Best.Story.Ever :: God’s Story

At Gateway Church in Austin, we began a new series called “Best.Story.Ever.”

The Bible is an epic story of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration, but it’s also an intimate story describing God’s pursuit of a love relationship with each of us as individuals. We need to understand the big picture so that we don’t miss the personal application. Where do we fit into God’s big picture?

These discussion questions are designed for your life group or family dinner to help you apply the message to your life.

Here is the audio of the message I shared:

Here are notes from the message by John Burke:

God is a storyteller. He’s telling a story through humanity. Story is all around us. I have a story. You have a story. We all do. You may feel that you don’t have one, but every human life is an incredible story, a creation of God.

God is trying to include us into a bigger story, His story. In fact, that is why He created us. Each one of us have a stewardship for the story He has given us — not just the good parts, but the bad parts, the messy parts, and how that story intersects with God. We all have an obligation to own our story and to tell it. That actually points to God.

Over the next few weeks we will be exploring these ideas. How should you take part? Simply put, own your story. Tell it. Tell it to your neighbor. Talk about it with a coworker. Share it on social. In fact, help us see how your story intersects with everyone else’s story here at Gateway by adding #ownyourstory. Use this story on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and any where else you show up online. It will be an encouragement to all of us and help others see how your story intersects with our story and intersects with the Best.Story.Ever — God’s story.

See, the Bible is an Epic Story, of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and ultimate Restoration.

  • If you zoom out all the way, on the Largest Scale it’s the story of God pursuing a love relationship with you, me, all humanity—it’s a love story full of more drama than a teenage romance.  
  • If you zoom in mid-view, you see a story of God and the nation of Israel.
  • If you zoom in all the way, you see a personal story of God and you—and how every story, poem, command, and promise applies to you personally.

But if we don’t have the Big Picture, we often miss the personal application.  So today, we zoom out to look at God’s Big Picture story, so we can see where we each fit in His story, and where our church fits.  

So I’m about to do the impossible—I’m going to tell you the story of the whole Bible in 30 minutes. What makes that so difficult, is the Bible is not one book, it’s 66 books, written across 1500 years of history, with so many twists and turns—tension, drama, poetry, wisdom, woven throughout real history of nations, kings, and people—yet there is a common thread across the whole story – revealing God’s character.

Our Resistance

But, some of you are thinking:

  • “The Bible is an ancient and irrelevant book with an archaic view on women, sex, and violence. The Bible has been misunderstood, misinterpreted, and even used to hurt or oppress people.”
  • “I’ve tried reading the Bible! I can see some value in it, but most of it doesn’t make sense. The Bible is too old and too long and too confusing to understand or apply to my life.”
  • “I want to read the Bible, but I am just so busy!”

For just a moment, whatever resistance you may be feeling, or whatever your experience has been with the Bible. I want you to consider having an open mind.

What if what keeps us from experiencing all the Bible has to offer has more to do with our view of the Bible than the Bible itself?

Let me acknowledge:

  • The Bible has been misunderstood, misinterpreted, and even used for the agenda of people who did not have the heart of God or were a product of their times.
  • The Bible can be hard to understand. Some passages were written so long ago and seem so different than our day and time.

To make matters even more complicated, many of us have given up on the Scriptures, haven’t understood the Bible, or haven’t made spending time in the Scriptures a priority because there are spiritual forces opposing us. The darkness in our heart, and the darkness in the world around us does not want us to discover the mysteries that are revealed in the Scriptures.

Understanding the Big Picture will help us avoid common mistakes and misunderstandings. This way we can read every passage in its context.

Some of the confusion comes in when we look at just part of the Bible outside of its context. We don’t do that with other stories, but we do it all the time with the Bible. Let’s look at the entire story of the Scriptures.

It’s God’s Story—creating us for a love relationship with himself—but that’s Risky Business.

Act 1: Risky Business—Genesis.

In the beginning Genesis 1 says, God created!

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth….” – Genesis 1:1a

  • Have you ever really pondered how ridiculously creative God must be—the billions of galaxies, stars, planets—on our planet such beauty, diversity of animal life, the uniqueness and diversity of each of his greatest creations—men and women.
  • God created people different from the animals, he created people in his image—with the ability to co-rule with God.

 

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. – Genesis 1:26-27.

  • In his image means creative, with the ability to co-rule or watch over and be good stewards of the planet and animals and each other—God gave us that responsibility.

And God created people for relationship with God and each other—they would walk and talk together—and God gave every good gift to enjoy.  

But there was one thing that was off limits: The tree of the knowledge of good…and evil. God gave humanity freedom to choose—free will—because God wanted to create creatures who were able to love God and each other.

God is love. But love is risky business—even for God.  Love requires freedom to choose. So for God to create Creatures who could truly love God, they had to have freedom to choose NOT GOD.

But God IS Love, and God is Good.

So then a dark, mysterious character enters the story… introduced to us as a serpent. It represents evil at its source… and it lies to them and says: “You won’t die, you’ll be like God, knowing good and evil”…and it entices the humans to doubt God’s generosity and to rebel against Him.

Now, we could get derailed right here with all kinds of analytical questions and miss the point.  But the point is clear:

We chose… and keep on choosing… to play God and choose “my will” and “my ways” over God’s will and His ways… and we experience the knowledge of evil along with God’s good gifts.

… and this leads to disaster… humanity’s relationship with God is fractured, and our relationships with each other, with our families, and with the earth all breakdown…everything becomes infected by this knowledge of evil.

But fortunately… there’s much more to this story!

Act 2: The Promise: A Nation for the Nations.  

So 4000 years ago, about 2000 B.C., God chose Abraham and Sarah, a couple full of faith, to create a Chosen nation – the Jewish Nation.  

Chosen is a very misunderstood term—it doesn’t mean better than, or more valued than, it means “set apart for a purpose.”  God declared that purpose in Genesis 12:1-3:

The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.  I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others…All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:1-3  

Notice the big Picture—God chooses Abraham and Sarah to create a nation, but for a distinct purpose: To bless all nations! God says, I will lead you to a land, I will make you into a great nation, through your family line I will bless all peoples on earth. Close to 500 times in the Bible, God speaks of all nations—he doesn’t play favorites—when He chooses some, it’s not because they’re better but for the sake of others also.

