Ilya Bryzgalov and the universe

Ilya Bryzgalov, a young Goaltender from Togliatti Russia, recently appeared on TV discussing the universe. It's a funny clip but opens a window into the mind of a professional hockey player who is obviously intelligent and interested in more than just playing hockey.

The first human to ever travel into space was a Russian cosmonaught named Yuri Gagarin. Someone said after his flight "Gagarin flew into space, but didn't see any god there". There is no record of Gagarin himself speaking these words but have a look at the next video to see what you think about the universe and if you get impressed like Ilya Bryzgalov.

The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge.

There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their utterances to the end of the world. In them He has placed a tent for the sun, - Psalms 19:1-4

Breathless wonderment

I find it amazing to think that there is nothing God can't control to fulfill His purpose.

You are probably thinking, "Yes.... This is news to you?"

Well,... no I understand He can do anything but it still blows me away.

It was His will that His son would be born in Bethlehem in a stable and the way He made that happen is nothing less than breathtaking.

Mary and Joseph were from Nazareth and so its likely that without intervention that's where Jesus would've been born. But Bethlehem, which means "house of bread" is where God wanted Him to be born and He wanted Him to be born in a stable.

For that to happen (and to generalize scandalously) certain conditions needed to exist. There needed to be a foreign dictator in charge of Israel that wanted a census of his empire and no room at the Inn.

Lets talk about one of the greatest empires the world has ever seen. No, I'm not talking about McDonalds but Imperial Rome.

Did God direct Hannibal Hamilcar to take his Carthaginian army over the alps into Rome? Because the ensuing war with Rome which eventually ended in defeat for Carthage gave Rome the confidence to look outward and conquer the majority of the known world.

After that Rome grew in power and gobbled up territory but she was a republic and had many controls in place to keep her safe from dictatorships. Until one man named Julius Caesar took control and placed himself at the helm.

Julius Caesar was, of course, famously betrayed by Mark Antony, Cassius and his friend Brutus. But Caesar left a will in which he declared Octavian to be his heir and Octavian became Emperor of Rome. Octavian is better known by his preferred title Augustus or "Revered one". Caesar Augustus established a civil service which then took a census of the entire Roman world.

And then this meant Mary and Joseph had to travel to their ancestral town of Bethlehem.

Pretty cool I think.

Oh yeah and the Holy Spirit also caused the virgin Mary to conceive. That may have been one of the reasons she and Joseph were denied a room anywhere in Bethlehem. Its unlikely that anyone would try too hard to find a room for a pregnant unmarried woman at that time. But that was all part of God's plan. He wanted His Son to be born in a lowly stable. Maybe because to the One who was involved in the creation of the universe there would be no difference between a stable and what you and I perceive as the greatest house on earth.

Neither could claim to be worthy of His presence.

But if I was Mary I might still wonder if there could've been a plan that didn't involve travelling 140km when I was nine months pregnant.

Jamais vu

Most people know of "deja vu" but have you ever heard of "jamais vu". Jamais vu describes the feeling you get when something that should be familiar becomes unfamiliar. Try writing the word "button" 25 times and see what happens.

Something similar happens when I read a passage of scripture over and over. Maybe the more you see something your assumptions and the associated inferences fade and the actual thing starts to stand out more starkly?

I've been reading Luke 5:33-39 over and over lately and I can't seem to grasp its meaning.
Then they said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?”

And He said to them, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days.”

Then He spoke a parable to them: “No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved. And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better.’”
 
I've never noticed that last statement before "the old is better" and It's only included in Luke's account.
 
I always believed this parable meant we must be changed before God's Spirit will be poured into us but now I'm not so sure that's what He's saying.
 
I started reading the context of that back to verse 27 and then the other two accounts of the same story in Matthew 9 and Mark 2. In the Matthew account Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6
 
For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
 
Here are the facts of the three accounts:

1. Jesus called a tax collector Matthew to follow Him
2. Matthew held a feast with Jesus, His disciples, tax collectors and sinners
3. The Pharisees questioned Jesus on why He would eat with tax collectors and sinners
4. Jesus said, "But go and learn what this means: 'I desire Mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous but the sinners"
5. John's disciples questioned Jesus on why His disciples didn't fast
6. Jesus replied with 3 analogies: the bridegroom, the cloth and the wine in wineskins

I feel like the Hosea scripture is the key to unlocking the mystery.

