to the soul form being favored by God.”  WOW!   I want that!  I’ve experienced that at moments in my life and it is so amazing, I cry.  Every time!

The article moved on to talk about what it really meant to be poor.  Poor as in humbling yourself before God.  Poor as in being a contrite spirit.  Now, not only is that something I can do, that is something I have been trying to do a lot more of.  Recognizing that everything I have is a gift given to me by God. The ultimate idea of this, is that we live a life that is in total dependence upon God.  I don’t think that means you can sit back on the couch and eat potato chips and rely on God to provide you with what you need.  But I do absolutely believe that if work hard at what you do and try and devote yourself and your life to God, he will provide.  My son says that’s not fair because I win either way.  If something I pray for happens, I give thanks, and if it doesn’t, then it wasn’t meant to be.  I don’t know about you, but I’m totally good with the idea of winning regardless of the outcome.

So I said I wasn’t a meek person.  Anyone who has met me will absolutely confirm that.  So what does Jesus mean blessed are the meek? The article I read stated that meek means “having a spirit of gentleness and self control, free from malice and a condescending spirit”.  It also says that these are “fruits of the Spirit – they are produced in the Christian by the Holy Spirit”.

I may not be meek yet, but I can absolutely vouch for the fact that drawing closer to God has changed me as a person.  Even my family comment on how much more patient I am.  If I feel the tide of jealousy or envy rise up, I immediately send out a prayer and always that feeling is taken away and replaced with gratitude for everything I have and for the love God has given me. I know the Spirit of God is working in me to give me a new heart, a clean heart.

It’s been a few days since I picked a song and I feel like one really gets to the point of what I felt in today’s message.  We need to stop being afraid of what we are going to lose when we turn to God.  He will give us absolutely everything we need to live a life close to and knowing him, including meekness and a clean heart.  And that feeling of being blessed is possible for all of us…all we need to do is just go ‘All In” with God.

God bless,

Meredith

 

Sometime last year, God introduced me to the works of George MacDonald.  For the many of you who don’t recognize the name, the writings of George MacDonald were the inspiration behind some of the greatest fantasy writers of modern day including J. R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis (a personal favorite of mine),

One of the books I purchased on MacDonald contained several of his sermons and one in particular resonated with me because of the genius of it’s imagery.  I’d like to share a part of that now.

“He is the God of comfort and consolation.  He will sooth and satisfy His children better than any mother her infant.

…He gives what His child needs – often by refusing what he asks….There are good things God must delay giving until His child has a pocket to hold them – till he gets His child to make that pocket.  He must first make him fit to receive and to have.  There is no part of our nature that shall not be satisfied – and that not by lessening it, but by enlarging it to embrace an ever-enlarging enough.”

“There are good things God must delay giving until His child has a pocket to hold them – till he gets His child to make that pocket”.  What incredible imagery.  I know the first time I read this I instantly recalled a time when I thought I was ready for something, but God showed me that I hadn’t yet finished making my pocket.  For me, that meant turning my heart and soul fully and completely toward God.  Until I was able to focus on working for God’s approval instead of the world’s I couldn’t move forward in my career.  As a writer, in this age of instant critiques, it is so easy to get caught up in what other people say about you and your work.  I know it can be that way for many of us in our daily lives.  Is our kid in the right sport?  on the right team? is our car/house enough?  Do I have the right friends?  Job?  Clothes?  I think of all of the ways in which I allowed the world to intrude on me and get in the way of God’s plan for my life.

Ephesians 3:20 says  “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us”.   I want to  give God time to make the perfect pocket to hold the gifts that he wants to give me so that I can be so much more than I could possibly ask to be – because his power is at work within me.

I always bring it back to being a parent – and it is part of the reason why I think parenting well is so important – because in our relationships with our children and our parents, we are given a glimpse of the relationship that is possible with our Father in heaven.

