Giving Thanks Can Be Healthy For You!

The other day I ran across an article that caused me to pause and think about the benefits of giving thanks.  A 20th century endocrinologist named Dr. Hans Selye was known across the world for studying the effects of stress on human life.  Dr. Selye claimed that there are two emotions, more than any other emotions, that exert the most influence on our peace of mind and sense of self-fulfillment.  The two emotions are revenge and gratitude.  Revenge, which springs from unresolved hostility can destroy a person as well as those around him or her.  Gratitude can heal the soul.  People who experience gratitude here in life are more at peace within themselves and have much higher degrees of self-fulfillment.  According to Selye, the degree of fulfillment verses frustration can be directly influenced by these two emotions of revenge vs. gratitude. 

How do we experience gratitude?  One way is by learning to give thanks.  The psalmist said in Psalm 107:1 - "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever."  The psalmist then continues taking the reader down memory lane when ancient Israel was wandering, and how much they need to thank the God who delivered them from their lonely wanderings, bringing them to a good place, satisfying their thirst & hunger with good things. - Psalm 107:9.  The metaphor is powerful, because we live in a world where many wander inside themselves, not really knowing where their place is in this world, or where they need to go to find a good place.  They hunger and thirst for what they do not yet know.  The good news is that God can bring them to a good place as well, satisfying their thirst and hunger with good things.  So, want gratitude?  Learn to give thanks!  Nothing heals a bitter spirit more than a thankful heart. 

 

Do All Dogs Go to Heaven?

There was a song I learned while attending Christian life meetings in college back in the 1970's during my days as a college student on the campus of McMurry College in Abilene, Texas.  We used to sing it all the time and it went something like this ...

 

Heaven is a wonderful place

Filled with Glory and Grace

I want to see my Savior's Face

Heaven is a Wonderful Place - I want to go there.

 

Repeat Song

 

The song always made me think of heaven as pie in the sky, a place where we go after we die.  While Heaven is all that - I've learned over the years that Heaven is more than all that.  Heaven is also the ham where I am.  Jesus once said that the kingdom of God (heaven) does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you." Luke 17:21


What this means for me is that we don't enter heaven getting our ticket punched on the gospel train, knowing that God will tell us when the train is ready to leave, but heaven is a place whose journey begins within us.  It's a journey of the heart where God creates heaven in our heart, giving us a new way to live and serve, thus creating places of heaven on earth, a foreshadowing of s world we'll enjoy when we go to heaven!


But, do all dogs go to heaven?  Now there's a question I will address this Sunday in worship at the 11 a.m. sanctuary service.  Why not come and bring a friend as we explore the topic together.  See you Sunday!


Dennis 

Predestination

Predestination in the Christian world means a divine foreknowledge of all things that happen.  Some use predestination to shape their definition of elect, a people chosen by God, to include only an elect few.  Some believe in double-election saying God elected some to be saved, while others are elected to be damned.  I don’t any Christians in my community who advocate such a view, but it seems implied in our society at large. I belong to one of the two major political parties in this country.  I won’t say which one, but I do receive letters from the national organization around election time, and if I took seriously everything written in those letters, I would believe my party to be elected by God to save this nation from economic and moral disaster, while the other party is been damned by a faulty political philosophy that will lead to economic and moral ruin.  Whether we say it or not, we practice in our two party system a “double election” in national politics!  Personally speaking, whether in religion or in politics, such a view divides us from one another, which is the root problem of our sin.  

One reaction to this idea of double election is single election, meaning God elects all, or predestines all to be saved, an idea that originated in the ancient teachings of church fathers like Clement of Alexandria in the Catechetical school in Alexandria and continued by Origen who followed as Clements’ successor. Today, post-modern Christian authors continue to explore single election with books like If Grace is True 2003 and The Evangelical Universalist 2006, writings in the past ten years that lift up the idea of a God who elects to save every person.   I think it sounds great, but there is that haunting, evocative question read in Hebrews 2:3, “How shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation?”  This suggests a choice to be made, and it appears to be a choice that we choose to either accept or ignore?

There is another way to look at predestination:  all of us are predestined to be loved.  John 3:16 says that “God so loved the world...”  Paul writes in Romans 8:38 – 39 that nothing he knows of can ever make God stop loving us.  If we are predestined to be loved, then God has made a choice.  God chose you, but what choice will you make?

We will explore this topic more as we continue our sermon series in the sanctuary on basic beliefs.  Join us as we dig deeper into basic Christian beliefs like salvation, sanctification.  We’ll explore all these beliefs from our United Methodist tradition.

What Do You Believe - Really?

I've been reading some in Gregory McDonald's book, The Evangelical Universalist, which he wrote back in 2006.  The title intrigued me because I don't usually associate the word, evangelical, with the idea of universal salvation.  Nevertheless I always enjoy a good book, whether it's to learn and embrace new ideas or to learn why I don't agree with an author's viewpoint.  In chapter one where he talks about biblical interpretation he writes, "...a commitment to an inspired Bible is not a commitment to inerrant interpretations."
What he goes on to say in this chapter is that it's one thing to call the Bible inerrant, but that does not mean your intepretation of scripture, or my interpretation of scripture, is inerrant.  I must always consider the possibility I could be wrong at any time, in any place.

If we truly understood this truth, think how much more rich and insightful our theological discussions about sin, salvation and sanctification would be.  Instead of demonizing each other, we might actually hear each other's heart.  John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement once said, "Though we cannot think alike, can we not love alike?  May we not be of one heart, though we are not of one opinion?  Without all doubt, we may."  I suspect that on the subject of universal salvation, even if it is Christocentric, we have those who believe in universal salvation and those who don't believe in universal salvation.  It's like some people believe in a literal hell as an after life for those who die, and have not professed faith in Christ.  Others do not believe in hell as an after life.  Yet others may believe in hell, but only as a temporary place, until God redeems the cosmos.

