Historical Accuracy of the Bible

I am absolutely amazed at how people can discount the bible’s historical accuracy.  Over and over I read, watch or hear stories about where, once again, the historical part of the bible is proven to be correct…but that is rarely talked about. 

Numbers 13:26-29 (NIV) says:

²⁶They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. ²⁷ They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. ²⁸ But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortifiedand very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. ²⁹The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.”

Deuteronomy 1:28 (NIV) says:

²⁸ Where can we go? Our brothers have made us lose heart. They say, ‘The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.’ “

Today an article was posted on cnn.com which I found absolutely astounding. 

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/09/04/israel.wall.discovered/index.html 

Giving even more credibility to an already credible document.

It was the fear of the people behind these massive walls that forced God’s chosen people to wander in the wilderness for 40 yrs.  God had intended for his people to overtake this city and these walls, but they were scared and chose do it their own way…obviously not the best choice.

I love these kinds of discoveries.

Otters outing

So last night the Stevenson family met up with the Mattix family for a night at the ballpark.  Amy had gotten some free tickets for an Otters game and we decided it might be worth the trip. 

I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun it was.  Bosse field is just a great ballpark to visit.  The ballgame was pretty good (from what I could watch between watching my little girl), but in the end…the Otters lost 6-2.  They had some interesting in-between-innings entertainment, the ballpark food was pretty good, and the overall atmosphere was really nice!

I would give the overall experience a thumbs up and plan to go again before the summer is over.

Support Your Cause….But….

I have been really thinking lately about how to support causes that we truly believe in.  For example, many people in the Christian world fight against the abortion laws.  They believe that we should all be pro-life and they are willing to give of themselves to defend that cause.  I happen to agree with this cause, but I don’t believe that it is always being handled properly.  When you are defending a cause that you believe in, is it right to forget about the rest of your convictions?  I have heard many cases where doctors who perform abortions have been killed by protesters…is this ok?  I don’t think so!!!

Now, I think we would all pretty much agree with the fact that we shouldn’t kill someone who disagrees with our point of view, but what about persecuting them?  I have been thinking long and hard about a conversation that I had with one of my best friends a few months back.  Looking back, I regret some of my words to him about the subject of homosexuality. 

I am strong in my belief that homosexuality is wrong and that we shouldn’t support this kind of behavior as Christians.  I also believe that this happens to be one of those sins that many Christians look at as “one of the worst”…..see my previous post “Get Over Yourself”.  All of us have our areas which we fail miserably and I am glad that I don’t have people pointing their finger at me, telling me how that I am so horrible.

What I have come to realize, is that while I may disagree with someone who has a different point of view, I need to respect their point of view.  Making sarcastic comments, or making fun of something that someone else believes in, will get you nowhere.  If I put myself in my friend’s shoes…I can totally see how he has this point of view.  I see how he would want to support friends that he knows are living a homosexual lifestyle.  I too have a few friends that are homosexual.  It only makes sense that you would want to stand up for your friends, relatives, children, etc.  Now, that being said, just because you can sympathize with someone, doesn’t mean you need to accept their behavior as proper.   

So here is where I feel I am now on this subject.  Speak when you feel that you are educated enough to speak.  Allow others to know when you disagree with them, but don’t argue with them…it won’t get you anywhere.  If you can discuss things with this person, do so…and when you don’t know…say that you don’t know.  I believe that people are more receptive to someone saying that they don’t know, rather then someone spouting off false information. 

A debate for another day would be where I stand as an American citizen vs. a Christian on what to support as far as laws.  Yes, I am a Christian before I am an American…but, I believe that this country was founded on freedoms…and I struggle with how far we can go before it looks like we are forcing our Christian beliefs on non-Christian Americans.  Shouldn’t it be the church’s job to introduce them to Christ and not though government intervention?  I am so confused….

Politicians

“If we get our very identity, our sense of worth, from our political position, then politics is not really about politics, it is about us”

I read this tonight in a book by Timothy Keller called “The Reason for God”, which I have been slowly reading over the past several weeks.  This particular quote resonated with me and reminded me of all the corruption that has taken place in government in recent days, weeks, and years. 

For the most part, I believe that when people start out seeking a political office, they do it for the right reasons.  They feel that there is something wrong with how the system is being run and they think that they can make it better.  Problem is, once they get into the position, they allow the system (which they originally wanted to change) to change them.  They fall in love with their status, power, and position and decide that they prefer it over their initial desired change.

I get so disgusted when I see our “elite” being caught in affairs, attempting to sell senate seats, switching parties because they think that they’ll have a better chance of winning the next election, or fooling around with an intern.  These people have lost their values, their ethics, and their way….I don’t care what party they are in.  Do we really want people without strong personal convictions representing us?  If they are willing to compromise on seemingly small areas…then what about on the big ones? 

