In The Beginning...
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth....The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen." (Genesis1:1 - Revelation 22:21)
I enjoy reading the Bible and meditating on what it says. I cannot tell you why but it has been my passion for more than 40 years. It is is the most controversial and talked about book in the world. Millions of people meet each week all over the world claiming to follow its teachings yet never seem to come to a consensus of what that teaching is.
As much as I enjoy it, it has been time consuming for me to distinguish between what it actually says and what the church proclaims it to say. And after all those years of study it is clear to me that the above verses, representing the first and last verses of the Bible, is what I want my grand kids to know for sure.
God loves you and nothing you can do will ever change that. Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He became a man and died just like all of us will die in order to show us what will happen after death. God raised Jesus from the dead and he ascended into heaven. God promised to send Jesus back someday to raise us all from death into a perfect and immortal life. Then together we will explore the wonders of the heavens which He created - that is the good news - allow it to give you hope, joy and peace in this troubled world.
I enjoy reading the Bible and meditating on what it says. I cannot tell you why but it has been my passion for more than 40 years. It is is the most controversial and talked about book in the world. Millions of people meet each week all over the world claiming to follow its teachings yet never seem to come to a consensus of what that teaching is.
As much as I enjoy it, it has been time consuming for me to distinguish between what it actually says and what the church proclaims it to say. And after all those years of study it is clear to me that the above verses, representing the first and last verses of the Bible, is what I want my grand kids to know for sure.
1. God is the creator of all things
2. The Grace of Jesus, the Son of God, is with all mankind.
I do not want my grand kids to get their understanding of God and his Grace from man made creeds or doctrines, nor from faulty translations and paraphrases of the bible - and they are many.
I would prefer they get their knowledge of God from a sunset or sunrise. From looking into a clear starry night and wondering at the beauty and vastness of space and the wonder of a God who could create such a complex and beautiful place. From looking at insects, reptiles, birds, fish and animals - and wonder at the beauty of creation and its Creator - like most humans who have ever lived. To look around and look up and proclaim...
"Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens...When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" (Psalm 8)
But I know they will encounter much in Christian doctrine that will tend to distort the truth about God. So I write down in this blog and tell them what I believe to be the truth about God which I find in the Bible. That truth is summarized follows:
I do not want my grand kids to get their understanding of God and his Grace from man made creeds or doctrines, nor from faulty translations and paraphrases of the bible - and they are many.
I would prefer they get their knowledge of God from a sunset or sunrise. From looking into a clear starry night and wondering at the beauty and vastness of space and the wonder of a God who could create such a complex and beautiful place. From looking at insects, reptiles, birds, fish and animals - and wonder at the beauty of creation and its Creator - like most humans who have ever lived. To look around and look up and proclaim...
"Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens...When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" (Psalm 8)
But I know they will encounter much in Christian doctrine that will tend to distort the truth about God. So I write down in this blog and tell them what I believe to be the truth about God which I find in the Bible. That truth is summarized follows:
God loves you and nothing you can do will ever change that. Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He became a man and died just like all of us will die in order to show us what will happen after death. God raised Jesus from the dead and he ascended into heaven. God promised to send Jesus back someday to raise us all from death into a perfect and immortal life. Then together we will explore the wonders of the heavens which He created - that is the good news - allow it to give you hope, joy and peace in this troubled world.