I am fortunate enough to be a teacher of 7 to 9 year olds in my church. They are so fun and energetic! As a soon to be empty-nester, I am more and more excited each week to spend time with these great kids!
Last week, we started a new project: We are reading "The Case for Christ for Kids" by Lee Strobel. As I have been reading mostly apologetics books lately (books on why we can believe that God and the Bible are true and trustworthy), I thought it might be appropriate to share these ideas with my kids.
I was a little hesitant at first. Would the kids even be interested? We all sat in a circle in the back of the room, and I began reading. I asked the kids if they ever wondered if God was real. I was not prepared for the dialogue to come. One girl said, "We think that the Bible is right, and that God is real. But other people believe in different things, and they all think their way is the right way. We can't all be right. How do we know who is really right?" Another child spoke up, "I was thinking about that this week when I was riding my bike. I wondered if Jesus was real, or if He was just like the other stuff we read or watch on t.v."
As the conversation went on, I found that every single child in the class had been wondering about whether God was real or make-believe. I asked them if they ever asked their parents, and most of them said, "No." They were worried that the questions would upset their parents.
I am looking forward to our ongoing conversations over the next few weeks. I think that even the adult helpers in the class have similar questions. I am so thankful that there are real answers to these questions and that we don't have to believe by "blind faith", but that Jesus left us with some very compelling evidence to support the Bible claims of creation, of Jesus death and resurrection, and of a redeemed life for those who believe. Pray with me that these children will learn to trust in the God that loves them more than they will ever know.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Lewis on Hope
I have finished reading, "Mere Christianity," by C. S. Lewis. It was fantastic! I learned a lot about humanity and practical faith. My favorite was the chapter on hope:
"Aim at Heaven, and you will get earth 'thrown in': aim at earth and you will get neither." p. 112.
"Most people, if they had really learned to look into their own hearts, would know that they do want, and want acutely, something that cannot be had in this world. There are all sorts of things in this world that offer to give it to you, but they never quite keep their promise. The longings which arise in us when we first fall in love, or first think of some foreign coutntry, or first take up some subject that excites us, are longings which no marriage, no travel, no learning , can really satisfy...There was something we grasped at, in that first moment of longing, which just fades away in the reality." p. 113
"Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists...If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing." p.114
My friends, I hope that you, like me, will spend this day, and many others, searching for the real thing, until, at last, we all find it.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Punishment?
This week, I got an e-mail from a young lady that just finished reading one of my books. Her first comment to me was that she thought I was "a great Christian" and she wished she could be as "good" as I was. I was shocked, and I immediately replied that I am no better than anyone else, that my walk with God is minute by minute and day by day, just like everyone else's. I said that all we needed was a willing heart to follow where He leads us, and He will do the rest. She followed up with a comment that she thought that she was going through difficulty in her life because she made God angry when she stopped going to church.
Of course, that led to a lengthy conversation, but in the end it made me think about something else: why do we always head straight to the idea that God is angry at us, and that all of our trials are a form of punishment? I know that God will ultimately judge us each, and this may be the underlying fear that most of us have, but that is not all God is about. Judging us is more like some task He has to perform, but it is certainly not His main objective.
God is about love and relationships. This is the theme of the entire Bible. Would Jesus have died for us, if He were motivated by anything but a love that we can't even comprehend? Would God have stooped to our level and intermingled with humanity through the life of Jesus for any other reason? Does He offer us grace, mercy, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, if all He wanted was to punish us?
I think that when we make mistakes, or even choose to do wrong, that God is not sitting up in heaven, making a list like Santa Claus, thinking to himself, "Boy is S/he going to get it!" Instead, I think He has compassion on us and opens His arms to us, saying, "It's okay. I know what you are going through. I forgive you. Let me help you put it back together."
It is my prayer that we all accept His invitation.
Of course, that led to a lengthy conversation, but in the end it made me think about something else: why do we always head straight to the idea that God is angry at us, and that all of our trials are a form of punishment? I know that God will ultimately judge us each, and this may be the underlying fear that most of us have, but that is not all God is about. Judging us is more like some task He has to perform, but it is certainly not His main objective.
God is about love and relationships. This is the theme of the entire Bible. Would Jesus have died for us, if He were motivated by anything but a love that we can't even comprehend? Would God have stooped to our level and intermingled with humanity through the life of Jesus for any other reason? Does He offer us grace, mercy, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, if all He wanted was to punish us?
