New Job!!!

Hey friends, I finally have a job for the fall. I'm going to be a long term substitute science teacher for Fairfield Middle School. A science teacher there is pregnant and will be going on maternity leave soon. Until that happens I will be one of the building subs. Please pray for me. This is not a situation that I envisioned. I need to pray about what the Lord wants me to do about Young Life. Please pray that God will show me where He wants me to be. Thanks everyone!!!

Christ and Christian Values in Harry Potter

So, I know that this is a touchy subject with some people, but I've been wanting to write about it for quite a long time. Right now, I find myself up at 4:00 AM in Hawai'i because I have not gotten used to the six hour time difference and I have a huge amount of sunburn on my back. On the way here I had about 12 hours of flying and layovers, in which I read the last 450 pages of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. This is the final book in the series and the best by far. So, I want to take a little while to discuss why I think Christ and His values permeate this book series despite the fact that it is filled with wizardry. IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOKS BOOKS, ESPECIALLY THE LAST ONE, AND YOU DON'T WANT THEM RUINED FOR YOU THEN I SUGGEST THAT YOU DON'T READ ON.

Wizardry in Harry Potter
This must be discussed first because it is the major stumbling stone for those who view Harry Potter to be evil. I want to first remind everyone that everything created by man will be full of sin. We are a sinful people and, therefore, cannot create anything purely good. As an example that has to do with wizardry and magic, the two greatest fantasy series were written with the expressed intent of sharing Christ with the world. These wonderful series are Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia. In LOTR, Gandalf the wizard is a Christ figure. He dies saving the others from a a monster called a Balrog and is brought back to life three days later. This isn't mentioned in the movies but is clearly written out in the books. As far as Narnia goes, Aslan the lion is the Christ figure. He dies in the place of of the sinful human boy Edmond and is resurrected later. When he comes back to life he tells the two human girls that the evil witch didn't understand the deep magic of the land of Narnia. That deep magic represents God's power. By no means am I saying that witchcraft is a good thing, but I do believe that God uses these types of things to represent truths about Himself. The Bible does express God's commands not to practice sorcery on many occasions. The practice of sorcery is almost always paired with two other sinful acts. These are the sacrifice of sons and daughters and the practice of divination (Deuteronomy 18:10, II. Kings 17:17). The first of these acts is viewed as appalling by the main characters of Harry Potter. Lord Voldemort, the most evil wizard to walk the earth, uses the Killing Curse on a lot people, including Harry's parents. This curse is the most illegal thing in the wizarding world. This shows that the loss of life by another person's hands is highly unacceptable, like it is in our culture. Secondly, divination (or fortune telling) is looked upon as a joke by most of the students in Harry Potter. Hermione, one of Harry's best friends, drops out of the class within the first week because she deems it as useless. Harry and his other best friend Ron make up everything they have to do for the class because they find it pointless as well. In the later books Harry talks to Dumbledore, headmaster of the school, and finds out that Dumbledore really doesn't like the class and wishes that it didn't have to be taught. So despite the fact that wizardry is used in Harry Potter the main things surrounding it are shunned by the characters of the series. Finally, I don't believe that these books are for kids. I would not let my children read these books until I deemed them of the age to understand that what they're reading about can't really happen. Also, there are a lot of things that younger children just aren't ready for, death being the main one.

Alright, sorry for the length of this but I love analyzing media and seeing how God portrays Himself in it. So, here is a list of great qualities and where to find them in the books.

1. The Battle Versus Good and Evil - This is by far the most predominant theme throughout the books. There are four "houses" in Hogwarts (the magical school) and two of these houses have been going at each other for centuries. Gryffindor, which is Harry's house, represents good and has the symbol of a lion (just like Aslan in Narnia). Slytherin, which is the house of Lord Voldemort and the rest of the bad guys, represents evil and has the symbol of a snake (just like Satan in the Garden of Eden). Throughout the books Harry and his friends have to battle evil and save the wizarding and Muggle (non-magical) worlds. In the second book, Chamber of Secrets, Harry battles and defeats a giant snake. Later in the books we find out that Voldemort has a pet snake that does his evil bidding. This clearly represents the battle of good versus evil, a battle in which all Christians are in. Many Christians fail to realize that we are at war with Satan over the souls of the people around us. Harry's battle against Voldemort has encouraged me to continue fighting in the battle God has called me to.