Don’t you want to give your children so much more than they can ask or imagine?  But you don’t take off the training wheels until your child is ready to ride on their own.

My prayer for you today is that you find the courage to open yourself to God’s plan for your life.  Let him make you a pocket, perfectly designed, to hold all of the gifts he would so dearly love to give you.

God bless,

Meredith

I want to start today’s blog by thanking everyone for their kind words and messages of support.

I have had many people over the past few days thank me for being brave enough to share my faith.  The funny thing is that I didn’t feel brave at that particular moment.  I just really wanted to share the power and impact that God has had on my life.  In a lot of ways a blog post feels like a really safe way to do that because only the people who want to read it, will.  It feels much more risky to post a bible verse on my Twitter or Instagram, or over Easter to post a picture of a cross with the words “He has risen”.  Those platforms are much more instant and visible and I always worry that I am going to drive people away or people are going to start thinking I’m so sort of crazy church lady and, as a result, tune me out.

It’s funny and sad when you really think about it…that expressing your faith and belief in God and Jesus can make people think you are crazy.  I even use that term when I talk to Dave or my kids about a message or a sign I believe I’ve had from God.  I always start that conversation with “I know you’re going to think I’ve crazy, but…”

I thought and prayed a lot about what I was going to post today.  The verse that God have me was from John 20:19,20

“When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week …Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this he showed them his hands and his side.  then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.”

When I read that verse I am reminded that even Jesus’ disciples – people who have lived with him for years didn’t recognize him until he made them really look at him.  He had to show them his wounds before they could actually see him.  How many times in our life, on a daily basis, is God trying to speak to us and we refuse to see or hear him?

When I am late, and there is no traffic at the end of our street to that I can make a left hand turn and I say “Thank you Jesus” my son used to get frustrated with me.  “Mom”, he would say, “not everything has to be about Jesus”.  But why not?  Why can’t every single good thing in our lives be from God?   Part of saying thank you is about recognizing all of the good things, even when they are small, in our lives.  It is about creating an attitude of gratitude.  I think of all the little things I do in the lives of my children to make their days easier; making breakfast, lunches, picking them up from school, driving them too school…making snacks.  These are all things they could do for themselves, but I love them and I love doing things for them.  If we believe that we have a Father in heaven, is it so unreasonable, so crazy to think that he would be willing to do little things for us to make our lives easier too?  I challenge you to try it today.  Be brave, even crazy for God.  Every time something goes well, try saying thank you.  I would suggest that you might be surprised by just how much better you feel about yourself and maybe just how loved you feel by God at the end of the day.

God Bless!

Meredith

 

 

So today I thought I would talk a little bit about how I became a Christian.

My parents weren’t particularly religious.  We went to church maybe four or five times a year, but unlike most people, it was never on a holiday, it more a case of when the urge struck them.

Both of my grandmothers however, were very spiritual.  My Nani (my dad’s mother) belonged to the United Church and was a big follower of the 700 Club and Jimmy Swaggart.  She was just a very kind and sweet person.  When she was driving and would get a green light she would always say “Thank you, Jesus”.  She always got a parking spot at the front of the store and she always said “Thank you, Jesus”.  Her faith and the love that she shared with the world had a very profound impact on me, and it was my Nani who bought me my first bible (which I still use today).  I think my Nani gave me an amazing example of what faith in God and Jesus could be.  But it was my Grandmother (my mom’s mother) who gave me the church that would meet that need.

Some of my fondest memories of staying at my Grandmother’s house were going to church.  A British war-bride, she was a devoted Anglican.  There was just something about the formality of the Anglican faith with it’s kneelers, and books, in which the entire service was written down in, that just spoke to me.  My Grandmother was a part of the altar guide which meant that after church I would get to help clear the linens off the altar and wash and polish the silver chalices from which the communion had been served.  It was like being part of a secret society and I loved helping her.

