Jonah's Contemplations

Tuned In.

2005-10-22T10:22:00.000-05:00

Using music to focus your
mind and thoughts on God.

Continuing my thoughts from “Garbage In, Garbage Out” I wanted to present something I have found incredibly amazing in keeping my Christian walk focused on God. Most of us have jobs (and I include you stay-at-home moms who have one of the most difficult jobs of all!) and/or go to school and have the many concerns of life on our minds. How many of us go to church on Sunday and crack open our Bibles during the week (you need to do this more often!) and subsequently allow what we have learned and contemplated escape our minds as we trudge through the week?

We are barraged every day, every hour, even every minute (forced to listen to garbage music at work?) with the traps and filth of this world (sex, greed, power, love of money, etc.). How do we fight this? Many ways exist (pray, read God’s Word, etc.), all of which we should do, but I’d like to present one method of which you may not have thought: listening to Christian music.

I discovered contemporary Christian music when I was stationed at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. I used to love to listen to adult hits music, but so much of it is filled with very bad messages. When I found Christian music has artists as good or better than the secular world, I was hooked.

I listen almost exclusively to contemporary Christian music now (Chris Tomlin, Twila Paris, Mercyme, Casting Crowns, Newsboys, Third Day, Steven Curtis Chapman, Matthew West, etc.). A reason exists beyond the fact that I enjoy that particular type of music. For one thing, it’s uplifting; but, beyond that, it causes me to continually think about God throughout the whole day! If I get a song stuck in my head, it’s a song about God! That is invaluable --absolutely invaluable.

Most contemporary Christian music is filled with or exclusively made up of scripture. Well, shoot, what better thing could you fill you mind with than that? I encourage you to think about filling your day with uplifting, Christian music. You will be amazed how different you feel throughout the day (much more positive!) and how much more you focus your thoughts on God and His Kingdom!

Get tuned in!

Garbage In, Garbage Out

2005-10-21T12:56:00.000-05:00

What you read, watch, and listen to
does have an effect on you.

I hear a lot of Christians, especially the 16-26 years old group, espousing the notion that they can listen to whatever they wish, watch whatever they wish, read whatever they wish and visit wherever they wish without it affecting their Christian walk. I say HOGWASH!

It’s ignorant to believe that what you ingest into your mind has no effect on your thoughts and, thus, you’re Christian walk. I was thinking about this the other night when I was in the stupid mood to watch some trash TV (and that’s exactly what I told my wife I was doing) and flipped it to ABC’s Desperate Housewives. Believe me, I don’t make a habit of it, and I certainly don’t advocate it! (I do have my limits. For example, I will NOT watch Boston Legal. That’s some real trash TV!)

Anyway, I made a mental note of what occupied my thoughts after watching that show. Sex. That’s right, good ol’ S-E-X. Now, don’t get me wrong, thinking about sex is not wrong in and of itself in the proper context (and, as long it doesn’t completely preoccupy one’s thoughts to the exclusion of all else). I thought, however, how completely useless and unedifying watching that show was. What else do we occupy our minds with at the expense of thinking about God and His Kingdom!

Paul said everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial. What did he mean by that? Surely we cannot do whatever we wish as Christians. In the Pauline letters we see a clearer picture when we read them as a whole. It is clear from his writings that we are to focus on those things that are pure. He also makes mention of the fact that what may be wrong for one person (Christian) may not be wrong for another. He referred to the examples of not eating certain foods or what day of the week to worship. These minor differences are unimportant to God. What does matter is our relationship with God and our witness to others. Paul did say we must be careful not to cause our brother to stumble (in his Christian walk). We, also, must watch our witness to others.

Let’s, for arguments sake, say these things you watch and read and listen to have no effect on your Christian walk. What do these things say to others, though? Are you causing your brother in Christ to stumble? Are you causing your non-Christian friends to think “Hey, I thought he was a Christian. Well, if Christians can do that . . .”. It’s a dangerous trap.

Jesus called us to be the salt of the earth, but how are we to be the salt if we have lost our saltiness? That’s right, if you don’t taste any different than the world as a Christian, your Christianity is meaningless! Not only do you cause the witness of yourself to be damaged, you bring condemnation on all Christianity because your friends will use you as the yardstick with which to measure ALL Christians!

