I just wanted to drop you a note and let you know I was thinking about you. Your lovely wife gave me your address and I have been trying to find time to write. It’s now 06:15 and I thought I would simply take the time. I’m sure you’re relaxing and catching up on some shut eye since it’s so early.

Things are going well here in Dawg country unless of course you are a Braves fan. Seems there aren’t that many around here lately. Any way things at church are getting interesting. I’ve been blogging on the book “The Goodness of God” by Randy Alcorn. Every since Tom asked us to reconsider our mission statement of “Helping people experience God” I’ve been doing that exact thing. It’s funny, but you pop into my mind during this entire exercise, especially recently. Let me tell you why.

I have been reading a book by a pastor in Oklahoma, Craig Groeschel. “Chazown”. It’s the Hebrew word for vision. This book challenges the individual believer to take risks for God. He poses a series of questions that I put on a business card (one enclosed for you). Here are the questions:

Chazown (pronounced khaw-ZONE)

Passion: What do you absolutely love to do?

Impact: What do you do that has significant impact on others?

Secret Belief: What do you secretly believe you can do but never tried?

What gifts do you have that you have never put to use?

Here is where you come in. You took a big risk for God. While I am sure you’ve asked yourself “What was I thinking” more than once in the last few weeks, still, you searched out God and you took the steps. What an inspiration that is for me personally. What I admire about is that you had the guts to do it and trust God to take care of your family. You and I haven’t spoken much in recent months. That’s my loss and I am sorry I haven’t taken the time to be more available. But I wanted you to know what I believe the Lord want’s me to say to you.

I want you to read Luke 4:1-30. This is where Jesus announces who He is and what His mission is. Then he proceeds to talk to everyone about 2 incidents in the old testament. The widow at Zarepath (1st Kings 17) and Naaman the Syrian (2nd Kings 5). When the congregation heard what He said, they exploded with rage and wanted to kill him. They were going to pitch Him off the cliff but Luke tells us he simply walked away. While there are months of sermons in here just a couple of points for you to consider.

Read the stories Jesus referred to in the passage. They are remarkable. The widow woman was in the midst of a three year drought. You can bet water and meal were at premiums and very scarce. She had no resources to draw upon and things are so bad, she is getting ready to make a biscuit or two and then die. Along comes Elijah and asks her for the first biscuit and drink. She says ok and does it. She risked EVERYTHING she had for God and God came through for her in a big way, the meal and oil miraculously never ran dry. Then after that experience was over, her son dies mysteriously. Elijah again calls on God and He comes through with another miracle.

Naaman on the other hand was very wealthy and yet had a disease no one could help him with. He took a risk and did the simple thing God asked him to do and washed in the river Jordan and he was healed.

You’ve stepped out in faith and God will honor that big time. Tom spoke last Sunday of Oral Roberts and his faith. Bob Tuttle described Oral as a man who would lower his head and run at a brick wall expecting God to move it before he hit it. You know what? God always did.

The actions you’ve taken are tough. You’ve had the faith to do what you believe God has called you to do. He will honor that for you David in many ways. There will be many times when you will ask yourself “What was I thinking?” Yet don’t’ despair and don’t give up. NEVER NEVER NEVER give up (Sir Winston Churchill). Remember, Jesus had things to do for God as you do. When they were going to kill him He simply walked away. He hadn’t fulfilled what he was called to do. It wasn’t his time yet.

Lord: Keep my friend David in your arms. Keep his lovely wife and his two wonderful sons and protect them while David is away enjoying the leisurely life of the military. Encourage him Lord when things look horrible as they often do in military training. Let him know you love him and we love him Lord.

Oh and Lord please let the Holy Spirit awake David in the morning and not allow him to oversleep. He needs to get to breakfast on time so he can have strength for the day!

(He he he he ha!)

On page 10 of “The Goodness of God” the author describes two kinds of evil, primary and secondary.  This sets a foundation that makes sense to me.  Primary evils (murder, rape, robbery, adultery and so forth) provide fertile ground for secondary evils to flourish.  This is a very good classification scheme.  So with this framework, let’s dig into how sin started.

How the Rebellion Began

The Bible gives us some enticing peeks into the spirit world.  While I truly enjoy reading other peoples accounts of their “encounters” with the spirit world, I do not rely on them for guidance.  I know what people say they have seen and experienced.  I know much of it is interesting and gives us some new ideas to pursue and think about, but they are not to be given serious weight unless they align with the Scriptures.