During my teen years I was a very faithful Christian, in that I read my bible and listened to Amy Grant.  But I would also say, that I had a very shallow and innocent faith which I allowed to fade away over time.  I wanted to be a part of the cool crowd and I felt that, in being a Christian, I was missing out.  I was tired of being the good girl.  I never lost my belief, but I definitely put it on a shelf to take down when it was more convenient.

But it wasn’t until I became a mother that I really experienced a true crisis of faith.  My first-born, Hayden was born with significant physical and mental challenges and, over time, he became gradually more and more self-abusive.  When he was 8 years old he gave himself a traumatic brain injury which required emergency surgery and a piece of his skull was removed for several days to allow the swelling to go down.  To say that I was mad at God was an understatement.  Hadn’t he already given me enough when he gave me a broken child that I poured my heart and soul into?  I simply could not believe that a God who loved me could be so determined to break me.

It took months for me to realize that God did indeed have a plan for Hayden and for the rest of my family.  At the time of Hayden’s head injury I had been married to my second husband, Dave for three-years and he was just starting a new job.  We had a 15 month-old baby and a six-year old (Hayden’s brother from my previous marriage).  To say Hayden was very labour intensive would be a serious understatement.  Our local school board wasn’t willing or able to provide him the supports he needed, so we paid for assistance and I home-schooled him.  He slept very intermittently – sometimes only two or three hours a night and despite all of our efforts to prevent it, his constant self-abuse was tearing us apart.   All of our time and energy was split between him and the baby, and my beautiful, independent middle son was slipping through the cracks.

Hayden’s head injury changed all that.  It opened up a avenue we didn’t even know was available to us, and ultimately resulted in him being cared for in a community home.  After two years of struggles and doctors and assessments and treatment facilities who ultimately couldn’t do anything to modify Hayden’s drive to self-abuse, we moved Hayden into a house that was literally on our street.  He had 24-hour, round the clock, one-on-one care from a group of individuals whom I can only describe as angels.  And, more importantly, he was only a few blocks away.

Sometimes it really does take a community to raise a child.  There were many people who judged me for moving Hayden into that house, even though he comes home for visits every weekend and I drive him to school every morning.  Those people never yelled at my other two children because they were so exhausted from being up every night trying to stop a child from hitting himself.  I have an amazing relationship with all of my children now and I absolutely give God credit for saving all of us before we even knew we needed saving.  Anyone who has lived with a child who has special needs doesn’t need me to tell them how incredibly difficult it is on the family.  I also give God a huge thank you for bringing my husband Dave into our lives.  I don’t know many people who would have dated a single mother with two children, let alone one with a child as challenging as Hayden was.

I absolutely believe in my heart that through all of my struggles and trials, through all of my tears and heart-break, that God has been pulling me ever closer, preparing me for the next role he needs me to fill in my life.  And everyday I pray that I keep my heart and mind focused on him, who has given me so much and who cares so deeply and, that always, “his will be done”.   He knows me so much better than I know myself.

God Bless Everyone

Meredith

This song from Mercy Me makes me cry – especially the part about when God chooses to leave mountains unmovable.

Yesterday I was putting together copies of our church newsletter (yes that is another piece of writing God has directed me to take on) on our kitchen island.  Feeling more than a little overwhelmed, since I had already spent hours at Staples, I asked my teenage son to give me ten minutes of his time and help me collate copies.

WARNING!  Asking a teenager to do actual work will result in minor churlishness, and questions about the necessity of everything that you are doing, and why he/she must participate. (Or at least that’s what happens in my house.)

Because we were doing something for the church, the ten minutes Everett helped me were spent with him questioning God’s existence, and asking for proof that Jesus really did exist.  I tried to tell him that there were historical writings and documents, but he was having none of it.  He demanded to know exactly what they were, and see them for himself.  “I mean come on, Mom, you’re trying to tell me they have paper that’s thousands of years old.  I’ve never seen that!”

Ahhhh, the wisdom of the teenager.