So we all know that there is a major problem with our government, or at least that’s what the polls show, but what is the answer?  Well, there isn’t a good one…but I think it starts with involvement.  As it currently is, we have a lot of crooked politicians in office (again, both sides of the aisle).  If we started showing some of these politicians that they can be beat if they don’t hold true to who they claim to be….then I think that the rest of them might start getting a clue. 

I was talking to a good friend of mine the other day and told him of my own personal frustrations within the confines of my position.  I work very hard in my position to do what I am required to do by Indiana Code and I am getting burnt out.  I feel like everywhere I am turn, I get a door closed in my face.  I see that happening to the truly good politicians…they get tired of being turned down and pushed away when they do stick to their principles.  Then when they get so frustrated that they can’t take it anymore and decide to resign or not run for re-election, they are replaced by someone with less than ideal convictions.  We need the good guys to stay in office….not the other way around.  And yes, there are still some good ones out there (again….sounds like a broken record….on both sides of the aisle).

Educate yourself when it is time to vote and then VOTE.  If you feel that you could do a good job in an elected position…..run for the office!  There is a great need for elected officials with morals, ethics, courage, character, and wisdom.  Our national, state, and even local government needs this involvement if we are going to ever get out of this situation that we are in.

Softball

Well, it only took me 15 years of softball to do it.  I hit my first official in-game, out of the park homerun in last night’s game.  I have hit a lot of in-the-park homeruns over the years, but there is just something about watching the ball sail over the fence as you jog around the bases.  I can now say that I have done it!

I am excited about our team this year.  The FBGBC team should contend for the top spot in the league with the players that we have.  I was very happy with our play for the first game of the year….we still have a lot of room to improve, but with no practices before the game….I think we did really well!  Congrats on a 1-0 record to all of my team….lets keep the winning going!

Get Over Yourself!

Why is it that most Christians can see everyone else’s faults but can’t see their own?  They see someone with an addiction, marrital problems, anger issues, etc and they can easily stand back and point.  Don’t they realize that when they are talking to their friends about these people’s problems that they are gossiping?  Or when they can’t stay away from the buffet line and they are extremely overweight that it can be gluttony?  Or when they get away from their church friends and their language isn’t of the highest nature, that they are not representing Christ?

I am sick of people thinking that everyone else in the world has problems and that they, themselves, don’t have these problems…or is that just what they want the world to think?  Are we trying to portray ourselves as perfect because we think that people will accept us if we are?  Can you see where this has taken us as a society…as Christians? 

I have said on many occasions that I think that the biggest reason that non-Christians won’t come to know Jesus is Christians!  I mean that.  Non-Christians look at Christians as judgmental. They believe that we think that we are better than they are.  Where in the bible does it say to have this kind of an attitude?  Where in the bible does it say that Jesus joined in the crowd and stoned the woman because she was caught in adultery?  You won’t find it!  Quit judging others for their problems and quit trying to pretend that you yourself are perfect.  We ALL have our areas where we struggle. Just because one person’s area of struggle may not be as public as someone else’s area…does that mean that we should lift up the first and shun the second?  Both struggle! 

We should all strive to be like Christ…but we’ll never be Christ.  No one should ever for a second put themselves on such a pedestal. 

I am a hypocrite.  I say that not with pride, but with enthusiasm.  As Christians we tend to cringe when that name is bestowed on us, but I believe that we need to embrace that title.  We need to tell the world that yes, we are hypocrites.  Not because it is something that we desire to be, but it is truth.  We do strive for an impossible goal…to be perfect in the eyes of God.  God wants us to be working to do our best at all times.  He knows that we are going to make mistakes, but He still loves us anyway.  Own up to your mistakes…ask for forgiveness from those who you wrong and from God.  If it is a difficult subject to talk about, find someone who you can trust entirely and share with them.  No one says you have to share your problems with everyone…but chances are you know someone who can work through the rough times with you.  This accountability ends up helping both parties in many cases.

Well, here goes…

For several months now, my wife has been telling me that I need to blog.  I have been told by people that I have an interesting way of looking at things,  so I am going to give this blogging thing a shot. 

If I bore you out of your mind…feel free to move on.  If you are intrigued by my thoughts, please feel free to stick around and comment.  I do reserve the right to delete any comment that I do not view as appropriate…so if that offends you, then you probably need to get with the group mentioned above.

I am not a writer by trade.  While I have an engineering degree and I am a licensed surveyor, I am not sure that I fall completely into the left brain side of the equation.  I am a big picture guy for the most part.   There is a time for being detailed, but then there is a time for looking ahead and trying to solve the overall problem.  (I just took an online test to see if I was left brained or right brained….apparently I can’t make up my mind because it said I was 40% left brained and 60% right brained)

So, what is this blog going to be about?   I don’t really know.  I have a few ideas that have been dancing in my head recently, which has helped fan the fire that my wife set regarding this blogging idea.  I am going to go with the flow and post what I think is interesting or thought provoking at the time.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to peak some interest in a few people other than my wife.