As His church, we can never forget that—God calls us to himself so that we might share His love and show His kindness to others. Are you actively doing that for those around you? (cause as we’ll see, Israel’s downfall was forgetting that).

How is God going to bless all nations?

Two primary ways—he will create a nation set apart with very distinct laws and protections to do two things:  

1). Record and preserve God’s Words through the prophets.

2). Foretell and prepare His own self-revelation as Messiah (or Christ, greek word).  

Keep both those in mind—reveal the Scriptures and reveal the Messiah for the sake of all nations.

But it’s not that simple, see. Because Abraham and Sarah were barren—they’d been trying for years to have children, even when they’re really old God was promising a nation through their offspring, but Viagra hadn’t been invented yet— so then how? God says “trust me—I’ll make a way”

“Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!” And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith. Genesis 15:5-6

Don’t miss this—from the very beginning with Cain and Able to Abraham, it’s by faith that people are made right with God.

That’s only possible because God’s plan from the beginning was to bless all nations by coming as Messiah and paying for our sins—so a simple act of faith or turning our hearts back to God in love, is all he needs.

So after 10 years of waiting (and a few big mistakes along the way), Isaac is born to Abraham and Sarah. God came through—all his promises are true—God’s going to bless the nations through Isaac, Jacob…down through King David—God spelled it out.

And if you’ve read the New Testament lineages of so and so begat so and so begat so and so and wondered, who cares?  It’s because God wrote many clear signs into history of his coming—including the exact genealogy on mother and father’s side.

And God even had Abraham act out the crucifixion of Jesus 2000 years before it happened—Abraham traveled 3 days to Mt. Moriah and was asked to sacrifice his only son—but God provided a Lamb in his place. It was the Mountain Jerusalem would be built on, Jesus would be sacrificed on.

Act 3: The Law   

3500 years ago, God told the nation of Israel through his prophet Moses:

The LORD will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your fathers, if you obey the LORD your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul…I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live, and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. Deuteronomy 30:9-10, 19-20  

God’s desire has always been to have people he could delight in and bless and help prosper. The Old Testament God is not different from the New Testament—To love God with all your heart was the Shema—the creed of Israel. This is the God of the Old Testament, revealing his heart.  Do you realize, God wants to delight in you and lead you to prosper…and it starts, like this says, when you turn to the Lord with all your heart and soul…it flows out of right relationship with God.  And as this says, he’s given us his commands and decrees written in His Book, so that we may obey his words and live.

The Old Testament trips up a lot of people. You have to remember: these are laws to a specific people in a specific time and place. The Laws helped the people of Israel live set apart and differently from the rest of humanity. In those days, all tribes were like ISIS!

A friend of mine who works for a non-profit in Austin that works to take good care of our green space read Leviticus and came back to our life group and said it was a genius description of how to survive in the wilderness. So many of the laws were about hygiene.

Be sure to look at the Hebrew Scriptures through lens of the Cross – through what we have seen God to be in Jesus.

God is more near to you than you can imagine, and he longs to lead you into life. But he has also given you a free will – the opportunity to choose.  And throughout the scriptures he’s given you signs—pointing the way to life or to death.  It’s why we should read and follow God’s commands in scripture. And he says to you today, I’ve set before you the signs pointing the way to life or the path to death and destruction—now Choose Life! Choose the path of loving God and following his word–Choose Life!

Exodus is the story of God giving the Law, his commands to Israel.

First, setting Israel free from slavery.

God gives Pharoah chance after chance to obey God and trust God to provide, but Pharoah likes his power and slave labor, so Pharoah hardens his heart 10 times despite 10 plagues of warning. The last plague is important because it became the Passover Festival of Israel—and a foreshadowing of Christ. Moses told Pharoah, 9 times you said you’d let Israel go but didn’t. Let my people go, or every firstborn son will die. Then God said this as an act of mercy—even if Pharoah hardens his heart, I will forbid this plague from harming any people (Jews or Egyptians) who trust in God and obey Me by taking a lamb’s blood and marking your door—the angel of death will Passover that house.

God commanded them to observe The Passover celebration every year for the next 1500 years. The Passover Celebration foretold and symbolized God’s provision to pay for all our sins so that spiritual Death would Passover all who trust in Him. Every year, on Yom Kippur a lamb was Sacrificed for each person to cover the sins of the previous year. God specified that the yearly sacrifices must be made in the Temple in Jerusalem. Then Jesus was sacrificed on the Passover as the final Passover Lamb—That’s when the Jewish Pharisees and the Roman government crucified Jesus. That’s history—outside the Bible—and yet all Jewish sacrifice stopped soon after Jesus Crucifixion because the Temple was destroyed by the Romans. Real history, foretold. That’s why Jesus is called “The Lamb of God”—the final sacrifice who takes away the sins of the world.

So Pharoah finally lets the people go—Exodus tells of how Moses led them out to Mt. Sinai where God gave the Mosaic Covenant—the Law. On Mt. Sinai, God says:

You yourselves have seen what I did in Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you will obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine,

you will be for me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. Exodus 19:4-6

  • See, the covenant that God made with Abraham was a promise to bless all nations through Israel… it was unconditional… to come through Jesus the Messiah.
  • The covenant God made through Moses was conditional. God wanted a Holy Nation… which means “set apart” for God’s purposes. A nation of priests… a priest helps reconnect people to God.
  • If you obey… then you’ll be blessed. If you rebel… you’ll experience suffering, because the purpose of the law was to show that there are natural consequences when you go against the ways God intended us to live.

… but this does not go well… and fortunately there’s a lot more to the story.

God faithfully leads Israel into the land He had promised to them… of course, because God always comes through on His promises… but as for Israel in this part of the story…

they blow it… big time.

