John Bondhus

   In recent weeks I have struggled with figuring out how I should respond to the actions taken on immigration in May. Below are my thoughts and struggles with what is happening and our response as faithful Christians. My words are not a diagnosis of the practical world implications, but rather a direct response to an abuse of scripture. What we are witnessing is so much more troubling than this post could even encapsulate and so I chose to stick close to what scripture has to offer us. 

   Last month, the Trump Administration and Attorney General Jeff Sessions introduced a “zero tolerance” policy which has resulted in the separation of children from their parents as they cross the Mexico-American border. The administration has said that we must have strong border control laws in place and have enacted new policy to take a stronger position on border policy. Earlier this week, Jeff Sessions used a passage from Romans 13 to justify their decision and the President has continued to push his narrative that they are simply enforcing the law written by Democrats and that he really doesn’t want to do this to these people. We must ask ourselves a few things tonight. 1)Are these statements true? 2)What are the moral, ethical, and spiritual implications?  3)How should we respond? Let us begin with question 1.

1)Are these statements true?    Of course, the laws of any country are extremely complicated and challenging to read and analyze. There are rules written in one part of the law that is reliant upon rules from another part of the law before they can be implemented, let alone understood. At this point in our history, there are no laws that stipulate that children should be separated from their parents as they enter the US illegally. In fact, the long-standing policy of the justice department had been that those entering the country illegally for the first time would be charged with a misdemeanor offense. The new actions have come directly from the “zero tolerance policy”, that was implemented in May of 2018. This policy over the past 6 weeks has resulted in nearly 2,000 children being separated from their parents, including a nursing infant who was taken from their mother while she was nursing them. (https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/12/us/immigration-separated-children-southern-border/index.html) We have seen a former Walmart being converted into a detention facility. Now there are talks of setting up a tent city in the Texas Desert to house more children, where temperatures regularly reach 100 degrees or more. Though there have been past administrations that housed children in less than desirable spaces, this is the only time in US history where we have seen some actively separating children from their parents in such horrific fashion.

2)What are the moral, ethical, and spiritual implications?    This week we saw the Attorney General use scripture to support and defend these horrible and inhumane actions. There are many problems with this, none greater than cherry picking a single sentence out its larger context. The bible is a complicated and deep text that requires the utmost care when reading the words that it holds. It is this kind of blatant miss interpretation that led to the Nazi party convincing the churches in helping spread their message of hate, or the slave owners in the US justifying their human property, or more recently the hatred in the US of those who are LGBTQ. When we misuse and mistreat the holy scriptures to meet our own ends, we make a mockery of all that Jesus came to do in his ministry.

   When using Romans 13 to say that the people should follow any and all law that a country enacts, we miss the very nature of God’s relation to people. Cherry picking this passage overlooks much of scriptures theme of love and caring for the poor and the needy, who in this case are our neighbors to the south. Romans 12-16 continually repeat’s this directive that Christian people are to show great hospitality and love. This passage that was quoted is surrounded by passages that speak about love and having a love for others. It is extremely dangerous when we take a single sentence and make it fit whatever we want it to fit. For instance, we all believe that murder is wrong, well what if we were to have a law put into place that the government could execute anyone who speaks against them? As Christians, are we expected to simply say that this is what Gods will is? Are we supposed to submit to that? What if the government made a law that said that one day out of the year you were legally allowed to commit any crime that you want? Would that be ethical from the Christian perspective?

   Take into account that in Acts 5 the writer says "But Peter and the apostles answered and said, We must obey God rather than men.” It is true that we are to follow the rules and laws of our society, but we are not supposed to simply accept them blindly and we are not to follow them if they go directly against what God’s law says. So what does God say about immigrant families? (Below are the passages of scripture that reference immigrants and refugees. Look over them and I encourage you to go and read them in their context as well.)

Genesis 12:1 – The call of Abram:  “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.”

Genesis 12:10 – “Now there was a famine in the land.  So Abram went down to Egypt to reside there as an alien, for the famine was severe in the land.”

Genesis 19 – Lot takes his family and flees Sodom.

Genesis 23 – Abraham is a stranger and an alien in the land of Canaan.

Genesis 46:1-7 – Jacob moves his family to Egypt to escape the famine and reunite with Joseph.

Genesis 47: 1-6 – Joseph brings his brothers to Pharaoh and they are welcomed and given jobs.

