NowTHINK!AboutIt

Avoiding Hackneyed...Making Sense

5 Elements of Effective Prayer

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God hears by grace and answers by love.

How Do We Know
When God Really Answers?

Everyone prays but they don’t all get what they ask for. That isn’t because God doesn’t respond. He hears every prayer and like the father who takes joy in giving children what they want, He too looks for opportunities to grant our wish.

But, He’s not indulgent. Your every wish is not His command. Our prayers and His responses are tools that help us develop sensibilities. Prayer changes “things” because it first of all changes us. The need never changes and God never changes. The person praying is the only variable.

His answers make things possible not convenient or easy. Prayer is part investigation, part negotiation, and part activation. It was never intended to be a ceremony. Prayer at its most basic is conversation and the primary purpose is communication.

So, the question is what makes prayer effective? And the answer is: [Read more…] about 5 Elements of Effective Prayer

Love Wins – Character Development In The After Life

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Will Character Development Cease
At The Moment of Death

Conventional theology says Christians will be completely transformed in the resurrection and this transformation will happen in a split second – in the twinkling or blink of an eye. Love Wins suggests something different.

There are, of course, several passages in the Bible that talk about transformation but before I share them, consider the following:

  • What exactly do we think will transform?

Everything: body, soul and spirit? Or just a few things?

  • To what extent will transformation take place?

Once transformed, will our bodies require or allow no more training? Will all physical skills development be unnecessary?

  • Will transformation make us completely different people or just whole?

Do we lose our identities? If so, will we all look the same and think alike?

Or in other words:

Once transformed will we have nothing more to learn, no more development to experience? Will we suddenly have “ALL” knowledge? Will we suddenly have “All” power?

Obviously, we need to define what we mean by “complete” transformation. Does it mean we have arrived – no more learning, growth or development possible – or does it mean all hindrances to future growth and development are removed? Will we continue to grow in the after life or does it come to a halt when we reach heaven?

If we didn’t learn to ride horses before getting to heaven, will we take lessons once we arrive? [Read more…] about Love Wins – Character Development In The After Life

Calvinism – Devil Doesn’t Believe It!

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Sinners are born sullied not senseless.

The Devil Thinks Calvinism
Is A Great Idea!

And why not? One of his tricks is to make people think they can’t get saved, so anything that encourages doubt works right into his hands.

But, even though he thinks Calvinism is a good idea he doesn’t believe it.

In case you’re not familiar with the tenets of Calvinism it is a philosophical concept – nothing theological about it, although some would argue otherwise – that says God selected certain people to be saved and consigned everyone else to hell. His choices were made in eternity past and are fixed. No appeals allowed.

Yes, if you are a thinking person the logical inference is any individual not chosen for salvation IS chosen for hell. Offensive thought, hey? Calvinists think so too and have responded with long drawn out discussions designed to camouflage the reality. They even came up with a term for it, “double election.”

Google it and read for yourself. One post admits to the offense and suggests ways to soften it, without admitting any error, of course. I won’t take time to explore it here.

But, getting back to my original thought, the Devil doesn’t buy it. Not only does he focus on EVERY person – not just the elect or non-elect – he also works to blind them all to the truth of the Gospel – a condition Calvinists suggest is already existing and is curable only by a special, mystical, enabling by God.

Instead, however, the Bible says the following: [Read more…] about Calvinism – Devil Doesn’t Believe It!

“Holy Spirit Experience” Explored

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The Holy Spirit receives so much attention these days it sometimes seems He is talked about more than Jesus. A few might think that is OK but I’m not so sure.

If everyone said the same things that would make it easier to accept but they don’t. Very different things are being said and that begs multiple questions.

Why is the Holy Spirit so prominent and how do we explain the divergent, sometimes contradictory, interpretations?

Outside of Jesus, He is the most common topic among Christians and the differing opinions not only confuse they sometimes cause conflict. One person’s ideas are often countered, not with “different” ideas, but with opposing ideas offered in a fractious manner. How do we understand this phenomena?

The one thing most Christians agree on is the Holy Spirit’s place in the Trinity. He is the third person of the Godhead and that, of course, means He is God. He has all the attributes of personality and divinity.

But, that also means we should be careful what we say about Him. Our teaching should be shaped in carefully worded statements all of which are substantiated by biblical reference. Spontaneous gushings, though sincere, may be ill informed.

A Word About Experience

That brings us to a very important topic, “Experience.”

People often base their ideas about the Holy Spirit on a personal experience they believe He caused. The experience becomes the guiding principle for everything they say or believe afterward. It is so paramount in their thinking that the experience is imposed on the Bible rather than the other way around.

That isn’t the way it is supposed to work. But, on the other side of the coin, those who oppose this approach aren’t very helpful. Merely mentioning the word “Experience” sends them into overdrive attempting to deny, not the theological implications, but the possibility that an experience ever occurred.

Dismissing “experiences” out of hand gives no one the right to claim higher intellectual/spiritual ground. [Read more…] about “Holy Spirit Experience” Explored

Book Review: The Sacred Meal by Nora Gallagher

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It’s A Meal

If you are looking for a strictly theological analysis of Communion then The Sacred Meal by Nora Gallagher is not for you. But, if you are interested in fleshing out this ancient practice from a human perspective you won’t find it done any better in any other book.

Although theology is exciting to every minister, especially those in waiting, without a measure of humanity, like doe without yeast, it just doesn’t rise. Instead of melting in your mouth it breaks your teeth.

Yes, theology is significant but when not well mixed with life it becomes academic, cold, hard, stiff, mechanical, single dimensional and pretty much useless for anything other than a verbal fist fight. Nora illustrates that without saying it.

Don’t get me wrong. Nora doesn’t bypass theology. She is preacher-in-residence at Trinity Episcopal Church, Santa Barbara – otherwise known as Anglican – and is familiar with all the arguments associated with this ordinance (sacrement) but instead of joining in the usual fray associated with this tradition she speaks from the heart, draws on her own experience and touches the human side of the issue.

And she does this in spite of the fact that no other denomination observes the practice more monotonously than Episcopalians. Every service, every week. Instead of offending anyone’s theology she broadens the view and gives it a fuller perspective. [Read more…] about Book Review: The Sacred Meal by Nora Gallagher