Did God Send The Hurricane?

Over the last few days, we have been bombarded with one tragic picture after another on all news channels. Katrina was devastating. This storm will cost us all billions of dollars, and even more valuable, hundreds of lives. Now the question must be asked, "Where was God in all of this?"

Did God send hurricane Katrina to the gulf coast? This is an interesting question. If you answer it "No!", then you are saying that God is not in control. If God could have stopped Katrina from doing all this damage, why didn't he? You cannot give God praise for keeping you safe from harm, and then when harm comes declare that he wasn't involved. If you answer this question with "Yes", then you have a lot of other questions to answer. The most difficult question would be, "Why?"

My answer to this question is "Yes". I believe God is in control of the weather. It amazes me that insurance companies call natural disasters "Acts of God" but the church no longer does. If God does not control the weather than we should never pray for rain. We should never thank him for provision. I do not believe that God was caught off guard by Katrina. I believe that God's providence includes disaster. Which means I now have to answer the question "Why"?

Any answer to this question is mere speculation. I do not know or comprehend God's mind. However, we must speculate punishment. Was Katrina sent by God to punish the United States or New Orleans? Maybe God did this to remove evil from our land. I don't know. Without a doubt we deserve to be punished by God. We do not deserve God's blessings. If we deserved them we wouldn't call them blessings. We would call them earnings. The Bible says that we have all sinned, and that God hates sin. We truly deserve God's wrath, and the fact that any of us are alive is due to His grace and love. The United States legalized the murder of millions of unborn children. Maybe God has decided to punish us. As for New Orleans, I cannot think of too many other places in America that is any more hedonistic. The French Quarter is truly a vile place. The city is well known for its vices and corruption. Would it make since for God to destroy this city? Yes, I think so, but this is only speculation.

I must also speculate whether God did this to remind us who is really in control. Maybe God was trying to show us something. The United States is the greatest country ever. We believe that we have the ability to do almost anything. Maybe we needed to be humbled. This storm certainly made millions realize that they are at the mercy of God. We do not have control over all things. There are many things, like a hurricane, that we have no control over.

I must also speculate whether God used this storm to bring repentance to those whom he saved. As a pastor, I have come to the conclusion that tragedy often brings about righteousness. This maybe a precursor for a great revival. This storm may cause many believers to get right with God. It may bring about true thankfulness for life and family.

However, there is one concept that I do not need to speculate about. God will use this storm to further His Kingdom. I do not need to speculate on this because I am certain of it. God's kingdom will grow because the Bibles says it will. I believe that many will come to the Lord through this storm. I believe that many Christians will have opportunities to share their faith. I believe that God will let his hand be seen in this storm. And I believe in the end His name will be glorified in this storm.

Right now, Baptist disaster relief groups are headed to New Orleans. They will share meals, clothing, and Christ to the masses. They will cut down trees, restore power, and provide health care. God's Kingdom will advance, because God is in control. His people will be obedient to the call.

The King still sits on His throne. Let us find comfort in this truth. He is in control, and he is not surprised.

Shut Up Pat, And Preach The Gospel

Three days ago, Pat Robertson called for the assassination of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez on the "700 Club". The truth is, I am not certain I disagree with what Robertson said. Hugo Chavez is an evil man. He is an avid communist. He is best friends with Fidel Castro. He is supposedly helping terrorists around the world. If Hugo Chavez stays in power; at best we have another Cuba, and at worse we have another Saddam Hussein.

When you look at the situation; it makes since to see Chavez gone. The way things are going, we will have to one day have to deal with Chavez. Would it not be easier to pay for his assassination, than it would be to pay for another war? This is the question that Pat Robertson tried to answer. I think it is a good question. I think it is one that foreign policy experts should discuss on CNN and Fox News. I am almost certain that there are people in the Defense Department that have brought this question to the table. Nevertheless, I must say, "Shut up Pat, and preach the Gospel."

As a conservative Evangelical, and a strong believer in capitalism, I have a lot of respect for what Pat Robertson has done. He became the leader of a small television program and took it to nationwide success. He has motivated millions of people to think about morality when they vote. As the founder of the Christian Coalition, he has supported many Christian candidates and principles to victory at the ballot box. I respect men with this much drive and ability. Pat Robertson is not an idiot. However, lately he has done a lot of damage to the church, and I think he needs to rethink his purpose.

My biggest beef with Pat Robertson is theological. Pat holds on to charismatic teachings that I find completely unBiblical. I find his healing prayers vile, and some of his other antics deplorable. I cannot find one place in the Bible where God told a Prophet, "someone out there is going to be healed of liver cancer. I don't know who it is, but it is happening." Yet, this is exactly what Robertson does on his show. His entire concept of a "Word of Knowledge" is wrong, and if Robertson was receiving "words of knowledge" from God; I would hope that God would be more clear. (On a side note, if you believe that God is giving words of knowledge or specific revelation, then you do not believe that the Bible is God's final revelation. You need to write all these different revelations down and put them in your Bible. For if God is truly speaking to Pat Robertson, then it has the same authority and truth as John 3:16.)