2. Self-sacrifice - The only reason Harry is alive is the fact that his mom sacrificed herself by standing in front of Voldemort to save Harry, who is one year old. Many people sacrifice themselves to save others in these books but the most important one is Harry. It's a long story but Harry finds out that a piece of Voldemort's soul is attached to his own and the only way Voldemort can be killed is if Harry lets Voldemort kill him. For the safety of all those around him Harry decides to sacrifice himself in order to kill Voldemort. His action is rewarded and he ends up passing out and regaining consciousness (a hint of a Christ figure?). We who are Christians need to have the same attitude. A lot of Christians today are worried about retirement plans and the future, when we aren't even guaranteed a future. "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21). We need to live with this verse in mind. And let's not forget that it's Christ's sacrifice that allows us to be free from sin. If God calls you to die for Him are you willing to do it?

3. Love and Family - Harry's mom's sacrifice imprinted him with a deep magic that Voldemort doesn't know about, it's called love. It's God's love and sacrifice that saved us. The value of family is especially shown in the last book. During the final battle a couple of Voldemort's followers, the Malfoy's (who are Draco Malfoy's (the meanest student in the school) parents), stop fighting and actually save Harry's life because they are so worried about there son. They realize that their family and love are more important than the power and wealth that they could have achieved by staying with Lord Voldemort. Also, J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, took the time to tell us as an epilogue in the last book that Harry and Ginny (Ron's sister) got married, had kids; and Harry's best friends, Ron and Hermione, got married and had kids of there own.

4. Forgiveness - The two people Harry despised the most besides Voldemort were Draco Malfoy and Professor Severus Snape. In the sixth book Malfoy attempts to kill Dumbledore and Snape actually does kill him. Each person did horrible things to Harry but in the end Harry ends up forgiving both of them. Harry ends up saving Malfoy from certain death during the last battle. Harry is also able to look into Snape's memories after Snape dies and realizes that everything Snape did was for his protection. Harry is saddened by this realization but ends up naming his second son Albus (Dumbledore's first name) Severus Potter. Harry tells his son that he was named after the two greatest headmasters of Hogwarts and that Severus was the bravest person he ever knew. We should have the same ability to forgive the ones who wrong us. "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matthew 6:14-15). That is a pretty challenging passage that all of us need to think about.

5. Repentance - Repentance is the act of turning away and heading in a new direction. During their final duel Harry gives Voldemort the chance to repent, just like Christ gives each of us the chance to repent. Unfortunately, Voldemort doesn't repent and is killed by his own Killing Curse. The amazing thing is that Harry actually offers the most evil wizard ever the chance to repent. God gives the same chance to the most evil people in the world. We, with our sinful minds, can't comprehend giving these evil doers a second chance. We must realize that we are all in the same boat, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23). The only way any of us can escape the clutches of sin is to put our faith in Christ and what His sacrifice for us on the cross.

Alright, I think I'm done for now. I've been writing for a good couple hours and I'm getting pretty tired. If I think of some more ways that God uses Harry Potter to show Himself an His values to us then I will blog some more. I'd love to hear your opinions, positive or negative, so please comment!

Focus

Let me tell you about a dream I had last night. I rarely remember my dreams, so when I do remember one I assume that God is trying to tell me something. So, I was in a church that I didn't recognize, but there were people there that I have grown up knowing. When I got to the pew I found myself holding a plate that had a few huge pancakes stacked on it and a little plastic cup of syrup. As I was standing up to sing I set the plate down and the cup of syrup started spilling onto the carpet. I immediately started bending down to clean it up while everyone else started singing. The problem was; it wouldn't stop pouring out. I was trying everything I could to wipe up the syrup, but nothing I did could clean it up. During my attempts to clean up the syrup my alarm went off and woke me up.