  • They begin worshiping the false-gods of all of the other nations around them… instead of remaining faithful to The One True God who’d rescued them from slavery in Egypt and delivered them into the Promised Land… and this leads the people of Israel in to all kinds of corruption and injustice.
  • As the story unfolds… even Israel’s best kings just fumble the ball over and over again… like King David (know as a man after God’s own heart) or his son, Solomon (known as perhaps the wisest of any of Israel’s Kings)… they all fail miserably… and eventually run the nation into the ground.
  • Then the Tribes of Israel are conquered by the Babylonians… the superpower of the known world… and most of the Israelites are then dragged into exile in Babylon.

At this point in the story… all of the nations have continued with their rebellion, ruining God’s good world. Even God’s own chosen people are doing the same!

… but to me, the craziest part of this point in Israel’s story is that, despite all of their failures… all wasn’t lost.

So what is the purpose of the Law?

Jesus said: I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. Matthew 5:17  

The purpose of the law was to show us why we need Christ and to lead us to a faith that changes our hearts. Here’s an interpretive Key—Paul explains

19 Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins… So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. Galatians 3:19-25  

So we are no longer under the Mosaic “if…then” law—But that doesn’t mean we are to be less ethical, or less moral, or less godly than the law lays out. The law just told us if we were out of bounds.

What Jesus was leading us to is a way for God to live among us and live through us by faith—so that by His Spirit we learn to love even our enemies. We don’t just refrain from “committing adultery” by His Spirit we learn to treat each other as whole, valuable spiritual creatures that we don’t want to objectify—the Way of the Spirit surpasses the way of the Law.  

But much of the History of the nation of Israel, told through the times of the Judges and the Kings is the story of humanity. Incredible case studies for us. Examples of how to follow God and lots and lots of examples of how we often fail to follow God and the consequences that come.

God wanted to be their King—to lead and guide and bless the nation—and Israel is located at the crossing of caravan routes to Europe, Russia, Asia/India, and Africa. He wanted Israel’s blessing to be a witness to the nations passing through that this is the One True God.

This history of Israel is history of humanity. They wanted to be like all the other nations, who had a King. God warned them, a human king will use you and abuse power—but they insisted. God was hurt.

the Lord told [Samuel]: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 1 Samuel 8:7  

It’s an important lesson—sometimes the consequences of our rejecting God is he gives us what we want, even though it’s not going to be good in the end.

The first King rejected God and led them astray, so God appointed King David, and for 2 generations it was the high point of Israel.  David was humble, and a good leader. He wrote most of the Psalms of worship to God. And God did bless David and his son Solomon, gave them peace on all sides—about 1000 BC and the nations did seek Yahweh the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the Queen of Sheba in Africa and others came to learn of Solomon’s wisdom and Solomon and Israel were very blessed.  

But here’s another learning about humanity—God had warned them that when they are blessed, they may forget God, and think it’s by their own hands and for themselves—they’ll forget—blessed to be a blessing.  And King after King led Israel astray.  So God sent prophets to warn them and turn them back to God.

Act 4: The Hope  Among the community of Israel… there were these people known as the prophets. Previously, they had warned of Israel’s downfall… but they also made it clear that it wasn’t the end of the story.

  • God had promised to restore His blessing to the world through this family… remember His promise to Abraham? God always comes through on His promises… and so even Israel’s rebellion wasn’t gonna stop him.
  • The hope of the prophets was that after the exile… God would return to live among his people once again… and a great leader… a Messiah would come and lead Israel in faithfulness to their God. Moreover, it would be through this Messiah… that God would rescue the entire world.

From about 700BC to 400BC God sent prophet after prophet to warn his people, turn back to me, stop giving your hearts to things that are not gods—they’re leading you to your destruction.  Sometimes they’d turn back, usually when things got bad, but as soon as blessings came, they’d forget God again.  God gave them 300 years of warnings. It’s one of the reasons people perceive the Old Testament God as vengeful—because He keeps warning them of all the horrible things He knew would happen if they keep giving themselves over to evil.  And he did it for so long due to his mercy, it seems like he’s always mad, but he’s always merciful—desiring to protect all who turn back.  In fact, Nineveh was an evil, pagan city, not Jewish—he warned them of their destruction, but they turned to him, and he protected them from the evil he had predicted.

And through the prophets, we see God’s heart—he’s like a wounded lover who’s been rejected. A whole book, Hosea, is a prophet who gets cheated on again and again, and God says—that’s me with my people.  Jeremiah

“‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord, ‘I will frown on you no longer, for I am faithful,’ declares the Lord, ‘I will not be angry forever. 13 Only acknowledge your guilt—you have rebelled against the Lord your God, you have scattered your favors to foreign gods…and have not obeyed me,’” declares the Lord.14 “Return, faithless people,” declares the Lord, “for I am your husband.”  Jeremiah 3:12-14

When we make other things—people, money, careers, first in our lives, our gods—when we obey what they want more than what God wants, he feels rejected like a jilted lover. God is a feeling God—he created us for himself.  He alone has our good in mind.  What we learn is that it hurts the heart of God when people He loves keep rejecting him for things that can’t give them Life like God can.

So as the story of the Old Testament comes to a close… we’re left sitting in a lot of unresolved tension… a pretty epic storyline… waiting for the final ending.

Act 5: The Messiah

Enter Jesus of Nazareth who is often called Immanuel… meaning God with us.

The writers of the 1st four books of the NT… offer accounts of the life and teaching of Jesus… and they present him as the as The One that God has been pointing to throughout the entire biblical story… that He’s the answer and resolution to all of the conflict of the Old Testament.

  • Jesus is presented as: the embodiment of all of God’s Love and Mercy…
  • the kind of human we were all made to be… but have failed to live up to…
  • the faithful Israelite who would fulfill God’s promise to return divine blessing to all of the nations through Abraham.

… that even though evil and people’s rebellion against God and His Ways had created a world of violence and death…

Jesus announces the return of God’s Kingdom… and that He was bringing God’s reign back over the earth… and that He, Himself would settle the “problem of evil” once-and-for-all.