Yes, what you read, watch and listen to does have an effect on your Christian walk. Not only does it affect your thought life, but it affects your witness to others. Of that, you should be supremely concerned about as a Christian! Make the effort to seriously consider how you will spend your time. The next time you flip on the television, consider how the show or movie could negatively affect your thought life.

Unnatural Nature

2005-10-19T10:48:00.000-05:00

In my post Beginning of Birth Pains, I discuss the relatively recent phenomena of the incredible frequency of intense natural disasters and how it may relate to the Bible (and how some non-Christians are making that connection). Yet again, today, I see on the news another magnitude 5 hurricane (the most powerful) heading towards the State of Florida. The discussion on TV centers on the unprecidented nature of this particular hurricane. Unbelievable! One of the office ladies I work with commented "I think I need to start going back to church!"

If this is part of what Christ described about the end times (and I believe it is), I am thankful God has made it obvious even to those who have not accepted Christ as savior. It opens huge possibilities for each of us, as Christians, to witness (or, merely just casually talk about the Bible) to others with whom we work.

Also, Japan just experienced a 6.2 magnitude earthquake. Japan has experienced earthquakes for a very long time, so that's not unusual. What is unusual is the frequency of them in relation to all else that is happening in the world. It just keeps coming and coming. Even the media has finally picked up on this (the unusual frequency and intensity of natural disasters).

I believe God is giving us Christians an incredible opportunity to witness to others. I pray God will give me the courage and wisdom to do this.

Speaking of focusing . . .

2005-10-13T12:50:00.000-05:00

Finding our pleasure in God.

Speaking of focusing on the important issues of life, I have a real problem with focusing. I don't have a problem with not focusing. I have a problem of concentrating on something so thoroughly that I nearly drown out all else.

This is the bane of wives and girlfriends. Men can become completely embroiled in one task -- both a strength and weakness at the same time. When I find something that interests me, I lock onto it like a vice. Whether it be some engaging television program or my latest favorite strategy game, my focus becomes so narrow as to block all else out.

What I don't understand is why I cannot use this amazing "power" to read the Word of God and focus my time and energy on what is supremely important. [see Focus my Christian walk] When I actually do take the time to read the Bible, I enjoy it immensely, usually devouring several chapters at a time. Why don't I do it more often?

For some reason, I think I am conditioned to think reading the Bible will be boring and tedious and I will be unable to understand it. A lot of it may also have to do with my own selfishness. I am VERY "jealous" of my own time. My current job swallows approximately 60 hours of my week. Add time to change once I get home, eat, spend some time with the wife and kids, take care of things that need to be taken care of, and sleeping = not much "me" time. So, what do I do? Engage in activities I think will bring me relaxation and/or pleasure.

What am I really doing, though? Filling my time with insignificant time-zapping endeavors which are meaningless. Having fun with life is not wrong in and of itself. It's when we fill our time with those things to the exclusion of our time with God that it becomes wrong and, ultimtately, self-defeating.

God wants us to find our ultimate joy and pleasure in Him. Surely, knowing God is pleasurable, stress-relieving, and wonderful. Why do we find it so difficult to take this to heart? I mean, truly love Him as He has asked us to? We are to love Him with all our heart, mind, and soul. Wow! How many of us really do that? I know if I am to be truly honest, I would say I do not.

Oh, I love God. Don't get me wrong. How could I not? I am forever and irrevocably indebted to Him. My only response to His outpouring of love and grace can be to love Him in return. How many of us, however, treat the Lord as some kind of spouse we have married for so many years we take Him for granted? Yup, I'm safe and secure. He still loves me. *Christian kicks back in the lazy boy and stretches his feet out on the coffee table of life.*

Wake up! Examine your life. Examine your walk with the Lord. Consider how much He loves you and wishes for you to know Him --really know Him. Oh, to have a relationship with God as some of the greats of the Bible did. Would that not be truly wonderful? The truth of the matter is, YOU CAN!

Oh, Lord, help me to know you more. No. Not help. Cause me* to know you more. Cause me to do your will. Cause me to yearn for your spirit. Cause me to desire to read your Word. Lord, I yearn for you.

Praise the Lord!

*David of the Old Testament used "cause me" prayers.

Focus My Christian Walk

2005-10-12T13:21:00.000-05:00

Using my blog to focus my thoughts
on the things that matter.