So what does the Bible say about the origins of evil?  Well the book of Ezekiel 28:12-19 (AMP) gives us some insight into satan’s origin and activities.

Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, Thus says the Lord God:

You are the full measure {and} pattern of exactness [giving the finishing touch to all that constitutes completeness], full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, the carnelian, topaz, jasper, chrysolite, beryl, onyx, sapphire, carbuncle, and emerald; and your settings and your sockets {and} engravings were wrought in gold. On the day that you were created they were prepared.

You were the anointed cherub that covers with overshadowing [wings], and I set you so.

You were upon the holy mountain of God; you walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire [like the paved work of gleaming sapphire stone upon which the God of Israel walked on Mount Sinai].

You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until iniquity {and} guilt were found in you.  Through the abundance of your commerce:

you were filled with lawlessness {and} violence, and you sinned; therefore I cast you out as a profane thing from the mountain of God and the guardian cherub drove you out from the midst of the stones of fire.

Your heart was proud {and} lifted up because of your beauty;

you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I lay you before kings, that they might gaze at you.

You have profaned your sanctuaries by the multitude of your iniquities {and} the enormity of your guilt, by the unrighteousness of your trade.

Therefore I have brought forth a fire from your midst; it has consumed you, and I have reduced you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all who looked at you. All who know you among the people are astonished and appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and shall never return to being.

Many Biblical scholars believe this to be a word to the King of the city of Tyre as well as directly to the prince of the power of the air actually ruling the city of Tyre satan himself.  This is an amazing insight into satan’s background.

Isaiah 14:12-17 (AMP) gives us a further look into satan’s activities.

How have you fallen from heaven, O light-bringer {and} daystar, son of the morning! How you have been cut down to the ground, you who weakened {and} laid low the nations [O blasphemous, satanic king of Babylon!] And you said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit upon the mount of assembly in the uttermost north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.

Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol (Hades), to the innermost recesses of the pit (the region of the dead). Those who see you will gaze at you {and} consider you, saying, Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms?–Who made the world like a wilderness and overthrew its cities, who would not permit his prisoners to return home?

I think these two sets of Scriptures give us a very clear view of our adversary.  In order to sharpen the picture even further, let’s take a look at the names the Bible assigns to our adversary.