In no way do I call myself an interpreter of dreams, but I have a good idea of what God is telling me through this dream. Over the past two months or so, I haven't been doing that well. I've been really stressed and the sins of life have been dragging me down. I've been trying everything I could to wipe the sins out of my life. I have taken God out of the equation. I'm trying to do everything on my own. Instead of singing praises to the Lord with everyone else, I'm still trying to wipe up the syrup. Hebrews 12:1-2 tells us "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (ESV). I've been trying my best to lay aside the weight and sin, but I forgot the only way that it's possible. I must look to Jesus instead of myself. I am prideful if I believe that I can do this on my own. Christ is the only One who can pull me out of my sin. I need to keep my eye on the prize, which is Jesus and NOT relief from my sin.

So, I guess my plea is that those of you who read this is that you please ask me if I'm always taking my sin back to the cross of Christ instead of trying to go it alone. Please also pray for me as I am going through this difficult struggle. Thank you so much my friends. Take care and God Bless!

Clean and Unclean

I've been reading through the laws of Leviticus and have been thinking about God's reasons for the laws He has for the Hebrews. Why does He say that some animals are clean and some animals that are unclean. It can't be just because He wants the Jews to eat healthy. I believe that I have found a clue as to what God's reasons could possibly be and I'd love to hear what you think.

Leviticus 20:25-26 gives us this clue: "You are therefore to make a distinction between the clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean bird and the clean; and you shall not make yourselves detestable by animal or by bird or by anything that creeps on the ground, which I have separated for you as unclean. Thus you are to be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy; and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine." (NASB). Just as God chose animals to be clean, He chose the Israelites to be His Chosen People. The rest of the people of the world weren't a part of this group, just like the rest of the animals were considered unclean for eating.

As we know now a person from any ethnic background, not just a Jewish background, can be a child of God as long as "you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead." (Romans 10:9, NIV). Is this shown in any references to clean and unclean animals? I believe it is. In Acts 10: 9-16 (it's too long to type, so I'll let you look it up) Peter is praying and falls into a trance. In the trance a giant sheet filled with many different types of animals came down from the sky. God tells Him to kill and eat, but Peter refuses because the animals, by Levitical law, are considered unclean. Then the Voice of his dream says "What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy." (Acts 10:15, NASB). I believe that this represents the fact that Gentiles can become part of God's Chosen People because "Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring [us] to God." (I. Peter 3:18a, NIV). Just like no animal is considered unclean anymore, any person from any nationality can be cleansed by Christ's precious blood.

My Graduated Sister!

My sister Jennifer just graduated from BGSU yesterday! She is an amazing sister that is greater person than I could ever think about being. She has always been there whenever I might need her. I have loved seeing her grow in her faith in the Lord. Iwish I could spend more time talking about the wonderful woman that God has made my sister, but I must go to her graduation party. Jennifer, if you read this or if you never read this, it really doesn't matter): I love you! Keep following the Lord with everything you've got.

The Brokenhearted Psalmist

David, writer of both Psalms 34 and Psalms 69, has written about his times of having a broken heart. “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalms 34:18, NASB). “Reproach has broken my heart and I am so sick. And I looked for sympathy, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none.” (Psalms 69:20, NASB). King David has a lot of grief in his life and he is searching for the way to deal with it.

In Psalms 34, David has found the source of comfort. For some reason in Psalms 69, he forgets who he can put his trust in. Instead of finding comfort in God, the only One we can ever find comfort in, he searches for comfort in these no-name “comforters.” He is upset in Psalms 69 because he can’t find comfort. Thankfully later in the chapter David realizes his error. “But I am afflicted with pain; may Your salvation, O God, set me securely on high.” (Psalms 69:29, NASB).