Exodus 1:8-14 – Joseph’s generation is gone, and the Egyptians oppress the Israelites.  “Therefore they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor.”

Exodus 1:15-2:10 – Pharaoh orders all the Hebrew boy babies to be killed, but Moses is hidden and is saved by Pharaoh’s daughter.

Exodus 12:37-39 – The Israelites were driven out of Egypt so fast they had no time to make provisions and had to bake unleavened cakes of bread.

Exodus 12:49 and Leviticus 24:22 – “There shall be one law for the native and for the alien who resides among you.”

Exodus 22:21 – Moses gives God’s law:  “You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien; for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.”

Leviticus 19:9-10 and 23:22 – Moses gives God’s law:  “You shall not strip your vineyards bare…leave them for the poor and the alien.”

Leviticus 19:33-34 and 24:22 – When the alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien.  The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt:  I am the Lord your God.”

Leviticus 24:23 – Moses receives God’s law:  “With me you are but aliens and tenants.”

Numbers 9:14 and 15:15-16 – “…you shall have one statute for both the resident alien and the native.”

Numbers 35 and Joshua 20 – The Lord instructs Moses to give cities of refuge to the Levites so that when the Israelites must flee into Canaan they may have cities of refuge given to them.

Deuteronomy 1:16 – “Give the members of your community a fair hearing, and judge rightly between one person and another, whether citizen or resident alien.”

Deuteronomy 6:10-13 – The people of Israel are made aware that the land had come to them as a gift from God and they were to remember that they were once aliens.

Deuteronomy 10:18-19 – “For the Lord your God...loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing.  You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”

Deuteronomy 14:28-29 and 26:12-13 – Tithing was begun, in part, for resident aliens.

Deuteronomy 24:14   – “You shall not withhold the wages of poor and needy laborers, whether other Israelites or aliens who reside in your land...”

Deuteronomy 24:17-18 – “You shall not deprive a resident alien...of justice.”

Deuteronomy 24:19-22 – Leave sheaf, olives, grapes for the alien.

Deuteronomy 26:5 – A wandering Aramean was my ancestor…

Deuteronomy 27:19 – “Cursed be anyone who deprives the alien…of justice.”

I Chronicles 22:1-2 – Aliens were important in building the temple.

I Chronicles 29:14-15 – David praises God:  “We are aliens and transients before you…”

II Chronicles 2:17-18 – Solomon took a census of all the aliens and assigned them work.

Psalm 105 – Remembering their sojourn:  “When they were few in number, of little account, and strangers in it, wandering from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people,...”

Psalm 137:1-6 – “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept…How could we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?”

Psalm 146:9 – “The Lord watches over the strangers…”

Ecclesiastes 4:1 – “Look, the tears of the oppressed—with no one to comfort them.”

Isaiah 16:4 – Be a refuge to the outcasts of Moab.

Jeremiah 7:5-7 – “If you do not oppress the alien…then I will dwell with you in this place…”

Jeremiah 22:3-5 – Do no wrong or violence to the alien.

Ezekiel 47:21-22 – The aliens shall be to you as citizens, and shall also be allotted an inheritance.

Zechariah 7:8-10 – Do no oppress the alien.

Malachi 3:5 – The messenger will bear witness against those who thrust aside the alien.

Matthew 2:13-15 – Jesus and parents flee Herod’s search for the child.

Matthew 5:10-11 –“Blessed are those who are persecuted.”

Matthew 25:31-46 – “…I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”

Luke 3:11 – “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none…”

Luke 4:16-21 – “…Bring good news to the poor…release to the captives…sight to the blind...let the oppressed go free.”

Romans 12:13 – “Mark of the true Christian: “…Extend hospitality to strangers…”

II Corinthians 8:13-15 – “It is a question of a fair balance between your present abundance and their need…”

Ephesians 2:11-22 – “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God.”

Hebrews 11 – “By faith Abraham…set out for a place…not knowing where he was going.”

Hebrews 13:1-2 – “…show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels…”

James 2:5 – “Has not God chosen the poor in the world…”

James 2:14-17 – “What good is it…if you say you have faith but do not have works?”

I John 3:18 – “…Let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.”

I John 4:7-21 – “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God…”  We love because God first loved us.”