The names of satan

Name Reference Definition Abaddon Revelation 9:11 a destroying angel The accuser of our brethren Revelation 12:10 against one in the assembly, i.e. a complainant at law; specially, Satan The adversary I Peter 5:8 an opponent (in a lawsuit); specially, Satan (as the arch-enemy) Apollyon Revelation 9:11 a destroyer (i.e. Satan) Beelzebub Matthew 12:24 Mark 3:22 Luke 11:15 dung-god; Beelzebul, a name of Satan Belial II Corinthians 6:15 worthlessness; Belial, as an epithet of Satan the Devil Matthew 4:1 a traducer; specially, Satan: false accuser, devil, slanderer. dragon Revelation 12:9 and 20:2 probably from an alternate form of derkomai (to look); a fabulous kind of serpent (perhaps as supposed to fascinate) the enemy Matthew 13:39 from a primary echtho (to hate); hateful (passively, odious, or actively, hostile); usually as a noun, an adversary (especially Satan) father of all lies John 8:44 a falsifier god of this world II Corinthians 4:4 god is used generically and refers to Satan king of Babylon Isaiah 14:4 confusion; Babel (i.e. Babylon), including Babylonia and the Babylonian empire king of Tyrus Ezekiel 28:12 a rock; Tsor, a place in Palestine. Satan is the false rock. Christ is the true Rock. little horn Daniel 7:8 a horn (as projecting); by implication, a flask, cornet; by resembl. an elephant’s tooth (i.e. ivory), a corner (of the altar), a peak (of a mountain), a ray (of light); figuratively, power Lucifer Isaiah 14:12 (in the sense of brightness); the morning star: lucifer (the king of Babylon). Satan is the false morning star. Christ is the true morning Star. man of sin II Thessalonians 2:3 Satan was the first to sin. See Ezekiel 28:11-19 that old serpent Revelation 12:9 and 20:2 old = original or primeval serpent = (through the idea of sharpness of vision); a snake, figuratively (as a type of sly cunning) an artful malicious person, especially Satan power of darkness Colossians 1:13 "shade" or a shadow (literally or figuratively [darkness of error or an adumbration]) prince of the power of the air Ephesians 2:2 prince = a first (in rank or power) power = privilege, i.e. (subjectively) force, capacity, competency, freedom, or (objectively) mastery (concretely, magistrate, superhuman, potentate, token of control), delegated influence prince that shall come Daniel 9:26 a commander (as occupying the front), civil, military or religious; generally (abstractly, plural), honorable themes. See II Thessalonians 2:3-4 and Revelation 12:7-9 prince of Tyrus Ezekiel 28:2 a rock; Tsor, a place in Palestine. Satan is the false rock. Christ is the true Rock. prince of this world John 12:31 prince = a first (in rank or power) world = orderly arrangement, i.e. decoration; by implication, the world (in a wide or narrow sense, including its inhabitants, literally or figuratively [morally]) rulers of the darkness of this world Ephesians 6:12 rulers = a world-ruler, an epithet of Satan darkness = shadiness, i.e. obscurity (literally or figuratively) Satan Job 1:6 an opponent; especially (with the article prefixed) Satan, the arch-enemy of good. serpent Genesis 3:1 properly, to hiss, i.e. whisper a (magic) spell; generally, to prognosticate son of perdition John 17:12 ruin or loss (physical, spiritual or eternal) also to destroy fully (reflexively, to perish, or lose), literally or figuratively II Thessalonians 2:3 the tempter Matthew 4:3 to test (objectively), i.e. endeavor, scrutinize, entice, discipline the wicked one Matthew 13:19 hurtful, i.e. evil (properly, in effect or influence) figuratively, calamitous; also (passively) ill, i.e. diseased; but especially (morally) culpable, i.e. derelict, vicious, facinorous; neuter (singular) mischief, malice, or (plural) guilt; masculine (singular) the devil, or (plural) sinners

Scriptural Forensics and if it walks like a duck ….

As you study the word keep in mind satan’s characteristics.  Also keep in mind what the Bible tells us about Jesus’s ministry:

1 John 3:8 [But] he who commits sin [who practices evildoing] is of the devil [takes his character from the evil one], for the devil has sinned (violated the divine law) from the beginning. The reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen, and dissolve) the works the devil [has done].

When Jesus was accused of casting out demons by demons, Jesus’s response was classic:

Mark 3:24-26 And if a kingdom is divided {and} rebelling against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided (split into factions and rebelling) against itself, that house will not be able to last. And if Satan has raised an insurrection against himself and is divided, he cannot stand but is [surely] coming to an end.

When you have to analyze a situation and there is no one around that was an eyewitness, you resort to the basic principle of forensics: Every contact leaves a trace.  Every time satan gets involved in a situation, he leaves a trace.  The above scriptures give you his playbook.  He hasn’t altered it and continues to use it against each of us every day.  Look at the results of the situation.  If it looks like a duck, if it walks like a duck, if it smells like a duck, it’s a duck.  If it steals, kills and destroys, it’s satan’s handiwork.

At out last council meeting, pastor Tom gave us a document from the district office, “Vital Congregations Planning Guide” for 2012.  It is a series of detailed questions and guidelines that is required by all UMC congregations in the district.  I bring this document to your attention for a couple of reasons.

The first and most important reason is it points us in the right direction.  The questions we are being asked to answer for the district are the questions we have been trying to answer as church body.  Here is a sample:

1.    What are the current needs of your surrounding community?
2.    What are the strengths of your church?
3.    What are your challenges and threats to your congregation?
4.    Why does your church exist?
5.    If your church were to cease to exist, what impact would it have on the local community?

These are incredibly important questions.  They are tough questions, but we need to prayerfully answer them.  If this sounds suspiciously like work, it’s because it is.  This is tough work.  It will require lots of prayer, time, thought and patience.  In order to effectively answer them, we will have to ask God for his guidance and then listen for His answers.

The second reason I bring it to your attention is because it contains the same set of questions we need to answer as individuals.  By prayerfully considering these questions and talking with each other and the Lord, we can identify who we are as individual members of the body.
       