The important comparison between these two chapters is that David is hurt and in pain. David needs comfort. We all at times need comfort and we need to know where to look for it. We need to be like David and realize that the only true comfort comes from God.

Do We Do the Work or Does God?

This is a huge question that must be addressed. To be honest I still don't completely understand what's going on. This question is so hard because the Bible seems to contradict itself. Even the same book of the Bible seems to support both sides. So, do we work in the process of sanctification or is it God that is sanctifying us? I'm going to point out Paul's letter to the Philippians, which holds what seem to be contradictory statements. "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6, NASB). This supports the fact that God is working in us, perfecting us, until we are with Him again in heaven. In the next chapter Paul confuses us. First he tells us to work, then he tells us that it is God working in us. "So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:12-13, NASB). So, which one is it? Is it us or is it God? Here's what I have come up with.

I think that it is both. We are working, but truly it is God working in us and through us. This may seem confusing (it does to me), but I think that the Bible does support this view. I've been reading through Exodus and I came across the story of Joshua's army fighting against Amalek's army. This is found in Exodus 17:8-16. To summarize, Moses tells Joshua to take some men out to fight Amalek. While Joshua does this Moses, Aaron, and Hur go to the top of the hill overlooking the battlefield. When Moses is holding up his hands, Joshua's army is winning. When Moses lets his hands down, Amalek's army is winning. Moses' arms get tired so Aaron and Hur both support each of Moses' arms (engraving above by Jan Lievens (1607-1674)). Can you see how this supports the theory that both God and us are working? Joshua and his army are down on the battlefield fighting. They are doing the work. Moses, with the support of Aaron and Hur, is holding his hands up to God. They are doing work. The outcome of the battle, however, is caused and determined by God. He is working through Joshua, his army, Moses, Aaron, and Hur. Joshua could have fought as hard as he wanted but couldn't have won if Moses' hands were down. It had nothing to do with Moses' arms, except for the fact that God caused the army to win while they were up and lose while they were down. All of these men learned that the must rely on God.

I think that this must be the way that it works. If it was only us working, then we wouldn't have a need for God. We could do it on our own. We could achieve sanctification without God's intervention. If it was only God working, then we would get really lazy. We would always have the mindset of "God will take care of it, there's no sense in me doing anything." If both God and we are working, then neither of these horrible situations will take place. We are working, but it is truly God working in us and through us.

Hard Thoughts About Forgiveness

What is your understanding of forgiveness?

If we are followers of God then we must forgive those around us. We shouldn't feel obligated to do this. We should want to honor and glorify God by forgiving others. Jesus says "For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions." (Matthew 6:14-15, NASB). This is a heavy set of verses. Where does this fit in with "For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." (Romans 10:10, NIV). Isn't that all we have to do to be forgiven of our sins and saved? Yes! If we do this, then our lives will be utterly changed. We will want to do everything we can to glorify God, including forgiving others. If someone is unwilling to forgive someone else for a wrong that has been committed, then have they really believed with their heart and confessed with their mouth? It is not my place to judge, my conclusion would be no because of what Scripture tells me.

Another thing that is important is that forgiveness isn't a one time thing. This is expressed in a question Peter had and the answer Jesus gave. "Then Peter came and said to Him, 'Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?' Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.'" (Matthew 18: 21-22, NASB). By this, Jesus means, never stop forgiving your brother, no matter how severe the case. It is not our place to judge whether he is sincere or not. That is between him and God. God just tells us to forgive. We can learn from the past so that we can avoid that person sinning against us in the same way, but if he does it again we are called to forgive him. Jesus forgave the people who killed him as they were in the process of killing him. I think we can forgive the petty things that happen to us.

