Clare De Graaf's Blog, page 11

Moving Beyond the Weather

Tonight is New Years Eve and tomorrow, more food, drinks and perhaps watching sports. And of course, the conversations with family and friends, some of whom you know well and enjoy and others – well, not so much.

If you believe you are Jesus’ surrogate – his stand-in in this life, and in your family, there are conversations he wants you to have tonight and tomorrow that go beyond talking about the weather. (or sports, politics, etc.) So how might Christians better prepare themselves for these redemptive relationship opportunities?

What Gift Does Jesus Want From You This Christmas?

That Christmas is a season of giving gifts, goes without saying. But have you ever asked yourself or others this question;

What gift does Jesus want from me (or you) this Christmas?

The first thing that popped into my mind was an automatic and trivial response like, “He wants my heart, or my gratitude.” Sure. Of course he does. “But Clare, think about that for just five minutes. You can do better than that,” the Holy Spirit impressed on me. We spend hours choosing presents for family and close friends. (Well, maybe guys don’t. But we should!) So, how about dedicating just a half hour of time alone with God today, to answer that question. Let me frame my question above, differently.

If Jesus was sitting right in front of you and you asked him, “What would you like from me for Christmas?,” what kinds of things might he suggest?

In God We Trust – Really?

The other day, I heard a Christian radio talk show host repeat our national motto, “In God we trust.” She said it as if it were true. I only wish.

I think God would be shocked to think that our nation, or even a majority of our nation, truly believes that. But before you begin thinking I’m some kind of closet liberal or that this may be true of all the non-Christians in America, but not of evangelicals, think again. I believe most people who call themselves evangelicals don’t actually live out, “In God we trust.”

I Only Believe in Capital Punishment, The Way God Does

A few weeks ago, I got into a discussion with some young Christians who said they didn’t believe in the death penalty. “But do you believe God believes in the death penalty?” I asked.

Well, there was some debate on that. They thought God did believe in it, but Jesus didn’t largely because of the story of the woman caught in adultery. “I’m not sure how to take that.” I said, “I always thought Jesus was God, don’t you? Do you think the Son and the Father have a disagreement over this issue?” They weren’t ready to go there, so of course they wanted to know what I thought.

I don’t believe in the death penalty as it’s enforced in the U.S. currently. But, I actually believe in the death penalty, if we applied it with the safeguards God provided. And here’s why;

A Common Sense Argument Against Human Evolution

Years ago, I was listening to an interview on NPR that startled me. The man being interviewed was the Director of The Center for Compassion and Altruism in California. (By the way, Altruism is the unselfish concern for others. And I have no memory of the interviewee.) The rest of this blog is my best recollection of this interview.

“I became a Christian after studying altruism,” he said. That got my attention! He went on to say, “I believe Darwin and evolutionary science are largely correct in the animal and natural world, but I believe they are wrong regarding humans. And here’s why.”

When You Just Can’t Pray

I’ve had times when I’ve been so tired, angry or discouraged that I either couldn’t pray or it just felt hypocritical to do so.

Sometimes the source of my spiritual dryness is obvious to me. It’s either sin in my life that I self-righteously thought I have a right to commit because someone hurt me deeply. Other times I’ve been disappointed with God, and just didn’t see the point of asking him for anything, just then.

I can’t be the only one who holds back on spending time with God because “prayer just isn’t working for me.”

So, I thought it might be helpful to share how God enabled me and will enable you to move forward, even when we don’t feel like praying.

Are Christians Supposed to be Communists?

Edited from a published article by David Bentley Hart

It was in 1983 that I heard the distinguished Greek Orthodox historian Aristeides Papadakis casually remark in a lecture at the University of Maryland that the earliest Christians were “communists.” In those days, the Cold War was still casting its great glacial shadow across the cultural landscape, and so enough of a murmur of consternation rippled through the room that Professor Papadakis — who always spoke with severe precision — felt obliged to explain that he meant this in the barest technical sense: New Testament Christians lived a common life and voluntarily enjoyed a community of possessions. The murmur subsided, but his comments triggered a lively debate and caused great discomfort.

Not that anyone should have been surprised. If the communism of the apostolic church is a secret, it is a startlingly open one. Vaguer terms like “communalist” or “communitarian” might make the facts sound more palatable but cannot change them. The New Testament’s Book of Acts tells us that in Jerusalem the first converts to the proclamation of the risen Christ affirmed their new faith by living in a single dwelling, selling their fixed holdings, redistributing their wealth “as each needed” and owning all possessions communally. This was, after all, a pattern Jesus himself had established: “Each of you who does not give up all he possesses is incapable of being my disciple” (Luke 14:33).

What Does the Phrase “Word of God” Actually Mean?

Evangelicals love the phrase “word of God” and when we use it, the most common meaning is the Bible. The Bible is the word of God. That’s true, but the real meaning is so much richer than a book.

Why is understanding this so important? Because many younger evangelicals are drifting away from the Old Testament as an authoritative voice in their life and are embracing Jesus teachings alone as their “word of God.” As spiritual mentors we’ll need to remind them that for roughly 3,500 years all scripture has been the word of God.

So, when Christians use that term, we mean;

Would You Want Your Children to be as Spiritual as Your Friends?

Decades ago, before Jesus upended my life with his love and called me to follow him, I lived pretty much like all our Christian friends. We all went to church, believed the same doctrines, sent our kids to Christian schools – we were Christians – cultural Christians.

But, when I pledged my highest allegiance to Jesus, the blinders came off. I immediately saw that my language, the jokes I told, how I talked about women, the gossip that I passed on so effortless – all that was sin and needed to stop. Here’s the verse that change my life.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”  2 Corinthians 5:17

If I was in fact a new creation then the “old” had to die and the “new” had to come. The actual “dying” and “coming” does come automatically. But the desire – wanting to die to sin did! The Holy Spirit created that desire in me for a new personal holiness.

As I began living that out, some of my Christian friends didn’t know what to do with me. I’d pray in my car before a golf game, “Holy Spirit, help me to get through this game without a single vulgar word, comment or joke.” And, to my shock, he did!

Some friends slowly drifted away. I don’t know if I was just obnoxious to them, or I thought I was better than them and they felt that. But one incident changed how I think about spiritual friendship.

How Many Times Do I Have to Repent?

A few weeks ago, I met with a passionate young Christian man, on fire for God but still unsure of his salvation. He was raised Catholic but hadn’t gone to confession in years and that guilt was starting to get to him.

“How many times do I have to repent to be truly forgiven?” was near the top of his list of questions. “Once,” I told him. “But then why are we commanded to confess to God and ask forgiveness when we sin,” was his wonderful follow-up question. Here’s how I answered him;