I want to quote an August 6th blog posting outlining why we are studying suffering and evil:
   
    I think it would benefit us as a body to study this very important subject together. Lets study what God says about suffering. Lets talk to Him, argue with Him and question Him. Lets ask Him for His perspective on this most important subject that affects everyone in the human race. I believe if we take the time to work through this subject together, being guided by the Lord, we will gain some fresh perspective about who we are at Gateway.

This is also applied to us individually.  Who are we as individuals and where do we fit in the body of Christ are questions we each need to answer.

I’m recovering from surgery on my shoulder.  Recovery and rehab will take a couple of weeks and then I should be good to go for a while.  I’ve needed surgery for quite a while.  I put it off as long as I could.  I didn’t want to mess with it.  I put up with the discomfort and pain as long as I could and finally, I couldn’t take it any more so I said ok, lets do it.  Shoulder surgery is like jumping off the high dive.  You either do or you don’t, but there is no middle ground of well maybe I will and then again on the other hand ….

Last night as I was getting ready for bed, I had an ice pack on my shoulder, and was waiting for the pain to ease so I could sleep.  I began reading in 2nd Corinthians.  As I followed Paul’s writings I saw something important.

2 Cor 1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of sympathy (pity and mercy) and the God [Who is the Source] of every comfort (consolation and encouragement), Who comforts (consoles and encourages) us in every trouble (calamity and affliction), so that we may also be able to comfort (console and encourage) those who are in any kind of trouble {or} distress, with the comfort (consolation and encouragement) with which we ourselves are comforted (consoled and encouraged) by God.

This is one of the characteristics I see of Gateway as a whole.  We have a vast array of experiences that we can testify the Lord has brought us through.  It is clear we are to be able to comfort those who are in any kind of trouble as we have been.

The other thing I read is directed as a challenge directly to me.  The apostle Paul was fully committed to the gospel.

1 Cor 2:2 For I resolved to know nothing (to be acquainted with nothing, to make a display of the knowledge of nothing, and to be conscious of nothing) among you except Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and Him crucified.

Paul was fully committed to the gospel.  Every ounce of his being was committed to the gospel.  I believe that level of commitment was one of his greatest attributes and the biggest source of trouble for him.  Paul did what God asked him to do.  The result of that obedience was miracles, healing and deliverance and extensive spiritual combat with satan and his henchmen.  I will have much more to write about this in a later blog, but this presents me with a personal question:

“Am I committed to the gospel of the Jesus Christ with the same level of determination and dedication as the Apostle Paul was?”

No I am not.  I actually want all the good things Paul had in his ministry without having to deal with the bad things such as 40 lashes less one and beatings with rods.  (I’ve been beaten before with leather straps and wooden paddles and shovels.  As you can well imagine, I’m a bit adverse to that type of activity).  The point isn’t the beatings, it’s my attitude.  I want to sail away from harbour but I have one foot in the boat and one on land.  This type of approach to the gospel doesn’t foster an image of “risking it all” for Christ.  On the contrary, it shows a person who is halting, scared and double minded, none of which are positive spiritual characteristics.

I am sending Nancy a copy of the planning guide to be forwarded to all church members.  If you don’t get one, please let either myself or Nancy know and we will see you get a copy.

The Bible has a broad definition of evil.  Evil is anything that flows not from loving God but rebelling against Him.  Randy brings an interesting point to light.  Good can exist without evil, but evil can’t exist without good.  Metal can exist just fine without rust, but rust can’t exist without metal.

I can get my arms around this analogy.  It makes sense in many ways.  Evil is corruption.  Look at this definition:

corrupt: adjective
 
1.    Guilty of dishonest practices, as bribery; lacking integrity; crooked: a corrupt judge.
2.    Debased in character; depraved; perverted; wicked; evil: a corrupt society.
3.    Made inferior by errors or alterations, as a text.
4.    Infected; tainted.
5.    Decayed; putrid.

Do any of those definitions strike a familiar cord?  I have worked with plant material my entire professional career.  I understand corruption and decay.  I’ve made a good living over the last 40 years dealing with the results of terrestrial corruption.  We all have seen the damage disease can do to people, animals and crops.  Some human diseases are insidious such as AIDS, meningitis and cancer.  These can kill quickly or slowly, but kill they do.  Recently on the news was the tragic death of several teenagers from a “brain eating amoeba”.  All they did was go swimming in a lake.  One boy simply used a nasal wash from tap water and was infected.  They all died within days.