   Time and time again the Bible shows us immigrants/refugees and gives us the directive to love them because God has loved us first. The very nature of God is love and therefore our nature needs to be the same. The policy enacted in May is not loving and therefore is not Christian. It is one thing to say that we are going to enact policy based on our human wishes, but the Attorney General crossed a line by saying that God’s holy word would endorse such a selfish action. The Apostle Paul says that “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord...Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” He also says that “Love does no wrong to a neighbor.” We are to love without condition and show hospitality to any and all persons who are seeking a safe place to call home. That is our call and our mission. 

3)How should we respond?

   Scripture is clear that we are to be respectful of the authorities of this world, but it is also far more clear that we are to follow God’s law above any worldly law. In Acts 5, as stated at the beginning of this post, Paul makes it clear to Peter that we are to obey God instead of mankind. There is nothing inherently immoral or wrong with having a process and procedure for admitting entrance for those seeking asylum, but we also have a moral obligation to care for those who are in need. Jesus says that we love God and love our neighbor. The Bible does not leave room for us to interpret who we think our neighbors are but rather states that our neighbor is every person living in this world. Today the President said “The United States will not be a migrant camp and it will not be a refugee holding facility, it won’t be. You look at what’s happening in Europe, you look at what’s happening in other places, we can’t allow that to happen to the United States, not on my watch.” This kind of rhetoric completely misses the point of Christianity and our call as believers of Jesus to care for those who have no voice of their own. 

This week our nation was witness to yet another horrendous act of violence in a school. The shooting in Parkland Fl was the 30th mass shooting of 2018. That means that within the first month and a half we have had a mass shooting almost every day. This breaks my heart as I am sure that it breaks the hearts of all Americans. 

What is truly sad about this event, aside from the loss of life and the tearing apart of families, is just how routine this has become. What scares me is that this happens so often that the news cycle will simply move on from this shooting and it will be lost to the records of history. Simply becoming yet another statistic along our journey as a nation. What is also sad is how quickly politics plays a role. Let's be clear, both parties play politics. They may accuse the other of doing it while absolving themselves, but they both do. 

The story goes like this. A shooting happens and the Democrats begin to say that we need stricter gun laws while the Republicans say this is not the right time to talk about gun regulations or that it has nothing to do with guns and is simply about bad mental health issues. Both parties are right and they are wrong. I do agree that the problem is not fully about guns, but it is also about guns. I also agree that the issue is about mental health, but it is not that simple either. What we need to see is a conversation around addressing the issue as a whole, because in reality, it is about both mental health and guns. 

I want to also make clear that some of the mass shootings we have seen in our country are about both mental health and guns while with some mental health plays a bigger role and others guns play a bigger role. It is important that we can see this issue for what it truly is. Complex. So, what kind of response can we have? 

As a pastor, I must first rely on the scripture that has formed and shaped my life. As a Christian, I must rely on the teachings of Christ to inform my perspective. So what can we find in scripture that might better inform our perspective and help us to advance towards practical solutions in this world? 

Micah 4:1-4 shares a prophetic dream in which all persons are living in peace and where they will beat their swords into plowshares and war no more. Violence, all too often, is driven by fear and self-protection. We don’t want someone else to harm us or our loved ones and so we perpetuate a societal norm of violence. As a society, we can’t break free of this destruction because we are unwilling to move beyond our own fear and put down our own weapon. 

I also think about the fact that Jesus calls us to be peacemakers. In Jesus’ sermon on the mount, he begins by listing those who will be blessed. The ones that are listed are the ones that are persecuted, not the ones who take up arms in self-protection. Jesus understood that a movement based on violence could not survive and he realized that the world could not be changed from violence through more acts of violence. Guns do nothing but promote more violence. Whether it be for hunting purposes, protection, or for killing other humans, these are all violent acts. They are a construct of a broken world and need to be controlled or even thrown out if God’s vision in Micah 4 is to be realized. 

If you have read this far I am assuming that you either really like what you have heard, have checked out, or may be extremely angry at this point. For those who may be extremely angry, you may be saying, “well what about the crazy man”? I believe that this is a very fair question. There are many levels of brokenness in our world. Mental health is certainly a part of that brokenness and there are many who struggle greatly with anger because of disease. 

The first thing that I want to say is that it is not acceptable to simply say that mental health was the cause of all of the mass shootings that we have seen over the years. That will simply not hold up to any good litmus test. Not all acts of violence are the result of mental illness, but some are. So how do we respond from a theological perspective? 