I think that when we make mistakes, or even choose to do wrong, that God is not sitting up in heaven, making a list like Santa Claus, thinking to himself, "Boy is S/he going to get it!" Instead, I think He has compassion on us and opens His arms to us, saying, "It's okay. I know what you are going through. I forgive you. Let me help you put it back together."
It is my prayer that we all accept His invitation.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Resistance Training
This morning I was going to share what I have been learning from C. S. Lewis, from his book, "Mere Christianity," but I have something else to share instead, so you will have to wait for my thoughts on Lewis for another day.
This morning, as with most mornings, I was working out. However this morning, I shared my workout with someone else. You see, last summer we got 2 new kittens. One of them is still small and timid. She is such a sweetheart. But the other one...well, he is a tiger in a domestic cat's clothing! He happened to be in the house this morning while I was working out.
During the aerobic portion of my workout, he sat watching me intently. Then, I got out my mat for floor work. I got down onto the mat and started doing crunches. The cat, however, took the opportunity to attack what, to him, was an obvious foreign life form that needed to be dealt with: My ponytail! Imagine trying to do sit-ups with a cat attached to your head.
Of course, I am a type-A person, so I couldn't just stop my workout and deal with the cat. So, I guess you could say I just finished the set with extra resistance. Then it was on to push ups. You would think the cat would go away after the sit-ups, but the push ups provided an extra level of entertainment: Not only was there a ponytail to kill and destroy, but he could hide in the "tunnel" to do it!
So there he was, sneaking under my belly, grabbing at my ponytail, which was hanging down beside my neck. He would just about reach it, then ... squish. He would back up as I came down, still keeping his eye on the prize. As I would raise up, he would crawl back under and grab, and down I would come.
Somehow, I finished my routine with my ponytail intact, and Zeus did not get smashed in the process. When I laid back for a stretch, he climbed up on my chest and nuzzled my nose, rubbing up and purring, letting me know that he had sooo much fun this morning. I petted him and smiled.
Tomorrow, the cat goes outside!
This morning, as with most mornings, I was working out. However this morning, I shared my workout with someone else. You see, last summer we got 2 new kittens. One of them is still small and timid. She is such a sweetheart. But the other one...well, he is a tiger in a domestic cat's clothing! He happened to be in the house this morning while I was working out.
During the aerobic portion of my workout, he sat watching me intently. Then, I got out my mat for floor work. I got down onto the mat and started doing crunches. The cat, however, took the opportunity to attack what, to him, was an obvious foreign life form that needed to be dealt with: My ponytail! Imagine trying to do sit-ups with a cat attached to your head.
Of course, I am a type-A person, so I couldn't just stop my workout and deal with the cat. So, I guess you could say I just finished the set with extra resistance. Then it was on to push ups. You would think the cat would go away after the sit-ups, but the push ups provided an extra level of entertainment: Not only was there a ponytail to kill and destroy, but he could hide in the "tunnel" to do it!
So there he was, sneaking under my belly, grabbing at my ponytail, which was hanging down beside my neck. He would just about reach it, then ... squish. He would back up as I came down, still keeping his eye on the prize. As I would raise up, he would crawl back under and grab, and down I would come.
Somehow, I finished my routine with my ponytail intact, and Zeus did not get smashed in the process. When I laid back for a stretch, he climbed up on my chest and nuzzled my nose, rubbing up and purring, letting me know that he had sooo much fun this morning. I petted him and smiled.
Tomorrow, the cat goes outside!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
A Hall of Doors
Since my books have been published, I have been thrilled to have helped many people to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. It has been amazing! Many of them have been baptized and have joined various churches. I have often wondered if I should be doing more to encourage these people to join my church instead of just any church. After all, if I didn't think my church was the right one, why would I keep going?
I was grateful to find the answer in a book I am now reading, which I am sure many of you have read. (If not, pick up a copy, it is brilliant!). I am reading, "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis. In the preface, he gives an analogy that truly impressed me. In it he describes the idea of "Christianity" as:
"It is more like a hall out of which doors open into several rooms. If I can bring anyone into that hall I shall have done what I attempted. But it is in the rooms, not the hall, that there are fires and chairs and meals. The hall is a place to wait in, a place from which to try the various doors, not a place to live in. For that purpose the worst of the rooms (whichever that may be) is, I think, preferable."
