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Friday, March 28, 2014

God’s Not Dead Movie



I am SO GLAD this movie has come out the SAME TIME that the Russel Crowe movie, Noah premieres in theaters.  I’ve read that the director of the Noah movie, Darren Aronofsky is an atheist.  I’ve also read that “God” is never mentioned in the movie.  This is typical Hollywood agenda to twist and edit the Holy Bible to deceive people.



The movie, God’s Not Dead, conversely is about a young student who finds himself in a class where the professor denies the existence of God, and consequently, asks the class to deny God.  When the student does not comply, the professor argues with him in the class, and puts the burden of proof on this lone student.  The student is forced to defend the God of the Holy Bible, and builds a case using real evidence.


I’ve heard some followers of Jesus say “I respect other people’s views”- they are trying to be kind to those they are debating – they want to appear reasonable to people who have differing views.

I disagree with that notion. 


I do not respect other people’s views when it comes to what the Holy Bible says.

I do respect people who disagree with me, most certainly.

I do respect people’s right to disagree with me.

But I do not respect other views contrary to the Word of God (the Bible), because I think they are ridiculous.

When I see creation – the earth, the sky, the stars, humanity –

I see the design of God. 

Psalm 8:3-4 (New King James Version)
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him,
 And the son of man that You visit him?


Scientists have determined that our precious planet earth is placed in a particular orbit around the sun at the exact distance needed to sustain life.  It rotates slightly off axis in an elliptical pattern, which affects our changing seasons.  The moon rotates around the earth, which affects the changing tides in the oceans.

Consider our atmosphere and the concept of gravity:  It holds our earth and all that is created together.  On a micro level, it works somewhat like an atom.  Electrons rotate around the nucleus holding the atom together.  The Bible teaches that it is God who holds all things together:

Colossians 1:17 (New Living Translation)
He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together.

These are but two of many examples that we see in our world that point to the existence of an “Intelligent Design”.  In my opinion, it is illogical and even ridiculous to try to explain creation in any other way. 

More specifically, I believe that this “Intelligent Design” comes from none other than what the Holy Bible teaches.  It is the God of the Bible – the One true, living God.

The Bible has been proven over and over as a true and trustworthy book.  It has stood the test of time, even after being scrutinized.

God has not hidden His nature or His intention from us, His creation.  He has willingly revealed Himself to us.

Colossians 1:15 (New King James Version)
Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.


Romans 1:20 (New International Version)
For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.







This story in the movie, God’s Not Dead is inspiring.  Seeing a young student have the courageous and the audacity to stand up to a professor who discounts our God of the Bible is awesome!

I am raising my two children to have that same passion for God, to know His Holy Word, and to speak up for what is true!




Monday, March 3, 2014

Con-fron-ta-tion.......Run away!!

Con-fron-ta-tion
noun
1. a hostile or argumentative meeting or situation between two opposing parties.

Confrontation.  yuck! what a bad word :) confrontation is awful, and is to be avoided at all costs! right?

Wrong! (I’m confronting you on this subject right now!) :)

I have learned to embrace conflict and not run from it.  The only mature way to deal with conflict is with that word: confrontation.  I have seen how when I handle conflict with confidence, clarity of purpose, and pure motive, it leads to resolution.  

See my chart below on what I believe is a healthy view of Confrontation:




Notice that all of the components in this model are positive and yet truthful.  It is based around key words like:

truth
understanding
clarity
mission


Now, look at my chart below on what happens too often in teams, families, and in relationships:



Notice some key words:

barriers
scared
wait
paralyze
pressure
aggravate
disfunction
fall out

I challenge you to embrace confrontation - it is a healthy part of building great relationships.  For a team, it is vital to reaching a level of effectiveness.  Great teams build trust, work hard and play hard together, and communicate openly and honestly.  When there is confrontation, the leader sets the tone for the conversation and reminds the team of the mission.

When preparing to confront, here are some tips to prepare:

  1. Pray about it first before confronting, asking for God’s help.  Ask God to first prepare your heart.  Then, pray for the person or team that you need to confront
  2. Clarify what the issue is.  What is truly important vs. what are just feelings or preference.  What is the ONE THING you want to relay?
  3. Get specific.  Have examples ready.  It’s only fair to discuss an issue if you have prepared with facts to back it up.
  4. Listen and be receptive.  Stephen Covey says “seek to understand first before trying to be understood.” This displays patience, maturity and genuine care for the other person.
  5. Bring solutions.  Be a part of fixing the issue, not just bringing problems to the table.
  6. Offer to help.  Commit to personally contributing.  Voice your loyalty and declare your commitment to the mission.  Communicate that you value the person and that you believe in them.  

So, buck up! Get courageous and confront!  :)