The Creator

Posted on November 23, 2013 by Scott Ranck

Next weekend I will be sharing a message at Bay Life Church. I am calling my message, “The Act of Worship.” In preparation I’ve been studying and pondering Isaiah 40. The question is asked, “To whom shall you compare me.” This one chapter alone has been so humbling to me. The Scripture writer, moved to pen the inspired Word of God asks, can the great people of the world be compared to God? A whole course on human history examining the exploits and discoveries of all the world’s great minds and leaders could be conducted. Then what we discover is the greatest and best have vast areas of life they know nothing about. Their lives were lived and passed quickly and now they are dead and gone. The Scriptures say, the best of men are like grasshoppers before Him, they barely get started and then are blown away like chaff.

If men are no comparison, how about empires or nations? God says, all the nations are like dust on the pharmacist’s scales, no need to even blow it off the scales, it won’t tip them a bit! Well, how about the whole planet then? The Scripture writer takes all the grandest things on the planet, like mountain ranges and oceans. It says God weighs the mountains and hills on a little scale and holds the oceans in his hand. These characterizations of God are called anthropomorphisms. That is attributing to God qualities or traits of people. But the point is, to the Creator, this little ball of dirt is just that, nothing compared to Him.

What I’ve realized in my study, is every topic could take massive amounts of research and study and basically could take my entire life. I could study mountains, their structure and  plant life. Or I could study the oceans, all 352 quintillion gallons, the mountains and canyons under water diving to depths of nearly 7 miles deep. The oceans with all their mysteries are too much to grasp.

The Scripture writer goes further though and delves into the universe itself. Science guesstimates there are billions of galaxies. Our little corner of the universe, the Milky Way is rather small compared to others. Yet, light traveling at 186,000 miles per second would take 100,000 light years to cross. Light could circle the equator 7.5 times in a second. No one knows for sure but again science estimates the known universe to be 34 billion light years from one end to the other. Scripture says, God, measures the heavens with his finger and calls every star by name.

Scripture also says from cover to cover, God created the universe, in fact Hebrews 11 says, he spoke it into existence from nothing. The first cause, the ultimate energy source that fuels the universe is the God we serve! He is greater than all His creations. The Psalmist says, The heavens declare the Glory of God, and Romans 1 says, the things of creation reveal His identity to the creation so that all are without excuse.

I don’t know Him like I should. My understanding of the God I’ve been serving is way to small. The true and living, Creator God cannot be compared to anything in all the universe that comes close to being His equal.

More thoughts are coming on this topic throughout the week of preparation!

Blessings,

Scott

Posted in Spirituality | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Come to Me

Posted on October 13, 2013 by Scott Ranck

The experts say, every child needs their mother’s love and their father’s approval. Parents do the best they can with what they have to work with but none does it perfectly. So, we grow to adults with our tanks partially filled and expect a spouse will be able to do for us what both parents could not do. We are left unfulfilled and disappointed again.

We pursue other paths to fill the void in our lives. Like the writer of Ecclesiastes came to see, it is like chasing the wind. Nothing out there gives us what we need.

It hit me the other day, thinking about mom’s love and dad’s approval, that God created man and woman in His own image. It takes both the male and female traits to capture what God is like. In the NT, the apostle Paul says to the Thessalonian Church, I was like a mother among you nurturing and I was like a father encouraging you to your best. The lights went on! Parents, spouses and other pursuits are only meant to whet our appetites so we would be hungry for the main meal. Parents are a faint reflection of our heavenly Father who has perfectly mastered the ability to love us and give us His approval.

Other’s create an appetite in us by their inability to meet those needs in us perfectly. We flit from one person to another hoping someone else may have the elusive nectar. Everyone will ultimately come up short. None of us have an unlimited reservoir to dispense to others. Our reservoirs are also half full.

“Come to Me,” Jesus said, all of you who are tired of running everywhere else, “I WILL give you rest for your souls.” He will also give you the only source of unconditional love and acceptance that is unlimited.