I quickly realized that we were having a mother/child moment in which nothing I said, I repeat NOTHING I said could convince him that I might have a valid reason or point.  So, I did what all good mothers do…I looked it up on Google.  Thank you Jesus for the internet.

I give Everett a lot of credit. He read through both articles and came back at me with more questions about why God lets bad things happen to innocents.  (We’ll cover that another day because I hear that one a lot from people who don’t believe or have lost their faith.)

I would absolutely, and always rather have him question, and make intelligent decisions about his faith, than just blindly believe.  I think that God wants that for us and from us It is questioning that leads us to a deeper understanding of God, and hopefully a deeper and more permanent faith.

For those of you who are interested in what I gave him…. here is what I found.  I especially liked the part about atheists – and C.S. Lewis in particular.

I am also including a link (see below) to the second article he read,  Beyond Blind Faith that includes reasons for why Jesus is who is says he is from the everystudent website.

https://www.everystudent.com/features/faith.html

Is There a God?

Does God exist? Here are six straightforward reasons to believe that God is really there.

By Marilyn Adamson     PDF   Listen

Just once wouldn’t you love for someone to simply show you the evidence for God’s existence? No arm-twisting. No statements of, “You just have to believe.” Well, here is an attempt to candidly offer some of the reasons which suggest that God exists.

But first consider this. When it comes to the possibility of God’s existence, the Bible says that there are people who have seen sufficient evidence, but they have suppressed the truth about God.¹ On the other hand, for those who want to know God if he is there, he says, “You will seek me and find me; when you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you.”² Before you look at the facts surrounding his existence, ask yourself, If God does exist, would I want to know him? Here then, are some reasons to consider…

1. The complexity of our planet points to a deliberate Designer who not only created our universe, but sustains it today.

Many examples showing God’s design could be given, possibly with no end. But here are a few:

The Earth…its size is perfect. The Earth’s size and corresponding gravity holds a thin layer of mostly nitrogen and oxygen gases, only extending about 50 miles above the Earth’s surface. If Earth were smaller, an atmosphere would be impossible, like the planet Mercury. If Earth were larger, its atmosphere would contain free hydrogen, like Jupiter.³ Earth is the only known planet equipped with an atmosphere of the right mixture of gases to sustain plant, animal and human life.

The Earth is located the right distance from the sun. Consider the temperature swings we encounter, roughly -30 degrees to +120 degrees. If the Earth were any further away from the sun, we would all freeze. Any closer and we would burn up. Even a fractional variance in the Earth’s position to the sun would make life on Earth impossible. The Earth remains this perfect distance from the sun while it rotates around the sun at a speed of nearly 67,000 mph. It is also rotating on its axis, allowing the entire surface of the Earth to be properly warmed and cooled every day.

And our moon is the perfect size and distance from the Earth for its gravitational pull. The moon creates important ocean tides and movement so ocean waters do not stagnate, and yet our massive oceans are restrained from spilling over across the continents.⁴

Water…colorless, odorless and without taste, and yet no living thing can survive without it. Plants, animals and human beings consist mostly of water (about two-thirds of the human body is water). You’ll see why the characteristics of water are uniquely suited to life:

It has wide margin between its boiling point and freezing point. Water allows us to live in an environment of fluctuating temperature changes, while keeping our bodies a steady 98.6 degrees.

Water is a universal solvent. This property of water means that various chemicals, minerals and nutrients can be carried throughout our bodies and into the smallest blood vessels.⁵

Water is also chemically neutral. Without affecting the makeup of the substances it carries, water enables food, medicines and minerals to be absorbed and used by the body.

Water has a unique surface tension. Water in plants can therefore flow upward against gravity, bringing life-giving water and nutrients to the top of even the tallest trees.

Water freezes from the top down and floats, so fish can live in the winter.

