Gleanings From Nature: Battle of the Millennium

If you had a chance to read my last blog, you’ll remember that I talked about why it can feel so good to be outside. However, you may have been thinking “I hate being outside, I really enjoy drinking my venti, extra-hot, non-fat, no foam, double shot vanilla latte in the comfort of my perfectly designed living room. And yeah, it is March and it is 12°, you want me to go out in this… are you mad?” Perhaps, but I wonder what could bring us to the place where we find more peace in a man-made environment than in the one God made for us. So, this time, I’ve decided to take a look at reasons we find ourselves at enmity with nature.

Like man, nature was a perfect creation designed by God to do His will. Unfortunately, we chose to lash out against our Creator and this resulted in very severe consequences. Man was ultimately condemned to death, but there were several other pieces to this sentence that I think get overlooked. First, God said “cursed is the ground because of you…thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you…” (Genesis 3:17-18 ESV) That beautiful, abundant soil was no longer going to provide copious provision; it would now produce useless plants that choke out the useful. Second, “therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.” (Genesis 3:23 ESV). Now, being outside was going to mean WORK. This seems to be one of the biggest reasons we avoid getting outside, it’s no longer easy. Nature isn’t always pretty or user friendly, it can take effort to find enjoyment outside. Lastly, we find in Romans 8:20-22 that “creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.” (ESV) Through no fault of its own, nature lost its function. The earth would now be ravaged by storms, earthquakes, and drought. It became hostile towards man in ways that were never meant to be. It longs to be restored at the coming of Christ, it feels enslaved and corrupt.

No wonder it can be difficult to spend a relaxing, enjoyable time in nature; it fights against us. Yet at the same time, we are drawn to it. As God’s creation, nature is beautiful and points us to Him as it worships; it is the setting we were made for.  For as much as things have changed due to our rebellion, much has stayed the same. Our ultimate goal should be to have an intimate relationship with our Creator. God wants us to spend time with Him, to get to know Him. What better way to do this than to spend time with Him in the Garden? Don’t worry about the potential conflict with nature, God said it would be this way, seek Him out with diligence even in the midst of the struggle. 

By C Sampson

Your Garbage Stinks

Why is it that my own garbage doesn’t stink much, but yours smells so bad it will kill a rhino?  I mean, the things you do are so obviously bad, sad, and unacceptable.  However, the worst things I do, well, they may not be great, but if you understood them like I do, you’d know that it is okay for me to be and act that way…

We humans can delude ourselves in many ways, but this is often the worst.  What happens in our own minds feels comfortable to us, and really isn’t so bad.  However, when we see other people doing the same or similar things, we can’t believe that they would be such jerks and idiots.  I believe that this is where the core of hypocrisy comes from.

Don’t believe that this could be a problem for you?  Let’s look at it a little.

What are your deepest darkest sins?  Attitudes towards others, little lies you tell people, lust, jealousy, things you do that your friends and family don’t know about, lots more.  I know that there are lots more, because years of pastoring have made clear to me what the Bible tells us.  We all struggle with a significant variety of “sins.”

Now, imagine sharing with your friends and family the very core things and attitudes you struggle with the most.  And I mean in graphic detail.  Not only your actions, but your very thoughts while doing whatever it is you would like to keep hidden.  Why does that make us squirm?  Because when we really consider speaking what goes on inside, the truth about our sin becomes clear to us.  What doesn’t feel that bad when they are going on inside us becomes great shame if I have to share it with others.  We have no trouble seeing the problem with these things in others, because we see them from the outside.

The Bible tells us to confess our sins to one another, and pray for one another. (James 5:16)  I believe one of the reasons for this command is that it keeps us all clear on the significance of our own sins.  Another strange twist to this is that, often, young believers are more free to share their sinfulness than those who are “more mature.”  Over time, it seems like we build up a sense of reputation that we don’t want to be damaged by sharing our real and genuine struggles.  Christians become good at managing what they share with others.  The unfortunate consequences of this are often a hardened heart, self righteousness, and often people who appear to be mature Christians who “fall hard.” 

The moral of the story:  Develop relationships with some believers who you can and do freely confess your sins to, and pray for.  Share what is most uncomfortable to share.  Get it out in the open.  It is also vital to learn to trust God with your reputation, and have a general attitude of openness about your life.  It will help you significantly to keep walking in the Light.

Gleanings From Nature: Made For the Garden

What is it about being out in nature that makes me feel so good? There’s a calming factor, a lightness, a clarity that can be found only outside. Why is this so? If your life is like most Americans’,  you’re probably reading this article in your ergonomically designed chair, in a climate controlled room, all while enjoying a great song on your iPod. But, I bet you could have an even better experience if you got outside right now. So what if it’s March? Who cares if the temperature is probably below 40°F? How can I make such a claim? My answer to this is “You were made for the garden.” In Genesis 2:5 we read that one of the reasons God did not immediately have plants abounding on the earth was “…there was no man to work the ground.” After the creation of Adam, “God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there He put the man He had formed” (Genesis 2:8 ESV). God created the idyllic environment to place His prized creation, the one made in His own image. There were no roads, walls, houses - just pure, unspoiled nature. In fact, we don’t even get a reference to a manmade environment until Genesis 4:17 when we find that Cain has built a city and named it after his son, Enoch. Before this, man had no need for climate control or structural engineering. The environment just…was. God knew what type of place would allow His creation to thrive and Adam received what I would call the first custom home; one that would meet all of his needs and allow him opportunities to “walk with God in the cool of the morning.”