First of all, since we are Christians or Christ-followers. I believe that we should start with the fact that Jesus cared deeply for those who struggled with disease and illness and went out of his way to provide healing and relief for them. He had compassion on those who struggled as a result of the suffering in this world. As the UMC says in its statement on mental illness, “Our model is Jesus, who calls us to an ethic of love toward all. As Jesus proclaimed the reign of God, his words and proclamations were accompanied by "healing every disease and every sickness" (Matthew 9:35). Jesus had compassion and healed those besieged by mental illness, many of whom had been despised, rejected, persecuted and feared by their community.” 

We must do more to protect and care for those who are struggling with mental illness and not allow for them to become those pushed to the fringes of society. We must be nurturing and loving to all of God’s children. It is our responsibility to be the hands and feet of Jesus in this world and that requires that we don't wait for another horrible attack, but begin making changes now. 

There is not much that I can say on this today other than the fact that I am sad that so many of my Evangelical brothers and sisters have lost their way. They have seemed to forget that we are called to love our neighbor. They seem to forget that we are here to build the Kingdom of God. We are not here for our own material wealth, our own political gain, but we are here to simply serve God by loving our neighbor. That is why I am grateful for these profound voices that are speaking the truth of Christs Gospel in the halls of our US Senate. I am grateful for those who placed themselves on the line and even were arrested in order that the truth is heard. I am saddened that so many have forgotten our call to stand by and protect the most vulnerable in our world. Jesus says in Matthew 25 "Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’...‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'" This tax plan will hurt the most vulnerable in our society. Simply looking at the new brackets and we see an increase in the amount that the lower class will pay in taxes, while the wealthiest are afforded massive tax decreases. We see that within ten years the middle class is going to be paying more in taxes then we do today, while the rich will continue to see their tax burden lessened. We have heard from many in the business world that they plan to use this sudden influx of cash to pay back stockholders. Trickle down has been tried and failed before. It will fail again. I can only hope that reason and compassion prevail before those who need help most are hurt further.

I want to thank Sojourners Magazine for their continued amazing work and encourage them to continue sharing the good news of Jesus in profound ways. Click the link below to see their video from yesterday and make sure to check out others that they post.  

This Monday between 1:30 and 3:15 myself and my wife were able to witness this incredible moment of the solar eclipse. It was such an amazing thing to see because it was a perfect example of how small we truly are. It reminded me of all the work that God is doing not just on our planet, but also around this vast and extraordinary place we call the universe. 

As I was thinking about my place in the universe I wondered, as many have before me, what difference would it make for God if I was doing what I was doing? Wouldn’t there be someone else who would have been placed where I am? What makes me special? This God who created the whole universe, who made this stars align just the way they are and created the moon and our solar system to move in such perfect harmony, why would this God need me? 

As I began to think about this more, I realized that God has no need for me or for any of us. In Exodus 3, when Moses is speaking to God at the burning bush, he is clearly struggling with this same question of why God chose him. Why God gave him the hugely important task of leading the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses is struggling not because he doesn’t believe in God, but because he is concerned that the people won't believe him. He asks both why he is the one that was picked for this task and what he should say. I believe that these feelings are some that all of us believers can relate to. I know that I certainly can relate to them as well. It is difficult to understand how we are expected to share the good news that God has shared with us. It is difficult to grasp how the God of all this universe that was on full display for us this week could even begin to use us. You can feel that tension and ultimately fear within the words of Moses. 

Having spent a great amount of my life thinking about my calling and purpose in this life, I know that I can relate to Moses well. The most difficult thing to believe for many people of faith is that we all have a role. It doesn’t matter how many times we have heard it on Sunday morning, it is still a challenge to internalize. I imagine that this is the tension that Moses is feeling in his heart at the time of the burning bush. He is about to embark upon the most difficult task he would face, up to that point in life. It is the response of God that I love the most because it is so simple and yet so deep and meaningful. God responds to the tensions within Moses' heart by saying first that he will be with him and second that he is “I am who I am”. The Hebrew word for “I am” is haw-yaw or Hayah. The word is an early form of the verb “to be”. It is weird to see God describe God’s self, using a verb instead of a noun, like YHWH. I believe this second statement to be both simple and yet elegant. For God to simply say “I am who I am” bring’s such depth and meaning to who God is in our lives. God is everything. God is the universe around us, our friends and our neighbors, our very souls. God is beyond us and yet very much a part of who we are. God is not simply one thing but is rather everything. This expression places the focus of God’s name on what God is going to do for Israel and I think it could be used in a similar way for what God can and will do for us faithful believers today. 

