Random?

In the zombie apocalypse world of The Walking Dead, we see characters dealing with some of the most important issues in life: survival, freedom of choice, hope, family, community, forgiveness. I see so much in the bleak world that speaks of how important hope is in the midst of our fallen creation. So you can imagine how fascinated I was to see the wall sign in this picture during the recent episode "Four Walls and a Roof":

For those of you who did not grow up in a small church, let me assure you this style of sign is very common. It usually has statistics such as attendance and offering amounts on it. But in this church, where the priest Gabriel has holed himself up to escape the "walkers," it has a list of Bible verses. Needless to say, I had to look them up. Surely there is no detail from these talented writers that is there by accident. So what do they say?

Romans 6:4 - Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death; so that as Christ was raised up from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

Ezekiel 37:7 - So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone.

Matthew 27:52 - The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.

Revelation 9:6 - And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death flees from them.

Luke 24:5 - (A)nd as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?"

Yes, there does seem to be a thread of a theme, doesn't there? Each verse has some sort of reference to death and/or a renewing of life. One speaks of attaining life by dying to yourself. Another speaks of the impossible, dead bones coming back to life. Out of context, the verses are very strange - maybe that's part of the point.

The last two are the most interesting to me in the context of the show: 

• Clearly, the show's zombie apocalypse is a world where many people despair of whether life is even worth living. And in a way the show's premise is a representation of this verse: People don't really die, they just become walking, shallow shells of themselves.
• And the question "Why do you seek the living among the dead?" lurks in every corner of this world. And perhaps our world, as so many people live empty lives.

Anyway, a very interesting group of verses, clearly displayed for a reason. While I've shared a few thoughts, I'm not sure what they're getting at.

So what about you? Do you see a theme? Or do you think it was just a random collection, a meaningless prop?

What do you think?

The pressure's on

Yesterday I read a study from the Barna Group that was very encouraging. For those of you who don't know, this research organization specializes in doing studies on trends among people of faith, with a special emphasis on the millennial generation. In this study, the main focus was the way technology was changing the way Millennials interact with their faith. You can read the whole study here. I encourage you too.

There's a lot in the study about how this generation is using the internet and their mobile devices to read Scripture, as opposed to just using books or the Bible in book form. That didn't surprise me - I've done a lot of that myself. But the cool part was the way they are using technology tools to check up on their preachers. Here's an excerpt:

Now with the ability to fact-check at their fingertips, Millennials aren’t taking the teaching of faith leaders for granted. In fact, 14% of Millennials say they search to verify something a faith leader has said. A striking 38% of practicing Christian Millennials say the same.

Wow! Preachers can't just assume their congregations are sitting there passively, believing everything they say.

And that's a good thing.

It reminds of the Christians at Berea, as told in Acts 17. When Paul and Silas were there preaching, we are told that the people of Berea "received the word with eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so." (Acts 17:11, NASB, emphasis mine)

There is way too much blind acceptance of stuff that comes out of the pulpit. I won't even go into examples of false teaching, but it is all over the place. But it's not just in the 21st century - it was true in the first century as well. John wrote about testing doctrine (1 John 4:1), Paul about avoiding false teachers (1 Timothy 1:3-4). And Jesus said it was coming, and would mislead many (Matthew 24:11).

So how do we avoid getting caught in the trap? By doing what they did in Berea. And this is exactly what we see a large number of Millennials doing!

When I see that they are using technology for real time fact-checking, that is good news. It is my prayer that they are "fact-checking" what preachers are saying about the Bible, to make sure it's true. "Examining the Scriptures daily..." - no, not just daily but immediately! - ..."to see whether these things are so."

Technology can be a trap. But it can be a blessing. Watch out preachers, the pressure's on. May God use this trend to seed out false teachers and point a generation toward the awesome truth of the gospel.

Pages and everything

Sometimes, moving forward is taking a step back.

As you may have been able to guess, I am huge fan of technology. I love being connected on social media. I enjoy my Macbook, my iPhone, my Kindle, and I will probably be on board at the next great breakthrough.

The thing I love about reading books with the electronic media is that I just have to take one item with me, and I'm able to jump back and forth between various things I'm reading. I am usually reading two or three books at the same time: one fiction, one nonfiction, and one to help me dig deeper into Bible study. This is all possible for me - who misplaces things a lot - because of the Kindle and the Kindle app.

And of course, I have the Bible app on my iPhone. Just pull that baby out and I have the Scriptures available anywhere. When you see me staring at my phone in church…yeah, it's the Bible.

But I've made a decision…I'm going back to using the Good Book. Emphasis on book.

Recently I noticed something about my Bible reading. I noticed that I was reading way too fast. Once I noticed it, I really started noticing it. I would skim, I would rush, and I would not settle down mentally to really get into it. I have a theory as to why. That's the way we read everything else these days. We scroll through twitter, see links to blogs and article of interest, and we skim through the ones we pick, looking to see whether they are saying anything new, anything to make us slow down.

At least I do. And I've read research indicating that you might too.

That's fine for blogs - heck, you're probably doing it right now. It's fine for articles, and it may be okay for books.

But to me, it's not okay for God's word. The authority of God is dripping from every page, and I need to slow down and absorb it. Take the time to learn the context, so I can distinguish what is really being said from my own personal biases that I try to read into the Bible.

I just don't think I've been doing that with the electronic versions.

And I also miss highlighting, underlining, and making notes in the margins. I miss turning to another passage to see what the writer might have been referring to. I miss a lot of things.

Not anymore.

I'll still use my Bible app for convenience when the book isn't at my fingertips. It's so cool to always have the Scriptures with me. But when it's time to sit down and really read, really study, I'm making a change.

Give me the Book.