Ok, that sounds great, but we are who knows how many years away from this initial creation event. We have beautiful skyscrapers, awe-inspiring bridges, and air conditioning for goodness sakes! Why should we spend time looking at nature, with its imperfect edges, seeming randomness, and reckless danger? Because we were made for nature, and it was made for us! I recently read “Last Child in the Woods,” a book that examines the potential impacts our children receive by spending more time indoors and less time connected to their natural surroundings. It talks about the connections between ADHD and ADD with our more sedentary lifestyle, a condition described as “Nature Deficit Disorder.” This NDD, is causing a loss of natural knowledge and behavioral dysfunction in our youth. In fact, children may be happier, less disruptive in structured settings, able to develop math and problem solving skills, and other “real world” education when they are given more free, unstructured time outside. Not only do I believe this is true, I think that these adventures can help lay the foundation of an exciting, dynamic relationship with our Creator. Each experience in nature helps them to see the wonderful detail God used when creating our world and opens their minds to ask questions; the key to knowledge.

Like children, adults can benefit from outdoor experiences. I encourage you to give it a try this week. No, this doesn’t mean you have to trek across Antarctica or ride a camel across the Sahara. Just sit outside in your yard or at a park and ask God to show you something new that will reveal a little more about Himself. It may be something as simple as seeing God’s power as you watch a storm front roll across the sky or something as profound as understanding what it means to be a new creature in Christ when you see a butterfly emerge from its chrysalis. Whatever it is, I guarantee it will be better than even the best day in the “perfect” office. 

By C Sampson

Gleanings From Nature: Introduction

Why should you care about nature? 

“And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. And God saw everything that He had made and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” (Genesis 1:29-31 ESV) You should care because it was made for YOU! It was crafted as the ideal human environment and provides you with many resources.

After spending the last four years of my life studying natural resource management I am receiving exciting new revelation of God’s use of nature in His relationship with us. I think, as Christians, we do ourselves a disservice to not actively seek divine inspiration and knowledge through critical observation of, and deliberate experiences in nature. Sure, we might look out at our “amber waves of grain and purple mountains’ majesty” and throw up a quick though about how powerful God is, but how often do we sit and look at the mountains and plains and really consider what we’re seeing? Have you thought about the power required to call forth a mountain, the artistry required to paint a sunset in a kaleidoscope of hues, the foresight to put natural processes in place, the attention to detail at the molecular level, or the purpose of creating all of this in the first place? I know I miss this all the time.

My goal in these blog posts is to explore topics such as these and look at what God Himself says about His creation. To see how we relate and what we should be looking for when we have opportunities to spend time outdoors. I hope to sharpen my perspective, as well as yours, and find new ways to get to know God more deeply. For those who’ve been joining us on Saturdays, we’ve looked a lot at who God is, who we are, and what He wants for us. I believe this is the first step in realizing what we can learn from nature. We have to understand that our primary purpose is to begin our eternal relationship with God here on Earth; we are created to fellowship with Him and to have a perfect relationship. Of course, we know this design became tainted by sin and our desire to “be God.” So, what role(s) does nature play in helping us develop this intimate relationship with our Creator? How does it foster growth? How are we to use nature?  I’ll take a look at all these questions going forward. In the meantime, remember what God said as He looked out upon the world He just made…“it was very good.”

By C Sampson

Prefect? Really? Should we really listen to what Jesus says?

Once again, Jesus ups the ante.  In many passages, the Bible tells followers of God to be holy, just like God is holy.  “Impossible,” you might say.  However, Jesus gives us an even crazier sounding command.  In Matthew 5, in what has been called, “The Sermon On The Mount,” Jesus tells those who would follow Him to “Be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.”

No sweat, right?  We’ll get right on that.

People have been trying to explain this away for 2000 years.  Many have tried to say that we can’t or don’t understand what Jesus was saying, in this simple sentence.  Others say that He said it, but He really didn’t mean it.  And, my favorite – We don’t think Jesus would tell us to do something we couldn’t do, so He must not have really said it. 

But He did say it, and He did mean it.  And He said it in the context of talking about our attitudes and behavior.  Jesus has just said that if we are angry with our sibling, it is the same to God as committing murder, and lusting after a woman is the same as committing adultery, and we are to give to, and help out anyone who asks, and we are to love our enemies…  It is in light of these that we are to be perfect.  Yikes. 

If you’ve been with us on Saturday nights in recent weeks, you are probably beginning to put the pieces together.  Does Jesus mean this?  Does He command us to do something we can’t do?  Maybe we are just supposed to try really hard, even though we will fail badly?  How do we follow what Jesus tells us here?

Comments and dialogue are welcome.

Intensity

Light is unique in many ways.  We perceive it in a spectrum of what we might call its strength.  Physicists would call this variable amount of light emitted or transmitted, the light’s “intensity.” 

Darkness, on the other hand, does not exist as a “thing” or condition.  Darkness is simply the absence of light. 

The Bible uses these images when describing spiritual life, as well.  He is Light, and He is life.  Where are you walking?