God desires mercy for sinners more than the sacrifice of fasting that the Pharasees and John's disciples were offering. But a question still remains for me... What did He mean when He said "But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved. And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better." - Luke 5:38-39?

"The old is better"... This is the part I never noticed before and has got me scratching my head.

P.S. if you're wondering why there is a picture of coffee beans on this post its to demonstrate that if you looked at it carefully you would've noticed a creepy face lurking in those seemingly random beans.

Fallen

One of the more intriguing accounts in scripture is of the mysterious "Nephilim". Who or what were they?

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. - Genesis 6:3-5
 
Something about their birth or existence prompted God to limit man's lifespan to 120yrs and after that to bring the flood to rid the earth of violence and the Nephilim. And yet somehow years later they make another appearance as Israel is about to enter the promised land...
 
When they returned from spying out the land, at the end of forty days, they proceeded to come to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the sons of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; and they brought back word to them and to all the congregation and showed them the fruit of the land. Thus they told him, and said, “We went in to the land where you sent us; and it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; and moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there . Amalek is living in the land of the Negev and the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Amorites are living in the hill country, and the Canaanites are living by the sea and by the side of the Jordan.

Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it.” But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us.” So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size. There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” - Numbers 13:25-33

God had miraculously saved Israel out of Egypt but still these people didn't believe that He had power to do what He said He would do. God explains it again to them that He is able and willing to conquer the land for them...

But they prefered the wisdom of Homer Simpson, "“You tried your best and failed miserably. The lesson is: never try.”

I will send My terror ahead of you, and throw into confusion all the people among whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. I will send hornets ahead of you so that they will drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites before you. I will not drive them out before you in a single year, that the land may not become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. I will drive them out before you little by little, until you become fruitful and take possession of the land. I will fix your boundary from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River Euphrates; for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out before you. You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods. They shall not live in your land, because they will make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.” - Exodus 23:27-33

Sadly the people lacked faith and so they died in the wilderness. Years later, Joshua and Caleb would lead a new generation into the promised land. At that time God reaffirms His plan...

Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying,“Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory. No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. - Joshua 1:1-5

The Israelites saw God's power being manifested in such fantastic ways, why couldn't they believe that He would give them total victory? They were more focussed on the giants in the land. It's actually worse than that, the spies (other than Joshua and Caleb) lied. They told everyone that the Nephilim inhabited the land, but this wasn't true. How could it be? They were destroyed in the flood. So what is the reason for this spurious account? It can only mean that they hoped the mere mention of the name would spread fear throughout the camp and help convince everyone to call off the invasion of the promised land.

How can we apply this to our lives today?

1) Moses is a type of the Law and Joshua is a type of Jesus Christ. Just as Moses could not lead Israel into the promised land the Law cannot save us, it can bring us to the border but only Christ can take us in and give us victory.

2) God can and will give us victory over every single stronghold in our lives but it won't happen in one day or one year. Why? that the land may not become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. I will drive them out before you little by little, until you become fruitful and take possession of the land

3) We should not be afraid of any enemy or make any covenant with it. for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out before you. You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods. They shall not live in your land, because they will make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you

God will not fail you or forsake you.

Shameful

I think alot of Christians today are operating under the delusion that being a Christian can be "cool". I think this might be one of the root problems with the Church today.

Its like Fruity O's and Fruit loops. As a kid I loved Fruit Loops and I have never been tempted to buy the no-name generic equivalent "Fruity O's". Fruit Loops are not healthy and they are not attempting to copy any other cereal. "Fruity O's" on the other hand are trying to attract the Fruit Loop lovers as if to say "hey we can be just like your favourite cereal for less money"
Being a believer is not cool. Not because we're trying to be like the world and vying for the world's attention, that's just sad. It's not cool because being cool implies honour. Honour received from the world around us and the church at its heart is counter to what is esteemed by the world. Take for instance the Apostles of the early church. They were fools for Christ, weak and despised (1Cor 5:10). Not cool.