Pat Robertson's call for Hugo Chavez's assassination does nothing but harm for the conservative evangelical movement. It teaches our society that evangelicals are concerned more about a political agenda than they are about a spiritual agenda. I do not think the death or life of Hugo Chavez is going to have a great affect on the Kingdom of God. However, it does have a great affect on the future politics of the United States. So I must ask the question, "Which is more important to Pat Robertson: The Kingdom of God or American Foreign Policy?"

I am certain that Robertson's response to me would be the Kingdom of God, but he has every right to have an opinion on U.S. foreign policy. He is right, I have an opinion myself on the topic. However, I believe that Pat's statements do more harm to the Kingdom than they help U.S. policy makers.

What Pat Robertson fails to understand is that already this week, I have had a lost person mention what he said, and looked to me for a defense of it. His statements were on every major news cast. His statements were all over the internet. I believe that in all this hysteria, the message of Jesus and his love are lost. I thought this was the original purpose of the "700 Club". I would like to see it become Pat Robertson's purpose once again.

Five Books That Made Me

I am a book nerd. I love to read, and I love to study. This passion of mine has slowed down since I took on fatherhood, but it is still fairly strong. Before my marriage, I would read about a book a week. Now, I read about a book a month.

I have decided to write this article on the five books, excluding the Bible, that have had the greatest impact on my life. Of course, the Bible is the most important book I have ever read. Needless to say, it has impacted every area of my life. I guess I should write an article on the Bible in the future. However in this blog, I want to mention five books that impacted me above all the other books that are not divinely inspired.

The first book I want to mention is, "Knowing God" by J. I. Packer. This book is considered a classic by many. I once heard a definition of a classic that has stuck with me for a while. The definition of a classic book is: "A book that is often quoted, but seldom read." I agree. Many people quote this book, but not as many have read it. "Knowing God" should be required reading for every Christian. J. I. Packer challenges his readers to think deeper about the things of God than they currently are. This book caused me to stop taking certain aspects of Christianity for granted, and it forced me to examine my faith more closely. Even when Packer states something you are not all that certain you agree with, he does it in a way that makes you think. Thus you are better off by thinking about and re-examining your point of view. "Knowing God" maybe one of the greatest devotional books ever written. It certainly made an impact on my life.

The second book I want to mention is, "Chosen By God" by R. C. Sproul. About 15 years ago, I began to study and seriously look at my understanding of Salvation. I began to discover concepts in the Scripture that made me rethink how I got saved. During my last year of Seminary, a good friend of mine handed me this book. Dr. Sproul's book helped me solidify what I was struggling with. He clearly explains God's sovereignty over our salvation. I think I would have figured it all out without this book, but I am sure glad that I had this book to help me make it simple. Even those who disagree with the premise of this book, know that the arguments in it are hard to refute. "Chosen By God" has shaped my understanding of Grace, and has allowed me to interpret Biblical texts that I used to ignore. I will always be grateful to Dr. Sproul for giving us this book.

The third book I want to mention is, "Christian Theology: An Introduction" by Alister McGrath. I am a history nut, and McGrath's systematic theology explains the history behind the doctrine like no other systematic theology that I have read. The fact that I would mention a systematic theology book as one that impacted my life probably sets me off as weird. Nevertheless, it is very true. Doctrine is very important to me, and knowing how it all came about makes me happy. Alister McGrath did a fantastic job writing a theology that is systematic, historical, and easy to read. Three incredibly important attributes to a theology book.

The fourth book I want to mention is, "For His Grace, And By His Glory" by Thomas Nettles. This book is a history of Baptist theology. As I was trying to figure out my understanding of Sovereignty, I needed to see if I fit with the Baptist perspective. This book allowed me to see that I was in the right place. I would say that this book would bore the average reader to sleep, but if a person is searching about their Baptist roots, they would not find a better read.

The fifth book I wish to mention is , "Providence & Prayer: How Does God Work In The World?" by Terrance Tiessen. I picked this book up five years ago because I was looking for something to read. I would have never guessed its impact on my mind. Dr. Tiessen goes through 13 distinct interpretations of Providence, and how they relate to prayer. This book should be read by anyone who wants to call themselves a theologian. I am absolutely amazed that no one speaks of this book at conferences. It helped me see where everyone was coming from, and it helped me see my own view point better.

So why these five books? I believe I can tell who a person really is by what that person reads. I believe that these books tell my story. They may be able to tell it better than I could tell it myself. At the very least, maybe this list will make you write a list of your own. Or even better, maybe this list will prompt you to read one of these books. I believe that reading is the key to knowledge. Maybe ten years from now, these five books may not make my top five. I guess you'll have to keep reading this blog to find out.

Palmeiro, Clinton, and A Tolerant Society

If you asked me seven years ago what my favorite sport was, I would have without hesitation said baseball. I loved the sport. It didn't matter what game it was on television, I was watching it. If I could, I would watch two games a day. I could name you every player on every team. I could ramble stats with the best of them. I was a baseball nerd, and I was proud of it.

Today, I rank baseball just ahead of bowling. I have lost all interest in the game. It isn't the game I used to love. I have no desire to watch one team with a 100 million dollar payroll play another team with a 20 million dollar payroll. However, I will go and watch little league every now and then.

Everyone in the free world knows baseball has a steroid problem. Earlier this year, congress demanded that a handful of ball players come in and answer some real tough question about steroids. One of the players asked to come in was Rafael Palmeiro. Palmeiro was mentioned in a book by Jose Conseco as someone who took steroids. Mr. Palmeiro sat in front of congress, wagged his finger, and declared boldly that he never took steroids. And I believed Him!

I guess I was gullible. I believed Rafael Palmeiro over Jose Conseco. Let's face it, I figured if Rafael Palmeiro was willing to stand before the world and do commercials as a Viagra user; why would he lie about steroids?

Anyway, now that we know that Palmeiro was juiced like an orange, I believe he is doing a terrible job in dealing with the situation. When I saw Palmeiro wag his finger, I remembered another man that wagged his finger and said he didn't do something that he did. President Clinton did the exact same thing as Rafael Palmeiro. However, he got away with it. I think Palmeiro needs to follow the Clinton example, or this event is going to destroy him. So Palmeiro needs to get a "WWCD" bracelet, and be a good disciple.

So how would our former president deal with this situation?

First, Palmeiro must realize that our society does not want anyone to take full responsibility for what they do. Our society wants you to admit to it, but not take responsibility for it. Palmeiro should first say, "I indeed did take steroids." He then needs to go on about how he was trying to protect his family from this problem, and then ask for forgiveness.

Second, Palmeiro must find several people to spread the blame. There are people in this world that are easy to demonize. President Clinton and Monica Lewinsky blamed it on Linda Tripp. Now blaming someone else will alienate some people, but it will give your supporters a person to point their fingers at. The news media will pick up on this, and they will do their best to make it a story. I think Palmeiro should blame Conseco. This just makes since.

Finally, make it into a conspiracy. Baseball is just out to get you. Palmeiro could claim that his Latin heritage is the reason all of this is taking place. Turn the tables on your accusers, and make it personal. The media loves a good fight, and you will begin to get the press on your side.

However, the last thing that Rafael Palmeiro wants to do is be honorable. Our society is not used to people with integrity. Owning up to this, will ruin Palmeiro. As of right now, Palmeiro is running from it. Our society will let him get away with this for now, but soon they will expect some tears. And if Rafael Palmeiro cries, all will soon be forgotten.

John Roberts and The Supreme Court

President Bush made the perfect choice in John Roberts for the Supreme Court. John Roberts passes all the criteria. He is well educated. He graduated from Harvard law. He has a great resume. He worked as a Clerk for William Rehnquist, the current Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. As a lawyer, he argued dozens of times before the Supreme Court. He has served as a Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals since 2003. He easily passed a full Senate vote to become a Judge on the Court of Appeals. He is handsome. He has a strong family. He runs in all the right circles, and it has been said that he tells a great joke. Simply put, President Bush gave us a candidate that will make it through the senate without much of a battle. This is probably why I am a little disappointed.

In my opinion, America is ready for the great debate on moral issues to begin. We need to see a debate on abortion. We need to see a debate on traditional values. However, we will not get what what we need. President Bush picked a nominee that will not answer these questions. We can only assume what he will do as a judge, and this leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I know that some will say, "He must be pro-life due to the fact that the liberal groups are fighting against him so hard". The truth is that most of these liberal groups have no choice but to attack a Bush nominee. They receive their funding through the donations of the far left. If they did not attack this nominee they wouldn't receive the funds they want. The far left will do all that they can to criticize Bush. They believe their criticism harms the president's credibility. The truth is that the far left does more harm to themselves with their rhetoric, and the proof shows up on election night.

In my opinion, President Bush gave us a safe choice. He chose someone who wouldn't ruffle the feathers. He gave us someone who we can only hope believes that life begins at conception. He promised us a Scalia or a Thomas, what we got is a "maybe". Maybe he will vote for traditional values. Maybe he will vote to overturn Roe V. Wade. Maybe he will protect property rights. Maybe he will support gun rights. Maybe he will have a strict reading of the constitution.
The last time we had a "maybe" given to us by a Republican President, we got Judge Suetter.
I just don't think we can afford another "maybe".

So who should have Bush picked? I don't know. I don't have a list of judges before me to choose from. However, I will say that I would have loved it if Bush would have picked a person who we could be certain about. It is time for the great debate to begin. President Bush tiptoed around the debate by giving us John Roberts. I thought evangelicals got behind President Bush because he was going to stomp the ground for moral values. Maybe President Bush will loose support from his Christian base since he gave us this "Maybe".