All our disappointment, dissatisfaction and frustration with people is simply His calling card, “Come to Me.”

Blessings,

Scott

Posted in Health and wellness, Spirituality | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

I have rebel tendencies!

Posted on August 3, 2013 by Scott Ranck

I decided to build a shed in my backyard to get the lawn mower and other stuff out of the garage. I did some research on codes etc. I discovered in FL (wrongly) that if you build a shed over 150 square feet you need engineered drawings just as if you were building a home. I read (erroneously) if you build under 150 square feet all you need to do is take your properties site plan down to the building office and get a permit and there are no inspections required.

I realized we never received a site plan when we closed on our home. I contacted our realtor and she said because the home was only two years old, they didn’t need to have a new survey done. No one could find the original site plan so I paid the $275.00 and had a new one done. The problem is the previous owner had the sprinkler system at what looked like the back of the lot and also some shrubs and it was clear the grass was there also. We always assumed that was our yard. We live on a retention pond, which for non Floridians is a large area for runoff water to go when we get a gully washer.

The survey showed my backyard was about 15′ less than I thought. Plus, being on the retention pond there is a 10′ drainage easement. That leaves me about a 20′ deep back yard! My 12′ X 12′ shed must be about 7’8″ off my house to allow the 10′ easement in the back.

So, I get all my documents together and go down to get a permit. The lady says, where are your plans? I said, “What plans. I’m building a 12′ X 12′ box! Who needs plans?” She says, “The 2010 building code requires any shed, any out building to have engineered and stamped drawings to get a permit.” I said, “No wonder so many people do improvements without permits. You people make things so difficult it isn’t worth messing with!” I asked, “What will it cost if I get caught building it without a permit?”

As I drove home, I sensed the Spirit of God say, “You are a rebel at heart! You really don’t like anyone telling you what to do. This situation just reveals your problem. It isn’t with rules, it is with rebellion.”

I surrendered! I thought of a friend who is an architect. It will cost me more but my shed will be built to code, with proper setbacks and easements and I feel at peace in the surrender.

It reminded me of the words of an old college professor, “Temptation never caused anyone to sin, it just reveals an area of weakness.” Geesh, always room to grow!

Blessings,

Scott

Posted in Health and wellness, Spirituality | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Racism Vs. Reality

Posted on July 20, 2013 by Scott Ranck

This is such a hot button topic it is difficult to talk about. The last thing I want to do is offend any of my African-American Friends, who are many. I think of men and women I love and respect, Michael, Mark, Lawrence, Titus & Renee’, Terrance, Hattie, Kevin, just to name a few. They are great people, hard-working, love life, love people and love me, a caucasian. To me, this is evidence there is no need for racial violence, animosity or worse.

Where is all the mistrust, ugly talk, suspicion coming from? It isn’t coming from those of us who are here in the trenches doing life together. It isn’t coming from us who work together, socialize together, and worship together.

I just commented to Gayle this morning over breakfast, I can barely watch the news or read Facebook posts without feeling like I want to jump into the fray! I must tell you, I have never felt any suspicion toward a member of another race as we mingle at church together!

I travel all over the state and at times the country for my work. It is the unknown that creates a sense of apprehension. Driving into a neighborhood by accident that is clearly low-income makes me nervous and lock the doors no matter whether it is a poor white neighborhood or a minority neighborhood. I don’t know what is there or how to get out quickly and it creates concern.

The solution to me is get off the soapbox on TV, stop making speeches, President Obama, Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson, Fox News, MSN, CNN, stop it now! Stop spinning crime facts from both sides, more crime committed VS. more imprisoned. None of that matters.

Invite a neighbor of a different race to sit down and talk to you about their life’s experience. Feel with them, then share your perspective and let them feel with you. Become friends. Respect each other’s different experiences. Start looking out for each other. Love your neighbors. Mentor someone.

Blessings,

Scott

Posted in Health and wellness, News and politics, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Just a Dream?