Ninety-seven percent of the Earth’s water is in the oceans. But on our Earth, there is a system designed which removes salt from the water and then distributes that water throughout the globe. Evaporation takes the ocean waters, leaving the salt, and forms clouds which are easily moved by the wind to disperse water over the land, for vegetation, animals and people. It is a system of purification and supply that sustains life on this planet, a system of recycled and reused water.⁶

The human brain…simultaneously processes an amazing amount of information. Your brain takes in all the colors and objects you see, the temperature around you, the pressure of your feet against the floor, the sounds around you, the dryness of your mouth, even the texture of your keyboard. Your brain holds and processes all your emotions, thoughts and memories. At the same time your brain keeps track of the ongoing functions of your body like your breathing pattern, eyelid movement, hunger and movement of the muscles in your hands.

The human brain processes more than a million messages a second.⁷ Your brain weighs the importance of all this data, filtering out the relatively unimportant. This screening function is what allows you to focus and operate effectively in your world. The brain functions differently than other organs. There is an intelligence to it, the ability to reason, to produce feelings, to dream and plan, to take action, and relate to other people.

The eye…can distinguish among seven million colors. It has automatic focusing and handles an astounding 1.5 million messages — simultaneously.⁸ Evolution focuses on mutations and changes from and within existing organisms. Yet evolution alone does not fully explain the initial source of the eye or the brain — the start of living organisms from nonliving matter.

2. The universe had a start – what caused it?

Scientists are convinced that our universe began with one enormous explosion of energy and light, which we now call the Big Bang. This was the singular start to everything that exists: the beginning of the universe, the start of space, and even the initial start of time itself.

Astrophysicist Robert Jastrow, a self-described agnostic, stated, “The seed of everything that has happened in the Universe was planted in that first instant; every star, every planet and every living creature in the Universe came into being as a result of events that were set in motion in the moment of the cosmic explosion…The Universe flashed into being, and we cannot find out what caused that to happen.”⁹

Steven Weinberg, a Nobel laureate in Physics, said at the moment of this explosion, “the universe was about a hundred thousands million degrees Centigrade…and the universe was filled with light.”¹⁰

The universe has not always existed. It had a start…what caused that? Scientists have no explanation for the sudden explosion of light and matter.

3. The universe operates by uniform laws of nature. Why does it?

Much of life may seem uncertain, but look at what we can count on day after day: gravity remains consistent, a hot cup of coffee left on a counter will get cold, the earth rotates in the same 24 hours, and the speed of light doesn’t change — on earth or in galaxies far from us.

How is it that we can identify laws of nature that never change? Why is the universe so orderly, so reliable?

“The greatest scientists have been struck by how strange this is. There is no logical necessity for a universe that obeys rules, let alone one that abides by the rules of mathematics. This astonishment springs from the recognition that the universe doesn’t have to behave this way. It is easy to imagine a universe in which conditions change unpredictably from instant to instant, or even a universe in which things pop in and out of existence.”¹¹

Richard Feynman, a Nobel Prize winner for quantum electrodynamics, said, “Why nature is mathematical is a mystery…The fact that there are rules at all is a kind of miracle.”¹²

4. The DNA code informs, programs a cell’s behavior.

All instruction, all teaching, all training comes with intent. Someone who writes an instruction manual does so with purpose. Did you know that in every cell of our bodies there exists a very detailed instruction code, much like a miniature computer program? As you may know, a computer program is made up of ones and zeros, like this: 110010101011000. The way they are arranged tell the computer program what to do. The DNA code in each of our cells is very similar. It’s made up of four chemicals that scientists abbreviate as A, T, G, and C. These are arranged in the human cell like this: CGTGTGACTCGCTCCTGAT and so on. There are three billion of these letters in every human cell!!

Well, just like you can program your phone to beep for specific reasons, DNA instructs the cell. DNA is a three-billion-lettered program telling the cell to act in a certain way. It is a full instruction manual.¹³

Why is this so amazing? One has to ask….how did this information program wind up in each human cell? These are not just chemicals. These are chemicals that instruct, that code in a very detailed way exactly how the person’s body should develop.