We just dealt with hurricane Irene.  Joplin and Tuscaloosa were laid low by tornados a few months ago.  Earthquakes in Japan and Tsunamis in Indonesia killed hundreds of thousands.

Rom 8:19  For [even the whole] creation (all nature) waits expectantly {and} longs earnestly for God’s sons to be made known [waits for the revealing, the disclosing of their sonship]. For the creation (nature) was subjected to frailty (to futility, condemned to frustration), not because of some intentional fault on its part, but by the will of Him Who so subjected it–[yet] with the hope that nature (creation) itself will be set free from its bondage to decay {and} corruption [and gain an entrance] into the glorious freedom of God’s children.  We know that the whole creation [of irrational creatures] has been moaning together in the pains of labor until now.

God warned Adam that the day he sinned would be the day he would die.  He died spiritually as soon as he ate and although he lived for many years physically, the die was cast and sin was turned loose on mankind and the earth.

Gen 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil {and} blessing and calamity you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. 

We learned in Genesis chapter 3 Adam started the entire process of corruption by doing the one thing God told him not to do, thus he committed the first sin.  Sin then turned corruption loose and after so many years, we see it’s bitter fruit all around us.

Gen 3:17-19 And to Adam He said, Because you have listened {and} given heed to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it, the ground is under a curse because of you; in sorrow {and} toil shall you eat [of the fruits] of it all the days of your life. Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth for you, and you shall eat the plants of the field. In the sweat of your face shall you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you shall return.

Two kinds of evil: Primary and Secondary.

Moral wrong doing is primary evil.  Suffering as a result of primary evil is secondary evil.  I saw an excellent example of both types of evil today on one tv show.  A man was coming home from work and discovered his wife had been brutally killed at home.  (Sounds much like David Jansen in “The Fugitive”).  The police went to work and figured this man had killed his wife.  Circumstantial evidence “proved it” and he spent 25 years doing time for a crime he didn’t commit.  Then DNA evidence proved his innocence and he was released from prison.  (He isn’t bitter, because during his time in the pen, he became a Christian and God did a work in his life!).  The primary evil of murder collected an innocent man in it’s wake and produced the secondary evil of a wrongful conviction.

Jesus said in John 16:33 … In the world you have tribulation {and} trials {and} distress {and} frustration …  It’s no wonder.  We live on a planet whose forces are corrupted and we are surrounded by people who are corrupted through a sinful nature.  Yes, I think tribulation, stress and frustration are going to be more the rule of the day than the exception!

If you can objectively stand up and take a “50,000 foot view” you can see that sin has had the opportunity to multiply, hide, grow and expand almost limitlessly for thousands of years.  We exist daily in an environment where we are in constant contact with both primary and secondary evil.

It’s simply God’s abundant Grace that keeps the whole thing together and keeps us alive!

Col 1:17 And He Himself existed before all things, and in Him all things consist (cohere, are held together).

Heb 1:3 He is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint {and} very image of [God's] nature, upholding {and} maintaining {and} guiding {and} propelling the universe by His mighty word of power. When He had {by offering Himself} accomplished {our} cleansing of sins {and} riddance of guilt, He sat down at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high.

Next week: Rebel Forces attempt an overthrow of the kingdom!

The 11 chapter headings are:

1.    Tragic Choices: Determining the origins of Evil and Suffering
2.    What’s wrong? I am: Accepting the reality of inherited sin
3.    Alternative Answers: Examining Explanations for Evil and Suffering
4.    A Clash of Worldviews: Investigating relativism, atheism, and the "problem" of goodness
5.    The Great Drama: Reviewing the roles of evil and suffering in Christ’s redemptive work
6.    Why so much evil?: Questioning why God allows Evil and delay’s justice
7.    God’s control and our freedom: Discovering how God rules despite our choices
8.    Are we promised prosperity?: recovering a Biblical view of health and wealth
9.    The World we long for: Exploring God’s eternal solution to evil and suffering
10.    Wanting more clarity: wrestling with the reasons for our suffering
11.    What we can do: Finding perspective in our suffering
   
Today we start on chapter 1, "Tragic Choices".