 

…but then as the storyline progresses… we quickly come to realize that Jesus’ plan to triumph over evil was not what the people were expecting at all… that Jesus’ plan to defeat sin and death, was to ultimately surrender His own life… to pay for sins of all of humanity.

After dying for the sins of the world… his resurrection from death seals his victory over all of our evil and death.  

So now, for all who would choose to follow Him… Jesus offers abundant Life and Freedom!

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  John 3:16-17

The Bible is incredibly broad in the beginning and the end and incredibly specific in one place – the passion of Jesus (the week before His death and resurrection). In fact, we have four accounts of that one week in the life of Jesus with details almost hour by hour.

We aren’t exactly sure when God created or when this universe might come to an end, we just know that God created the universe and one day, He will make all things right. What we do know is that all points towards Jesus and all flows out of that critical moment. Even time was split into two parts!

When we read all of the Scriptures through the eyes of that critical moment in history – Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the dead, so much more makes sense.

Jesus, the Messiah, introduced God’s Kingdom. This invisible Kingdom of God has come and has captured the hearts of people from every tribe, tongue, nation. His Kingdom is not confined within borders. His Kingdom is not advanced by weapons of war but by faith, hope, and love.

The Final Act: The Kingdom of God

God’s kingdom is already here and yet not fully here. One day – all will be made right. In the mean time, Jesus told us to pray that God’s Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.

As we are redeemed, we become His representatives to help others find redemption.

As we are reconciled, we help other reconcile with God.

As we are restored, we bring restoration to the world around us.

Even when we want to make the change to become a good person, we fail! But we are not alone! God is here to help us! That’s why we celebrate Christmas –the Creator of the Universe came to be with us – born in Bethlehem and then giving His life for us 2000 years ago.

He gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good – Titus 2:14

Truly, this is the Greatest Story ever told… the story of God’s love for all nations… and all humanity . . . a love so Great He would reveal himself through Prophets but ultimately unite himself to Humanity, and even go through suffering and death because of His great love for us.  But it’s not just for us… or even for all nations… but for you—personally.  

He wants your story to become part of His Story, but again, the choice is yours… to either define good and evil for yourself…or to trust in God’s Love and His wisdom… to surrender your heart to God and to allow His Will to be done through you… as you choose to walk in Life and in Freedom with Jesus.

Praying for Las Vegas And Our Nation

“Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city….

We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.

Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.” – Daniel‬ ‭9:18-19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Praying for the wounded and those who lost loved ones in #LasVegas

Praying for our nation where this has become all too common.
#Orlando
#VirginiaTech
#SandyHook
#Killeen
#SanYsidro
#UTTower
#Columbine

As we remember those affected by the Las Vegas shooter, Vegas pastor Jeff Chaves offers five ways to pray:

1. Pray for those directly affected

2. Pray for our first responders

3. Pray for others who were present

4. Pray for the Las Vegas community

5. Pray for our churches

The One Anothers: Speak Truth

At Gateway Church in Austin we continued a new series called “The One Anothers”

Relationships are a wonderful thing. We find companionship, comfort, wisdom, strength, intimacy, and so much more with other people…until conflict happens, that is. But when others hurt or anger us, we sometimes feel excused from loving them if that means speaking the truth with gentle grace, which God has commanded us to do. So is it worth it to push through our fear, hurt, and anger to pursue reconciliation in our relationships? How does God want this process to look in our lives?

NEXT STEPS

Audio of the Message I Shared:

 Here are the message notes by John Burke:

We’re in this series called The One Anothers, looking at how God the Father adopts us as His children if we’re willing, brings us into a New Family, and in the Bible gives us all these One Another commands—New Family rules showing us a New Way to be human.  It’s how we grow up from spiritual childhood into spiritual maturity. I have to say, there’s not another place I’ve seen Adults act more childish than how we deal with Conflict. People so often destroy their relationships for one reason and one reason only:  They don’t know how to speak the truth in love. God’s family rules are not to blow up, gossip, slander, or hit back when hurt, but Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ…. Ephesians 4:15 “…Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.” (Colossians 3:13)

But rarely, do we do conflict and confrontation in healthy, loving ways as God intends. But when we do, it makes us better people because it gives us an opportunity to grow, and that builds the friendship because it actually deepens trust and authenticity—it increases depth of friendship.

Jesus laid it out very clearly how we are to deal with One Another as His Family when we feel wronged. It’s found in “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. 16 But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. 17 If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Matthew 18:15-17 So first, Jesus says…

If wronged…   Jesus says, “If someone you’re in relationship really wrongs you. Sometimes they didn’t really wrong us, or it’s not a sin issue, and we need to lighten up. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:2 (NIV)
Another translation says “Be patient, making allowance for each other’s faults.” I think there’s a misconception that the churches in the Bible were places of perfect harmony. When you read the Bible, you’ll see they were really just bundles of conflict. In fact, a lot of the books of the New Testament are Paul helping the congregations work through conflict and problems. Paul was passionate about right and wrong when it came to big issues of the faith. But here Paul is in essence saying, “Lighten up a little.” 

New Testament churchgoers argued over who was observing certain traditions or who was eating what food or who was working on which day. Today, we might argue over music preference, or who voted for whom, or who forgot to say thank you for our wedding gift, who didn’t invite us to the party, or who backed into our car and dented it without leaving a note.

The first question we ask is “How big is the issue?” However, you can’t just ask that question in isolation because the other half of the equation is “How close is the person?” If someone is really close to us, it is appropriate for us to let him know. If the person is a casual acquaintance, let it go.  Additionally, we need to stop giving perfect strangers the power to ruin our day. Some issues you pursue no matter what. For example, if your new neighbor is parking his Ford Explorer El Grande in your front yard, you have some creative conflict to pursue. The bottom line is that we need to choose our conflict carefully, and sometimes we just need to lighten up if they haven’t really sinned against us. 