Posted on July 13, 2013 by Scott Ranck

As we approach three months since my 86-year-old mom went to be with the Lord, I had an amazing dream last night. The dream was someone sent me something on Facebook. The description said, “Don’t look at this until you are ready, it will change your life.” In my dream there was one of those viewers we used to look at postcards with when we were kids. You put the viewer part up to your face and it magnified the post card attached to the other end.

In my dream, I was ready so I put my face up to the viewer and when I did my mom was there as clear as could be. Only she was not like any thing I ever remembered or like any picture I’ve ever seen of her. She was totally at peace, quiet, smiling and looked beautiful. She appeared to be mid 30’s to 40. Her eyes were piercing as she looked me directly in the eye. She calmly said to me, I love you; I miss you and I will be with you till the end. We stared into each other’s eyes and I backed away from the viewer. It seemed the rest of the night I tried to get back to the viewer but never could get to it. I woke this morning and the dream was so clear and crisp. Whatever it was, it was a beautiful thing.

Blessings,

Scott

Posted in Health and wellness, Spirituality | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

The Biblical Worldview & Specific Sins

Posted on July 7, 2013 by Scott Ranck

Every human being is born flawed. We are willful. Parents see this behavior beginning as early as 18 months and quickly moves into what is commonly referred to as “The terrible twos.” Based on my previous post, all of us have genetic issues, nurture issues from childhood and our own strong desire to not have anyone else tell us what to do, we are rebels at heart.

Paul said, he wouldn’t have even known sin if there wasn’t a law to violate. When there is a rule, law, guideline put out there by God, Government or Employer, our human nature wants to challenge it. Divine laws are given for a couple of reasons. The first is to reveal the nature and character of God. The second is to protect us. The third reason is that no one will be able to stand before God’s law and say they are “righteous” apart from Jesus’ sacrifice for us.

One of the plagues of our current society is we don’t want to take responsibility for our own lives. Not many are willing to say, my battle with obesity, alcohol, sexual immorality, drugs, laziness, workaholism, anger, gambling, etc. is my battle. It is all blamed on society, disease, metabolism, yada, yada, yada.

Many in society don’t accept a biblical worldview and we stand by and watch our country unravel before our very eyes. It is impossible to be my age and not be able to see in our lifetime the degradation of our country. There has always been all these sins prevalent among people. The difference is in the first 200 years of our country the community opinion was they were not acceptable. Therefore, people had a higher sense of moral integrity, they fought their battles. They trusted God to help them rise above and defeat their own demons, and lawless living wasn’t flaunted it was scorned. A much smaller percentage of our society just threw off restraint and did whatever they chose to do, which is the growing majority today.

So, now we live in a world where if you can’t cope with life and choose to medicate with drugs or alcohol you have a disease. If you are morbidly obese it’s not the 5,000-8,000 calories a day you put in your mouth it is some other reason, just not yours. If your family has lived on welfare for generations and spend their days waiting for the next government check, it isn’t that you are lazy, it is just the way we do it. If you have made poor choices by committing any type of sexual immorality, you were just acting on your impulse or you were hard-wired to act out the way you do and as Lady Gaga sings, “Baby you were born this way!” Your choice really doesn’t come into play.

I don’t expect this to ever happen, but until each of us humbles ourselves before God and surrenders to Jesus as our Savior and surrender ourselves to live within a biblical framework, not twisted to justify my particular battle, as a nation we will continue down the path we are currently on. It is a path that heads to destruction both personal and national.

No one is exempt from the internal struggle of doing it my way or God’s way. Even those who become Christians still battle the rest of their lives to live one day at a time in a healthy, humbled, surrendered way. Everyone has their own demons to fight, I know I sure have my own. On any given day, I may choose my own way but when I do, there are consequences to bare. Oh, how well I know that. I also have no business judging others.

There are only two groups of people on the globe today. People who say, “I will do it my way,” and those who say, “I will strive to do it God’s way.” When the bulk of society chooses #1. There is little hope. Bible prophecy will be fulfilled, “In the last days terrible times will come. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. . .they will love pleasure more than they love God. 2 Timothy 3:1-5.