My initial inclination was to post whatever came across my mind as interesting, especially political observations. As I thought about it, however, I realized: not only would my blog not have a particular focus, but I would not be using it to its fullest potential.

I remember an illustration I heard in Sunday School (excuse me: Adult Bible Fellowship). Consider a medium sized clear jug. Someone places as many large rubber balls in it as he can manage, all the way to the top and asks, "Is it full?" "Yes. It sure is!"

He collects some smaller super balls and begins placing them in the jug. They begin to fall to the bottom and taking up more room. "Is it full now?" "Definitely!".

He collects some marbles and pours them in to take up even more room. "How about now?" No one wishes to answer. They're not sure now.

Now the teacher collects some peas and fills in more space. Finally, he pours sand into the container. "Is it full now? . . . Yes, it's quite full."

The teacher asks his students to consider their lives like this jug. The large rubber balls represent the very important things in life: God, family, church, etc. The super balls represent semi-important things like job, career, food, clothing, shelter, etc. The marbles represent the nice things in life: hobbies, enjoying nature, etc. The peas are even less important and the sand represents the insignificant things in life.

What would happen if you started with the sand? Would there be room for anything else?

Wow . . . think about that!

So, I hope I can use this blog to help me focus my life on the important things in life, namely, God.

The West Michigan Economy

2005-10-10T17:58:00.000-05:00

The question of what God
would have me do with my life.

A big part of the reason I say I am still seeking the will of God in my life has to do with my current job.

I sell automobiles. Actually, a more apt description would be I don't sell automobiles. I remember a conversation I had over two years ago with a friend of mine who used to work at the same dealership. A little more than one year after September 11, the West Michigan economy tanked. We surmised it would take at least five years for the economy to recover.

Wow, were we wrong! At the time, we really didn't know how much of the downturn was due to the September 11 tragedy and how much was actually due to a shift in the economy (which was the main focus of our discussion). Michigan is an old industrial state. Most may know it as the automobile capital of the world. That's no longer the case.

For several years, Michigan has seen industry after industry close up shop and, either just disappear forever, or move out of the country. Over the past two years, I hardly think a fiscal quarter has gone by without some big employer in the state closing up or announcing HUGE layoffs. It has had an absolutely disastrous effect on Michigan. Just today, first page headline is the announcement of Delphi (HUGE General Motors parts supplier) filing for bankruptcy and contemplating 50% pay reductions. Ouch!

The backbone of the Michigan economy has been the rock solid blue collar industry worker who makes $40,000 to $75,000 per year. Those were the consumers who bought boats, motorcycles, cottages, vacations, home additions, and (most importantly for me) cars. Sure, I sell cars to doctors, lawyers, and business owners; but they're not the main buyers (i.e. not enough of them to sustain the industry!). What's happened?

All those high-paying semi-skilled jobs have disappeared from Michigan. Gone. Forever. Pick up the job section of the local Sunday paper and you'll see the economy has irrevocably transformed into the service industry. What types of jobs are prominent? Medical! Retail, marketing, banking, insurance, sales, truck driving, office work, etc. Yes, there are still some factory jobs, but they're of the $9 per hour, supremely boring, can't-support-the-family variety.

My job selling Volkswagens (as cool as VW's are) was never meant as a career. Believe me, selling automobiles is not my life's ambition. Car salesmen are regarded merely one notch above lawyers, and I'm not the salesman type. I don't have a salesman bone in my body.

"Hello. May I get you some information?"
"No. I'm just looking."
"Ok, thank you."
Exit stage right.

Honorably discharged from the Air Force in 2000, I needed a job right away. Voi la: sales. No experience necessary! All right! Sign me up. Yeah, well, I'd rather be doing something else.

My dream is to become a teacher. Guess what? Because of Michigan's economy, schools are having huge budget problems. What does that mean? LOTS of highly qualified teachers flooding the market (Michigan) because of pink slips. In other words, no chance I would ever get a job as a teacher in Michigan! Fun.

So, I'm at crossroads. Does God want me to be a salesman for the rest of my life, somehow touching the myriad lives I may meet along the way? Has God put the desire (and ability) to teach inside me in a State with a glut of teachers so that I'll move to someplace he really needs me? I just don't know. I HAVE NO IDEA!

Lord, please show me what your will for my life is. Please, I pray!