But sometimes, things happen, and people have really wronged us. Jesus says if you are angry because someone has hurt or wronged you, here’s what you must do. Go in private.   “…just between the two of you….”   The way of Christ is really simple…if someone wronged you, go to that person in private.  Go to them with it.  It’s real simple, but I want to tell you, I think this is the hardest thing for people to do.  I’m convinced we do more damage to the Family that God wants to create among us because we just can’t get this one right.

God’s new family is to “…Be at peace with each other.” (Mark 9:50) “Live in harmony with one another…” (Romans 12:16) We are trying to do life together…in harmony with One Another, to love each other.  And when that happens as God designed, it’s like making music.  When two business partners combine their gifts and talents, visions and ideas, and go at something together it can be a beautiful thing for society and for their families.  When two people serve or grow in church next to each other and become friends, share with One another, and support One Another through highs and lows—it’s a beautiful thing.  When a husband and wife give of themselves sacrificially for the good of One Another, when they quickly resolve conflict–that’s love.  It’s a beautiful thing.  Our lives are in tune to what God wants for us relationally.

But, all of us sin against each other, we hurt and wrong one another.  And when we do, it’s because our lives are not fully in tune with God’s will for us.  We all do this in various ways at various times- sometimes accidentally, sometimes not.  We all get out of TUNE to God’s Will and it hurts others But here’s what happens, instead of doing it Jesus’ way, we go our own way.  Jesus’ way takes courage, we usually go the way of the coward. God’s desire is that we would help each other get in Tune.  But the goal of doing confrontation God’s way is to help each other get in tune and live in Harmony.  But instead

When Wronged, We Often… Go public.  Jesus says, keep it private, just between the two of you at first. But I don’t say anything to him, even when he asks.  Why?  Cause I don’t have the courage to do what Jesus said.  So what do I do instead? I get someone else involved. It does you NO GOOD; you just feel more anger, it doesn’t restore relationship.  It does that 3rd party NO GOOD, you’re inciting them against that person—it’s Gossip, that’s sin. Scripture says, “A gossip separates close friends.”  Proverbs 16:28  

Friends, talking about someone before you talk to them is WRONG!  It divides, it separates close friends, it tears apart community, it destroys what God’s trying to build in his New Family. Don’t participate in it. If someone comes to you, and they are angry or hurt or bothered about what another person did…don’t be the gossip who separates friends. If a Christ follower talks to you about another person–ask them this “Have you talked to that person yet about it?”  Answer will almost always be, “NO.”  Stop them and say, “Let me pray for you to have the courage and go to that person in private and do Matthew 18.  Refuse to keep on talking about it.  Why?  Because it’s not going to help tune him or the offender to God’s will.

Now, here’s the other wrong way we deal with conflict. Jesus says “Go to her”, but we try to forget it. If it’s hurting the relationship, but we’re afraid of how that person will respond, so we try to just forget it—that’s not truth or love. But remember, how that person responds is not your part to own—that’s his business before God.  Your part is to speak truth in love.  But often, we try to bury the hurt or the pain or the humiliation or the anger, just wish it away. But if it slowly destroys your relationship, that’s not God’s new family way.

That’s why scripture says:  “Better is open rebuke than hidden love.  Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.”  Proverbs 27:5   If you really want to be a friend to someone, if you really care about someone…then speak the truth in love to them.  It may hurt at first, but it builds deep trust in the end if it’s done with the right motive—and it gives them the opportunity to grow! So here’s the question to ask when you’re hurt and trying to decide if you should just “Forget it.”  Ask, “Will saying nothing most help this person and our relationship?” In some cases, the answer could be “yes.”  But if the only reason you’re not saying anything is to avoid discomfort of confrontation…be courageous…go in private like Jesus commands.

Confront in Love   “…go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.”  Matthew 18 Jesus says, spell out what happened and how it affected you.  But the motive in this is love.  Jesus says, the goal is to win your brother or sister back.  In other words, you’ve lost something.  When one person wrongs another, something is lost…trust, a part of the friendship, willingness to be vulnerable, respect. And the goal of confronting the wrong is to restore the relationship.  Truth + Love = Growth You’ve got to have both parts to make it work. Often when we pursue careful conflict all the way to this step, we blow it here. We can blow it by only sharing part of the truth or sharing truth but not with the motive of love we do it to get it off our chest, out of frustration or not care for the person or relationship, not from love. “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head.”  Ephesians 4:15    This is the way the church is to function so that we all grow up together, and the metaphor is that we function like Christ’s body here on earth—He’s the head.  But conflict mismanaged destroys what God’s building. It’s not just about you and that other person—it’s about God and what He is building.  And this is a good way to approach confrontation.  To remember that it’s bigger than just you and them—how you do this affect God’s Kingdom on earth.

One more important family rule: You Break It; You Buy It. Even if what’s broken is only five percent your fault, you need to buy it; you need to own that part. Maybe the other person told a malicious lie about you, and you understandably responded with harsh words about them. When you go to confront, You need to own your percent. Conflict is almost never all one sided. Often we don’t want to admit we did wrong too because we think it will make our position weaker. We think it’s poor negotiating to admit our own mistake.  Jesus said: “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye Matthew 7:3-5

What potentially life-saving advice are we given every time we sit down in an airplane seat? If the oxygen masks pop out of the ceiling–Put on our own mask before trying to assist others. So Jesus tells us there is a role for helping your brother remove the speck. But you have to own up to our own % of plank first. If you helped break it, you buy it. 

The War to End All Wars? (WWI)

On the this Memorial Day, it is important to pause to remember those who gave their lives protecting our freedom.

Over the past few months I have been diving deep into learning more about World War I and World War II. Like most Americans, I have great grandfathers, grandfathers, and great uncles who were involved in these two conflicts. I wish my interest in knowing more had come sooner in my life so that I could have asked them to share about their experiences. Unfortunately, these generations did not like to talk about their experiences (at least my family members did not).

Whether through watching documentaries on television, listening to podcasts like Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History, or reading books like No Ordinary Time by Doris Kearns Goodwin, discovering more of what was overcome in these international conflicts has become a genuine interest.