Kind of sad to watch the battle in myself and others all around. Sadder yet to see people throw God and the Bible out and just give in to their own ways. God help us all!

Scott

Posted in Health and wellness, Spirituality | 4 Comments

A Biblical World View & Sin

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Scott Ranck

Sin, as a word is largely misunderstood by our culture. There are at least three broad connotations of the word from a biblical reference point. I have been thinking about this since my last series of posts on the Boy Scout’s decision to admit openly homosexuals into their organization. In response to those posts several people commented, “Homosexuality is not sin.” That statement caused me to think about what the Bible reveals about the whole concept of sin.

Sin, in its broadest sense is referring to a principle rather than a particular act. The sin principle would be since the “fall of mankind,” the world is broken. Life on the planet is not as it was created, in a perfect state. This concept is found throughout Scripture but one clear reference is Romans 8:20-21. “Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.” The sin principle touches every part of creation and each of us are impacted by it.   The evidence of its presence is 100% of each generation dies. Plants die, animals die and people die. One of the greatest hopes through history is that heaven will be a place where this broken aspect of life will be corrected. Death will be no more, God will wipe all tears from our eyes!

Secondly, because of the sin principle, all humans are born with a sin nature. There is no evidence we inherit someone else’s sin, like our parents or even our first parents. What the Bible does teach is that all humans are born with a nature that is prone to walk away from God and His will for us. We are born with predispositions toward sin. Not everyone has the same predispositions. Some predispositions are a result of our parent’s life style patterns that we absorb just by living in the home. Some are more hardwired into us genetically, and some are there just because of the sin principle and things are broken. This idea of sin as a nature and the battle it causes can be seen in Galatians 5:19-22. The combination of the sin principle and the sin nature we are born with leads to the third use of sin.

We all commit personal acts of sin. One of the major words for this idea of sin literally means to miss the target. It is the picture of an archer aiming at a target and his arrow sticking in the ground ten feet short of the target. In the biblical view of life, God being the author of life gets to make the rules. Sin ultimately in all three forms is a violation of His character and nature. When He says don’t lie, it is because He is truth. His rules for life are found in His Book. Many of the truths are like a fence around the playing field. They are designed to give us room to live fulfilled lives and protect us from being hurt by what happens on the outside of the fence. The created ones don’t get to tell the Creator what is and is not outside His Divine Will. All humans, according to the Bible have missed the mark. All of us have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God, as seen in Romans 6:23.

This is a brief overview of what the Bible teaches about sin. Now that we understand the concept in my next several blogs, I will teach some of the ramifications and ultimately the remedy for this dilemma we all live with.

Blessings,

Scott

Posted in Spirituality | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Colliding World Views

Posted on May 26, 2013 by Scott Ranck

Throughout the history of the world there have been world views that were dominant in a certain culture. The majority of the people, educators, etc. held to the major tenants of the view. Unknown to many is that in the early days of our country almost all major education centers were predominantly Christian. The original purpose of Harvard University was to train ministers and magistrates. Reading the rigors of study for the first students of Harvard is amazing. In the documents it states that to be a true student the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord! Students had to be able to read the New Testament in the original language of Greek just to be admitted to the school! Part of the curriculum was a required time of personal devotion including scripture reading, meditation and prayer! Princeton, Yale and the other Ivy League schools were Christian at their founding.

Fast forward to the “enlightenment,” and the gradual infiltration of “secular thought,” creating controversy after controversy. Prayer and Bible reading in public schools, the norm until this point was removed. Teaching of evolution was introduced. Gradually, science became more dominant than theology. Some younger than me read about this in text books, I lived through it! The 1960’s led to a “coming out party” when massive social upheaval took place. It was the first major throwing off of the Judeo-Christian cultural world view. That time was a national collision of world views. As a nation, the tide began to turn from a nominal Judeo-Christian world view to a decidedly more secularized world view.