Natural, biological causes are completely lacking as an explanation when programmed information is involved. You cannot find instruction, precise information like this, without someone intentionally constructing it.

5. We know God exists because he pursues us. He is constantly initiating and seeking for us to come to him.

I was an atheist at one time. And like many atheists, the issue of people believing in God bothered me greatly. What is it about atheists that we would spend so much time, attention, and energy refuting something that we don’t believe even exists?! What causes us to do that? When I was an atheist, I attributed my intentions as caring for those poor, delusional people…to help them realize their hope was completely ill-founded. To be honest, I also had another motive. As I challenged those who believed in God, I was deeply curious to see if they could convince me otherwise. Part of my quest was to become free from the question of God. If I could conclusively prove to believers that they were wrong, then the issue is off the table, and I would be free to go about my life.

I didn’t realize that the reason the topic of God weighed so heavily on my mind, was because God was pressing the issue. I have come to find out that God wants to be known. He created us with the intention that we would know him. He has surrounded us with evidence of himself and he keeps the question of his existence squarely before us. It was as if I couldn’t escape thinking about the possibility of God. In fact, the day I chose to acknowledge God’s existence, my prayer began with, “Ok, you win…” It might be that the underlying reason atheists are bothered by people believing in God is because God is actively pursuing them.

I am not the only one who has experienced this. Malcolm Muggeridge, socialist and philosophical author, wrote, “I had a notion that somehow, besides questing, I was being pursued.” C.S. Lewis said he remembered, “…night after night, feeling whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all of England.”

Lewis went on to write a book titled, “Surprised by Joy” as a result of knowing God. I too had no expectations other than rightfully admitting God’s existence. Yet over the following several months, I became amazed by his love for me.

6. Unlike any other revelation of God, Jesus Christ is the clearest, most specific picture of God revealing himself to us.

Why Jesus? Look throughout the major world religions and you’ll find that Buddha, Muhammad, Confucius and Moses all identified themselves as teachers or prophets. None of them ever claimed to be equal to God. Surprisingly, Jesus did. That is what sets Jesus apart from all the others. He said God exists and you’re looking at him. Though he talked about his Father in heaven, it was not from the position of separation, but of very close union, unique to all humankind. Jesus said that anyone who had seen Him had seen the Father, anyone who believed in him, believed in the Father.

He said, “I am the light of the world, he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”¹⁴ He claimed attributes belonging only to God: to be able to forgive people of their sin, free them from habits of sin, give people a more abundant life and give them eternal life in heaven. Unlike other teachers who focused people on their words, Jesus pointed people to himself. He did not say, “follow my words and you will find truth.” He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but through me.”¹⁵

What proof did Jesus give for claiming to be divine? He did what people can’t do. Jesus performed miracles. He healed people…blind, crippled, deaf, even raised a couple of people from the dead. He had power over objects…created food out of thin air, enough to feed crowds of several thousand people. He performed miracles over nature…walked on top of a lake, commanding a raging storm to stop for some friends. People everywhere followed Jesus, because he constantly met their needs, doing the miraculous. He said if you do not want to believe what I’m telling you, you should at least believe in me based on the miracles you’re seeing.¹⁶

Jesus Christ showed God to be gentle, loving, aware of our self-centeredness and shortcomings, yet deeply wanting a relationship with us. Jesus revealed that although he views us as sinners, worthy of his punishment, his love for us ruled and he came up with a different plan. God himself took on the form of man and accepted the punishment for our sin on our behalf. Sounds ludicrous? Perhaps, but many loving fathers would gladly trade places with their child in a cancer ward if they could. The Bible says that the reason we would love God is because he first loved us.

