Why Are We Here?

Posted: May 20, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: God, Life, Universe | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

All of us would like to believe that we were put on this Earth to pursue happiness… believing THAT is the reason God made us. We find it in the Declaration of Independence…. “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”. Isn’t this a reflection of God’s desire for us? In this blog, we attempt to uncover the reason we were put on this earth.

The Story of Lazarus

Posted: November 22, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: God, Universe | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Video Overview
This presentation depicts the biblical story of Lazarus and discusses why Jesus wept before raising him from the dead, even though he knew in advance that he was going to perform this miracle.

Video Transcript
Video Summary

  • Most read book… the Holy Bible
  • Most influential man of the 20th century… Albert Einstein
  • Einstein took the “speed of light” implication of Maxwell’s equation and worked backwards. Speed is change in distance divided by change in time. The only way for that ratio to be a constant implies that time itself must slow down as you get closer to the speed of light.
  • The bible contains 3 metaphors of God:
    1. God is spirit (John 4:24).
    2. God is light (1 John 1:5).
    3. God is love (1 John 4:8).
  • Like with Einstein, the suggestion is to treat these 3 metaphors of God literally.
  • God is in us (John 14:20 “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you”) should also be taken literally.
  • In the story of Lazarus, we read about Lazarus’s sister Mary running out to Jesus to tell him that Lazarus had died 4 days earlier. How did Jesus respond?…. John 11:35 says “Jesus wept”…. shortest verse in the bible. Why did Jesus weep? He KNEW he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead!
  • The connection between Jesus and Mary allowed Mary to share her grief with Jesus.
  • That connection is God.
Motivational Insights

  1. Share in the grief of others and you will lighten their load and create a bond with them.
  2. Sharing of your grief with others will lighten your load and create a bond with them.

You, Your Spouse, and God

Posted: October 11, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: God | Tags: , , | 3 Comments

Video Overview
This presentation describes the triangular relationship between you, your spouse, and God. and how your relationship with your spouse impacts your relationship with God.

Video Transcript
Video Summary

  • The relationship between you, your spouse, and God form a triangle.
  • As you and your spouse “climb” the sides of the triangle and get closer to God, you end up getting closer to each other.
  • The idea of “getting closer” is a nice “romantic” notion, but the depiction is flawed. Imagine saying a disparaging remark to your spouse upon walking into church. You may be inspired by the pastor’s message that day and consequently feeling closer to God. Your spouse, feeling hurt from your comments, will feel further from both you… and God.
  • The connection between you and your spouse is love.
  • God is love (1 John 4:8 “God is love”).
  • Therefore, in the example I gave, it appears you are getting closer to God while simultaneously getting further from your spouse…. Which means getting further from God… because the “love” connection IS God.
  • In 1 John 4:20, we read “If someone says, ‘I love God’, but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar”. In other words, it is not possible to get closer to God and further from God at the same time.
Motivational Insights

  1. Since God is in all of us, you can’t claim to love God and not love everyone.
  2. We are made for community… to share both good times and bad.