This opinion can be seen in many federal and state laws. It can also be seen in many of our historical buildings in Washington D.C. and other places. It can also be seen in the sweeping changes and intolerance toward Judeo-Christian traditions and practices all around the country.  It has only been in recent days having the 10 Commandments posted in a public building has been challenged. That one thing alone shows the turning of the tide in the collision of world views. I sat on a jury in North Carolina in the 1980’s when the woman in the case was charged with, “alienation of affection!” With the 10 Commandments posted on the wall. She had an affair with a guy and it was illegal! There are many states who still have similar laws governing sexual behavior but most have been removed now. The point is, before the 60’s enough people subscribed to these views there were laws on the books!

Simply having this discussion about the Boy Scouts of America being pressured to change a view they held from their inception shows we are in a seismic cultural shift. Good or bad, right or wrong, healthy or a mistake is all determined by what world view you ascribe to.

Which brings me back to my first blog in this series. As I have written the responses I’ve received are expected. People who have given me a hard time because I categorized homosexuality as sin, no worse than any other sin come from either a philosophical Christian world view or a secular world view. The secularists say, it isn’t a sin. They can say that and really believe it because from their world view, they determine what is and isn’t “sin” though they probably wouldn’t even use the word. Philosphical Christianity, which often barely uses the Bible as a guide to their faith would relegate biblical teaching on homosexuality as a cultural thing that doesn’t apply to now. The biblical Christians who commented are appalled I would say all kids should be allowed to participate. I would expect nothing less because that is their world view.

A biblical Christian will always view, premarital sex, extra-marital sex, incestual sex, bestiality, pedophilia and same-sex relationships as outside of God’s design. They could do nothing else and be true to their world view.

The collision comes when the vocal adherents, evangelists if you will,  to a particular world view fight over which view will rule the land. For all who are pushing 60 years of age, the frustration and anger spill over because you were the minority view and now you are winning the day, or you were the majority view and you are now losing the day. Thus, the major brew ha ha over Boy Scouts and allowing openly homosexual scouts and I’m sure soon openly homosexual scout leaders. The Boy Scouts of America though not overtly Christian ascribed to a “Judeo-Christian based world view,” and the vocal homosexual advocate groups generally view life through a secular or philosophical Christian world view.

As Christians we are called to win people to Christ one by one. We are called to love, be compassionate and caring. People’s hearts change through coming to know Jesus personally and being absorbed by His great love. You cannot make someone a Christian, but you surely can make someone NOT want to be a Christian. We are called to love, to share the gospel and leave the judgment to God.

Blessings,

Scott

 

Posted in News and politics, Spirituality | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Presuppositions Are Everything!

Posted on May 25, 2013 by Scott Ranck

This is the fourth blog in a series, I recommend you start at the beginning and then get to this one. I realize in 500 word writings I cannot capture every nuance of belief. The first three blogs are broad generalities of some of the key features of differing world views. There are 1,000’s of flavors of each. My desire is to help us see that whatever “glasses” we accept as our presuppositions will impact all our thinking and flavor every conclusion we come to. For example, many “Christian” groups are not biblical based Christian groups. They pick a few highlights but then build their own religion around it. They don’t draw their belief system from Scripture, they either impose their beliefs on Scripture or just disregard Scripture. Those groups do not fit my category of biblical Christianity.

A secular scientist examining the grand canyon, who has already assumed the evolutionary hypothesis will not be able to see anything but the time periods in the sediment layers. A Biblical Christian as described earlier will flavor all their conclusions based on their forgone conclusion the Bible is the Word of God. A radical Muslim Jihadist will always act based on their presupposition they are to kill the infidels and by that do God service!

My point isn’t to accurately get all the minutiae right of each position, it is to convey that none of us are as independent of thinkers as we tend to believe we are. We are all shaped by those who taught us, influenced us and even by our culture. We cannot help to view the world through the glasses of our presuppositions. Honestly, we all know only a speck of the truth that is to be learned.