So, be watching for my new sermon series starting later in June of this year, when I talk about sin, salvation, sanctification, heaven and hell in a sermon series I like to call, "Basic Beliefs of a United Methodist Pastor."  When the series begins in late June, approach this sermon series with an open mind and an open heart.  You might learn to embrace some new ideas, or perhaps I will give you reasons for why you don't believe the way I do."  Either way, it can be a great conversation for both of us to grow our faith in Jesus Christ.


Dennis

Series on Revelation

I just finished a five week sermon series on Revelation which addressed not all, but some of the key scripture passages in the book.  One section I did not cover was the number of the antiChrist, which is 666.  As a kid it always fascinted me and I used to go around with thoughts of what kind of machine would punch a number of your forehead?  We probably have such a machine today, but that is not how you interpret the Revelation to John.  It is filled with apocalyptic writings and must be interpreted symbolically.  Of course, as an adult we know the number 666 was code for the Roman Emperor, Nero.  Bruce Metzger's book, Breaking the Code, written 20 years ago in 1993 accurately identified the number in saying, "Among the names and titles that have been proposed to solve the cryptogram, the most probably candidate is the Emperor Nero.  If we add the numerical values in the Hebrew spelling of the name Neron Caesar we obtain 666; on the other hand, since  his name can equally well be spelled without the last N, if we omit the final N, the total will be 616.  The fact that some ancient manuscripts of the book of Revelation give the number as 616, instead of 666; there does not appaer to be any other name, or a name with a title, that satisfies both 666 and 616."

Well, there have been many Nero's who have ruled different lands since the fall of the Roman Empire.  Only only has to consider the latter half of the last century and look at Germany's HItler, or Cambodia's Pol Pot, to see how history often repeats itself.  You can probably name some 21st century rulers who fit this image.  Nevertheless, what does this say to the church today?  We are born with an innate need to worship, and if we do not worship the true God, then we will create some god to worship, even if it is ourselves!  Such distortion only leads to further distortion, and this leads to all kinds of injustices.  

Most of us will not lead the life of a sadistic dictator, but we can still live as if we are our own God who can control our own destiny.  Perhaps it would be better to humble ourselves and remember who we are, and who God is who created heaven and earth.  As we approach Pentecost, let us remember where our real power comes from - not from ourselves - but from the one true God who loves us and calls us to love one another.  Let us open ourselves once again to receive the Holy Spirit that unites people (Pentecost) as opposed to the spirit of sin that divides people (Tower of Babel).  Let God rule in you.

Hence, the number 7, which is the number for God.  Let us strive to be that perfect 7, even as our Father in heaven is perfect.  (Matthew 5:48)  We strive for this perfection not because we can attain it, but because the striving for it is making perfect our faith.  (Hebrews 12:2)  Anything less, always falls short of what God wants us to desire, leaving us as little more than a number repeating itself ... 666666666 - something to think about.

- Dennis

God Loves You! It's More than Words

Robert Schuller, a great voice of American Protestantism in the 20th century once wrote, "Have you ever been in a church where the minister scolds the people?  He rebukes them, slaps his hands and pounds his fist, verbally crucifying those listening to him.  I have attended churches like that.  And the amazing thing is that the people go out and tell the preacher, "Oh, that was a great sermon, Reverend.  These people enjoy being verbally spanked.  They do not understand what the grace of God means."

I think Schuller got it right.  Too many people think they need to be yelled at in order to bring them to repentance or keep themselves in line:  but what lies behind such behavior is the false theology of people seeking to earn God's forgiveness by living lives, worthy of his love.  The truth is, you will never be good enough to earn Gods's love:  but the gospel says you don't have to be good enough.  What matters is how much you open your heart to the Lord, and an obedient heart is never powered by all our human effort!  Only God's love can make the difference for you.

Schuller writes, My message of grace to you is that God knows and he still loves you."

Today, why don't you stop trying to show God how good you can be for him, and instead let God show you how good God can be for you.  It wasn't until John Wesley realized that God loved him, even him; that he found the power that transformed his very own life.

Dennis

A Way to Pray

Many know what they want, but few know what they need.  This is a common expression your hear today, and in a society like the United States where everything you want can be purchased with the swipe of plastic - provided you have the credit - we have become a society of demanding, complaining consumers who believe life is all about consumption of stuff.  Unfortunately, that mindset invades the prayer life of many Christian people who spend their time in prayer complaining to God about all that ails them and evil injustices done to them, while also demanding answers in ways that will satisfy their own agendas!  Such prayers do little to build our trust in God, let alone a relationship with him.  In his book, Praying Like Jesus, author James Mulholland writes about this condition, but he also shows us the better way of Jesus in saying, "When I come before God with my complaints and demands, when I ask for what I think will satisfy, seek what I hope will fill my void, and knock at doors I want to be opened, I am like a distrustful child.  In those moments, my Father in heaven scoops me into his arms and says, - 'Peace.  Be still.  Trust me.' - When I finally quiet myself and relax in his presence, I discover mly complaints were selfish and my demands unnecessary.  I am provided with exactly what I need - his love."  Today let yourself be loved.  Fina a quiet place where you can let go of all the complaints and demands that stress your heart.  Empty your heart of these things, and let God fill your heart with his love.  It's a heart warming experience that can rescue you from yourself.  Yes, there is so much we want out of life, but only God's love can give us what we need!

- Dennis