Jesus died in our place so we could be forgiven. Of all the religions known to humanity, only through Jesus will you see God reaching toward humanity, providing a way for us to have a relationship with him. Jesus proves a divine heart of love, meeting our needs, drawing us to himself. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, he offers us a new life today. We can be forgiven, fully accepted by God and genuinely loved by God. He says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.”¹⁷ This is God, in action.

Does God exist? If you want to know, investigate Jesus Christ. We’re told that “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”¹⁸

God does not force us to believe in him, though he could. Instead, he has provided sufficient proof of his existence for us to willingly respond to him. The earth’s perfect distance from the sun, the unique chemical properties of water, the human brain, DNA, the number of people who attest to knowing God, the gnawing in our hearts and minds to determine if God is there, the willingness for God to be known through Jesus Christ. If you need to know more about Jesus and reasons to believe in him, please see: Beyond Blind Faith.

If you want to begin a relationship with God now, you can.

This is your decision, no coercion here. But if you want to be forgiven by God and come into a relationship with him, you can do so right now by asking him to forgive you and come into your life. Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door [of your heart] and knock. He who hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him [or her].”¹⁹ If you want to do this, but aren’t sure how to put it into words, this may help: “Jesus, thank you for dying for my sins. You know my life and that I need to be forgiven. I ask you to forgive me right now and come into my life. I want to know you in a real way. Come into my life now. Thank you that you wanted a relationship with me. Amen.”

God views your relationship with him as permanent. Referring to all those who believe in him, Jesus Christ said of us, “I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.”²⁰

Looking at all these facts, one can conclude that a loving God does exist and can be known in an intimate, personal way.

It feels as if every single day God reminds me how much he loves me and that, if I trust in him, he will take care of me.

Yesterday, after the kids had left for school and while I was getting ready to start my day, I happened to glance at the C. S. Lewis compilation book that was sitting on my nightstand.  Something in my heart (a voice which I have learned to recognize as God speaking to me) told me to pick that book up, and that I would need it that day.  I brought it down to my desk thinking maybe I would use it to write yesterday’s blog post, but if you’ve read yesterday’s post, you’ll see that didn’t happen.  I kept it on my desk and went about my day and errands.  At about 2:00 I sat down to work on issue 17 of Rose, which if you haven’t read it, is my creator-owned comic through Image.  I didn’t get very far before I knew exactly why I needed that CS Lewis book and when you read issue 17 (if you do) you’ll see the words, inspired by one of the greatest Christian writers of our time, about how every choice we make brings us closer to being either a heavenly creature or a hellish one.  At that moment all I could say was “Thank you, Father.”  He knew what I needed even before I did.

For me that is what having a relationship with God is all about.  I have absolute faith and trust that he will give me what I need, when I need it.  That doesn’t mean I don’t pray to him and ask him for things.  There are plenty of verses in the bible that say that what you ask for in faith will be granted.  But what I’m trying to get at here today is that once I ask for something I don’t keep worrying about it.  Philipians 4:4-7 says the following:

“Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again:  Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

There were many times, early in my writing career, when I spent so many anxious hours and had so much stress, worrying about what is going to happen next, if I would ever write again.  But I tell you, that it wasn’t until I truly lived that verse, that God started answering my prayers.  My personal prayer in my writing is always that something I write speaks to someones heart, and that I am doing God’s will, and not my own.  I have learned that I can’t control what is going to happen in my life.  I can’t make an editor read and like my pitch.  I can’t make people read and buy my book.  I can’t control how people react to what I’m writing.  I need to give all of that up to the one who really has control.  And make no mistake, it is almost eerie how often God speaks directly to me, in a clear and understandable way, now that I have my heart open and ready to listen.

So I guess the message of today is my tagline…trust in God.  He knows what you need even before you do and he will take care of you if you let him.

God bless,

Meredith

Just an addendum to this post:  The verse from Philipians was in my bible reading today and this was the bible verse from John came up on my phone.  See!  God speaks. You just have to listen.

John 14:13-16 

“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.  You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.  If you love me, you will obey what I command.  And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth.”

And of course another song.