We can learn much from the heroism, the barbarism, the tactical brilliance, and the strategic mistakes.

Consider these horrific WWI statistics:

WWI Allies Casualties – 22 million
WWI Central Powers Casualties – 15 million

Total Casualties include those who were killed, missing in action, and wounded in WWI – 37 million

A Brief History of WWI

After Princess Sophie Franz Ferdinand, the Austrian Archduke and heir to the Austria-Hungarian throne was assassinated by 19-year-old Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. “As was expected, the complex web of alliances was activated as Russia declared war on Austria-Hungary, Germany declared war on Russia, and France and Britain declared war on Germany and Austria-Hungary.”

Eventually, most of Europe, Japan, and eventually the United States fought against the Central Powers of Austria, Germany, Bulgaria, and Turkey.

Tragically, the 19th Century tactics of war met the realities of 20th Century weaponry resulting in stalemates along the Eastern and Western fronts.

Some battalions went into battle with bayonets and lances while on horseback wearing white fuzzy hats. They were obviously no match for machine guns and later gas attacks.

What a horrible way to discover the need to adjust tactics to new technology.

From what I understand the Germans attempted to defeat France on the Western front so they could then turn their attention to Russian on the Eastern front. By rushing into France through Belgium, the British were compelled to get involved.

Eventually, when the Russians gave up the Eastern front due to their own internal chaos and the Bolshevik revolution, Germany was able to mobilize all their troops to the Western front. Some think they were on the verge of winning the war, but they had decided to use their new submarines to bomb ships bringing over munitions from the United States to England which meant American civilians were dying.

After more and more American civilians died, the United States finally entered WWI. They entered the war just when Germany seemed on the verge of victory.

Some suggest that the USA had made so much money by providing weapons and supplies to the Allies that the USA could not afford to see the Allies lose the war – especially once the Allies could no longer purchase supplies with cash but actually went into tremendous debt to the Americans. The USA realized the need to get involved to help the Allies win so they could be repaid.

The Results of WWI

The technological advancements took war to a more destructive level than ever before.

Germans introduced submarines, gas attacks, and the Paris Gun which could send shells 75 miles while the British introduced tanks.

The Russian monarchy was killed by the Communists who came to power some say as the result in part because of the disillusionment of the brutality of WWI.

The Ottoman and Austria-Hungarian Empires came to an end. Future conflicts in the Balkans and the Middle East can be traced back to the fall of these empires.

The young German Empire came to an end as part of the punitive Treaty of Versailles. As a result, nationalism and fascism became prominent in Germany leading to the rise of the Nazi party and World War II.

As American leadership saw China become a communist nation, they ascribed to the Domino Theory which led to the US involvement in the Korean and Vietnam wars hoping to stop the spread of communism.

Colonialism and Monarchies shifted dramatically from the 1800s to the 1900s.

In the end, “The War to End All Wars” may have actually been a catalyst to a century of wars.

On this Memorial Day, may we remain grateful to those who served in such tumultuous times.

Europe Before and After WWI

Backstage Pass – Created to Create


At Gateway Church in Austin, as our city hosts SXSW, we explored our God-given creativity.

Summary:

Did you ever consider that God, as our creator, created us to create? We all have creativity inside of us that can be used, even if we don’t always realize it. Perhaps the key to discovering our creativity will come through diving deeper into what God says about music, different types of worship, culture, and how it all comes into play for how we can impact society and change our world. What were you created to create?

Next Steps:

Discussion questions for your life group or family dinner are here.

Audio of the Message shared at Gateway South:

Notes from the Message:

From Justin Girdler:

As a  little kid, I loved to create—draw my drawings everywhere, but, somewhere along the way, I’m not sure where, I came to believe God could only use my utility. That to be loved by Him, he needed to see some sort of return, for his investment. 

I felt like I had to put away this childish, non-useful thing, I had to give up my refrigerator drawings and creative urges and become useful to Him. So I was going to get this zoology degree, go to vet school and go help people in Africa, that was the plan anyway. But my last year there something happened. I realized there was no way I was going to make it into Vet school, and part of me was actually pretty excited about that.

I began to notice something, I began to pay attention to what I did when I was bored. And as soon as I put off these expectations of myself. Drawing returned. And drawing led me to storyboarding, and storyboarding to filmmaking, and filmmaking to creativity arts of all kinds. Seven years ago, I came to work for Gateway helping create the video and art and arc of our Sunday experiences.

It has become essential to everything I do

It has become essential for how I bear God’s image.

See, the irony in my story, and the fact that I’m talking to you right now, is that being a creative has less to do with working alongside artists, and more about making the invisible visible.

So I believe the misconception about creativity is that “some people have it and some people don’t.”  That if you’re born with a creative spark, and you can apply that to some natural talent, you can become this phenomena, this “natural”, as people call it. I think that you-have-it-or-you-don’t mentality comes from our wonderment when we see great creativity on display.  We think, “How did they do that – What did that take – Why can’t I do that?” And right about then, is when we hear a little voice, “Because you’re not creative—or not as creative as they are.”

All of us were Created to Create.  We have to break this mindset that we are not creative because God made us in His image.

Creation is …  well, it’s in the beginning  Gen 1:27 … Adam & Eve were made in the image of God, they were (and we are) his image bearers. And part of that is we carry forward his identity as creative. We don’t have any problems with ideas like we represent God when we “love others” or “stand up for what is right” or “don’t covet your neighbor’s … donkey.” But we have a harder time owning up to the fact that it is in our essence, secular or Christian, that when we create, when we are being creative, we are living out of our function to bear His image as the most creative being in the universe.

Just think about how creative God is. Look at the diversity of animals (we’ve only identified about 2 million different species, 10,000 new ones get found every year. The Creator loves sharing new things He can imagine—there are 950,000 species of insects alone. Some of us wish He’d stopped sharing at 1 species. Billions of stars around billions of galaxies, some that look like eyes, some butterflies. And so our ability to create for God can be an act of worship—it makes God smile

We need to have a new mindset, a new definition, to de-mystify this word “creativity”. To open up and release our creative image given by God. We’ve made the definition of creative so narrow that only a few can qualify. In all my work with artists, with producers, with musicians, painters and filmmakers, all these “creative types”, and I would define creativity as: Our ability to divulge (or share with others) what we can imagine. 