The book begins with a story we are all familiar with.  Somebody’s child is killed in a car accident.  The father (who is a pastor) rants and raves at God asking the understandable question: “Why?”  Then he makes a statement I found insightful.  He states:
    “In the silence I began to hear the voice of God … then, without any announcement, when I became silent, God spoke to my soul.  He had an answer for each of my three questions.”

When it comes to asking why, I think I must move to the head of the line.  Why is my middle name!  In one of our recent adult classes, the teacher mentioned that she had asked God this question: “Where were you when the sexual abuse was going on?”  I asked God the same question.  Where were you?  I found what the pastor said was true.  When I became silent, God gave me some very specific answers to my question.

When it comes to suffering and all of the associated pain and grief that goes with it, it’s ok to ask questions.  I think this pastor’s brief testimony brings out some excellent points we should remember.

1.    You have to cultivate the ability to hear God.
2.    It’s ok to ask questions.  God will answer you, He wants to communicate with you.
3.    It is hard to hear God in the middle of a storm.

Elijah is a good example of hearing God.

1 Kin 19:11-13 NASB ¶ So He said, "Go forth and stand on the mountain before the LORD." And behold, the LORD was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the LORD; {but} the LORD {was} not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, {but} the LORD {was} not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire, {but} the LORD {was} not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. When Elijah heard {it,} he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice {came} to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

I think this speaks of God’s presence in the middle of the storms we face.  With all of the noise and tumult we experience when we are in a storm, we must remember to listen for the small voice, the quiet voice.  That is the voice we want to follow.

Jesus spoke of hearing God’s voice:

John 10:3-5 NASB "To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. "When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. "A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers."

Hearing from God has two immediate benefits that I can see.

1.    You can hear him concerning comfort.  When you are in the middle of a muddle, you need comfort.  That’s the Holy Spirit’s job description.
2.    You can hear him for directions.  Obviously, when you are in serious difficult situations you need to have guidance and understanding of how to proceed.  Again, this is what the Holy Spirit does, provide guidance as well as comfort.

John 16:13-14 "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. "He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose {it} to you.

As I write this, I learned one of my favorite athletic personalities just revealed she has the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.  Pat Summitt has been a model of leadership in the world of women’s athletics.  She is a fine Christian woman and a strong leader.  I am sure she would agree she find’s herself in a difficult situation.  She probably was caught off guard by this.  Yet her response is indicative of her strong faith.  I pray for her and hope you will too.  This statement from the Tennessee athletic department speaks for the impact of Pat Summit’s life:

For Pat to stand-up and share her health news is just a continuing example of her courage. Life is an unknown and none of us have a crystal ball. But I do have a record of knowing what Pat Summitt stands for; excellence, strength, honesty and courage.

He is right when he says life is an unknown.  This fact alone is why it is important for us to prepare for life’s unknown elements as much as we can by studying God’s word and developing an intimate relationship with Him.

The author lays a foundation for us in the introduction to the book:

To come to grips with the problem of evil and suffering, you must do more than hear heart-wrenching stories about suffering people.  You must hear God’s truth to help you interpret those stories. … You will not find relief unless you gain perspective.

Before I started this study, these scriptures from Isaiah were forefront in my thinking:

Is 55:8-9 Amp For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.

The ideas that God “allows” suffering or the companion thought of God “causes” suffering to teach us are prevalent thoughts that I want to understand.  God “allows” everything, so for me, the idea that God “allows” my suffering is a non starter.  You will either go crazy trying to think your way around that particular thought or end up in a place that is unscriptural.  But the idea that God causes suffering and pain in order for us to learn about Him is difficult for me to accept.  Yet there are many great thinkers and Christian writers who seem to think that exact thought.

The purpose of this study is to get some of these ideas out in the open and wrestle with them.

There are a couple of other really good points in the introduction I want to touch on.  First of all, how we answer this question will radically affect the way we perceive our world and God’s place in it.  The problem of evil and suffering is the basis the “new atheists” claim they don’t believe in God.  So as Christians, we need to study and understand what God says about it.