The world is a bit of a jumbled mess, there is certainly no doubt about this. The threat of terrorism is very real and the people who are working to commit these atrocities are certainly motivated. As a result, we have seen a huge emphasis on increased military protection, bigger and stronger defense systems, and an increased focus on “strength” and “power”. 

The main driving force for all of these efforts is simply fear, fear of others, fear of the unknown, or fear for our own safety. I would argue that fear is not always a bad thing, but it seems to have taken hold of our society, preventing us from focusing on more pressing issues. 

So we will ask ourselves what the solution may be? Some solutions that have been presented are building a huge barrier between us and others (think a border wall), or more spending on the military, or simply the extermination of our enemies from the planet. Though these solutions may be enticing to some, it is difficult as a pastor to hear so many of my faith passionately speak about how we can isolate ourselves from others or simply find ways to remove them from this world. 

Today I had the wonderful opportunity to simply listen in to some music while on my way to a meeting. I decided that it was a Bob Dylan kind of day and I opened my Spotify app and began playing Dylan’s album entitled The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. On this album, Dylan plays a song called Masters of War. The song is a scathing critique of the US Military and the military industrial complex during the height of the Vietnam War, prior to the entrance of the US in the conflict. 

(As a disclaimer, this song is extremely harsh in many ways, but it also speaks a great truth that we must be able to wrestle with as well. Stick with me and you will see what I mean.)

There is so much that you could dissect throughout this song, and there is simply not going to be enough space in this post to even begin to analyze it all so I will try to be brief. 

The song begins by calling out and getting the attention of those “Masters of War”. Dylan challenges the authorities of this military complex by saying that you can build all your machines of war, but I can still see through your mask. I believe that this is important because in so many ways we have been sold a lie. The lie is that this world is so far gone that the only way to survive is to have the biggest and best military and as a result, we all must put on our masks of over zealous patriotism and live blindly within the lie. 

Now before I continue I do want to make note that there is nothing wrong with supporting the military. This world is a dangerous place and the military is an unfortunate necessity, but I do believe we have reached a point where it has gotten out of control, this coming from an individual that has had many family members in the military and one still currently serving with distinction. Take for instance this picture. 

This graphic shows how much money we spend in military expenses compared to the next closest eight countries. There have even been talks about increasing this spending to over 640 billion dollars in next years budget. That is an outrageous amount when we consider how many people go hungry within our borders every year. It is absolutely not necessary, but this is the basis for the lie we have been sold. 

Coming back to Dylans song he continues with one of the most powerful lines in any song ever. 

“You that never done nothin' But build to destroy You play with my world Like it's your little toy You put a gun in my hand And you hide from my eyes And you turn and run farther When the fast bullets fly.”

The powerful in our society have built this lie and reaped the rewards of our continued wasteful spending. They have seen their pockets lined, while our young go off and die. 

Masters of War continues to show the destructive nature of this lie that we have been sold. A lie that many Christians seem to care more about than some of the more pressing issues today. And a lie they seem more willing to defend than the creation that we have been tasked with being stewards of. 

Dylan, in all his bluntness, throws out this next passage that I think should ruffle feathers, but also help us as believers to strongly consider where we place our energy and time. 

“How much do I know To talk out of turn You might say that I'm young You might say I'm unlearned But there's one thing I know Though I'm younger than you That even Jesus would never Forgive what you do.”

Now as a Pastor I would say that this is far harsher than is necessary, but let's consider how Jesus responded to those who were not so willing to choose love first. 

John 13:34-35 (NIV)34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

This passage helps us to clarify the command of Jesus that we should be loving all persons. When this passage speaks about having love towards one another, the Greek term for one another is Allelon. This term is used over 100 times throughout the New Testament and the other uses of the word help shed light on its meaning in this text. In Romans 12 the writer uses this term to show how we should live in harmony with each other, while in Philippians 2 we are told to look towards the interests of each other. All throughout the New Testament, we see Jesus command of loving one another, expressing how we need to live in peace and care for everyone. Yet there are still some that claim Christ who would say that this doesn’t need to be the case if the other party is really really bad guys. I can’t answer this question fully for you, but what I can say is that I question this line of reasoning. 