Believers are weak and must rely on the Holy Spirit for strength (2 Cor 12:9-10). Strength to walk in the Spirit and not fulfill the lusts of the flesh, strength to get through each day, every day carrying about the death of our bodies. We are the stench of death to the world (2 Cor 2:15-16). Have you ever smelled death? I have and it is the worst kind of smell. Our belief is sometimes called a crutch, its not. Its an entire life support system.

We have become fools for Christ. To the world its shameful to believe the earth was created, that Adam and Eve were the first humans, that Noah built an ark. That Jesus will return again some day. Don't think so? Go to a university or run for office and tell people you believe these things and see if you don't suffer any shame from them.

We act shamefully... or at least we should. We are supposed to serve our brothers and sisters. Not just getting them a coffee or helping them build a fence that's all great but that can actually bring honour to the giver. It was shameful in Jesus' day for Him to wash the disciples dirty feet. It was so shameful that it embarrassed Peter. We are to serve and think of everyone else as more important than ourselves and give honour to the most lowly members of our congregation.

Some churches today are so focused on entertainment and being cool that their worship has become more like a rock concert than worship. The leader looks cool, sounds really professional and the worship experience  is created to be technically excellent. Now we even have liturgical dance. For the uninformed, this is young attractive women dancing beautifully at the front. I imagine, this is supposed to enhance the already beautiful worship experience. I questioned this to someone who was promoting it and I was told that some young girl might look up to one of these dancers and then that would provide an opportunity to witness and lead her to Christ. I replied, "that sounds logical but Jesus didn't say "if ye be lifted up" He said "if I be lifted up I will draw all men to me"

At the time I knowingly misinterpreted this scripture to make my point but it didn't matter, the person who I was talking to had nothing to say further on the matter. Now I see that it was ok that I misinterpreted it and I'll tell you what I mean. Today we think of lifting up as being highly esteemed, to think better of someone or something but that scripture isn't saying if Jesus is lifted up in our praise as a banner or someone to praise. Jesus was saying that He would be lifted up like the serpent in the wilderness. Like an enemies body hanging on a pole. It means that Jesus will be a curse because the Bible says cursed is anyone who hangs on a tree.

And this why on retrospect I think maybe I was right about quoting this scripture even if I didn't know it at the time. Our leader, our Lord became shame for us. If we are true followers we will follow Him bearing His cross and not scorning its shame but rather rejoicing that we are counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.

I'm going slightly mad

What happens to people when they turn roughly fortyish and for all intents and purposes they appear to go completely mad? Is it hormonal? Mental? Spiritual? Why do upstanding seemingly intelligent people suddenly become unhinged and take leave of their senses.

You know what I mean, the people who suddenly decide that they're going to break their vows and run off with someone else to play house. Leaving their real family in their selfish wake.

The only way I can reconcile this behavior in my own mind is to assume that they have lost their minds because I'm sure of two things: one of us must have taken crazy pills and it wasn't me.

I'd just found the lost key to my mythic life
So I bravely shook free of my kids and wife
I had seminars booked as a second career
Until a still, small voice screamed loud and clear
- Lament for Desmond R.G. Underwood Frederick IV by Steve Taylor

Of course, if they're Christians they would know its sin. Sin that involves breaking a promise made before God. Ananais and Saphira we're killed for lying to the Holy Spirit about some property they sold. I would think that would encourage a person to keep promises they make in front of God. They would also have, I imagine, considered what they were throwing away and I'm sure they would have thought about what effect would be produced on their children.

And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son." - Hebrews 12:5-6

Still it's disheartening and disturbing to see it happening. When I pray for these people, I of course pray that God will bring restoration and healing but I also pray that God will chastise them. Not to be vindictive but because He loves them and as evidenced by the verse above, God disciplines those He accepts as His children. He will never leave us and He is the God of the impossible. He can bring them back even from the brink of insanity.

On arriving at the end of a road

How do you feel when you come to the end of something?