 

Do you realize that you WERE created to create?  And creating can become an act of worship.  

I would challenge you to first identify where you’re already creative—what are you imaging and bringing into existence to share with others already?  And turn it into an act of worship.

Second, stretch creatively – try something new and creative because that develops creativity—it’s a gift we develop. Paul tells Timothy “fan into flame the gift given to you”. We have to develop. You may be thinking…

  • “But what if I fail?”

We have bought into this lie that creative people never fail and hence failure is proof that we are not ourselves, creative.  But failure is required to grow your creativity—a child’s stick figure drawing is not failure, it’s development. You would never expect a child to paint like ??? without developing. So stop judging development as failure.  You’re not failing, you’re developing.

  • “But I’m waiting for inspiration.”

“Inspiration is for amateurs. Professionals, we just go to work in the morning.”  The truth is the more you create, the more creative you become. Waiting for the lightening bolt of inspiration to strike rarely happens if you don’t practice creating.

  • “What if people don’t like it?”

Jesus even warns us, when we live connected to God and walk in his way …

“But I tell you the truth, no prophet is accepted in his own hometown.” – Luke 4:24

“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God?…If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” – Galatians 1:10

Here’s where following God sets us free to create. Don’t create for people first, create for God first—write that song as an act of creative worship, paint that painting for God’s pleasure—then if people like it, great. But if they don’t, it’s still valuable because it’s created by God’s Creation as an act of love to the Creator. 

Take that imagination of yours and create a better future. To creatively create a better business with better practices, to creatively create a family environment where your marriage, where your kids can flourish and grow, you can take the ideas and inventions, and models and plans in your head, and if you can partner with God in bringing them into existence.

From Kenny Green, John Burke, and Eric Bryant

Where are you already creating? How might that be an art of worship in your life?

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.  Colossians 3:23-24

We are created to create.

Did you know that when we introduce ourselves, we also reference the fact we are created in the image of God? Usually when we introduce ourselves we say: “I am _______.”

In the Old Testament, God tells Moses his name is “I am.”

When we introduce ourselves we are saying God’s name then our name.  It’s like we are acknowledging. “My name is _____________, created by God.”

There is a moment when Jesus refers to Himself with the exact same name. Surrounded by a crowd ready to stone Him to death in

Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. – John 8:53-59 

Next time you introduce yourself with “My name is _____________, realize you are also saying you are created by God.” 

We are created by the Creator to be Creative! As we do, we’re revealing something about the heart of God!

Where can we stretch to create more? Are there areas of our lives where we may need to let go of perfection and embrace the art of development?

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.  – Romans 12:1-2

Not everything we imagine is good or beautiful. We need to allow God to renew our mind so that we imagine what is best for ourselves and others – thoughts that reflect God’s image.

Followers of Jesus living in “creative community” together will by definition look less and less like the culture and the status-quo because it’s a community that is creating and innovating and doing so in humility and with grace as we are practicing The Way of Jesus together and being transformed by Him!  

In our “cut-and-paste”… re-post… “insta-copy” culture… what the world needs is for The Church… the people of Jesus… to start leading again… and Changing the World, together! What arises out of a truly creative community are movements that shape culture, never chase after it!

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. – Romans 12:3-6

Think of what could happen if we dared to see ourselves the way God sees us as His “Poema” as His masterpiece… bearing His image in, not only what we create, but in how we create together… as one Body… one creative community!

From Phillip Rogers:

The brush itself is a voice.

The strokes it makes are poetry in their own right.

They have no cause to turn from their meaning.

Elegant they seem to appear to your eye.

This art you see… so vividly…as poetry…

The poet itself you can see.

Clearly it has its place in the realm of creativity.

This, is not the only type of art you see.

Our Creator created us intentionally.

Like himself we were drawn..

Like him we were made to be a kind of artist in our own right.

With brushes and strings and voices beautiful, broken, messy, and too afraid to soak ourselves deep into the paint…

To create is to give a piece of us away, apart…

A part that will be limited only by us accepting our own limitations, to boldly embrace our full potential created in us.

Are you creative?

Be courageous!

Ideas are born and refined in the fire of inevitable failure.

Something out of nothing…

Creativity is a child of risk and failure and the moment we accept this failure as the given as the constant, we in turn produce the power to shine that light into the darkness where fears find rest.

Is there a fingerprint, an impression, from somewhere outside of us, that rests upon our souls to express a unique beauty buried within.

We are paintings, songs, and sculptures made by a Creator…

Created to create…

We are each a prism with uncommon angles designed to reflect a dazzling rainbow of colors from beyond.

The power that breathed us into being trembles in hope that we too will lift our fingers, flex our minds.

Will you study the world around you, imitate design, combine to make something new.

Something new…

Something created from you.

Forgiveness Tested and Expressed (The Charleston 9)

With the trial looming for the man who attended a Bible study only to shoot and kill 9 innocent men and women at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, the response of the family members of those who were killed has been so remarkable.

So many family members of the victims have expressed love and forgiveness for a young man who sought to incite a race war.

Their faith is so inspiring in the midst of this awful tragedy.

Consider these sentiments from some of the grieving family members:

Speaking to the shooter – “You took something very precious away from me. I will never talk to her ever again. I will never be able to hold her again. But I forgive you. And have mercy on your soul.” – Nadine Collier, the daughter of Ethel Lance

Speaking to the shooter – “Every fiber in my body hurts, and I will never be the same. Tywanza Sanders is my son, but Tywanza was my hero. Tywanza was my hero. But as we say in Bible study, we enjoyed you. But may God have mercy on you.” – Felicia Sanders, mother to the youngest victim Tywanza Sanders

“My humanness is being broken, my humanness of wanting this man to be broken beyond punishment. You can’t do that if you really say that you believe in the Bible and you believe in Jesus Christ. You can’t just waver.” – Rev. Sharon Risher, daughter of one of the victims

“I still haven’t recovered. It’s just gonna take a while. I forgive the guy for doing what he did, but he took away [my family members]. That’s something I’ll never get over.” – Thomas Rose, a member of the church and someone who attended the Bible Study that night but who had left before the shooting began

We have so much to learn about forgiveness from the families and friends of the Charleston 9.

