American idols

IDOLATRY: The worship of idols, images, or anything which is not God; the worship of false gods. Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Whether or not you believe in God, it is easy to see that men have always tended to form an image of God that is based on what they want. For an ancient Canaanite relying on a good grain harvest for survival, god is a baal who controls the rain and sun. For an ancient Mesopotamian whose population has been decimated by famine and war, god is a fertility goddess who can help repopulate the country. Among other things, the ancients worshipped money (Greek god Plutus and others), health (Hygeia and others) and sex (Ashoreth, Aphrodite, etc.). Sound familiar?

In American, most people don’t worry too much about getting enough food to eat, but essencially we have similar gods to those formed by ancient cultures. Also, we tweak the Judeo-Christian God (Jehovah) into forms which satisfy our longings or make us feel good about ourselves. WARNING: Most American Idols have a bit of the real God mixed in along with some Scripture to legitimize them.

The “Let’s Make a Deal” god.

God is the Monty Hall of the heavens. Religion is all about bargaining with God. If I do the right things (pray enough, tithe enough, be nice, etc.), then God will be compelled to give me what a want: nice stuff, more stuff, health, fame, success, etc.. If you want to know more about this American idol, turn on the TV and watch a televangelist! This version of the Almighty is very popular in evangelical churches.

The “Bob Barker” god.

This view of God tends to see the Almighty as a celestial Santa Claus whose job it is to dispense goods to the faithful. It’s not so much about cutting a deal with the divine as it is somehow being lucky/fortunate enough to get on his good side. This is how a lot of people see God because it gives an explanation of why some people are born into absolute poverty in Zimbabwe and others are born into relative wealth in Dallas, Texas. According to this idol, God is a kind of capricious do-gooder who showers favor on some and ignores others.

The “Jeopardy” god.

If you know enough information and give the right answers then you pass God’s version of Final Jeopardy and get to go to Heaven. This is one that I know well because it was pretty much the way that I saw God for many years. For me, righteouness consisted in knowing that David’s father was named Jesse, knowing John 3.16 (and Acts 2.38) by heart, and showing up at Church on Wednesday’s and Sunday’s (how can you win the prize if you don’t show up for the show!).

Dear friends, flee from idolatry. 1 Corinthians 10.14

Dealing with idolatry means exposing the false gods in my life, going through the painful process of ripping them out of my heart, and seeking, thirsting and longing for the true God revealed in the person of Jesus Christ.

Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. John 14.9-10

Who or what is guiding you?

O.K., this sign is pretty amazing. Somehow, the instructions given are suposed to keep the tourist from getting lost. Interesting.

There are a lot of signs around promising to give you directions, which ones will you trust?

The Bible is an account of God's will for me and I will trust it as my roadmap to life.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Psalm 119.105

My friend Caleb says about this passage that, "God promised to put light before your feet so that you can take the next step, but he doesn't give you a floodlight to show you everything about the future." It makes sense to me. If I am immersed in the Word of God, my next step will be illuminated. This much is for sure. The future is in God's hands and he will reveal what I need to know.

I love Brazil!

One of my new hobbies is documenting the strange names of some products sold in Brazil. Since Brazilians LOVE English, they will slap an English name on just about anything, whether it makes sense or not.


Here are my first few offerings . . .


First, we have tortilhas made by "Bimbo." Likely they don't know that a Bimbo is a promiscuous woman in the English language, but then again, this is Brazil. Maybe it is some ingeneous marketing ploy. Make sure that your Rap 10's are made by the Bimbo.






Also, the knock-off of Pringles are "Jacker" potato chips. Maybe the best part of the packaging, however, is the fact that these are "original" Jackers. Don't settle for knock-offs of the knock-off!

Finally, we have the low-budget Cheetos which are known as "Skiny." No, they are definitely not DIET. They will absolutely not make you skinny.

Paper towels especially made for the elite.


Stay tuned for some even weirder product names from Brazil.

Dating for 25 years

Yesterday, on Valentine's Day, Geronimo and Penha were married at our church building! They had been together exactly 25 years on the day that they were married. They have four adult children together, including a very special mentally handicapped girl named Solange. After coming to Jesus 18 months ago, Penha decided that part of her discipleship involved legalizing her relationship with Geronimo. Yesterday, she was thrilled to become Geronimo's wife after being together with him for a quarter of a century, and she was happy to become a member of the Victory Church of Christ.

Pacifist at heart

The "Swords into Plowshares" statue was donated to the United Nations in 1959 by the former Soviet Union.

One of the most elegant and powerful prophecies about the Kingdom of Jesus Christ comes from a prophecy out of the book of Isaiah.

Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD. Isaiah 2.3-5

The most primitive, brutal, disgraceful and costly way to resolve a dispute is to kill the other person. Unfortunately, this is the way that nations have been resolving conflicts for thousands of years. The desire of God's heart of to see the end of war-making.

God's heart longs to see and end to war.

In the name of Jesus,

• May nations turn their defense budgets into hospitals, public works projects, and help for the less fortunate.


• May enemies seek reconciliation instead of retaliation.


• May husbands and wives do whatever it takes to work their issues out, stay together, and build a family instead of tearing each other apart.
  

Is it naive or overly idealistic to envision an end of brutality and conflict. If so, call me naive. After all, my master is called Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9.6).

More do's and dont's for parents

It's a small, small, world

Canada, South Africa, Brazil, Nigeria, USA and Latvia. Would you believe that people from each of these great countries has visited this blog within the last three days? Amazing.

Peace (English), Miers (Latvian), Lumana (Nigeria), Paz (Brazil), Ukuthula (Zulu, South Africa)

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 1.7

Valentine's love story from Rio

I love to see the amazing transformations that happen when someone comes to Jesus! A year-and-a-half ago, a 50 something woman named Penha started visiting our congregation and participating in a Bible story. She decided after several months to become a Christ-follower.

On Thursday (February 14, Valentine's Day), she and her long-time companion, Geronimo, will be married. This day will also mark their twenty-fifth anniversary since they got together. FYI: February the 14 is not a special date in Brazil, so it is purely coincidence that this date was chosen.

Last night at our mid-week service, she was so joyful when she told me about her upcoming marriage.

Let's face it, in a sense, after so much time together, they have been sort of married already. However, this is another step forward in their relationship and in her obedience to Christ.

Please pray for Penha, Geronimo, and their four children as they begin a new chapter in their family's history.

The secret of baseball

Could Mitka (photo) go from being a begger on the streets of Bombay to being the highest paid athlete in the history of baseball?

Imagine the impact of a player who was guaranteed to make it to first base every single time he went up to bat. If you know anything about baseball, you know that a player who could do this would be invaluable. What if you had a line up of guys who were impossible to strike out and, therefore, would be walked every single time. Think about it. No one could stop this team. Nobody.

The secret is obvious. Simply mount a team of super-small midgets and you have a guaranteed World Series winning team every year. They could not lose. Why, you ask? The major league strike zone as defined by the official site of Major League Baseball states that the strike zone is from the bottom of the knees and below the shoulders. Imagine if the guy was only two feet tall. When he was bent over with his miniature bat waiting for the pitch, the vertical dimension of the strike zone would be from 4 to 6 inches. Throwing a strike against this guy would be INCREDIBLY difficult. Game over. The team of midgets wins every game. Walk after walk, run after run being scored as the midgets load the bases.

Thus, I have found the secret of winning (or at least tying) every hockey game with my secret weapon (600lb goalie), and have found the secret of winning every baseball game with my unstoppable all-midget juggernaut.