Here is my theory. Outcomes are more determined by our starting point than by our investigation. Our presuppositions color our interpretation of what is observed. Hypothesis and theories are interpretations of observation. That is why to be valid they must be replicated by others independently. To think presuppositions don’t sway scientific research is to have your head in a dark cavern.

Science and research are often tainted. They are tainted by presuppositions and by who is paying for the research. Example, do you really think pharmaceutical companies research would want to cure major diseases? Just a question. Do you think someone who is totally closed to even the possibility of a higher power can do legitimate research on origins? Do you think a homosexual activist could do valid research on the causes of homosexuality? Do you think a Biblical Christian could do valid research on the claims of Allah? The odds are long in each example.

Following the money is always a valid pursuit when reading the “expert papers.” Who is paying for research and what is their agenda? What is the scientist credentials and what is his world view? Ever wonder why both sides of every case has expert witnesses?

What I am discovering having both traveled in theological and science based careers is beliefs are driven more by presupposition, emotion, politics and what is popular in culture than by the quest for truth. It was true in theological academia, because once a theological position was assumed, all Scripture had to be pigeon-holed to fit that system of belief.  Now in the energy and science world asking legitimate questions generates more heat than light! When challenging a popular position is not encouraged but rather shamed, ridiculed and silenced it lets me know the quest for truth is not the key factor! It is protecting a silo, emotional or political or “you are so out of vogue flat earther!”

How does all of this have anything to do with the Boy Scouts and allowing homosexuals to participate? That will be the subject of my next blog.

blessings,

Scott

Posted in Health and wellness, News and politics, Spirituality | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

More Controversy: Blending World Views

Posted on May 25, 2013 by Scott Ranck

I want to continue my thoughts on why so much controversy in our country and world is based on our differing world views and presuppositions. We looked briefly at a Biblical Christian’s World View and a Secular World View, now we are going to consider the issue of attempting to blend these two views.

The blended view in my thinking shows a person who can’t really live with the total realities of either view. This blog is my thoughts and my opinions and my first amendment right to say what I want. My opinion is this makes up the majority of our population. It also represents to me why our country is in such bad shape. The truth is either found in the first view or the second view, there is a God or there isn’t.

This view is popular largely because the average person does not have the means to do their own research or to think independently enough to choose one side or the other. Therefore they are swayed by popular opinion. Honestly, both the first two world views are very intolerant of each other. Though, tucked way back in the Bible is a verse that says the earth is round, Biblical Christians are derided by the secular community as “Flat earthers.” Christians are called ignorant. Though true science rarely closes the door on a topic, current secularists are quick to say the debate is over and our view wins. The popular opinion is too much for someone who hasn’t done their own research so they try to blend worldviews to be palatable to both sides. Christians can be very critical of people who do not adopt their way of thinking as well. Though it isn’t a tenant of Christianity, just the opposite really is, still many proponents of Christianity are very judgmental.

This blending of world views happens both ways. People who really don’t believe in God as He has revealed Himself believe in a god of their own understanding. When a secular person dies, often there is now some kind of after life for them, at least that is what they say at the funeral!

There is controversy because we can’t communicate and we can’t communicate because our presupposed ideas are at opposite ends of the spectrum. So, the blender is someone who says I will try to squeeze evolution into my view that God created and come out with some concoction that God oversaw evolution. The secularist says, I could never believe in the God of the Bible but I can worship nature, I can conjure up a god I can live with.

Kind of like Democrats and Republicans in our current culture, Secularists and Biblical Christians are more like oil and water. Both can be intolerant of the other because at the core both believe their view is the correct one. The blenders try to take the best of both views and make them fit into their life.

So we fight about surface issues like can a homosexual participate in the Boy Scouts. That subject is so superficial to the real conversation of, is there a God who has revealed himself and his ways to us or are we just an animal, here for a few years then dust forever.

This is a lot to chew on.

Blessings,

Scott

Posted in News and politics, Spirituality, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments