Author Archives: reveds

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About reveds

Occupation: Pastor, Ebenezer Presbyterian Church, Lennox, SD Education: BS - Christian Education, Sterling College; MDiv. - Princeton Theological Seminary Family: Married, with Four children. Hobbies: Running (will someday run a marathon), Sci-Fi (especially Doctor Who and Sherlock), Theater, and anything else my kids will let me do.

Benefits to believing in a Creator God

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“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”   Genesis 1:1 (ESV)

As my mind wandered the other day while I attended a very important business meeting I began to list the reasons why I believe in a Creator God.  (Yes, I admit my mind wanders during meetings, and Yes, I think in lists.)

Because the Bible says God created the heavens and the earth…
This is probably the most important reason.  God says it, that settles it.  It is often difficult to balance faith and reason, the weight of scientific evidence and the Word of God, but I must remember that this is the Word of God, and it is the rule of faith and life.  All of my thoughts and actions must be brought into submission to the Word of God.  In the end, all truth is God’s truth, so faith and science must lead us to their author.  For the time being, both my understanding of science and of God’s word are imperfect, so I must default to an inherent trust in the infallible Word of God.

Someone other than me is in control
What a relief to know that I am not at the center of the universe, that I am not the one responsible for causing the stars to shine and the worlds to turn.  Now sometimes I may think that I am, but believing in the God of Creation helps to bring me back to reality.
Francis Chan, in his book, Crazy Love, (chapter 2), puts it this way.  When we are stressed, we are saying that “the things we are involved in are important enough to merit our impatience, our lack of grace toward others, or our tight grip of control…How is it possible that we live as though [this life] is about us?… Frankly, you need to get over yourself.  The point of your life is to point to him.”

The God who created me, cares for me
This week I was reminded of the tornado that struck Wichita and Andover back in 1990.  I see on the news today that the volcano in Iceland continues to spew ash into the air, causing worries of water pollution, more volcano and earthquake activity, and financial crisis in Europe.  There are continued reports of war around the world and violence in our own communities.  If I did not know that the God of all creation called me His child, I would easily lose hope.  But God does know me, and in Jesus Christ, He saves me, He calls me by name, and He seals me with His Spirit that I may be assured of my salvation for eternity.  As Brad Stine says, “my self-esteem comes from the fact that the God of all creation loves me and esteems me.”

I have a purpose in life
I heard Cal Thomas say something along the lines of, “If you believe you came from slime, then to slime you will return.  But if you believe that God created you, you will live your life for Him.”  If God created us, it must have been for a reason (Jer 29:11 “I know the plans I have for you…”).  God has given us a purpose, and this is more than just a sense of calling or vocation.  Our purpose in life, to quote the Westminster Divines, is “to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”  Better yet, to quote scripture, is to be “conformed to the image of his Son (Rom 8:29).  We will find different ways of doing this; but our ultimate song will be “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created” (Rev. 4:11).

May your faith in the Creator God bring you strength and comfort today. 

SDG

Anxiously Awaiting the Doctor

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Please note – this is a break from my usual “Faith and Practice” type blog.  Today is kind of a special day for me: I get to watch the first episode of a new season of Doctor Who.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Doctor, let me just say – this is one of the best shows ever made for TV.  It’s about a Time Lord, The Doctor, who can travel through time and space, saving the universe from emminent disaster.  Its from BBC, and I grew up watching it with my dad on PBS.  The show started in 1967, but my years with the Doctor were in the 80’s, with Tom Baker and Peter Davidson as the Doctor (the Doctor “regenerates” when they change actors).  The special effects were horrible (with the exception of Castrovalva), but the writing was superb.

 In 2004 BBC started remaking the series, with great success.  Now the special effects are equal with the writing, and the show is a lot of fun.  After a rather long haitus after the end of season 4, season 5 has officially started with a new Producer and a new actor (Matt Smith).  Unfortunately for me, the show is no longer on the SyFy channel, and I don’t get BBC America, so now I have to wait to download it on iTunes.

Here I sit, ready to watch the show – and I’ve got just a couple of hopes for the new season:

  • Less running, more story – Is it just me, or did it seem like they ran out of things to write for “The End of Time (Parts 1 & 2)”, so to fill time, they just had David Tennant run… grimmace… run… grimmace some more… then run again?  I love Tennant, though he brought the Doctor great new depth and emotion – but why waste such a fantastic actor on running and grimmacing?  I want to be wowed with the Doctor’s intellect – I’d even except the “timey-wimey” stuff from “Blink”, but running?  I can run, I don’t need to see DT do it.
  • Stop bringing back old companions – Rose, I admit, was hot!  But did she have to keep coming back?  And Sarah Jane Smith – great, launch a spinoff series, but she doesn’t need to keep coming back.  Let’s be done with the old companions, and move on to new adventures.
  • Daleks!  I love them; I hate them.  They are horrible enemies, and make for a great story.  But they seem to have become the trump card story line.  When you run out of bad guys – “hey, let’s write the Daleks into the story.”  Let’s be creative.  I know the Daleks have been there since the second story, but do they have to keep coming back?  I know from the preview that they’re back, and redesigned, but hopefully their not part of an overarching plot line.  I’m ready for more.
  • More TARDIS – for those of you unaware – the TARDIS or Time And Relative Dimension in Space – is the Doctors “ship”.  On the outside, it’s an old English Police Box – but on the inside, it’s a cavernous ship.  “It’s bigger on the inside.” I remember the old episodes when the crew would get lost in the Tardis, I want more of that. Let’s reveal some more secrets about this wonderful blue box!

I don’t ask for much – just a little creativity, and a whole lot of fun.  And for those of you fortunate enough to see season 5 when its’ aired, thank you for your discretion.

Allons-y!