Relying on Others Instead of God

In this blog I'm going to post a lot of the papers I write for my class. I would love to get people's opinions on what I write, so that you guys can keep me in check. The question for this paper was: Why is it so easy for us to rely on other people to fulfill our needs instead of God and why should we try to avoid doing this? The book by Parrott that is mentioned in my paper is the book we're reading for the class right now. It is entitled: Relationships: An Open and Honest Guide to Making Bad Relationships Better and Good Relationships Great. It's a really corny title, but the book has brought up a lot of good points on why we do what we do, especially in relationships with other people. So, please check out my answer to the question and see what you think. Please tell me if I'm way off base.


It is so very easy to fall into this temptation of going to people instead of God. Why is this so easy? “At the core of each of us is a compulsion for completion so strong that no single human can consistently fulfill it.” (Parrott, 36). I think that most Christians do believe this statement; it’s just hard for us to put into practice what we truly want to do.

Our sinful nature is constantly drawing our attention away from God and onto things and people that we can idolize. We see a glimpse of this in Romans 1 as Paul describes the way these people are trying to go after relationships with people (mainly those of the same sex) instead of following after God. “For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” (Romans 1:25, NASB). Why shouldn’t we do this? “And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do things which are not proper.” (Romans 1:28, NASB). This is a scary thought and may be a little extreme because of what these people did. But, what’s the difference between what they did and what we’re doing? All sins are equal in God’s eyes, so what they did isn’t any different from what we do when we go to others besides God.

God wants to be number one in our lives. He wants us to come to Him for our needs, not others. That’s why the first commandment is what it is. “You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:3, NASB). Anytime we go to someone else for our needs we are putting them before God. We are idolizing them.

God knows all. He has seen everything that has happened, is happening, and is going to happen. Why wouldn’t we go to the One who knows everything and can provide everything? In Isaiah 40, God gives Israel a lot of rhetorical questions, here are a couple of those questions: “Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as His counselor has informed Him? With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding? And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge and informed Him of the way of understanding?” (Isaiah 40:13-14, NASB). The point is, no one can possibly add to God’s wisdom or advise Him in anyway. It would be wise of us to rely on Someone that knows all and created all to fulfill our needs instead of others. God goes on to say, “Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust.” (Isaiah 40:15, NASB). God tells us that the nations are a drop of water in a bucket compared to Him. Nations are filled with millions, or in the case of China, billions of people. One person isn’t even the size of a speck of dust, how will he/she be able to fulfill our needs. Even though we are all worthless compared to Him, He shows us that He still loves us, cares for us, and provides for us. “Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” (Isaiah 40:31, NASB). Rely on the Lord. He knows everything about each one of us and is ready and willing to help us with our needs. The Lord tells us “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7, NASB). That is a promise that will never be broken.

My New Goal!

For a while I was receiving Backpacker magazine and wasn't paying for it. In the last magazine I got there was an article about hiking the Appalachian Trail. It's supposed to take a season to hike all the way from Maine to Georgia or vice versa. I love God's creation. Seeing and exploring it shows me a glimpse of how powerful and awesome God truly is. I am honored that He has created this earth and the universe so that I could admire it and see His glory. So, when I finish up my Master's program (Youth Ministry from Indiana Wesleyan) I am going to take a summer to hike the Appalachian Trail. I am going to be done with the degree in December of 2008, so in the summer of 2009, anyone can join me on this adventure. I want and need this time to reflect on what God is doing in my life. In the solitude of nature, I will be able to hear God's call better. There won't be any cell phones, e-mails, blogs, appointments, or classes. It will be me (and anyone who decides to come along), God, and His creation.

As a side note, I called this my new goal, because I have three other goals in my life. They are to get as close to a volcano as possible, to chase a tornado, and to get struck by lightning and live to tell about it. Crazy, I know, but that's the mad scientist in me!

First Post

I've been thinking about creating a blog for a while and I finally have some time to sit down and do it. I want a place to share my thoughts and we all know MySpace and Facebook aren't really the best places to do that. I'm still trying to work out the kinks so it might be a little while before I figure it out. Have a good one my friends!