2 Tim 3:16-17 Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof {and} conviction of sin, for correction of error {and} discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose, and action), So that the man of God may be complete {and} proficient, well fitted {and} thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The second benefit of this study will be in exposing what the author calls “inadequate theology”.  When evil and suffering show their ugly heads, you may discover (as I have) that your theological underpinnings simply won’t hold up under the weight of life.  This process of learning can be extremely difficult and painful.  It can then become a turning point in your Christian life.  The destruction of weak, inadequate theology is a good thing.  It is important that the foundation of our life is built on the solid ground of God’s word and not the shifting sands of popular ideas.

The idea of this study is for us to be able to understand the character of the Gateway community.  We have seen suffering and pain and God seems to send us those who need ministry in the difficult situations of life.  I believe in pursuing this study, we will see more clearly where God wants to take us and who we are a a body of believers.

I plan on supporting the book with other ideas and thoughts from many other authors.  I find this study is an ever expanding one for me.  I want to know what the great thinkers thoughts are on this subject.  Of course, what God says about it is what really counts.  I think following the paths and rabbit trails of life will give God plenty of room to work with as He teaches us more about His good character and His love.

One last thought, this blog will be less than effective if you don’t participate.  Please comment and post your thoughts.  Only in that way can we learn what God wants for us.

But I want to honor Tom’s request to consider changing it. So I’ve thought about the statement and evaluated it in the light of where we are today. Is it still relevant? Does it communicate effectively who we are as a body? Does it tell people what God has called us to do as a body of believers? Gateway has undergone serious changes in the last several years. Perhaps a new vision is appropriate for reflecting these changes and what God is doing in us and through us now.

With that background I must say there is a need to evaluate the statement, if not change it altogether. It may well be the right mission statement for us. It may not be. So I’ve been thinking about how can I go about searching out this most important element of our existence as a local expression of the body of Christ. I would like to share some of my thoughts with you.

The first thought is this: Gateway is a body of believers who have survived serious struggles. As I look at Gateway I see people who have survived:

    •    Addictions of all kinds
    •    Suicide
    •    Family murders
    •    Sexual and child abuse
    •    Prison
    •    Financial setbacks
    •    Abandonment of all kinds
    •    Cancer Survivors
    •    Heart attack survivors

There are a lot of Gateway members who have been here for years. That tells me they don’t run when the going gets tough. They are not quitters. Mature believers trust God when times are tough. Gateway members know how to persevere through tough times.

The second thought is this: The members of Gateway pull together for each other when the need arises. It doesn’t matter what it is, we pull together. That would include financial hardships, accidents, hospital needs and any other need you can think of. I’ve been here for close to 25 years, and I can’t think of a time when there has been a need we haven’t risen to the challenge. Not one time.

The third thought is this: Gateway is familiar with suffering and pain. The challenges we have faced have molded us and shaped us to be more Christlike as we walk hand in hand with the Lord to deal with very difficult issues.

It is this third area I want to talk about. Over the last 23 years, I don’t remember a time when we purposely set about to study what God’s Word says about persecution, suffering and affliction. What is God’s perspective on it? I think if you look at Gateway, you see people who have suffered. While you can always find someone who has suffered more than you and less than you, there is one common element between all of us: suffering is a part of life.

I think it would benefit us as a body to study this very important subject together. Lets study what God says about suffering. Lets talk to Him, argue with Him and question Him. Lets ask Him for His perspective on this most important subject that affects everyone in the human race. I believe if we take the time to work through this subject together, being guided by the Lord, we will gain some fresh perspective about who we are at Gateway.

Many of us have seen people come to Gateway hurting and in bad shape emotionally. We’ve seen them come with physical pains such as cancer and other diseases. We’ve seen them bear the death of loved ones. I believe with this study, the Lord can give us valuable insight in a subject people need help with.

The book I would suggest we study is “The Goodness of God” by Randy Alcorn. It is a short book with 11 chapters and 104 pages. It is packed full of Scriptures and would generate a tremendous amount of discussion and thought.

I’ve thought about how we could implement this study. I was going to offer a class on it, but quickly decided that may not be the best method for this study. Tom Crane suggested I blog the study. That way people can access it at a time of their own choosing and if a class is warranted, people will make that known. I like his idea.

So starting this next week, I will begin the blog-study on suffering. I ask for your prayers, because I believe this will be a very difficult study, but very rewarding. I don’t have answers. I used to have all the answers, but that was eon’s ago. The longer I live, the more questions I have. I get some of them answered, but more often than not, the answers lead to more questions.