Do you feel sorrow as you reach the end and realise that whatever it is will now only live on in pictures or your memories? Or do you feel excitement and maybe a little fear trying to imagine what will come next?

If you're like me you feel bittersweet.

I've been looking back at my career and reviewing the ups and downs in my mind. I find the downs tend to reside in my memory which fades but the ups tend to stay in my mind and my centre and whatever part of my brain in which resides the seat of emotion.

My best memory and what I will carry with me for the rest of my life was similar to what the Psalmist described in the 23rd Psalm

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You have anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. - Psalm 23:5-6

Fifteen years ago I worked for a company called International Aqua Foods. Every year they gathered all the managers in the company for a weekend management getaway/awards banquet with their significant others. Two days at a resort culminating with dinner/dance, record of performance awards banquet.

It was really cool when I received the invitation in the mail, the banquet was in June at the Tigh Na Mara resort. We drove down island and all the arrangements were made and our place had already been prepared. Everything was paid for. All in all over the years my wife and I attended four of these banquets at places like this, Harrison Hot Springs and Whister. There's nothing better than a free vacation not just because you don't have to pay for it but because it feels so good when someone else decides to pay for you, to invite you and to make all the arrangements on your behalf. Where your room will be, asking you what you want for dinner and deciding where you will sit and at what table. I didn't care if I wasn't going to receive an award or even any accolades I was just happy to be there with my wife and enjoy the atmosphere. 

On this particular midsummer evening I had just raised my first crop of salmon. They were a group of Chinook salmon that we bought from another company as fry. The Chief operating officer of IAF didn't want to grow Chinook because they are slower growing and not as efficient but he agreed to let my boss purchase them because we had a site that wasn't operating and it was better than letting the site sit empty. It was a good deal for us to increase our production but he didn't expect any great results.

Managers from all over North and South America were all gathered together in the banquet hall and the COO was at the podium giving his address. He spoke about the company and key results and then he began to speak about me and the results of my site. I felt uncomfortable but obviously interested to hear what he was going to say.

I need to pause there and give you some background on the people sitting at my table with me. Of course there was my wife and I, my boss and his wife, I think two other site managers and their wives and one other manager that I'm going to call Calvin.

Calvin had some good points about him he was really knowledgeable and experienced. At times he could be a nice guy but every once in a while he would change into a completely different person. His Mr Hyde was a a psychological juggernaught crushing everyone in his path with his rapier wit and cruel tongue. When this personality manifested he was extremely intimidating. Few people ever stood up to him. Some avoided confrontation others felt if they took a stand that  he would bring an accusation against them to the boss and they would be fired. The boss's kids called him "Uncle Calvin"?

I won't bore you with all the details but when I worked for Calvin he had me under his thumb and later when we were peers for some reason he still held a power of intimidation over me until one day when I had a heated confrontation with him. After that we never had another problem. 

You get the idea lets go back to the IAF banquet...

The COO was speaking about me and the crop I had raised, I don't remember his exact words but it seemed to me that he went on for a little bit saying how pleased he was with the Chinook performance, the harvest quality, sales profit and my work. That was a great moment in my career. Great to be commended in front of my wife but that wasn't the greatest moment. That was still to come.

After his speech and all the awards were handed out the COO made his rounds from table to table, shaking hands and speaking to the people at the different tables. And then he came to our table.

"Well done", he said to me and shook my hand. Then smiling he turned to Calvin "Now why couldn't you ever grow fish like that Calvin?!" and then he proceeded to repeatedly and exuberantly slap Calvin on the back laughing "HA HA HA HA!" 

I was on cloud nine basking in the sweetness of an absolutely perfect moment. Poor Calvin his head shaking with every thump on the back looked like he had just eaten a lemon. For me it was a little tiny hint of heaven.

Shaking with fear and excitement

Standing at the edge of my life in this ragged tent 

I'm glad I'll be pushed and won't have to jump

You've covered every expense

You've made all the arrangements

Vindicated basking in the light of the Son

It doesn't matter what I do there

Perfectly and infinitely better 

Like arriving home at a holiday destination