My prayers are with those still grieving and those having to relive their worst moments as the trial begins.

 

Nine victims of the Charleston church shooting. Top row: Cynthia Hurd, Rev. Clementa Pinckney, Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton Middle row: Daniel Simmons, Rev. Depayne Middleton Doctor, Tywanza Sanders Bottom row: Myra Thompson, Ethel Lee Lance, Susie Jackson
Nine victims of the Charleston church shooting. Top row: Cynthia Hurd, Rev. Clementa Pinckney, Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton Middle row: Daniel Simmons, Rev. Depayne Middleton Doctor, Tywanza Sanders Bottom row: Myra Thompson, Ethel Lee Lance, Susie Jackson

 

For more, see A Year After A Coward Killed The Charleston 9, Bible Study Continues

U.S. Seeks Death for Charleston Shooting Suspect. Victims’ Families Prefer Mercy

Vin Scully: 67 Years of Excellence

For the 12 1/2 years we lived in Los Angeles, we came to love our Mosaic family, our Alhambra neighbors, Trader Joe’s, In-N-Out, and so much more. One of our family’s favorite pastimes in our time there was going to see the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Every year I bought “season tickets.” We sat in the same 4 seats in the Top Deck anywhere between 10 to 15 games per year plus the occasional free tickets from friends whose companies had even better seats. Every game we brought peanuts and bought hot dogs and for me a Diet Coke and enjoyed cheering on the Dodgers and catching the fireworks or getting a bobblehead when we could. We were there for Eric Gagne, Matt Kemp, Manny Ramirez, and Clayton Kershaw.

One of the best parts of being a Dodgers fan was the greatest broadcast of all time – Vin Scully.

It is hard to overstate how amazing Vin Scully was as a storyteller and announcer.

There were some seasons that I listened to almost every game just to hear Vin Scully. While sending emails or working on the yard or playing with the kids, Vin Scully’s soothing voice was always on in the background.

And to think he has been the voice of the Dodgers for 67 years! He began calling Dodgers games when they were still playing in Brooklyn!

Has anyone worked anywhere that long and maintained such a level of excellence?! Will anyone ever pull that off ever again?

Vin Scully’s faith was evident in how he treated people, what he said as an announcer, and in the way overcame the tragic deaths of his first wife and oldest son.

Consider the following proof of Vin Scully’s greatness:

Vin Scully on the importance of silence

Vin Scully’s last call is an extra inning division winning home run!

14 Things You Didn’t Know About Vin Scully

10 Best Calls by Vin Scully (Check out his thoughts on dirt in #10)

Vin Scully on the origins of the name “Beantown” for Boston

Vin Scully displayed is humility when he thanked the fans last night with the following:

“I have always felt you folks in the stands have been far, far more important to me. You have given me enthusiasm. You have given me young at heart…. Believe me when I tell you I’ve needed you far more than you’ve needed me.”

We will miss you, Vin Scully! There will never be another like you!

 

11/22/63 – the Assassination of JFK Solved?

On this day in 1963, everything changed.

What if President John F. Kennedy had never been assassinated?

What if it was possible to go back in time to protect the president?

The premise of Stephen King’s novel 11/22/63 caught my attention. A lengthy book, but the first two acts of the book were fantastic! I wasn’t as fond of the ending, but I would still recommend it.

In 2016, JJ Abrams is bringing an 8 part series to Hulu based on Stephen King’s book and starring James Franco. See more here: 11.22.63.

The book got me thinking once again….

Who shot JFK?

In addition to the research in the book, I did my own research by watching some documentaries, reading some online articles, watching some old interviews from that tragic day and the ensuing investigation including the response to the Warren Report, and even spending some time at the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. 

Below is a video I recorded on my visit to the grassy knoll where some conspiracy theorists believe the real shooter was hiding. The “X” in the road marks the spot where JFK was tragically shot.

My conclusion: Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone to kill President John F. Kennedy.

Obviously I’m not a private investigator, and there are certainly people who have spent far more time on this with different theories on what happened.

Even still, Oswald was troubled, angry, and seemed to want the attention in a world not prepared or ready for terrorism or an “active shooter incident,” the name for the tragic mass shootings that are all too common nowadays.

Here’s a quote which captures why we want to believe that Cuba or the Soviet Union or even the FBI was involved:

“We can’t accept very comfortably that two nobodies, two nothings – Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby – were able to change the course of world history.” – Hugh Aynesworth, eyewitness and former Dallas Morning News Reporter

What if?

  • What if Lee Harvey Oswald had been arrested for his assassination attempt of General Edwin Walker in April 1963?
  • What if the political environment not been so vitriolic in Dallas in 1963?
    Some had encouraged JFK not to even go to Dallas.
  • What if it had been raining as was expected?
    Some had wanted the President to ride with a plastic bubble on the top of his convertible which could have deflected the bullet or at least made it more difficult.

The list of “what could have been” goes on and on.

Watchmen of World Freedom

We will never know how differently the world would have been, but one thing is certain: had John F. Kennedy made it to the Dallas Trade Mart for his speech, he would have shared the following in a message later that day (including his quote of Psalm 127:1):

“We in this country, in this generation, are — by destiny rather than choice— the watchmen on the walls of world freedom. We ask, therefore, that we may be worthy of our power and responsibility — that we may exercise our strength with wisdom and restraint — and that we may achieve in our time and for all time the ancient vision of ‘peace on earth, good will toward men.’ That must always be our goal — and the righteousness of our cause must always underlie our strength. For as was written long ago: ‘except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.’”