As another example of Jesus in regards to violence and aggression I look no further than to his interaction with his disciples and the Roman guards in the garden. Jesus is about to be arrested and Peter cuts the ear off of a guard, to which Jesus responds with this. 

Matthew 26:52-54 (ESV) “Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?”

Now Jesus could have simply gone with the guards and headed off to his inevitable death on the cross, but he specifically takes the time to address Peter’s violent outburst and ends up healing the soldier. There are certainly going to be many different interpretations of this passage, but from my perspective, it shows the intention of Christ to send his disciples away from this horrible week to come with a new found sense of seeking peace for all in this world. This makes sense when we consider that the early church deplored violence and war so much so that they would refuse to join any army and physically fight for any cause. 

What does it mean to be a citizen of heaven? What does that mean for our citizenship as Americans? Philippians 3:20 says, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.”   

Recently I have thought about what it means to be American and Christian. In America, more so than any other country, Christianity and Patriotism have seemed to become more and more blurred. It is common in our culture for religious leaders to campaign for specific political leaders, while convincing those who trust and follow their word that they must support this specific person or that specific social issue. It is also not uncommon for political figures to miss represent Christ when they are trying to make a point. 

Now I will be the first to say that no matter where we are on the political spectrum, we will get Jesus wrong in one way or another. Part of being human is that we make mistakes and don't always get it right. It is important for all Christians to be able to admit when we get something wrong and be willing to question our own embedded theology. However, there is something that has worried me greatly about the Christian movement in America over the past two years. There seems to be this ever-growing desire and acceptance of nationalism within the American Christian community. There are calls from religious leaders for our country to become more isolated. We have leaders who are fighting for the rights of Americans while ignoring the calling of Christ to be the advocates of the poor, the sick, the hungry, and the homeless. 

There are Christians within our country that are actively campaigning for less inclusion, for greater wealth disparity, for less assistance, and for more power over minorities. The struggle for myself as a pastor is that I often feel like there is not even room for myself within Christian America. I find it difficult to listen to some of the more influential Christian leaders in our country because I simply don't hear Jesus in their words. We are living in a time where many seem to care more about our flag, our constitution, than even the word of God. 

It is weird to me that so many Christians support policies that would create more separation between our country and the rest of the world. I think it is strange that there are so many that would rather see us not send aid to other countries because we should keep that money to ourselves. Is this the kind of Christianity that Jesus modeled for us? The struggle that I see within American Christianity is that many seem to be trying so hard to be both citizens of America and of the paradise to come. This serves only to split our attention and make it impossible to fully embrace our role within the kingdom building that we hope to be a part of. It also serves to create tension between us and those who we should be loving and care for, as instructed by our Lord. 

Take for instance the issue of refugees. This is such a contentious issue today and it is sad to see how many Christians feel so strongly that we should not do anything to help those who are fleeing from war and oppression. How can we do so and worship a man who was himself a refugee? How can we stand by and watch others suffer because they are not American? 

Ultimately the problem with the Christian Nationalism that we are seeing in our country today is that it doesn't fit with the Christ we worship on Sunday mornings. There seems to be this attempt by many to serve both Christ and America, but I would argue that we can't do both. Christ says that we can serve him and him alone. Christianity has and will always only work when it is counter-cultural. 

The sin of humanity began with the original sin of Adam and Eve. This sin predisposes all humanity to act against what is just. Humanity has the ability to act upon the grace of God, to do what is right and to live a holy life. Yet we are still predisposed to act against God’s will. There are two separate types of sin, our original sin and our actual sin. The actual sin is the sin that humanity commits on a daily basis, the actions that individuals choose to take in disobedience to God’s law. This actual sin is how humanity defies God and is the disease which corrupts the body. Humanity will be judged based on one’s own actual sin.  

Evil is the result of humanity choosing to act in ways the God never intended us to act.  Disobeying God invited evil into humanity, which is anything that is in opposition to the will of God. This is one of the lessons that we learn from reading the story of Adam and Eve. God created humanity with great freedom to make our own choices, but humanity abuses this freedom. This is what the story of Adam and Eve teaches us. Humanity was made in the image of God, but free will allows humanity to act either for or against the will of God. It is by acting against the will of God that individuals are able and do commit acts of evil. It is because of original sin that humanity struggles between serving God and serving the world, but because of God’s prevenient grace we are not burdened by the guilt of original sin and are able to act in accordance to God’s desire.