Jay Leno

2005-10-10T17:02:00.000-05:00

I love Jay Leno. I know some people really can't stand the guy, especially die hard David Letterman fans, but I really think he has some fun material and great delivery. Even when he's slamming conservatives, I enjoy his stuff.

Anyway, I came across this one:

Jay Leno, on Hurricane Rita:

"It's like the ninth hurricane this season ... you know; maybe this was not a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance"

Some other fun ones:

"President Bush's top advisor Karl Rove is testifying before the grand jury for the fourth time this week. Maybe Bush should nominate him for Supreme Court. He's been in more courtrooms than Harriet Miers now. "

"Oil is under $60 a barrel and do you know what that means for the American consumer? Nothing."

NBC's "Tonight Show" with Jay Leno

"All these are the beginning of birth pains."

2005-10-10T13:31:00.000-05:00

At work last Friday, one of the managers and I were catching a clip about the news of the large earthquake in Asia. His comment was something to the effect, "Geez. Like we need another natural disaster."

His comment really struck me, not because I thought it was a particularly astute observation, but that a non-Christian made such a comment. Everyone has noticed the incidence of natural disasters, but he had said in such a way as to imply "this isn't normal". The prevailing thought in evangelical circles is that we're in the end times and the frequency of these natural disasters is merely one more indication of this.

Are most people beginning to contemplate how incredibly extraordinary these disasters are, not only in frequency but intensity? The earthquake in India. The tsunami. The hurricanes in the southern US. The earthquake in Pakistan. Is this particularly unusual or is it merely an illusion brought about by the incredible access to instant news we have today?

Rush Limbaugh likes to point out that every generation's perception is merely based on their liftime of experiences. Every generation seems to think things happening now were never like that in the past. How true is this? Climatologists will explain to you that climate change on earth is natural and comes in cycles. The frequency of natural disasters ebbs and flows.

I'm sure people thought the end was near when the Bubonic Plague swept Europe. What about the flu that overcame the world in 1918? Surely the end seemed near.

Then there's the matter of evil in the world. Jesus said when the end is near, it will be like it was in the days of Noah --rampant wickedness. But, doesn't every generation of seasoned citizens believe the newest generation is made up of heathens? How do you reconcile our limited perceptions with the words of Jesus?

Jesus told us just as we know summer is approaching when we see the leaves on a fig tree, so shall we know the end is near. One "small" item in prophecy that stands out to me that is different than any time in the past is the existance of Israel as a nation. I believe this, above all else, should clue us in that all the other events surrounding the existance of Israel should tell us we are viewing the end times.

We live in exciting times.

*The title quote is found in Mathew 24:8 and are the words of Jesus.

Why the name Jonah?

2005-10-07T14:57:00.000-05:00

I seek the will of God, but I find it so difficult to answer his call. I'm struggling to find what God would have me do in life. Jonah fled from God (well, he tried to) to get away from what God asked of him.

God had to use his mighty power to 'persuade' Jonah to do what God had asked of him. Jonah finally had no doubt what God's will was for him.

So, I choose the name Jonah, because I too, like Jonah, feel I am running from God and wish He would simply and finally force me to do (unequivocally make known to me) His will for me in my life.

The story of Jonah.

I'm blogging!

2005-10-07T13:06:00.000-05:00

Blog? What's that? I just discovered this craze relatively recently. Wierd.

I finally took the plunge and decided to start a blog.

"Everyone's doing it."

Well, maybe. I wasn't. Now, I am.

I hesitated to start a blog because I didn't really know what to talk about. Everyone has something to talk about. Don't they? I finally decided I had some things I'd like to talk about. If no one listens it'll just be like my own personal journal.

Ok, not so personal. But, if someone reads it, fine. If not, fine too.

And so it begins . . .

I'm a Christian.

2005-10-07T12:57:00.000-05:00

What do I mean?

" 9 For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved." --Romans 3*

" 8 God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."
--Ephesians 2*

The plan of salvation through Jesus Christ is simple for those who will accept it by faith. I believe in the inerrant Word of God. From the Apostles' Creed:

"I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:

Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.

The third day He arose again from the dead.

He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the kingdom of God**,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and life everlasting."

Praise God.

This is the world view from which I will be posting here.

**Original states: "the holy catholic church". The word "catholic" refers not to the Roman Catholic Church, but to the universal church of the Lord Jesus Christ.