I ask for your participation. We all need to hear comments and feedback. This study will be no different.

My first posting will have the outline I propose to follow and then we will be off and running!!!!

I look forward to a significant class that I believe the Lord will use to guide us to much fuller understand of who we are as a body and where He wants us to go.

Lord: Please guide us and show us what you want us to do and how you want us to minister to the Athens community.

I went to the doctor this morning to figure out what was wrong with my shoulder.  I was sitting in his office when they called me to sign in.  I went to the window and paid my $40 co-pay.  I was grumbling about it but when I went back to sit down I saw a vision of Frieda in Sunday school class saying "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you".  I knew immediately I was caught in the sin of un-thankfulness and being un-grateful.  I recognized the sin and as I sat down, I spent the better part of the next 10 or 15 minutes apologizing to the Lord for being un-grateful.

I told the Lord I don’t want to exhibit these sinful patterns in my life.  I thought about what I have and how fortunate I am to have a good job with good insurance the $40 bucks for the co-pay.  The more I thought about what I have, the more apologetic I became to the Lord.

I also thank God for Frieda and her faithfulness to teach our Sunday School class.  She and the Lord chose a book that is stimulating in discussion and provides me with much thought and discussion with the Lord.

I was at the home office for a week’s meeting. I stayed until Thursday and while I normally would leave early in the morning (6-8 AM) I was unable to get out of town until around noon. I was planning to make the entire drive that day and it would have put me in Athens around 10:30 PM. But it didn’t work out that way. It was hot and I was in my business attire rather than my "travel" attire, so I was uncomfortable for the drive. Lexington is only 3 hours down the road, but I was so hot and tired I simply couldn’t make it past there comfortably. So I stayed in Lexington.

Later I got a call from the pastor indicating his lovely wife’s niece’s husband was in the hospital in Lexington after suffering brain surgery. Would I go see him? Sure I said so I get the particulars of the situation and away I go. I decided to ask for directions rather than GPS the address. It took 45 minutes to find something I could have GPS’ ed in 10 minutes. I wasn’t in a hurry and I decided against the technological answer. (This is actually key to the story!)

I arrived and met with the patient and had a wonderful 20 minutes or so of fellowship. I prayed and left. As I got on the elevator, a rather haggard looking woman got on with me. She looked really beat down. As I closed the door I asked her if she was ok, because she looked like she had a rough day.

She told me it had a been a horrible week. She came to do a brief visit with her dad and he had a stroke while she was there. There were some rather serious complications that developed and they had to put him in the hospital. His wife was in bed at home with severe depression. To top it off, her husband was at home and not available to help her. I told her I was just passing through and my pastor had asked me to stop and pray for someone. "Oh, are you a pastor?" I assured her I wasn’t but I was the lay leader of my church and I asked her if I could pray with her when she got to her car. At that she started to choke up and she said that would be a wonderful idea.

As we got to the car, I prayed using a model given to us at our last prayer training. I don’t remember exactly what I prayed but I do know I asked God to bless her and give her encouragement. She smiled at me and said she had asked the Lord that morning for some encouragement today and that I was it!

I smiled and as I left I thought about being an answer to someone’s prayer. What happened was a real encouragement for me in several ways:

First of all it tells me God is using the everyday elements of my life and speaking to me through them. I don’t normally get tired yet this time I was so tired I decided to stop at Lexington for the evening. Then when the pastor called, I was willing to go pray. I decided to take my time for once and skipped the whole technological thing and did the old "manual GPS" methodology we used in 70′s and 80′s. I asked directions and plowed my way through town to the hospital.

The folks I went to see are strong Christians and as such were armed with faith and gratitude for God’s goodness. While I was there several people came to see him and they too were strong in faith. As the crowd started to grow we held hands and prayed and I excused myself.

I assumed the people I was there to pray for was the purpose of my trip, but I don’t think it was. Meeting the lady on the elevator was the real reason. God is so meticulous about His timing, that he had me bag my GPS equipment and pursue a course that took just enough time for me to be there when the lady got on the elevator. Had I used the GPS I would have missed her.

We don’t know what impact a simple decision may have on others lives. My decision to stay in Lexington and my decision to go to the hospital and my decision to pray for a lady I had never met all came together in God’s timing to bless someone that so desperately needed it.

Isn’t God good!