Throughout my childhood, I always had this understanding that as a man you do not share your emotions. That you simply keep them bottled up, because by showing them you become weak. Though one thing that was overlooked was that Christ was a man of deep emotions. Emotions that he was never afraid nor ashamed to express. We were designed to be relational beings, part of which is desiring to build very real connections with the people around us. Though if we are unwilling or unable to open up ourselves and show who we are, how can we ever expect to build any long lasting deep bonds.

I appreciate the blessing of sitting with a friend and letting myself become vulnerable, to allow another person to come in and truly understand who and what I am. Our culture though says that to be a man you need to be strong, drive nice cars, they portray those who are more sensitive and open about their feelings as weak. There is something seriously wrong with this picture! "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." (proverbs 27:17)

Trying to discern God's call in our lives, whether it's professional or personal aspects is never an easy task. We all desire to have certain things in our lives, the right person, the nice car, the house, etc.. Having these things or even wanting them are not always a bad thing, it can be a truly wonderful thing. Though we must ask ourselves why? Why do we want this? How will this further our relationship with God?

I know for myself I certainly desire these aspects of life. But I must ask myself are this God's will for me? This has been the most difficult question I have had to ask myself. I know I have a calling towards ministry, and to serve God by spreading his word. What I struggle with though is the notion of when I go home at night will I be happy with my life. I believe that I will find satisfaction in serving God, but then my human nature takes over.

This is the struggle of my heart over the last year. I feel like I'm being bounced back and forth between the two. I know that I should be content with life and give God the frustrations of my heart, though this sometimes seems too difficult a task. I even see others who have these things and catch myself becoming jealous of them. It's infuriating! I simply wish that I could be stronger and just deal with it, though I know this will come in time I'm still very much impatient.

We talked about Matthew 13:24-30 today in class. The parable speaks about a owner of a farm who is told by his servants that his enemy had planted weeds around his wheat and that the weeds were taking over the wheat. When asked whether or not they should remove the weeds the owner says. 

29 "No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. 30 Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my Barn."

I want to show you a quote and have you think about it for a few minutes before moving on to what I thought of. 

“[God says] Discipleship is not limited to what you can comprehend - it must transcend all comprehension. Plunge into the deep waters beyond your own comprehension, and I will help you to comprehend even as I do. Bewilderment is the true comprehension. Not to know where you are going is the true knowledge. My comprehension transcends yours.” ― (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship)

I went for a run this morning and while I was running I witnessed two squirrels running around doing what squirrels do. I was almost envious of them. They know from birth what their role is. For them, life is all based on instinct. There is no real need for big decisions and contemplation of what they are supposed to be and do. They just simply act and live their lives. As humans, we don't have this option. As humans we have to make the difficult life changing decisions. So how do we discern what our purpose is? The first response that I have is to get involved in something/anything. If you don't like what you are doing then move on and try something else. Though thinking about this makes me a bit depressed. It makes me depressed because of the fact that there is such uncertainty that comes with living life this way. Instead, I would like to propose that we do something different.

In Habakkuk chapter 2 verses 1, we read about how Habakkuk went to a quiet place by himself and simply waited on God. This is certainly not an easy thing to do, it takes a lot of strength and patience to do so. It may even seem to be illogical, to listen for someone who you cannot hear, see, touch, feel. This is a struggle that I have had throughout my life, because I have never had some existential experience. Through the times in my life where I have jumped from one thing to the next, looking for answers, I have found that all I experience is more confusion and frustration. I never feel complete when trying to answer all the questions on my own, which is ultimately what brings me back to what may have even the slightest amount of hope, God.

How often do we take the time from our busy lives to simply stop and listen? How are we to know what God has for us if we are so busy running from one thing to the next? Psalm 46:10 says "Be still, and know that I am God!" If we are constantly running around, seeking for answers in this world via our own our minds, we will continue to be clouded and will leave no room for God.

I have finally settled into my new surroundings. This is an exciting time though very nerve wrecking time. God has been good and blessed me with many interesting and fascinating conversations.

Its my prayer that he changes and transforms me over this next year. That I may better serve his kingdom. My concern is that as I continue down this path, the evil one's attacks will become even stronger. Though I know that God is faithful and will protect me. As it says in 2 Thessalonians 3:3. 

3But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.