He goes on to explain how one should choose a room, "In plain language, the question should never be, 'Do I like that kind of service?' but 'Are these doctrines true: Is holiness here?' Does my conscience move me towards this? Is my reluctance to knock at this door due to my pride, or my mere taste, or my personal dislike of this particular door-keeper?' "
He goes on, finally, to say to those of us already in a "room": "...be kind to those who have chosen different doors and to those who are still in the hall. If they are wrong they need your prayers all the more; and if they are your enemies, then you are under orders to pray for them. That is one of the rules common to the whole house."
So, in the end, which do I think is more important, that others know my church doctrines, or that they know my Jesus? The answer is obvious!
I was grateful to find the answer in a book I am now reading, which I am sure many of you have read. (If not, pick up a copy, it is brilliant!). I am reading, "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis. In the preface, he gives an analogy that truly impressed me. In it he describes the idea of "Christianity" as:
"It is more like a hall out of which doors open into several rooms. If I can bring anyone into that hall I shall have done what I attempted. But it is in the rooms, not the hall, that there are fires and chairs and meals. The hall is a place to wait in, a place from which to try the various doors, not a place to live in. For that purpose the worst of the rooms (whichever that may be) is, I think, preferable."
He goes on to explain how one should choose a room, "In plain language, the question should never be, 'Do I like that kind of service?' but 'Are these doctrines true: Is holiness here?' Does my conscience move me towards this? Is my reluctance to knock at this door due to my pride, or my mere taste, or my personal dislike of this particular door-keeper?' "
He goes on, finally, to say to those of us already in a "room": "...be kind to those who have chosen different doors and to those who are still in the hall. If they are wrong they need your prayers all the more; and if they are your enemies, then you are under orders to pray for them. That is one of the rules common to the whole house."
So, in the end, which do I think is more important, that others know my church doctrines, or that they know my Jesus? The answer is obvious!
Thursday, December 25, 2008
White Christmas at the Cruze house!
With 3 feet of snow for most of the week, this will be a week to remember for our family!
We have had to dig out to the road to get to work every day, but the brightness sure does wonders for the darkness of winter. Hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas day!
Monday, December 8, 2008
Lies we Believe
I was talking with some friends this weekend about some of the lies about God that we tend to believe. The concensus was that the most pervasive lie in the Christian community is that we must be perfect, or at least really, really good, to be saved. Where to people get an idea like that? Unfortunately, I think it comes from the rest of us Christians!
When someone asks one of us, like the rich young ruler did to Jesus, "What must I do to be saved?" we tend to tell them that they need to give up whatever sin we judge them to have before they can be saved. "If only you would quit drinking, live a moral life, quit watching those movies, listening to that music, looking at those pictures..." We forget that it is the Holy Spirit that makes the changes in our hearts and helps us to grow in Christ. We cannot make any change on our own. That is what the real Christian message is all about. If we could do it on our own, Jesus would not have come and would not have needed to die in our place.
"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor theives nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God," I Corinthians 6:9, 10 NIV. This is what we tell people when we try to change them into Christians. You better shape up, or you're not going to make it! But we forget the rest of the verse:
"And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." Wow! We were all filthy in our sins, until God got ahold of us and cleaned us all up. It wasn't our "righteous" brothers and sisters setting us straight, it was God.
So, when we are offered an opportunity to help a wayward brother or sister, we need to introduce him or her to a God that loves them more than they can ever know. Help them to know the One that can save them. And let Him do the cleaning!
When someone asks one of us, like the rich young ruler did to Jesus, "What must I do to be saved?" we tend to tell them that they need to give up whatever sin we judge them to have before they can be saved. "If only you would quit drinking, live a moral life, quit watching those movies, listening to that music, looking at those pictures..." We forget that it is the Holy Spirit that makes the changes in our hearts and helps us to grow in Christ. We cannot make any change on our own. That is what the real Christian message is all about. If we could do it on our own, Jesus would not have come and would not have needed to die in our place.
"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor theives nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God," I Corinthians 6:9, 10 NIV. This is what we tell people when we try to change them into Christians. You better shape up, or you're not going to make it! But we forget the rest of the verse:
"And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." Wow! We were all filthy in our sins, until God got ahold of us and cleaned us all up. It wasn't our "righteous" brothers and sisters setting us straight, it was God.
So, when we are offered an opportunity to help a wayward brother or sister, we need to introduce him or her to a God that loves them more than they can ever know. Help them to know the One that can save them. And let Him do the cleaning!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
